Different in sameness
Together in busyness
Atop all guano
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Friday, July 29, 2016
Free Range Friday ~ Dolmas
Since the first time I came out here to the farm where my son lives, I've wanted to use the grape leaves from that stretch a long way down the field for dolmas.
First thing was to get up early and be in the coolness to pick (cut) the leaves.
Until this year it wasn't hard to keep deferring that desire, with other things to do and places to go. Plus some years being out here when the leaves were basically too far gone for the tenderness needed. But this year would be different, I was going to make dolmas no matter what!
The first experimental batch was basically a bust. My bad, using wild rice that would not cook well (it was the rice's fault, obviously), badly wrapped (grape leaves can be so damn stubborn), the wrong pot (hey, why do they give directions like this!) and some, perhaps a wee bit more than some, impatience on my part (obviously my parents' fault, may they rest in peace).
Some things I did a lot more precisely with the first batch than the second, like tying the leaves in bundles for the blanching process.
Having learned from the mistakes of others and errant ways of Nature, I was determined to do the next batch right. There was a baby coming and I wanted her to have a grandmother who made dolmas like she was, at least according to a mythical DNA test, part Greek. It worked.
Let us begin again. Round two. This one would be made with basmati rice, ground lamb, mint, a touch of dill, garlic and onions and a few other tidbits thrown to continue to defy the law of following recipes.
Almost all the directions say to take some grape leaves, torn ones, unused ones, and line whatever pan you are going to make these in, which sounded smart to me, so I did. This particular recipe also said to put in rings of onions on top of that. I liked the sound of that and did that too.
This time I used a deep, very large skillet. It was MUCH more manageable, but if I'd made dozens I'd have had to rethink this step. Dolmas for Dummies?
Things I'd do differently. I would definitely spice it up. They tasted great but I think they could have been jazzed up some. Of course, that is my palate, everyone who ate them thought they were pretty damn good just as they were. I'd only cook the rice halfway; though it wasn't bad it would have been better that way. I'm a picky rice snob about my own rice, what can I say?
This is the recipe I used. Sort of.
• 50 to 60 grape leaves (fresh or jarred)
• 6 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
• 1.5 lbs ground beef (obviously I used lamb)
• 1 cup white basmati rice
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, cut into large rings
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• ⅓ cup chopped parsley
• ¼ cup olive oil, divided
• ½ tsp all spice (I didn't have allspice, just omitted it)
• ½ tsp cumin
• a pinch of nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
Of course, as written above, I also added mint, rosemary, basil and dill. I took those idea from other recipes. I think you could put all sorts of things in these; the word dolma simply means stuffed leaf or vegetable. Have fun with it and adjust it to your style. The main thing is that whatever it is needs to be able to be rolled up in the leaf without pokey parts.
1 In a skillet, heat 2Tbsp of the olive oil over medium high heat and sauté the chopped onion and garlic until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the spices and let them sweat for a couple more minutes.
2 In a large bowl, combine the meat, the rice, the onion mixture and the parsley. Mix everything together with your hands until everything is incorporated. Reserve.
3 Drain and rinse the grape leaves.
4 Trim the stems off every grape leaf (I did this when I cut them off the vine) and blanch them in boiling water for 10 minutes (I only did that for about 4 minutes as the leaves were really tender). Drain and reserve.
5 To roll the grape leaves, place a leaf with the vein side up* on your work surface. Add one tablespoon of the filling mixture to the center of the leaf. Fold the edges in and up and roll the grape leaf until it looks like a cigar, tucking the edges under the roll. Proceed with the other leaves until you've run out of filling or leaves. (See blog post for step-by-step pictures!)
6 Line a heavy bottomed pot with (unrolled) grape leaves. On top of that, add the onion rings.
7 Proceed to arrange the stuffed grape leaves in rows, alternating the direction of each layer of rows. (obviously I forgot to do this part. For ease of taking them out again - I used tongs - it would be a help)
8 Fill the pot with the chicken broth (enough to cover the rolls) and the remaining olive oil.
9 Place a plate on the top to prevent the rolls from floating.
10 Cover the pot and bring to a boil.
11 When it boils, lower the heat to low and cook for 40 minutes, until meat is cooked and rice is tender.
12 Remove the rolls from the broth and serve warm or at room temperature.
And I think that's about it. Something I can knock off my bucket list, picking grape leaves and making dolmas. There are a LOT of recipes for this and of course you don't have to pick and prepare your own grape leaves, you can buy that stuff. But I loved knowing these had never been sprayed with anything more than water, good water, and that I learned something new, so if you have access to grape leaves, go for it.
