Quincy Pasta Queens

Our beloved Quincy Natural Foods co-op has been offering weekday evening cooking classes taught by community members. Last week I attended a class offered by the self-proclaimed "Pasta Queens" of Quincy. They are two local women who share a passion for pasta and clearly a great friendship. Their style of teaching and cooking was fun and casual. They had the whole class participating in rolling and cutting and filling pasta creations. We made pot stickers and ravioli and cannelloni and even some fettuccine with the extra dough. 


I've done homemade pasta in the past but I never got in the habit of making it. Come to think of it, my husband even made me homemade pasta while we were dating. He also made me rack of lamb one funny time (story for another post). But anyway, he TRICKED me! I thought he was interested in cooking but since he really hasn't cooked since, it is clear that he was just trying to impress me. Very sweet this husband of mine. 


But even after taking the class where I was reminded of how simple pasta is in principle (the pot sticker dough was literally made from just flour and water), it still seems like a bit of a production. Certainly having some basic equipment like a pasta dough roller would help if you are making any kind of quantity. I could see getting a couple friends together once a year for a little pasta making party. You could set up a production line and make a bunch to eat that week and a bunch for the freezer.


Being the last one left in the class still indulging in all of the delicious creations we made and cooked up, I was the lucky recipient of some big hunks of extra pasta dough. In the next couple of days at home I made ravioli with it. Some I filled with a roasted butternut squash filling with dreams of covering it with a nutmeg cream sauce. Others I filled with a blue cheese walnut concoction. The pasta dough itself was colorful. One of the Pasta Queens made a beet and also a carrot dough. See below.

The lovely hands-on mess of our pasta making class

Flour and water transformed!

At home roasting butternut squash to fill ravioli

Love the colors!

I used a canning jar lid to cut and press the ravioli. I used the thin side to cut through the two layers of dough to form a circle and then flipped the lid over and pressed the fat side onto the circle of dough to seal the edges. This worked surprisingly well. These were frozen on the baking sheet and then bagged up once they were hard. 
P.S. I pulled some from the freezer over the weekend to serve to guests covered in nutmeg cream sauce (garlic, butter, chardonnay, cream, freshly grated nutmeg). Dream fulfilled.

They turned out well. Yummy to eat and fun to look at. If not a Pasta Queen, I at least felt like a Pasta Princess for a day.


Enjoy!

Spring Begins!

It's Spring! Aren't you glad?

Welcome Rain and Photo Drama

We received 8 inches of much-needed rain last week. Five of the eight came all in one soggy, wet day. Then we finished it all off with a dusting of snow and a power outage. I realize that I miss power outages. When I was a child in rural Sonoma County, our power lines were some of the last to be repaired. That sometimes meant 2 or 3 days without electricity. It can be humbling and quiet-cozy and Little-House-on-the-Prairieish. Electricity is certainly something that most of us in this country take for granted. Our outage on Saturday evening was too short. Just long enough to spread candles around the house and do some shadow theater on the ceiling.


On another note, while we were inside watching the rain come down, the tulip and jonquil plants outside shot up 6 inches. They are the dependable yearly harbingers of spring in our yard.


On yet a third note, when I began this blog months ago, I thought that I would not include any photos of my family. I felt like that was too personal to share with the cyber-world. As I grow more accustomed to this medium and because I know most of my audience, I'm becoming more comfortable with the idea. Unquestionably it is common practice. So here goes. Actually this is just a random little boy who I asked to participate in a fun exercise. I named or described an emotion and he made a face to express it. I was very impressed with this 5-year-old's ability to capture the essence of an emotion on his face quickly and accurately. This was an amusing rainy day activity and I also liked how it opened up the conversation and increased awareness about the large range of emotions and feelings that we humans experience.

Future actor?

Enjoy.

Espresso Almond Cookies

 

OMG, I used to buy these from the Arcata Co-op when I was in college at HSU in the early 90's. I didn't buy them very often mind you. I was on a student's budget and at the time they went for 90¢ plain and a dollar for chocolate-dipped. An entire loaf of the co-op bakery's most basic whole wheat bread sold for 99¢ so one had to prioritize. Yeah, that was 20 years ago. But guess what, those cookies are STILL big sellers. And when I visit Arcata, which I try to do once a year in October (it's beautiful then), I stop by and pick up a couple for old time's sake. Thankfully, my financial situation has improved enough that I can't tell you what I've most recently paid for them.


*Okay, now get this. I was about to guess that the cookies might cost a buck and a half by now when I decided to give them a call to find out. Twenty years later, they are just 95¢ and $1.15 dipped. Wow, that is low inflation. I'm impressed. I should have asked how much their basic whole wheat loaf is.


