Buttermilk Spelt Blueberry Pancakes

I will admit it. I came very very close to not posting tonight. I have been totally exhausted all day (all because a stupid wild turkey decided to land in a tree near my window and gobble very early in the morning until I woke up) and when I came home after the grocery store tonight I was very tempted to order out.

But then I would have disappointed the 4 people who read this blog. And I had told myself I'd post every day this month (and I didn't think then about how long March really is). So I decided to follow through and make dinner tonight. It wasn't a hard decision to decide what to have; I had been looking forward to pancakes for dinner all week.



These pancakes were a little different, however. I grew up in a household where butter was aplenty and flour and sugar were everywhere. I didn't even know what spelt flour was, much less that it existed. I've heard spelt flour being tossed around a bit more these days-people at the gym I go to have been talking about spelt flour in cookies they've had, in waffles they've bought, in bread they've toasted. I had resisted for SO. LONG. in using spelt flour myself. It's not that I had anything against it. I just didn't know if I really wanted to get into the trend because I was happy with my all-purpose flour, and even my whole wheat all-purpose flour. But I thought of it again the other day, and figured I'd give it a shot. I had nothing to lose.

A friend of mine gave me this buttermilk pancake recipe. It is my all time favorite pancake recipe, and it's so easy. The pancakes come out fluffy and completely, utterly awesome. Every single time (unless you do something stupid and multitask and burn the bottom like I've done before) I swapped out the all-purpose flour for spelt, threw some blueberries in, and waited at the griddle for the pancakes to work their magic.

I'm horrible at waiting. Anyone will tell you that. But I had to try.



But the end product was great, once I got over myself and my impatience. These pancakes were different, but they were very good. It's hard to tell what the difference is with spelt, but I'd say if anything, the pancakes weren't *quite* as fluffy as they normally are. But I really liked this pancake, and I'm pretty excited that I have leftovers-they will make my breakfasts for the next few mornings quite easy.



Buttermilk Spelt Blueberry Pancakes (origins of original recipe unknown; recipe for Buttermilk Pancakes from Katherine Axt)

1 cup of spelt flour (original calls for all-purpose, if you want to go that route)
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. sugar
1 egg
1 c. buttermilk
1.5 tsp. canola oil

Combine all ingredients in one bowl. Mix until fully incorporated. Do not mix enough so that too much air gets into the batter.
Prepare the griddle: spray with cooking spray so that batter does not stick and turn the heat to medium to medium high. The griddle will be ready when you flick some water onto the pan-if it dances across, get to work.
Ladle batter and add toppings of choice if desired (I love blueberries; I also love chocolate chips and the combination of chocolate chips and chopped pecans-get creative!). Cook at medium heat.
Flip pancakes after about 3 minutes or when you see bubbles form in the pancake. Cook the other side for about 3 minutes more.
Make sure you eat these with real maple syrup. The fake stuff just doesn't do.

This recipe will make you about 8 pancakes. I generally double this recipe if I'm making them for more than 2 people.

Gypsy Soup

This was a soup suggested to me the other day. Actually, the request went a bit like this: "You know, you should try this soup I really like. Actually, make it and then write about it in that blog". This was not the first time this soup had been suggested to me, and not the first person to suggest it. How could I not try it with so much endorsement?

I'm always up for requests. Plus, I looked at the recipe and decided I'd probably be quite happy with it, so I bookmarked it, got all the stuff for it, and got to work.

This is the kind of soup I'd consider to have "everything but the kitchen sink" in it. Quite honestly it's very different-for example, I'd never had cinnamon in a soup before. I don't know what tamari is (in fact, I still don't. I couldn't find it in the store and so I decided not to put it in,and I guess I don't know any different or better). But it does have a lot of vegetables and chicken, which I added on a recommendation-the original recipe is vegetarian.



I went to the store to get the vegetables for the soup and then realized I didn't have enough counter space or refrigerator space to put them, so they sat on my kitchen table. Good thing I like vegetables, or those bags might really have irritated me (well, I guess they did, just a little bit. But it was worth it).







