Shitake Masterpieces

Falafel, Joy of Cooking style

The recipe that made me believe in this book. For 4 servings

1.25 c dried chickpeas--rinse and soak the night before or that morning*

Food process/blend the chickpeas, then add:

1/2 c chopped onions
1/4 c packed fresh parsley leaves
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 t ground cumin
1.5 t salt
1/2 t ground coriander
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t ground red pepper

Coarsely puree the mix. Put in bowl and stir in 2 T of all-purpose flour. Form patties (thin if you're frying!). Let stand 15 minutes, then fry (or bake, i s'pose, haven't tried that way)

*Lorna Sass has this tip: you know when a bean has been soaked long enough when you slice it open and it's uniform in color (try doing one after only 2 hours or so and you'll see, you can tell how far the water's gotten). Neat!

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

From The Joy of Cooking

Mix:

3 C whole wheat pastry flour (you can also use AP or a white bread flour)
1.5 T sugar
1.5 t salt
4 t active dry yeast

Then add:

2 T melted butter or margarine
1 1/4 c room-temp water

Mix by hand for 1 minutes, then knead for 10 minutes. Add flour and/or water as needed--the dough should be a bit tacky, but not sticky (whole wheat flour usually needs a bit more water than is listed.) Place in oiled bowl, turn over, and allow to rise until doubled (60-90 minutes). Punch dough down, divide into 8 pieces, roll those into balls, then cover and let rest for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 450. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pitas to 6-7 inches diameter and 1/8" thick. Bake on upside-down cookie sheet until dough puffs into a balloon, about 3 minutes, then wait 30 seconds and remove bread to cool on a rack. If you leave the bread in too long, the pitas won't deflate into flat disks, so beware.

Pear-Ginger Chutney

Unfortunately, the source of this recipe has been lost in the sands of time and the internet. Thank you, anonymous chutney maker!

5 cups chopped pears (peeling's optional, in my book)
1/2 cup chopped ginger
1.5 cup cider or red wine vinegar
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground allspice
1/2 t ground cloves

the original recipe also included 2 cups sugar (!) and 1/2 c raisins, but i've never put those in...

Boil everything, then simmer uncovered for 45-90 minutes.

Apple Chutney

another recipe from Moosewood (more or less)

1.5 pounds cooking apples
1 medium clove garlic, minced (optional, in my mind)
1 T chopped ginger root
1/2 cup orange juice (or pear juice, whatever you have around)
1 t cinnamon
1 t ground cloves
1 t salt
1 c honey (i used way less--maybe 1/4 cup? honey to taste, i guess)
1 c cider vinegar*
cayenne to taste (i didn't use any)

*i had used red wine vinegar the first time and worried that the cider vinegar would be too strong, but it worked nicely. so, either one.

Coarsely chop the apples (unpeeled works just fine). Combine everything in a pot, bring to a boil then simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes to an hour.

The Fall Collection

I Heard It ThroughThe Grapevine

Grapes, glorious grapes!

The Vine hard at work

After the harvest

Yea, we stacked the jars and did a photoshoot with the Jesus rays coming through the kitchen window. That's what happens when you can for too long...