Anyway, these cookies are worth every penny and more. They are rich, dense, buttery, chocolately, nutty and caffeinated. You have to try them. And guess what? You won't need to go all the way to Arcata, Ca to do so. I am going to share the recipe with you right here on this hedonistic-farm-girl blog. One day, during my three years in Arcata, I asked the North Coast Bakery (inside the co-op) for the recipe. They already had some photocopies of the handwritten recipe on some North Coast Bakery stationary and happily handed me a copy! That same photocopied page, slightly yellowed, lives in my recipe drawer. 


They don't contain any eggs which contributes to their density. Also they use whole wheat pastry flour and ground almonds so they are heavy-duty cookies.


Espresso Almond Cookies
Pre-heat oven to 350°. I make quick work of this with a Kitchenaid mixer but, of course, it can be done by hand.
Cream together: 
1 cup soft butter
3/4 cup brown sugar (I now use muscovado)
Add:
4 1/2 teaspoons of instant espresso (I usually substitute 3 or 4 t. of 
   finely ground good coffee)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
Combine and add to creamed mixture:
1 c. finely chopped almonds (I use a food processor and go pretty fine)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Finally add:
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour


Roll into a log. Slice into approximately 24 rounds. Flatten slightly with hand before baking. Bake at 350° for 14 minutes. Let cool completely.

If you tend towards the hedonistic, you can also melt a half a cup or so of the semi-sweet chocolate chips either in a bowl over hot water or carefully in the microwave and slather some chocolate over half of the top of the cooled cookie. Because they are so rich, I usually freeze some for later, which works great.

Enjoy!

Kitchen Inspiration and The Idea Board

Kitchen inspiration comes in waves. Sometimes I am overwhelmed with ideas and enthusiasm and other times I can't think what I should create; my attention is elsewhere. In the summer of course, there are more fresh ingredients lying about that need to be used. So then, as with most of the time, what I choose to create is dictated by what I have on hand. The wasting of good, quality ingredients feels like a mortal sin to me. I work hard, especially in the summer and fall to ensure that no fruit or vegetable finds itself withering or, heaven-forbid, molding in my kitchen but instead that each and every cherry, if not consumed fresh, will find its way, at its peak of ripeness, to its next incarnation as jam, a galette, a crisp, in mead, or ice cream. Or at least to a freezer bag for later use. And later is now. This is the time of year when I appreciate being able to go to the cupboard or the freezer for edibles carefully put away earlier.

Last year I purchased a chalkboard for the kitchen from IKEA. It's nice having an erasable and visible slate for jotting down inspiration when it strikes. At first it was used as a menu board which announced the evening meal but it has now become a kitchen-creation-idea-board.

Some things that I've made lately that showed up on the board are: 

Cherry Fairy Galettes made with last summer's pitted and frozen cherries from the neighbor's tree.

Biscuit-Crusted Savory Pie made with solar dried tomatoes and frozen pesto from last summer's bounty. This was right up my husband's alley. He loves savory comfort foods. Think chicken and dumplings, lamb and mashed potatoes, shepherd's pie...

White Bean Artichoke Rosemary dip made from dried cannellini beans, jarred artichoke hearts, and dried rosemary from my parent's epic bush. I will share this recipe because I found the dip to be flavorful, tangy, easy, and healthful.

Other ideas that have been knocking around in my head or finding their way to the IDEA board are making some more of my own liquors like a Grand Marnier, an Amaretto, and a honey Kahlua. Also, various salad dressings are begging to be made: A French catalina-syle, a creamy poppy seed, Pangaea's orange dressing, my mom's lemon paprika dressing, and a balsamic vinaigrette. I'm sure I'll be doing a salad dressing post soon! Although my inspiration waxes and wanes like the moon, it always seems to return to the kitchen and the creative possibilities to be embarked upon there.


Artichoke White Bean Rosemary Dip 

1 clove garlic 
2 1/2 cups of cooked white beans
1 cup artichoke hearts packed in oil
Juice of one small lemon
1/2 t. of crushed dried rosemary (or 1 t. chopped fresh rosemary)
1/4 t. kosher sea salt or other salt


Macerate garlic clove in food processor. Then add beans, artichoke hearts, lemon juice, rosemary, and salt and blend until smooth. Serve with pita chips, asparagus, and/or carrots for dipping.


Enjoy!

