Backyard Banana Bread

Years ago I planted a raja puri banana and this is the first harvest!  They're unexpectedly good–a little tart, a little sweet, a little firm–just a really excellent little banana.  I've got a whole big bunch ripening.  We're eating them in our breakfast, I'll be freezing a lot of them, but because of COVID-19, I'm not seeing very many people to share them with.

This is based on my mom's recipe.  Don't mash the bananas too much or it takes forever to bake.

1/2 cup safflower oil
1 cup rapadura and/or evaporated cane sugar
2 backyard eggs
1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/4 cup quinoa flour
1/4 cup oat flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or your mix of favorite flours)
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp sea salt
1 cup lightly mashed very ripe banana
1/4 cup yogurt or sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup toasted pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)
1 cup chocolate chips or blueberries or mulberries (optional)

Beat oil, sugar & eggs. In a separate bowl, shift together dry ingredients. Alternate mixing in dry ingredients with the banana, sour cream & vanilla. Mix in the nuts & chocolate chips.  Bake in a greased & floured loaf pan at 325 degrees (convection) for 60-100 minutes until firm in the center.

Variation:

Add crisp topping before baking: 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup whole wheat flour, 3 tblsp cubed cold butter, 3 tblsp rolled oats, 1/2 tsp ground flax seed, 1/2 tsp hemp seed, 1/2 tsp chia seed, beat together until homogenous

DIY Pita Bread

I've tried making pita before - based on watching my siblings' Israeli other mother - with less success. This time, like my blended family, I blended in an actual recipe, which worked much better for me!

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 packet (or 1 cake) yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp sea salt

3 1/2 cups all purpose unbleached flour (or whole wheat or bread flour)
1 Tbsp olive oil

In a large mixing bowl, bloom yeast in warm water with sugar.

Stir in salt and mix in flour a little bit at a time until it comes together in a ball (about 5 minutes in the mixer with a bread hook), then knead until shiny and elastic. Return to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let rise until springy and airy, about 1 1/2 hours.

Work small handfuls of dough by pushing dough up through bottom middle of dough, forming a ball. Let rest for 15 minutes.

Roll out a ball in a thin round, about 6 inches.

On medium heat, warm a skillet with a glass lid. When hot, add dough round and cook until bubbling with lid on (about a minute - in the meantime, roll out your next ball); flip and cook with lid on until (hopefully) the air pocket forms (about 1 minute).

Makes a dozen.

Delicious with hummus & salad

Wild Yeasted Sourdough Stoneground (mostly) Whole Wheat Bread

I have always wanted to be able to make wonderful, toothsome, crusty, chewy bread.  I've tried several different recipes and methods over the years, and have had very limited success with this endeavor, which discourages me from trying very often.

But with renewed ferver, I'm making bread, a la Michael Pollan's Cooked.  I located rye (in People's bulk department) and stoneground heirloom whole wheat flour (packaged and much more expensive than the bulk department). I've wild-caught yeast, which was almost instantaneously bubbly (raising my hopes for this attempt), mixed the leaven and soaked the flours (I'm using filtered water because San Diego water is highly suspect).  My leaven wasn't as active as it needed to be and sank (along with my hopes a bit) instead of floating in water, so I added commercial yeast (much to my chagrin) per his suggestion.  I've mixed leaven into flour mixture with sea salted-water and bulk fermented.

I love the sourdough smell of the starter!  I love the sourdough smell on my hands!  I love that he encourages mixing everything with your hands.

Shaped the dough into 2 loaves (wow, that's a sticky dough but not dissimilar to Grandma Robert's rolls, the only bread I've made well consistently and loved) and proofed for days (longer than intended) in the refrigerator.  Trying to get it out of the bowl and into the very hot dutch oven involved a lot of scraping.  And trying to get the beautifully baked loaf out of the dutch oven involved a lot of prying with various implements.  It did not escape unscathed; part of the bottom stuck to the dutch oven.  How does one prevent that from happening? [Answer: allow the dutch oven to preheat for 15-30 minutes at 500 degrees - then it's much easier to pop out]

But the bread was wonderful!  Crusty, chewy, toothsome, sour, whole-wheaty goodness!  I made really good (dare I say excellent?) bread!  True, it could have had more airlift but whole wheat is notoriously height-challenged.

