Hello again and sincerest apologies for the delay in posting my second blog. My computer was attacked by a virus and, despite heroic efforts, it died a slow and painful death. My new Dell is so fast. I should have replaced the old computer years ago. Lots of food news so here goes.
FOOD EVENTS:
Scottie's Kitchen Cooking Classes: Here is my schedule for June. I will be teaching Indoor Grilling (Thursday, June 4), Jamaican Me Crazy (Tuesday, June 9), Edible Containers (Thursday, June 11), Moroccan Night (Tuesday, June 16), Fish and Shellfish (Thursday, June 18), Summer Salads and Soup (Monday, June 29). I will also be teaching some entertaining kid's cooking classes on Saturday, June 9, Saturday, June 13 and Saturday June 20 and a 3 day kid's cooking camp Wednesday, June 24 - June 26. Check out Scottieskitchen.com for details.
Eastern Market Food Demo: Here is the schedule for the free Eastern Market cooking demos for June:
June 6 - Chef Michael Geiger (Eastern Market Corporation)
June 13 - Chef Virgie Marble and Chef Ed Takacs (Morton's The Steakhouse)
June 20 - Chef Jason Gardner (24 Grille)
June 26 - Chef Kelli Lewton (2Unique Catering)
FOOD NEWS:
My 15 Seconds: Well, for what it's worth, I think I just had my 15 seconds of fame. I attended the opening of Bookstock, Sunday, April 26. I was interviewed by Channel 7 and also by Neal Rubin, Detroit News, a big Bookstock supporter. I guess a snippet of my TV interview made it onto Channel 7. Ruben's article appeared on the inside front cover of the Detroit News, Thursday, April 30, 09. It includes a picture of a delirious Mary Spencer (that's me!) after 2 1/2 hours in the Bookstock trenches. I came away with some great cookbooks, $3 each. Besides those mentioned in my last blog, I found an American Test Kitchen - Lost Recipes (just published), Nick Malgieri's Italian Desserts and about 40 more. Hey, c'mon!, gimme a break. With a collection of over 5,300 cookbooks, I never met a cookbook I didn't like.
On Saturday, May 9 I also presented a brief "Kids Make Mother's Day Breakfast" cooking demo with Scottie's Kitchen owner Debbie Jones for channel 7 with Joanne Purtan. My two young chefs, James and Grace, prepared French toast and a Berry Yogurt Parfait. The TV demo and recipes can be found on wxyztv.com.
Michael Symon cooking demo, Eastern Market: We attended Chef Michael Symon's food demo at Eastern Market Shed #2 on Saturday, May 2, '09. He prepared grilled lamb chops accompanied by a Middle Eastern Salad. Chef Symon emphasized the importance of utilizing fat, acid and salt in creating a well balanced dish. His demo kicked off a weekly Saturday series of free cooking demonstrations at Eastern Market Shed #2.
Tunisian Pastry Class, Zingerman's, May 31, '09 - My oldest daughter is in Ethiopia studying Gelada apes so I have recently developed more of an interest in African cuisine. Zingerman's held a Tunisian pastry class at their Bake House, conducted by Moulin Mahjoub, a Tunisian who is importing high quality olive oils, sun dried tomatoes and sour orange marmalade to Zingerman's. The cooking class demonstrated how to make Brik (a savory crepe-like wrapper filled with cheese and capers and deep fried), Gateau a L'Orange (cake made with oranges and olive oil), Maasem a la Marmalade (brik pastry filled with a bitter orange marmalade, wrapped and deep fried), Mlaoui (a griddled semolina flatbread), Makrouth (date filled diamond shaped pastries made with semolina flour) and Kob Abraj (semolina based dough shaped into rounds with date filling, cut in wedges and cooked in a skillet). The Gateau a L'Orange was particularly good with the addition of a whole, seedless pureed orange in the batter. I found the class to be a great value and wish Zingerman's would offer more demonstration type classes.
RECIPE FIND:
My 12 year old daughter Sammy is studying Africa in Social Studies. As her big sister is studying apes in Ethiopia Sammy asked if I could prepare some type of Ethiopian dish for the class's Taste of Africa presentation. Here's a great Ethiopian bread recipe I found:
Yemarina Yewotet Dabo
(Ethiopian Spiced Honey Bread)
1 1/4 oz. packet active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup honey
1 tbsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. salt
1 cup warm milk
6 tbsp. melted butter
4-5 cups flour
1. In a small bowl, stir together the yeast and 1/4 cup warm water. Set for about 10 minutes to let the yeast proof.
2. In a large bowl, beat together the egg, honey, spices and salt until smooth. Stir in the milk, yeast and melted butter.
3. Stir in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing to form a soft, smooth dough. Do not add all the flour at once or the dough will be too dry. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky.
4. Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 10 minutes to form a smooth, elastic dough.
