Tagan's Kitchen

A New Site - The Table Underground w/Tagan Engel

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Thu, 02 Mar 2017 19:00:00 +0000

Announcing - New
RADIO SHOW | PODCAST | WEBSITE

The Table Underground w/ Tagan Engel
Digging deep into stories of food, race,
radical love and creative social justice.

Beautiful people, I am so grateful to each of you who reads and appreciates my posts and so enthusiastically celebrates the joys of good food, meaningful community and the importance of justice and equity in our world. As you may know over the past two years I have not been posting frequently on Tagan's Kitchen. To say life has been full these two years is an understatement. With the partnership of so many people over this time, I built a community kitchen at CitySeed, organized free community-based cooking classes all over New Haven, established a Food System Director position for the City and supported my family through many major life changes. After nearly a decade of doing intensive community-led food justice and organizing work, I was ready for a few changes for the future. My big focus is to bring more joy and balance into my life and to reinvent my food justice and community building work so that it is more manageable for the time I have to give and more creative in nature.

Thankfully, I have found that when I listen to my heart and take a sometimes terrifying leap of faith into the unknown, my new path makes itself clear and I find answers to the question of "what's next?". This time around I had a desire to start telling the story of the community I know and love... food folks and people working on community-building and justice work with radical love and deep creativity. Quite unexpectedly the opportunity to start a bi-weekly radio show and podcast on our excellent community radio station WNHH Radio through the New Haven Independent news site...sort of fell in my lap, and I jumped on the chance. Now, my usual mode of operation is to vision and plan long before starting a new project, especially something so public, but this time, I knew I just had to jump in and figure it out as I went...so that's what I'm doing, and it's ~~terrifying~~ I mean thrilling.

So, what this means for you all, my faithful Tagan's Kitchen readers, or those of you who may have just stumbled upon this site is that all of my future writing, podcasting and delicious photos will now be found on www.thetableunderground.com site. There are new podcasts, recipes, writing and tons of inspirational info on food and justice work in our world. If you are on the Tagan's Kitchen email list, you should start getting emails from The Table Underground very soon. If you are new to the site and want to sign up, just go to The Table Underground homepage, enter your email and click submit.

The first 8 episodes of The Table Underground are up on the site as well as itunes and soundcloud. Links to a few of them are below. Check them all out as well as new recipes on the site and please spread the word! Here's to more good food, radical love and creative social justice! - Tagan

Leah & Naima Penniman on the Heart of Community Building

The Sioux Chef (with Navajo Chef Brian Yazzie)

Radical Love Fuels Youth Activists

Fit & Feast: Two Fab Fitness Trainers & Professional Bakers

Chrismukkah, 3 Religions & Rugelach

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Fri, 23 Dec 2016 11:00:00 +0000

It’s not often that I can cook a bunch of Jewish food and have it satisfy the needs of two holidays in two different religions on the same night. Such is the blessing this year of Chrismukkah: the intersection of Christmas and Hanukkah on the same nights. My family is a mixed faith and mixed race family...but not the usual Jewish/Christian combo.

My parents are Jewish on both sides, but I grew up celebrating xmas through the 80’s at my dad’s house because my stepmother was Christian (but not in any way religious), so the holiday was all about gingerbread houses, decorating the tree, and waking up to presents that magically appeared in beautiful piles. My dad, a Jew who was fond of cooking hams and lobsters the size of our bath tub, often made a cardboard and tin foil Jewish Star of David for the top of the very tall tree, and comically referred to it as a "Hanukkah Bush". He would promptly headed off to make a huge roast beef, baked stuffed potatoes and Yorkshire pudding, a deliciously goyish meal if you ever saw one, to feed the mobs of my stepmother’s family that would come over late on Christmas day. Our menorah here was some candles melted onto a brick leftover from the patio my dad built. I’m not sure candles got lit except for the Thursday night and weekend that my sister and I joined the house over Hanukkah, and there may have been a small gift given on one night, but we were all happy to keep the thrill of presents for the xmas morning piles.

On my mom’s side of the family, where I lived

more days out of the week, and felt deeply connected to my grandparents who were holocaust survivors who had helped lead the largest escape from a Nazi death camp ever, well, it was latkes all the way. We’d sit at the dining room table peeking over to the pile of gifts in the living room, while enjoying crisp golden potato latkes, apple sauce, sour cream, a big bowl of salad, and I have no idea what else, because all I remember was the latkes, apple sauce, the gifts and the candles. A beautiful swooping brass menorah with flames glowing, a 1970’s modern-ish wood version and a stone menorah with roughly chiseled depictions of people woefully carrying the burden of the candle, the perfect Jewish holiday mix of joy and sorrow. These nights were warm and festive and we got to hear

phrases thrown around in Yiddish, Dutch and our mom’s rare singing with a perfect Hebrew accent reminding us of our family’s immigration story.

Fast forward to today, my children know the Hebrew blessings for the candles, but they also know how to give offerings and sing to the Orisa, divinities in the Yoruba tradition, the West African indigenous religion my husband and I have both practiced for over 25 years. It

is a peaceful and simpatico merging of two earth-based religions that works well for us, (and a number of other religiously and racially mixed families we know). You’d think that would be enough for one home, however Christmas is never to be upstaged in the USA, and honestly I don’t really mind as long as the tree and stockings are not in my house. While my husband was raised with political activism and organizing as the household faith, his extended family celebrated Christmas through the AME church on his dad’s side or with piles of Swedish cookies, lingonberries and korv sausage on his mom’s. Which means that Christmas as a festival lives on in my family where we either travel to Brooklyn to see grandma PJ or walk around the corner to auntie’s house, decorate the tree, eat cardamom bread, Swedish cheeses, pickled veggies and is accordance with Nordic tradition, tin upon tin of cookies.

Now, here is where things get good, and where this year especially, the merging of holidays inspires. Weather it’s my Dutch roots or my family’s response to historical trauma, there is a pervasive sweet tooth that runs thick through our veins. So, a holiday (of any culture) that seems to revolve around endless tins of cookies is just about the most appealing thing I can think of and easily gets me in the spirit to celebrate this holiday that both isn’t, and sort of is now mine.

A cookie that I love dearly but rarely make, especially for Christmas, is rugelach. This European Jewish treat, when made right is a chewy, buttery bundle of golden dough, stuffed with jam, cinnamon and finely chopped walnuts. They bake into delectable nuggets that have me savoring my heritage with each bite. I don’t make them often because in addition to being a sticky mess of dough that is a lot of work to handle, they are essentially a block of cream cheese and two sticks of butter with only enough flour and a touch of sugar added to hold them together. Not that I mind a little butter (my

daughter and sister have declared themselves members of the “Butter Club”), but when there are rugelach around, the flavors and nostalgia make them impossible for me to stop eating.

This year, I will happily be filling a number of tins with rugelach, from a recipe I learned at Margaret Palca Bakes, the first professional bakery I ever worked in, in Brooklyn. With the first night of Hanukkah falling on Christmas eve, I think we will be celebrating Chrismukkah by lighting our menorah near the glow of the xmas tree at our Auntie’s house and toasting the night with rugelach pulled straight out of a Christmas cookie tin.

Happy Holidays and Solstice to all of you...

I hope that this time is full of good food, love, and joy. xo Tagan

Cookie Infatuation

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 12:50:00 +0000

I fall victim to the December cookie infatuation every year. It doesn't matter that xmas is not my personal holiday, any month-long celebration of a food group (such as cookies) can certainly not be ignored. Here are a few of my favorites:

Printable Recipe Packet Here & Recipes listed after the jump below

Linzer Tart Cookies
A dough laced with ground nuts and filled with the jelly of your choice.

Chocolate Clusters, Cinger, Cherry & Pumpkin Seed
These are my attempt at something a little healthier but still decadent. These are just nuts, seeds, and dried fruit covered in 70% dark chocolate and sprinkled with coarse raw sugar.

No measured recipe here, just pick an assortment of nuts, seeds and dried fruit, melt some chocolate, mix, spread on a parchment lined pan, sprinkle with raw sugar, cool, and cut.

My favorite combination: Candied ginger (finely chopped) dried cherries, pumpkin seeds, and almonds. Unsweetened shredded coconut and sunflower seeds make excellent and affordable additions.

