You know that stuff that you get at the Vietnamese place that's in a little bowl with floaty carrots? It's called fish sauce, but it's not the same as the fish sauce you get in the store. It's actually very diluted and sweetened. Also if you can use this to dump on to noodle bowls. Here's the recipe:
Fish Sauce (for Dipping)
1 cup sugar
4 cups water
small handful of grated carrot
8 Tbsp vinegar
2 cloves garlic (crushed & minced)
6 Tbsp fish sauce (use Squid Brand)
Method:
1. This first part is a bit tricky so be careful. In a saucepan melt sugar until it just starts to turn gold (this happens super fast and quickly turns too brown and nasty, if that happens start over). Immediately add the water in, which will cause a hell-storm of spattering (you've been warned). Things will calm down to a light boil, at which point you will stir until all the sugar is dissolved.
2. Add carrots, vinegar, garlic. Let cool to room temperature.
3. Add fish sauce. If you add the fish sauce when the mixture is still hot, you and everything in your house will smell strongly of fermented fish for a month. This keeps in the fridge for a long time.
Monday, 2 June 2014
Spring Rolls
Many years ago a friend of mine and I took a Vietnamese cooking class through one of those adult education flyers you get from the City recreation department. I had never done one of these things, so it was pleasant surprise when I found out the class was no-nonsense and we came in and got straight to the cooking.
Our instructor prepared a shopping list for us, which brands and where to get them, which was handy because some of the ingredients were a bit obscure. Like most cooking, it's 50% technique and 50% ingredients, so it really helps if you see how something is done. The only deficiency from the class was that the recipes did not have all of the quantities listed. Luckily, I made copious notes!
So here are the recipes, which you can play around with to create a number of very nice Vietnamese meals.
Spring Rolls
1 bag of clear noodles*
8 large carrots
1 or 2 lbs ground pork
1 cup dried black mushroom (fungus)*
5 onions
2 packages of spring roll wrappers**
2 eggs
2 Tbsp salt
4 Tbsp black pepper
4 Tbsp oyster sauce (Panda brand)
4 Tbsp dark (cooking) soya sauce (Rooster brand dark label)
4 cups bean sprouts (optional, but I always use them)
*These are ingredients that you may have to get at a specialty store (or Superstore if you live in a big city). The clear noodles are sometimes called cellophane noodles or bean noodles - they will be clear when you cook them, unlike rice noodles, which are white. I have included links so you can see what these things look like.
**I usually use the flour-based square wrappers that come frozen, although you can also use the small dry rice paper wrappers. The latter can bit a little harder to work with and do not freeze well, but they are very tasty.
Method:
1. Boil a pot of water, take off heat and add noodles to soak (as per instructions on pack).
2. Prepare vegetables- Soak black mushroom in boiling water till soft and chop finely. Grate carrots (food processor is easiest). Mince onions finely (food processor again is best here). Chop up noodles with a knife (about 1" long or so).
2. In a medium bowl, mix pork, eggs, salt, pepper, oyster sauce, soya sauce together.
3. In a truly giant bowl, mix vegetable/noodles with meat mixture and bean sprouts. You will need to use your hands and mix thoroughly.
4. (a) Thaw and separate spring roll wrappers. Place a bit of of the filling inside and wrap, 'gluing' the end with some beaten egg. There is a bit of a trick to this. It's hard to explain how to do it, but there are hundreds of you-tube videos that will show you better than I can explain.
4. (b) If you want to use the clear rice paper wrappers, get a bowl of hot water ready and a clean tea towel. Dunk the wrapper in to the hot water and place it on the tea towel. Wait a bit and it will be soft. Fill with filling and wrap. These are self sealing so no egg needed, but they are like duct tape, once they are stuck to themselves, they don't come apart.
5. Deep fry on high setting until golden brown.
6. (optional) This recipe makes a MASSIVE amount, which is handy because these freeze incredibly well. In fact, they may actually taste better after they have been frozen and re-heated in the oven. If you are planning on freezing them, just make sure they are cooked a wee bit less. Think a lighter gold. Re-heat in a toaster oven or regular oven just as you would store-bought spring rolls.
Next recipe posted will be fish sauce for dipping.
Our instructor prepared a shopping list for us, which brands and where to get them, which was handy because some of the ingredients were a bit obscure. Like most cooking, it's 50% technique and 50% ingredients, so it really helps if you see how something is done. The only deficiency from the class was that the recipes did not have all of the quantities listed. Luckily, I made copious notes!
So here are the recipes, which you can play around with to create a number of very nice Vietnamese meals.
Spring Rolls
1 bag of clear noodles*
8 large carrots
1 or 2 lbs ground pork
1 cup dried black mushroom (fungus)*
5 onions
2 packages of spring roll wrappers**
2 eggs
2 Tbsp salt
4 Tbsp black pepper
4 Tbsp oyster sauce (Panda brand)
4 Tbsp dark (cooking) soya sauce (Rooster brand dark label)
4 cups bean sprouts (optional, but I always use them)
*These are ingredients that you may have to get at a specialty store (or Superstore if you live in a big city). The clear noodles are sometimes called cellophane noodles or bean noodles - they will be clear when you cook them, unlike rice noodles, which are white. I have included links so you can see what these things look like.
**I usually use the flour-based square wrappers that come frozen, although you can also use the small dry rice paper wrappers. The latter can bit a little harder to work with and do not freeze well, but they are very tasty.
Method:
1. Boil a pot of water, take off heat and add noodles to soak (as per instructions on pack).
2. Prepare vegetables- Soak black mushroom in boiling water till soft and chop finely. Grate carrots (food processor is easiest). Mince onions finely (food processor again is best here). Chop up noodles with a knife (about 1" long or so).
2. In a medium bowl, mix pork, eggs, salt, pepper, oyster sauce, soya sauce together.
3. In a truly giant bowl, mix vegetable/noodles with meat mixture and bean sprouts. You will need to use your hands and mix thoroughly.
4. (a) Thaw and separate spring roll wrappers. Place a bit of of the filling inside and wrap, 'gluing' the end with some beaten egg. There is a bit of a trick to this. It's hard to explain how to do it, but there are hundreds of you-tube videos that will show you better than I can explain.
4. (b) If you want to use the clear rice paper wrappers, get a bowl of hot water ready and a clean tea towel. Dunk the wrapper in to the hot water and place it on the tea towel. Wait a bit and it will be soft. Fill with filling and wrap. These are self sealing so no egg needed, but they are like duct tape, once they are stuck to themselves, they don't come apart.
5. Deep fry on high setting until golden brown.
6. (optional) This recipe makes a MASSIVE amount, which is handy because these freeze incredibly well. In fact, they may actually taste better after they have been frozen and re-heated in the oven. If you are planning on freezing them, just make sure they are cooked a wee bit less. Think a lighter gold. Re-heat in a toaster oven or regular oven just as you would store-bought spring rolls.
Next recipe posted will be fish sauce for dipping.
Friday, 8 June 2012
Preserving Rhubarb
A few weeks ago we made apple sauce in anticipation of wee Howard moving into solid food at some point. Since we made 'chunky style' there was a large pile of peels and cores left over. I searched the internets and found that you can make an apple flavoured pancake syrup or jelly from the peels - so we ended up with two products from one! I guess this is old news to some, but I thought it was pretty nifty. Next time we're making apple cider vinegar from the peels.
Last night I took the same approach to another project.
