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!

Eat Produce for Breakfast (a long-winded recipe for Vegetable Hash)

Bread and sugar in various permutations seem to be the mainstays of breakfast in our typical western modern diet.  And while I absolutely love fresh, homemade, organic, whole grain muffins/waffles/quick breads/biscuits/scones/toast/pancakes/french toast, I'm constantly trying to make them healthier or I skip them altogether for a fruit- or veggie-based option.

If we're not quite ready to quit our sugary bread breakfasts, we can improve the taste and wholesomeness of our favorite scratch comfort recipes.  Using whole grain flours (especially stone ground) is a good way to start the rehab process: begin trading out 1/4 of the white stuff and gradually increase the ratio of whole grains to refined grains to ease your taste buds into it.  Step 2 might be to stir in your choice of seeds, nuts, fruit or veggies into the mix: try chopped almonds and dried cherries, or pecans with chopped apples or pears, or walnuts with shredded squash.  Bake up and serve topped with a heavy spoonful of seasonal sliced fruit, cooked up into a compote or served fresh.  Or take rolls, biscuits and pastries in a savory direction: decrease or eliminate sugar from the recipe, and stir in or stuff with a spoonful of baked sweet potato and fresh rosemary, sauteed peppers and cilantro, sun-dried tomatoes and basil, caramelized onions, or whole cloves of roasted garlic.  Hungry yet?

Or maybe we're ready already to dive right into fruits & veggies as the center of a lighter first meal of the day.  When the weather is warm I want a smoothie: a handful or 2 of blueberries and a chopped nectarine (or local seasonal fruit of your choice), maybe spinach or kale, a frozen banana (if you've got one lurking in the freezer), a scoop of probiotic-rich yogurt or some coconut milk, a few dates or spoonful of local honey, a big pinch of local bee pollen, splash in some orange or apple juice, and  blend with 1/2 cup or so of ice.  Stir in chia or hemp seeds or top with granola for some crunch.

Lean and mean green drink more your speed?  Then you probably know how to make one.  They tend to be a bit too fibrous and, well, vegetal for me.  But I do like them quite a lot when made with fruit and strained through a colander (just kidding; how 'bout using a juicer?  But then we'd lose all that fiber...): berries, carrot, orange, apple, beet, and/or celery, maybe dates, lots of kale, some spinach or lettuces, and a little flat-leaf parsley (I guess I like my green drink less mean, and mildly sweet).

Of course there's a whole host of other options within a wide range of healthfulness: baked fruit crisp, fruit salad, sauteed greens, roasted potatoes, apple sauce (ok, maybe just for babies), fruit with granola and yogurt, vegetable-filled quiche...oh, and here's a novel idea: eat a fresh, beautiful, naked piece of fruit!

But if you are fortunate, and have time for a slow morning, I highly recommend a highly satisfying vegetable hash.  This is a "mother" recipe, readily adaptable to what's in your pantry and the changing seasons...

All-Veggies-In Hash                       Serves 4
1 pound potatoes (blue, Yukon or fingerling), cut into 1/2" cubes (or mixed root veggies of your choice: sweet potato, parsnip, beets, turnip, celery root, sunchoke..)
6 cloves garlic in their skins
olive oil (or sunflower oil, coconut oil, ghee...)
sea salt
1 small sweet onion, quartered and sliced thin (or red or yellow onion, shallots or leeks)
1 small crockneck squash, diced or sliced small & thin (or other seasonal veggie: carrot, fennel, broccoli, mushroom, winter squash, corn...)
1 large poblano chile, diced (or more seasonal veggies)
pepper

In a roasting pan or on a cookie sheet, toss potatoes and garlic with about 2 tablespoons of oil to coat, sprinkle with salt to taste and roast at 450 degrees for 45 minutes or so, stirring once about 20 minutes in, until golden and crispy.

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized skillet or pan, caramelize the onions (cook slow & low, stirring frequently, until the color of caramel) on medium-low heat in 1-2 tablespoons oil and a pinch or 2 of salt.  Then add the other veggies and saute until soft.

Remove the skins from the garlic and toss all ingredients together with a few grinds of black pepper.

If you like, serve topped with shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream and a poached or fried egg.

Want to add more produce power?  Add fresh chopped parsley, cilantro, chives, tomato, avocado, salsa or hot sauce, or homemade fermented ketchup.  Want even more veggies?  Serve on a bed of sauteed kale, or fresh arugula, dandelion, cress or hardy mixed greens.

...and that was my breakfast this morning.

