Is there a name for that phenomenon wherein one adds a finely-grained food like oatmeal or pastina to boiling water, and then that addition makes the boiling reaction go nuclear and surge over the sides of the pot unless the heat is backed off?  Is there a scientific explanation for why it happens?  I’m thinking it’s related to Liedenfrost somehow, or that whole grain silo explosion thing…

I’m sure the info is out there;  I just have no idea how I would even begin to search for it.

This recipe was passed along to me by my sweetie Dragonia.  It’s definitely not the sort of thing Jack and I usually eat around the House of Cards, but I was intrigued by the use of nutmeg in conjunction with bruschetta-like ingredients, and it made for a nice change-up.  Depending on your own culinary history, you might find it evocative of quiche, or a sort of savory French toast, or traditional Swiss fondue, or all of the above.
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Tags: basil, black pepper, cheese, cherry tomatoes, croissants, eggs, milk, mozzarella cheese, nutmeg, salt, tomatoes

In case you’ve been wondering what I’ve been doing this winter, here are some images for you. I’ve been tracking my eating habits through an online program called FitDay. You type in what you eat every day, and it will compute calories, fat, carbohydrate, and protein intake, as well as nutrition information, as you can see above. You can also input the activities you do during the day, and it will also calculate the amount of energy expended:

The blue bar represents the average calories I’ve eaten in for the last two months; the yellow bar the average calories expended.
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I had the urge to bake cookies for the holiday party at work, but was afraid other staff members would feel the same way and then there would be a glut of cookies. Not that I think that’s a bad thing, mind you, but in the interest of providing a more balanced set of foods for the party, I decided to bake something savory instead. Pepperoni bread fit the bill nicely.

The bread was gone within a matter of minutes. But unfortunately for me, there weren’t a lot of cookies to be had at the party!

Makes 2 small free-form loaves
Ingredients

1 cup warm (110 degrees Fahrenheit) water
1 envelope dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
about 1/2 pound thinly sliced pepperoni (I didn’t use all of what I bought)
about 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese (more or less)
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 egg, beaten (optional)

Directions
Proof yeast by adding it to the warm water and sugar, letting it sit for 5-10 minutes until it foams.
In a large bowl, add flour, salt, and yeast mixture. Mix until a ball of dough forms that is moist, slightly sticky. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes.
Oil another bowl with the olive oil. Put the dough in this bowl, turn to coat with oil. Cover loosely with a kitchen towel and let rest in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours.
Punch down the dough and divide into two balls.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
With a rolling pin, roll out dough to about an 11-inch square. Sprinkle a thin layer of cheese, 1/4 teaspoon each of the oregano and thyme, and then place pepperoni to cover. Roll up the dough carefully and tuck in the ends to seal. If desired, brush the top of the dough with the beaten egg. Repeat with the second ball of dough.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
Let sit for about 10 minutes. Slice while still warm and serve. Also good at room temperature.

Tags: flour, olive oil, oregano, parmesan cheese, pepperoni, salt, sugar, thyme, water, yeast

In the summertime, I like to make panzanella. When I saw that there were recipes for a winter version, I had to try it.

This is a yummy combination of garlic-parmesan croutons, butternut squash, and Brussels sprouts, from Michael Chiarello. The recipe is here. Some changes: It took me twice as long to cook the vegetables than was called for in the recipe. I thought the dressing overwhelmed the sweetness of the vegetables and the salty, garlicky croutons, so I completely omitted it, but added finely chopped scallions for the oniony flavor. Although I followed the recipe concerning the brussels sprouts, I would roast them next time, as mlb does here. Maybe roast the onions, too?

Anyway, this is delicious, and maybe good for a side at a holiday dinner.

Tags: black pepper, bread, brussels sprouts, butter, butternut squash, flat-leaf parsley, garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese, sage, salt, thyme

It’s cider bottling day! Here’s a sneak peek at this year’s label:

Lipby has asked me to make more Japanese dishes for him, and I’m happy to oblige. Donburi is a meal over rice in a bowl. Oyako is a compound word– oya means parent, ko means child. In this case, it refers to the two main ingredients: chicken and egg. The recipe comes together fairly quickly, and for me, it’s a simple, comforting dish.

