Weekly Cooking (and related issues) Thread

[Jamestown1630]

Long before we had 'The Pioneer Woman', we had a Pioneer Lady: Jane Watson Hopping, who published many cookbooks featuring old-fashioned recipes and reminiscences of country life.

Last weekend, while Liz was posting those beautiful, fresh, Spring-like salads, we were having weather that was very bitter for April - biting winds, low temps, and even some snow. At the thrift store I found Hopping's book, 'The Pioneer Lady's Hearty Winter Cookbook', and it seemed perfect for the strange April day that we were experiencing.

The book is full of recipes; but remarkable for how the recipes are framed by old family photos and memories, tales of country life in a long-gone era, poetry, and reproductions of pretty vintage drawings. It's a book to be quiet with, curled up by a fire; and reminds me somewhat of Gladys Taber's many books and articles from Stillmeadow Farm (q.v.).

(The cover of the book is a detail from Grant Wood's 1934 painting 'Dinner for Threshers' - which is probably what first attracted me, as he is one of my favorite 20th Century American painters :-) - and many of Hopping's books appear to be still available through Amazon:)

http://www.amazon.com/Jane-Watson-Hopping/e/B001HMMP7G

One of the recipes is described as a 'late harvest' dish; but looks good for us now all the year around:

Ida Louise's Late Harvest Jeweled Slaw

6 Cups shredded White Cabbage

1/2 yellow Bell Pepper, cut into slivers

1/2 Cup red Bell Pepper, cut into slivers

1 Cup Pineapple Tidbits, drained

2 T. Chopped Chives or Sweet Onion

1/2 tsp. Salt

Dash of freshly-ground Pepper

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1/2 tsp. Sugar

1 T. Vinegar

1/2 tsp. Dry Mustard

1/4 tsp. Paprika

In a medium to large salad bowl, combine cabbage, red and yellow peppers, pineapple and chives. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

In a smaller bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Toss the dressing lightly with the vegetables, and chill at least an hour before serving. _________________________________________________________

I promised to try a hummus recipe this week, and I was intrigued by Califreak's post about “Authentic Syrian Kicked Up Hummus”, because the garlic was roasted first, which is very different from every recipe I've used before; and that's the one I tried this week.

I was all geared-up to pick the skins off of those chickpeas, but the brand I used was 'Iberia': much smaller chickpeas and with very little skin, so I didn't bother with that 'peeling' business, this time.

The recipe used a bit more Tahini than I was used to using; and I wondered if that would create the silkiness of my remembered 'Excellent K Street Hummus'.

As it turned out, this is a really good recipe for what I recall as 'Sandwich' hummus - mine came out thick, not silky; might have used a little more salt; and depending on your chickpeas, you might want to add a little more lemon juice, or a little water, to make it better for dipping. Roasting the garlic gives it a more mellow hint of garlic, far less sharp than recipes calling for raw garlic. But overall, an excellent recipe for hummus!

After chilling, we drizzled a little olive oil on top, sprinkled paprika, and spread it on Naan that we found in the grocery. I couldn't find the frozen brand that Miss Marmelstein recommends, but will keep looking (and Miss M. was absolutely right about packaged Naan from supermarket bread shelves - it's gummy, and has an odd flavor.)

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/126786/authentic-kicked-up-syrian-hummus/

-JT

[Calvin Locke]

From what I remember, a thermospodium was essentially a combination chaffing dish/samovar (food/drink) used in both kitchen and dining room.

[Pelham]

I have kahili ginger growing but it’s not suitable for cooking as far as I know. Nice fragrant flower though

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/440438038530553571/

[DollyCali]

I love regular cookbooks ! (and regular books in general). The internet is amazing in what you can research and find but I am still drawn to books and buy them at bookstores, library sales, Amazon etc.

Hi everyone...