Anything you can do and learn something new, go for it! Life is short, dear readers, and our bucket lists should be long.
Have a fazeless, fearless Friday. Do something flavorful.
*It seems so obvious - vein side up. However as you are going along it is simple to do it the other way by mistake and not notice it until you are putting it in the pan.
I think it's mainly a presentation thing but it also might be a tight rolling thing too. Of course, this was the day the new granddaughter was slowly coming into the world so I might have been a tad distracted. Which is why I was making the dolmas in the first place.
First thing was to get up early and be in the coolness to pick (cut) the leaves.
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| This isn't really the way to the grapes but it's one of my favorite portals on the farm. It really was early though! |
The first experimental batch was basically a bust. My bad, using wild rice that would not cook well (it was the rice's fault, obviously), badly wrapped (grape leaves can be so damn stubborn), the wrong pot (hey, why do they give directions like this!) and some, perhaps a wee bit more than some, impatience on my part (obviously my parents' fault, may they rest in peace).
Some things I did a lot more precisely with the first batch than the second, like tying the leaves in bundles for the blanching process.
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| So green and bright |
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| So dolmas colored! |
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| This experimental batch was just rice and onions and garlic Rice not cooked through, ok, it will be fine at the end, right? Not. |
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| So pretty! So deep! So many too loosely wrapped! Don't do this. |
Let us begin again. Round two. This one would be made with basmati rice, ground lamb, mint, a touch of dill, garlic and onions and a few other tidbits thrown to continue to defy the law of following recipes.
 |
| Some recipes make a big deal out of the blanching process. Some say just cover them in warm water. This time, no rolling and tying, I just put them in a pot of boiling water for about 2 minutes and then into the strainer where they got a cold water rinse. Done. |
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| Love this red onion from the farmer's market, like a giant red scallion |
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| Into the pan to sauté |
This time I used a deep, very large skillet. It was MUCH more manageable, but if I'd made dozens I'd have had to rethink this step. Dolmas for Dummies?
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| Cooking the rice with the aromatics on low, just long enough to absorb a couple of cups of water but basmati rice doesn't take long anyway. |
Now it was time to play with the lamb, bought also at the farmer's market from a woman sheep farmer, sustainably and lovingly raised (for you veg types, I know that might seem an oxymoron, but it is what it is).
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| Ground lamb, mint, dill, rosemary, Thai basil All from our plants here. Even the lamb tree. Not really. |
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| Some of the leaves were really big, and really tender. Unusual but it was fun making BIG dolmas. |
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| The put it together station. I'd just finished and remembered to grab the camera. The damp wash cloth really helped to keep my hands from getting totally sticky after getting it off the spoon and neatly into the leaf, as well as with the folding. Maybe especially with the folding. |
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| Into the skillet they went with broth and a little olive oil. You can just use water but I liked the idea of broth. |
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| The plate is to hold them down and make sure the ingredients really cook. The foil is because I didn't have a lid that big. I probably cooked it about 35 or 40 minutes. The rice was already done and got fairly sticky but in a pretty good way. |
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| I think only two or three weren't wrapped tightly enough. (ok, I heard you think what you just thought; stop it!) Taking time to enjoy the process made it a better end result |
This is the recipe I used. Sort of.
• 50 to 60 grape leaves (fresh or jarred)
• 6 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
• 1.5 lbs ground beef (obviously I used lamb)
• 1 cup white basmati rice
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, cut into large rings
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• ⅓ cup chopped parsley
• ¼ cup olive oil, divided
• ½ tsp all spice (I didn't have allspice, just omitted it)
• ½ tsp cumin
• a pinch of nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
Of course, as written above, I also added mint, rosemary, basil and dill. I took those idea from other recipes. I think you could put all sorts of things in these; the word dolma simply means stuffed leaf or vegetable. Have fun with it and adjust it to your style. The main thing is that whatever it is needs to be able to be rolled up in the leaf without pokey parts.
1 In a skillet, heat 2Tbsp of the olive oil over medium high heat and sauté the chopped onion and garlic until translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the spices and let them sweat for a couple more minutes.
2 In a large bowl, combine the meat, the rice, the onion mixture and the parsley. Mix everything together with your hands until everything is incorporated. Reserve.
3 Drain and rinse the grape leaves.
4 Trim the stems off every grape leaf (I did this when I cut them off the vine) and blanch them in boiling water for 10 minutes (I only did that for about 4 minutes as the leaves were really tender). Drain and reserve.
5 To roll the grape leaves, place a leaf with the vein side up* on your work surface. Add one tablespoon of the filling mixture to the center of the leaf. Fold the edges in and up and roll the grape leaf until it looks like a cigar, tucking the edges under the roll. Proceed with the other leaves until you've run out of filling or leaves. (See blog post for step-by-step pictures!)
