I used to work with this very cool graphic designer. She left our office last spring and I knew she was destined for great things. She and some girl friends started Quite Strong ”Creatives of the female variety” and more recently, after time spent in Eugene learning hands on bee keeping skills, she created Bike-a-Bee. SO here’s the skinny – she’s planning on setting up hives in urban farms and gardens all over the city as a community project and will tend them all via her trusty bike. She used to ride to our corporate office in the ‘burbs from the city well before it was the rage and I admired her for that. Being a lover of anything related to nature and near and dear to my heart is the bounty we nourish ourselves with, I understand how key bees are to the success of sustaining crop growth. We’d be lost without them. A friend, Randy, keeps several hives in Vermont and has gifted me with jars of honey worth their weight in gold for all the love he puts into them. And I’ve been known to bring back obscure varieties of honey from Gargano, Italy where agumi (citrus), eucalyptus and lavender are among my favorites. Below is a link to an article published today on Huffington Post that explains it all in Jana’s words. Be sure to read it and watch the video of Jana being Jana. And if you feel drawn to this as I am, donate a little something via the Kickstarter link below. We all need bees and I know Jana is going to be Queen Bee of Chicago one day soon.

Link to Huffington Post Article and Video.

Link to Kickstarter Bike-a-Bee where you can make a donation to help out Jana and her bees.

Molasses Gingersnaps

Ingredients

yields about 4 dozen cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a mixing bowl. Stir the mixture to blend evenly, and sift a second time into another bowl. Place the shortening into a mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Gradually beat in the white sugar. Beat in the egg, and dark molasses. Sift 1/3 of the flour mixture into the shortening mixture; stir to thoroughly blend. Sift in the remaining flour mixture, and mix together until a soft dough forms. Pinch off small amounts of dough and roll into 1 inch diameter balls between your hands. Roll each ball in cinnamon sugar, and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Top with a ginger nib. Bake in preheated oven until the tops are rounded and slightly cracked, about 10 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Store in an air tight container.

Batter will be thick, roll in 1 inch diameter balls

Roll in cinnamon sugar and top with a ginger nib

Space 2″ apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes, do not overbake.

Applesauce

makes about 2 quarts

• 16 apples  washed, cored and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tsp. ground Saigon Cinnamon
• pinch of ground clove
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Method: wash apples. Quarter, core and cut into chunks. Put 1/4 cup water into large pot, add apple pieces, cinnamon, brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Cover and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally until apples are soft, about 30 minutes. For smooth consistency pass through medium sieve of food mill. For chunky consistency, serve as is with peels intact. I use good quality cinnamon such as organic Vietnamese or “Saigon” Cassia Cinnamon and pure Madagascar double strength vanilla extract from The Spice House. 

Wash apples, cut in quarters, core and chop into pieces 

Cook in a large pot with cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar, salt and vanilla 

Pass through a medium sieve of a food mill for a smooth texture.

Enjoy hot or cold. Freezes great too.

Mama Stamberg’s Cranberry Relish

• 2 cups whole raw cranberries, washed
• 1 small onion
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons horseradish from a jar (“red is a bit milder than white”)

Grind the raw berries and onion together. (“I use an old-fashioned meat grinder,” says Stamberg. “I’m sure there’s a setting on the food processor that will give you a chunky grind — not a puree.”) Add everything else and mix. Put in a plastic container and freeze. Early Thanksgiving morning, move it from freezer to refrigerator compartment to thaw. (“It should still have some little icy slivers left.”) The relish will be thick, creamy, and shocking pink. (“OK, Pepto Bismol pink. It has a tangy taste that cuts through and perks up the turkey and gravy. It’s also good on next-day turkey sandwiches, and with roast beef.”)

***I found that puréeing all the ingredients in a food processor works just fine making  less dishes to wash. Also, it tends to melt and get a little soupy so put it in bowl, not a plate or you’ll have a mess.

While this recipe uses the reverse steps technically known in braising, it does employ both moist and dry heat. The following exerpt I found online explains braising well. “Most braises follow the same basic steps. The food to be braised (meat, poultry, but also vegetables or mushrooms) is first seared to brown its surface and enhance its flavor (through a process known as the Maillard reaction). If the food will not produce enough liquid of its own, a small amount of cooking liquid that often includes an acidic element, such as tomatoes, beer, or wine, is added to the pot, often with stock. The dish is cooked covered at a very low simmer until the meat is fork tender. Often the cooking liquid is finished to create a sauce or gravy. Sometimes foods with high water content (particularly vegetables) can be cooked in their own juices and no extra liquid is required. A successful braise intermingles the flavors of the foods being cooked and the cooking liquid.”

 Braised Red Cabbage

Serves 6

15 minutes prep and assembly. 1  1/2 hours baking time

• 1 small red cabbage (about 2 pounds), quartered, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 medium red onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 tart apples, peeled, cored, halved and thinly sliced
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons cold butter cut in small pieces
• salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Thinly slice cabbage, onion and apple. Place 1/4 of the cabbage in bottom of oven proof casserole, season with salt and pepper; top with 1 tablespoon brown sugar and 1/3 of apples and 1/3 onions. Continue to layer cabbage, sugar, apples and onion; end with layer of cabbage. Top with pieces of butter and drizzle vinegar over all. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Remove cover and continue baking until cabbage is tender and liquid has evaporated (about 30 minutes).

