March 2001: 3 Great Articles, Briscoe, Mark, Neall; Take Back the Net

 

 Ingredients

1 small Onion, diced

1 medium Carrot, julienne

1 Handful Snow Peas

A few Cauliflower Leaves

5 Brussels Sprouts, thinly sliced lengthwise

½ cup Mung Bean Sprouts

Miso

Diagonally cut Scallions for garnish

8-10 cups Spring Water

 

Preparation

Bring water to a boil with Onions, Carrots and Cauliflower Leaves and Brussels Sprouts.  Simmer for 15 minutes, return to boil, then add Snow Peas and Mung Bean Sprouts.  Simmer 3 minutes then add diluted (with the broth) Miso, simmer 2 more minutes.  Serve.

     Baccală (Salted, dried Whiting)

This recipe works well with salted dried Codfish as well.  It must be handled properly and some stores will sell it ready for the pot.  Usually even this requires more soaking as it may still be too salty (for a day or so). 

 Ingredients

1 large onion, diced

3 Tbsp. Cold pressed extra virgin Olive Oil

1 bunch Parsley, chopped finely

2 pounds Baccală, cut into 4 inch chunks.

Preparation

Rosanna buys the dried fish and soaks it for three days, changing the water two to three times per day.  In a stainless steel pan, sauté Onions in Oil until they are clear.  Add  Baccală, continue to sauté until it is hot and steamy, then put a lid on the pot, lower the heat and continue cooking until the fish is soft.  This takes time, at least ½ hour, maybe more.  Add Parsley, taste for Salt (it shouldn’t need it if prepared correctly). 

Serve over the Polenta, with the optional Hot Pepper Sauce

 HOT PEPPER SAUCE (if you are healing, don’t use this)

Ingredients

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 dried Sweet Peppers

1 dried Hot Pepper

 Preparation

Put Oil and broken Pepper pieces in a small pot and bring to high temperature, cook 2 minutes or until Peppers are crispy and dark.  Remove from heat.

 BAKED VEGETABLES

 Ingredients

3 Carrots roll, cut into big chunks

1 medium Onion, cut into 4 pieces

1 Rutabaga, cut into chunks

1 Burdock Root, roll cut into big chunks

2” piece Kombu Seaweed

 Preparation

Put Kombu in heavy iron pot

Add vegetables, grouping together in sections and ½ cup Spring Water bake covered at 350°F for 1 hour.  After 45 minutes sprinkle with a few drops of Soy Sauce.

 PRESSED SALAD

 Ingredients

6-7 Radishes with leaves

5-6 leaves of Endive

½ head Fennel

1 bunch Green Leaf Lettuce

 Preparation

Wash carefully and chop, thinly slicing the Radishes and the Fennel.  Toss together with a handful of salt, press for one hour.  Rinse to remove salt, drain and add a few drops of Umeboshi Vinegar, mix again and serve.

 BROCCOLI di RAPE (Italian Bitter Broccoli)

 Wash and cut into pieces.  Steam until tender, 1 minute or two.  Serve.

 SHOYU TURNIP PICKLES

 Cut one small Turnip into matchsticks.  Put in jar with enough Shoyu (1/2) and Spring Water (1/2) to cover.  Let stand for three days, keeping turnips submerged (use a rock or something).  Eat anytime, being sure to refrigerate after 3 days.

 

 CRANBERRY BREAD (a different version appears in an earlier newsletter)

Ingredients

1 cup Spelt Flour

2 cups Rice Flour

2 Tbsp. Baking Powder

½ Tsp. Sea Salt

4 Tbsp. Cold Pressed Corn Oil

1/3 cup Unsweetened Chocolate, chopped into chocolate chip size

Grated Zest of 1 Orange

2 cups fresh Cranberries

½ pound block of Tofu

½ cup Maple Syrup

1 cup Walnut halves

 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F; mix all dry ingredients, and blend all wet ingredients, separately; combine all ingredients, stirring only as much as needed to distribute all ingredients.  Batter will be stiff.  Pour into oiled, floured pan, (best to use earthenware or glazed pottery) bake for 1 hour and try with a toothpick.  If it’s dry, it’s ready.  Let cool on rack cut and;  Serve!

 Buon Appetito!

 

We recommend Nicholas Fernée   

JOKE BOX

 from Emilia Trasatti, thanks!  It may all be true.

In Shakespeare’s time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.  When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase  ”goodnight,  sleep tight”. It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride’s father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month or what  we know  today as the honeymoon. In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at  them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down.  It’s where we get the phrase “mind your P’s and Q’s”. Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service.  “Wet your whistle” is the phrase inspired by this practice.  In Scotland, a new game was invented. Entitled: Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden….and thus the  word GOLF entered into the English language.

This is the kind of Friend You are - 

Without making me realize 

My soul’s anguished history, 

You slip into my house at night, 

And while I am sleeping, 

You silently carry off 

All my suffering and sordid past 

In Your beautiful Hands.

 (“Tonight the Subject is Love” – versions of Hafiz by Daniel Ladinsky)