I'm a big fan of rhubarb in all its forms, but have been especially keen to try rhubarb juice for a while now. I used the following recipe which can be found in numerous places on the web (originally from the 'Ball Blue Book', I've scaled it up based on the fact the original only makes a measly 3ish pints):
Rhubarb Sunshine Juice Concentrate
18 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1 inch pieces
6 cups water
2 lemons
1 large orange
2-1/4 cups sugar
Combine the rhubarb and water with the zest of the lemons and orange in a big pot. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes or until the rhubarb is mush. Line a colander with cheesecloth and place over a suitably large pot and strain the mush for 2 or 3 hours. Add the sugar and juice from the lemons and orange to the pot and heat to 190 F but do not boil (I used a candy thermometer to check). Place in clean pint jars (no need to sterilise) and process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. For me it yielded just over 6 pints (there was about a quarter cup left over, which I used as you will see below). To use, dilute 1:1 with whatever you want - water or ginger ale, etc..
So, what to do with the leftover rhubarb mush? Well, I found this recipe from the Show Food Chef blog. It appealed to me straight away as I was looking for a conserve rather than a jam as we eat a lot of home made yoghurt. The difference is simply that you don't add pectin or boil it hard enough to make a firm spread. The original recipe looks fantastic and no doubt is, but I needed to ad lib a bit here so apologies to Ms Shambley. What I had to work with was a mush that had most of the colour and some of the flavour leached out of it. I had two things going for me here though... first the mush did contain citrus zest and secondly the recipe does call of the addition of extra fruit. I ended up with a delicious conserve with an earthy green colour, not as pretty as the original, but the flavour is fantastic! The colour and texture are similar to chow, so I decided to call my version Breakfast Chow. The recipe is also scaled to work with what I had left over from the Sunshine.
Breakfast Chow
(aka Rhubarb-Pineapple-Coconut Conserve)
2 lb rhubarb mush (you'll probably have a few ounces more actually)
1-1/2 lb sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cans crushed pineapple (300-something mL ones or 15 oz)
1 cup shredded or flaked coconut
Put everything in a pot and bring to a boil, add the leftover sunshine and a bit of water to make it the right consistency. I used the candy thermometer to see that it got up to 190 F. If you want a firmer spread bring it to 225 and do the jam test thingy with the cold plate or however you do it. Place in pint jars and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. This yielded 5 and a bit pints.
So, all said, there were 6 pints of Sunhine and 5ish pints of conserve... all from one grocery bag of rhubarb! Pretty nifty.
Last night I took the same approach to another project.
I'm a big fan of rhubarb in all its forms, but have been especially keen to try rhubarb juice for a while now. I used the following recipe which can be found in numerous places on the web (originally from the 'Ball Blue Book', I've scaled it up based on the fact the original only makes a measly 3ish pints):
Rhubarb Sunshine Juice Concentrate
18 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1 inch pieces
6 cups water
2 lemons
1 large orange
2-1/4 cups sugar
Combine the rhubarb and water with the zest of the lemons and orange in a big pot. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes or until the rhubarb is mush. Line a colander with cheesecloth and place over a suitably large pot and strain the mush for 2 or 3 hours. Add the sugar and juice from the lemons and orange to the pot and heat to 190 F but do not boil (I used a candy thermometer to check). Place in clean pint jars (no need to sterilise) and process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. For me it yielded just over 6 pints (there was about a quarter cup left over, which I used as you will see below). To use, dilute 1:1 with whatever you want - water or ginger ale, etc..
So, what to do with the leftover rhubarb mush? Well, I found this recipe from the Show Food Chef blog. It appealed to me straight away as I was looking for a conserve rather than a jam as we eat a lot of home made yoghurt. The difference is simply that you don't add pectin or boil it hard enough to make a firm spread. The original recipe looks fantastic and no doubt is, but I needed to ad lib a bit here so apologies to Ms Shambley. What I had to work with was a mush that had most of the colour and some of the flavour leached out of it. I had two things going for me here though... first the mush did contain citrus zest and secondly the recipe does call of the addition of extra fruit. I ended up with a delicious conserve with an earthy green colour, not as pretty as the original, but the flavour is fantastic! The colour and texture are similar to chow, so I decided to call my version Breakfast Chow. The recipe is also scaled to work with what I had left over from the Sunshine.
Breakfast Chow
(aka Rhubarb-Pineapple-Coconut Conserve)
2 lb rhubarb mush (you'll probably have a few ounces more actually)
1-1/2 lb sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 cans crushed pineapple (300-something mL ones or 15 oz)
1 cup shredded or flaked coconut
Put everything in a pot and bring to a boil, add the leftover sunshine and a bit of water to make it the right consistency. I used the candy thermometer to see that it got up to 190 F. If you want a firmer spread bring it to 225 and do the jam test thingy with the cold plate or however you do it. Place in pint jars and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath. This yielded 5 and a bit pints.
So, all said, there were 6 pints of Sunhine and 5ish pints of conserve... all from one grocery bag of rhubarb! Pretty nifty.
Friday, 9 March 2012
eating out
Well, here's a tricky one...
The UK in general has a bit of a bad reputation in the food department and despite my generally large appetite and forgiving palate, I must say that reputation is probably deserved. Sadly, Scotland, as a nation, may have an even worse reputation.
Quips about deep fried mars bars and 'the best chippy in Scotland' debate aside, I've decided to dedicate this post to just a few places I'll actually miss eating at and/or would tell visitors to check out. So, in no particular order...
Kebab King
119 Victoria Road, Torry, Aberdeen AB11 9LX
Make no mistake, this guy is actually Kebab royalty. His take away shop is located in a (ahem) colourful neighbourhood near the prison in Aberdeen. I believe the proprietor is originally from Turkey and does his country proud. His chicken kebabs are made from marinated chicken cooked to order on a smoky grill. Likewise his sauces are fantastic and portions are substantial. Everyone I've taken here has been initially a bit sceptical of 'going out of the way' to get a kebab, but has been surprised once they've seen what is on offer.
Assam's
57 West Regent Street, Glasgow G2 2AE
This is my favourite Indian place in Scotland. The food is full of great texture and flavour, far beyond what you normally get in an 'average' Indian restaurant. The naan bread is massive and the peshwari naan is the best I've ever had. Typically I find peshwari naan to be sweet and gaudy, but Assam's version is beautifully executed. Lastly, the spiced haddock starter may be the best Indian dish I have ever tasted. Cooked and served in a simple foil wrap it never fails to amaze.
The But n' Ben
The UK in general has a bit of a bad reputation in the food department and despite my generally large appetite and forgiving palate, I must say that reputation is probably deserved. Sadly, Scotland, as a nation, may have an even worse reputation.
Quips about deep fried mars bars and 'the best chippy in Scotland' debate aside, I've decided to dedicate this post to just a few places I'll actually miss eating at and/or would tell visitors to check out. So, in no particular order...
Kebab King
119 Victoria Road, Torry, Aberdeen AB11 9LX
Make no mistake, this guy is actually Kebab royalty. His take away shop is located in a (ahem) colourful neighbourhood near the prison in Aberdeen. I believe the proprietor is originally from Turkey and does his country proud. His chicken kebabs are made from marinated chicken cooked to order on a smoky grill. Likewise his sauces are fantastic and portions are substantial. Everyone I've taken here has been initially a bit sceptical of 'going out of the way' to get a kebab, but has been surprised once they've seen what is on offer.
Assam's
57 West Regent Street, Glasgow G2 2AE
This is my favourite Indian place in Scotland. The food is full of great texture and flavour, far beyond what you normally get in an 'average' Indian restaurant. The naan bread is massive and the peshwari naan is the best I've ever had. Typically I find peshwari naan to be sweet and gaudy, but Assam's version is beautifully executed. Lastly, the spiced haddock starter may be the best Indian dish I have ever tasted. Cooked and served in a simple foil wrap it never fails to amaze.
