multiple musings

no food today but just mere ramblings — last night i was watching an episode of the pbs programme "nature" which featured the antarctic and a group of scientists observing emperor penguins and their migration to their breeding grounds, as did the first and only team in the early 1900's. it was amazing to see how these birds, the largest of the species, is able to thrive and live in unbelievable weather conditions. sheesh, and i thought canada was cold in the winter! you can see how smart you are and take a fun quiz about penguins here.

[segue] and while on the subject of birds.....

the other day, i came across an incredible little thing taking place in manhattan, new york city, just outside the window of fellow blogger lara of ess a bisel (yiddish for eat a little!). you'll have to visit her blog to see what i'm talking about. start with this entry and work your way up to date to see it all happen (you may have to click on the title of the blog to do that). great pictures, lara :D

several weeks back, my little "four-legged food processor" [whose favourite game is currently attack the newspaper and see how fast i can shred it into 1,000 pieces before i get caught] decided it would be fun to try his attack method on my rubber tree plant. well the stinkerpoo somehow hooked into a leaf and, despite always sporting a well-maintained and short-clipped "pawdicure" on all four [feet], ripped right through it.

this is him at 3 months practicing for the future. notice his short fat "pulkas" (legs), actually they're not fat but extremely muscular, a trait of the burmese cat. in spite of this, he is extremely clumsy, banging into walls or not making it over the rim, or top, of the bathtub while running at high speed (not such a high leap!) — something that always makes me laugh.

after attacking the leaf, he made his escape. somehow, miraculously, he did not pull the whole thing off. i discovered his little faux-paw when i unceremoniously stepped in the drippings of latex exuded by the leaf which looks like elmer's white glue. what a mess.

i figured the leaf would die after a week or two, as it suffered a severe rip. incredibly, it healed by self-suturing! i only noticed this the other day.

nature is truly wondrous.

and if you hate flies, like i do,
play this fun game and see how good you are at whacking them!

granola bars à la lannae

several weeks back, i came across a recipe for granola bars from lannae of lannae's food and travel which looked especially good. the recipe itself was very basic in terms of ingredients and seemed quite amenable to interpretation, in other words, sticking in whatever you wanted. i'm sure they are much healthier and definitely less processed than the ones you can buy ready-made. this version also makes bars which are not overly sweet, dried out and as hard as rocks.

not being a big granola bar eater, i decided to cut the recipe in half since i'd never get through all of them myself with the full recipe. i also made a few slight changes to suit my taste as i am not being a big dried fruit lover. instead, i used chocolate chips, replaced the honey part with the equivalent amount of brown rice syrup and added some wheat germ.

making these bars must have been beshayrt [yiddish for "meant to be"], as i had exactly 2 1/4 cups left of my rolled oats — definitely a close call.

this is my entry for the spice café's MBP event focusing on making something sweet using another blogger's recipe; there were tons of recipes from other fellow food bloggers that i wanted to try out but time being short, this fit the bill — all was measured, mixed and made in less than 15 minutes (baking time excluded).

i imagine these would be great using various combinations of spices and/or dried fruit, nuts or kinds of chocolate. there are myriad possibilities. all i know is that these turned out great and are definitely a winner. the recipe is also completely parve (no animal products) and vegan, if using the brown rice syrup and not honey.

thanks lannae :))

chocolate chip walnut granola bars

makes 12 bars

ingredients:

2 1/4 c rolled oats (regular type)
1/4 c all purpose flour
1/4 c wholewheat flour
1 tbsp wheat germ, opt.
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 - 1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 c walnuts pieces (broken up small)
3 tbsp sliced almonds, opt.
1/4 c chocolate chips

1/3 c brown rice syrup or honey
1/3 c vegetable oil

method:

preheat oven to 350F.

grease very heavily an 8 x 8 pan or line it with a square of parchment paper [the better method]. the squares will be much easier to extract this way.

place all dry ingredients together in a bowl and mix.

add the wet ingredients and mix well. note: measure the oil first and then the rice syrup or honey to make things easier. the rice syrup or honey will not stick in the measuring cup that way.

compact the mixture in the baking pan or pyrex with a lot of pressure. it should be very dense and not loose. it may seem a bit dry at this point.

bake for 30 minutes or until nice and golden. the mixture will puff up a bit but will go down upon cooling.

remove from oven and wait 15 to 20 minutes to cut into desired shapes. tip: use an oiled knife so the granola bars don't stick; re-oil the knife as necessary.

now the hard part, wait until they are completely cool or they will not hold together well.

enjoy!

keep this handy

often, i am either dividing or doubling recipes and don't feel like sitting there trying to figure out all the conversions.

the following is a useful chart to keep in the kitchen.

click on it to enlarge & print it.

