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Fiber artist creative in the kitchen too

March 13th, 2009 · Books, recipes

Some people just seem to ooze creativity, and my online friend Joanne Seiff is one of them. Besides being an accomplished cook, she’s also a writer, blogger, knitter, spinner, knitwear designer and cook, and now she can add “author” to her titles.

Cover of Fiber Gathering, by Joanne SeiffIn her new book, Fiber Gathering, she blends her many talents. She writes about fiber festivals, presents 25 knitting, crochet and other fiber projects and provides “color” about the festivals, including descriptions of the food. Happily for me, one such food sidebar includes a recipe for Apple Crisp. Not that I don’t like the fiber information and festival stories. In fact, I love beautiful yarns, hand-knitted goods and lovely fabrics of various fibers. It’s just that I haven’t crocheted in years (and aging hands don’t inspire me to resume), and I never could knit. (It’s inadequately forgiving of my mistakes.)

I do still cook, though, and I tried out the Apple Crisp the other day. The topping, which includes cornmeal, is a little different from others I’ve had, and the optional suggestion (which I took) of lemon rind provides a bright taste note. In line with Joanne’s creative bent, she also provides ideas for variations. Try them, and let me know what you think

seiffcrisp2

Apple crisp

The filling

  • 2 pounds apples (mix a couple of varieties for best flavor) This is roughly 6 apples, but cut up as many as fit in your pan. Core the apples. Peel if desired.* Chop into pieces.
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional; I used it)
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel (optional; I used it, too)

The crisp/crumbly bits

  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup corn meal
  • 1/4 cup oatmeal (old-fashioned or quick)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional - I used it)
  • 14 teaspoon ground cloves (optional; I skipped)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (ditto)
  • 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter or margarine
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. (350 or 400 degrees is OK if you’re cooking something else at the same time.) Grease an 8- or 9-inch baking pan with a little of the butter or margarine. Put the apples into the pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup brown sugar and, if desired, the lemon juice and lemon peel. Gently toss apples until coated.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix all the topping ingredients except the butter or margarine. Melt the butter or margarine, then mixt with dry ingredients until it looks like coarse meal. Sprinkle topping evenly over the apples. Bake 30-40 minutes until apples have softened and topping is brown. Makes about 8 servings.

*For increased fiber and extra vitamins, don’t peel. (This book is about fiber, right?)

Adapted from Fiber Gathering: Knit, Crochet, Spin, and Dye More than 20 Projects Inspired by America’s Festivals

seiffcrisp

The book also provides food processor instructions, tips on making the dish in advance and variations. The results were delicious. I really loved the lemon peel addition. Would I make it again? Sure. Just depends on whether I find it or my apple crisp recipe first! Meantime, if you’re a knitter or spinner, check out Joanne’s book. It’s beautifully produced and a nice read, even if you don’t want to make the projects.

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Evidence lacking for multivitamins

March 7th, 2009 · Healthy eating

A recent story in the New York Times reinforces my decision to quit taking a multivitamin.

Turns out, there’s no evidence multivitamins do much good, even though they have been the one consistent recommendation of nutrition experts over the last several years. I’m still taking D due to a deficiency and eating lots of fruits and vegetables and legumes and grains (some refined). Given this recent update, I’m sticking with my plan.

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Soup and biscuits make for fine Sunday afternoon

March 6th, 2009 · Food preparation

k3

Kierstin followed her brother by a week and appeared on a cool afternoon to make soup and biscuits. She seems to enjoy the process more than her brother, maybe because she’s older.

I was in a bit of a dither when she arrived, since moving my office furniture got delayed until cooking day due to the weather. In any event, she was patient as I pulled items out of the dishwasher and washed them by hand. (I’d forgotten to run the dishwasher.) She also was patient as I took more than the normal number of pictures. In fact, she’s my model for the to-be-written tutorial on biscuit-making I’m planning for Homecookingrevival.com.

Plan of action

Despite the disarray, I did have a plan:

  • Start soup.
  • Start biscuits.
  • Teach Kierstin the game I couldn’t remember when her brother was here.
  • Bake biscuits.
  • Finish soup.
  • Eat.

During all of the steps, I’d badger her for photos. She was so patient!

We made Leek and Potato Soup, which is as easy as it is satisfying.