5. Place the dough in a large, lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
6. Remove the dough again to a lightly floured work surface and punch down the dough and knead for about 1 minute. Form the dough into a round and place on an oiled baking sheet. Allow to rise again another 30-45 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 350F. Place bread on a baking sheet in the oven and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour until the bread is lightly browned and sounds hollow when you tap on it. Remove and cool before slicing.
*You can brush the top of the dough with an egg beaten with a little milk for a nice shiny brown crust.
FOOD ODDITIES:
Durian - Well, I did it. No, this isn't true. Actually my husband Bill did it. I sent the intrepid little food explorer into Evergreen Market (northeast corner of 8 Mile and Lahser, Southfield) to purchase a Durian (the king of fruit!?) and supposedly the most horrific smelling food in the world. He came out with a prickly skinned fruit about the size of a melon (approximately $10, $1.69 per lb.). Very little odor. The durian is composed of 6 or 7 bumps or mounds melded together into a somewhat spherical shape. To eat a durian, one cuts off a mound, revealing a pod containing a soft mushy fruit. Bill brought the durian home and paraded it around the neighborhood. He soon collected a curious, delighted group of schoolkids (gross is great!) and a few concerned parents. Outdoors, he cut off a few mounds of durian and offered the group plastic spoons for tasting. The smell, though not overpowering, was definitly ripe. However, the odor was certainly not as horrific as advertised. A number of brave souls sampled this delicacy. In smell, texture and taste the durian can be described as reminiscent of caramelized onions and bananas... an acquired taste but not terrible. Although it was certainly worthwhile to sample a durian once, I would not put it in the kitchen fruit basket. Durian smoothies anyone?
FOOD WARS:
Vegetable Cereal (submitted by husband Bill) - I was raised by my father and maternal grandmother. My mother had died when I was 5. My father was a closet gourmand. My grandmother couldn't cook a lick, even at age 70. Despite my grandmother's kitchen ineptitude she was not about to take cooking directions from her idiot son-in-law. At our northern Michigan cottage, my father cultivated a verdant one and a half acre garden. Produce harvested at 4 PM was on the supper table by 6 PM. One of my father's favorite culinary memories was a simple farm dish of new potatoes, string beans and milk gravy, which he hoped to recreate. He waited patiently until the new potatoes in the cottage garden were the size of ping pong balls and ready to harvest. He picked and cleaned the potatoes and beans and gave my grandmother careful instructions. The potatoes and beans were to be cooked as usual, the water drained and the vegetables then returned to the pot covered with milk and seasoned. The milk was to simmer slowly coating the potatoes and beans with a rich milk gravy. My grandmother then worked her culinary magic. "Slam bang Flynn", her culinary nom de plume, boiled the potatoes and string beans, drained them, put them in a bowl and covered them with cold milk from the refrigerator. Voila, ready to serve! "Here you go, big guy." Bon Appetit!
FOOD BARGAINS:
Detroit Tigers - My beloved Tigers are doing their part in these tough economic times.
#1. Selected food concession stands at the ballpark offer a hot dog, chips and pop for $5; about half off the price in the stands.
#2. Arby's promo - if the Tigers hit 3 home runs in a game, Arby's offers a free roast beef sandwich within the next 24 hours. Each person must present a printed box score from the game (available from the newspaper or from MLB.com). Remember - one free sandwich per person per box score. Magglio's hitting better and I'm confident that soon the Tiger big boppers (Inge, Cabrera, Ordonez and Granderson) will be taking me to lunch on at least a weekly basis.
#3. If you attend a Tiger's game at Comerica Park in which the Tigers score 9 or more runs, Little Caesar's offers a free $5 pizza with purchase of same. You must present your ticket stub.
FOOD FINDS:
Asparagus Farm - Eastern Washtenaw County, Warren Road, just west of Curtis (734-459-1640). Open Friday and Saturday. Call ahead. This quirky little farm offers fresh asparagus in season. Excellent quality, good value. The farm is just off M-14 but there is no exit at Curtis Road so consult a map for directions.
A QUICK WEEKNIGHT RECIPE:
I found this recipe from America's Test Kitchen. Some of their recipes are becoming overly complex. However, this recipe is a quick and easy keeper. I have prepared it dozens of times.
SKILLET LASAGNA
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
salt
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 lb. ground round
10 curly edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2" lengths
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves
ground black pepper
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1. Pour tomatoes with their juices into a 1 quart liquid measuring cup. Add water until the mixture measures 1 quart.
2. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and 1/2 tsp. salt, cook until the onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add ground meat and cook until no longer pink, breaking apart the meat, about 4 minutes.
3. Scatter pasta over the meat but do not stir. Pour diced tomatoes with their juices and tomato sauce over the pasta. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender, about 20 minutes.
4. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Dot with heaping tablespoons of ricotta and the mozzarella cheese, cover and let stand off the heat for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Serve.
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