You could really add or take away anything you want with this soup. I added some spinach, which the original didn't call for. But the seasonings are really different and that's what you might not want to skip, especially if you're looking for something that's not just plain ol' vegetable soup. I liked the variations you could do, I liked the soup itself. I was quite pleased overall (though I might have wanted to make it last week when it was still cold-when it's in the 60s and 70s you kind of don't want to eat soup anymore-but I will sacrifice!) It's pretty hard to screw up.

And it has sweet potato in it, which we all know by now is one of my favorite vegetables.


Gypsy Soup (with chicken) (from The Moosewood Cookbook, by Mollie Katzen)

3-4 Tbsp olive oil
2 c. chopped onion (I used a whole onion)
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 c. peeled chopped sweet potato (I used 2 sweet potatoes)
1/2 c. chopped celery (I used 3 stalks)
1 c. chopped tomatoes (the recipe called for fresh. I used one can of diced tomatoes and it was totally fine, though I bet if you make this when tomatoes are in season it would be even better)
3/4 c. chopped sweet pepper (I used one whole red pepper)
1.5 c. cooked chickpeas (or one can, drained, which is what I used)
3 c. chicken/vegetable stock or water (I used chicken stock, and I actually wound up using 4 c. because I wanted more broth)
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. tumeric
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. salt
dash of cinnamon
dash of cayenne
bay leaf (I forgot about it and didn't use it. It didn't change anything for me)
1 Tbsp. tamari (which I couldn't find and didn't use)
1 roasted chicken, shredded (optional)

In a stockpot saute onions, garlic, celery and sweet potatoes in olive oil for five minutes over medium to medium high heat. Add spices and seasonings (except the tamari) and the chicken stock/water. Bring to a simmer and keep it covered for about 15 minutes. Then, add the rest of the vegetables and the chickpeas and the chicken (if you are using it). Feel free to add any other vegetables not seen here (for example, I used a bag of baby spinach). Cook for another 10 minutes or until vegetables are at a desired tenderness.

Colcannon (Happy St. Patrick's Day!)

If you're an avid food blog reader like I am, you know a lot of blogs are profiling popular St. Patrick's Day recipes today. Irish Stew, Corned Beef and Cabbage, Irish Soda Bread. Not me, kids. I choose to buck the trend, and I made Colcannon.



Colcannon was such a foreign Irish dish for me that I wound up having to Google it to find out what it meant and what the origins were. That's where I found out that it's actually more of a dish made around Halloween time, because that's when kale (which seems to be the original green used) was in season. Who knew. Oh well, enough of the history lesson.

I got home somewhat early last night and proceeded to get to work (I knew I wouldn't have enough time tonight to make it if I waited). Oh, how I worked. The recipe called to steam the potatoes, instead of boiling them. That should have been my first red flag. Does anyone know how hard it is to mash steamed potatoes? I really thought I'd lose an arm. I mashed. and mashed and mashed and mashed and mashed. It took forever. It took so long and went nowhere so fast that I decided to just add the melted butter and hot milk because I was so irritated and I just wanted this to finally mash up. Thank goodness that tactic finally worked, but not for awhile. I finished the potato mashing and got to work on the rest of it: boiling and dicing the cabbage and sauteeing the ham. The original recipe calls for a pound of ham, boiled, but I took a shortcut and bought a pound of deli sliced ham, diced it and pan fried it. I don't know I'll really know the difference. I'd say if you are vegetarian, leave it out. If you want to try bacon, do that instead. And if you're really bold feel free to use the original recipe's suggestion of a whole pound of ham, boil it, and dice it up.





The cabbage and the ham weren't so hard. It was getting it to be done that was the problem. I didn't use a big enough pot for boiling the cabbage so water popped all over my stove, and then it was too hot to touch for about 25 minutes. The ham just wouldn't get hot enough to brown. It was starting to get to be too much. Finally, I shocked the cabbage under cold water so I could touch it, cut and diced it up, and threw it in the bowl. Then I put the ham in and combined everything together. Overall, it wasn't a complicated meal, ingredient wise. I should have known-Irish food is typically known for being on the milder side, with not as many spices and stuff.