nothing goes to waste

this is definitely one of those things which is mostly an item of the past. today it mainly harkens family and old town memories for the older crowd. can't say it's completely disappeared though because as you'll see here, it's still being made by crazy people like me :D

no longer a common kitchen staple these days, probably due to health consciousness, schmaltz & griven — or rendered chicken fat and cracklings, is something for which there is no (kosher) equivalent. in the olden days of the shtetls, or ashkenazi jewish village towns in eastern europe, schmaltz and griven was typically made from goose or duck skin and fat. this was an excellent choice as both geese and ducks are naturally fatty compared to the regular chicken, giving a lot more final product. making fat from the skin was not only frugal but also sensible; why throw out something which would provide an essential cooking fat? the average peasant or villager had little money to waste. shmaltz and the cracklings are not only a jewish thing — it should be noted that goose fat, or graisse d'oie, is also used in classic french cuisine and considered as much a staple as butter.

used the same way as others would use bacon grease/fat, rendered chicken fat gives foods a distinctive taste no regular oil can approximate. i use it sparingly and only make it in fairly small quantities and only around the times of the holidays when i tend to make meat dishes.

it does take about 2 to 3 hours to make, including the chopping, cooking, straining and cooling, but it is worth the effort. it can be frozen for longer storage and shouldn't be kept for longer than about 3 to 4 months in the fridge.

to make the schmaltz, you need the skins from either chickens, ducks or, if you can get it, geese. using the skin of one single chicken/bird won't really give you much of anything. i save and freeze the skin and fat deposits from whole chickens when i cut them up, until i am ready to make it. you need at least enough chicken skin from 3 to 4 chickens. it also helps to open up the fan and/or windows as your are cooking it and it leaves that "oil smell" we all know about. oh well, small price to pay .... at least, it disappears eventually and you're left with something you won't regret making.


chicken schmaltz & griven
rendered chicken fat and cracklings

ingredients:

chicken skin and yellow fat [collected from chickens]
1 large onion, chopped
several cloves of garlic, skins removed
water

method:

defrost the skin, if it is frozen, only briefly. having it semi frozen makes it much easier to cut into pieces. cut all the skin into 1/2 " squares or small pieces.

place these pieces in a dutch oven type pot or very large cast iron pan or large non-stick skillet and add about 3/4 c of water. some people do not add water but i find it helps to remove impurities from the skin and also it allows the skins to cook a bit first and not brown too quickly. i also find using/switching to a nonstick pan to cook the chicken skin and onion together a better idea because the skin tends to stick to the pan and makes for easier clean up.

bring the chicken skin and water to a boil and let it boil away. turn on the fan to help remove the smell of the chicken cooking.

it will take some time for the water to evaporate but keep cooking until you have very little water left.

add the chopped onion and the cloves of garlic.

cook the onion and chicken skin over medium heat until it starts to brown, stirring every so often.

if the skin is not browned, i.e. with with spots, it's not fully cooked. keep going.

the schmaltz will be ready when the cracklings have turned dark brown to almost black. do not cook them too long or they will burn. you may need to turn the heat down a bit near the end.

let everything cool for a few moments and then strain it all in a fine meshed metal strainer or sieve. put the oil in a small jar and keep it in the fridge or freeze. store the griven or cracklings in a small container. they can be eaten like a snack item (!!) or used in mashed potatoes or chopped liver or fillings for knishes.

global warming, vikings & food

no recipes this time but instead an interesting food history lesson about vikings, a previous global warming which took place in the middle ages, and how it impacted the lives of this northern culture in terms of how they lived and what they ate.

the information is in audio format and is an interview with the very informative and interesting food historian/writer, linda civitello.

* * * * *

image: gutenberg project

i split the recording in three parts to upload it. each part is about 8 minutes.

part one:



part two:



part three:

everybody loves knishes!

these small pastries, called k'nishes, are a much loved and uniquely [eastern european] jewish staple snack item — and cousin to the bureka, their sephardic counterpart. they were first brought over to the united states (and canada!!) by the waves of european jewish immigrants looking for a better life and escaping persecution. i wouldn't be surprised if they were the invention of some housewives looking for ways to use up scraps of dough and leftover mashed potatoes.

knishes were typically a homemade item and still are in some households [usually the more religious or observant ones]. today people mostly buy them already made from a bakery however, for convenience's sake. the knish became popularized in new york city by the romanian rabbi, yonah schimmel who made his own and sold them from a pushcart. the rest, as they say, is history. there are aficionados who will argue that schimmel's are the best even though there are many places to buy them, each with its own unique taste.