The But n' Ben
Monday, 2 January 2012
cities
The outside world (including most of England, I'm led to believe) imagines Scotland as a mystical wilderness full of beautiful serene glens and quietly grazing sheep. Perhaps there's a highlander afar off playing the bagpipes?
To be fair, Scotland plc, is happy to promote this image and why not? It sells a lot of shortbread. However, for most people living in Scotland, this is not reality. Twenty-first century Scots (as well as twentieth and nineteenth century ones) are mostly city dwellers. The glens are lovely, but if you do venture out, you'll be more likely to see a German tourist or a middle-aged English hill walkers than an 'average' Scot.
So, what of these cities?
Well, as a Canadian, there are certain qualities possessed by all Scottish cities have that I find desirable. Firstly, they are typically pedestrian/public transport friendly. Despite having a very strong car culture, you are still able to get in and out of every city in Scotland quickest by train. No worries about getting lost or stuck in traffic, once you get off the train you can relax and start enjoying the place.
Also, unlike Canada, Scotland has held on to its low-rise city scape. There are tall buildings, but the distinctive nature of a city's architecture here is best appreciated up close rather than far away.
So, these things being equal, I nominate Glasgow as my favourite city!
Aside from being the largest metropolitan area in the country by far, Glasgow is easily the friendliest and most vibrant of Scottish cities. Yes, Edinburgh is charming, but beyond the looks it lacks something that Glasgow has. As a post-industrial city, one can see how the great engineering works drew people to Glasgow from across Scotland and the world. Coming out of a period of decline in the late 20th century, the city has kept apace through it's own merits and people. If you were looking for a good restaurant in Scotland, it would be in Glasgow. Music gig - Glasgow; specialist shop - Glasgow; rare car part - Glasgow; subway system - Glasgow; intraurban rail network - Glasgow; great airport - Glasgow... the list goes on.
I should end this post by saying that this could easily turn into an ugly game of Edinburgh-trashing. It is also a fine city and a certain destination for tourists (for good reason). I have worked in Edinburgh and seeing the view as I walk out of the Waverley train station does brighten my day and make me think - THIS is town planning at its finest. But, if I were to choose a city to live in, it would be Glasgow.
To be fair, Scotland plc, is happy to promote this image and why not? It sells a lot of shortbread. However, for most people living in Scotland, this is not reality. Twenty-first century Scots (as well as twentieth and nineteenth century ones) are mostly city dwellers. The glens are lovely, but if you do venture out, you'll be more likely to see a German tourist or a middle-aged English hill walkers than an 'average' Scot.
So, what of these cities?
Well, as a Canadian, there are certain qualities possessed by all Scottish cities have that I find desirable. Firstly, they are typically pedestrian/public transport friendly. Despite having a very strong car culture, you are still able to get in and out of every city in Scotland quickest by train. No worries about getting lost or stuck in traffic, once you get off the train you can relax and start enjoying the place.
Also, unlike Canada, Scotland has held on to its low-rise city scape. There are tall buildings, but the distinctive nature of a city's architecture here is best appreciated up close rather than far away.
So, these things being equal, I nominate Glasgow as my favourite city!
Aside from being the largest metropolitan area in the country by far, Glasgow is easily the friendliest and most vibrant of Scottish cities. Yes, Edinburgh is charming, but beyond the looks it lacks something that Glasgow has. As a post-industrial city, one can see how the great engineering works drew people to Glasgow from across Scotland and the world. Coming out of a period of decline in the late 20th century, the city has kept apace through it's own merits and people. If you were looking for a good restaurant in Scotland, it would be in Glasgow. Music gig - Glasgow; specialist shop - Glasgow; rare car part - Glasgow; subway system - Glasgow; intraurban rail network - Glasgow; great airport - Glasgow... the list goes on.
I should end this post by saying that this could easily turn into an ugly game of Edinburgh-trashing. It is also a fine city and a certain destination for tourists (for good reason). I have worked in Edinburgh and seeing the view as I walk out of the Waverley train station does brighten my day and make me think - THIS is town planning at its finest. But, if I were to choose a city to live in, it would be Glasgow.
Thursday, 22 December 2011
the best of scotland
I've been thinking that it might be fun to do a little series of blog entries over the holidays and perhaps beyond (while I still have free time) about my experience living here in Scotland.
One of the challenges of blogging is trying to keep your posts (relatively) interesting. Since starting this blog, I've taken a fairly relaxed approach since I understand I have a relatively limited audience. An audience who, more than likely, knows me personally and will tolerate a less engaging read. However, that's no reason to be dull.
With that sentiment in mind, I've decided to do a few 'best of Scotland' entries that will expose my own tastes and reflect a few of my (mostly positive) opinions on my life here.
One of the challenges of blogging is trying to keep your posts (relatively) interesting. Since starting this blog, I've taken a fairly relaxed approach since I understand I have a relatively limited audience. An audience who, more than likely, knows me personally and will tolerate a less engaging read. However, that's no reason to be dull.
With that sentiment in mind, I've decided to do a few 'best of Scotland' entries that will expose my own tastes and reflect a few of my (mostly positive) opinions on my life here.
Monday, 17 October 2011
Irish Oatmeal
To continue the breakfast theme around here... I've had a request for the slow cooker steel cut oats that are a feature in our breakfast rotation. As it's getting colder around here, it's perfect timing. The recipe comes from one of my favourite cookbooks of late Slow Cooker Revolution, from my heroes at ATK/Cook's Illustrated.
As a very oaty household, we typically have a few types of oats about - jumbo rolled oat (our standard porridge oat), quick rolled oats (for mixing in raw to yoghurt) and pinhead, also called steel cut (for a different type of porridge).
I need to preface this with the fact that in my mind, oatmeal porridge ought to be a mostly savoury dish. I don't normally like anything sweet in mine, bar dried fruit. Although I do like cold evaporated milk. So this recipe is a bit off the norm for me.
Steel cut oats are delicious and have a great texture, but are a bit of a pain to prepare, compared to rolled oats. This slow-cooker method makes it a snap and the leftovers are easily reheated. Since we have a very basic slow cooker (sans timer) I just plug ours into one of those timer socket thingies to get the right cooking time for it to be ready at breakfast. If you leave it cook too long, it's all ballooned out.
Irish Oatmeal
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I've used salted and just back on the salt)
2 cups steel-cut oats
8 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
Method
Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat, add the oats in and toast. You need to make sure to stir this well as they can get dark quickly. You want them to be a golden colour and smell quite nice. Transfer over to the slow cooker and add the water and salt, cook on LOW setting for 4-6 hours. Our slow cooker tends to run hot, so they're done in 4, easily. Stir the porridge well and let it sit for about 10 min before serving, it just evens out a bit and is less hot.
The book provides a few options to this recipe - Cinnamon & Raisins, Bananas & Walnuts and Apples & Raisins. We've tried the first option, in which you simply add 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1 cup of raisins. I love it! I'm hoping to try the banana one soon... For it you reduce the water to 7.5 cups and add 4 mashed bananas, 1 cup of toasted walnuts, 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon.
The real efficiency from this recipe is the leftover factor. It makes quite a lot and reheats as new. Just need to add a bit of water to get the right texture, although I prefer it solid.
As a very oaty household, we typically have a few types of oats about - jumbo rolled oat (our standard porridge oat), quick rolled oats (for mixing in raw to yoghurt) and pinhead, also called steel cut (for a different type of porridge).
I need to preface this with the fact that in my mind, oatmeal porridge ought to be a mostly savoury dish. I don't normally like anything sweet in mine, bar dried fruit. Although I do like cold evaporated milk. So this recipe is a bit off the norm for me.