Black Truffle and chocolate ‘oreo cookie’ with white truffle cream center, taken from a ziplock snack bag, just one treat in my Strawberry Shortcase lunch box.

Apple cider doughnuts with foie-sting (foie gras frosting)

Licking the beaters was encouraged, just like at home and the foie-sting was just as good that way as it was on the apple cider donut hole

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Since people have asked for details on the full-blown meal, I’ve posted photos of the other dishes from ‘childhood’ as a video on YouTube. Click on this link . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdH4aRa4gLM

Carol’s Apple Pie

• 6-7 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, quartered and cut into pieces
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 3 Tbsp melted butter
• 1/3 cup dark corn syrup
• double pie crust

 Topping

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp corn syrup
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or granola)

Method:

Preheat oven to 425. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, sugar, melted butter and dark corn syrup. Set aside. Peel apples, cut into quarters, remove core and chop into 1/4 pieces. Place apple pieces in a large bowl and thoroughly combine with ingredients from small bowl. Lay one circle of dough in a deep pie dish and fill with coated apples. Cover with second circle of dough. Seal edges well and cut several slits in top with a sharp knife. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 35 minutes or until golden brown. While pie is baking, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, flour, melted butter and nuts/granola for topping. Remove pie from oven, cover with topping and return to oven for 5-10 minutes until topping is bubbly.  Cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Remember to count your blessings for a warm home and all the other good things in your life, share some of your bounty with others,  and give thanks.

I’m hoping these festive holiday recipes I’ve recently made will make up for having been in absentia, so stay tuned…

• Braised Red Cabbage (with apples and red onions) – Add some vibrant purple hues to your Thanksgiving plate
• Mama Stamberg’s Cranberry Relish -  Jotted down 10 years ago while at a stop light, listening to NPR  
• Cornish Pasties – For this weekend’s Guy Fawkes bonfire party
• Wassail – Traditional holiday punch as in” Here we come a-wassailing among the leaves so green”
• Pumpkin Pie Bites - More gingersnap crust per bite made this way!

Taken last fall on a perfect weekend in Lakeside, Michigan

Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

serves 4 – two tacos per person

• 8 corn tortillas
• 3-4 rainbow trout whole with head, tail and bones removed, skin on
• canola oil for grilling
• salt and pepper

Avocado/Tomato Salad

Combine all in a bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste

• 2 avocados – chopped
• 2 plum tomatoes – chopped
• 1/2  jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and minced
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp chopped red onion
• 1 tsp honey
• pinch each salt and pepper

Red Cabbage Slaw

Combine all in a bowl, season with salt and pepper to taste

• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1/4 cup shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• pinch each salt and pepper

Citrus Sauce

Combine all in a blender and pulse several times. Extra can be stored for a week in the fridge.

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 Tbsp honey or sugar
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• pinch sea salt
• pinch ground cumin 

Method:

Lay fish on paper towels to dry. Oil on both sides and lightly salt and pepper to keep from sticking to grill. Make citrus sauce, avocado/tomato salad and red cabbage slaw, set aside. Heat corn tortillas over a hot skillet or on grill by placing a piece of oiled aluminum foil – oil side up and place tortillas on top, turn when warmed. Wrap in foil to keep warm until fish is done. Grill fish, skin side down, on well oiled hot grill. Turn one once. Place 2 tortillas on each plate. Top with fish filet, cabbage slaw, avocado/tomatoes and citrus sauce. Serve and eat at once. Goes great with an ice cold beer, glass of sangria or a margarita on the rocks.

Fresh figs are one of my favorite late Summer fruits. I first tasted them plucked straight off trees that grew all over Italy so, unlike in Chicago, I never had to pay for them. Now, I have the great fortune of knowing someone who has a fig tree and is very generous in sharing her harvest with me. Each spring she carefully moves it from it’s winter home, her unheated garage that protects it from the harsh Chicago Winter, and each Fall it is put back after the last fig is taken from its branches. Normally, we just rinse these parcels of sweet goodness and savor their sweet delicate flavor but I’ve also used them in tarts, on grilled pizza with salty prosciutto and carmelized onions and this past weekend tasted them as prepared by Michael Psilakis at a Food and Wine event  at Kendall College. Like most of my favorite recipes, he kept it simple and halved the figs, put a dollop of gorgonzola on each half and wrapped them in prosciutto before grilling. We were served the two halves that had been skewered and drizzled with a pureed reduction of balsamic and figs. They reminded me of bacon wrapped dates commonly found in tapas bars. Figs also make great jam. A friend once brought me an unusual spread made with figs, black pepper, orange peel and balsamic that we ate on crackers with manchego cheese, Yum. 

Branch out and give them a try while they might still be on your grocers shelf then next time you have a Newton or Newman’s fig cookie, remember that while dried figs lend nicely to these cookies, fresh figs offer a whole ‘nother world of possibilities.

Michael Psilakis gorgonzola stuffed figs wrapped in prosciutto and drizzled with fig-balsamic reduction

Grilled pizza with carmelized onions, prosciutto and fresh figs – no tomato sauce needed