[DollyCali]

very pretty blossom. In the forests here in this part of the country a spring wildflower is called wild ginger. I really do not know if it is edible. I love ginger and do a lot of cooking with it. Use the fresh, bottled minced and the powdered that I order from Amazon

[kalee]

I love honey roasted sunflower seeds! They are great sprinkled in sandwich wraps. Spread tortilla with herb cream cheese or goat cheese cream cheese mixture. Layer sandwich ingredients, meat,cheese, veggies on top of herb cheese spread, then sprinkle on the seeds. Roll up sandwich then cut in half to serve. You can also slice these into thinner pinwheels for finger food at cocktail or tea parties. I like BLTs with avocado, yum! The seeds give a little sweet crunch to the mix.

[kalee]

I give my tomatoes a few whirls in the lettuce spinner. The tomatoes are less juicy when used in casseroles, sandwiches, or our favorite tomato pie.

[CottonBall]

Me too -I much prefer “real” books. I used a kindle for a while, but don’t want to invest too much money in eBooks in case the economy collapses and I lose access to them. Besides, I can’t indulge in a sackfull of used books from the library sale ;)

[Liz]

Now this is high tea.....from a travel blog.
Fragrant tea, served w/ rustic sugar cubes, and swirls of milk.

Afternoon Tea at Harrods’ Georgian Restaurant, London, England

Three-tiers of perfect afternoon snacks and sweets. At the top were pastries. A mini fruit
tart, some strawberry cheesecake, slices of raspberry coffee cake, and chocolate éclairs…

Then scones w/ little glass bowls of the creamiest butter and teeny jars of preserves;
crumbly, buttery inside, smeared with generous globs of butter and strawberry jam.

Then sandwiches. The sandwich bread was thin and delicate, the filling understated: “smoked
salmon with caper butter” “Cucumber and minted yoghurt,” “ham and piccalilli,” “cheddar
cheese and Branston pickle,” “truffled egg salad with cress.”

[miss marmelstein]

Where Marigold and Mrs. Rumpole went for tea once in a while in the classic tv show Rumpole of the Bailey.

I love they serve Branston Pickle which I love but isn’t good for the waistline.

[Jamestown1630]

I had often heard of Branston Pickle, but never really knew what it was; here’s a blurb, and a recipe:

http://www.thekitchn.com/favorite-fall-snack-branston-pickle-197644

http://www.food.com/recipe/the-almost-original-branston-pickle-recipe-246675

[Liz]

Now that I know what it us....Branston Pickle is a must.

[Jamestown1630]

It does look very good.

[miss marmelstein]

Branston Pickle, which can now be bought in the US at any supermarket, must be served with a good cheddar cheese on brown bread as it is at the National Theater canteen. The sweet and salty combo is very nice.

[miss marmelstein]

I’ve found Branston Pickle, as well as Marmite, at Wegmans, the old A&P, ShopRite and Stop and Shop in the int’l section. It’s pretty common in stores now. Whether it’s popular in the US, I don’t know. I happen to really like it.

[Liz]

Got it-—brown bread Cheddar and Branston pickle.

Sounds like a new taste treat.

[miss marmelstein]

Let me know if you like it.

[miss marmelstein]

BTW, since the original thread was about cookbooks, I decided to go to Ebay and buy some old Gourmet magazines from the 60s and 70s. As my usual bedtime reading, these turned out to be superlative! So much more intellectual and stimulating than the dumbed-down picture-oriented zines of today. While there is a kind of fun pomposity to some of the writing, it reminded me that the old Gourmet was much more a travel magazine than a food magazine. And a history magazine. It had a long piece on Colonial foods and cooking that was interesting and a sad and ironic piece on the glories of Haiti: filled with French aristocrats and ambassadors swanning around the mountains and hanging with Papa Doc! How wonderfully politically-incorrect was the old America.

[Liz]

Will do....btw, how do you use the Marmite?

[miss marmelstein]

I’ve never tried it although I have a little bottle. A tiny smear is applied to toast. Nigella writes paeans to it so you might want to google Nigella-Marmite. It’s basically yeast extract, is nutritious and very salty. The Aussies call it Vegemite and it is more expensive. I’ve heard it is an acquired taste and Brits go crazy for it. I keep meaning to try it.

[miss marmelstein]

Nigella also has a pasta dish that incorporates Marmite!