Steel cut oats are delicious and have a great texture, but are a bit of a pain to prepare, compared to rolled oats. This slow-cooker method makes it a snap and the leftovers are easily reheated. Since we have a very basic slow cooker (sans timer) I just plug ours into one of those timer socket thingies to get the right cooking time for it to be ready at breakfast. If you leave it cook too long, it's all ballooned out.
Irish Oatmeal
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I've used salted and just back on the salt)
2 cups steel-cut oats
8 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
Method
Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat, add the oats in and toast. You need to make sure to stir this well as they can get dark quickly. You want them to be a golden colour and smell quite nice. Transfer over to the slow cooker and add the water and salt, cook on LOW setting for 4-6 hours. Our slow cooker tends to run hot, so they're done in 4, easily. Stir the porridge well and let it sit for about 10 min before serving, it just evens out a bit and is less hot.
The book provides a few options to this recipe - Cinnamon & Raisins, Bananas & Walnuts and Apples & Raisins. We've tried the first option, in which you simply add 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon and 1 cup of raisins. I love it! I'm hoping to try the banana one soon... For it you reduce the water to 7.5 cups and add 4 mashed bananas, 1 cup of toasted walnuts, 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon.
The real efficiency from this recipe is the leftover factor. It makes quite a lot and reheats as new. Just need to add a bit of water to get the right texture, although I prefer it solid.
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Pikelets
This last recipe is fantastic. In some ways it is more than just a variation on a theme, which so many pancake recipes are. Although the ingredient list is similar to normal pancakes, it has different DNA, so to speak. The secret ingredient - yeast! Don't worry though, it's not nearly as finicky as bread. In fact it's the easiest yeast-raised thing you'll ever make.
This recipe comes from "The Classic 1000 Cake & Bake Recipes", by Wendy Hobson. This is a very unassuming book, unfortunate graphic design. I was given this book with a pile of other cookbooks that a friend was wanting rid of, either they went to me or to a charity shop. I must admit that I nearly passed this one along to the charity shop when we did a book clear out. I'm glad I didn't, even if it were for this one recipe (truth be told it's full of good ones).
One of the quirks of this book is it's metric/imperial/US measurement layout. It's a pain to read, but it does allow me to present it in both systems here. I'm told pikelets are an Aussie thing, but as far as I can tell, it's really just their word for a raised pancake. This recipe appears to have rather ancient origins, what with the yeast and all.
Pikelets
1 teaspoon dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1-1/4 cups milk (300 ml)
1 egg
2 cups flour (225 g)
1 teaspoon salt
Warm the milk in the microwave so it is lukewarm and add the sugar and yeast. Allow the yeast to proof (it will float to the top and be bubbly)*. In larger bowl (I use a pitcher) add the flour and salt. Now add the egg to the milk mixture and beat, finally adding it to the dry ingredients; mix well into a thin batter (I use a hand blender or just do the whole thing in a regular blender). Unlike regular pancake batter, this stuff has to be lump-free. Cover and leave somewhere warm until double in size (no more than 30 min usually). Fry as you would normal pancakes, but be warned the mixture tends to pour gloppy.
*The original recipe tells you to make a paste with the dry yeast, sugar and some of the milk, then mix it into everything else. This does work, but it makes the rise time a lot slower - it will take 30 - 40 min at least depending on where you leave it to rise.
This recipe makes the most wonderful, doughy and fragrant pancakes. I eat them with just butter. If you have really active yeast, or a longer rise time, you will have very, very light thick pancakes, shorter rise times or less exuberant yeast yield shorter more bread like pancakes. I once made this with some very perky yeast and the batter kept growing to fill my pitcher, like a bottomless cup!
This is such a wonder, easy and unique recipe that you MUST try it at least once (but if you do, I promise it won't be a one-time-only thing).
This recipe comes from "The Classic 1000 Cake & Bake Recipes", by Wendy Hobson. This is a very unassuming book, unfortunate graphic design. I was given this book with a pile of other cookbooks that a friend was wanting rid of, either they went to me or to a charity shop. I must admit that I nearly passed this one along to the charity shop when we did a book clear out. I'm glad I didn't, even if it were for this one recipe (truth be told it's full of good ones).
One of the quirks of this book is it's metric/imperial/US measurement layout. It's a pain to read, but it does allow me to present it in both systems here. I'm told pikelets are an Aussie thing, but as far as I can tell, it's really just their word for a raised pancake. This recipe appears to have rather ancient origins, what with the yeast and all.
Pikelets
1 teaspoon dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1-1/4 cups milk (300 ml)
1 egg
2 cups flour (225 g)
1 teaspoon salt
Warm the milk in the microwave so it is lukewarm and add the sugar and yeast. Allow the yeast to proof (it will float to the top and be bubbly)*. In larger bowl (I use a pitcher) add the flour and salt. Now add the egg to the milk mixture and beat, finally adding it to the dry ingredients; mix well into a thin batter (I use a hand blender or just do the whole thing in a regular blender). Unlike regular pancake batter, this stuff has to be lump-free. Cover and leave somewhere warm until double in size (no more than 30 min usually). Fry as you would normal pancakes, but be warned the mixture tends to pour gloppy.
*The original recipe tells you to make a paste with the dry yeast, sugar and some of the milk, then mix it into everything else. This does work, but it makes the rise time a lot slower - it will take 30 - 40 min at least depending on where you leave it to rise.
This recipe makes the most wonderful, doughy and fragrant pancakes. I eat them with just butter. If you have really active yeast, or a longer rise time, you will have very, very light thick pancakes, shorter rise times or less exuberant yeast yield shorter more bread like pancakes. I once made this with some very perky yeast and the batter kept growing to fill my pitcher, like a bottomless cup!
This is such a wonder, easy and unique recipe that you MUST try it at least once (but if you do, I promise it won't be a one-time-only thing).
Cornmeal Griddlecakes
In case I get accused of pancake nationalism, I shall now introduce the pancake we eat the most often, which is an American recipe (that is not, as MBC would point out, overly large or tasteless). The best way to describe these is in terms of cornbread: Hot out of the oven with butter, yum! But just a few hours later, meh. The next day, yuck. This recipe is like eating hot-out-of-the-oven cornbread, except small, flat and in series (the better to soak up butter).
This recipe comes from the "The Cornbread Book" by Jeremy Jackson, which I urge you to buy if you like cornmeal in any of its forms - it's witty, charming and full of great recipes. Actually just buy it for the read even if you don't like cornmeal.
Griddlecakes
2/3 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled
Add the dry ingredients into a bowl, add the milk, egg and butter then stir it all until everything is just combined.
I make this in a plastic pitcher for easy pouring. It is delightfully easy and is delicious with a variety of toppings like honey. For UK readers, you can get cornmeal easily at any Indian, Afro-Carribean grocery or health food store where they will call it maize meal (get course ground).
This recipe comes from the "The Cornbread Book" by Jeremy Jackson, which I urge you to buy if you like cornmeal in any of its forms - it's witty, charming and full of great recipes. Actually just buy it for the read even if you don't like cornmeal.
Griddlecakes
2/3 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg, slightly beaten
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, slightly cooled
Add the dry ingredients into a bowl, add the milk, egg and butter then stir it all until everything is just combined.
I make this in a plastic pitcher for easy pouring. It is delightfully easy and is delicious with a variety of toppings like honey. For UK readers, you can get cornmeal easily at any Indian, Afro-Carribean grocery or health food store where they will call it maize meal (get course ground).
Oatmeal Pancakes
This is one of my grandmother's recipes, of which I am very fond. Like most of Grammie's recipes I can never get these to turn out as good as hers. This is likely due to the fact that my grandmother NEVER used recipes so every recipe we do have from her is sort of like a jotted-down transcript. Similarly, when we did copy a recipe out of her book, we got the original inspiration for what she actually made (never as good).