Brown Butter Rosemary Pecan Meltaways

Rugelach
From Margaret Palca Bakes in Brooklyn
My all time favorite rugelach recipe, from the first bakery I ever worked in!
(Terrible photo by me..;-)

Soft Gingerbread
From Tartine Bakery in San Francisco
A soft, peppery and not-too-sweet, glazed gingerbread cookie.

Shaved Coconut Macaroons
from Alice Medrich
Photo by Food 52
By far the best and easiest macaroon EVER.

Chocolate Brownie Cookies
from Claudia Flemming
Rich chocolatey cookie with that wondering shine and crackle of a good brownie.

Click READ MORE below to see the recipes, including:
- Raw cacoa truffles
- Basic shortbread recipe easily adaptable (including the meyer lemon variation I include)
- Basic sugar cookie you can turn into and shape or patter you like.
Last year I added cocoa nibs and chocolate dip to some, and cherry jam thumbprints to others.

There are so many more I love... semolina date cookies for example....but those will have to wait till next year.

What are some of your favorite holiday cookies?

-->

Cookie Recipes

Compiled and Adapted in 2015 by Tagan Engel

Brown butter Rosemary Pecan Melt-aways

Adapted From the Brown Butter Melt-aways in “The Secrets of Baking” by Sherry Yard

2 sticks unsalted butter

1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, plus up to 1 cup for dusting, as needed

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted

½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

½ cup finely chopped pecans

1. A few hours before you wish to bake the cookies, make the brown butter. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the solids separate and brown to a dark golden color, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool at room temperature, and then chill it in the refrigerator until it is solid.

2. Using a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the brown butter on medium speed until cream-colored, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Add the 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar and the salt. Cream on medium speed until it is smooth and lump free, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle.

3. On low speed, add the flour. Beat until just incorporated. Do not overbeat. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle. Remove the dough from the mixer, wrap it in plastic film and chill for at least 30 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Adjust the rack to the lower third of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Flour your hands. Pinch off pieces of dough and roll them into 1-inch balls. Place the balls 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.

6. Bake one sheet at a time for 12 to 15 minutes, or until light golden brown around the edges, turning the sheet front to back halfway through the baking. Do not overbake, or your cookies will be too dry and crisp.

7. As soon as you remove the cookies from the oven, cover them completely with confectioners’ sugar. The best way to do this is to place the powdered sugar in a strainer and tap it over the cookies on the baking sheet. Let the cookies cool completely before removing them from the baking sheets and serving.

Linzer Hearts

Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups finely ground almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 large egg

2 teaspoons water

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Whisk together the ground nuts, flour, cinnamon, salt and cloves. Using a fork, stir the egg and water together in a small bowl.

2. Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together at medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the egg mixture and beat for 1 minute more. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients, mixing only until they disappear into the dough. Don't work the dough much once the flour is incorporated. If the dough comes together but some dry crumbs remain in the bottom of the bowl, stop the mixer and finish blending the ingredients with a rubber spatula or your hands.

3. Divide the dough in half. Working with one half at a time, put the dough between two large sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap. Using your hands, flatten the dough into a disk, then grab a rolling pin and roll the dough, turning it over frequently and lifting the paper so it doesn't cut into it, until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Leave the dough in the paper, and repeat with the second piece of dough. Transfer the wrapped dough to a baking sheet or cutting board (to keep it flat) and refrigerate or freeze it until it is very firm, about 2 hours in the refrigerator and about 45 minutes in the freezer.

4. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats.

5. Peel off the top sheet of wax paper from one piece of dough and, using a small heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as you can. If you want to have a peek-a-boo cutout, use the end of a piping tip to cut a very small circle from the centers of half the cookies. Transfer the hearts to the baking sheets, leaving a little space between the cookies. Set the scraps aside—you'll combine them with the scraps from the second disk and roll, cut and bake more cookies.

6. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden, dry and just firm to the touch. Transfer the cookies to a rack to cool to room temperature.

7. Repeat with the second disk of dough. Gather the scraps together, press them into a disk, roll them between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, then cut and bake.

8. To dip the cookies, have a baking sheet lined with wax paper at the ready. When the cookies are cool, melt the chocolate chips in a coffee cup or small bowl. Dip one edge of each cookie into the chocolate, letting the excess chocolate drip back into the cup and running the edge of the cookie against the edge of the cup to clean the dipped side, then place the cookie on the lined baking sheet. When all the cookies are dipped, slide the baking sheet into the refrigerator or freezer to set the chocolate.

Storing: The cookies will keep in a covered tin—use wax paper to separate the layers—for about 3 days. They can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Coconut Macaroons

From Alice Medrich

Makes about 22 cookies

4 large egg whites

3 1/2 cups unsweetened dried flaked, not shredded, coconut (also known as coconut chips)

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (available kosher for Passover, or can be omitted)

Slightly rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Combine all of the ingredients in a large heatproof mixing bowl, preferably stainless steel because the mixture will heat faster than in glass. Set the bowl directly in a wide skillet of barely simmering water (if your bowl bobs in the water, simply pour some out). Stir the mixture with a silicone spatula, scraping the bottom to prevent burning, until the mixture is very hot to the touch and the egg whites have thickened slightly and turned from translucent to opaque, 5 to 7 minutes. Set the batter aside for 30 minutes to let the coconut absorb more of the goop.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.

4. Using 2 tablespoons of batter, make attractive heaps 2 inches apart on the lined cookie sheets. (You can also make these smaller and bake for less time, in 1-tablespoon heaps.) Bake for about 5 minutes, just until the coconut tips begin to color, rotating the pans from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking.

5. Lower the temperature to 325 degrees and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are a beautiful cream and gold with deeper brown edges, again rotating the pans from top to bottom and from front to back halfway through the baking time. If the coconut tips are browning too fast, lower the heat to 300 degrees. Set the pans or just the liners on racks to cool. Let cool completely before gently peeling the parchment away from each cookie.

6. The cookies are best on the day they are baked — the exterior is crisp and chewy and the interior soft and moist. Although the crispy edges will soften, the cookies remain delicious stored in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.

7. Upgrade 2.1: Chocolate-Topped Coconut Macaroons. Do this for any version of Coconut Macaroons: While the cookies are still hot, top each with a little piece of your favorite milk or dark chocolate. Or drizzle a little melted chocolate over each cookie.

8. Upgrade 2.2: Coconut Macaroons with Lime Zest and Cinnamon. Stir 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons freshly grated lime zest into the batter before scooping it. Using a fine grater or Microplane zester, grate a little cinnamon stick over the cookies just before serving.

SHORTBREAD (w/ meyer lemon)

Tagan Engel

INGREDIENTS

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling

FLAVOR VARIATIONS (OPTIONAL MIX-INS AND COATINGS)

Mix in grated zest of 2 oranges and 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Mix in grated zest of 2 limes; coat with 1/4 cup cornmeal

Mix in 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots; coat with 1/2 cup finely chopped pistachios

Mix in candied meyer lemon zest from 4 lemons (recipe below)

Mix in 1/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger; coat with 1/4 cup sesame seeds

Mix in 2 teaspoons dried lavender flowers

DIRECTIONS

1. With an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and saltuntil smooth. With mixer on low speed, add flour, mixing just until a dough forms. Stir in desired mix-ins.

2. Divide dough in half; place each half on a piece of floured waxed or parchment paper. With floured hands, gently roll each into a 1 1/2-inch-diameter log. Dividing evenly, sprinkle logs with desired coating if using, rolling log (to help coating adhere) and pressing in gently. Wrap logs tightly in thepaper, and refrigerate until firm, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (To store longer, wrap log and paper tightly with plastic wrap.)

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Unwrap logs; with a serratedknife, slice dough 3/8 inch thick (if dough crumbles, leave at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes). Arrange slices, about 1 inch apart, on baking sheets.

4. Bake until lightly golden around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Icebox Shortbread This recipe makes two logs of dough. The logs can be refrigerated for up to four days or frozen for up to three months (thaw before slicing and baking). To make two flavors with one recipe, divide the dough in half in step 1 before adding mix-ins (and use half the amounts given). PREP: 25 MINS TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 45 MINS YIELD: MAKES 36

Candied Meyer Lemon Peel

4 meyer lemons

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1. Place sugar and water in a small pot and simmer, stirring occasionally until mixture simmers and all the sugar dissolves.

2. While sugar is cooking, use a peeler or pairing knife, slice the skin from the lemons cutting off as little of the white pith as possible. Lay each slice of lemon on a cutting board use a thin pairing knife to slice off any white pith attached to the skin.