And I have a problem with throwing away 80% of the starter every day; this is too wasteful.  Seems to me recipes of yore would use that portion of the starter as the leaven for the daily bread baking.  So I need to play a bit more with this recipe before I publish my own version (so for now, here's my recipe from previous attempts).  But I've never felt so encouraged!

Yorkshire Pudding

This is an English classic also known as popovers and usually cooked around a roast or in beef fat.  But after I became a vegetarian at 12 years old, my English grandmother, while she was concerned I wouldn't get enough protein, would always cook a few in muffin tins in oil for me.

3 tablespoon butter or oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup minus 1 tablespoon flour
½ tsp sea salt

Cut each tablespoon of butter into 4 equal pieces. Place each piece of butter in the 12 cups of a muffin tin. Place the muffin tin in a 450º preheating oven to melt butter (do not brown or burn!).

Whisk together eggs and milk. Whisk in flour and salt until well combined. Pour batter evenly into the hot muffin tin, each cup about half full.

Bake for 15 minutes (10 with convection). Lower heat to 350º and bake another 5-10 minutes until golden brown.

Makes 12 popovers

Muffins for Breakfast

This morning we're making blueberry muffins with lemon zest (we like it real lemony so we use the zest of 2 good-sized lemons, which we have a ton of from my mom's friend).  Served with Schaner Farm pomegranate orange juice and scrambled eggs with chives from Suzie's Farm and a beautiful, flaky Murray River salt from Salt Farm that we picked up at the Little Italy farmers market yesterday.

Here's a basic muffin recipe (based on a Joy of Cooking recipe) that you can change seasonally...

1 cup buttermilk (or other dairy - see variations)
2 eggs
2/3 cup rapadura or evaporated cane sugar
3 oz melted butter or oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (we make our own)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup unbleached flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1¾ cup fruit (we like to go pretty heavy on the fruit - fresh, frozen, or dried fruit of your choice
zest of 2 lemons (or lime, Buddha hand, orange, tangerine...), optional
2 teaspoons chia seed, optional
1 rounded tablespoon wheat germ, optional

1 rounded tablespoon ground flax seed, optional
sugar in the raw, optional

Whisk wet ingredients (buttermilk, eggs, sugar, butter & vanilla) together.  In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (flours, baking powder & soda, salt).  Mix wet and dry ingredients together until just combined, then briefly stir in fruit or any other ingredients that suit your fancy.  If you like, sprinkle with big crystals of sugar.  Spoon batter into greased muffin tins and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes, until a knife comes out clean.  Allow to cool for a few minutes before popping them out of the pan.

Makes 18 standard-sized muffins.

Variations

• Instead of buttermilk, use yogurt or sour cream (or use milk or cream and eliminate the baking soda)
• Try fresh shredded zucchini, carrot, or winter squash such as pumpkin; fresh chopped apple or persimmon; dried fruit, such as coconut, cherries, figs; or frozen berries.
• Decrease butter or oil to 1/4 cup and add 1/4 cup of apple sauce or pumpkin puree
• Add a handful or 2 of chopped nuts (almonds, Chandler or red walnuts from Terra Bella Farm, pecans, macadamia - they grow locally)
• Add a teaspoon or so of your favorite spice with the dry ingredients (cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg...)
• Substitute some of another grain, such as cornmeal
• Add a handful of oats, hemp seed, chia seed, ground flax seed, and/or toasted wheat bran with the dry ingredients

Grandma Roberts' Rolls

Soft and tender, I love to make these rolls and remember my spouse’s very sweet grandmother, who made these rolls every holiday with her family.