So in memory of Grammie (the late Kaye Smith), here it is:
Oatmeal Pancakes
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup buttermilk (or sour regular milk with some vinegar)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg (separated)
Put the oats in the buttermilk and let soak at least 15 minutes (if you are using the large flake oats, go a bit longer). Beat egg yolk and stir into mushy oats then add sugar, baking soda and flour; mix together. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into mixture. Fry as smallish pancakes on a lower heat than normal as they'll be pretty thick.
As much as I love this recipe, it doesn't get made as often because I always have a problem getting the the egg white beaten stiff (I don't have electric beaters). This recipe makes enough for two people and no more. It easily doubles and in fact the egg whites are easier to beat with twice as much.
So in memory of Grammie (the late Kaye Smith), here it is:
Oatmeal Pancakes
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup buttermilk (or sour regular milk with some vinegar)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg (separated)
Put the oats in the buttermilk and let soak at least 15 minutes (if you are using the large flake oats, go a bit longer). Beat egg yolk and stir into mushy oats then add sugar, baking soda and flour; mix together. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into mixture. Fry as smallish pancakes on a lower heat than normal as they'll be pretty thick.
As much as I love this recipe, it doesn't get made as often because I always have a problem getting the the egg white beaten stiff (I don't have electric beaters). This recipe makes enough for two people and no more. It easily doubles and in fact the egg whites are easier to beat with twice as much.
Riverside Pancakes
This is an old family standby, which makes a traditional Nova Scotian pancake - it is not a big, fluffy, syrup-absorbing sponge that falls apart on your plate (ie: a mix pancake). MBC and I have this discussion now and then about what I think an American pancake is. I have always thought of them as being massive and really fluffy, I suppose mostly based on restaurant fare in my travels down there. She rightly points out that you would get this sort of pancake at any restaurant in Canada as well. At any rate, these pancakes are not thus. They are, however, just like what is referred to as a 'scotch pancake' here in the UK, but minus the fruit.
The recipe comes from the North Cumberland Memorial Hospital Lady's Auxiliary Cookbook, Pugwash, NS (1970s vintage), which tells us that it was submitted by Barb MacKay.
Riverside Pancakes
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup white vinegar*
2 cups milk
Measure out the milk and pour vinegar in to sour. Add eggs and beat. Mix dry ingredients separately and add the wet in with a whisk. (My mother does the whole thing in a blender, also works well for pouring that way) Cook on a well greased griddle or frying pan until most of the bubbles burst, then flip (if it's too hot you'll know because it'll be burnt when you flip over).
*If you have it or feel so inclined you may just use 2-1/4 cups of buttermilk or milk that's gone sour in the fridge rather than the vinegar/milk combo. Important note here for those of you in the UK. White vinegar in Canada is a spirit vinegar, completely distilled. If you try to use UK-style vinegar it will taste awful. Just use buttermilk or, if you know where to get it, Polish white vinegar.
These are our all-around everyday pancake, be warned though, it makes a lot. The recipe does halve perfectly though.
The recipe comes from the North Cumberland Memorial Hospital Lady's Auxiliary Cookbook, Pugwash, NS (1970s vintage), which tells us that it was submitted by Barb MacKay.
Riverside Pancakes
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/4 cup white vinegar*
2 cups milk
Measure out the milk and pour vinegar in to sour. Add eggs and beat. Mix dry ingredients separately and add the wet in with a whisk. (My mother does the whole thing in a blender, also works well for pouring that way) Cook on a well greased griddle or frying pan until most of the bubbles burst, then flip (if it's too hot you'll know because it'll be burnt when you flip over).
*If you have it or feel so inclined you may just use 2-1/4 cups of buttermilk or milk that's gone sour in the fridge rather than the vinegar/milk combo. Important note here for those of you in the UK. White vinegar in Canada is a spirit vinegar, completely distilled. If you try to use UK-style vinegar it will taste awful. Just use buttermilk or, if you know where to get it, Polish white vinegar.
These are our all-around everyday pancake, be warned though, it makes a lot. The recipe does halve perfectly though.
pregnancy pancakes
It's been a busy few months since the last post - hence the lack of posts. We've sold the old house, moved into a tiny flat and downsized our belongings in anticipation of moving back to Canada. And, of course, the thesis (which is what I've been doing every day since the beginning of July).
As anyone who reads this and knows us knows, MBC is pregnant with our first baby, which I'm reiterating here as this post is related to that very condition. In the first few months of her pregnancy MBC was off just about every kind of food I would call 'delicious'. The main exception was pancakes - which were on the menu in a big way. I soon got sick of the 'standard fare' and we experimented with a few new-to-us options.
I've decided to present a few of the best recipes here. Both for sharing and so they can be accessed on the internet any time I might need them. Rather than make one massive post, I'll break them up - which should also make for easier searching. Some day I may even append photos, but... that's not too likely.
As anyone who reads this and knows us knows, MBC is pregnant with our first baby, which I'm reiterating here as this post is related to that very condition. In the first few months of her pregnancy MBC was off just about every kind of food I would call 'delicious'. The main exception was pancakes - which were on the menu in a big way. I soon got sick of the 'standard fare' and we experimented with a few new-to-us options.
I've decided to present a few of the best recipes here. Both for sharing and so they can be accessed on the internet any time I might need them. Rather than make one massive post, I'll break them up - which should also make for easier searching. Some day I may even append photos, but... that's not too likely.
Saturday, 9 April 2011
I put the lime in the coconut
Look what I've invented!
Coconut Lime Icing
100 g instant coconut milk powder
100 g butter
150 g icing sugar
lime juice to taste
Use as you would icing.
Monday, 14 March 2011
a place to live
I've been worried about where we're going to live for a while now.
The past 16 years have been quite transient for me. The flat where we are living now has been my home for nearly four years, the longest I've lived anywhere since 1995. We're now hoping to sell it and move on.
The long-term plan is to get in to eco-building, but not in the sense that we'd be builders working for developers. I'd like to work with people to build their own homes.
I found this great video this morning as I was recovering from my morning swim:
Saturday, 8 January 2011
tuna noodle fish casserole
One of the small food drawbacks in the UK is the lack of Campbell's soup. I know it's strange that I say this, firstly because Campbell's soup isn't that fantastic as far as soup goes. Secondly, I usually poo-poo any recipe that has "...and now add a CAN of cream of BLANK soup". The soup is typically high in sodium and low in flavour.
However...
There are some times when you really want to slap together a quick little casserole or make a special recipe from your childhood that is of that 'can of soup' vintage and nothing really works in those recipes except Campbell's. I've learned this by sad experience. And I'll tell you what that's sad:
This past summer my sister left me some groceries that they weren't able to take back to Alberta with them (when we were all in NS). Included were two cans of Campbell's Chunky Soup (recall the 'Fork!'/'Spoon!' ads of the late 80s?). At the end of our stay we decided to eat one for lunch. I put it on the table and after taking a few slurps asked MBC if it was condensed soup. She didn't know, so I checked the tin: No, it wasn't. Holy salt! I mean, it was Fran-and-Gordon-salty-ham salty! It was like mechanically separated meat and vegetables in a light brine.
So, yeah, Campbell's... not really that fab.
On the positive side of things, if you must buy canned soup in the UK, Baxters (made up in Fochabers) is great (I also approve of their crinkle cut beets). However, their soup tastes too much like soup you might make yourself to be right as an ingredient. I'm afraid their cream of mushroom soup tastes too strongly of mushrooms to be right for tuna casserole. Sorry Baxter's. but you are just too good.