3. Slice the lemon peel into desired size. Place in the simmering sugar syrup and simmer on low until peels are translucent. Peel can be removed from the syrup, cooled and then added to cookie batter or other dish. Peel can be stored in the sugar syrup, and lemon sugar syrup can be used to make drinks or other treats.

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

From The Last Course by Claudia Fleming of Gramercy Tavern

1/4 C AP Flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 C sugar
1/2 TB brewed espresso
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
5 oz. best quality 70% extra-bittersweet chocolate
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
3/4 C. mini semisweet chocolate chips or chopped regular sized chips.

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl

3. In an electric beater bowl fitted with a whisk attachment whip eggs until foamy. Add vanilla, espresso and sugar and beat on high speed until thick for about 15 minutes.

4. While eggs are beating, melt bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate with the butter in a double boiler, microwave or in a bowl over a pan of water.

5. Gently fold melted chocolate into thickened egg mixture. Mixture should still be streaky. Fold in flour. Fold in chocolate chips.

6. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls (or use a truffle scoop) onto prepared baking sheets leaving an inch or two between cookies. They don't spread too much.

7. Bake for 8 or 9 minutes until puffed and slightly cracked. Cool on a wire rack before removing them from baking sheet.

SUGAR COOKIE PINWHEELS AND STRIPES

From Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, plus an extra egg white for "glue"

3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

5 cups flour, plus more for work surface

2/3 cup milk

1/4 cup cocoa powder

Food coloring, in various colors

Directions:

1. Using the electric mixer, mix the butter and the sugar until creamy. Add the eggs and the salt, and mix well. Beat in milk and vanilla. Add flour a little at a time, mixing it in until all of it has been incorporated.

2. Divide the dough into balls, one for each color. For chocolate dough, add cocoa (1/4 cup is enough to flavor half a batch). Mix well with electric mixer. For colored dough, start with 1/4 teaspoon food coloring, and mix well. Add more in tiny amounts for darker colors. Gel-paste coloring can be intense, so add it gradually.

3. Wrap each ball of dough in its own sheet of plastic wrap; pat flat into a rectangle. Refrigerate at least one hour or until ready to use.

4. Parchment or waxed paper makes a good work surface. Sprinkle generously with flour, then roll out each piece of dough 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick to make the swirls; you can use thicker layers for the bull's-eyes.

5. The bench scraper is a good tool for trimming dough's edges to make them even. The egg white, brushed on with a pastry brush, will act as a glue, making the layers stick together.

6. For center: with your hands, roll chocolate dough into a 1/2- to 1 1/2- inch-thick rod; chill 20 minutes. Place rod on edge of rolled-out dough that's been brushed with egg white. Roll rod inside sheet of dough. Cut the dough where it meets up. Seal by pinching and pressing gently. Chill 20 minutes, then repeat to add other layers. To decorate, go to step 7, or jump to step 8 for plain. For spirals: measure and trim two or more colors of dough to same size. Brush on egg white, then stack layers. Brush top with egg white. Starting at one end, roll up the dough.

7. Smooth and straighten the layers as you roll them so there are no gaps, then gently pinch and press the edge of the roll to seal it. Now the dough is ready to decorate. If you want plain cookies, skip to step 18.

8. Add your favorite toppings (try coconut, colored sanding sugar, chopped nuts, or chocolate sprinkles): Spread topping in baking sheet, brush dough with egg white, and roll the log in topping.

9. Roll each log in parchment or waxed paper; twist the ends of the paper closed. To help the logs keep their round shape, set each in a cardboard paper-towel roll that you have sliced open lengthwise.

10. To remember what colors you have already used, with crayons, draw the designs onto key tags; tie the tags onto thepaper covering the logs. Chill logs until they are solid, about 1 1/2 hours.

11. Cut 15 inches of dental floss (or double thickness of thread). Let log soften for about 10 minutes. Remove parchment. Wrap floss around log and pull through. Make the slices thin: 1/4 inch or less.

12. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place slices on an ungreased baking sheet (lined with parchment paper). A grown-up should bake the cookies 12 to 15 minutes, until firm but not browned. Let cool on baking sheet for several minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Raw Cocoa Walnut Truffles

Delicious, easy and raw, gluten free, and refined sugar free!

1 1/2 cups Medjool dates
2 cups Walnuts
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (raw cocoa or regular cocoa)
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt

Options for coating (pick one or a few):
1/3 cup cocoa for rolling truffles

1/3 cup cinnamon

1/3 cup shredded coconut (raw or toasted)

1/3 cup finely chopped nuts

Some ideas for flavoring:

Cinnamon, clove, ancho chili pepper

Cardamom, orange zest

Peppermint oil

Candied ginger

Remove pits from dates. Put dates in a bowl and cover with warm water for 5 minutes.
Chop nuts in a food processor until fine (coarse if you like). Place in a bowl.
Remove dates from bowl and reserve water. Place dates in the food processor with cocoa, vanilla and a pinch of salt. Pulse until mixture is smooth. Add a spoonful or two of reserved date water if the mixture is too thick to blend. Add walnuts and pulse once or twice to incorporate. Add any flavor options you like.
Using a teaspoon or very small ice cream scoop, portion the mixture into small scoops on a piece of waxed paper. Roll the balls between your hands gently to form a smooth ball. Quickly toss each ball in the cocoa (or other coating). Place truffles in tiny muffin papers if desired. Store in an air tight container. Will keep for 2 weeks at room temperature.

Rugelach

adapted from Margaret Palca Bakes

makes 80 cookies

14 tablespoons butter

8 ounces cream cheese

2 cups flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup Jam or jelly of your choice (apricot or raspberry are the classics)

1 1/2 cups walnuts or pecans finely chopped

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Line 3 baking pans with parchment paper or butter very well. Cream butter and cream cheese till very fluffy, add sugar and flour until well combined.
Split into 5 rounds*, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight. Lightly flour one dough round at a time and Roll out between two sheets of wax paper, about 10 or 12 inches in diameter.
Mix nuts, cinnamon and sugar together. Blend jam in a food processor or melt and cool it to make it easy to brush onto the soft dough.
Working with one round at a time, brush with a thin layer of jam, and sprinkle with crushed nuts mixture. Cut round into 16 wedges (like a tiny pizza), roll them up from the outside edge inwards and place on baking sheet.
Bake at 350 till very golden. I didn't time these, but I think about 18 minutes or so... Must cool completely to come off of parchment paper.

Soft Glazed Gingerbread
From Tartine
Makes 12 to 20 cookies depending on size of cutters

-->

Dough
3¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. cocoa powder
4 tsp. ground ginger
1½ tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1¼ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup + 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 large egg
½ cup blackstrap or other dark molasses
2 tbsp. light corn syrup
Glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp. water

To make the dough:

1. Stir together the flour, cocoa powder, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy. Slowly add the granulated sugar and mix on medium speed until the mixture is completely smooth and soft. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg and mix well. Add the molasses and corn syrup and beat until incorporated. Stop the mixer again and scrape down the sides of the bowl.

3. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until a dough forms that pulls away from the sides of the bowl and all the ingredients are well incorporated. Remove the dough from the bowl, flatten it on a large piece of plastic wrap into a rectangle about 1 inch thick, cover the dough with the plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

To Shape:

· Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick liner. Unwrap the dough and place on a floured work surface. If using a plaque with a design, roll our the dough 1/2-inch thick, lightly dust the op with flour, press your cookie molds over the dough, and then cut out the shapes with a small knife and place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Alternatively, using the mold as a guide, cut around it with a small knife, flip the mold over so the design is facing you, and place the dough over it, pressing it into the design. Unmold the shapes onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between them.

· If using a patterned rolling pin, lightly dust the lined baking sheet with flour and transfer the dough to the pan. Lightly dust the top of the dough with flour and roll it into a rectangle about 1/3 inch thick with a plain pin. Then, using the patterned pin, roll over the dough with enough pressure to ensure a clear impression of the design. Trim the sides with a small knife. It is not necessary to cut into smaller sizes before baking.

· Bake the cookies until lightly golden along the sides but still soft to the touch in the centers, 7 to 15 minutes. The timing will depend on the size of the individual cookies, or if you have made a single large patterned piece that will be cut after baking.

· While the cookies are baking, prepare the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and water until smooth.

