In wine there is wisdom,
in beer there is freedom,
in water there is bacteria.
~Ben Franklin

Bread & Butter Pickles

I really want to give this a try!

In Today's Times-Union (11/16/09)

"When someone cooks for you, they are telling you about themselves.
They're telling you about their own personal histories,
they're telling you about what their mothers made for them,
their ethnic history, their national history,
the history of their region, what they like.
And they're giving you the purest expression of that by offering you food."

~Anthony Bourdain

Nommy! Green Curry Paste!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Green-Thai-Curry-Paste/

Nommy! Malay Curry Paste, Part II

I finally got all the components to blend up my own version of Rempah (recipe linked in the previous post).

The original blogger who posted the recipe was right in mentioning the difficulties in grinding everything down, as everything has different densities. I threw everything into the Cuisinart, thinking I'd be able to get it all ground down quick. My curry past has chunks in it, and I"m okay with that. It'll have "to do" until I mix up another batch.

What I love love love about this paste is that it can be dressed up or down for Thai, Malaysian or Indian cuisines, with minor alterations; however from Malaysian to Thai is nearly indecipherable to my palate.

My paste lacked turmeric, as that was the one component I lacked (I didn't want to use dry).

Monday night I made some Tom Yum Goong, and with the curry paste I made a chicken leg and corn (I cut the cobs into 1/2 inch thick "wheels) curry w/coconut milk, tamarind, the rempah, holy basil, mint, and coriander leaves. Utterly delicious!

Nommy! Malay Curry Paste

Can't wait to make this!

Tuesday Tastespotting, 6/9/09

Here are some things that caught my eye today:

Blue cheese and chive souffle in edible onion cups

Shrimp Cucumber Rolls

Another Rainy Day Project: Homemade "Ricotta" & Then "Whey Bread"

Homemade Ricotta

As published in: Homemade ricotta is as simple to make as it is versatile
Special "Hat Tip" to The Traveler's Lunchbox for bringing my attention to it!

Makes about 2 ½ cups

The flavor of homemade ricotta depends on the flavor of the milk and cream that go into it, so use the best you can find. I love the dairy from Fresh Breeze Organic in Lynden.

Ingredients:

2 quarts whole milk (not ultrapasteurized, preferably organic)
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon salt

Procedure:

1. Set a colander in the sink and line it with a triple layer of cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel (not terry cloth) that you've rinsed and wrung out. Combine the milk, buttermilk, cream and salt in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and place over medium heat. Stirring frequently to prevent scorching, heat the milk to a gentle simmer. Watch it carefully; when it reaches 175 degrees, it will start to curdle. As soon as you see this, give the milk one last stir, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom, and turn off the heat. Let the pot sit there, undisturbed, for 10 minutes. The soft white curds will separate from the yellowish whey and rise to form a raft on the surface.

2. Using a wire-mesh skimmer or large slotted spoon, gently lift off the curds into the colander, leaving as much of the whey behind as possible. Go slowly so as not to break up the curds too much. When you've transferred them all, pour off and discard the whey left in the pot, and salvage any curds that are stuck to the bottom. Let the cheese drain for about half an hour; when the draining slows, gather the edges of the cloth, tie them into a bag, and hang the bag from the faucet. Continue to drain until the ricotta is as thick as you like it, up to an hour longer.

3. Pack the ricotta into a covered container and store in the refrigerator. It's at its best during the first 3 to 4 days, but it will keep for about a week.

And in the comments section, I managed to find some useful information from user Gnwwolf, who makes their own buttermilk (thus saving money):

I take it one step further and make my own buttermilk, that way I only have to pick up a gallon of whole milk which is running around $1.99 in Burien:

Just under two cups milk
2 Tablespoons white vinegar.

Put the white vinegar in a two cup glass measure, pour in enough milk to bring it to two cups, let sit 5 minutes, then proceed with the ricotta making process.

I do save the whey for using in the 5 minute bread recipe, so win-win all around.

And of course, I couldn't let it "just be," as I'm now curious about the elusive "5 Minute Bread Recipe," too. Though I couldn't find the specific "5 minute bread recipe," I did manage to find a promising Whey Bread recipe over at Small Potatoes:

Copied and pasted from their blog post:

Ingredients:

5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
1 tbls. sugar
4 1/2 tsp. yeast

3/4 hot whey leftover after the making of ricotta
1 cup warm water
5 tbls. butter, melted

Extras: cornmeal, sesame seeds, egg white

Procedure:

1. Add dry ingredients to the bowl and stir.
2. If the whey has cooled, heat whey and water. Slice butter and stir into the hot liquid to melt.
3. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Stir well until combined. Or! Use your mixer and the dough hook to mix and knead. Either way, stir and knead for an additional five minutes, until the dough is smooth and warm.
4. Divide dough into desired portions. I suggest two pieces for full size loaves or three pieces for moderate, individual loaves. Pat the dough into a rectangle and then roll up into a cylinder. Pinch seams and edges and shape a little bit more.
5. Place onto a sheet pan that’s been sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and rise in a warm place for 1 hour.
6. If you want, paint the loaf with egg white and/or sprinkle with sesame seeds.
7. Bake at 425F for 30 minutes.

-This recipe easily doubles.
-Loaves freeze well after they have been cooled.
-Makes great garlic bread!
-Dry leftover pieces and process to make bread crumbs. Keep a container of bread crumbs in your freezer for later use.

I can see myself using the ricotta, pressing it until it is firm and dry, and using it as I would paneer (I believe it is the same process to make), and using the whey bread recipe for naans.

Russian Tea Cakes

You'll need:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Whip it together:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar. I also like to roll mine in the sugar a second time.

Not Sure About Everyone Else Here At Turdmania...

Still cooking up a storm and livin' life IRL. Not enough time in the day to document everything.

However, for tonight's dinner, I am going to attempt to make the Thai Basil Fried Rice from Thai Food Tonight's Youtube Channel (which is now a fixture on the sidepanel). I'm confident it'll be a great meal.

Additionally, I hope to get back in the swing of things, brewing my kombucha, as well as possibly organizing my den and learn more about yogurt and cheese making.

I believe a batch of Scotch eggs and perhaps some tatties 'n neeps is in my near future too.

Stay Tuned!