Swingin’ Salsa Summary, Ole’

there are some basics
without them it would not be salsa
everything has to be chopped very fine
gotta have cilantro, lime juice, salt
and onions
jalapenos are in most salsas
but not all of them
garlic is good
add fresh roma tomatoes
and you have basic salsa fresco
tomatillos are good with this
after that almost anything else is fair game
but not chocolate sauce
have some sense
I’ve made avocado, mango, and peach salsa
last night I made roasted corn salsa
took some very fresh corn in husks
and fire roasted them over the flame
on the top of the stove
almost burnt the husks all the way through
probably should have
cut the corn off the cobs
added half a maui onion
a whole bunch of cilantro
red bell pepper
and too much salt
the salt releases the juices in your mix
but you have to have a light hand
I could have added a can of washed
and rinsed black beans
had a medium bowl of the stuff
but it was all gone within 24 hours
fresh salsa is only good for 48 hours
then the freshness begins to be questionable

© 2011 Sandy Vrooman

Son of Zucchini Madness or Zucchini Pancakes

yes, you can shred zucchini
and use them like potatoes
in potato pancakes
because zucchini keeps weeping
it is best to take the following steps
this method will give you
crisp pancakes without they
will still be good, but soggy
coarsely grate the zucchini
by any method you favor
salt the mass heavily
put a smaller bowl on top
parallel to the bottom bowl
put some weight in the upper bowl
like a large can of tomatoes
(don’t open the tomatoes or
use them for anything else
in this recipe)
wait (or weight) about 20 minutes
add water to zucchini
drain in a colander and
keep rinsing
you will still have liquid
but it should be more gelatinous
I added on egg for each zucchini
using three zucchini this time
I also added about 1/3 cup flour
and the rest of the maui onion
finely chopped
I used peanut oil because
it will not break down at a high heat
put about ½ inch of oil into a cast iron skillet
used a ¼ cup as measure to get a regular size
let the pancake solidify a bit before turning
if you wanted to you could serve
with apple sauce or sour cream
we didn’t think they needed any embellishment

(C) 2011 Sandy Vrooman

Zucchini Madness

it has been suggested
that there is a parallel
between zucchini and fruit cake
there seems to always be more
than can be consumed

I humbly submit some ideas
for using up the darn stuff
if you slice it to look like bacon
salt it and put a weight on top
(like a plate)
for about 20 minutes
then rinse and blot dryish

pretend they are lasagna noodles
grease a pan with olive oil
lay down a layer of zucchini noodles
top with a layer of ricotta cheese
a layer of tomato sauce
repeat until you have 3 or 4 layers
top with mozzarella cheese
bake in a 350 or 375 degree oven
or until done
(I hate that in recipes, don’t you?)

if you don’t mind a very juicy lasagna
you can add a layer of spinach
and a layer of fresh sliced plum tomatoes
be sure to season the spinach with
a bit of nutmeg
basil is good on the tomatoes
I like to add a bit of sea salt
to taste, yours not mine
enjoy

© 2011 Sandy Vrooman

Catching Up

I've been remiss
in keeping up this blog
too much eating
not enough photos
summertime diversions

triggered by
a Facebook friend
John Tiong Chunghoo
a specialty writer for
NewStraitsYimes
he does travelling
through Kuala Lumpur
and neighboring areas

love the idea of fusion food

Sandy

Check links to see "Food: an old family secret"

Mulligatawny Soup

"Literally meaning pepper water. Mulligatawny Soup is an Anglo-Indian invention. Created by servants for the English Raj who demanded a soup course from a cuisine that had never produced one."
By: Michelle Chen , http://allrecipes.com/ If you click on the title above you will reach all recipes version of this soup

there are hundreds of recipes for this “soup”
I first had it in San Francisco at a restaurant
on 9th near Market Street
a curried chicken soup with apples and raisins
I used to make it with
whipping cream
but I have learned to use coconut milk instead
made some this morning
took about 30 minutes
it was a perfect lunch for
people working outside

sauté a diced sweet onion
and a diced green apple
(you don’t have to peel it)
in a couple of tablespoons of butter
add curry powder to taste
this depends on the curry powder
you have on hand
about a tablespoon or three
add a heaping tablespoon of flour
and mix into the apples and onion
to incorporate
slowly add a quart of chicken broth
either purchased or home brew
stirring to keep flour from becoming lumpy
add two sliced carrots
a diced chicken breast
or the meat from your home made broth
bring to a boil
when chicken is no longer pink
add a can of coconut milk
serve with raisins and shredded coconut

© 2010 Sandy Vrooman

Hacking Julia part II

(see previous post, referencing Le Suceès from Julia Child)

even when you have a recipe
that gives you exact measurements
there will be inconsistencies
as the ingredients will never be
exactly the same

the meringue layers

when grinding nuts in a blender
to make the nut flour
one has to be aware of the oil content
the praline pecans I used
this time
13 0z Trader Joe's
were quite oily
I compensated by adding more
confectioner’s sugar
to prevent clumping

to get the most volume
from your egg whites
they should be room temperature
beat 6 egg whites with
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
a pinch of salt
when whites form stiff peaks
beat in ½ cup fine granulated sugar
the carefully fold in the nut mixture
spoon out on to pans covered in
baking parchment
draw circles or other shapes
on one side of the paper
turn paper over
use this as a guide
to shape the meringue layers
three to five layers
bake in a 250 degree oven
for about 40 minutes
leave in the oven until the next day

pumpkin butter cream

there are two ways to make a butter cream
one is to cream butter and confectioner’s sugar
together and add flavoring
in this case pumpkin
with pumpkin pie spices
but
if you have the 6 egg yolks
left over from the meringue
you can make a pumpkin custard
and add butter
and confectioner’s sugar
until you have a mixture that is stiff enough
to hold its shape
also add vanilla and a bit of brandy
this version needs to be slightly chilled
to hold its shape

© 2010 Sandy Vrooman

Hacking Julia

I grew up BJ
before Julia Child
thought all lettuce was iceberg
and vegetables grew in cans
my Mother was an
adventuresome cook
with a limited pallet
I caught the adventure part
with expanded horizons
AC (after college)
I started buying interesting cook books
on sale
I paid fill price for Julia’s books
and read them like romance novels
one of my favorite recipes of hers
is Le Suceès
hazel nut flour meringue layers
separated by coffee butter cream
the whole thing takes
six eggs and three sticks of butter
welcome to cholesterol heaven

I’ve messed with this recipe
many times
but my favorite version
is to use ground praline pecans
for my nut flour
and a pumpkin butter cream for the filling
make a cage of burnt sugar for the top

I should have a photo of this AT
(after Thanksgiving)

© 2010 Sandy Vrooman