Wise Words from Michael Pollan

I think he's all that and a mason jar of homemade dehydrated kale chips.  I love what this guy has to say about food.  Even though (or especially because) I was trained as a dietitian at UC Berkeley and UCLA, my favorite nutrition advice ever is "eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

In his latest Cooked, I am tickled with his perspectives on and blend of anthropology, religion, food science, biology, chemistry, history, agriculture, journalism, home ecomomics, research, technology and especially ethics, whisked together with great humor by his awesome way of expressing himself...

...so I find myself compelled to share some of his thoughts on cooking:

Once I committed a couple of hours to being in the kitchen, I found my usual impatience fade and could give myself over to the afternoon's unhurried project.  After a week in front of the screen, the opportunity to work with my hands--with all my senses, in fact--is always a welcome change of pace, whether in the kitchen or in the garden.  There's something about such work that seems to alter the experience of time, helps me to reoccupy the present tense.  I don't want you to get the idea it's made a Buddhist of me, but in the kitchen, maybe a little bit.  When stirring the pot, just stir the pot.  I get it now.  It seems to me that one of the great luxuries of life at this point is to be able to do one thing at a time, one thing to which you give yourself wholeheartedly.

Unitasking.

Who knew he could share the dharma, too?

Adventures in Food Preservation, Final Class Project: Balsamic Mulberry Jam

I've been picking boat loads (up to 16 cups) of mulberries off my tree every day.  They fall to the ground faster than I can pick them.  My refrigerator overflows with them.  I had to jam just to make room for more mulberries.  I jammed them a couple years ago, which went well but I made a few adjustments this time.

I really enjoyed using the pectin from the seeds & pith of citrus for marmalade, and I hope to get a hold of under ripe apples in the future to make my own pectin for jams (especially since I'm having a hard time finding organic pectin), but that didn't happen this year so I've bought the boxed stuff from OB People's Co-op. This is a citrus-derived pectin that uses calcium to jell the pectin; this allows me to use less sugar in the jam or to use honey, which I like.

I de-stemmed my mulberries by hand, which takes forever, because I wanted the fruit to stay as intact as possible, making more of a preserve texture (it also makes a dark purple mess but because the color is naturally sourced, the stains come out washing up with soap and water).  It still ends up pretty mashed (cuz the stem runs down through the middle of the fruit).

4 cups smashed mulberries
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (I picked up a lovely one last time I was in the SF Ferry Building from Stonehouse)
1 tablespoon calcium water (add calcium packet to 1/2 cup filtered water in a small jar and shake)
1 tablespoon pectin powder
2 cups rapadura sugar (this will give it a deep molasses-y flavor and won't screw up the color cuz the berries are so dark)

I clean and sterlize jars and keep lids in hot water.  I follow the directions on the pectin box (and do all the stuff properly how I was taught in class and from reading the text, but here's the streamlined version):
Heat the fruit with the acid and calcium water to a boil; mix the sugar and pectin together and then add to the fruit, stirring to dissolve.  Return the mixture to a boil, then remove from heat.  Fill jars leaving 1/4 inch head space, add lids and rings (not too tight).  Boil jars for 5 minutes on a canning rack.  Remove from water bath and let sit, undisturbed overnight.

I got 5 cups of jam from this recipe.

Adventures in Food Preservation, Part 4: Marmalade!

I've made jam a couple times before but because you've got to be exact, I've found the process intimidating to take on by myself.  But it's ever-so-fun in a group.  Get a good source for detailed instructions: our text is great (and cheap), Preserving Summer's Bounty, there's of course lots of info online, and it's a good idea to follow the directions on the box (if you get your pectin in a box).

There is a good deal of equipment needed for jamming:

• large pot
• canning rack that will fit into said pot
• canning jars (can be reused)
• new lids (these can't be heated twice)
• rings (can be reused)

Not technically required but very useful:

• magnetic lid wand (sounds dumb but keeps scorching hot lids sterile)
• jar lifter (basically tongs with grip)
• wide-mouthed funnel
• thin spatula to scrape inside of filled jars to remove any air bubbles

Yes, it's a bit labor intenstive (cleaning and sterilizing all jars and such ahead of time...) but the results are pretty amazing and cheap (especially if you're growing it or foraging) and all your loved ones will feel so fortunate if they get some.

We burnt the marmarlade (ever so slightly) and it was good!  So let's just call it caramelized:

Orange Marmalade
3 pounds (about 12 small) oranges: ours were assorted varieties from Dennis, who can be found at the Little Italy and other SD farmers markets, including low acid vanilla pinks and blood oranges, which gave the marmalade a rich, dark color.
1 Eureka lemon
1 Meyer lemon
4 cups filtered water
4 cups sugar (we used evaporated cane)

Scrub the fruit clean. I do not use soap (yuck); just rubbing and water.

Cut in half and juice the oranges (you need 2 cups of juice), saving all the seeds & membranes in a muslin bag or cheesecloth (cuz we're making our own pectin!)  Scrape the white pith (and save in the bag) from the oranges.  Julienne the peels (for 4 cups).

