Cooking without borders!
“fresh is best!”
June 2011 Issue #23
une is for Dads and Grads. This month’s issue is a tribute to food I had enjoyed growing up and things my Mom made for my Dad. Tickets are now on sale for June 12, we will be roasting and hosting the Contra Costa Winegrowers Association (CCWA) Summer Celebration at the shop. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, available on line at ccwa.eventbrite.com and at Winegrower tasting rooms. Food (we will be roasting a pig) and wine, talk to the wine makers and have a great time. Join us and add to the fun. Keep an eye on our blog at www.spiceandoils.blogspot.com for tips , fun and news!
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| DeJay Mullins |
Join us June 17th for the sounds of DeJay Mullins, Saxophonist playing the soft sounds of jazz to a few of today’s top artists. Don’t be afraid to kick up your heels. 5 to 8 pm, $6.00 glass of wine $2.00 beer.
This Month’s Tip They say that by rubbing your hands on stainless steel you can remove the pungent order left behind from raw garlic, I wash my hands and as I rinse them, run my hands across my faucet – it works!
DID YOU KNOW… One of the primary medicinal uses of basil comes from BCP, or (E)-beta-caryophyllene, a natural anti-inflammatory compound also found in oregano and medicinal cannabis. The BCP found in basil may offer an alternative to medical marijuana, because it offers the same anti-inflammatory effects without the mental and neurological side-effects of illicit drugs. BCP in basil is believed to combat bowel inflammation and rheumatoid arthritis.
Shrimp verses Prawns – it is a myth that Prawns are larger, they are both crustaceans but from different sub groups. You can only tell them apart if they are whole. The gill structure and the legs will give them away. Prawns are farmed in Asia, so support your locals. Check out the seafood at Brentwood Farmer’s market. You’ll pay a bit more but the food is VERY fresh. Prawns and Shrimp are interchangeable, you don’t have to find prawns – shrimp will do.
About our clients: Andrea and Jeremy have an amazing culinary appetite. Every time they come in there is another recipe or challenge being shared. Recently, Jeremy participated in a “Guys night in”. This epic production was a myriad of aperitifs concocted from rum, brandy, and vodka and an array of fresh fruits and spices. (Some of the best aperitifs and liqueurs I have had have been homemade from consist of fruit and as you all know we are just entering the season for the wonderful bounty this area has to offer.) Cheers to the two of you!
Monthly Recipe(s)
Growing up my Mom made poppy seed torte, which my Dad loves, and poppy seed bread. I just love anything poppy seed and the creamy custard of the torte (yum). So one afternoon when an email came thru my inbox brandishing a recipe for poppy seed crepes I just had to give them a try. Being that I am diligently (and successfully) slowly losing weight, I could not bring myself to making this recipe without making a few changes to assist in my weight(less) endeavor.
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| Sweet version Poppy Seed Crepes |
Poppy Seed Crepes
4 eggs
1/8 cup Splenda or other sugar substitute
1 cup skim milk
½ teaspoon vanilla (for sweet)
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon poppy seed
Place eggs in a bowl and beat in the Splenda, milk, flour, 2 tablespoons of the butter, vanilla, and poppy seeds. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.
Heat a crepe pan or small size frying pan, over medium to medium low heat. Brush with some of the remaining butter or olive oil, pour 3 tablespoons of mixture into pan and tilt so mixture covers the pan. Cook 2-3 minutes and flip cooking for another minute. If the pan is too hot, the mixture will cook too fast and you will have a difficult time coating the pan. (I used an 8” pan and the 3 tablespoons was perfect, but if you have a larger pan you will need more that the 3 tablespoons.) There is an old saying that said that the first crepe never turns out so try again if the first one fails….
Crepes can be either savory or sweet. I topped these with cherries and a little homemade whipping cream, but could just as easily been wrapped around a couple spears of asparagus.
Poppy Seed Torte
½ pound graham crackers
½ cup melted butter
¼ cup sugar
2 cups milk
½ cup sugar
4 eggs separated
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter
¼ cup poppy seeds
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons sugar
Mix together the poppy seeds and sweetened condensed milk and let stand at room temperature over night. Mix together the crackers, butter, and sugar and line a spring form pan reserving ¼ cup for the top. Cut up butter and set aside. In a double boiler, mix milk, ½ cup sugar, egg yolks, and cornstarch along with the poppy seed mixture. Cook over medium heat add butter 2 pieces at a time, cook until thick and bubbly, (this will not get thicker once it is cool) stirring constantly remove from heat and let cool. Once cooled, poor into crust. Beat egg whites until stiff and a 3 tablespoons sugar. Spread over filling and sprinkle with crumbs. Bake at 350⁰ for ½ hour. Cool and serve.
Poppy Seed Bread
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| Poppy Seed Bread |
4 oz poppy seeds
4 eggs
1 ½ cup cooking oil (lemon olive oil to make with lemon flavor)
3 cups sifted flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt (yes salt)
Day before, mix poppy seed and milk and let stand at room temperature. Preheat oven to 350⁰ and grease 2- 8 ½” bread pans. Beat eggs and sugar until thick and pale. Stir in oil, vanilla, and poppy seed mixture. Sift together dry ingredients and fold into the poppy seed mixture. Turn batter into pans and bake for 45 minutes. Center should be a tiny bit gooey.
1 cup lemon olive oil
¾ cup light balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard
2 ½ tablespoons Splenda or other sweetener
1 teaspoon grated onion
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
Combine all ingredients except the poppy seed in a blender or food processor. Blend well, pour into storage type container and and the poppy seeds and shake well, serve.
Spice of the Month – Poppy Seeds: Poppy seeds do have some redeeming qualities. They contain valuable minerals; manganese, iodine, magnesium, zinc and copper, Thiamine, riboflavin, lecithin, oxalic acid, pentosans, and amorophous alkaloid. They enhance certain enzymes in the human body and are a good source of fatty acids, especially nomega-3s. They are a source of good carbohydrates and aid in the digestive process again in the human body.
We are well under way in the Navarrette house to a bountiful 2011 harvest. We didn't learn from last years crop, so once again we have billions of tomatoes, 34 plants to be exact, 11 varieties! Yikes what are we doing? Along with the over abundance of tomatoes, we planted 3 types of garlic, something missed from last year, a silver and a rose variety, onions, walla walla, red and white, peas, 2 types of egg plant, beans, fennel, leeks, dill, corn, 3 types of carrots, tomatillos, watermelon, cantaloupe, 6 or 7 varieties of pepper plants, raspberries and blackberries from last year (some of which we moved to a new location but the spread from last years are still coming up in the old location), patty pan squash, artichokes and volunteers from the butternut squash we cooked last November and tossed the seeds into the compost - they are coming up all over at least a dozen, most of which we have shared or put into the weed pile, else we'd have a billion of those too. We pulled the swiss chard out from last year although it was growing strong, the aphid population was overwhelming, homemade spray (Dawn soap and water) along with the addition of ladybugs could not keep them at bay. Our Citrus grove (ha ha) has gone from lemon and blood orange trees to include, a bearrs lime, a kieffer lime, an Australian Finger Lime, Ruby Red Grapefruit, and unknown lime and Tangerine (gifts). Along side those we have a mango and avocado, and for fragrance an allspice tree. 
