The Soup Trail

I think it's obvious by now to anyone that knows me (or just reads my blog regularly) that I enjoy food projects that require an investment of time. The range is wide from fermentation to fruitcakes.

My crock pot has been the absolute best thing to ever happen to my slow cooking fetish. I took the whole process to new personal heights this past week by making a soup that, from start to finish, took about a week to prepare.

It's common knowledge that you can boil scraps and make stock. I usually fall back on the premade stuff because there are some excellent options out there. The Better Than Bouillon brand is a pantry staple. One of my Tuesday knitters at work (Ilene) told me that I was really losing out on a great opportunity to make my own by not saving veggie scraps. She told me she saves everything from onion skins to apple cores in a small container in the freezer and cooks it down in her crock pot. I have a small canvas bag that has been designated for the job of holding scraps in the freezer now. I chop but I don't chop that much stuff so it took me about 2 weeks or so to fill it up. Maybe it was overkill but I was pretty excited when I finally had what I thought was enough to make into stock.

I had a little bit of everything in here from half of a lime to eggplant remains. Ileane had instructed me to fill the pot up with water but not enough to completely cover the scraps. I added some peppercorns and a few bay leaves and set it to simmer overnight.

My house smelled great the next morning so I was pleased! I filled the crock pot up with some more water and allowed it to simmer and reduce for the rest of the day. I strained the liquid that evening and tossed the scraps. I figured that it had cost me very little to attempt to make this stock so I would try my best not to be let down if it didn't work out. I tasted some of the stock and it was quite flavorful! Unfortunately, it also had a level of bitterness that was not going to work out in my favor if I were to serve it to someone. I thought about it for a while and decided to let it cook a bit longer. I added the only potato I had in large chunks (to hopefully absorb some of the bitterness), a good sprinkling of sugar and some more peppercorns and bay leaves. I decided to try to steer the flavor towards the southwest so I added two small cans of tomato sauce the following morning and hoped that this would be a solid foundation on which to build a tortilla soup.

When I got home that afternoon, the soup had a lovely color and along with texture more velvety than Barry White. I added some smoked paprika, a bit of barbeque sauce, cumin and sea salt and I gave it another day.

I knew it was going to need some sort of a meaty texture. I weighed the option of tofu but I decided to use the pack of oyster shrooms I had in the fridge. They have the nice big packs of them at the Asian Market for cheap and I can never resist them. I knew they wouldn't give off too much of a mushroom flavor and they've cooked up fabulously in everything I've tossed them into so far.

Some fresh cilantro plus a yellow onion and it was ready to cook on high for the next four hours. After the time I'd put into the soup already, that felt a bit rushed but I planned to take it over to someone's house for dinner that night so I had no choice. I made do with a giant glass jar but I've decided to enter the market for a big thermos.

I dragged along some soup accessories and added a can of pinto and black beans to the mix before packing it up.

The soup served up beautifully. I was really proud to put it down on the table. I'd tasted it already and thought it was just how I wanted it to be. Flavorful without anything being too dominant.

Our hosts for the night fried up some tostones that turned out to be great dippers.

Tostones are twice fried plantains that are peeled, fried, smashed, fried again and sprinkled with salt.

Delicioso!

We're having some leftovers tonight. It won't be as pretty but I am eager to see if the flavor has changed at all.

The Journey (Part 4)

The end is the beginning!

First of all, this post is a bit late and I'm sorry. I'll follow my apology with a Happy 2010 to you few but faithful readers. The holiday season was a bit busy for me so I didn't meet my mark for last month but I have so many inspirations for posts that January should be hopping!

My fruitcakes were ready on 12/21 and I gave a few of them away. Two of Molly's teachers got one and I brought the bigger cake that I made to work to share with coworkers and knitters. There is a little bit of that one left and I've been nibbling on it at home. It tastes better and better as time passes. I have one more to share with my Tuesday knitters who are eagerly looking forward to it and then I have decided to lock the rest away! Someone told me that there are actually those who bake fruitcakes and let them sit for an entire year. One of the reasons it was developed was the shelf life so it makes perfect sense. I can testify to the fact that it truly does taste better when it sits for as long of a period as possible. After I deliver on my promise to share, I will still have two small cakes and one large one. I am going to try to let them sit until the holidays come back around this year. I'll occasionally baste them so they keep moist while trying my best not to eat them! I've had one after it sat for a month and it was amazing so a year should really be out of this world. You and I both know that despite the fact that the new year is still so fresh, Christmas will be here before we know it.

Opening a Can

I have a killer weakness for fried plantains. Actually, I've yet to meet a plantain I don't like! Another Achilles Heel of mine would have to be plantain chips but that's another post for another time!

A few weeks ago, I went to the Yardley Harvest Festival. I had two food goals inspired by my experiences from the year before. I had the most amazing fried plantains at a food stand in the court. I also was hoping to get more of the Best Darn Kettlecorn! I managed to accomplish both of these missions. I ate a few plantains at the festival but decided to stash them for when I got home because a friend of mine had mentioned to me (a few months ago) that I needed some plantains foster. That sounded almost too decadent but I went for it anyways.

I don't remember how it came up but my boss and I were talking and she started telling me about caramelizing condensed milk while it's still in the can by placing it in hot water and letting it simmer. I wasn't 100% sure if it was safe but I was so curious that I had to try it. I bought a small can of condensed milk and put it in a heavy pot with a lid. I let the can boil in some water for about 20 minutes. When I removed it. I could tell that some pressure had built up inside. I put it in the sink and decided to see what would happen if I opened it. I didn't blow anything up but hot milk did gush out of the small puncture in the top. It made it as high as the cabinet and splattered a bit. It also scalded my hand. After the initial spurt, it settled down and I opened the rest of the can. I was giddy to see that the milk was a slightly tan color because that indicated that the sugar had caramelized! I got a spoon and drizzled some on top of my plantains. They were cold from being in the fridge but I figured this would warm them up a bit. I took a bite and it was everything I hoped it would be. Chewy, sweet and a little salty. It was so rich, I couldn't finish it.

I have to find a better way to safeguard against aggressive gushes because I've already thought of several different things I can do with caramelized condensed milk! I didn't come out of this experience unscathed but I feel like it made me a better person.

Set Your Ricemellow on Fire!!!

I decided to try a little experiment because s'mores are one of my favorite things in the world...

I wanted to see if I could "roast" my Ricemellow with my creme brulee torch.

As you can see....IT WORKED!!!

I cannot recall the name of the graham crackers I have. They're some hippie brand from Whole Foods and believe me....they are SUPER hearty. A few of them will fill you right up! I will always have a soft spot for the Honey Maid brand. My grandma used to feed them to us with milk poured over it and that can still be a great source of comfort for me. I cannot buy them because I will eat waaaay too many in one sitting! As far as "not as bad for you" brands of grahams go, I really like the Health Valley amaranth flour crackers. They're delicious!

The chocolate is actually Icelandic and it was super good! The chocolate bars at WF are not cheap but you get two bars in this package for a reasonable price. It's probably the best bargain you'll find on chocolate in the store.

They do not sell Ricemellow at WF. I have to buy it at Wegmans. It's the only place in the area I know of that sells it. I think it is one of the best vegan products you can buy. I seriously love it and so does Molly. Her favorite way to eat it is with Sunbutter on a sammich. It will definitely scratch the marshmallow itch if you have a hankerin'.

It's taking all of my willpower not to go into the pantry and dig out all of the stuff to make more of these bad boys! I'd better go to sleep before I get into trouble!