So, what are you to do? Well, I prefer to do it better. At this point, I'd like to welcome Mr Christopher Kimball in (although only metaphorically, as in real life I'd be too afraid to speak to him because he's so amazing).
Last year, the March & April Cook's Illustrated had a great method for Stroganoff and I plundered a small portion of it for my very own Tuna Noodle Fish Casserole. Campbell's soup be gone!
Here is the recipe, the way I do it, apologies to the slight changes and entirely different application from the Cook's Illustrated one.
Tuna Noodle Fish Casserole
1 can tuna (drained)
3ish cups of macaroni
1/2 cup peas
1 lb white mushrooms
1 Tbsp dijon mustard (a good French kind)
1 tsp sugar
ground black pepper
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large shallots, minced (or a small onion if you aren't cooking for MBC)
salt
4 tsp flour
1/3 cup dry vermouth (or white wine, but vermouth is way better)
1-1/2 cups vegetable stock (we use Marigold Swiss Style)
1/2 cup creme fraiche (or sour cream if that's all you can get)
1 Tbsp of fresh dill
Method:
1. Get macaroni cooked as you are doing the rest.
2. After rubbing clean, chop up mushrooms to a reasonable size and put in the microwave on High for about 4-5 minutes (till they've decreased to half the bulk). Drain mushroom water and discard. Mix up sugar, mustard and about 1/2 tsp of ground pepper in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Heat up oil in skillet until just smoking and add mushrooms, onion and 1/2 tsp of salt. Cook until the vegetables are brown and starting to form dark bits on the bottom of the pan (6-8 min). Add tomato paste and flour, stirring constantly, until everything is well coated (about a minute). Add the vermouth and vegetable stock de-glazing the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the mustard paste and tuna. Reduce to medium heat and let thicken (about 5 min).
4. Once sauce is reduced sufficiently, add creme fraiche, peas and dill. Make any final seasoning adjustments (with salt and pepper if needed) and mix the whole lot with the cooked macaroni in a casserole dish.
5. Top with crunched up crisps (potato chips), or crackers or panko or whatever you fancy. and cook at 350 F for about 30-40 minutes (or until the top is nice and brown). I'm not too sure about this final bit as we use our Remoska and it takes about 25 minutes.
So that's how to beat 'the man' and not have to use canned soup. Of course it takes about 20 minutes more and uses a bunch of things, but it does taste about 37 thousand times better.
Yum.
Saturday, 1 January 2011
breakfast
Since getting married last year (yes, it was last year now), I've been enjoying breakfast a lot more. I've always been a staunch breakfast eater, but often forfeited quality for time. My wife has re-introduced porridge to our routine and through several tweaks I've now converted to eating it without sugar. One small change which makes a big overall difference. A good theme for the new year I think.
So, those are our breakfasts of choice... now a word about cereals. Cereals, as in that food product that you buy from the long aisle at the grocery store with the brightly coloured boxes. I happen to kinda love breakfast cereals. They are the easiest food to prepare and have such dashing spokesmonsters as Count Chocula. How could you resist?
Here are a few hacks for 'regular' breakfast items that push them over the top:
Porridge
We are big oatmeal fans of whatever type (rolled, ground or steel cut) but I must say it's well worth paying a little extra for a good quality brand. My favourite in the UK is the Oatmeal of Alford, which has a lovely nutty flavour. Cheap oatmeal tends to have a slightly 'off' taste and it's worth paying a bit more considering even the expensive type is extremely cheap by comparison to other breakfast options.
We follow the old Scottish tradition of soaking the oats overnight (as we usually cook them in our Remoska). It reduces cooking time and I think it keeps the porridge from turning to complete goo.
We add dry fruit (raisins, dates, figs, apricots) for flavour and a bit of milk to cool. I've adopted the Cox tradition of using evaporated milk, which is nice and creamy without being too fatty or sweet.
We usually eat oatmeal at least four days a week, depending on the season and because it is a low GI food it gives you a good dose of energy to get you through until lunch. We might periodically sub in Cream of Wheat or when available Waitrose Four Grain Porridge. The latter being one of the best hot breakfast cereals known to man.
Eggs
I've recently discovered the Mr Breakfast method for scrambling eggs. It's nothing particularly fancy, but it works - perfect fluffy eggs each time that aren't runny, watery or rubbery. It's all in the method really, click on the link and read. Delicious if served over toast.
Runner up is poached eggs on toast.
French Toast
MBC isn't a big French Toast fan, sadly. In fact, early on in our marriage she won't eat it at all. After some intense parallel research into steamed puddings, I discovered one of the reasons why French Toast often fails - incorrect egg to milk ratio! Most recipes assume that all eggs are the same size and some, I believe, assume incorrectly that people enjoy soggy bread. The secret ratio is.... 1:1! Yep, just crack as many eggs as you want in to a bowl on your kitchen scale and note the weight. Then pour that same weight of milk in. Done... perfect French Toast every time.
Yoghurt
Store bought yoghurt is the yuck! It is full of starch, sweeteners and non-dairy-gum-based nonsense. There are a few brands that are alright, but nothing beats home made... which is easier than making French Toast (that is unless you live in Sweden and have access to A-Fil). Serve with home made compote/fresh fruit and/or dry cereal.
So, those are our breakfasts of choice... now a word about cereals. Cereals, as in that food product that you buy from the long aisle at the grocery store with the brightly coloured boxes. I happen to kinda love breakfast cereals. They are the easiest food to prepare and have such dashing spokesmonsters as Count Chocula. How could you resist?
Well, cereal is pretty much entirely highly processed carbs. Probably the worst thing to start your day off with. However, as a snack they are pretty awesome, considering they are FAR better for you than just about any other thing you'd be tempted to eat during the mid afternoon or just before bed. In fact the journal of the American College of Nutrition says this exact thing.
I'm allowed to have Chocolatey Checkers, which is pretty amazing because it's filled with chocolate hazelnut spread (aka Nutella) and has more fibre than raisin bran and few calories.
So anyway, how's that for a New Year's blog post! So remember kids, it's best to enjoy your cereal as part of a complete bed time snack and enjoy a low-GI protein rich breakfast.
Tuesday, 5 October 2010
design methods
Recently, I've been trying to re-program my brain back in to my thesis work. It has come time to seriously combine all of my readings, discussions and experiments in to one large, coherent mass. I've always had the feeling that my research in to the area of design methods and how designers actually think and work has been too light. I feel like I've taken for granted that how they are doing it is wrong and that I need to forge ahead with a new way. But then at the same time I've known that really isn't true and that might eventually come to weaken the overall argument of my work. I decided that I aught to re-investigate the area of design methods by starting back with Chris Jones, the father of the subject, so to speak.
I've been pursuing a quick review of 'Essays in Design' to get me thinking. On page 47 we find a very interesting quote (in Jones' unique style):
"sometimes I have a dream...
its so annoying that most of the people you meet
they don't know about any of the new things
so you can't talk about them with them
It's irritating if you're keen on new things.
But then I go to a place where there are
where there are people who ONLY think of new things
and there's something missing
the ordinary life life isn't there
what they call the real world's gone.
And then I walk down the street
I see all sorts of people who've never heard of any ideas
and its much much more stimulating to me
in a way
because that is the real thing happening
you know
So if we go to the ordinary life
which we all live
even avant guardists are ordinary people
we look at our own ordinary life
that's the true inspiration
I think
and that's always there."
This is one of the problems I face with the practical application of my research. I feel as though the University provides a 'new idea' friendly environment for me, but lacks a type of stimulating legitimacy that is found in practise.
Just something to think about for now - until I get figure out how to reconcile this caveat.