6 Line a heavy bottomed pot with (unrolled) grape leaves. On top of that, add the onion rings.
7 Proceed to arrange the stuffed grape leaves in rows, alternating the direction of each layer of rows. (obviously I forgot to do this part. For ease of taking them out again - I used tongs - it would be a help)
8 Fill the pot with the chicken broth (enough to cover the rolls) and the remaining olive oil.
9 Place a plate on the top to prevent the rolls from floating.
10 Cover the pot and bring to a boil.
11 When it boils, lower the heat to low and cook for 40 minutes, until meat is cooked and rice is tender.
12 Remove the rolls from the broth and serve warm or at room temperature.
And I think that's about it. Something I can knock off my bucket list, picking grape leaves and making dolmas. There are a LOT of recipes for this and of course you don't have to pick and prepare your own grape leaves, you can buy that stuff. But I loved knowing these had never been sprayed with anything more than water, good water, and that I learned something new, so if you have access to grape leaves, go for it.
Anything you can do and learn something new, go for it! Life is short, dear readers, and our bucket lists should be long.
Have a fazeless, fearless Friday. Do something flavorful.
*It seems so obvious - vein side up. However as you are going along it is simple to do it the other way by mistake and not notice it until you are putting it in the pan.
I think it's mainly a presentation thing but it also might be a tight rolling thing too. Of course, this was the day the new granddaughter was slowly coming into the world so I might have been a tad distracted. Which is why I was making the dolmas in the first place.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
A Wondrous Tree
The family tree. No, just kidding. I'm really referring to the gorgeous madrone tree. Twisting and turning always to the sun in its growth, the madrone reminds me a lot of the rainbow eucalyptus trees we have at home. If you are familiar with the latter - if not, check the link - you'll see the resemblance to the madrone below.
There are a lot of madrone trees on the property but one particular huge specimen is over the house and part of the yard. As it sheds, it drops bit of bark everywhere. At first I thought it was wood shavings from some project blowing around. Actually, it was shavings, bark shavings, and the project is seasonal change.
Truth is, it is up close and personal that this tree really wows me. I mean, it's 'just a tree' right? Wrong. It's magical to more eyes than mine, a symbol of the Pacific Northwest. While it doesn't have the girth or jaw-dropping hugeness of a redwood, on its more human scale it has a warmth and charm and whimsicalness that hugely appeals.
Madrone Facts (from Puget Sound Shorelines)
Broad-leaved evergreen tree.
Can reach 75 feet high.
Can live over 200 years.
Coppery-brown peeling bark stays cool to the touch year round.
Flowers in the spring, strawberry-red berries form by late summer.
Berries may linger until winter, unless the birds eat them.
Thrives in dry western exposures.
Cannot tolerate root disturbance, too much water, or fertilizer.
Plus, it's use as a carving wood is way into the splendid zone. I found this photo with no credit to the artist except that it's from some guy who lives in the Pacific Northwest off the grid who carves using madrone. I found this pretty marvelous. Wish I knew who he is.
This particular madrone, the one in the yard, not the one that's a fish, has its own unusual feature.
The plan is for the flat bed of the truck to hold a deck of sorts but that is for another day. I'm thinking hot tub and a pool boy but that's just me.
Have a take it to the top Tuesday. Do something telescopically, thrivingly transformational .
There are a lot of madrone trees on the property but one particular huge specimen is over the house and part of the yard. As it sheds, it drops bit of bark everywhere. At first I thought it was wood shavings from some project blowing around. Actually, it was shavings, bark shavings, and the project is seasonal change.
Madrone Facts (from Puget Sound Shorelines)
Broad-leaved evergreen tree.
Can reach 75 feet high.
Can live over 200 years.
Coppery-brown peeling bark stays cool to the touch year round.
Flowers in the spring, strawberry-red berries form by late summer.
Berries may linger until winter, unless the birds eat them.
Thrives in dry western exposures.
Cannot tolerate root disturbance, too much water, or fertilizer.
Plus, it's use as a carving wood is way into the splendid zone. I found this photo with no credit to the artist except that it's from some guy who lives in the Pacific Northwest off the grid who carves using madrone. I found this pretty marvelous. Wish I knew who he is.
This particular madrone, the one in the yard, not the one that's a fish, has its own unusual feature.
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| The International hasn't grown any but the tree certainly has done so. |
Have a take it to the top Tuesday. Do something telescopically, thrivingly transformational .
