Of Viands and Victuals

[Sedalia Dave]

 

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

Take me now, Lord!  I just found this one.  I'm thinking of a mustard -sour cream spread for it.

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/latke-focaccia-recipe

 

Latke Focaccia

Ingredients Shop this Recipe

Dough

 

2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (315g) King Arthur Unbleached Bread Flour

1 1/2 tablespoons (19g) olive oil

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon (241g) water, lukewarm

1 rounded teaspoon instant yeast

1 1/4 teaspoons table salt

Potatoes

 

1 1/2 pounds (6 cups/680g) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes

2 tablespoons (25g) extra-virgin olive oil

3/4 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

1 small (130g to 160g) yellow onion, thinly sliced

5 tablespoons (35g) cornstarch

Assembly

 

3 tablespoons (37g) olive oil, divided

 

To make the dough: Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. In a large bowl, stir together all the dough ingredients until well combined. Use a flexible spatula to vigorously beat the dough back and forth, slapping the side of the bowl, until it’s smooth and shiny, 1 to 2 minutes.  

 

Cover the bowl and set it aside for 30 minutes. Perform a bowl fold: Use a bowl scraper or your wet hand to grab a section of dough from one side, lift it up, and press it down to the middle to seal. Repeat, turning the bowl 90° (a quarter turn) between each stretch, until the dough won’t elongate easily, about 6 to 8 times total.  

 

Cover the bowl and set aside for another 30 minutes, perform a bowl fold, then re-cover and let the dough rise overnight in the refrigerator, or at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until doubled in size. If your dough has been refrigerated, let it temper on the counter as you prepare the potatoes. Otherwise, prepare the potatoes towards the end of the rise time. 

 

To prepare the potatoes: Place the potatoes in a large microwave-safe bowl or baking dish. Cover with a microwave-safe cover (like a plate), and microwave in 1-minute increments, stirring between each, until the potatoes are no longer frozen, 3 to 5 minutes total. 

 

Spread the potatoes out onto a clean, lint-free dish towel or 2 layers of paper towels and gently pat dry to remove excess moisture. Return the potatoes to the large bowl or dish and stir in oil, salt, pepper, and onion, mixing to combine. Add the cornstarch and mix until well combined. 

 

To assemble the focaccia: Lightly grease a 12" cast iron pan or an 11" deep-dish pizza pan (see “tips” below to use a 10" pan) with nonstick spray; this ensures that the focaccia will release cleanly. Pour 1 tablespoon oil into the pan and tilt to disperse (the oil adds flavor). Transfer about 2/3 of the potato mixture (roughly 4 cups/540g) into the pan and distribute it into an even layer, pressing some up the sides of the pan to nearly reach the top. Cover the remaining potatoes and set aside. 

 

Gently transfer the risen dough on top of the potatoes, doing your best to center it in the pan. Cover the pan with greased plastic wrap or a reusable cover and let it rise in a warm spot for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until very puffy; it should nearly fill the pan. 

 

Towards the end of the rise time, preheat the oven to 425°F with racks in the bottom and upper thirds. 

 

When ready to bake, drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the dough. Sprinkle the reserved 2 cups potatoes on top in an even layer. Drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over the potatoes, then use greased fingers to dimple the dough, pressing all the way to the bottom, so that it fills the pan. 

 

Bake the potato focaccia on the lower rack for 38 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are brown. If the top isn’t as dark as you’d like, transfer the pan to the upper rack for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. 

 

Let the potato focaccia cool for 10 minutes in the pan on a wire rack, then transfer it directly to the rack to cool. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.  

[Calamity Kris]

Taco Seasoning

 

1Tbl Chili Powder
1 1/2tsp Ground Cumin
1tsp Sea Salt
1tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/2tsp Ground Paprika
1/4tsp Garlic Powder
1/4tsp Onion Powder
1/4tsp Crushed Red Pepper (Or Cayenne Powder)
1/4tsp Dried Oregano.

 

You use approx. 3Tbs mix per pound of meat.  You can store it in a tightly sealed mason jar for up to 6 months.  Because of my sensitive stomach, I substituted the Cayenne for the red pepper, eliminated the black pepper and reduced the salt by 2/3.

Enjoy!!