the original shape of the knish is small and round, as i show in this post. there are now a wide variety of shapes, sizes and fillings. the dough can also be made in a number of ways — of course, the richer the dough, fortified with eggs and butter or margarine, the more delicious it is. the most popular ones use a puff pastry type dough {no big surprise!}. i have several different recipes i use; this one is a very basic one and can be made without eggs, for those who do not use them. it is also parve [without animal products].

popular fillings are potato, potato and onion, potato and mushroom, mushroom, kasha (buckwheat groats), mixed ground-up vegetable, and the list goes on. they even sell "pizza" knishes where i live which is a mixture of ground up vegetables with an italian seasoning which replicates, or tries to, the taste of pizza. see the yonah schimmel link above for examples.

knishes are forgiving in that you can flavour the fillings to suit your fancy. i personally like lots of onions with a potato filling, which i have made here. over the course of time, i'll add the other versions of knishes with the different types of doughs. this one is a very simple one which, i find, tastes better the next day.

these little guys can be used as a starch component for a meal, often served along with a brisket or roast chicken — with gravy is "da bomb!" — or they can be eaten as snacks, as is. whichever way you have them, they're great! experiment with them to find the flavouring you like or follow what i put here. in the end, they're easy to make for those who are "pastry-challenged". of course, you can always skip the dough and cheat by purchasing and using a puff pastry from grocer or bakery. just follow the basic directions shown here for shaping. hope you enjoy!

update 2008: see this post for variations (flaky & strudel dough types)

potato knishes
seasoned mashed potato & onion filled pastries

this version is a beginners-type knish recipe. its very simple dough is quick to make and easily rolled out. in addition, it is a low fat knish in that there is very little [fat] used in the pastry and filling. note that onced baked, the texture for this type knish is softer and chewier than other kinds which use dough with a much higher fat content. recipes for those kind, though, soon to come!

makes 10, double quantities for more

pastry:

1 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp margarine (non dairy/parve)
1/4 c + 2 tbsp lukewarm water

NOTE: if you don't want to make the dough, use a commercial puff pastry and follow the same directions in the recipe to shape them.

filling:

3 medium potatoes
1 large onion
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 or more tsp sugar
onion and garlic powder to taste, optional
1 egg for filling, optional

1 egg for egg wash*, optional

*a non-animal eggwash can also be made using a mixture of water mixed with cornstarch: 1 1/2 T cornstarch per cup of cold water; one can also use a non dairy creamer like Richs.

another possibility is to just use milk or cream to "wash" the pastry.

method:

the dough:

mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.

add the margarine and crumble it with your fingers until the texture is like coarse breadcrumbs.

add the lukewarm water gradually and make a ball of the dough. it may feel a bit tacky at first.

knead the dough for about 2 minutes only. over-kneading it will give it a tough final texture. the dough will be very soft and nice to handle.

refrigerate the dough and make the stuffing.

the filling:

peel the potatoes and cut into cubes. boil them until tender. the smaller you cut them, the faster they cook.

while the potatoes are boiling, dice the onion and fry it in the oil over medium heat until golden. some people prefer it when they are just turning brown. that will be your choice :)

place the browned onions in a bowl big enough to hold the potatoes.

drain the potatoes and add them to the onions.

mash the potatoes with a potato masher or use the spoon. if you use a spoon, the mixture will be more coarse. usually the potato knish filling is very smooth like mashed potatoes. alternatively, you can use a ricer and add them directly, riced, into the onions.

mix together and add the salt, pepper and sugar. add the onion and garlic powder if using. taste and adjust. the filling is often very seasoned but that depends upon where you live as different cities have different versions they like. where i live it is often both sweet and peppery.

add the egg if you are using it.


making the knishes:

preheat oven to 350F.

on a floured surface, roll out the dough to a rectangle which measures 15 inches in length by 10 inches in width.

place the filling along the length of the dough from end to end about 2 1/2 inches up from the start of the dough. make sure to leave this edge.

smooth out the filling with a water moistened spatula. the filling should be about 2 inches wide; don't worry about how high it measures.

take the bottom of the dough and pull it over the filling along the length.

roll the whole thing until you get to the end and place it down on the seam side.

measure 1 1/2 lengths and with a moistened knife, cut the pieces.


place the knishes on a baking tray on the flat side. leave about 1 1/2 to 2 inches between each knish.

to form the knishes:

pull up the dough at the top of the knish just a bit, very gently, and squeeze it together so that it meets at the center. then push it down into the filling just a bit [see photos].

if the filling pushes out a bit in the center of the pastry, that is perfectly fine. just push it in the center. a little bit sticking out is normal.

what about the bottoms of the dough, you ask?? while baking, a crust forms on the potato mixture so that it all holds together. it will not fall out of the dough. (it better not!!).

egg wash the knishes with one beaten egg or the alternatives (see ingredients list).

bake the knishes for 35 minutes or until nice and golden brown.

enjoy!