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Babes in the Woods
I learned about a path in the woods around here I hadn't walked before. Along the way before actually getting into the woods there are blackberry bushes galore. Even though I'm on a berry farm (not a pick your own farm, the berries are picked and put into flats, then sold on the honor system from a open building) there is something about picking berries straight from their source that never fails to make me happier (and my tastebuds too).
A few more steps
and we were off the drive and into the woods. The sun filtered down in golden strokes, pine needles littered the path, it was about as idyllic a place as could be wanted. I might have stayed a little longer but we had blackberries to rinse and eat.
Back home, the day had started to cool off (a nice thing with temps in the 90's and little breeze during the day). What a surprise, a baby was waiting!
Dinner with the family in the Turtle. 'scuse the mess, I wasn't planning on company but I'm very glad I did. Nice thing about Turtle mess, just throw everything on the bed and wa la, clear!
This morning I heard my son calling me. 'Come out and...oh, too late.' But it wasn't too late and even though this young fellow wasn't as close as he had been, I had time to change the lens and capture a bit of his boldness. He was only about 30 feet away, if that. He and his sibs come around every morning and evening. I'm hoping my little garden can make it through uneaten.
Have a tall tree Tuesday. Do something tiptoeingly.
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| My berry picking companion |
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| "Grandma, look at all the different trees!' |
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| She led the way so I wouldn't get lost Good thinking |
Dinner with the family in the Turtle. 'scuse the mess, I wasn't planning on company but I'm very glad I did. Nice thing about Turtle mess, just throw everything on the bed and wa la, clear!
Have a tall tree Tuesday. Do something tiptoeingly.
Friday, July 22, 2016
We Have a Baby!
Iko Rey Iliana came into the world yesterday afternoon after a long teasing wait, looking fragile as a breath but weighing a healthy 8, plus a little, pounds.
It's been a long time since I watched a life come into the world and I forgot the primal beauty of it, promptly getting teary when there she was - all her pieces and parts blooming from just born colorless color into a rosy healthy pink like some speeded up flower unfolding into perfection. Remember that moment in the Wizard of Oz when it goes from black and white to color? It was just like that but oh so different.
And she's crawling already. As we went in to say good night, she was lying on Elijah's chest, picking her head up and literally crawling up his body. Maybe her delayed entrance into the world gave her time to think over the places she has to go and people she has to see but we've already decided she is Olympic material at the least. Rowing for Oxford for starters. Well, for starters are all the starty things and plenty of them. Just meeting her extended family will be a marathon in itself.
All the decent photos of Mama and baby are beautiful but probably not PG rated and therefore not my job to toss 'em out in my own appreciation of their gorgeousness. I'll have to get some where everyone has some clothes on later today.
A long awaited, glorious experience, one of those where trying to frame words around it almost diminishes the glow surrounding thoughts of each moment. Well, except the funny ones. And right now I can't remember anything funny. But my daughter Sarah, who spent the night with me, says I was laughing in my sleep this morning, so something funny is going on.
Now the rest of my world begins again. What's the plan? Obviously, why bother with plans? The longer I live, the less I seem to be able to make any.
Have a fervently focused Friday. Do something flamboyantly freewheeling.
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| Speaking of deliriously happy... Well done, Papa |
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| See how happy she is to meet her Grandma? After being awake more than asleep for a couple of days I was delightedly disheveled. |
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| Auntie Sarah meets Iko Rey, who is obviously quite interested to meet her too. (Have you ever seen a baby so alert? Sure you have but not this one!) |
A long awaited, glorious experience, one of those where trying to frame words around it almost diminishes the glow surrounding thoughts of each moment. Well, except the funny ones. And right now I can't remember anything funny. But my daughter Sarah, who spent the night with me, says I was laughing in my sleep this morning, so something funny is going on.
Now the rest of my world begins again. What's the plan? Obviously, why bother with plans? The longer I live, the less I seem to be able to make any.
Have a fervently focused Friday. Do something flamboyantly freewheeling.
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
July Full Moon ~ Call it By Any Other Name
It will look somewhat the same.
Unless you are a moon scientist and then you might say, no MJ, it's not really the same at all. And I will say, yeah, but can you tell me the names of this moon? This Buck moon (for the velvet growing on the bucks antlers), this (get it in the barn) Hay moon, this (lightning and) Thunder moon?
Can you warm yourself with its Summer moon name? Can you measure the empty belly of a Hungry Ghost Moon? Have you tasted a Ripe Corn moon? Or sat in silence, watching the Crane moon mount the sky?
Have you claimed something magical with the Moon of Claiming or drunk your fill on the night of the Mead moon? Did you send your lover flowers on this Rose moon night? Or did you simply measure and conjecture and tell me it's not the same?