· When the cookies are ready, remove from the oven and let cool on the pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes. Then, while the cookies are still warm, using even strokes, brush a light coat of glaze on the top of each cookie, evenly coating it. Let the cookies cool completely. When the glaze dries, it should leave a shiny opaque finish. If you have a used a patterned rolling pin to make a single large plaque, cut into the desired shapes with a small very sharp knife. The cookies will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for about 2 weeks.

Moroccan Spiced Chili & Green Tomato Zhoug

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Wed, 19 Oct 2016 18:00:00 +0000

All summer I witness friends from all parts of the globe gush over the hot weather while I hide under hats and try to survive the heat. The shift to cool weather brings me great relief and ironically, warms my heart and my kitchen. I love bundling up in scarves and cozy sweaters and shifting from the refreshing cold salads and meals of summer to the steamy stews of fall and winter. This recipe is rich in spices and a huge hit (with kids and adults) every time I make it. Last winter I cooked this recipe on the TV show CT Style to promote the CitySeed Winter Farmers' Market, and locally grown foods (the meat, canned tomatoes, cooking greens, onions and squash were all available from CT farms through the winter months). This is one of those recipes that people always ask me for while they're eating it, so it's about time I shared it here.

Last week I cooked this up but left out the chili pepper so the younger kids at the table would eat it, but didn't want the rest of us to suffer for the lack of heat, so I made up a last minute spicy green tomato condiment to stir in. It was one of those inventive moments where I lacked the main ingredients for a recipe (in this case, cilantro and parsley for the Yemeni condiment zhoug), but realized I had plenty of green cherry tomatoes in my garden which added a bright tanginess to the rich red spiced stew and transformed the sauce into an entirely new thing. I'm including that recipe below as well.

Moroccan Spiced Chili with Winter Vegetables

Recipe courtesy of CitySeed, Inc.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions, finely diced

1 pound ground beef, lamb or small diced stew meat

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground coriander

½ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (or to taste)

2 teaspoons sea salt (or to taste)

One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes

½ cup French lentils (grey green lentils that do not mush when cooked, or substitute 1 can chickpeas)

1/2 small winter squash (such as butternut or acorn) cut into ½-inch cubes

2 cups water

2 cups frozen or fresh chopped greens such as spinach, collards or kale

Instructions

1. In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the oil. Brown the meat and break it into small pieces. As meat starts to brown add diced onion and sauté with meat until translucent. Add garlic and spices, continue cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

2. Add the tomatoes, water and lentils and stir, scrapping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add diced squash and simmer 20 minutes more or until squash is tender and lentils are cooked through. Add finely chopped greens and cook a few minutes more until tender. Adjust seasoning as needed. If you have the time, you can cook this chili slow and on low heat for a few hours, stirring occasionally, and adding the greens a few minutes before you are ready to serve.

3. Optional: serve the chili with yogurt and cilantro or parsley (or the Green Tomato Zhoug below).

Green Tomato Zhoug

This spicy salsa type condiment is inspired by a Yemeni green sauce called zhoug which consists of garlic, chili peppers, cardamom, caraway seeds, cilantro and parsley, salt and olive oil.

4 cloves garlic

Seeds from 3 green cardamom pods, ground (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom)

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/2 small fresh chili pepper or dried chili to taste

8 green cherry tomatoes or 2 green tomatoes

Using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, first grind the garlic, salt and spices into a paste. Quarter cherry tomatoes or chop the large tomatoes, add to the garlic paste and pound or pulse until the desired texture is reached. Adjust seasoning as desired.

Do you have a favorite chili recipe? Please share below!

The Creative Process of Crafting a Menu

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Fri, 23 Sep 2016 01:52:00 +0000

Last Friday I got a call from a friend and colleague who works at the Yale Sustainable Food Program asking if I'd like to cook lunch on their farm the following Tuesday for visiting chef Jorge Rausch and 15 guests. While I have been trying to say "No" a lot more often, this sounded fun and inspiring, so I said "Yes". As soon as a meal or event is proposed, my brain starts storming with menu ideas and inspirations. It's involuntary, constant, and I'm pretty sure genetic, given the glorious habits on both sides of my family to talk incessantly about food and menu planning.

For this menu, I started by looking up Chef Jorge Rausch, who I'm sad to admit I did not know about before this event. He happens to be the cousin of a chef friend of mine in New Haven, CT, Avi Sazpro, owner of Roia, but more famously, he is the Columbian chef/owner of one of South America's 50 best restaurants and a pioneer on eating lion fish, an invasive species that is destroying coral reefs in the Caribbean.

My first menu planning instinct was to think about local invasive species and how I might incorporate them into the menu. However, I am not an expert in plant or animal invasives, and while I am aware of a few of them (primarily through my friend Bun Lai's work as the Chef and owner of Miya's Sushi restaurant), I didn't have easy access to (or much time to go foraging for ) these plants, seaweeds or crabs/fish. Additionally the cooking and refrigeration facilities in the open-air farm kitchen are very limited, so I decided to do a vegetarian lunch to avoid complicating the food handling logistics, so fish and crabs were out.

My next thought was to work with indigenous ingredients such as corn or corn meal which are used through all of the Americas in distinct ways. Columbian cuisine is well known for their various types of arepas or cornmeal pancakes, and a northeastern version of this would be a Johnny Cake, which could be a great inspiration for a menu. After thinking this through, I vetoed it for two reasons:

1. Despite some searching, I have not found many corn varieties being grown that are native to this state, and have also not found any indigenous corn varieties being dried and ground for corn meal.

2. Arepas are a living evolving and varied cuisine in and of themselves in Columbia, and across many parts of Southern and Central America. While I don't doubt that I could do something deliciously fun with their Johnny Cake counterpart for lunch, without an indigenous corn variety or special traditional recipe, this menu component seemed like a replication of something more popular in the chef's home cuisine than a real reflection of indigenous cuisine from Connecticut.

Next, my food loving brain jumped into my own personal food history, both ancestral and through lived experience and I started imagining Jewish (both ashkenazi and sephardi) foods done with seasonal ingredients (apples and honey for the upcoming Rosh Hashanah holiday for example), maybe an assortment of recipes representing the predominant cultural groups on New Haven (African, Puerto Rican, Italian etc...) but it felt nearly impossible to chose which cultural groups to represent and then which recipes to riff off of.

So then I started to listen to the underlying obvious menu that was arising when I thought about the farms we would be sourcing ingredients from, the confines of the kitchen, the predicted 80+ degree "fall" weather for that day and my own desire for fun, flavor, texture and color with little surprises to entice diners, but not distract them from the purpose of the lunch: to gather together to commune and learn over a good meal in a beautiful natural setting. After a little more contemplation I realized a seasonal "farm to table" based meal, with some of my own cultural influences was actually a perfect example of the current state of American cooking and just the right thing to prepare for our visiting guest chef.

I decided on a cold soup, with both an early fall and jewish twist - beets (rather than a tomato based gazpacho) and a little chili pepper added for delicious heat, signaling more the middle eastern and sephardi Jewish cuisine, mixed with a borscht type soup more reflective of ashkenazi recipes. However, the soup was topped with roasted corn, a nod to the all important corn crops of this hemisphere, and some pickled red onions for contrast both in flavor and texture.

I couldn't resist making my favorite nut and seed based bread, and including farmer's cheese, another nod to my eastern european jewish roots. Two versions of the cheese were served, one cheese I made from fresh milk and topped with roasted tomatoes and garlic, the other I purchased and topped with locally raised honey I infused with black pepper and fresh rosemary (I sort of a sucker for condiments and encouraging people to taste, sample, spread...and work a bit for their meal).

For dessert, I scooped up the last few damson prune plums I could find, even though we were on the cusp of apple season, and used them to make another dish I often associate with my Jewish heritage, but is actually common across Europe, a plum tart. For this version, I added cornmeal to the crust for fun and a bit of lemon zest, sugar and a sprinkle of cornstarch under the fruit, to sure up the juicy filling so it would be easy to pass and serve during the conversational meal.

It was an incredibly satisfying meal to serve. The weather was gorgeous, the farm and out door kitchen glorious, the number of people very manageable, and the ingredients were fresh, delicious and inspiring. It felt like a gift from my heart to share this food and my seasonal inspiration with a very hard working chef visiting our country, and big table of very appreciative and hungry students. Inspiration well executed, delicious food and a full heart, menu planning gone wonderfully right.

