One-thirty. Haven't worked on a word of the novel.
Got my oil changed, hit the fish mongers, ordered a pair of cheap glasses online, and reheated some of the lentil soup for a good lunch.
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I broke in my marble spice mortar and pestle last night. I had a wooden one, but it didn't work well, and an old metal one I borrowed from my mother that was rusty. I suspect it was merely decorative as well, since it didn't grind the spices so much as scatter them around the bottom of the device.
The marble, however, is a thing of beauty. The spices seem to burst. I toasted some cumin and then ground some coriander as well for the soup. There simply is no comparison in smell or taste to the preground versions.
I also made wheat bread for the first time yesterday, adding cumin and substituting buttermilk for milk. I struggled getting the yeast to rise, but ended up producing my best loaf to date. Wasn't much to look at, but the taste was rich and mildly spiced.
Jess has to work late tonight. I asked the Dufflebag what he wanted to dinner, and he asked for salmon. This seems to be his favorite dish I make, and we're finding that seafood works well for us as it satisfies three distinct palates.
I'm going to make up a homemade blackening mix -- not that it's that hard -- but it will be for the first time.
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I picked up frozen eel and alligator at the fishmongers. I originally was going to make an alligator chili, but the Dufflebag doesn't like beans. I could make chili without beans, but I don't think there's enough meat to round out the dish. So now I'm leaning to chowder. Charlie reminds me that I need to slow cook the gator -- maybe I'll spice the hell out of it, seal it up in tin foil, and serve it on rice.
The eel I'm frying.
Now, there's a big pile of dishes in the kitchen just waiting for me. Doesn't look like another productive day for your aspiring novelist.
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Ha! Now you're talking my language. A few things to consider here (in my snotty opinion anyway, which you are free to ignore):
ReplyDeleteOne reason grinding is better aside from obvious flavor freshness, is that it leaves irregularly edged spice chunks, which will hang onto food pieces more tenaciously. this is especially true of peppercorn, but also applies to any shelled spice. Thing of it as spice velcro and don't grind it too fine.
The problems you might have encountered with the whole wheat, the wholer the wheat the harder to get gluten created. The lower the gluten the harder the yeast has to work to rise it, like trying to stretch concrete. So knead/beat it longer, till you get the window pane test and it stretches without breaking. Also, in the winter, it may seem warm enough in your kitchen, but it might be too cold. If you're making a 3 hour bread, look at your thermostat. If it ain't above 70, suspend your rising bowl on a bowl of hot water and set that on a pot holder. In the summer, you can imagine it ain't necessary.
Eel sounds awesome, I should get some too. For cooking hints, remember its probably fresh water, and also, it is a skinned, not scaled fishy, and generally wants to be cooked like a catfish. Otherwise you're looking at an untidy mess. Fried Eel Fingers! Sounds like you have that down though. You ever skin a catfish? Fun! You know, we should all go catfishing this summer. I know where there are some...
The Dufflebag was just asking about catfishing today! Let's do it.
ReplyDeleteJust been watching all the eel vids on youtube. I'll let everyone know how it goes next week when I cook 'em up!
As for the rising, I did try a new method I read about on the net: I boiled water in a pan, put it in the oven, and then put the bread bowl over it. It didn't seem as effective, so I switched back to the second of the two methods I've been using: one is to start the pellet stove and put it over the bin and the other is to steam water in two saute pans and balance the dough between them.
ReplyDeletehmmm, I've heard of the oven method, but ovens are cold dry places unless the heat is running, and really no different from the outside world after about ten minutes. Those pizza stones will suck all the heat out of the water. And wait until someone else flips on the oven while you're out in the yard one day.
ReplyDeleteThe other two seem either too hot or too wasteful. The bowl of water under the rising bowl works for me without muss or fuss, comes right out of the tap. Everybody has their little magic tricks, you know? do a little rise jig and blow on the dish towel covering the bowl...