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The Easiest and Quickest Cookie to Bake – Coconut Haystacks

December 21, 2016

Lemon Coconut Haystacks Earthenware flower plate by Holly Walker — Lemon Coconut Haystacks
Earthenware flower plate by Holly Walker

I love to bake although I don’t do it much anymore. However, around the holidays I always find myself in the mood. I’ve been known to bake 8 kinds of cookies just to compose holiday gifts. My mother had a friend who used to bring us a tin with a variety of the most beautiful, delicious and buttery cookies every December; I think I’ve been trying to recreate something as special ever since. My cookies are never quite as delicate or complicated but I make an effort to make sure they taste good.

The simplest cookie recipe I know is a coconut haystack or macaroon. It is flourless and can be made with finely shredded coconut or a combination of fine and broad shreds as long as they are unsweetened. You could easily double or halve the recipe and you can swap out the traditional vanilla for almond or lemon extract with some lemon zest added for more flavor. Once cooled, the haystacks can be stored in an airtight container for a few days and, if you like them warm, can be reheated on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. They freeze well but must be in a single layer so as not to stick together.

haystacks on parchment ready to bake — Haystacks on parchment ready to bake

Some recipes call for sweetened condensed milk. You can add a 14 oz can in place of the sugar if you want your cookies moister and richer. You can also drizzle or dip them in melted chocolate for a fancier cookie. Any version you choose will be delicious with a cup of coffee or tea – just right for a bright moment on the shortest day of the year. Happy winter!!

COCONUT HAYSTACKS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat together until well combined:
2 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
1tsp vanilla or lemon extract (if using lemon, add zest of 1 lemon)
Pinch salt
Mix in:
2 generous cups shredded unsweetened coconut

Spoon up by heaping tablespoonfuls and form into haystacks by compressing with your fingers (wet fingers in water to keep from sticking).

Arrange on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet about 1″ apart.

Bake 20-25 minutes until starting to brown. Check often in last 5 minutes so they don’t burn.

Cool completely on wire racks and store for up to 3 days or freeze in a single layer.

If you like, dip in melted chocolate and place on waxed paper to set up.

Makes 20-24 cookies, depending on size.

Give a Holiday Gift that Will Keep on Giving – A New Cookbook

December 14, 2016

knives-ink

Making a meal for someone is a lovely gift but it’s a one shot present. Giving a cookbook (or cooking classes, if you are really going all out) is the gift that keeps on giving. Like teaching someone to fish, a cookbook provides the basis for years of pleasurable meals. And even if you are gifting people who have been cooking for years, they need fresh ideas and recipes to keep themselves interested and growing.

To embellish your gift, give the book along with a utensil (like a microplane grater, wooden spoon, cutting board or citrus reamer) or with specific spices that might be needed, depending on the cookbook. You might include cumin, mustard and coriander seeds with an Indian themed book or za’atar, sumac and pomegranate or date molasses with one on middle eastern cooking. And doesn’t every cook need fresh, hefty pot holders, a digital thermometer or boxes of unbleached parchment and waxed paper to accompany the new book?

I read cookbooks for pleasure as well as for the recipes. The best include wonderful stories or anecdotes. But to give one as a gift, I make sure that not only does it include good writing and photos but that the recipes sound delicious and are easy enough to recreate. If I read a cookbook and only find one recipe I want to make, it is not enough to get me to buy it. Or if the recipes are too complicated or I have trouble keeping them straight. I often take out stacks of cookbooks from the library in hopes of finding one that looks like it would be useful enough to buy.

With all that in mind, here is my list of 2016 cookbooks in which I found many recipes tempting enough that I would buy them. The selections are surprisingly global, considering my usual go-to recipes are generally “American healthy.” Please see my all time favorite cookbooks listed in the permanent pages of A Good Dish for older but still useful suggestions. I may have to add some of these terrific books to my own collection.

