Posts from the ‘A Word or Two’ Category

Dec 12

Smoky corn & sweet potato chowder

We woke in the dark, piled on layers of clothes and loaded cameras in the car. We gassed up and fearlessly set out in the sub-arctic temperatures of sunny Arizona, our hearts tilting toward Grand Canyon. Because it was dark and there was little else to look at, I became fascinated with the external temperature indicator on the dash. We left Sedona at 22°F. We climbed higher, through Oak Creek Canyon in the blue black frigid darkness and the temperature kept dropping. I couldn’t resist taking pictures of the numbers on the dash. 15°, 9°, 0°. Past Flagstaff, we changed directions, I think we were heading north, but I know we were heading colder. Somewhere up there on this wide white expanse, the temperature dropped to -15°. That’s 15° below ZERO! I texted the proof back home.

I try not to get too terribly excited when my husband’s driving, but I was shrieking in my own head – I’d never been in a place this cold before, “I” was breaking records here! He (the rational one who considers our safety) thought of turning around and heading back. What if we stopped the car and it wouldn’t start again? Then where would we be? Me (the fool, who thrills to adventure) thought this was really cool! Happily, the fool prevailed – we drove on.

In another hour or so, we arrived. The brilliant sun shone. Long icicles dripped crystal drops. Blue-black ravens made their cracking sounds high in the branches above us.

Bundled tight, we ran for the edge to see to the bottom. It was dizzying, glorious!

We snapped our dozens of photos including one of our own long shadows holding hands. Then we headed for the warmth of the lodge, with its rockers on the porch, its grand-scale stone fireplace, and the soup we remembered from the last time we were here.

Last time, I’d even begged for the recipe for that soup. And they gave it to me!

We kept flipping the menu over, front to back, and back to front again, sure we’d missed the soup somehow. It wasn’t there.

We asked our server and were told that another restaurant in the canyon serves it regularly and that it only makes its way up to the big lodge on occasion. This was not to be such an occasion. There was no soup for us that day.

Did it dim our enthusiasm? Not one bit.

~ ~ ~

But with corn chowder still on my mind when we returned home, I had to make a pot. This pot though varies hugely from the one we’d eaten at the canyon. That one used a half gallon of cream. I kid you not. A half gallon! Granted it fed quite a few people, but there was just no way I could bring myself to do it.

I’m pointing no fingers, but I’ve noticed we’re all eating quite well this time of year. Sneaking cookies and egg nog, seconds on gravy and mashed potatoes. But here’s an offering that’s very low fat, creamy with no cream, sweet with no sugar, colorful with no candied sprinkles. What’s more, it’s inexpensive and easy to prepare. Here’s how:

______________

Smoky Corn & Sweet Potato Chowder

(about 6 good servings)

1 medium-large yellow onion, chopped (2 cups)

4 cloves garlic, minced

one 3- to 3½-inch jalapeno pepper, finely diced

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1½ teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)

1 Tablespoon cumin seed, dry roasted & then ground (or 4 teaspoons ground cumin)

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¾ teaspoon liquid smoke

6 cups chicken, turkey or vegetable stock

2 medium-large sweet potatoes, in ½-inch cubes

6 cups frozen corn (3- 10 oz.bags)

1 large red bell pepper, medium-diced

_____

Garnish:

corn tortillas – sliced in ¼-inch slices, fried until crispy in small amount of olive oil
finely diced red onion
finely diced red pepper
small bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped

Roast the cumin seed in a dry skillet, medium-low heat until its begun to brown and its aroma is rising. Grind using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. (Alternately use ground cumin. But the flavor of toasted cumin is wonderful and worth the extra step.)

Dec 9

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ruthie’s ought-to-be-famous absolutely fabulous caramel corn

We visited a number of ruins while on our trip to Sedona, Arizona. We’ve been to each of them before, at least once, but each time we learn a little something new, and each time at various points, we’ll look over at each other and shake our heads in awe. It’s simply incredible – to walk amongst the stacked walls and scattered rocks where they had walked, farmed and hunted, prepared their food and ate their meals, had their babies, played and danced, wove from cotton they’d planted, carved tools from stone and bone, traded, worshipped…and then, around 1400 AD, they left…and no one can say to where, or why. It leaves us rather awestruck and feeling like we should whisper amongst these ruins. And we do.