 

 

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

1 hour ago, Calamity Kris said:

Taco Seasoning

 

1Tbl Chili Powder
1 1/2tsp Ground Cumin
1tsp Sea Salt
1tsp Ground Black Pepper
1/2tsp Ground Paprika
1/4tsp Garlic Powder
1/4tsp Onion Powder
1/4tsp Crushed Red Pepper (Or Cayenne Powder)
1/4tsp Dried Oregano.

 

You use approx. 3Tbs mix per pound of meat.  You can store it in a tightly sealed mason jar for up to 6 months.  Because of my sensitive stomach, I substituted the Cayenne for the red pepper, eliminated the black pepper and reduced the salt by 2/3.

Enjoy!!

 

 

 

 

Adding it up, this mix seasons one pound of meat.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Truth in advertising here.

 

half and half is more like 1/3 heavy cream and 2/3 whole milk.  YMMV and each dairy has its own % fat.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Something new in chocolate. Different from dark, milk, and white chocolate, Ruby chocolate.

[Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103]

Subdeacon Joe, thank you!

Your Garlic Lemon Shrimp with Butter-Lemon Spaghetti looks particularly good!

I only now found your Hamburger Pancakes from back in September (no idea how I missed that one!) and that's on my let's-try-it list!

I was going to post another egg-on-the-face memory but realized I already did, no sense to plow the same ground twice (search function kept me out of trouble!  )

[Subdeacon Joe]

58 minutes ago, Linn Keller, SASS 27332, BOLD 103 said:

Your Garlic Lemon Shrimp with Butter-Lemon Spaghetti looks particularly good!

 

Thank you.  It did turn out, to quote my wife, "Quite tasty."  It's on our "Do Again" list. Not bad for an on the fly, make it up as I go along, thing. The hard part was remembering what I did and typing it out after we ate.  

[Subdeacon Joe]

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

1 hour ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

I have made Portobello Wellington.

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Bread pudding

 

on cooking competition shows, we often see someone making a desperate decision and says “I’ll make bread pudding.” I’ve never made it so I decided to give it a go during this season. Reading recipes, I see there are many variables: bread, creaminess, eggyness, spice, fruit, some temper the eggs, some don’t bother. All use an 8x8 or larger dish. I am experimenting with a goal of making a dessert for two or two servings for one. Not as simple as it might seem and I am keeping a journal while working with a 6x6 baking dish. The goal is smaller than 5x5. Don’t say ramekins!

 

the latest:

 

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

2 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

Bread pudding

 

on cooking competition shows, we often see someone making a desperate decision and says “I’ll make bread pudding.” I’ve never made it so I decided to give it a go during this season. Reading recipes, I see there are many variables: bread, creaminess, eggyness, spice, fruit, some temper the eggs, some don’t bother. All use an 8x8 or larger dish. I am experimenting with a goal of making a dessert for two or two servings for one. Not as simple as it might seem and I am keeping a journal while working with a 6x6 baking dish. The goal is smaller than 5x5. Don’t say ramekins!

 

the latest:

 

 

 

Looks good, and within the realm.  How does it taste?

I've divided it up into mini loaf pans with success.  

 

Have you noticed that those people who do a brad pudding Hail Mary almost always screw up?  Things that seem to be the kiss of death on those shows - Risotto, scalloped potatoes (or potatoes au gratin), and bread pudding. 

Edited December 25, 2023 by Subdeacon Joe

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

4 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

Looks good, and within the realm.  How does it taste?

I've divided it up into mini loaf pans with success.  

 

Have you noticed that those people who do a brad pudding Hail Mary almost always screw up?  Things that seem to be the kiss of death on those shows - Risotto, scalloped potatoes (or potatoes au gratin), and bread pudding. 

No, I didn’t though I don’t recall the judges ever raving about the results.

[Subdeacon Joe]

Good Reading:

 

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=chi.087316424&fbclid=IwAR1-ScW1Xl9mpqjFjNJ0kxtES2QL3x7gGlhJvWsTBshiw9k9Px3Zxz7Yi2g&seq=25

 

 

 

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

Delmonico menu, October 1917

 

[Sedalia Dave]

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

Hard Sauce Topping for that bread pudding:

 

 

1 cup whiskey

1 pound butter

2 cups white sugar (Reduce volumes for smaller batches)   In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine whiskey, 1 pound butter and 2 cups sugar. Cook and stir until sugar dissolves and sauce is smooth. Remove from heat and serve hot over the bread pudding.