After all that work, I was so sure I'd hate this dish. I had this post all planned out, telling you how much I hated it, how bland it was, that the cabbage was all wrong.

I didn't hate it. I actually liked it much more than I thought I would. The little bits that I had (because I had to have at least a little bit!) were more flavorful than I expected. I'll blame that on the salty ham and the extra pepper I put in it. The cabbage though, the cabbage added some weird element that I couldn't put my finger on, but it definitely helped the dish come together. I liked all of the textures that went along with this and I'm glad I found this particular Irish recipe to try something different.



Next year, though-next year, I'm bribing someone else to make it for me.

Colcannon (from www.foodnetwork.com)
* 3 lbs russet potatoes (this wound up being about 4 potatoes for me)
* 2 sticks butter (I only used 1)
* 1 1/4 c hot milk
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 head cabbage, cored and finely shredded (I shredded this after it had been boiled-I put it in the pot in pieces and cored it before I cooked it, though)
* 1 (1 lb.) piece ham or bacon, cooked the day before (I instead used deli ham, about 1 lb.)
* 4 scallions, finely chopped (I ran out of scallions, so I skipped this)
* Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish (skipped this too-didn't feel the need-but it does make the dish pretty!)


Steam the potatoes whole for 30 minutes. Slice in half and peel them using a knife and fork. (Next time, I'd suggest boiling them like you do regular mashed potatoes). Chop with a knife before mashing-I swear you'll be glad you did that. Mash thoroughly until mixture is smooth. Add 1 stick of butter-if it's frozen, melt it. Otherwise, if at room temperature, add in pieces. Add hot milk in stages, stirring constantly. Season with black pepper.

Boil the cabbage in unsalted water until it's darker, about ten minutes or so. You can add 2 tablespoons butter to make it tender (as the recipe directs) but I skipped that step too. Drain completely, then dice into small pieces.

(Put the ham in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 45 minutes until tender. Drain. Remove any fat and chop into small pieces.) -This is from the original recipe. If you opt to use my short cut, dice up one point of deli ham and put it in a skillet to pan fry until just browned.

Add cabbage, scallions (if using), and ham to mashed potatoes, stirring them in completely.

Sprinkle parsley on top (if you're using) and put another pat of butter in the center of each portion (again, optional). Serve.

Smoky Sweet Potato Chicken Hash

I think there's nothing better with a poached egg than some good hash. As a kid, I loved corned beef hash. Come to think of it, I still do. But I've learned that there's much more than corned beef hash to be had. There was that sweet potato hash that I loved (with a spicy hollandaise that was equally awesome) and then there was the chicken hash that I made once using Fog Island's recipe. They say that that particular recipe has gotten national attention (it's true-I googled it and found it was once profiled in Gourmet magazine years ago) and I'm sure that they make it a little crispier than I did, but I liked it anyway.


The first time I tried this I made it the way the original recipe called for, with the red bliss potatoes. It was really good, and had enough different tastes to keep me interested in finishing it. After I had that sweet potato hash, though, I got conflicted. I loved both, but each recipe kept pulling me. I couldn't have two different hashes at the same time (no. Wait a minute, I could, but I might risk some sort of salmonella or something while I would try to finish both, and I'll undoubtedly burn myself out of eating hash for quite awhile. So I decided to pass on the double batch). I thought about making the sweet potato hash this morning (after I finally pilfered the right recipe I had been searching for) but something held me back.

Oh, now I remember what it was. I had run out of bacon, which is what that recipe called for. Silly me. That's what would have made this recipe really stick out. If I had just made it without it, it would be sweet potato home fries with sauteed onions. Equally delicious, but completely different thing.