Final menu:
Chilled Beet Soup with Roasted corn and pickled red onions
Pumpkins seed and walnut bread
Farmer's Cheese two ways
w/ roasted tomatoes&
w/ rosemary black pepper honey
Plum Tarts with flaky cornmeal crust

Chilled Beet Soup
8 servings

3 Leeks (or white onions)
1/3 Celery root, peeled and diced (about 1 cup diced)
2 Carrots
3 Medium potatoes
4 Pounds beets (about 9 beets)
1/4 Fresh red chili pepper
8 Cups water
Salt to taste
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon Butter (optional)

Whey (from the making fresh farmers' cheese is optional)

If not using whey, use the juice of half to one whole lemon, to taste after soup has cooled.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub beets with oil, place them in a baking dish. Cover with foil or a top and bake until tender, (you can test by inserting a sharp knife into them). The time for this can range from 40 minutes to over an hour depending on the size of the beets. (You could also peel beets, chop and simmer with the other root vegetables later in the recipe if you would prefer).
Let the beets cool until you can handle them. Use your hands or a dish towel you don't mind turning pink to rub the skins off, use a knife to trim root end off. Cut beets into large pieces.
While beets are cooking, sauté leeks, celery root, carrots and chopped chili pepper in a few tablespoons of olive oil (and butter if you like) until leeks are tender and translucent. Add eight cups of water, potatoes, salt, simmer until potatoes are soft. Add chopped beets, simmer 10 minutes more. Puree soup until smooth. Optional: Return to heat and simmer 5 minutes longer and puree again to make it even smoother. Adjust seasoning to taste.
Chill. Serve cold or at room temperature with roasted corn and pickled red onions, recipes below.

Simple Condiments
Roasted Corn with Herbs: Shuck the husks and silks from the corn. Roast over an open flame, or even on an electric coil burner, turning as the kernels brown or char slightly. Cool enough to handle, and cut kernels from the cob with a sharp knife. Toss with a drizzle of oilve oil and any herbs you like. I used Marjoram and thyme because they were growing outside my back door....

Quick Pickled Red Onions: Slice one red onion in thin half circles. Press into a jar with a lid. Fill jar half way with a light color vinegar, white is fine, and another quarter of the way with water. Add salt and or sugar to taste, about 1 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons sugar (adjust this to taste). Put top on and shake well till sugar and salt are dissolved. Let sit for 15 minutes or longer, shaking periodically. Onions will turn bright pink. They can be held in the fridge for 2 weeks.

Me, Chef Jorge Rausch, Farmer Jeremy Oldfield (Yale Farm)

Transformation and Life-Giving Food

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 02:35:00 +0000

It has been a heck of a year since I posted here on my beloved blog. It has been a time of transformation and trying hard to maintain balance. Over the past year I helped both my dad and my step mother pass on to the realm of the ancestors. My grandmother, a 93 year old holocaust survivor had to be moved out of her home, and has gone through periods of reliving her traumatic past and trying to adjust to her new present. As a part of the New Haven Food Policy Council I spearheaded the effort to establish a Food System Director position for the City of New Haven, with the final phase of hiring coming in the next few weeks. I stepped down from the Council after eight years, but am helping to establish this new position. I finished building a teaching and business incubation kitchen at CitySeed, the non-profit I work for, with an enormous amount of community support. I assisted with the opening of the new Culinary Academy at ConnCAT. I took a sabbatical from work last summer to revive my spirit and go waterfall hunting with my family. I have taken a necessary step back from some of the time and emotionally intensive political and community organizing work I have been doing for all of my daughter's eight years of life. I joined the board of Soul Fire Farm an amazing family farm in NY, focused on dismantling oppression and healing through food, community and liberation. I started exercising again. I smile more. I stop by to stare at the ocean more. I don't email while I'm hanging out with my children any more. I have more attention and love to give to my own heart and to my husband. Phew.....that's a lot!! While things are not always easy, and there is always more growing and learning to do, over all I have less stress. I am happier.

For all of this I am grateful. Spending a year helping my father die was sad, healing and also life-giving. I had to slow down and focus on what was important. I was already starting to do that, but his getting sick really affected me. Early morning walks/jogs were also healing for my body and spirit. I started to exercise without judgement or expectation, which meant that I did it more, and did it with joy. As part of healing my body I also started to cut out some of the sweets and bread that I gravitate towards when I'm stressed. I came across this incredible nut bread in the midst of all of this change, and it brought me joy. It was referred to as a "life changing loaf of bread" on the My New Roots site I found it on, and I would have to agree with that title.

This "bread" has no flour in it, only nuts, seeds, psyllium husk & chia seeds for fiber and binding, oats, water, coconut oil or ghee, maple syrup and a little salt. You mix that all together, let it sit in a parchment lined bread pan overnight, bake part way in the pan, then turn out on the oven rack and finish baking. Thats it. I swapped out the sunflower seeds for pumpkin seeds, I favor them with hazelnuts, but any nut will do, and I only eat these bread slices well toasted and crisp on the edges.

Here is the recipe with slight variations from the original. I hope that you enjoy this bread, and that you are enjoying your life more each day.

"The Life-Changing Loaf of Bread"Makes 1 loaf

Adapted from www.mynewroots.org

note: this bread is officially gluten free if you make it with oats labeled "gluten free"

Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin seeds

½ cup flax seeds

½ cup hazelnuts or almonds

1 ½ cups rolled oats

2 Tbsp. chia seeds

4 Tbsp. psyllium seed husks (3 Tbsp. if using psyllium husk powder)

1 tsp. fine grain sea salt (add ½ tsp. if using coarse salt)

1 Tbsp. maple syrup (for sugar-free diets, use a pinch of stevia)

3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil or ghee

1 ½ cups water

Directions:

1. Combine all dry ingredients, stirring well. Add maple syrup, oil and water to the dry ingredients and mix very well until everything is completely soaked and dough becomes very thick (if the dough is too thick to stir, add one or two teaspoons of water until the dough is manageable).

2. Line a bread pan with parchment paper, foil or use a silicone pan. Pour all of the nut mixture into the pan and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon. Let sit out on the counter for at least 2 hours, or all day or overnight. To ensure the dough is ready, it should retain its shape even when you pull the sides of the loaf pan away from it it.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C.

4. Place loaf pan in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove bread from loaf pan, place it upside down directly on the rack and bake for another 40 minutes. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before slicing (difficult, but important).

5. Store bread in a tightly sealed container for up to five days or in the fridge for up to two weeks. Freezes well too – slice before freezing for quick and easy toast!

What is bringing you joy these days?

Homemade Yogurt, Finally!

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 15:49:00 +0000

I have tried a few times to make homemade yogurt, but rather than jars of divine creamy yogurt, I ended up with soupy sour milk. It's an expensive experiment if it doesn't work right. Thanks to a conversation with my friend Leah of Soul Fire Farm this summer, I learned a new technique that is turning out perfect yogurt every time, (two quarts for the price of a half gallon of milk, much cheaper than store-bought, and no containers to recycle). I often use Farmers Cow milk which is a local CT dairy cooperative of small farmers, or organic or milk from grass feed/pasture raised cows so it is hormone free.

The key to this successful recipe is holding the yogurt mixture overnight in a cooler filled with extra bottles of hot water to keep the temperature warm enough for the good bacterias added to the milk to work their magic and turn into yogurt. Many traditional recipes say to wrap the warm milk mixed with starter in towels and keep in an oven with the light on, but even in summer, this was not warm enough in my house to make the yogurt thicken.

Good yogurt is filled with probiotics which are naturally occurring good bacterias that help our bodies digest food and fight off germs and infections. My daughter recently had to take antibiotics for Pneumonia, and we have been making sure that she eats or drinks yogurt, sometimes with extra probiotics mixed in, every day, to balance the effects of the medication which kills all bacteria in your body both good and bad. Yogurt and other naturally fermented foods like sauerkraut or kimchi also contain probiotics which are great for your health.

Hope you enjoy this and try out this simple recipe at home!

Homemade Yogurt
makes 2 quarts yogurt

1/2 gallon milk
1/4 to 1/2 cup plain yogurt
4 quart sized jars (or the equivalent)

Heat up a half gallon of 2% milk (you can use whole milk if you prefer) to 180° - measure this with a cooking thermometer. Remove from heat and let cool to 110°.