[Subdeacon Joe]

54 minutes ago, Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967 said:

Hard Sauce Topping for that bread pudding:

 

 

1 cup whiskey

1 pound butter

2 cups white sugar (Reduce volumes for smaller batches)   In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine whiskey, 1 pound butter and 2 cups sugar. Cook and stir until sugar dissolves and sauce is smooth. Remove from heat and serve hot over the bread pudding.

 

 

Also Pound Cake, Ice Cream, Pancakes, French Toast, Apple Pie.

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

11 minutes ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

 

 

Also Pound Cake, Ice Cream, Pancakes, French Toast, Apple Pie.

 

YUM~!!  

 

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

SWMBO was wanting rice and something.  We had a white pumpkin.  I went looking for pumpkin stuffed with rice and shrimp.  Kept finding receipts that called for cream cheese, seasoning and herbs that we don't have, and convoluted cooking and assembly instructions. Told her to find one and she found

Roasted Stuffed Pumpkin

By Nigella Lawson

Total Time: 2 hours

The quantity of rice specified in the recipe is what I needed for the pumpkin I stipulate, but I should say two things here. One is that you might not find (or want) a pumpkin of exactly the same weight. The other is that different pumpkins have different-size cavities. The easiest way to find out how much rice you need is as follows:

When you have cut the top off and scraped out the seeds, take a plastic freezer bag and line the cavity with it. Pour rice into the bag to about halfway up the cavity, then pour out the rice into a measuring cup. Double the measurement to determine how much stock or water to cook the rice in. The plastic liner is not a hygiene thing: it is just that if you don’t use it, you will spend ages scraping out the rice. I know whereof I speak.

INGREDIENTS

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

 

1 6½- to 7-pound sugar pumpkin, or other pumpkin suitable for eating

1tablespoon vegetable oil

1onion, finely chopped

3cloves garlic, 2 minced, 1 halved

1cup dried cranberries

1teaspoon ground ginger *

1teaspoon allspice *

¼teaspoon saffron threads

Finely grated zest of half an orange (or Lemon Zest)

2cups basmati rice

4cups vegetable stock **

Salt

 

 PREPARATION

Step 1

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Fill a kettle with water, and bring to a boil.  In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the oil, and sauté the onion until it is softened. Add 2 minced garlic cloves, and sauté for 30 seconds. Stir in the cranberries, ginger, allspice, saffron and orange zest. Add the rice, and stir until it is glossy. Pour in stock, and bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat as low as possible. Cook for 15 minutes.

Step 2

About an inch below the top of the pumpkin’s ‘’shoulders,’’ about where it would be cut to carve a jack-o’-lantern, slice a lid from top of pumpkin, and set it aside. Remove seeds and fibrous flesh from inside.

Rub the inside of pumpkin with cut garlic clove, and rub with some salt to taste.

Step 3

When rice has cooked for 15 minutes, it will be damp and not very fluffy. Adjust seasoning to taste, and spoon into pumpkin cavity. Press lid firmly on top. It may sit above stuffing a bit like a jaunty cork. Wrap bottom two to three inches of pumpkin in a double layer of foil to protect it from contact with water during baking. Place in a roasting pan, and add about 1 inch of boiling water to pan.

 Step 4

Bake the pumpkin until it is tender when pierced with a knife, about 1½ hours. (If there is resistance when pumpkin is pierced, allow more baking time.) To serve, remove pumpkin from pan, and allow it to rest for about 10 minutes. Discard foil, and place pumpkin on a serving platter. Slice into segments like a cake. Place a wedge of pumpkin on each serving plate, and mound with rice stuffing.

*I replaced these with Garum Masala

**If you are going to serve this with meat or shrimp, you can use Chicken Stock, Beef Stock, Shrimp Stock to match the protein I made it to go with Shrimp and used water and powdered Shrimp Base for the liquid.  I also seasoned the Shrimp with Garam Masala and more of the Shrimp Base.  Put the seasoning on when I put the Pumpkin in the oven, then started the Air Fryer for the shrimp when I pulled the Pumpkin out.

