New Plants

 

I started some new plants a couple of weeks ago with old seeds I found at the back of my closet.  So far, kale and radishes are the only ones showing any life.  According to my gardening books, radishes are "easy enough for a child!" so I am especially looking forward to those plants since I am a little bit of a lazy gardener and easy enough for a child=suitable for a lazy-ish adult.

In library news, I am reading a book which I can barely muster the enthusiasm to finish, Everything Is Illuminated: A Novel by Jonathan Safran Foer.  In fact, I think I will return it . . . unfinished!

I have a couple of cook books out right now that are much better reading, and rather good eating as well.  One is The Food Matters Cookbook: 500 Revolutionary Recipes for Better Living by Mark Bittman, author of many fabulous cook books including one of my all-time favorites, the aptly named The Best Recipes in the World.  I love Mark Bittman's recipes because he offers about a million variations on every recipe so you can almost always make some version of whatever recipe catches your eye.  In addition, he is fairly casual about measurements and tossing in extras which is kind of my style anyways.

I tried a few recipes before I was forced to return the book to the library, and photocopied a few to try in the future.  The Bean Fritters did not photograph well (they look like little turds) but tasted delicious with a salad and "light" cheese sauce (that is, not made with cream, and not too thick - almost like cheese dressing?  That sounds kind of gross but really it was very good; vegetarian cooking often involves some trickery at my home in an effort to give the meal the "heft" that carnivores often miss).  The fritters are a little like falafel, but because it's a Bittman recipe you can use whatever beans and whatever seasoning you like.

Bean Fritters from The Food Matters Cookbook by Mark Bittman 

(posted with permission)

1 3/4 cups dried beans (any kinds), lentils, or split peas, rinsed and picked over

2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed

1 small onion, quartered

1 cup chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, or cooked squeezed dry spinach

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice, or to taste

Vegetable oil, for deep frying

1. Put the beans in a large bowl and cover with water by 3 to 4 inches; soak for 24 hours or longer for larger beans or 12 hours for lentils and split peas.  Add water if necessary. 
2. Drain the beans well and transfer them to a food processor; add everything else (except oil) and pulse until pureed.  Add water if necessary but keep the mixture as dry as possible.
3. Heat at least two inches of oil in a deep saucepan to 350 degrees F.  Drop heaping tablespoons of the bean mixture and fry in batches, without crowding, until browned (less than 5 minutes).
4. Drain on towels; serve immediately.

Variations:

1. Add 1/2 cup of nuts before processing
2. Reduce dried beans to 1 1/4 cup and add 1/2 cup rolled oats
3. Add zest; lemon, lime, or orange
4. Add one tablespoon any seasoning blend
5. Add up to 1/2 cup grated cheese
6. Substitute scallions for the onion
7. Add 1 fresh hot chile
8. Add a 1 inch piece of ginger, roughly chopped

Pumpkin Pie Marshmallows

I made Pumpkin Pie Marshmallows to give away last night on Halloween, adapted from this recipe on allrecipes.com.  I live in a very small town, which means no one worries whether there are razor blades in the treats.  Or maybe they do . . . and the kids dumped out their candy and the parents seized my little bundles of confections out of the little zombie's hands and tossed them with a pair of tongs into a hazmat bag.

Whatever.  I just like to have an excuse to make marshmallows and not have to eat them or force them on adults.  It's much easier to force them on children.  I did make a few changes to the recipe on allrecipes.com; I did not dust them in cocoa as I thought that flavor may be unappealing to petite palates, and I did not use plastic wraps, cooking spray, or a stand mixer because I have a tiny kitchen and I don't have space for crap like that.  I added vanilla because I add vanilla to most things.

Pumpkin Pie Marshmallows

 3 - 0.25 oz unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup cold water

2 cups white sugar

2/3 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon salt

equal parts cornstarch & confectioner's sugar: 

(enough for dusting & dredging)

1. Dust a pan liberally with equal parts cornstarch and confectioner's sugar; use whatever size pan you like . . . I use a 9" x 9" pan to make big daddy squares.

2. Pour the 1/2 cup of water in a large bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top; set aside for 10 minutes.

3. Combine the white sugar, corn syrup, vanilla and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat and do not stir once it boils.  Heat to 250 F.

4. Combine pumpkin puree through allspice in a small bowl and mix well.

5. When the sugar syrup has reached 250 F add slowly down the side of the bowl containing the gelatin and mix with a hand mixer on low . . . use caution so that you do not cover yourself with blistering sugar syrup burns.  Increase speed and beat the shit out of this for 5 to 10 minutes or until the mixture looks like marshmallow, i.e. stiff, shiny, and white.

6. Mix in the pumpkin mixture; continue to beat the shit out of this until it again resembles marshmallow; another 3 - 5 minutes.

7. Pour the mixture in the prepared pan and wait for 8 - 12 hours, or however many hours happen to pass until you have time to cut the little suckers (I waited 24 hours and nothing bad happened).

8. Sift together equal parts cornstarch and confectioner's sugar into a wide bowl or deep plate.  When the marshmallows are set, cut them into whatever shape you desire and dredge in the cornstarch/confectioner's sugar.

9. Force them on children, co-workers, or whomever but do so asap; marshmallows do not improve with age.  Store them in an airtight container unrefrigerated if necessary.