nutmeg

Soaked Oatmeal with Wild Honeycomb, Mascarpone and Fried Bananas

/ Ren

Steel-cut oats are soaked overnight in cool, filtered water with a little lemon juice before being cooked with cinnamon and freshly-grated nutmeg.  Topped with banana slices fried in cultured butter with Tahitian vanilla, mascarpone thinned with fresh cream and a sprinkling of wild-harvested bee pollen..

Soaked Oatmeal with Wild Honeycomb, Mascarpone and Fried Bananas

For the Oats

1 cup traditional, steel-cut oats
1 cup cool, filtered water for soaking
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups filtered water for cooking
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg

2 teaspoons wild honeycomb
1 teaspoon wild-harvested bee pollen (not propolis)

Combine oats, water and lemon juice in a non-reactive bowl. Cover and allow to stand overnight. Transfer oats to a heavy saucepan, add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes.  Add cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and keep warm until ready to use.

For the Bananas

1 just-ripe banana, bias-cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 tablespoons cultured butter
1 Tahitian vanilla bean, split and scraped

Melt butter in a heavy bottomed skillet over medium-low heat.  Scrape vanilla into pan and swirl to disperse.  Add bananas and cook until golden brown.  Flip and cook until the other side is browned, about 8 minutes. Total.  Pour remaining butter into oatmeal.

For the Mascarpone

1 pint raw, fresh cream (ultra-pasteurized cream will not work)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon filtered water

Heat the cream in a double-boiler until it reaches 185 degrees. Mix water and lemon juice and add to the cream; it should thicken right away. Keep mixture at 185 degree for a full 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer mixture to a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight. Transfer to a cheesecloth-lined strainer set over a clean bowl, refrigerate allow allow to separate 12-24 hours.  Mascarpone will keep in the refrigerator for about 1 week.

To serve, spoon warm oatmeal into a bowl and drizzle cream-tinned mascarpone around the perimeter. Top with fried bananas and a spoonful of honeycomb and sprinkle with bee pollen.

Tulsi Chai

/ Ren

Revered in India for over 5,000 years as an adaptogenic balm for body, mind and spirit, modern research suggests that tulsi may be effective in supporting the heart, blood vessels, liver and lungs and may also help regulate blood pressure and blood sugar.

A soothing and healing decoction of holy basil, green tea, fresh ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg with fresh milk and a touch of raw honey.

Tulsi Chai

Makes about 2 cups (adapted from a recipe in The Herb Companion)

1/2 cup fresh holy basil leaves, compacted or a scant 1/4 cup dried
2 cups cold, filtered water
2 rounded teaspoons green tea
2 green cardamom pods, crushed
one 1/4 inch-thick slice fresh ginger
one 2 inch length Ceylon cinnamon
2 whole cloves
freshly-grated nutmeg
honey to taste
milk to taste

Bring water to to a boil in a small saucepan.  Add basil, cover and simmer 3 minutes.  Stir in tea and spices, cover and steep 3-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, then pour through a fine-mesh strainer.  Stir in milk and honey to suit and garnish with grated nutmeg and crystallized ginger.   May be served warm or cold.

Meatless Monday on Tuesday, the Twister Edition

/ Ren

As those of you who having been hanging out around here for very long already know, I usually eat a vegetarian meal once or twice a week, posting in support of Meatless Monday.  I also like to participate in adopted sister Wardeh’s weekly Tuesday Twister, wherein we take a look back at what’s been going on in our kitchens over the previous week or so.  This post is a bit of a mashup between the two – let’s call it Meatless Monday on Tuesday, the Twister Edition..

Mostly Local Cheese Soup with Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower (serves 2)

1 cup fresh broccoli florets (Naeglin Farm)
1 cup fresh cauliflower florets (Finca Pura Vida)
1 bulb green garlic, trimmed (Green Gate Farm)
2 cups homemade vegetable stock
2 tablespoons pastured butter, melted (Pastureland)
1 teaspoon safflower threads (poor man’s saffron, optional)
6 oz raw, grass-fed cheddar cheese, grated (Veldhuizen Dairy)
2 oz raw, grass-fed parmesan cheese, grated (Veldhuizen Dairy)
freshly-grated nutmeg
pinch of cayenne
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Toss broccoli, cauliflower and green garlic in melted butter, season with salt and pepper and roast in a 400 degree oven until caramelized, about 30 minutes.  Turn the vegetables out onto a cutting board and allow to cool enough to handle, then coarsely chop and add to simmering vegetable stock.  Add safflower if using and allow to simmer 20 minutes, then slowly add in grated cheeses, stirring as you go until thick and smooth. Season with nutmeg and cayenne and adjust with salt and pepper as necessary.  Serve hot.

