Cooking Orgy
2001-07-17 @ 7:41 p.m.
�
Wow, I can't believe all the terrific responses I got in my guest book. No wonder Badsnake is so addicted to Diaryland. You people make me want to write more for you.
This is actually the first entry I wrote back on July 8. Then I realized I needed to write an introductory entry.
Today I had kind of a cooking orgy. First I made the waffles. It's Sunday so we had family breakfast. Even though we talk about lesbian pancakes, what we usually have for breakfast is waffles. I wish I could say there was some kind of secret recipe, but I just follow the one on the back of the box of Bisquick. I usually add blueberries (the frozen kind in a bag from the supermarket) for those who want them. Today I experimented with frozen raspberries in mine. I liked it. The waffle was a little more tart. Sometimes I add bananas to the batter for me, Sara and Jake (Badsnake prefers hers without bananas). Sara and Badsnake get theirs with blueberries. Jake likes hers without blueberries and extra crispy. Oh yeah, then there's bacon day. Today wasn't bacon day. When it is, Badsnake and Sara don't let me forget. Sometimes we have pancakes, and sometimes I get a wild hair and make something completely new and different. But usually it's waffles. They sit around the table and read the paper while I cook. I like that. I especially like the fact that the shelves between my kitchen and the dining room allow me to participate in conversations while I cook.
For supper I made spicy sausage potpie. It's a recipe that Jake found in an old Better Homes and Gardens (March 2000 in an article by Jeanne Ambrose). One of the ingredients is chorizo (Mexican sausage). Instead of buying it at the Mexican market down the street (there is one), I decided to make my own. This isn't such a whim. We've done it before. Sara had a recipe in an old Cooking Light magazine (probably not authentic chorizo, but a good substitute and potentially less fatty) that we've both used for different main dishes. It has to marinate for 8 hours, so first thing after breakfast I made the chorizo and stuck it in the fridge.
Then I started working on the bread. Jake had also found a recipe for Chocolate Prune Bread in the same BH&G, and she and Badsnake were both interested. So I had to try it. This is not to go with supper mind you, but just to have on hand for breakfasts and snacks. I made the dough this morning and left it in the oven for the first rise. Then I went for a bicycle ride. One thing I've learned from reading about and baking bread is that it isn't as exacting as I once thought it was. You can leave bread rising all day if you want. I've learned to make it on my own schedule instead of tying myself to its schedule. So I went for a short bike ride. Then when I got home I cleared out the utility room and straightened it up (it's been needing it ever since the roof caved in). After my shower I punched in the dough and rolled it out. (If your counting that made the first rise at least 3 hours.) This is an accordion bread. You chop the chocolate and prunes and place them between layers of the bread, then leave it for its second rise.
Then I finally got to sit down for a little while. Jake and I sat on their front porch with margaritas (one of Jake's specialties), chips and salsa, and books and magazines while Badsnake watched TV in our house with Jake and Sara's dogs, Sammy and Tyler (heretofore know as "the boys"). Sara was at work. After the bread went into the oven, I started shelling the beans on the porch and then Jake finished that job in our house (the mosquitoes were finally getting to us) while I got to work on the rest supper. Shelling the beans was a job I gave up reluctantly. I enjoy shelling beans, because it reminds me of my grandmother. She is the one who taught me how to cook. I'm sure I'll write more about her later.
Here's the recipe for spicy sausage potpie:
6 oz. Chorizo or hot Italian sausage, crumbled
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped, peeled rutabaga or turnip (I used turnip)
1 cup mild or medium salsa
3/4 cup cooked ham, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (4 oz)
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 15 oz can golden hominy, rinsed and drained
1 recipe Cornmeal Pastry
I am notorious for not following recipes exactly. I used a little more chorizo than the recipe calls for because that was how much the chorizo recipe made. I also had a little more turnip than was called for, so I just upped almost everything a little. You cook the chorizo in a large skillet until it's brown. Then add turnip (or rutabaga), salsa, ham and broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer until turnip is crisp tender. The mag says 8 to 10 minutes. I think it took me a little longer. Add hominy and zucchini (once again, this is me changing a recipe. I had some zucchini on hand from the garden that needed to be used, so I cut it up and tossed it in.). Spoon into a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish (ungreased). Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cornmeal pastry is 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal (except I used white cornmeal because that is what I had.), and 1/4 tsp salt (1/2 tsp since I was using kosher salt). Using a pastry blender, cut in 1/3 cup shortening until pieces are pea-size. Stir in 2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro or Italian parsley (I used parsley since I have some in the garden). Sprinkle 3 to 5 tablespoons cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, over mixture, tossing with a fork after each addition until moistened. Form dough into a ball. Roll out the pastry to about 1 inch larger than top of casserole. Place pastry on top of casserole, and turn edges under and flute. Cut slits in top for steam to escape. (I forgot the slits, but I also set it on a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil because the casserole was kinda full and I didn't want it bubbling over onto the bottom of the oven. The aluminum foil was so Badsnake didn't have to wash baked-on casserole off the cookie sheet.)
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.
As an odd sort of side dish, we had pinto beans with the potpie. I have been picking pintos out of the garden for about a week and decided they needed to be cooked. Since I've never cooked fresh pintos, I didn't know how long it would take. I brought them to a boil and then cooked them over medium heat for about 30 to 40 minutes. They were great, so much better than dried. I am a big fan of pinto beans, as are Badsnake and Jake. Even Sara ate some of these, and she doesn't usually like pintos. Both the potpie and the pintos were a big hit with the family.
We didn't have wine with this meal. If I were going to recommend a wine for the potpie, it would probably be beer. No really, if you wanted wine I would suggest either a dry ros� (preferably a Rhone style ros� with a little spice), an Alsatian gewurztraminer, or a lightly sweet riesling. The spices in this dish are its dominant flavor. It needs a wine with enough fruit to stand up to the spice. A California zinfindel would probably work if you wanted a red wine. Whatever you do don't try it with a cabernet sauvignon or a chardonnay. Both will clash hideously with spicy food. No matter how much you've liked whatever wine it is before, the wine will taste awful. I had a nice cold beer. Neither Sara nor Badsnake were drinking this evening and Jake decided to skip the alcohol, too.
This is turning into such a long entry, I will give you the recipes for the chorizo and the chocolate prune accordion bread in different entries.
�
Selling vulva vases! - 8:25 p.m. , 2005-05-13 Dapper dicks - 8:21 p.m. , 2005-05-09 A breezy night in Georgia - 9:12 p.m. , 2005-04-28 Things that go bump in the night - 12:46 p.m. , 2005-04-26 Evil-doer, you face the Tick! - 3:31 p.m. , 2005-04-15