Palatki ruins, Arizona

These are the curved stone tools (metates) in which the women (primarily) and children would grind their grains.

: Metates

These people domesticated corn, digging irrigation ditches to bring water to their gardens, carving stone tools to hoe between the rows. Corn was absolutely central to these ancient Americans’ existence. With that on my mind, I turn my own attention to working with corn. But this is child’s play really, nothing serious about it. Well, just one. I’m not one prone to addiction, but this is one thing that comes seriously close to having me in its clutches. It’s my mother’s caramel corn and for years now it’s been showing up at our family Christmas. One or two or more of us will independently prepare it, pack in it tins or cellophane bags and gift one another with it. (We always hope we get one back.) It rarely lasts a day. I’m just sayin’…

Ruthie’s Ought-To-Be-Famous Absolutely Fabulous Caramel Corn

6 quarts popped corn (i.e. 24 cups)
2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup unsalted butter
1½ teaspoons salt (if using salted butter, reduce to 1 teaspoon)
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

to be added later:

¼ teaspoon baking soda

Tools: Popcorn popper, candy thermometer, deep baking dish or roasting pan

Preheat oven to 250°F. Place popped corn into a large 4-inch-deep buttered baking pan or roasting pan. Keep popcorn warm in the oven as you prepare the caramel sauce.

In a large saucepan, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, cream of tartar and salt. Measure out the baking soda and have it ready but don’t add at this time.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring continuously. The caramel will begin to boil rapidly. Continue cooking and stirring until the bubbly mixture reaches 250° to 260° F as registered on a candy thermometer.

(For these next steps, you’ll want to act fairly quickly as caramel tends to harden before you know it.)

Remove the popcorn from the oven and have it on the counter nearby. Remove the pan from the stove. Add the baking soda to the caramel sauce, stirring quickly and thoroughly. (It will froth up and fill the pan and look like this.)

Dec 6

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sun & snow in Sedona

We caught an early flight on a crisp, chilly Portland morning. Bound for Sedona, Arizona, where warm, weathered and ancient red rock rises into an almost unnaturally blue sky; where winter sun hurls long shadows over vast landscapes; where acres become miles of hay-pale grasses and scrub and cactus stained blue-grey-green. They grow clouds like mountains here, Everest-high, brilliant blooming white. This is a dramatic and stirring place. It can also be profoundly quiet. Peaceful. Ancient cultures have left enduring marks on cliff walls and, it would seem, in the rocks themselves. In the silence, you feel them here. There is a wildness, an untamable beauty, a largeness of scale that puts us humans in our place. It feels so good to come down to our true size. You can do that here and never feel less for it.

We arrived in Phoenix and drove 2 hours north to Sedona, elevation between 4,000 and 5,000 feet. (Hikes will take you higher still.) Soon after arriving, the snow began to fall. Beautiful! This trip was going to be cold, very cold. But we were ready for it.

We received great news when we checked in!

We were to have an outdoor, open-to-the-stars shower!

One and a half feet in…

…then out.

(Indoor plumbing came with the package too.)

First couple days we stayed close to “home,” wandering the little town streets, the completely charming arts and crafts market Tlaquepaque, slipping into galleries and shops to thaw our noses.

I’m sure you’ve guessed – we’ve also eaten very well. A little too well and less exercise than we’re used to. We’ll pay for this.

Food-wise, the highlight has been the Sunday brunch at the place where we’re staying. I’m not always a huge fan of brunches. This was phenomenal. The setting was beautiful, overlooking a tree-rimmed creek, the sun shining through our southern facing windows so warm now they were rolled open. Creek rushing, ducks quacking, gentle breeze lifting the curtains, and the most extensive, gorgeous array of foods to fill our plates with.

Mimosas and plenty of water.