Cut Eureka lemon in half and juice.  Add the juice to the orange juice. Add the seeds, membranes and peel to the bag.

Cut the Meyer in 8ths, lengthwise.  Remove seeds and membranes and add them to the bag.  Slice the Meyer sections into thin triangles.

Put the juice, peels, Meyer triangles, water & muslin bag (closed tight, let the string hang over the edge but don't let it catch on fire) in a large, heavy bottomed pot.  Bring to a boil and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring so the fruit and bag doesn't stick to the bottom and burn (like we did, but hey, it still tasted great).

Remove from heat.  Transfer bag to a bowl and allow to cool.  Measure the marmalade mixture and for every cup, add 7/8 cup of sugar.  When the bag is cool enough to handle, squeeze the pectin juices into the marmalade mix (and then compost the bag contents).

Heat the marmalade back up to a rapid boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently (which we did so we didn't burn it anymore).  Secure a candy thermometer in your mixture (did I mention how much equipment jamming requires?), making sure it does not touch the pot.  You want to get the temp up to 220-222 degrees so it will jell.  There are other ways to tell if it's jelled, but those are a bit too esoteric for me.

Fill sterilized jars (that you've been keeping in hot water), scrape down side to remove any air bubbles, clean head space & outer threads with a clean, damp cloth, add lids & rings (that you've been keeping in hot water), not super tight, and process in 180 degree water bath for 5 minutes.

Again, follow all instructions (from a resource other than this streamlined post).

My First - and Best - Hot Sauce: Chipotle

I've been wanting to make hot sauce for a while.  My spouse loves it but it's hard to find a really good one with wholesome & organic ingredients.  So when the deli put one out that I particularly enjoyed, I asked how they made it.

Based on Daniel's recipe at OB People's deli...

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1/2 cup whole dried New Mexican chilis, stems removed
1/4 cup whole dried chipotle chilis, stems removed
4 fresh medium heirloom tomatoes
1 fresh anaheim chili
1 head garlic

Heat vinegar with equal parts filtered water, add salt and dried chiles and simmer until dried chilis are soft (this could take a few hours). 

Roast fresh chili, garlic and tomato at 400 degrees until soft and blistered; remove stems (and skin & seeds if desired). 

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Add more vinegar and/or water for desired consistency.  

My spouse was very excited when trying the sauce and immediately started listing the foods he would eat it on (vegetarian tacos, vegetable hash, poached eggs, hash browns, nachos...)

Adventures in Food Preservation: Part 3

Lacto-Fermented Veggies
Last week's class returned to fermentation, using sauerkraut juice or whey (products of the previous 2 classes) to ferment non-Brassica veggies and pico de gallo.  I visited the SD Public Market just before class to pick up my veggies from Suzie's Farm.  I stuffed a small jar with small carrots scrubbed clean and cut in half, and another jar with small golden beets, peeled and quartered.  I forgot to put my herbs and spices in first, so I then add a few peppercorns, fresh cilantro, a bay leaf (to keep the veggies crisp) and a dried hot pepper to the carrots, and peppercorns, fresh dill and a bay leaf to the beets.  I used cup jars, so I added 1/2 tablespoon of sauerkraut juice to each jar.  I made a brine by dissolving 3 tablespoons of course sea salt to a quart of water, and covered the veggies with the brine.

My veggies were packed tight so I didn't think I needed to weigh them down to keep them submerged in the liquid; I just set the lid on loose and put the jars in a cool, dark space.  Well, a few days later when i came back to check for mold, all of the herbs and spices (that I forgot to put in first) had floated to the top are were moldy.  So I removed them and the mold and put the veggies in the fridge.

Fermented Pico de Gallo (Salsa Fresca)
8 Roma tomatoes (they will keep their firmness), diced
1/4 very large onion, diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
2 small hot peppers of unknown variety, minced (I wear gloves to do this as to avoid later touching my face with capsaicin hands)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
juice of 1/2 a lime
1 1/2 teaspoons whey or sauerkraut juice

After mixing all my ingredients and adding them to a quart jar, I wasn't sure if I had used sauerkraut or whey, so I added about 1/2 tablespoon of salt and added whey to cover the salsa in liquid, loosely covered with the lid, and stored in a cool, dark place. When I checked it a few days later, no mold, but it was bubbling over and making a mess, so it went into the fridge.  It tastes way too sour so I think I over did it on the whey.


Poor Man's Capers 
(I made this recipe times 4 in a quart jar for the whole class to split into small jars next week)
3/4 cup young nasturtium seed pods
1/2 head of garlic cloves
sea salt

Cover with salty brine and...