Flavorwalla by Floyd Cardoz, (a Top Chef winner who worked in several restaurants (Tabla and North End Grill) before opening Paowalla this year), has so many recipes I want to make, I don’t know where to start. From citrus-brined chicken to sticky toffee pudding (one of my favs), Cardoz’s dishes are full of interesting spice blends and herbal additions to elevate ordinary meals without being complicated. His instructions are thorough with thoughtful explanations and lots of beautiful photos. He includes a section of basics, such as stock and tamarind paste so you can make them yourself.

the-good-fork The Good Fork Cookbook by Sohui Kim (the Korean/American chef and restaurant owner) with Rachel Wharton. Wide ranging stories from her Brooklyn kitchen with recipes that are do-able and have great illustrative photos. This is comfort food based in the cooking of many countries because of her family and professional experience. Reading it made me want to go to her restaurant although the recipes seem easy enough. Her recipes, with photos, for dumplings makes them look more approachable than usual and the picture of her ribs – well, see if you don’t salivate.

love-lemons The Love & Lemons Cookbook by Jeanine Donofrio (whose blog bears the same name – loveandlemons.com) is vegetarian and organized by vegetable, a logical way to look for recipes based on what you have to cook. Most appealing to me are her recipes for soups, tacos, rice dishes and salads. Each recipe is beautifully photographed and many have step by step illustrations and variation charts, all quite helpful.

nordic-cookbook The Nordic Kitchen: One year of family cooking by Claus Meyer (of Noma and the Great Northern Food Hall at Grand Central – my favorite, new midtown stop). Lots of ideas for beets, cabbage, carrots, apples and mushrooms as well as fish, meat and game recipes that are not complicated. A few exotic ingredients but pretty down to earth and clearly written.

Soframiz: Vibrant Middle Eastern Recipes from Sofra Bakery & Cafe by Ana Sortun & Maura Kilpatrick (from the chefs of the Boston bakery/cafe). Both savory and sweet recipes, including baked goods, salads and the kind of spreads and dips with which to create a wonderful mezze.

taste-of-persia Taste of Persia: A Cook’s Travels Through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran and Kurdistan by Naomi Duguid (a Canadian food writer and photographer) is part cookbook and part travelogue. She includes descriptions of places, types of food, people and ingredients and offers different takes on rice dishes, meats, soups, fish and breads. The book is organized by country, has a useful glossary, beautiful photos and reading it feels like you are taking a trip.

vegetable-butcher The Vegetable Butcher by Cara Mangini (the granddaughter and great-granddaughter of meat butchers) also organized her book by vegetable. The beauty of this book is the step by step photographed instructions on cleaning, prepping and cutting as well as the discussions of different cooking methods appropriate to each vegetable. She includes lots of sauces and dressings and ways to vary them, which is so helpful.

Za’hav: A World of Israeli Cooking by Michael Solomokov (the creative Philadelphia chef and restauranteur) – His moving personal stories and commentaries are fun to read and the photos are gorgeous. I will try his easy sounding takes on hummus, challah, chicken meatballs and pomegranate glazed lamb, among many others. This is a hefty book with accessible recipes ranging from simple spreads to more complex baked goods but not too complicated.

dories-cookies If you need a gift for a baker, you can’t go wrong with Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan, (the New York and Paris based baker who dreams up new cookies while sleeping). Although I only bake now for special occasions, I hope I find an excuse to make her World Peace Cookies (full of chocolate) soon. The section on savory rather than sweet cookies, more like rich crackers, made my mouth water just reading it and I’m sure any one of those recipes would enhance any cocktail hour. Silicone baking mats or parchment paper or sanding sugar would be a nice accompaniment.

price There were a few books that almost defy categorization but would make wonderful gifts. For the experienced cook, A Treasury of Great Recipes by Mary and Vincent Price (yes, Vincent Price of the old horror movies) offers menus, stories and recipes from their travels and is a bit of a nostalgia trip. The Artists’ and Writers’ Cookbook: A Collection of Stories with Recipes edited by Natalie Eve Garrett is exactly as it says – stories by artists with recipes. Contributors range from Roz Chast and Ed Ruscha to Jane Smiley and Ruth Ozeki. One could read it like short stories or cover to cover. Knives & Ink: Chefs and the Stories Behind Their Tattoos (with Recipes) by Isaac Fitzgerald and Wendy MacNaughton is quirky yet somehow riveting with engaging stories and wonderful drawings.

If you are not giving handmade pottery this year, consider one of these well-written cookbooks. Each one will provide the recipient with the inspiration, guidance and instructions for preparing many meals in the years ahead.