While the milk is cooling, boil a big pot of water and place your jars and lids in it to sterilize by boiling for 10 minutes or so. Prepare a cooler by lining it with dish towels. Fill two of your jars with the boiling water from your sterilizing pot, screw the tops on the hot water jars and place them in the cooler. This is going to keep the cooler warm while your yogurt develops.

When the milk has cooled to 110° stir the plain yogurt into the milk thoroughly. Pour into two sterilized quart-size mason jars, screw the covers on, and place in ithe towel lined nsulated cooler with the jars of hot water. Wrap the towel over all the jars and close the cooler tightly. Let sit for 8 to 12 hours. Place set yogurt in the refrigerator to chill. Save a little of this yogurt as starter for your next batch. ENJOY!!!

Sorry the pictures are not laid out well, but they should give you an idea of the process!

Please share your tips and techniques for homemade yogurt (or other treats) below!

Some Holiday Treats

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Sun, 21 Dec 2014 03:00:00 +0000

It is that season of sweets, treats and things cooked in oil so I thought I would pull together a few of my favorites off my blog from the past few years and throw in a some delicious recipes that have peaked my attention from the food realm for my own holiday table this year. I have not been posting as frequently as I used to (sorry!), life has many demands right now, but I am still getting to it once and a while, so keep checking back, or sign up in the side bar to the right for automatic notification of new posts.

Happy Holidays and Winter Solstice

I hope you are all warm, surrounded by love and well fed

- Tagan

Click the links below for recipes and more info

Holiday Cookies and Treats:
Rugelach, Raw Cocoa and Walnut truffles, Honeycomb Candy and Cardamom Bread (a Swedish Xmas treat)

Doughnuts (Sufganiot for Hanukkah)

Latkes
While Hanukkah is almost over, Sunday is a perfect day to mix up another batch of Latkes!

Orange Pepper Spiced Almonds
Spiced nuts are a great addition to the holiday cookie assortments. Satisfying, hearty and a nutritious balance to all the sugary sweets this season can offer up.

Clove Spiked Oranges - Pomanders: a fragrant holiday decoration

Smitten Kitchen has been posting some fabulous cookies and holiday treats this year, check out her blog. The crescent jam and cheese cookies looked especially good to me.

What are some of your favorite holiday or cookie recipes?

Happy Holidays!

Apple Slab Pie

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 12:18:00 +0000

If you have made it out to any apple orchards this season (or if you are just buying big bags of apples from the grocery store) and are wondering what to do with the abundance of fall, this is a delicious and easy fall treat you can make: Apple Slab Pie. You don't have to get caught up in making a perfect looking pie crust, just take some pie dough (or good frozen puff pastry if you are feeling lazy) roll it out a little bigger than the size of a sheet pan, fill it with some of your favorite fall apples (or pears) a little sugar if you want, some spices and a few pats of butter. Bake and you are done. It makes a wonderful dessert for a crowd, and has a great fruit/crust ratio. I served this up with maple sweetened whipped cream, but greek yogurt, ice cream, or cheddar cheese are all great too. Happy Fall!

Apple Slab Pie
Some people consider a slab pie to have a top crust, and some might call this a gallette, either way, it is a rustic free-form pie and easy to make...enjoy!

Full recipe pie dough (recipe below)
10 apples (about 4 pounds) -a mix of sweet and tart apples are great
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon clove or cardamom
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh grated if you have it)
1/2 cup light brown sugar (or other sweetener that you like)
4 tablespoons butter
1 egg - beaten
coarse sugar for sprinkling

Make pie dough (below) and chill for one hour or over night.
Preheat the oven to 400°. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 1 inch bigger than the size of your sheet pan. It shouldn't be more than 1/4 inch thick in any spots. Prick the bottom of the pie shell all over and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
Peel and slice apples into 1/2 inch wedges. Toss with spices and sugar.
Remove dough from fridge. Spread apples evenly over the crust leaving a 2 1/2 inch border all the way around the edge. Using your fingers, dot the apples with the butter. Fold the edge of the crust over the edge of the apple filling, crimping a bit in the corners if necessary.
Brush the top of the crust with the beaten egg, and sprinkle with coarse sugar (regular granulated will work fine if that is what you have).
Place pan on the bottom or middle to bottom rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes in the 400° oven until dough starts to brown slightly. Turn heat down to 350, continue baking until apples are tender, and the crust is dark golden brown about 40 minutes more. Check the bottom of the crust using a spatula if possible to see if it is browning (and not burning). If needed, move to the top rack of the oven to cook apples and not burn the bottom of the crust. Serve warm or at room temperature.

My Favorite Pie Dough

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or part whole wheat flour or wheat germ)

2 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 cup ice water

1 teaspoon vinegar (white or cider)

Cut butter into 1-inch pieces and place in the freezer for 15 minutes. Measure and sift all of the dry ingredients. In a mixer, food processor or using two forks, cut the butter into the dough until it is the size of larger peas or small grapes. Some larger sized piece of butter are good, just pinch them flat.
Add the ice water and vinegar and mix dough till combined, dough should be tacky, but not sticky. If the dough is crumbling apart, it is too dry, add a spoonful more water. Gently form the dough into a rectangle, about 1 inch thick, wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for one hour or over night longer until well chilled. Dough can be frozen and then thawed as well.

If you have tons of apples (or pears) and want some other ideas, check out this delicious
Apple Crisp with Cider and Spiced Prunes.

Pizza from the Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Sat, 27 Sep 2014 12:01:00 +0000

When I pass pizza dough in the Italian market or even the whole wheat ones at Trader Joe's it is often hard for me to resist. I love making my own dough, but this bag of pre-made dough makes for a super quick weeknight dinner and is so much cheaper than ordering pizza.

Pizza From the Garden
To make Pizza, put the cold dough onto a well oiled sheet pan and cover with plastic wrap. let sit in a warm area until it is very soft and has risen considerably. Press the dough out to the edges of the pan with your finger tips. Top with whatever you like and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven.

The pizza pictured is rubbed with olive oil, dotted with fresh ricotta cheese, herbs, finely chopped kale, and sliced tomatoes from the garden (big red onions and tiny sun gold cherry tomatoes) and sprinkled with some Pecorino Romano cheese. Bake until golden on the edges, rotating pans to different racks in the oven as needed to cook the bottoms and tops evenly.

Do you make pizza at home? What else do you do with pre-made pizza dough?

The End of Summer: Meals from the Garden

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 11:59:00 +0000

First I must apologize that it has been a long while since I have written anything for my blog. I have missed it, and missed sharing food and thoughts with you all. I have been trying to create more balance and joy in my life and staying off my computer and spending more time with family and doing things like art and dance have been key to that shift. Writing and blogging about food also bring me so much joy, so now, I am getting started again so stay tuned for more posts and let me know if there is anything you are wanting to hear/learn about.

Since it has been a while, I thought it would be nice to share what has gone in my garden all summer. As usually it is an over crowded and weedy (but productive) bunch of raised beds and a beautiful tangle of tomato plants I generally refer to as the "Tomato Forest". In spring I can never believe that the tomato plants will actually get as large as they do, and want to plant as many of them as possible.

Mostly we eat copious amounts of salad from our garden, fresh greens, cucumbers, numerous kinds of tomatoes and herbs, but there are occasional zucchini heavy cooked recipes and many kinds of raw or cooked kale dishes like the Pumpkin Seed Pesto Pasta below and the Pizza from the Garden here. I hope you all have had a rejuvenating summer and gotten to eat some delicious food along the way. It is nice to be back. - Tagan

Dinner on the front stoop: in the summer our dinning table grows into a family game table/paper collection spot, and all meals take place outside. At dusk the backyard often has too many mosquitos (yes there are mosquitos in the city) so we often eat on the front stoop, dragging out big bowls of food and cold bottles of water, on occasion our cutting board makes it out there piled with fresh sliced deliciousness from the garden, making us feel rich in it's abundance.

Sliced Tomatoes with Crispy Onions and Garlic: cook onions over medium low heat in plenty of oil and salt until light golden, add garlic cook until tender and onions are nicely browned, drizzle over fresh cut tomatoes, serve with anything.

Pumpkinseed Pesto (below with Kale and Pasta): Finely chop or puree toasted pumpkin seeds, good olive oil and a little salt, add basil and any other greens you have (kale is good but has a strong flavor, spinach is great as it has a mild flavor and makes a bright green pesto), pulse or chop until you have a fine paste. Add either finely grated cheese (Romano is my favorite) or miso if you don't want dairy, add a little lemon zest and adjust the salt and pepper and you are done. Obviously pesto is great on pasta, but it's also great with eggs and on toast.