So I took the best of both worlds with these hashes, and I combined them together. And proceeded to make the most kick-ass hash I've had in quite some time. I took the base of the Fog-Style Chicken hash, added sweet potato and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (but just a little! Too much of that stuff will make you feel like you swallowed fire, and I had an entire can). It was perfect. It took the chicken hash way, way up several notches. It was smoky, it had the protein I was looking for, it had a bunch of vegetables, it was so, so, so good.



Just as an aside-is it weird to have both the chicken and the egg in the same dish? Personally I'd say no, but you really can have a "what came first" debate with this kind of meal.

It's a good thing I live by myself sometimes-I don't know that I'd be able to share. :)

Smoky Sweet Potato Chicken Hash (original recipe, "Fog-Style Chicken Hash" from Nantucket Recipes from the Fog Island Cafe, by Mark and Anne Dawson-my changes are in parentheses)
* 4 c. chicken broth or water (water works just fine, and it's what I've always used)
* 1 1/2 lbs. poached chicken-about 2 or 3 chicken breasts-about a package full-just check the weight on the label (see this post on how to poach chicken)
* 1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes (I used 2 sweet potatoes instead)
* 1 large chopped onion
* 1/2 c. diced green pepper
* 1/2 c. diced red pepper
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (yes, this time I used actual butter)
* 1 tsp paprika
* 1/2 tsp chili powder
* 1/2 tsp black pepper
* 1/2 tsp white pepper (I omitted the white pepper and instead used a full teaspoon of black pepper)
* 1/2 tsp dried thyme, crumbled
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1/2 c. chopped scallion
* 1/2 c. packed chopped parsley leaves, (I skipped this ingredient)
* 1 c. half-and-half
* 1.5 tbsp. chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, diced and mashed (new addition-skip completely if you're not into smoky, spicy tastes with your breakfast)

Poach chicken and let cool, then cut into small chunks. Set aside.

While chicken is poaching, slice potatoes into small cubes (if you are using the original recipe, leave the skins on the red bliss; if using sweet potato, peel the potatoes first before cutting them). Boil potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes, and drain.

In a large skillet cook onion, both peppers, and garlic in butter over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add spices and salt and continue to cook for about 1 minute. Add chicken, potatoes, scallion, parsley (if you use it), and half-and-half and chipotles in adobo (if you are using them) and cook over medium high heat, stirring every so often, until liquid is reduced and hash is thick. (Note. The hash didn't really become all that thick for me but I cooked it until it was reduced fully. Made no difference on the taste.)

Top hash with poached eggs. Perfect for the morning after a big 4 day flooding rain.

Scalloped Eggplant

I felt like I was on an episode of "The Next Iron Chef" this morning. Or "Chopped", or one of those cooking competitions where you have an hour or something to create a dish.

This morning, with most of my area totally under water and my need to be out of the house by 7:30 (which turned out to be closer to 8), was a really bad choice to be feeling like that. I've recently been waking up at a unnecessarily early time, mainly because my body's in some weird sleep pattern right now. Last night I was up at 1 AM for almost an hour (I swore it was time to get up and nearly took a shower when I got a closer look at the clock and made myself go back to bed) and then this morning I woke up at 5 AM, just because my body decided it was time to get up. So I did what any normal person would do at that hour. I cooked.

...wait, you say no normal people do that at that hour? Hm. Food for thought (ha! pun intended. Forgive me, I'm a little tired).

Anyway, I proceeded to make this Scalloped Eggplant so I could have it with my dinner tonight (but I did try it this morning. Hot cereal and a bite of scalloped eggplant. Breakfast of champions), and was trying to get so much stuff chopped, put together, and trying to multitask with my breakfast, lunch, getting myself ready to get out of the house and putting my gym bag together, plus cleaning up my mess that I nearly stopped this meal right in the middle of preparing for it. But that's not my style to just stop. That's way too much food to waste.



That being said, this isn't a hard meal to put together. It's a lot of chopping (I sense a theme with that in most of my dishes lately), and a lot of sauteeing, and then, unfortunately for me, a bit of waiting in the oven, when I was a little impatient and trying to get out of the house. On a regular night, not so bad. This morning with negative time to spare, big problem.



