3 lb Country White Bread

This is a recipe that Raymond has tinkered with. Originally used for bread machine-bread, I much prefer cooking bread on sheets or pans vs. bread-machine. This is a good solid loaf bread, great structure for sandwiches, soft enough to eat on it's own with butter.

3 lb Country White Bread

Ingredients:
1 tsp salt + pinch
1 Tbs sugar
1/2 tsp cocoa (optional, for richness)
1 Tbs instant espresso powder (optional, for richness)
3 Tbs dried milk (optional, for flavor)
5.5 cups (680 g.) flour

1 Tbs honey
3-4 Tbs salted butter

1 tsp yeast
2 cups water, luke-warm

Instructions:
1. In small bowl, combine honey, butter, yeast, and luke-warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes until top is foamy.
2. In a large bowl, combine salt, sugar, cocoa, espresso powder, dried milk, and flour in a large bowl.
3. Add liquid to dry ingredients and combine well. Once ingredients are incorporated, dump onto a counter and knead bread for 5 minutes, until smooth and tacky.
4. Cover bowl with warm damp tea towel and let sit until dough doubles in size (~1 hour depending on the temperature of your home and how happy your yeast is).
5. After your bread has doubled, punch it down, give it a minute or two of kneading on a lightly-floured surface, then place into 2 buttered loaf pans. Cover both with a damp tea towel, and let both rise again until doubled in size.
6. Pre-heat oven to 350F, and bake loaves for 30 minutes.
7. Once finished baking, remove loaves from baking pans and let rest on drying rack for 30 minutes to allow inside to finish cooking.

Serving suggestion: fresh sliced thick and drizzled heavily with sweetened condensed milk and melted chocolate/nutella.

Sweet Zucchini Bread

So, our little garden has been over flowing with food. Particularly zucchini. You comb through the garden, see a cute baby zucchini like the ones they have in France, then 2 days later BOOM. Mega zucchini taking you by storm. We've had counter tops filled with the stuff, and it's been an on going battle to beat them down into submission. This is one of the recipes that helped fight the good fight.

Sweet Zucchini Bread
from Peachy Hill

Ingredients:
2.5 cups flour
2.5 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

4 cups zucchini, shredded and drained
1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cups milk
6 Tbs. butter, melted
2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped

Instructions:
1. Prepare shredded zucchini by placing in thin layer in a colander over the sink. Let drain for 20-30 minutes. Then squeezing out as much moisture as you can by hand, by taking a small handful of shredded zucchini and wringing it hard over the drain with your hands. Place into a large mixing bowl after zucchini has been wrung out.
2. Pre-heat oven to 375F, and lighly butter a 9"x5" loaf pan.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flower, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
4. In the large zucchini bowl, combine sugars, eggs, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir to combine.
5. Toast the pecans in a skillet on medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Chop coarsely if needed, then add to flower bowl.
6. Pour flower mixture into zucchini and stir until just combined.
7. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan, and bake for 50-60 minutes; until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Cool for 10 minutes in pan, then place on wire rack. Wrap to store or place in air-tight container.

Classic Egg Salad.... with a twist

Ahh... egg salad. The perfect bachelors dish.

"What do I have in the fridge? Some eggs, a loaf of  bread... and a shit ton of condiments. Let's do this!"
That was basically my thought process when figuring out what to make for dinner tonight/lunch tomorrow. I have a nice loaf of sour dough (Happy Sour Dough Day!) from Farm-to-Market I took out of the freezer a couple days ago and I'm trying to use up before it goes stale. I also have some excellent local organic eggs I got from Howard's Organic sitting in my fridge, waiting to be purposed.

 The funny thing about good eggs is, they taste like chicken. Having been vegetarian for so long, I can tell a huge difference between conventional eggs (watery, really) and REAL eggs (tastes like chicken when fried). I made some scrambled eggs to use up the rest of my sweet potato/caramelized onion mash I had in the fridge to bring for lunch, and just having the eggs sitting on top, not mixed in, was too chicken-y/overwhelming-y. I needed to figure out a good way to cover up their real flavor (sad, really!) and this egg salad did the trick.

What I was thinking while making this, though, is that one day I'd love to make my own egg salad sandwitch, ENTIRELY: raise my own chickens, make my own aioli with oil I press and garlic I grown, use my own canned pickles from my garden (using vinegar i make!), and bread from wheat I grow and grind and yeast I cultivate (probably a sour dough like this!) The more I cook, the more these thought keep happening, and the more I'm convinced I need to open up a farm-to-table once I retire. An not any farm-to-table, a MY farm-to-table vegetarian science-themed restaurant. More to come on that....

I once had these incredible curry deviled eggs that my Aunt made for a family get-together, and thought the same thing could apply to egg salad, which is normally not the most exciting of dishes. It definitely worked, and incorporated some of that good turmeric that 'Science Confirms [Turmeric] as effective as 14 drugs' (anyone else see that and others floating around lately?)