Recently..

1) BLTC;  smoked pork belly, arugula, Texas tomato and raw cheddar on wild yeast sourdough with homemade mayo..

2) Lamb Kefta Kebabs Local, pastured lamb is ground with cinnamon, coriander, cumin and mint before being skewered, seared and flash-roasted with fiery harissa..

3) Purple Corn Maque Choux, a southern Louisiana-style vegetarian dish of maíz morado, celery, onions, carrots, bell peppers and cajun seasonings..

4) Red Chile Pork, Local, pastured pork is pan-seared then braised until tender in a thin paste of red chilies, garlic, Mexican oregano and pineapple juice before being served on top of fresh corn tortillas, silky guacamole and fresh pineapple habanero salsa..

5) Pease Porridge, yellow and green split pease simmered in chicken stock with seasonal root vegetables, served over griddled boule..

Ginger Pancakes with Honey Lemon Butter and Caramelized Bananas

/ Ren

Sprouted wheat flour, fresh ginger and kefir with bananas, Meyer lemon, cultured butter and wildflower honey..

Sprouted Wheat Ginger Pancakes with Honey Lemon Butter and Caramelized Bananas

For the Honey Lemon Butter

1/2 Meyer lemon, peeled and seeded
3 tablespoons cultured butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon wildflower honey

Pulse all ingredients together in food processor until smooth. Refrigerate until needed.

For the Pancakes (yields about 8-10 5-inch pancakes)

2 pastured eggs
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup brewed coffee (or decaf)
2 cups sprouted wheat flour
1/2 cup plain kefir
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
2 oz (1/2 stick) cultured butter

Mix together flour, baking powder, soda, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Add eggs, kefir and coffee and stir well.  Thin with a little filtered water if too thick, add a spoonful of flour if too thin.

Oil a comal or griddle with 1 tablespoon butter or ghee and heat to 375 degrees.  Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto hot surface and cook for 2 minutes on the 1st side and 1 minute on the 2nd side.  Transfer to oven to keep warm until the last pancake is ready.  Add additional butter if needed and sauté sliced bananas until light golden brown.

Serve topped with honey lemon butter and caramelized bananas.

Portuguese Linguiça and Fava Bean Stew

/ Ren

Linguiça is a meaty-flavored, brined and lightly-smoked Portuguese sausage made with pork butt, oregano, and paprika.  Reminiscent of feijoada or a small cassoulet, it is combined here with uncured, smoked bacon, garlic sausage, onions and fava beans and simmered with tomatoes, cumin, cinnamon and nutmeg..

Portuguese Linguiça and Fava Bean Stew

Serves 2

2 cups homemade chicken or vegetable stock
1 large link Portuguese linguiça, sliced
1/4 cup garlic sausage, diced
2 slices uncured, smoked bacon, diced
1/2 Spanish onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry fava beans, blanched and peeled (use fresh when in season)
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 4″ stick of cinnamon
1 whole nutmeg seed, abraded
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 cup celery, diced
1 Roma tomato, diced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped celery leaves
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Fry bacon until nearly crisp.  Add onions, linguiça, garlic sausage and cumin and sauté until very well browned.  Pour off grease and transfer meat to a strainer and allow to drain thoroughly.  De-glaze pan with a little stock, scraping up all the brown bits with the back of a wooden spoon.

Add cinnamon, garlic, nutmeg, celery and the rest of the stock, reduce heat and simmer until beans are nearly tender, about 45 minutes.

Remove cinnamon and nutmeg and add the meat, tomatoes and tomato paste, celery leaves and parsley and simmer 5 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper, then ladle into bowls.  Drizzle a little good olive oil over the top and serve hot.