I’ll detail later what these good people fed us, but several of the salads were so delicious and out-of-the-ordinary, that you can expect to see some recreations posted here.

~ ~ ~

We walked around the snowy town in mittens and hiking boots. Too cold to be out for long. The eyes wanted so badly to linger.

~ ~ ~

The next day temperatures warmed a bit and we headed for the river and the red rock and the falling sun…

Dec 2

6 Comments

taking flight

As this post flies out the door, so do we. Six days of sun (and snow!) in Sedona, Arizona. I’ll be posting from the road, but I’m not sure exactly what that will look like. (I love surprises!) There will be only one recipe between now and the time we return, but lots of images and a word or two here and there.

See you soon!

Spree

Nov 24

8 Comments

Giving Thanks

I absolutely l o v e what I do!

Just about everything associated with preparing food for the table is a joy for me.

Time spent looking through the lens of my camera or playing with the food,

watching where and how the light falls, thrills me.

Putting a meal on the table for those I love fills me.

I count myself as one most fortunate.

~ ~ ~

But I have a special appreciation for you…

you who show up here

to read…

to imagine…

to sample…to savor

and you who leave thoughtful words behind…

your time is precious…

Please know how deeply grateful for you I am!

~ ~ ~

May this day fill you completely!

love,

spree

Nov 1

22 Comments

rice & beans

We’re entering the months of feasting. We’ll be noisily gathering around our Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas tables, crowded with gorgeous dishes brimming, celebrating the season of harvest and abundance. Many of us will be attending holiday cocktail parties and New Year’s celebrations. Homes will be filled with the seductive aromas of pies and cookies baking. Many will complain of their widening waistlines, unable to resist the temptations found in candy jars, on cookie plates, on platters piled with rich foods, and swimming in gravy boats. It’s a season of feasting, and for many of us, it’ a time of too-much-of-a-good-thing.

Sadly, in the starkest of contrasts, it’s also a time when one out of five Americans is living with food insecurity or in outright hunger. A third of these are children, and many are our elderly. (Tragically, in 40 of our 50 states the food-insecurity rate among children is a full 20-percent!) During these wintry months, many of our neighbors are faced with an impossibly difficult choice: to try to warm their homes or to ease the aching emptiness in their stomachs and those of their children. This is the season of dire want and un-met needs.

It’s with these contrasts in mind that our family has decided to put a little something extra on our table. It’s a simple mason jar.

During the next two months, once each week in this season of plenty, we’re opting to eat a dinner of rice and beans. Whatever we calculate we’ve saved on such a meal, we’ll drop into the jar. We’ll empty our pockets of change, and add extra to it as we’re able. And together with our children, we’ll take our jars full, along with extra canned foods, to our local food bank or shelter.

For any of you interested, please consider this an invitation.

~ ~ ~

We can do this. We can feed another.

It’s only a small sacrifice, and not at all a hardship.

Fortunately, cultures all over the world have shared their delicious traditions for combining these humble (and highly nutritious) ingredients. Every Wednesday during the next two months, I’ll be posting a different rice and beans recipe borrowed from various traditions, some from very close to home, others half the planet away. The first of these will appear tomorrow.

If any of you have a favorite rice and beans dish, I’d be so grateful to hear about it. You can write me at spree@cooking-spree.com.

And if you or your family have a tradition for helping to feed the less fortunate among us – won’t you please share it? We could all use a little inspiration!

Thank you so much!

Love,

spree

P.S. If you know anyone who might be interested in joining us, will you please extend the invitation?

Oct 17

6 Comments

a trip to Morocco

For years Morocco has held a fascination for me. Some of that – no doubt – is because of how outside of my own experience nearly every aspect of Moroccan life is. Visually, completely captivating! (I imagine a long-lasting dent in my face where my camera goes.) Food, richly colored, and complexly perfumed and flavored with “exotic” spices. Aromas that nearly intoxicate, emanating from food purveyors’ carts. The chords of music played with instruments unlike those in the west and following an entirely different set of “rules” than our own. The sounds of words spoken in a tongue with a non-Romance language root. The intricately painted pottery! The profusion of vividly patterned textiles, for sale in stalls and flowing like brilliantly colored silk streams through the crowded streets! Morocco fascinates me.