One last gem are the little pumpkins and gourds that volunteered themselves from our compost this year. We spread the seedlings around the garden in spring and wondered what kind of squash would appear, amazingly we got little oval pumpkins, ghost white gourds and carnival squash.

A gift from the garden, and pure joy for the family. When I look out the window onto my backyard garden I am overcome with gratitude for the food it provides and the blessing of this little piece of land in my life.

If you have a garden or dream of one, please share your favorite foods...

Pie Contest & Block Party Benefit Friday August 1st!

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 10:00:00 +0000

The 2nd Annual Pie Contest & Block Party to raise money for CitySeed's Food Stamp Double Value program! Friday August 1st 6-8pm, Orange St @ Crown St. New Haven CT!

Get your tickets HERE: Adults $15, Kids $5

All proceeds to benefit the Food Stamp Double Value on fruits and vegetables at the CitySeed farmers markets and Mobile Markets in New Haven.

Register your pie and get your FREE PIE MAKER TICKET HERE

Check out all the pie making details on the website as well as some pie recipe inspirations.

Last year we had 86 pies and an amazing party with DJ Tootskee, free Ashley's Ice Cream, activities for kids and great cocktails by 116 Crown!

See some pictures from last year's event HERE.

Sound like fun? Want to help by volunteering to serve pie, ice cream or do set up? email: mastercooks@cityseed.org

And, Blueberries and Peaches will be in season, so get picking, and then baking!!!

Can't wait to see you there!!!

Delicious One Ingredient Ice Cream

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Thu, 22 May 2014 09:36:00 +0000

I have a distinct memory from when I was about 12 years old of being in my neighbors third floor apartment, a large white heavy-duty juicer on the counter, frozen bananas going in one end and the most amazing soft-serve "ice cream" coming out the other. I have always thought of that moment as pure magic. I wondered for years if my brain had tricked me, that it wasn't just frozen bananas and a juicer that produced that amazing creamy dessert; there must have been some other ingredient or trick involved. A few years ago at the Brooklyn Flea Smorgasburg food market, I came across a tent with nothing but frozen banana ice cream, and I stood transfixed as my memory was played out in front of me exactly as I remembered, bananas and a juicer = banana soft-serve. I bought a cup full, and the cool, silky, yet almost fluffy ice cream was as delicious and thrilling as I remembered.

Now the type of juicer you need to create a flowing stream of banana soft-serve is a Champion Juicer, which is one costly piece of equipment I do not happen to own. A quick search online will uncover lots of folks making banana ice cream with a food processor, so I tried it and it worked great. This involved a little more bowl scraping to help the banana's blend, but once it got going, I was left with an incredibly creamy delicious treat. Scooped into some ice cream cones, it was a delectable memory come to life...and a great first ice cream of the season.

Banana Ice Cream
This one ingredient ice cream is a great base for any flavors combinations you love. Try adding some ground cardamom or ginger, a little cocoa, peanut butter, frozen raspberries or Khalua.

One Ingredient Banana Ice Cream
Serves 6

6 Bananas

Food Processor

Peel and slice bananas into 1 inch pieces.
Place bananas on a tray or plate to freeze in a single layer for at least 2 hours,
Put frozen sliced bananas into a food processor, plus and then blend until the mixture is very creamy, scraping down the sides as needed to get the mixture going round. This may take a few minutes and a lot of scraping, but it will eventually become smooth and creamy.
Scoop and eat immediately.

Below is a version we made recently: Burnt Sugar Banana Spice Ice Cream... (banana, coconut milk, burnt sugar caramel, cocoa, cinnamon and nutmeg).

Do you have any favorite unusual summer treats? Please share below!

Gougéres

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 10:12:00 +0000

Before it gets too hot to turn on the oven, you might want to make these delicious treats....

Gougers are like huge savory cream puff pastries, crisp on the outside, custardy and eggy on the inside. They are made from a cooked pate choux dough which is one of those recipes french people think is difficult, but it is actually pretty simple, so don't be intimidated. This recipe does require a stand mixer, although if you are up for a workout, you could probably do it by hand.

Gourgéres are often made small, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter for an appetizer or snack, but I first came across these huge ones at Tartine Bakery in San Francisco in 2005. They were about 5 inches in diameter with crisp melted cheese adorning their tops. I went home, got the cookbook (as a gift from my wonderful mother in law) and made them, and they didn't disappoint. This batch I baked last summer and stuffed like a sandwich, inspired by an incredibly red tomato from my garden. I didn't have nearly enough cheese in the house to replicate the ones I saw at Tartine, but they were still delicious. I also made a tray of small puffs for us to munch on while we prepared lunch, as I knew we wouldn't be able to keep our hands off them.

Gourgéres with Gruyere & Thyme

Adapted from Tartine

Choux Pastry

1 1/4 c nonfat milk or water

10 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tsp salt

1 cup flour

5 large eggs

3/4 Cup Gruyère cheese, grated

1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

1 tbsp fresh thyme, minced

Topping

1 large egg

pinch salt

grated Gruyère for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a baking sheet or silpat.

Combine, milk or water with butter and salt in a saucepan over medium heat. Wait for the butter to melt. Turn off heat. Add flour all at once. Stir, stir, stir. Lumpy mush will become a nice smooth ball after a minute or so of stirring.
Transfer dough to a stand mixer. Add paddle attachment. Add egg one by one at medium speed. Make sure to incorporate egg before adding the next. After all the eggs have been added, mixture should be thick, smooth, and shiny.
Add Gruyère, pepper and thyme by hand using a rubber spatula.
Using a piping bag or a scoop make 3 inch rounds of batter on a lined baking sheet spacing them at least 2 inches apart as they will puff when they bake. To make small ones, pipe or scoop 1 inch rounds onto a separate pan as the cooking time is shorter.
To make topping, whisk 1 egg with pinch of salt and brush over each pastry. Lightly sprinkle each pastry with a little cheese.
Place pastries in the oven immediately and bake until they are puffed and browned...around 35-45 minutes (25-30 minutes for small ones). As soon as you remove them from the over, poke each large pastry with a toothpick a few times to release some steam to avoid them collapsing. Serve warm if possible. Or let cool completely and place in an airtight container. Recrisp the puffs at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.

Tartine Bakery Website Here

This recipe is from the Tartine Cookbook #1 which is an all around wonderful book.

The third cookbook Tartine Bread was released not too long ago and also has some incredible recipes.

Sunday Supper Remixed w/Bryant Terry April 13th 3-5pm

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 10:00:00 +0000

Hope you can join us for this exciting event! The talented Chef, activist and artist Bryant Terry will be with us to launch his new book AFRO-VEGAN- Farm Fresh African, Caribbean & Southern Flavors Remixed. There will be a fabulous community pot-luck, a cooking demo, music, a Feast For the Future Visioning activity and so much more. It's s chance to gather and build positive community, celebrate culture, eat, learn and be together!!! Bryant will be cooking up his Tofu Curry with Mustard Greens, and there will be lots of great dishes from community members to share. I'm planning to make Bryant Terry's Cocoa Spice Cake (probably a mini cupcake version), and maybe an Afro-Brazilian Moqueca (coconut milk stew). The Fabulous Nadine Nelson of Global Local Gourmet will be making some Black Eyed Pea Caviar from Afro-Vegan as well.

Photo credit to Paige Green, all pix from Afro-Vegan. From top right, clockwise: Cocoa Spice Cake, Glazed Carrot Salad, Summer Kebabs with Pomegranate Peach Sauce, and Tofu Curry with Mustard Greens.

The photo above is from Bryant's Feast for the Future installation at the Chicago conference of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. We will be building our local Feast for the Future altar. If you are planning to attend on Sunday, you can contribute something personal that connects to your culinary history or traditions, a cooking tool, or even a blessing or wish that you are inspired to add when you arrive (all items will be returned to you at 5pm). It will be beautiful.

New Haven area folks, if you plan to attend and would like to cook one of Bryant's recipes, I'll post one below, and you can also google many of his recipes online!

For local folks, see you Sunday!

For those of you around the country, Bryant Terry is on a book tour and may be headed your way, check out his schedule here.

