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

[Liz]

Hatsuhana Restaurant, E 48th, NYC, was the place all the 80's era
fashionista went....when Japanese food was starting to take hold.
The BOX OF DREAMS BENTO was THE thing to eat.

Nine miniature bowls in a classic Japanese lacquer box,
each w/ very fresh raw or cooked sashimi and sushi rice.
Japanese chefs try to please every sense.

Incidentally, if you're in Japan but can't see your way clear to dropping
hundreds of dollars at a high-end Japanese restaurant, these place also
make bentos (sold in dept stores). Good way to taste all that great food.

[miss marmelstein]

Ah, the Bento Box craze! Let’s face it, they’re pretty. There’s a store in Chelsea that does Japanese paper miniatures. I’m a miniature fanatic (I make doll houses) and I go crazy in this store.

[Liz]

There's just no end to Japanese creativity.....miniature shops from paper.

[miss marmelstein]

They are soooo amazing. Gorgeous pix. And they don’t cost a lot either.

[Liz]

I love them all....the vegetable grocer, the bakery....
and the fishmonger looks exactly like the ones in japan.

[Jamestown1630]

Are those from Canon or HP? I have some of them saved, especially like the vegetable market. (I’m also a great miniatures fan, Miss M; it was my favorite thing when I was small. I have two Greenleaf dolls’ house kits that are waiting for my retirement, and I keep buying little things for them - including blue-and-white china ;-)

http://cp.c-ij.com/en/categories/CAT-ST01-0071/top.html

-JT

[Jamestown1630]

My mistake; here’s the site with all the little shops:

http://paperm.jp/craft/dollhouse/

[Liz]

Thanks for the link. So impossibly clever.

My post was from a library fair display.

[Jamestown1630]

They use up a lot of ink! But I like putting them together and seeing the finished product. The HP and Canon crafty websites have lots of nice party sets/favors, etc; and some of the paper models celebrating Japanese holidays are gorgeous:

http://cp.c-ij.com/en/contents/CNT-0011778/index.html