1 cup scalded milk (this means heat just to a boil and remove from heat)
¼ cup evaporated cane sugar
¼ cup butter
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 eggs
1 cup unbleached white flour
2½ cups whole wheat flour (she used all white flour)

Add yeast to ¼ cup of warm water and let proof for 10 minutes.

In a separate, large bowl, mix milk, sugar, butter, and salt. Let cool until it is lukewarm (otherwise, you'll kill the yeast).

To the mixture, add the yeast, eggs, and flour. Beat until smooth.  Cover with a warm, slightly damp towel. Let it rise for 2 hours.

This next part can be a bit tricky until you get the hang of it: roll out ropes of the dough on a well floured surface; form and cut into individual knots (forming the roll). The dough will be sticky, so don’t be shy with the flour. Place rolls on parchment paper on baking sheets. Let it rise for 2 more hours.

She baked them at 425º for 10-12 minutes, but we bake at 350º for 13-15 minutes in convection oven or 15-17 minutes in regular oven or until golden brown on top.  Best right out of the oven!

Makes about 20 rolls

Winter Root Vegetable Stew with Cobbler Dumplings

If the weather forecast can be believed, we've got some cold days and colder nights headed our way, which makes me think of making this recipe. It's Thursday so I'm headed to the North Park farmers market to hit up Suzie's Farm, J.R. Organics, Smit's, and Spring Hill Cheese.

2 tablespoons oil (I like olive) or butter
2 cups (about ½ pound) leeks (or onions), julienned
1 fennel bulb, chopped (about 1½ cups)
3 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
¼ pound fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped (I like cremini)
1 ½ pounds (3-4 cups) root vegetables, chopped (I like Yukon potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and maybe a turnip or rutabaga)
4-5 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp fresh parsley, stemmed & minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, stemmed & minced
sea salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste

1. Prep the veggies: trim dark green parts (keep for stock) from the leeks, score leeks lengthwise, then cut the leeks into pieces about 1 inch in length; wash thoroughly and drain. Chop fennel & veggies into about ¼-½ inch cubes (keep roots end, fennel fronds and stalks for stock). Roughly chop mushrooms (save stems for stock).

2. Make the stock.
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, chopped
any vegetable scraps
1 bay leaf
3 fresh sage leaves
2 springs fresh parsley
2 springs fresh thyme

In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil on high heat, add the onion, garlic, carrot, and vegetable scraps (tops, peels, stems, ugly or tough parts. Nothing rotten or dirty. No onion skin, garlic skin, nor stinky veggies such as turnips or rutabagas), stirring occasionally until you see some caramelization. Cover completely with water, about 6 cups, add herbs and bring to a boil, add ½ tsp sea salt and simmer for 30 minutes.  Strain out the vegetable pieces.

3. Make the cobbler dough:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ tsp sea salt
8 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces (6 if you add cheese)
1 cup milk
½ cup grated cheese (cheddar, gruyere, parmesan…), optional
1 tablespoon fresh herbs, chopped (chives, parsley, thyme, sage…)

In a medium bowl, mix the flours, baking powder, and salt.  Work the butter into the flour mixture with your finger tips, until the texture is crumbly.  Stir in the milk until well combined, then mix in the cheese and herbs.  Set aside.

4. Make the stew: in a deep, wide skillet, melt butter or heat oil on high, add leeks, fennel, mushroom, thyme, and garlic, stirring frequently, and cook until the mushrooms give up their liquid and start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped winter veggies; cover completely with stock and season with a bit of salt. Bring to a boil and stir in the parsley.  Drop large spoonfuls of the cobbler dough on top of the stew; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt & pepper after portioning stew and cobbler into bowls for serving.

Serves 6

Variations

• Instead of or in addition to roots, use other vegetables as the season provides: winter or summer squash, Brussels sprouts, sugar snap peas...
• Make a gluten-free version by eliminating the cobbler topping or adapt this recipe for shepard's pie

My Favorite Zucchini Recipes: Calabacitas & Zucchini Quick Bread

Both of these recipes were handed down through my mom's family...