The Clean 15 and The Dirty Dozen

I'm sure by now most people are familiar with this concept. The concept that while ideally all the food we consume would be organically grown, that is not always the case for multiple reasons. These reasons are varied and include cost/financial considerations, apathy, ignorance, and accessibility to name a few. I would have to think that upfront cost would be the major determining factor. I mean imagine if there were a store that sold both organic and chemically fertilized, pesticide-laden versions of fruits and vegetables side by side for exactly the same price. I would hazard a guess that the organic would out-sell the conventional. Or what if the organic produce actually cost less. Certainly then people would buy it first. But with few exceptions, the cost at the register is usually less (sometimes a little and sometimes a lot) for conventionally grown produce. Of course, as we know, the true costs of buying and eating toxic food are externalized. The environmental damage is difficult to measure and we pay in doctors' bills later as our health suffers.


Each year the Environmental Working Group (EWG) compiles a list of the 12 conventionally grown fruits and vegetables with the most pesticide residue, and also a list of the 15 fruits and veggies with the lowest. I appreciate having this knowledge as I try to balance health and budget and convenience in my life and for my family. There are certain things that I always buy organic. There are certain things that, armed with this knowledge, I buy on the cheap. And some things I don't tend to buy at all because I will not subject my family to their toxicity but I am also unable to justify the high prices of the organic versions. 


Here are their current lists:


Dirty Dozen
Apples
Celery
Strawberries
Peaches
Spinach
Nectarines (imported)
Grapes (imported)
Bell peppers
Potatoes
Blueberries (domestic) 
Lettuce
Kale/collard greens


Clean 15
Onions
Sweet corn*
Pineapple
Avocado
Asparagus
Sweet peas
Mango
Eggplant
Cantaloupe (domestic)
Kiwi fruit
Cabbage
Watermelon
Sweet potatoes
Grapefruit
Mushrooms


I keep this list on my refrigerator as a reminder. As the EWG website states, you can lower your pesticide intake substantially by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and by eating the least contaminated produce. Celery for instance, tests positive for 57 different pesticides!!!!!! That is crazy. So you can typically buy a celery bunch for under a buck at the grocery store. At our co-op it goes for $2.29. Talk about bang for your buck! For an extra dollar or so I am avoiding exposing my family and guests to up to 57 pesticides! I am happy that onions and avocados and mushrooms are on the clean list. I take seriously that apples, celery, and strawberries are the three "dirtiest". I also never, ever buy non-organic greens. I've always done that on instinct. Of course, my dream is that someday organic is conventional and "conventional" is labeled as potentially hazardous to our health and planet.


*Oh, the asterisk next to the sweet corn... I just think there may be other reasons not to buy conventional corn like that it may be genetically modified (Syngenta's GM corn is already available and there is talk of Monsanto's being offered at Walmart by this summer). On another note, if you'd like to see mandatory labeling of genetically modified foods, make sure to sign a petition that is now circulating to get it on the 2012 California ballot for voters to decide. Consumers should clearly be informed so that they can make a choice. For some, it will change their shopping habits, for others not. It's like the Environmental Working Group's Clean 15/Dirty Dozen list. They put the information out there. You can use it as you see fit.  


Enjoy.

English Hill Morning, Occidental Breakfast, Bodega Bay Afternoon

I cannot help but celebrate the place I come from. As you know, I am a farm girl at heart and when I return to the farm of my childhood my heart soars. Without even realizing it, I literally run from place to place as I used to do. The feeling of freedom and expansiveness is palpable. In a recent trip requested by our 5-year old son, we enjoyed the farm and the beach, 20 minutes away. It is an absolute joy for me to behold my son as he romps carefree on the land of my own girlhood. His enthusiasm was irresistible as he built a tree fort with his grandpa's help and ran from place to place discovering treasures like paths, rocks, flowers, sticks, and secret hiding spots.


Sonoma County is a sweet Northern California county which boasts wine country and 76 miles of Pacific coastline, rolling hills, and agricultural valleys. I am partial to the more sparsely populated, hilly, and pastoral west county. It's a bit more laid back and retains more authentic funky charm than towns and cities along the busy Hwy. 101 corridor. It also remains more unchanged. Which is nice. Like the ocean. Still there after all these years for me to come home to again and again like the waves cresting and falling to rest momentarily before being swept out to sea once again....  


Celebrating West Sonoma County in photos:
An English Hill Morning:

My parents' rosemary plant which covers approximately 1/4 acre :)

An Occidental Breakfast: Howie's 

"Primo Potatoes"

Bodega Bay Afternoon:

We found a live abalone on the beach. We threw it back into the sea.

And gougeres in the evening for good measure:

Enjoy!