Granola – A Pretty Healthy, Tasty and Useful Gift from Your Kitchen

December 7, 2016

Homemade Granola Wood fired Porcelain Mug by Perry Haas — Homemade Granola
Wood fired Porcelain Mug by Perry Haas

I make granola about 3 times a year. Once for the birthday of a dear friend who loves it, perhaps once a year when out-of town friends visit and I need a breakfast to leave out and once at the end of the year for holiday gifts when I don’t feel capable of assembling something more complicated. Granola only takes about an hour to bake, is easy to make and fun to vary.

Oats are the main ingredient but everything may be modified to suit your taste. Use part rolled oats and part rolled barley. If you don’t like almonds or walnuts, use pistachios or hazelnuts. If you prefer pumpkin pie spice or cardamom to cinnamon, go for it. If you want to add dried cherries, goji berries, mulberries or pineapple instead of apricots, dates or raisins, substitute as you please. Even the sweetener is flexible – if you don’t want to use or don’t have maple syrup, use agave, honey or brown sugar. Vanilla is a choice. You could use maple or almond extract or leave it out altogether. You could grate in some lemon or orange zest or add shredded or flaked coconut. The recipe below is the way I prefer it but if you have strong preferences, try them.

How you package your granola to gift is also up to you. Glass jars are perfect for storing granola so I usually use a Mason jar, with raffia tied around the lid if I am gifting. Cellophane bags wrapped with ribbon work well as would ziploc bags with a pretty label affixed. Including a printed or hand-written recipe is a nice touch and makes it an even more useful present (just punch a hole in the corner of the recipe card and you can tie it on with the ribbon or raffia).

Quart of homemade granola packaged and ready to gift — Quart of homemade granola
packaged and ready to gift

This recipe is lower in oil and sugar than most but it is still not a low calorie food. I enjoy a bowl of granola with milk or yogurt each time I make it but I can’t keep much of it around or I would constantly be snacking on it. Like candied or curried nuts, for me, granola is best made and given away or stored in the freezer for when guests visit. You may have better self-control and in that case, keep a jar in your kitchen for hurried mornings or light dinners on nights you come home too late to cook. At this busy time of year, any lucky recipient will appreciate your healthy and delicious gift.

Granola in a wood fired cup by Perry Haas

GIFTABLE GRANOLA

6 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (not quick cooking, not steel-cut)
1-1 1/2 cups raw pumpkin seeds, hulled
1-1 1/2 cups raw sunflower seeds, hulled
2 cups raw nuts, shelled and coarsely chopped (I use almonds and walnuts but pecans, hazelnuts and pistachios all work)
3 TBs flax seeds
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or avocado, coconut or grape seed)
1/2 – 3/4 cup maple syrup (or honey, agave or brown sugar), depending on how sweet you like it
1/2 tsp vanilla extract, optional
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice, ginger or cardamom), optional
1 tsp salt

Possible add-ins after baking:

1-2 cups of any combination of raisins, currents, chopped dates or apricots, dried cranberries or cherries, chopped dried mango or pineapple, goji berries, mulberries, chopped dried figs, toasted coconut flakes or shredded coconut, chopped dried apples or pears
1-3 TBs chia and/or hemp seeds

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Mix oil, syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.

Add oats, seeds and nuts and stir until well combined.

Spread the mixture in an even layer on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet (the parchment just makes clean up easier).

Bake, stirring about every 10 minutes, until oats look toasty, about 45 minutes but watch carefully at the end.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with a little salt if you like, and cool completely.

When completely cool, add chopped dried fruit, or whatever you like, and package in jars or bags.

What Can You Do to Battle Winter Colds? Make Fire Cider!

November 30, 2016

Winter is almost here and that means it is time to bolster your defenses against incoming cold and flu viruses. Of course, wash your hands often, eat healthfully, laugh a lot and get enough sleep. But beyond these commonly known preventive measures, there is something else you can do – make and take fire cider.

Fire Cider is an herbal concoction (or more correctly – decoction) that may be an old folk recipe for a vinegar tonic made with medicinal herbs. It seems to have been formulated and written down by Rosemary Gladstar, a California herbalist, at the California School of Herbal Studies, in the 1980’s. Since then, people have battled over the rights to the name but you don’t have to buy the offending brand because you can make your own. Why pay a hefty amount for a small bottle (around $15 for 8 oz) when for a small outlay, you can make a yourself a quart with high quality organic ingredients you choose and control? I first bought Fire Cider from someone selling wild crafted bottles of it at a gas station in Vermont but have since seen it sold at lots of healthy food stores.

