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Candied Ginger

I was astonished by the cost difference in straight ginger root and crystallized ginger. Appalled, even. So when I needed some for a recipe (see Peach Pie), I took out the pound or so of fresh ginger root and decided to make some candied ginger myself.
It ended up being a super sensuous experience. I never knew how aromatic and lovely boiling ginger could be. It is was beyond easy too. So now I don't have to justify that overpriced stuff at the store. I can just make it at home in about 30 min.
To make crystallized ginger:
Slice thin strips of ginger (I cut against the grain). Cut 1 pound at minimum.
Put in a heavy pot and cover with water. Set to boil and then turn heat to medium boil once it starts to roll.
After 30 minutes, the ginger should become clear and at this point drain the excess water. Add an equivalent amount of sugar to ginger (I added 1.5 cups). Add about 3 tbsp of water for each 2 cups of ginger. Put back on the heat and simmer at a medium to medium low heat.



Stir constantly as the sugar forms a paste on the ginger. Once the sugar paste is nearly dry on the ginger (no water unsolidified), spread out onto a wax paper to dry.


At this point, I had a rock sugar coating on my ginger. This was perfect for me. Eating the warm sugary ginger slices was like eating a piece of pure nectar. I had to stop myself when I started noticing my belly felt like it was full of fire!
I am not sure if there is a better way to not have the rock sugar effect. Perhaps use less sugar? Or cook for less time? Either way, I was happy with the result and so is my pie.

The Peach {Birthday} Pie

What a beautiful time of year here in Toronto. The sun is shining and warm, but the breeze is lovely and cool. And every produce stand is deluged with corn, bees, and PEACHES!

(the culprit...)

How could I resist? A very dear friend's birthday is Monday, so what a great excuse for peach pie!
I have never made peach pie, so after a bit of research and perusing various recipe suggestions (peach bourbon, peach caramel, peach galette, peach crumble), I decided on a very basic peach pie.
The first step is to peel the peaches. A great way to turn a potentially messy situation into a manageable task, is to start by blanching the peaches.
First, score the bottom of each peach.



Then submerge in boiling water for about 40 seconds.



Remove from water and place hot peaches in an ice-water bath. This will loosen the skin so that they are super easy to remove.

(these are the naked peaches, with a tactile feeling that elicits many analogies...)

I sliced the peaches - about 5 - 6 cups total.

(still life with kettle and peaches)

Added 1/4c flour, 3/4c sugar (half white, half brown), 3 tbsp chopped crystallized ginger, juice from 1/2 lemon.

Then I strained the mixture. My peaches were awfully ripe, and because I was about to become the biggest cheat in baking history (I am using ... pause .... a packaged pie shell *gasp*), I was afraid that the entire mixture wouldn't fit into my pie dish. So all the lovely juices and sugar ended up in a bowl. It was well over 1 cup of liquid that my pie couldn't afford to keep.

After pouring the peaches into the pastry dish, I dotted with butter.


And covered with the second pie shell.

Baked for 15 min at 425 F on the bottom rung. Then turned the oven down to 325 F for the next 30 min. It was gorgeous. But I had to resist temptation and let it sit until the following day for the actual birthday celebration.


Success! Honestly, this is one of the best fruit pies I have ever had. Just the freshest, most delicious fruit without any overbearing sugary sweetness. The pastry perfectly balanced out the softness of the peaches. And the ginger? A perfect twist that surprises. And my friend was so delighted with his peach birthday pie that we ate nearly half the pie in one sitting.

Mural of Meals, part 3 "Faster Food"

Sometimes we don't have time for "Slow" Food, but who says we have to plunk the take-out onto the table and dig in? Couldn't we just as well make it a bit pretty and then savour it while listening to our loved ones communicate their feelings? Oh ideals - how luxurious!
Here are some meals that were prepared with some take out and some love.