Simple, quick, delicious, healthy, and all ingredients you have in your fridge, right now.

Curry Egg Salad
makes 2 sandwiches

Ingredients:
4 slices good sourdough
1 large handful baby spinach, washed
3 eggs
1 pickle spear, minced
2 Tbs vegenaise
1-2 tsp good mustard, depending on how much you like it
2 tsp curry powder
fresh ground black pepper, to garnish

Instructions:
1. Place eggs in a small pot, cover with water an inch above the eggs, set on high flame and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring flame down to medium until water is just simmering and cook eggs for 12 mins.
2. Pour off water, fill pan with cold water to level of eggs, and set aside to cool.
3. In the mean time, combine veganase, mustard, pickle, and curry.
4. Once eggs have cooled down enough to peel, do so and chop small.
5. Mix to combine with veganase mix.
Assemble sandwitch
1. Layer slice of bread, half of the spinach, half of the egg salad, 2-3 turns of the pepper grinder, then second slice of bread. Repeat for second sandwich.

French Onion Soup

Definitely one of the most delicious and professional made things I've ever done. So tasty, and a French girl who was over eating gave it the official seal of approval. Win!

I adapted Alton Brown's French Onion Soup recipe to be vegetarian. I think I did a good job : )

French Onion Soup
adapted from Alton Brown

Ingredients:
4 lbs. sweet onions
3 Tbs. butter
2 tsp. salt
2 cups white wine
20 oz. vegetable broth
10 oz. apple cider or juice
Bouquet garni: thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and parsley tied together with string
1 loaf french bread
salt and pepper
splash cognac
1 cup Gruyere cheese, grated

Instructions:
1. Heat 2 large pans on medium-high heat. Slice onions into thin half moons.
2. Divide butter into the two pans, melt, and then add onions. Add 1 tsp. salt to each pan. Cook, scrapping bottom of pan constantly, until all onions are completely caramelized (25 minutes).
3. Combine caramelized onions into one pan, and add enough wine to cover onions, and turn heat to high until wine is reduced to syrupy consistency.
4. Add broth, apple cider, and boquet garni to pan. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
5. Heat broiler in oven, placing rack in top 1/3rd of oven.
6. Cut about 1/4th of the french loaf into 1" cubes. Place on backing sheet, and broil bread cubes for 1 minute.
7. Season soup mixture with salt, pepper, and cognac. Remove boquet garni and ladle soup into ramekins. Place bread cubes into ramekins, and cover with grated Gruyere. Place ramekins on baking sheet or pan, and broil for 1-2 minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Savory Bread Pudding

Super delicious, and adaptable. The original recipe used 2 1/2 cups artichoke hearts, but I substituted for 1 cup sun-dried tomatoes. Great way to use up bread that's gotten hard (or milk that's about to go bad).



Savory Bread Pudding
adapted from circle b kitchen

Ingredients:
16 slices dry bread
2 1/2 c. milk
1 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (with 1 T. packing oil reserved)
3 cloves garlic, sliced
5 eggs
1 t. salt
pepper to taste
1/2 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs
5 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
4 oz. Romano cheese, grated

Instructions:
1. Place the bread in a single layer in a dish. Pour the milk on top, and let soak for 30 mins.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
3. Press bread to extract milk, and set aside.
4. Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet, and sauté garlic until soft.
5. Butter a 3-quart dish. Beat together egg, salt, pepper, and extracted milk.
6. Layer 1/3 of bread into dish, then 1/3 of the sun-dried tomatoes, 1/2 garlic, 1/3 cheese, 1/2 of the herbs. Repeat: 1/3 bread, 1/3 sun-dried tomatoes, 12 garlic, 1/3 cheese, 1/2 herbs. Final layer: 1/3 bread, 1/3 cheese, 1/3 sun-dried tomatoes.
7. Dribble reserved oil over the pan.
8. Bake for 45 minutes.

Pita Bread

With the tzatziki, falafel, this pita bread, and my hummus recipe, this created an epic dinner of deliciousness.



Pita Bread
from The New Moosewood

Ingredients:
1 cup luke-warm water
1 1/2 t. yeast
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
3 1/2 c. flour

Instructions:
1. Place the water in a bowl, and sprinkle in yeast. Let stand for 5 mins.
2. Add sugar and salt, and stir until dissolved.
3. Add 3 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time. First cup, whisk in. Second cup, use a wooden spoon to mix. Last cup, use your hands to knead it in. Knead in the bowl, adding flour until it's not sticky.
4. Cover bowl with saran wrap and let rise for an hour.
5. Punch down dough and knead on a floured surface for 5 mins.
6. Preheat oven to 500 F.
7. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Knead each piece for a few minutes, then flatten with a rolling pin into 1/8 inch diameters. Let rest for 30 mins.
8. Place baking tray in oven for a couple minutes. Then take out, spray with oil, and put pitas on. Cook for 6-8 mins.
9. Remove pitas from pan, wrap in a clean, moist towel, and place in a paper bag for 15 minutes to soften.