The basic recipe was given to me by a friend who is an impressive homesteader – she gardens, keeps chickens, grills paella and, now, makes her own fire cider. It calls for horseradish, onion, garlic, ginger, garlic, turmeric root, citrus and hot peppers soaked in apple cider vinegar for a month. These are herbs and spices known for their anti-inflammatory, antiviral, mucus-thinning, expectorant and stimulating properties. Possible add-ins are a personal choice and could include parsley, rosemary, cinnamon, lemongrass, thyme, echinacea, astragalus root, cayenne powder or flakes, burdock, rosehips or black peppercorns. (Please try to use organic ingredients if you are able). Some people drink it straight. Many sweeten it with honey. If you are vegan, you could use stevia, agave or maple syrup. You can use it as a tonic, taking a daily shot, or as a medicine, sipping as needed to battle congestion, colds or indigestion.

Pour unpasteurized apple cider vinegar over the chopped and grated ingredients

It isn’t too late in the season to make this immune booster. If you make it this week, your fire cider will be ready right around New Years when you may need it most. Some cooks use it in salad dressing (as the vinegar component), add it to mustard or put a splash in tea or a cocktail. Once strained, it can sit on a counter in a cool room for weeks or be stored in the refrigerator in a glass bottle or jar. If you go into production this week, you could give fire cider (with the recipe) as a thoughtful, homemade gift for the holidays. Who couldn’t use a shot of immune boosting to get through the winter, especially when you’ll feel so virtuous?

Turmeric, ginger and horseradish roots and habanero pepper Pressed and painted earthenware plate by Patrick Loughran — Turmeric, ginger and horseradish roots and habanero pepper
Pressed and painted earthenware plate by Patrick Loughran

FIRE CIDER

1/2 cup fresh horseradish root, chopped or grated
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup garlic, chopped
1/4-1/2 cup ginger root, chopped or grated
1/4-1/2 cup turmeric root, chopped or grated
1 habanero (or Serrano, cayenne or jalapeño) chili pepper, chopped (please use gloves)
1/2 orange, chopped (including peel)
1/2 lemon, chopped (including peel)
3-4 cups unfiltered apple cider vinegar (Bragg’s is a good brand)

Optional ingredients:

1-2 cinnamon sticks, broken
1/2 cup parsley sprigs
1 TBs fresh rosemary leaves
1 TBs black peppercorns
1/4-1/2 cup chopped burdock root
1 TBs fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup chopped echinacea or astragalus root

Place all chopped ingredients in a clean glass jar (either 1 half gallon or 2 quart jars will work – dividing the herbs evenly) and pour enough vinegar over to cover contents. Put a piece of waxed paper over the top of the jar and then screw on the lid.

Let the closed jars sit out for 3-4 weeks at room temperature, shaking daily, or when you remember. After about a month, strain the liquid into a clean jar (if you strain through cheesecloth you can squeeze out every drop) and discard the solids. (Gladstar, who devised the formula, suggest making a chutney from the strained herbs). Taste (be prepared for a strong taste!) and add up to 1/4 cup of raw honey, as you want. Your fire cider can sit at room temperature for a few weeks (if your room isn’t warm)or you can store it in the refrigerator. Shake before using.

Take a prophylactic shot daily, or as needed to feel you are participating in your own good health!

Bottled and ready to gift with a copy of the recipe

Leftover Turkey? Make Pozole

November 23, 2016

Spicy Mexican Posole made with leftover turkey Thrown and altered tumblers by Chris Gustin — Spicy Mexican Soup made with leftover turkey
Thrown and altered tumblers by Chris Gustin

Leftover turkey might be the best thing about the actual Thanksgiving meal, except, of course, the stuffing and all things pumpkin. You can make turkey tacos, turkey sandwiches (with stuffing and cranberries), turkey salad and turkey chili, among many other dishes. The tastiest way I know to prepare leftover turkey is the same as my answer to almost any meal planning decision between Halloween and April Fool’s – make soup!