These are brussel sprouts from Whole Foods deli:

Although I am not a huge meat eater, we do occasionally go to our corner "Churrasqueira" and bring home some bbq. We like to dress it up with homemade sides:



We had a lot of fun with frise lettuce, dressed with lemon and our favorite chaat masala:


Here, I made a tofu fried rice from leftovers and added the churra bbq for the meat eaters:



In this case, we made the curry entree and got the samosas and chapattis from a Indian grocer:



This is kinda hard to see, but is one our favorite "junk food dressed up" (Mr. Noodle, with vibe; an oxymoron, no?):



And this is a spread of plain ol' deli meats, with fresh veggies:



(This just happened to be during Great Lent, so for dinner I was doing beautiful salads dressed with Braggs and lemon)


Next post: Sandwiches! (another "faster" food)

Mural of Meals, part 2 "Indian sides"

In keeping with my promise to start writing again without intimidating myself, here is my 50-words-or-less post.

Indian food is a perfect "slow food" meal. There is nothing like adding the requisite spices together, chopping countless onions and garlic, and creating the beautiful and palate-pleasing side salads.
Typically, with a spicy curry, we will arrange some fresh raw vegetables on the side to nibble on in between hot mouthfuls of curry.
The basics are sliced tomato, white onion, cilantro and lime or lemon. If you can find Chaat Masala in a local Indian grocery, that is simply divine atop sour plain yogurt.

Below is a picture with the entree. In this case, steamed rice and a curry.



This is the chicken curry with potatoes:



Another variation is to use cherry tomatoes, sliced white onion, yogurt and pile high with pickled green chilis:



Basmati rice is critical as a base for curry (although in a pinch, one can get away with lavash or naan instead). Here we have used our (not-so-slow) rice cooker and added just a hint of saffron threads and green peas:



Another absolutely beautiful array of fresh veggies. Tomatoes, white onion, radish, cilantro, green chilis, and sprinkled with lime and chaat masala:



Finally, the most delightful side is always the yogurt. Be sure to choose a plain, whole fat yogurt. If you can select a balkan or greek style, they are thicker and suited for this type of food. Throw some chopped cilantro and a heap of chaat masala on top and you have the perfect cooling dish to pair with tear-jerking curry.

Mural of Meals

So here's the most commonly said thing in blog-dom: I'm sorry; I've been too busy to write.
Ok, there. I joined the bandwagon. But to make up for it, I am posting a lovely photo mural of meals that have taken place over the last few weeks. These were all taken with the iPhone, and I think came out really nicely. Enjoy!

Omelet and Blueberry breakfast







First Kee Mao experiment (Thai "drunken noodle")








More to follow!

Finally settling in!

I apologize for the late notice, but I am just wrapping up the first week in my new place and things have been completely hectic, as I am sure you all understand. Someone once said the most stressful things in life are marriage (yes!), divorce (definitely!), and moving (indubitably!!). We managed to do the entire move in 1 weekend - packing and all. This week, we didn't even take a day off of work. So now we are realizing that all the pots and pans are still in boxes and we have exhausted nearly all the pizza places in town (scant pickings, by the way). So last night we mustered up the strength to get groceries and made a really fantastic salad.



Spinach Berry Fun Salad
(almost all organic ingredients)
Baby spinach
Red onion, sliced
Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Red Pear, diced
Blueberries
Walnuts, Pecans, Cashew mix
Goat Cheese (for the non-vegan)

I try at all cost to avoid store bought salad dressing for many reasons. The main reason being that I love making my own salad dressing inventions and the second reason that they almost always have some weird poly/trans fats. But again, since all of our kitchen equipment is inaccessible for the time, I gave in to a bottle of dressing. Wow! I was really surprised. It was actually tasty and not full of crap ingredients. Nice.
I don't want to propagate the brand, because I am actually a bit ashamed that it was so good.



In the end, it was such a hit! And thank goodness too, because that's what we're having again tonight :)