Narcissa’s Calabacitas
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pound summer squash, sliced into bite-sized pieces
3 large tomatoes, diced
5 cloves fresh garlic, pressed
2 cobs fresh corn, kernels sliced off the cob
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
sea salt & pepper
2-3 ounces cheddar or jack cheese, grated

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, squash, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently until start to soften. Stir in corn, tomatoes, cilantro, salt and pepper to taste. Top with cheese and cover until cheese is melted. Serve with tortillas.

Serves 4-6

Zucchini Bread (or Muffins)
(Funny enough, according to Wendy Johnson's Gardening at the Dragon's Gate, this recipe is shockingly similar to the one served at Green Gulch Farm Zen Center in the early 1970s)

3 eggs
1 cup oil
1 1/2 - 2 cups evaporated cane or rapadura sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour (I use a mix of whole wheat pastry, buckwheat, quinoa, and oat)
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp cinnamon
3 cups grated zucchini

1 cup nuts, toasted, optional (I suggest pecans or walnuts)

Beat eggs light and foamy. Mix in oil, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Add zucchini and nuts; mix until well combined.

For muffins: bake in cupcake tins at 325º for 20 minutes. Makes 24 muffins.
For bread loaf: bake in 2 greased 9x5 loaf pans at 325º for 1 hour.
Cool on rack.

Variations
Eliminate the cinnamon (or not) and add ¼ cup cocoa powder and ½ cup chocolate chips.
For a lower fat version, replace 1/3-2/3 of the oil with applesauce.

free ingredient: spent grains

Ian has been brewing his beer from whole grains (malt, barley, etc).  After boiling out all the sugar and starches from the grains, they still are full of protein and fiber and have many uses:

compost (of course), livestock feed (chickens love them), and baking! here's my favorite spent grain recipe i've adapted from Alewife:

Spent Grain Pizza or Focaccia

1 pkg. dry bread yeast (or catch your own)

1/2 cup warm water

1/2 tsp local honey

1/4 cup olive oil

2 T local honey

1 tsp sea salt

1 cup bread flour

1 cup spent grains

1/2 cup water

2 ½ - 3 cups bread flour

olive oil for bowl

flour to sprinkle bread board

course corn meal

Proof yeast by mixing with ½ cup warm water and ½ tsp honey. Let sit a few minutes until a layer of foam appears. In large mixing bowl, mix together olive oil, honey, and salt. Blend in yeast mixture and 1 cup flour. In a food processor, buzz 1 cup spent grains and ½ cup water for a couple minutes until semi smooth. Add grains to yeast slurry and mix together well. Add remaining 3 cups flour, 1 cup at a time, mixing well with each addition. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead well until elastic and shiny. then, form into a ball. Drizzle a little olive oil into a bowl, add the dough ball and turn to coat. Cover bowl with one of those plastic grocery bags you’ve got shoved in a drawer and place in a warm place to rise for about an hour. When ready to use, push dough down, deflating it. Bring sides in to center and flip dough over. Put dough out onto floured board and pat out evenly.

For pizza: cut dough into 8 equal sized pieces for individual pizzas. Shape each piece into an evenly round ball and place on a baking sheet that has been sprinkled with course corn meal. Cover with those plastic bags and let rest for a ½ hour. Place baking stone or quarry tiles in oven and preheat at 500º for a ½ hour. Pat and pull pizza dough to flatten add desired toppings and let rest, covered, another 15 minutes. Carefully transfer to the baking stone and bake about 8-12 minutes.

For focaccia: form half the dough into long loaf on a baking sheet sprinkled with corn meal. Decorate focaccia with slashes, drizzle with olive oil and sea salt or top with herbs, garlic, or caramelized onions. Cover and let rest for about a ½ hour. Preheat your baking stone at 400º and bake focaccia for about a ½ hour.