Oh wait, hold on. This post is about scalloped eggplant, not my ability to get out of the house on time and avoid the flooded roads. Sorry.



I wasn't sure how this dish would hold up on taste factor. On the surface it seems almost a little bland. It's seasoned really only with salt and pepper, and not even a lot at that. I sauteed the veggies in a bit of butter spray so that it wouldn't stick, and found that the tomato juices created a bit of a marinade or something. The recipe says that this dish has a sweet mellow taste. I'd say that's about right. It's pretty decent, not bad as a side dish, and yes, has a very mellow taste to it. It doesn't jump out, so if you're planning on making this for dinner plan on having something maybe a little bolder with it, like a garlic chicken or something (or don't, if mellow's your thing).I liked it (or rather, the spoonful I had while it was piping hot directly out of the dish), but think it might need a little something extra to enhance it even more. Maybe a bit of oregano or basil or something.

Scalloped Eggplant (recipe by Chef Scott Doughty; recipe obtained from www.phantomgourmet.com)

Ingredients

3 lbs eggplants, peeled and diced (about 2 large eggplant)
1/4 c butter (I skipped this and used the spray, as I thought this was supposed to only keep the sauteeing veggies from sticking to the pan, but as the veggies are supposed to simmer in this I wish I might have used it or something similar, like olive oil or something)
1/4 c. finely diced green pepper
1/4 c. finely diced onion
2 lbs diced tomatoes (probably between 3-4 tomatoes, depending on the size. I used 1 large tomato and 4 smallish ones)
1 1/5 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 c. fresh bread crumbs (I used whole wheat)
2 Tbsp butter


Saute the green pepper and onion in 1/4 cup of butter (or spray) for about 10 minutes, or until the mixture is soft and just browned.
Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and eggplant and bring mixture to a simmer (your pan will be very full, so be careful when trying to get everything evenly heated. I'd say don't overcrowd the pan, but I did...and it still turned out okay) Cook for about 10 more minutes, or until eggplant starts to look a little bit browned.
Put the eggplant mixture into a baking dish.
Melt 2 tbs of butter and combine with the breadcrumbs, and spread over the top of the eggplant (this is a lot of breadcrumbs. Maybe decrease this by a cup if you'd like).
Bake in a 375 degree oven for 40 minutes.

S'mores Icebox Candy Bars

It's time for another baked good. It's St. Patrick's Day weekend, it's not my fault. Beer and sugar just go so well together.

I recently found another fun blog, written by someone named Joy the Baker. In that blog there's tons of fun baked goods and the one recipe I decided to follow through with-the S'mores Icebox Candy Bars. Who doesn't love a good s'more? Better yet, who doesn't love a good s'more and lose all the work that goes along with it? I've been so tempted to make my own, direct from scratch (and yes, I have found recipes for all of that, from the marshmallows down to the graham crackers, thankyouverymuch, and may make those at a later date. We shall see.) but I found this recipe and thought how easy these would be and how tasty as well. These were made in about 15 minutes, and were almost immediately inhaled at the St. Patrick's Day festivities a friend of mine held in South Boston. They were a welcome change to the monsoon that was going on outside (and that two friends of mine and I ran that 5K in early this morning. I finished it, and managed to run the whole way. But that rain. Oh, that rain was miserable. I thought of those bars, sitting in the backseat of my car as I ran).



This particular "baked good" is not actually baked. It takes a whole lot of shortcuts. Although I do love me a home baked good made totally from scratch, I have a special place in my heart for the shortcuts. Really, when you spend that little time on a dessert and get so much enjoyment from eating it, wouldn't you make it all the time too?

Someone said today that eating this reminded them of summer. I totally agree. Especially when it has been raining very steadily since Friday afternoon. If this weather continues I might have to make another batch of this-I'll need to hope summer comes very quickly.



S'mores Icebox Candy Bars (from www.joythebaker.com)

3 sticks plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3/4 c unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 c light corn syrup

pinch of salt

1 14-ounce box graham crackers, crumbled into large chunks

2 big handfuls of mini marshmallows, plus a handful more for sprinkling on top


Line a 9×13-inch pyrex dish with parchment paper, set aside.