This is adapted from the cookbook Japanese Cuisine For Everyone, by Yukiko Moriyama– one of my favorite go-to books.
Ingredients
about 10 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 eggs
4 large dried shiitake mushrooms (I used 8 small)
1 medium onion
mitsuba (I can rarely find this here, so I use baby spinach or arugula. Flat-leaf parsley works, too, but it has a much more pronounced taste)
for the sauce:
1/4 cup water
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons mirin
1 tablespoon sugar

about 4 cups of cooked rice, cooked ahead of time

Directions
Soak the shiitake mushrooms in hot water until soft. Remove the stems and cut each mushroom in half.
Cut the onion in half, and then into thin slices.
Chop the greens coarsely.
Cut the chicken into thin strips.
In a large skillet, add sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium, and layer the onion, mushrooms, chicken, and spinach/arugula. Cook until the onions are soft and the chicken is done.
Beat eggs in a bowl and pour over the chicken mixture. Cover the skillet and cook until egg is set to your liking (I like it a little soft, but my mom cooks it until it’s firm). Add the mitsuba/parsley if using here.
Serve by putting about a cup of rice in a bowl, and placing the chicken and egg mixture on top. Drizzle some of the sauce remaining in the pan. Serve hot.

Serves 4.

Tags: arugula, chicken breasts, eggs, mirin, mitsuba, onion, parsley, rice, shiitake mushrooms, soy sauce, spinach, sugar, water

Big head of cauliflower, two butternut squashes, persimmon, huge globe of kohlrabi, jar of raspberry-cherry jam, purple broccoli (hey, why not?), bunch of collard greens, sourdough bread, bag of arugula, three green peppers. Not shown: pint of Brussels sprouts, red Bartlett pears, chicken empanada.

We discussed lamb stew at the Amber Horizons-SL Halloween Party, in sufficient detail that I simply had to follow through.  Was going food shopping anyway…

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LAMB STEW

• 4 large leeks (the white parts, plus as much of the green as you dig)
• 3 tbsp butter + a few tsps of olive oil
• 1 lb of lamb shoulder (stew bone in)
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp dried ground sage
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• two 14 1/2 oz. cans of chicken broth
• 1/2 cup of milk or cream
• 1 large carrot
• 4 large red potatoes
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Chop leeks in half;  separate and rinse.  Return leeks to cutting board and chop fine.
2. Add leeks, butter and oil to stewpot on medium heat and cover;  cook until leeks sweat and start to soften.
3. Add lamb shoulder and dried spices;  continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until lamb browns.
4. Add milk and chicken broth;  raise heat and bring just to a boil.
5. Chop carrot and potatoes coarsely and add to mixture;  reduce heat and simmer uncovered until potatoes and carrot are tender.
6. Continue simmering to desired thickness, stirring occasionally.

Garnish when served with…

TZATZIKI

• 10 oz plain yogurt
• 1/2 large seedless cucumber
• 1 clove garlic
• fresh dill

Mince garlic, chop cucumber coarsely, and dice dill with knife or scissors as convenient.  Add to yogurt.  Stir.

Garnish also with Fleur de Sel and cracked black pepper to taste.  Enjoy with olive oil ciabatta and white wine.

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I don’t caramelize the leeks in this version, although that’s certainly a viable option, especially if you’d rather go the beer route than the chicken stock and milk route.  If your budget will bear, you can also use a better cut of lamb, of course.

And if for some reason you’re not fond of tzatziki, Purple Haze goat cheese from Cypress Grove Chevre used as a garnish instead will catapult a simple dish like this into the stratosphere.

Tags: black pepper, butter, carrot, chicken broth, cucumber, dill, garlic, lamb, leeks, milk, olive oil, parsley, potatoes, rosemary, sage, salt, thyme, yogurt

The whole technical end of the production here at SW&SR recently got migrated to a new server (involuntarily), so I’m in progress on sorting through the difficulties engendered by that.  If you’ve had problems accessing this site, my apologies.  If you can access the site now, but you’re getting errors or seeing buggy stuff, please leave me a comment and let me know.  I’m hoping the WP HTTP time-out errors are just because the new server’s temporarily overloaded with other sysadmins trying to do the same thing…