Sunday, October 26, 2014

Sourdough Pane Siciliano

It's fall and time to bake.  I'm a bit out of practice.  Last year I worked a job that required a great deal of travel, so baking was out of the question.  I changed positions in June.  Even though it was a mild summer, I refrain from turning on the oven between Memorial Day and the Autumnal Equinox.

I've made quick breads like corn muffins, banana bread, applesauce spice loaf, and chocolate chip cookies.  Of course I forgot to document.

I woke up my sourdough starter last weekend.  I made it from scratch in 2013, but it's been underused this year.  I let it sit in a warm place and fed it, then put it back in the fridge.  Yesterday, I let it warm up, fed it and it was like magic.  It's still going strong. 

I'm making Pane Siciliano, which I found on Sourdough Home.  I made the thick starter (pate fermente or biga) last night.  I did not refrigerate overnight or for three days.  The starter seemed fragrant and sour enough for good flavor.  Time will tell.  This morning it was more than doubled in size.









Sunday, September 7, 2014

Vanilla Ice cream


The ingredients: 2 c half and half, 1c heavy cream, 1 c vanilla sugar.
Whisk everything together and heat to 170 degrees.
Pour into a quart container, chill overnight. Then freeze in your ice cream maker.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Chicken in the (Crock) Pot

One of our favorites.  Chicken is moist and falls off the bone.  Lots off rich juices and schmaltz for making matzoh balls and soup from the leftovers.  Simple.
20 years old and still cooking.











Carrots("baby")
Onions (quartered)
Garlic (whole cloves, smashed to peel)
Potatoes (well scrubbed, in large chunks)
Celery (cut to the size of "baby" carrots)
1 Whole Chicken
salt, pepper, herbs


Bill's version: veggies on top.
















Put vegetables in the slow cooker, place chicken on top. Sprinkle with herbs, salt and pepper as desired. Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours, high 8-10 hours.

60% Whole Wheat Bread



Monday, February 25, 2013

One Pot Lentil Rice Supper

This is a recipe I collected years ago, source unknow. It's vegetarian, whole grain, and quick. I've started combining all of the dry ingredients in a jar in advance. It stores well, and is a great no think dinner.  With the programmable rice cooker, it takes 5 minutes in the morning, and dinner is ready when we get home.

The recipe is pretty flexible.  You can play with the proportions of rice and lentils as long as the ratio of water stays the same.  Try different kinds of rice (basmati, jasmine, white, short grain, long grain etc), lentils (French green, brown, red, orange) and seasonings.  For example, use basmati rice, lentils, curry instead of the basil, and yogurt instead of cheese for Indian inspired flavors.


The finished product garnished with crumbled feta. This batch was made with French green lentils.


Assemble the ingredients.  A one pound bag of lentils makes about 3 dinner "kits."


Use a pint size Mason-Ball jar..no measuring cups.


Add 1 cup of lentils.  Use a wide mouth funnel to keep it neat.


Add 1/2 C of long grain rice.


Add 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 t dried basil and 1/2 t coarse salt (or 1 tsp of bouillon powder) and 1/4 t pepper.
Label the jar, put on the lid, and store in the pantry. 


One Pot Lentil Rice Supper
1 C lentils
1/2 C long grain brown rice
1 t dried basil
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t coarse salt (or 1 t of bouillon powder)
1/4 t ground black pepper
1 T olive oil
2 C sliced carrots
3 C water
garnish with feta or romano cheese

Make Ahead
Combine lentils through black pepper in a Mason jar.  Label with instructions and remaining ingredients (olive oil through water).

Rice Cooker
Combine everything in a rice cooker and set to white rice setting. 

Conventional
Combine everything in a pot with a tight fitting lid.  Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook until tender, about 30 minutes