Eating the Web: Beets, Licorice, and Pickles

1. I've wanted to try Beef Bourguigon since Julia Child but as I don't eat meat I thought it was a pipe-dream. However, this Beet Bourguigon recipe will do nicely!
2. Need a weekend project? How about some homemade licorice?
3. I recently made the sauerkraut soup from Vegan Eats World. It was yummy so I think this Dill Pickle Soup would be tasty as well! 
4. I can think of nothing besides Caramelized White Chocolate. So many ideas!
5. On my culinary to-do list, mastering the Five Mother Sauces.  



   

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Planning: More Culinary Goals

I'm continually adding things to my Culinary Goals. Recently I've added:  

1. Villi - Read about this in 'Art of Fermentation' by Sandor Ellix Katz then saw the post and corresponding podcast on the subject.   

2. Old Water - I find this concept intriguing. Heard about it a few years ago (2008 maybe) and it's been on my mind ever since. Here is a nice blog post that explains the concept.   

3. Kefir - Since getting into Kombucha brewing I'm interested in the idea of Kefir. 

4. Homemade Vinegar

5. And finally something not fermented, Black Pepper Tofu!

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Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies

I have been playing around with some gluten free recipes and developed this amazingly fluffy orange chocolate oatmeal cookie. I want to develop gluten free recipes that go easy on the speciality flours as such flours are highly processed but also because of issues relating to accessibility and interest. Wouldn't it be amazing if you could make a special treat for your gluten free friend with the ingredients that you already have in your pantry? I think it would be.

These cookies will be appearing in an upcoming project which I need recipe testers for! So if you are interesting in testing some orange chocolate flavoured recipes email wingedsnail [at] hotmail [dot] ca to get the recipes! Testers will get a complimentary copy of the finished project! Testing begins in April!   

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Drinking: SCOBY Jerky

Brewing Kombucha leaves one with many SCOBY babies. It seems a waste to simply throw them in the trash so I have been on the lookout for various uses. I've made SCOBY candy which was successfully so when I saw this post on making SCOBY jerky I decided I had to try it. I did not have any of the ingredients required but I used the concept to make my own version.

My version produces a salty, chewy product that is very reminiscent of jerky. 

SCOBY Jerky

SCOBY's cut into strips (I used one from my Coffee Kombucha)
A cube of fermented tofu  

Mash a cube of fermented tofu into a paste. Coat the strips of SCOBY with the paste and leave to marinate overnight. Place strips on a cookie sheet in a low oven for five minutes. Flip strips and cook another five minutes. Leave the cookie sheet in the oven until the oven cools down. If the strips are not dried (but still pliable) repeat the process. 

   

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From Scratching: Victorian Style Seville Orange Marmalade

Seville Orange Marmalade has been on my radar since I began canning this fall. I eagerly swapped for a jar of Seville Marmalade at the Preserve Swap I attended as I wanted a point of departure from which to base my Marmalade Mis-adventures. I copied a few recipes for traditional marmalade into various notebooks I keep for my food projects. This recipe was based off the one in We Sure Can!: How Jams and Pickles Are Reviving the Lure and Lore of Local Food

In Victorian style marmalade, whole oranges are boiled in water for several hours. Due to my cribbed notes I was unsure as to what the goal of this step was. Since then I have read that the oranges should be easily pierced with a skewer and express a type of 'deflation' and that the peels should be thoroughly cooked. The next step is to cut the peel into pieces according to personal preference (I lazily cut my peels into huge pieces). The peel is then boiled with sugar, water, and a jelly bag filled with the pith, seeds, and membranes of the orange) until it passes the standard jell test. To acheive a nice suspension of the peels, the mixture is allowed to stand for 15 minutes and then processed - my peels were too thick to suspend!

Victorian Style Orange Marmalade
9 Seville Oranges
4 cups sugar
2 cups water

Cover oranges with water and boil for two hours or until 'deflated'. Discard water and cool oranges. Cut oranges in half. Strain pulp and reserve liquid. 
Cut peels into matchsticks. 
Combine reserved liquid with sugar and water. Add jelly bag filled with pith, pulp and membranes of oranges.
Boil until mixture passes jell test. 
To achieve suspension, let mixture cool for 5-15 minutes. Then process in water bath for 15-20 minutes. 
Makes 6 500 mL jars.    

Tasting Notes: I actually enjoy the largeness of the pieces of peel, however several jars did not have enough 'jell' around the peel. So next year I will increase the amount of water and sugar by one cup each. 

This project was inspired by my 2013 Culinary Goals. 

Do you have an itch to make Seville Orange marmalade? Sadly, the oranges are only in season during January and February but...
this post on Spicy Seville marmalade will keep you inspired while this article on the history of marmalade will give you something to read while you wait until next year.    

          

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My Vintage Kitchen: Deluxe Dial-O-Matic Food Cutter

What is it? Chop-o-matic's fabulous new mate Deluxe Dial-O-Matic Food Cutter
Where did I get it? I snatched this up as I adore vintage goods in original packaging. This was made in 1959 and originally cost $1.oo. I paid $1.5o for it and almost had a heartattack when my sister pulled off the price tag - as I did not want the original packaging to be harmed. 
Do I use it? This device works to make ripple cut vegetables but the waffle feature does not work. It is also missing a few blades. I do not use it regularly as I have a simple knife which makes ripple cut vegetables much faster and easier. 

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Trying: Fresh Turmeric

Fresh turmeric is one of those things that I've heard about for years but had never tried. A mad dash to finish up our Indie Coffee Passport before the 31 March deadline had us running, in a caffeine frenzy, all over the city. We ended up on Gerrard Street. Gerrard Street is synonymous with 'Little India' here in Toronto. My husband remembers making the trek in from Scarborough to visit this strip of the city when he was a child. I first visited 7 years ago when I was new to Toronto and haven't been back since. Gerrard Street is slowly disappearing as a haven for recently immigrated Indians but it is changing and growing and will soon be something else entirely. 

Gerrard Street still has an Indian influence though. I saw these lovely little roots outside a small shop. It looks like a cross between ginger and Jerusalem artichokes. I was almost convinced that it was turmeric but asked the shop keeper to make sure. These roots were labeled 'Haldi' and were 3.99/lb. I do not really have a plan for them so I only bought 0.55 cents worth! I think I will just use them with ginger and onions in a stirfry!  

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