I've been pursuing a quick review of 'Essays in Design' to get me thinking. On page 47 we find a very interesting quote (in Jones' unique style):
"sometimes I have a dream...
its so annoying that most of the people you meet
they don't know about any of the new things
so you can't talk about them with them
It's irritating if you're keen on new things.
But then I go to a place where there are
where there are people who ONLY think of new things
and there's something missing
the ordinary life life isn't there
what they call the real world's gone.
And then I walk down the street
I see all sorts of people who've never heard of any ideas
and its much much more stimulating to me
in a way
because that is the real thing happening
you know
So if we go to the ordinary life
which we all live
even avant guardists are ordinary people
we look at our own ordinary life
that's the true inspiration
I think
and that's always there."
This is one of the problems I face with the practical application of my research. I feel as though the University provides a 'new idea' friendly environment for me, but lacks a type of stimulating legitimacy that is found in practise.
Just something to think about for now - until I get figure out how to reconcile this caveat.
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
Summer
I thought I'd better take a moment before we leave North America to pop up a small blog post.
We've been here since June, it's now September and we'll be leaving next week. I'm torn between wanting to stay and wanting to get back to Dundee, but such is life.
I've been meaning to post this little recipe for a while, it's become a standard in our house, especially over summer when I felt the hot cereal was a bit much. It's from 'Everyday Food', published by Martha Stewart, who also brought me my favourite waffle recipe. It's from the May 2010 issue, page 76.
Tropical Muesli
In a small bowl stir together:
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup yoghurt
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp chopped dried pineapple
1 Tbsp golden raisins
1 Tbsp chopped natural almonds
1 Tbsp lemon juice [we used orange or sometimes skipped it altogether]
Cover and let sit overnight or at least an hour. The next morning add 1/2 cup of yoghurt and mix in well and divide between two bowls. Top each bowl with:
1-1/2 tsp of chopped dried pineapple
1-1/2 tsp of golden raisins
1 Tbsp of chopped natural almonds
This is, of course, one of those recipes that you can easily make without exact measurements, but it is a good place to start. It makes just enough for a large Steve-sized bowl and a small Mary Beth-sized bowl. I eventually got in the habit of making up a larger batch and just leaving it in the fridge for the next day of a later snack. I think the only health warning I'd add is that you should make sure to use a good PLAIN yoghurt and don't use salted or roasted almonds. Mary Beth doesn't fancy 'normal' raisins, so this works well for us - I also like the light flavour of the golden ones.
We've been here since June, it's now September and we'll be leaving next week. I'm torn between wanting to stay and wanting to get back to Dundee, but such is life.
I've been meaning to post this little recipe for a while, it's become a standard in our house, especially over summer when I felt the hot cereal was a bit much. It's from 'Everyday Food', published by Martha Stewart, who also brought me my favourite waffle recipe. It's from the May 2010 issue, page 76.
Tropical Muesli
In a small bowl stir together:
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup yoghurt
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp chopped dried pineapple
1 Tbsp golden raisins
1 Tbsp chopped natural almonds
1 Tbsp lemon juice [we used orange or sometimes skipped it altogether]
Cover and let sit overnight or at least an hour. The next morning add 1/2 cup of yoghurt and mix in well and divide between two bowls. Top each bowl with:
1-1/2 tsp of chopped dried pineapple
1-1/2 tsp of golden raisins
1 Tbsp of chopped natural almonds
This is, of course, one of those recipes that you can easily make without exact measurements, but it is a good place to start. It makes just enough for a large Steve-sized bowl and a small Mary Beth-sized bowl. I eventually got in the habit of making up a larger batch and just leaving it in the fridge for the next day of a later snack. I think the only health warning I'd add is that you should make sure to use a good PLAIN yoghurt and don't use salted or roasted almonds. Mary Beth doesn't fancy 'normal' raisins, so this works well for us - I also like the light flavour of the golden ones.
Wednesday, 7 April 2010
Maker's Bill of Rights
A little blog post which articulates something that I've felt for a very long time.
I really don't like any piece of technology which assumes that you are an idiot. It assumes that you have no idea what goes on behind the 'magic curtain'. It does not want you to repair, modify or improve it in any way.
I could list many examples, but I will expand one that is quite familiar to me: cars. In North America there is a large community of 'hot rodders' who enjoy tinkering and modifying their old cars. At the very core of this technology you have the Small Block Chevrolet or SBC engine. This is the Lego of the hot rod world. You can put it in just about any rear wheel drive car made between 1930 through 1990. It is simply because General Motors had a sort of design inertia when it came to engines. They made one and kept making it for over 40 years.
Or is it?
The way in which a SBC interfaces with the rest of the car is very basic and clear - two motor mounts, simple transmission bolt pattern. You can even drop it in to a Ford or Dodge with an adaptor plate and a bit of welding the mounts. I don't suspect this was ever intentional, but it becomes possible by virtue of its adaptability. The systems are compatiable.
I can only think of one other engine with such a long lifespan - the horizontally opposed VW air-cooled engine of VW Bug fame. This was a bit of a different case, as its native application was a little more restrictive. However, it found it's way in to the VW Bus, early Porche, test plot combines, dune buggies, and numerous other small-power applications.
What would happen if all 4 cylinder engines had the same mounts, the same rear main bolt pattern, and the same electrics hookup? Might be a good inducement to competition and innovation with today's small cars.
Anyway, this is all a very elaborate preamble to what I wanted to post, from Make:
Owner's Manifesto
from MAKE: 04: Music and Kits for the Holidays, Page 154.
If you can't open it, you don't own it: a Maker's Bill of Rights to accessible, extensive, and repairable hardware.
By Mister Jalopy
The Maker's Bill of Rights
* Meaningful and specific parts lists shall be included.
* Cases shall be easy to open.
* Batteries should be replaceable.
* Special tools are allowed only for darn good reasons.
* Profiting by selling expensive special tools is wrong and not making special tools available is even worse.
* Torx is OK; tamperproof is rarely OK.
* Components, not entire sub-assemblies, shall be replaceable.
* Consumables, like fuses and filters, shall be easy to access.
* Circuit boards shall be commented.
* Power from USB is good; power from proprietary power adapters is bad.
* Standard connecters shall have pinouts defined.
* If it snaps shut, it shall snap open.
* Screws better than glues.
* Docs and drivers shall have permalinks and shall reside for all perpetuity at archive.org.
* Ease of repair shall be a design ideal, not an afterthought.
* Metric or standard, not both.
* Schematics shall be included.
I love this... When do you think we can get this passed as law?
I really don't like any piece of technology which assumes that you are an idiot. It assumes that you have no idea what goes on behind the 'magic curtain'. It does not want you to repair, modify or improve it in any way.
I could list many examples, but I will expand one that is quite familiar to me: cars. In North America there is a large community of 'hot rodders' who enjoy tinkering and modifying their old cars. At the very core of this technology you have the Small Block Chevrolet or SBC engine. This is the Lego of the hot rod world. You can put it in just about any rear wheel drive car made between 1930 through 1990. It is simply because General Motors had a sort of design inertia when it came to engines. They made one and kept making it for over 40 years.
Or is it?
The way in which a SBC interfaces with the rest of the car is very basic and clear - two motor mounts, simple transmission bolt pattern. You can even drop it in to a Ford or Dodge with an adaptor plate and a bit of welding the mounts. I don't suspect this was ever intentional, but it becomes possible by virtue of its adaptability. The systems are compatiable.
I can only think of one other engine with such a long lifespan - the horizontally opposed VW air-cooled engine of VW Bug fame. This was a bit of a different case, as its native application was a little more restrictive. However, it found it's way in to the VW Bus, early Porche, test plot combines, dune buggies, and numerous other small-power applications.
What would happen if all 4 cylinder engines had the same mounts, the same rear main bolt pattern, and the same electrics hookup? Might be a good inducement to competition and innovation with today's small cars.