The process

First, we trimmed and slit the leeks and put them in water to soak. Meanwhile, Kierstin peeled the potatoes (with the nifty peeler her mother gave me, which I love) while I tried to determine which way was up.

peel

Then she rinsed the leeks well.

wash

And chopped both before dropping the bits into the pot of water. She’s good with a knife!

cut1 drop

Next, we got started on the biscuits, measuring the dry ingredients into a bowl and then cutting in the shortening. We set the timer for 10 minutes while we went and played the game Sprouts. (Like the game I taught her brother, it’s an excellent time-passer while waiting in restaurants.)

Then, we added the milk to the other biscuit ingredients, gave it a couple of kneads and turns, cut and baked the biscuits. (I won’t show you photos here, because I’ll use them on Homecooking Revival. In case anyone is worried, this double-coverage of her cooking session will in no way be unfair to her brother, because all his cooking visits have been documented, but K’s first visit was not, because I didn’t have a digital camera then.)

The phone call

Kierstin, feeling magnanimous, thought it was a great idea to ask her mother and brother to join us for our soup and biscuit meal. (Her dad was out of town.) The timer for the biscuits went off while I was on the phone and, oops, we baked the biscuits a wee bit more than we might have otherwise, but no harm.

mash

Kierstin smashed the vegetables with a potato masher (although we went for a smoother soup with the help of the immersion blender), and then added the half-and-half.

chivesThe biscuits were delicious and hot, and no one minded their being a little extra crisp on the bottom. The soup was delicious, and extra-special because we garnished it with the first crop of the season from her family’s yard: chives!

I have every confidence Kierstin could make the soup and the biscuits entirely by herself. She might want some help getting the pan out of the oven, but otherwise, the girl’s got what it takes. Can’t wait till next year.

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Up and sitting again at last

March 4th, 2009 · General

I’m happy to report that I’m writing from my new office, but this post isn’t going to have a lot to do with food. I trust you’ll forgive me. I have moved into a space with friend Lynn Byczynski, publisher of Growing for Market, in a pleasant building with an excellent location. I was ready to leave my four walls, but it was a monumental effort mostly, I suppose, because it prompted me to weed the detritus from my files. I’ve been freelancing almost 20 years (yipes!), so I’d accumulated a lot.

The weeding provided an interesting lesson in how things have changed, at least technologically. No surprise there, of course, but it provided a concrete reminder of the days BI and AI (before and after widespread use of the Internet). In any event, I’ll get back to work here at last, away from the distractions and temptations of working at home.

My hope is that I’ll be more productive. I intend to do more with Homecooking Revival, and I have a few other work-related things I intend to be working on. For now, wish me luck, and I’ll be back with more food later this week.

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Iwig milk update: it’s local and good

February 27th, 2009 · local food

iwiglogoI finally caught up today with Laurel Iwig of Iwig Family Dairy, which, as you can see from the link, at last has a web site up and running, and a fine site it is too.

If you have questions about the dairy, you can find most answers on their site, including information about how they raise their cattle and where you can find their milk. But I always have more questions!

My first question actually came from Jay, who, in a recent comment on a previous post, asked whether Iwig milk is fortified with vitamin D. The answer: The skim and 2% milk (and any other product that doesn’t include all the naturally occurring cream) do have vitamin D added. Laurel Iwig said that such fortification is required but that whole milk has enough adequate vitamin D and, therefore, isn’t fortified.

I asked about how they raise their cattle and feed them, but it turns out those answers are on their web site, so I’ll let you get it straight from the cow’s mouth (teat?). Laurel said the 90-cow herd is primarily Holsteins plus some Jerseys and a couple of Brown Swiss. (More about that on the web site too.)

One thing I didn’t ask her about was the farm’s recent hiatus when, according to a company employee who spoke to me at the Merc, their pasteurizing equipment quit. No matter, I guess, as they’re up and running again. By the way, they don’t use rBGH, and customers like Jay and me appreciate that.

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Act now: dairy cow hormone battle under way again

February 25th, 2009 · Food in the news

Criminy. Our esteemed Legislature is at it again, once more trying to make it hard for dairies that don’t use artificial bovine growth hormone (rBGH, also known as rBST) to tell consumers so. They tried last year. Tha state ag department has given it a shot (so to speak, although I’m not entirely sure how that one came out), and now the idea is back in front of the Legislature again. So much for certain politicians’ favoring getting the government out of the way, grumble-grumble.

If you agree it’s a bad idea, or at least think it’s a colossal waste of time and government resources, you can let Kansas House agriculture committee members know at the Center for Food Safety’s True Food Network action page. Personalize the letter if you like. Or call legislators. The House roster is here.

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