It's most likely a good thing I don't know any moon scientists of my imagination persuasion because if I ever meet one, I have no doubt he or she will probably be a fine person who can teach me interesting things about La Bella Luna.
I have a lot more full moon photos, if you don't remember that and the moon scientist would be right, they all look different!
Enjoy the moon tonight, this night in July, 2016, it's the only one you get that will be just like it.
And if we get a new baby too? I will be able to add to the names of the full moon in July! Grandma Again night! Because it's all about me, right? That's what he said.
Have a terrifically tip top Tuesday. Do something tenderly teasingly.
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| July 2010 Maine |
Can you warm yourself with its Summer moon name? Can you measure the empty belly of a Hungry Ghost Moon? Have you tasted a Ripe Corn moon? Or sat in silence, watching the Crane moon mount the sky?
Have you claimed something magical with the Moon of Claiming or drunk your fill on the night of the Mead moon? Did you send your lover flowers on this Rose moon night? Or did you simply measure and conjecture and tell me it's not the same?
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| July 2011 Miami |
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| A grainy photo taken from my dinghy on the way back home after a Full Moon party in 2009 |
Enjoy the moon tonight, this night in July, 2016, it's the only one you get that will be just like it.
And if we get a new baby too? I will be able to add to the names of the full moon in July! Grandma Again night! Because it's all about me, right? That's what he said.
Have a terrifically tip top Tuesday. Do something tenderly teasingly.
Monday, July 18, 2016
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Friday, July 8, 2016
Free Range Friday ~ Indian Pizza in Kansas
No, I'm not back in Kansas. But this meal is and shall finally get its place here. It was a meal I'd never made before (maybe it's a meal no one made before) and it was very good! Imagination station.
We had naan, we had some ground veal, we had beautiful orange squash (whether summer or zucchini we couldn't quite suss out, but it had a taste somewhere between both), we had artichokes. We both had a hankering for some Indian food. Indian pizza? Let the games begin!
And there you have it! There could have been a lot more ingredients, or a lot less. It was about what was on hand and what to do with it. If your fridge is holding good food, you don't need a lot to make something delicious.
The next day I took the leftover ingredients and remade them into something different.
Did you know that quiche is originally from Germany? I didn't. From Virtual Cities came this information:
We had naan, we had some ground veal, we had beautiful orange squash (whether summer or zucchini we couldn't quite suss out, but it had a taste somewhere between both), we had artichokes. We both had a hankering for some Indian food. Indian pizza? Let the games begin!
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| Nothing to do with the meal, but these were some of the prettiest asparagus I've ever seen. Michelle pickled them (before I could snatch away a few to steam); they were delicious! |
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| Saute the garlic (surprise!) |
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| After peeling off the leaves to get to the heart of the matter, we were forced to eat them with some salt and butter. |
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| A light seasoning of the veal while browning |
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| Squash gets sliced, sauces readied (no, we didn't make our own sauces, but these are so good they are irresistible. Why reinvent this wheel? |
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| The squash gets a brief cooking while the naan gets a schmer of sauces The Paneer cheese is very like queso blanco. |
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| Assembly time! |
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| A few more bits of this and that (and I can't remember now what exactly this and that was in total but I can tell you it involved chilies!) |
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| A low oven temp, long enough to brown the naan and heat up the toppings |
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| More sauces, anyone? Yum! |
The next day I took the leftover ingredients and remade them into something different.
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| An eggy quiche dish on tortillas Germany and Mexico...there's a pairing. |
Who Invented Quiche - the History of Quiche
Most people think that quiche was invented by the French, but quiche actually originated in Germany, in the medieval kingdom of Lothringen, under German rule, and which the French later renamed Lorraine. The word ‘quiche’ is from the German ‘Kuchen’, meaning cake.
The original ‘quiche Lorraine’ was an open pie with a filling consisting of an egg and cream custard with smoked bacon or pork pieces. It was only later that cheese was added to the quiche Lorraine. Add onions and you have quiche Alsacienne. The bottom crust was originally made from bread dough, but that has long since evolved into a short-crust or puff pastry crust
After World War II, Quiche became popular in England and later in the U.S. Because of its primarily vegetarian ingredients, it was considered a somehow ‘unmanly’ dish, - “real men don’t eat quiche.” Now there are many varieties of quiche, from the original quiche Lorraine, to quiche with vegetables of all kinds, mushrooms, ham, seafood and even desert type quiche with fruit and custards.
Now you know!
We will return to our regularly scheduled programming next time. Don't forget to play with your food!
¡Buen provecho!
Have a fine fettle of food Friday! Do something fine.
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