Anyway, this is all a very elaborate preamble to what I wanted to post, from Make:
Owner's Manifesto
from MAKE: 04: Music and Kits for the Holidays, Page 154.
If you can't open it, you don't own it: a Maker's Bill of Rights to accessible, extensive, and repairable hardware.
By Mister Jalopy
The Maker's Bill of Rights
* Meaningful and specific parts lists shall be included.
* Cases shall be easy to open.
* Batteries should be replaceable.
* Special tools are allowed only for darn good reasons.
* Profiting by selling expensive special tools is wrong and not making special tools available is even worse.
* Torx is OK; tamperproof is rarely OK.
* Components, not entire sub-assemblies, shall be replaceable.
* Consumables, like fuses and filters, shall be easy to access.
* Circuit boards shall be commented.
* Power from USB is good; power from proprietary power adapters is bad.
* Standard connecters shall have pinouts defined.
* If it snaps shut, it shall snap open.
* Screws better than glues.
* Docs and drivers shall have permalinks and shall reside for all perpetuity at archive.org.
* Ease of repair shall be a design ideal, not an afterthought.
* Metric or standard, not both.
* Schematics shall be included.
I love this... When do you think we can get this passed as law?
Wednesday, 31 March 2010
composting, as requested
So, since we got the allotment, I have had to dig out my composting knowledge. The previous lot holder has left us with a small mountain of biosolids in various states of decay.
It's a good thing that I have a degree in Ag/Bio Engineering and have studied composting intensively, thanks to a certain Terry Fonstad. Also, I might add here, just to continue the name dropping that I know Joy Agnew, discoverer of the Agnew Coefficient - of much use if you need to calculate the bulk density of a large pile of 'who know's what'. So yes, composting is something I know about.
Anyway, here's the science bit: Everything that was once living can be composted, from bones to soild waste to phone books. There are millions of wee creatures from several animal and plant kingdoms that will eagerly help this process along. Fungi, molds, bacterium and even small mites. The good news is that they are pretty much everywhere and there is NO NEED to add any sort of 'innoculant' - eg: magic potion from the garden centre to 'start' your compost.
This little army of microorganisms is all set and ready - they just need the right conditions to grow and work. There are three biggies - air, water and nutrients, and one smallie - temperature (although that usually sorts it self out).
Let's look at each of them:
1. Air - most of these bugs need to breathe, so they need air. This means no completely sealed buckets and the pile must be porous enough to let air in. Alternatively, and this is often the case with your home compost, you must turn it. Your compost will still break down without air, that's called anaerobic digestion, but it will stink like rotten eggs or various other nastiness.
2. Water - Your compost needs to be damp. How damp? Probably damper than you think it aught to be. It should have enough water than when you squeeze it, a tiny bit of water comes out, but not so much that when you pick it up, it drips. Think - wet sponge. This is very often a problem if you live in a dry climate - such as the Canadian praries, so you will need to add water, and keep adding it as it will dry out. Remember, some things come with water in them already - manures and a lot of food wates. Getting this right is really key.
3. Nutrients - These little guys need Nitrogen, but not too much. Ideally you want 30 parts of Carbon to 1 part of Nitrogen. Pretty much everything you put in the pile will have Nitrogen in it, but not often at the ideal 30:1 ratio. You can fix this by adding a bit of high Nitrogen things in - grass clippings or pine needles being common things. If you are really stuck, you can cheat by putting a tiny bit of Nitrogen fertiliser in. Too much nitrogen is also bad and will slow the bugs down.
4. Temperature - The great thing about these little bugs is that when they work they make their own heat. When they are working very hard, they get very hot. If your pile is smoking (literally) hot that's means they are working. Some of the bugs will not like insane heat levels, the normal temp is between 50 and 60 degrees C. In the summer, turning will help keep it from getting too hot. In the winter/spring/fall, not turning it as much might help - usually just keeping the right balance going of nutrients and water will be enough.
Some other notes - mix well and make sure you don't have bits that are too huge. I've composted whole chickens before and they will go right down to nothing, but that was a BIG pile. For household piles, keep it smallish. Another thing is meat - they always say not to, but this isn't because you can't, it's just because rotting meat tends to attract rats, cats, dogs and bears. Use your own discretion there.
As for commercially available composters - I pick the rotary composter. I like that fact you don't have to dig and move all the compost. It also keeps things neat and tidy and pest free. The round black ones work okay, but the idea that you just pull 'finished' compost from the bottom... I've never seen that work super well. There are always bits that need more time.
Anyway, that's all really. Enjoy.
It's a good thing that I have a degree in Ag/Bio Engineering and have studied composting intensively, thanks to a certain Terry Fonstad. Also, I might add here, just to continue the name dropping that I know Joy Agnew, discoverer of the Agnew Coefficient - of much use if you need to calculate the bulk density of a large pile of 'who know's what'. So yes, composting is something I know about.
Anyway, here's the science bit: Everything that was once living can be composted, from bones to soild waste to phone books. There are millions of wee creatures from several animal and plant kingdoms that will eagerly help this process along. Fungi, molds, bacterium and even small mites. The good news is that they are pretty much everywhere and there is NO NEED to add any sort of 'innoculant' - eg: magic potion from the garden centre to 'start' your compost.
This little army of microorganisms is all set and ready - they just need the right conditions to grow and work. There are three biggies - air, water and nutrients, and one smallie - temperature (although that usually sorts it self out).
Let's look at each of them:
1. Air - most of these bugs need to breathe, so they need air. This means no completely sealed buckets and the pile must be porous enough to let air in. Alternatively, and this is often the case with your home compost, you must turn it. Your compost will still break down without air, that's called anaerobic digestion, but it will stink like rotten eggs or various other nastiness.
2. Water - Your compost needs to be damp. How damp? Probably damper than you think it aught to be. It should have enough water than when you squeeze it, a tiny bit of water comes out, but not so much that when you pick it up, it drips. Think - wet sponge. This is very often a problem if you live in a dry climate - such as the Canadian praries, so you will need to add water, and keep adding it as it will dry out. Remember, some things come with water in them already - manures and a lot of food wates. Getting this right is really key.
3. Nutrients - These little guys need Nitrogen, but not too much. Ideally you want 30 parts of Carbon to 1 part of Nitrogen. Pretty much everything you put in the pile will have Nitrogen in it, but not often at the ideal 30:1 ratio. You can fix this by adding a bit of high Nitrogen things in - grass clippings or pine needles being common things. If you are really stuck, you can cheat by putting a tiny bit of Nitrogen fertiliser in. Too much nitrogen is also bad and will slow the bugs down.
4. Temperature - The great thing about these little bugs is that when they work they make their own heat. When they are working very hard, they get very hot. If your pile is smoking (literally) hot that's means they are working. Some of the bugs will not like insane heat levels, the normal temp is between 50 and 60 degrees C. In the summer, turning will help keep it from getting too hot. In the winter/spring/fall, not turning it as much might help - usually just keeping the right balance going of nutrients and water will be enough.
Some other notes - mix well and make sure you don't have bits that are too huge. I've composted whole chickens before and they will go right down to nothing, but that was a BIG pile. For household piles, keep it smallish. Another thing is meat - they always say not to, but this isn't because you can't, it's just because rotting meat tends to attract rats, cats, dogs and bears. Use your own discretion there.
As for commercially available composters - I pick the rotary composter. I like that fact you don't have to dig and move all the compost. It also keeps things neat and tidy and pest free. The round black ones work okay, but the idea that you just pull 'finished' compost from the bottom... I've never seen that work super well. There are always bits that need more time.
Anyway, that's all really. Enjoy.
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