When you have a turkey or a chicken carcass, after Thanksgiving or any other time, a flavorful second use is a spicy Mexican soup known as Pozole (after the hominy, called pozole in Spanish, used in it). Although a traditional pozole is made with pork, I think it is much tastier with chicken or turkey. Don’t panic if you’ve never seen or heard of hominy – you can find it canned by Goya in the Latin section of your grocery store. You can now buy an organic version made by Natural Value online at jet.com. If you want to use dried kernels, just soak them overnight in water and cook with a few bay leaves and a mashed clove of garlic, adding water as needed, as you might cook chickpeas.

If you are decide to make your own broth, this becomes a 2 part recipe. First, carve off most of the remaining meat to put in the refrigerator to use later. Break the carcass in half or quarters, as you need to in order to fit into your soup pot. Add a couple of cut up carrots and stalks of celery, an onion (you can leave on the skin) and a few smashed cloves of garlic. Because your turkey was (hopefully) seasoned when you cooked it, there is no need to add salt here. If you have extra parsley, you can toss it in. I add a small parsnip, a sliced turmeric root and a dozen peppercorns to the pot, but you may have other preferences. Add water to cover everything by an inch or so and bring to a boil. Skim any foamy stuff on the surface, turn down heat and simmer for about an hour. Drain the stock through a strainer or colander and discard the solids after picking off any usable bits of turkey. Now you are ready to proceed with part 2 of your soup making.

If you don’t want to make the broth, you can still make the soup with bought stock and the leftover turkey meat – just proceed to the recipe below without stock-making. And you can even use cooked chicken and chicken broth wherever I am using turkey. The amounts are flexible and really up to you. I like a lot of vegetables and hominy and less meat chunks but you may prefer otherwise. Don’t be put off by the number of ingredients or the variable amounts. This is a forgiving recipe and another reason to be thankful.

Poole with crushed tortilla chips Tumbler by Chris Gustin — Pozole with crushed tortilla chips
Tumbler by Chris Gustin

Turkey Pozole

2 TBS olive oil
2 cups chopped onion, 1 very large or 2 medium onions
1/2 cup minced garlic, 4-8 large cloves
2 TBS tomato paste
2 TBS chili powder (I use 1 TBS regular chili powder and 1 of chipotle chili powder)
1 heaping TBS dried oregano
1 heaping TBS cumin powder
1 – 2 cans (5.75 oz) whole green chilies, diced or 2 cans (4oz) pre-diced – (you could roast and chop a poblano pepper or two or add a chopped poblano to the cooking onions depending on your tastes or what you have available – again – this is a flexible recipe – if you don’t want the flavor of the green chilies or you don’t have any, you could use green pepper or omit it altogether)
1 cup thinly sliced celery, 2-3 stalks or more
1 cup carrots, 2-3 carrots or more, sliced or diced, depending on how you like the pieces in your soup
8-10 cups of turkey broth (or 2 quart boxes of stock)
4 cups water
4 cups cooked posole/hominy or 2-3 15 oz. cans, drained and rinsed
3 cups shredded cooked turkey (or chicken)
salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of cayenne, if you like spicy
chopped cilantro, a lime cut in wedges, finely shredded green or napa cabbage, minced red onion, thinly sliced or julienned radishes, chopped avocado, dried oregano, hot sauce or cayenne and tortilla chips to put on the table and let people add as they please.

Heat the oil in a stock pot, add the onion and cook until turning translucent (3-5 mins) over medium hot heat but not hot enough to burn the onion.

Add the garlic (and fresh poblano, if using) and cook one more minute.

Add the tomato paste, chili powder, oregano, cumin, and chilies. (if using raw peppers, add with the garlic and cook an additional minute) and cook 1 more minute.

Add the celery and carrots.

Add the broth and water, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

Add the hominy and cook 20 minutes.

If you like more body to your soup (a thicker broth), remove 2 cups of the mixture (mostly the solids with a little liquid) and process in a blender until smooth and then add back to the soup. Or use an immersion blender for a few seconds.

Add the shredded turkey and taste for seasoning.

Add salt and/or pepper as desired.

Add lime juice and serve, letting each lucky eater add cilantro, cabbage, onion, radish, avocado, oregano, hot sauce and crumbled tortilla chips as desired.

This soup tastes even better after a day or two in the refrigerator. If you think it lacks enough flavor, add a dash of smoked paprika – it improves many savory soups.

Serves 6-8

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