~ ~ ~

Like most couples, my husband and I have our disagreements. If he could have less than zero interest in visiting Morocco, then he does. That doesn’t make him contrary – exactly. Different things captivate his interest. And I suspect that the total package of Morocco…the whole of it that I find so intriguing…contains just a little too much unfamiliarity for his liking. So when we dream of where we might one day go, on this one (supremely fascinating) destination, we agree to disagree.

~ ~ ~

So I regret that the closest I may ever come to Morocco is their sumptuous food – which, for the moment, puts me smack dab in the middle of my own kitchen – and brings me to the subject of my next post – and tonight’s dinner – Roasted Chicken Moroccan. I’ll pair it with a simple couscous to sop up some of the flavored juices, and a refreshing delicious salad of oranges, red onions and black olives. (See Moroccan Orange Salad.) And because I have them, I’ll roast some beets and perhaps come up with some way to Moroccan-ize them! There, take that, my (not-exactly-contrary) husband!

I go into this knowing that most of you will be uninterested in a recipe calling for so many different spices. I get that. If I had to go out and buy them all at once, I wouldn’t be willing to take out a loan to do so. (OK, I exaggerate.) But believe it or not, I happen to have every one of these spices in my spice drawer already, because, as you know, I really love food that tastes like something!

Only one ingredient is called for that I don’t have, and that’s actually a spice blend called ras el hanout, fairly common in Moroccan cooking. Because it’s a blend (much like a curry) it has many versions, some containing as many as 100 different spices! Ras el Hanout means “top of the shop,” which I imagine to mean (perhaps mistakenly) the very best offering the proprietor has to sell. (I wonder if they keep it in exquisitely painted ceramic apothecary jars high up on the top shelf, out of reach of wide-swinging elbows?) You can buy it already prepared, or make up your own with the spices you may already have on hand. I liked the sounds of the following version, so this is where I begin tonight’s dinner. My next post will be on the dinner itself. (Just so you can either breathlessly anticipate – or completely ignore – the upcoming post, I’ll give a list of the ingredients required at the bottom of this page.)

Ras El Hanout– a Moroccan Spice Blend

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons tumeric
2 ateaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cinnamom
1½ teaspoons sugar
1½ teaspoons paprika
1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon cardamom powder
1 teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground cloves

Simply mix them all together and store as you would any spices, in an airtight container away from direct light. (And on the top shelf, if that idea appeals to you.) Read more

Sep 27

7 Comments

looking ahead

The other day, I spent an afternoon meandering through a local community farm, breathing in the last fragments of our warm, blue-skied days. For half of us, summer’s quickly leaving town, moving south. For us up north, no more lolling away the days on lawn chairs (did we get around to doing that?) No more sipping piña coladas while nightly grilling up our dinners (oh how romantically we remember it!) or tossing our bountiful summer salads (now that we did.) Autumn’s come. It’s not all bad. Yes, rain and wind and chill. But also, the gathering in of family and friends; and still, food and drink to delight in, warm to, and share.

(For a closer look, you can click on an image to open the photo gallery. Click on it again to enlarge.)

So, with billowy clouds climbing fast through a nearly-saphire sky, dry leaves flying in crazy circle patterns, and my stomach growling because I haven’t fed it lately, here are my thoughts for autumns’s table. Things may change, much like the weather, but that’s to be expected. I’ll happily share everything that’s good with you.

Jul 25

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spree’s next party

You know that “bug” I told you about – the one that had me laid up for a couple weeks and kept me from eating or writing about food? That bug turned out to be a pesky little gall bladder. We’re throwing it a coming out party tomorrow! We’re all quite excited about this! It will be a small, intimate gathering, and unlike other parties we’ve thrown, it’ll fall short of being a feast. But nonetheless, it will be a happy occasion! Afterwards, I’ll be away for several (more) days and then back with you. And that, I can hardly wait for!

See you soon!

love, Spree

Jul 23

4 Comments