 

Usually when I save a receipt to our folder I don't include the front matter, but in this case it's a useful technique.  I also rearranged the instructions to read getting the rice cooking first then cleaning the pumpkin, it just seemed to make more sense that way.  I, as you see, made some small changes in the ingredients so it would be a better match for shrimp.  
Turned out that the pumpkin, as we both suspected, wasn't an "eatin' pumpkin."  Oh, it's edible, but tasteless. If we were hurting we'd eat it.  Tonight I used Lemon Zest instead of Orange Zest, first, because we don't have any oranges, and second, because we thought that Lemon would go better with the Shrimp.  

Just cooking the Rice in a pot, forget the pumpkin, would be a good dish.  Or use it to stuff an Acorn Squash or Delicata Squash.  Leftover Rice will make an excellent good Fried Rice.

Other than the Pumpkin being bland, it was a very good dinner.  

[Hardpan Curmudgeon SASS #8967]

Ooo... Pumpkin!  

 

Here's a favorite for cold, winter evenings.  I'll prepare it as either a meal in its own right, or to serve before a main course.  I've had to limit people to one small bowl when served before a main course; there's a temptation to fill up on the soup!  

 

 

PUMPKIN SOUP

6 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 teaspoons salt  (I forgot the salt once… nobody seemed to notice)

4 cups pumpkin puree (cooked pumpkin. Baked, steamed, nuked ~ it’s all good.  Canned as a last resort, but it'll work.  Make sure it's really pumpkin!)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

1 cup chopped onion

1 chopped shallot

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1+ clove garlic, minced  (I usually use about the equivalent of 2 and a bit more…)

5 whole black peppercorns

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream  (Oops… I used a bit over a cup – Darn! And Yum!!)

 

Directions

Heat stock, salt, pumpkin, onion, shallot, thyme, garlic, and peppercorns. Oh heck… put it all in the pot except the cream. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.

 

Puree the soup in small batches (1 cup at a time) using a food processor or blender. Or do like I did and do it all in the pot using an immersion blender – MUCH easier!!

 

Bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for another 30 minutes, uncovered. Stir in heavy cream. Pour into soup bowls and garnish with fresh parsley. (I sometimes don’t bother with the foliage)

 

I gots one o' these to make it in or serve it out of....  

 

 

 

                         

[Sedalia Dave]

 

I should note that you do not put eggs or oil in the cake mix. Just use a can of diet soda.  

 

Edited December 31, 2023 by Sedalia Dave

[Sedalia Dave]

Just now, Sedalia Dave said:

 

 

 

I should note that you do not put eggs or oil in the cake mix. Just use a can of diet soda.  

 

This recipe is very versatile, you can substitute chocolate cake mix, maraschino cherries and a diet cherry cola to get a cherry chocolate cake. 

 

The cake is super moist by it's self so it can be served with or without a topping. 

[Subdeacon Joe]

55 minutes ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

 

I should note that you do not put eggs or oil in the cake mix. Just use a can of diet soda.  

 

This recipe is very versatile, you can substitute chocolate cake mix, maraschino cherries and a diet cherry cola to get a cherry chocolate cake. 

 

The cake is super moist by it's self so it can be served with or without a topping. 

 

I"ve played around with the variations.  Spice Cake mix with Cock & Bull Ginger Beer.  Or try Chocolate Cake with an orange soda.  Lemon Cake with Ginger Beer.

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

Old American Photos

  · 

John, the cook, baking flapjacks and biscuits somewhere on the pioneer trail. 1874.

[Subdeacon Joe]

The cost of food for one week for Family J. And tips for improvement. c1942. 

From the National Archives 
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/515652?objectPage=2

 

[Subdeacon Joe]

Menu from Macy’s. New York in 1917. The prices are in cents, not dollars. 

 

From the New York Public Library

https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/c142b72c-1809-3ca6-e040-e00a18060f0a

 

[Sedalia Dave]

19 hours ago, Subdeacon Joe said:

Menu from Macy’s. New York in 1917. The prices are in cents, not dollars. 

 

From the New York Public Library

https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/c142b72c-1809-3ca6-e040-e00a18060f0a

 

 

Awful lot of meat on their "Meatless Menu"

[Subdeacon Joe]

2 hours ago, Sedalia Dave said:

 

Awful lot of meat on their "Meatless Menu"

 

A lot of poultry on the menu.   I'm not seeing any four footed meat.

