Little Pillows of Joy and Buttermilk

So, I suppose I am on a Southern kick but I finally got my mom's recipe for buttermilk biscuits. This is one of those blessed recipes that are simple to prepare and make you look like some sort of alimentary goddess. For instance, if you say spent the night at someone's house whom you were very much in love/lust/like with and got up early to make these biscuits there WILL be a future for you two. Buttermilk biscuits like these are superb right out of the oven and fabulous cooled and made into ham and butter or veggie and cheese sandwiches, a winner in any setting. Here is the recipe: Go forth and bake!

Buttermilk Biscuits

2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1tbs and 1tsp of baking powder (aluminum free)
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
6tbs of unsalted butter
1 cup of butter milk

pastry cutter (for cutting butter into four)
biscuit cuter
metal mixing bowl
wooden spoon
cookie sheet

if no buttermilk add 1tbs vinegar to a scant cup of milk


Preheat your oven to 450

Mix, very well, the dry ingredients into a metal mixing bowl

Slice the butter (cold) into pats over the bowl and then cut the pats into fourths, little pieces, let them drop into the dry ingredients

With your hands pinch the little pieces of butter into the flour, be careful not to heat up the butter in any way and try to have cold hands

With a pastry cutter cut the butter into the flour until the entire surface is coarse with little butter pieces

Add the milk and fold in into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon

Sprinkle your work surface with a bit of flour

When the mixture is mostly stuck together dump it out on your work surface

With the heels of your palms push the dough forward until it looks like a bicycle seat and then fold it into itself, do this around 10 or 12 times until dough is smooth, add flour to your work surface as needed

When dough is ready pat it into a round form and roll it out to about an inch and a fourth, cut the dough into circles and place on your cookie sheet

repeat until all the dough has been formed into biscuits

place on the middle rack and bake for 10 minutes

Enjoy!

Southern Comfort

When I wrote earlier about dishes that call for butter, lots of butter, this recipe sprung to mind. From the great Southern cook Edna Lewis, comes this buttery, warming, tomato dream, so comforting that even if you didn't have a southern granny cooking for you as a child you'll swear this dish brings back memories of her bent over the oven singing to her lil' grandbaby. In some circles I believe this is referred to as scalloped tomatoes, and my mother who is southern says she used to make it with cracker crumbs on top. I used a loaf of sourdough bread that had roasted garlic cloves backed inside and the added garlic was divine, on the side I served a green salad with organic blue cheese dressing. I hope you enjoy this little bit of southern comfort as much as I did.


Also, If you have the temptation to add Parmesan or oregano to this in order to make it Italian, resist! This is butter and tomatoes in their most simplest southern form, delicious.







3 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes in juice
3/4 stick unsalted butter, divided
2 medium onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar, or to taste
8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices good-quality white sandwich bread such as a pullman loaf




Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle. Butter a 3-quart baking dish (about 13 by 9 by 2 inches).

Drain tomatoes, reserving 1 cup juice, then chop.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then cook onions with 1/2 teaspoon salt, stirring occasionally, until golden-brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, allspice, and cloves and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Stir in tomatoes with reserved juice, thyme, brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and briskly simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt remaining 1/2 stick butter and brush onto both sides of bread. Halve each slice.

Transfer tomato mixture to baking dish and top with bread, overlapping slightly. Bake until bubbling and bread is crisp and golden-brown, about 20 minutes.

The Joys of Snacking

So....as you may have noticed I am smitten with food, a preoccupation that leads to a lot of eating, even when I'm not hungry, and especially between meals. I try to eat healthy but then a recipe calls for a half a stick of butter, I'm not someone to deny a dish it's rightful buttery flavor in order to cut calories. But I do snack healthy and I tend to snack raw. This dip is so easy that it will hardly cut into your snack time, it takes about three minutes to create. Bebe carrots, stalks of celery, or any raw vegetable crudites will compliment the heavy Greek yogurt that serves as the base. The raw garlic will give you the energy you need until your next fabulous meal.



1 small container of 1% Greek Yogurt
1 clove of garlic, crushed
Fresh mint, dill, and parsley, chopped
1 half of a radish, diced
salt, pepper

Mix everything up and eat with raw vegetables, Enjoy!

Comfort Food

When your little life is getting kicked in the shins it's time to hole up in the kitchen until the storm is over. Moments like these I like to make a big batch of comfort food, watch movies, and forget my woes. Here is a wonderful and blessedly easy recipe for delicious, healing black bean soup, enough to outlast a week of miserable feelings. The coconut milk gives this soup a silky texture and dreamy taste, add more if you like. Let me know what you think!


Black Bean Soup

1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cans (or 4 cups) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 tbsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne ( to your liking)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup of orange juice
generous grating of black pepper
2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup of coconut milk

2 cups of brown rice
4 cups of water



In a large pot, saute the onions, garlic, celery, carrots, and bell pepper until the onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add the seasonings wait a minute, add the tomatoes and stir to combine mash up the tomatoes for a minute. Add 3 cups of chicken broth and the beans. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, for about 1 hour, adding the orange juice towards the end. If soup is to thick add additional cup of chicken stock. Just before serving, add the coconut milk, and heat through. Serve in bowls with some brown rice underneath. Makes 4-6 servings.

Foul

Don't be put off by the name, foul is an amazing dish that you and yours will enjoy. Foul is a fava bean dip that originally hails from the middle east and is traditionally eaten at breakfast with pita bread.
Here is a fabulous recipe:

1 (15	ounce) can cooked fava beans or 1 1/2 cups cooked fava beans
1	small onion, chopped
3	garlic cloves, chopped
1	large tomato, chopped
1/2	teaspoon chili powder
1/2	teaspoon curry powder
1/2	teaspoon cumin (but season to your own taste!)
1	dash cinnamon (but season to your own taste!)
1	dash cloves (but season to your own taste!)
1	dash turmeric (but season to your own taste!)
1	dash cayenne (but season to your own taste!)
1	tablespoon lemon juice (or to taste)
	salt
1	small potato, peeled and cooked, added when onion is cooking (optional)

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• Low Fat Dip appetizer
  
  
• Egyptian Dip appetizer
  
  
• Beans Dip appetizer
  
  
• Spicy Dip appetizer
  
  

1. First, cook onion in vegetable oil until slightly browned
   
2. Add garlic and cook until fragrant
   
3. Add large chopped tomato and cook until it just starts breaking apart
4. Add spices and lemon juice and stir
5. Add fava beans and salt to taste
6. Leave on low heat for about 15-20 minutes
7. Put in blender and puree until smooth or coursly mash with a fork
   (I like mine thicker than hummus)
   
8. Place in serving dish and drizzle generously with olive oil, parsley, and a little mint
   
9. Eat with pita bread

Enjoy! Let me know what you think.