In a large bowl, put in the graham cracker chunks. Add the mini marshmallows and set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, cocoa, corn syrup salt. Stir and heat until smooth and totally melted. Let chocolate mixture cool for about 5 minutes.

Pour chocolate mixture over graham crackers and marshmallows. Stir completely and pour into casserole dish, and add a few more marshmallows on top (but do not completely cover the top with marshmallows. Make sure the mixture is level with the pan, so do whatever you feel is necessary-use a spatula, your hands, whatever (but if you use your hands, make sure you have something in between-wax or parchment paper-so you can try to keep your hands clean. Let cool and set somewhat on the counter for 30 minutes, then let set completely in the fridge overnight. Cut into bars and watch them totally disappear.

Pasta a la CDG

I first had this pasta in Dallas. My friend C's mom had this fantastic pasta recipe, and I'm told it became the birthday dinner of choice for quite a few people. When I go there I often make dinner one night for my friends C and B, and whoever else happens to be there. We sit, drink beers and wine, and hang out eating something tasty. It makes for a fun evening for sure. When I ate this pasta for the first time, it was actually on a request. I couldn't decide what to make for dinner, and my friend B told me, "you should make C's mom's pasta; I love that dish.". Not one to turn down a challenge, I told C to get the recipe from her mom and I would make the dish for dinner.

Man, I should never doubt my friends. This *was* a fantastic recipe. Simple, great tasting, and it just made me feel like summer (I think it was the basil). I hadn't made it in quite awhile, though. It seemed a little depressing to take that dish out of Texas and eat it up here in the northeast. (*Sidenote: I swear, Dallas peeps, I'm coming back. Soon. Very very soon.)

Tomorrow, I'm running in my first 5K. Ever. The idea both excites and petrifies me. I'm running with two of my friends, and all three of us are notching our first 5K. The slight problem with running this is actually not so much the running (I've been trying to increase my distance for awhile, and did make it 4 and a half miles last weekend, and I know my friends have run that distance or more as well) but the fact that Boston and surrounding areas are currently in a nor'easter at the moment, not to let up until tomorrow afternoon. Awesome. So not only will I be running my first 5K race ever, but I'll do it in pouring rain and whipping wind. YES. To try to alleviate my anxieties about doing this, I decided tonight was a good time to bring out C's mom's pasta recipe, since, y'know, I heard something about carb-loading the night before a race and all. I made it with a bit of chicken, had a friend over, and we hung out, relaxed, and watched a movie. Exactly what I needed tonight.





The pasta's easy. The thing that takes the longest is cutting a pound of the cherry tomatoes in half. I'm not sure why it took me well over a year and a half to make this again. Eating it reminds me that summer's coming soon (it's the basil, I swear!) and it reminds me of and makes me homesick for my favorite city besides the one I'm currently in. It just makes me feel good.



Thanks, C (and C's mom). This is one recipe I love, and I can't wait to make it again when I'm back down in Big D. Or, better yet, maybe I'll be able to have the original version from C's mom!

Pasta a la CDG (original origins of recipe are unknown-recipe received from Jane Gard)

1 lb. cherry tomatoes, cut in half
4 cloves of garlic, whole
1/4 c. olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt (make sure it is sea salt and not regular table salt-the sea salt works much better)
pinch of crushed red pepper
1/2 lb. bocconcini mozzarella balls
1 lb. pasta (I used whole wheat spirals)

Combine the tomatoes, garlic cloves, olive oil, sea salt and crushed red pepper in a bowl. Marinate the mixture for roughly 1/2 hour at room temperature, stirring occasionally.
Prepare the pasta per package directions. Drain.
After sauce has finished marinating, remove the garlic and throw away. Put in 10 basil leaves (I ripped them into smaller pieces to make for easier eating) and then combine the pasta and the sauce together.
Cut up the mozzarella and add to the pasta mixture and stir together gently. Serve.