[Subdeacon Joe]

Looks like fun

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C2BZ5QyJvmP/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

[Subdeacon Joe]

We've been getting a lot of frozen Blueberries from the Food Bank these last few months.  Lots as in 2.5 pound bags of frozen Blueberries.  How many can 2 people realistically eat?  So I had been leaving them in the freezer at the clubhouse for people to take.

Got some last Friday and decided to let them thaw and played with them.  Made a Blueberry Bundt Cake.  And Blueberry Pancakes.  Got to thinking and came up with:
 

Blueberry Pudding

 

3 cups Frozen Blueberries, thawed

Juice and Zest of 1 Lemon

Fresh Ginger, peeled and sliced

Scant ¼ cup Sugar (can use Splenda or other sweetener)

Splenda All Purpose Syrup – to taste

1 box Sugar Free Vanilla or Lemon Pudding Mix*

1 cup Milk

 

 

Place Blueberries, Lemon Zest and Juice, Ginger, and sugar into slow cooker, add about ½ cup water, cook on high for about half an hour, then turn to low.  Taste after about 2 hours, remove ginger if Ginger flavor is strong enough, adjust sweetness.  Let cook another hour or so, then blend with immersion blender.  Adjust sweetness if needed.  Allow to cool to room temperature.  Can chill in refrigerator.

Combine Pudding Mix with Milk, add 2 cups of the Blueberry Sauce, mix well, cool in refrigerator.

Serve as is or with whipped topping of your choice.

 

*Pudding flavor is up to you, Lemon, Vanilla, Cheesecake, play with it.
Maybe even try a sugar free Jell-o for a firmer texture.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I haven't tried the Jell-o gelatin idea yet as I just thought of it as I was writing out the receipt.  It should work.  

I suppose you could even put it into a Graham Cracker Crust and chill it it you wanted a pie.  

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

Internet cookbooks

 

I am not referring to books that are on the web. These are books that are put together from recipes that are on the internet. Not a unique idea. I have seen several and wrote reviews on Amazon suggesting that folks save their money and do their own searching.

 

The most common type is where the author just copies recipes. Typically there are 50 recipes, the only order is alphabetical. No sense of ingredients or style. No comments about the recipe, just a straightforward copy of the recipe. Some metric, some imperial, some American. No pictures, nothing to indicate that the ‘author’ made it.

 

One I recall, author is in UK. Many recipes use imperial cups, pints, quarts and properly give the metric equivalents. Then many recipes use US Measures and correctly convert to metric. I am sure the author does not have both types of measures in her kitchen.
 

There is a German cookbook. It really looks like the author made some of the recipes but not all, especially the ones that use offal: brains, tripes, lungs, heart, spleens. And to me the ultimate failure is that there is no recipe for black bread. What is a German meal without black bread?

 

I remember one such book, fifty recipes on a theme, I forget the theme. It had 48 recipes on topic and then two unrelated recipes at the end as if 50 was the magic number needed to self publish.

[Subdeacon Joe]

3 hours ago, Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984 said:

Internet cookbooks

 

I am not referring to books that are on the web. These are books that are put together from recipes that are on the internet. Not a unique idea. I have seen several and wrote reviews on Amazon suggesting that folks save their money and do their own searching.

 

I bought two of those.  They were full of typos, missing instructions, missing ingredients, and just plain boring receipts.  Not worth the buck I paid for them.  

[Alpo]

THE FIRST KNOWN “CHOUDER” RECIPE
Boston Evening Post, 1751

 

First lay some Onions to keep some Pork from burning, Because in Chouder there can be no turning;

 

Then lay some Pork in Slices very thin, Thus you in Chouder, always must begin.

 

Next lay some Fish cut crossways very nice, Then season well with Pepper, Salt and Spice;

 

Parsley, Sweet-Marjoram, Savory and Thyme, Then Biscuit next which should be soak'd some Time.

 

Thus your Foundation laid, you will be able To raise a Chouder, high as a Tower of Babel;

 

For by repeating o're the Same again, You make Chouder for a thousand Men.

 

Last Bottle of Claret, with Water eno'to smother 'em.

You'll have a Mess which some call Omnium gather 'em.