From AFRO-VEGAN by, Bryant Terry

All-Green Spring Slaw:

green cabbage, green peas, sugar snap peas, celery, pumpkin seeds, parsley, chives

Soundtrack: “Mobius Streak” by Hiatus Kaiyote (Dufrane Remix) from TAWK TAKEOUT (Tawk Tomahawk Remixed)

This dish is my modern take on classic coleslaw. The delicate flavor of the green peas and sugar snap peas make this an exceptional dish, and the crunch from the celery and pumpkin seeds is extremely satisfying. The tangy dressing is top-notch too, so reserve any extra to use on another salad.

Dressing
1/4 cup silken tofu
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt sea salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Slaw
3 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1/2 cup shelled peas (about 8 ounces peas in pods)
8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed and thinly sliced lengthwise
2 stalks celery, strings removed and thinly sliced diagonally (see note)
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds, toasted (see sidebar, page xx)
1/2 cup packed chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1 tablespoon finely grated lime zest

To make the dressing, put the tofu, lemon juice, mustard, vinegar, garlic, and salt in a blender and process until somewhat mixed. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil and process until creamy. Taste and season with more salt if desired.

To make the slaw, put the cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt. With clean hands, massage the cabbage until soft and wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a colander and rinse the bowl. Put the colander in the sink, put a plate atop the cabbage, and weight it (a 28-ounce can of tomatoes works well). Let sit for 1 hour.

Rinse the cabbage under cold water, then squeeze with clean hands to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer back into the bowl and add the shelled peas, sugar snap peas, celery, and pumpkin seeds. Pour in enough dressing to lightly coat the vegetables. (start with 3 tablespoons). Toss with clean hands, then taste and add more dressing as desired (reserve any extra for another use).

To serve, with clean hands transfer the slaw into a serving bowl, leaving any juices behind. Garnish with the parsley, chives, and lime zest.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

SO EXCITED FOR SUNDAY!!

SEE YOU AT BEULAH HEIGHTS CHURCH 782 ORCHARD ST 3-5PM!!

Buttermilk Scones

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Sat, 22 Mar 2014 10:00:00 +0000

This is definitely the messiest batch of scones that have ever come out of my oven, but truthfully, what does mess matter when they taste so good? Crisp sugared edges, buttery, slightly sweet interior with fragrant steam of anise and orange mixed into the batter. Scones are deceptively luxurious, as really, they are so easy to make. It's the same process as making biscuits, cutting cold butter into flour until it's broken into little pieces, adding liquid, mixing only enough to pull the dough together, cutting and baking. Once upon a time every mother, grandmother auntie and even a few uncles knew how to do this. It's a skill that has been replaced with refrigerated cardboard tubes barely containing the dough ready to burst from inside, filled with five times the number of ingredients needed, leaving the average shopper feeling there is some mystery to making a biscuit, something you can't just do at home.

And so we are here. Like so many other culinary skills I savor, a totally basic recipe that once you make a few times, will vanquish the fear and open up a world of possibility, a food that's quick, versatile, and delicious; a gift you can whip up to treat your family and neighbors who have yet to walk behind the velvet curtain revealing the simplicity that is scones and biscuits.

This scone recipe comes from a great cookbook from Julia Child that came out in the 90's when I was just entering the professional culinary world. It is among the early wave of photo rich cookbooks that helped to birth the realm of celebrity chefs and cookbooks of today, those books you want to pour over nearly as much as you want to eat the foods described within. Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan is a collection of recipes from great bakers across the country, and some of the base recipes, like these buttermilk scones are gems. My standby favorite additions are anise, lemon or orange zest and currants, but really you can add nearly any combination of flavors you like: citrus, dried or fresh fruits, ginger, spices or shredded coconut. You could even go savory by reducing the sugar to 1 tablespoon and adding cheese, olives or herbs.

This batter is very wet, so flour your counter well before turning out the dough, handle the dough as little as possible, leaving the small chunks of butter to melt in the hot oven resulting in flaky pockets of rich steam and deliciousness. A simple pleasure you will now be able to enjoy more often.

Above: unbaked scone, bits of butter layered within the dough are what make the final product so tender and flaky.

BUTTERMILK SCONES

Recipe by Marion Cunningham

from Baking with Julia by Dorie Greenspan (with my notes and adaptations)

3 cups all-purpose flour (part whole wheat, corn meal or oat flour is great too)

⅓ cup sugar (I use 1/2 cup)

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

1 ½ stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup (approximately) buttermilk*

1 tablespoon grated orange or lemon zest (optional)

½ stick unsalted butter, melted, for brushing (I generally use a few tablespoons of cream or 1/2 & 1/2)

¼ cup sugar, for dusting (I use turbinado sugar or "Sugar In The Raw")

Other additions might include:

1 tablespoon anise seeds

1/4 cup dried fruit like currants, raisins or shredded coconut

1/2 cup small or diced fresh fruits

candied ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg or other spices

savory additions work to, just reduce sugar to 1 tablespoon and add things like cheese, fresh or dried herbs, olives, curry or other things you like.

* If you don't have buttermilk, you can substitute 1 cup of any kind of milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar or 3/4 cup milk with 1/4 orange juice.

Preheat oven to 425°, and position the racks into thirds in the oven.
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium size bowl. Add the cold butter and mix it with your hands until it resembles coarse cornmeal. You could also use a pastry cutter, but your hands are really the best option. (I use my electric mixer with the paddle attachment.) It's OK if there are a few bigger pieces of butter remaining because they add to the flakiness of the scones.
Pour in the buttermilk and the zest and mix with a fork or rubber spatula until it is just combined. Do not be tempted to mix it until it looks pretty! The original recipe says to knead a few times, but I just scrape the dough onto a floured counter and gently pull it together. If it is too dry, you can add 1 tablespoon more milk.
Shape the dough into a long rectangle about 3 inches from front to back of counter, 1 inch high and about 18 inches left to right. Using a chefs knife or bench scraper, cut from front to back across the 3 inch length of the rectangle angling from right to left in a zig zag resulting in triangular scones.
Place the scones on a baking sheet, lined with parchment, brush them with melted butter or cream, and sprinkle with a little bit of coarse sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until both the tops and bottoms are golden rotating in oven if necessary. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool slightly.

For freezing: you can make these up until the point of cutting them into triangles. Freeze on a cookie sheet, then transfer to a air tight bag or container. To bake place scones on a baking sheet while oven is preheating. Bake following instructions above, but increasing baking time slightly (time will vary).

Do you have a great scone or biscuit recipe? Please share!

Brazilian Countryside Breakfast: Avocado, Oats & Molasses

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Sat, 08 Mar 2014 11:45:00 +0000

I know this looks and sounds crazy, but trust me it is delicious! Take 1/2 a ripe avocado, mash it with a fork and scoop it into a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup RAW rolled oats, drizzle with molasses. Mix molasses into oats and enjoy the molasses covered oats and the rich creamy avocado together in each bite. I first ate this in Brazil deep in the countryside of Bahia in 1994. Avocados are eaten primarily as a sweet food there, the whole left by the pit filled with condensed milk, or fresh molasses; or blended into milk shakes called "vitaminas". Do yourself a favor and try this combination for breakfast, it is a huge favorite in our house!

Have you come across other fun and unusual breakfasts abroad?

The Love of a Good Egg

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Thu, 27 Feb 2014 11:23:00 +0000

More than a few of my best childhood food memories (of which there are many) involve eggs. A soft boiled egg broken over torn pieces of buttered toast, the yolk soaking into the buttery bread; my father making "Egyptian Eyes" essentially an egg in a hole, a triangle shaped hole reminiscent of the pyramid with the eye on a dollar bill; or the tiny fancy egg cups and little spoons my dutch grandmother had for us.

My love for eggs has risen and fallen over the years. These days it's by far on the up swing with my family eating two or three dozen a week. Yes really. Eggs are one of the least expensive types of protein, rivaled maybe by beans, but they are far more versatile and quick to cook, so eggs make it into many of our meals, breakfast, lunch or dinner. A number of years ago I started reading about how egg laying hens are treated in factory farms an was totally disgusted, so now I mostly buy organic or certified humane eggs as well as eggs from small local farms when I can. Some of the grocery store eggs are from big farms like Pete & Gerry's in New Hampshire (the medium sized ones are usually much cheaper) and some are from local farmers at the CitySeed Farmers' Markets, or when I'm lucky from my mechanic's wife at Aquilla Motors Garage down the street....

Yes, homegrown eggs at our urban gas station, lovin' it!

While humanely raised eggs are more expensive than the bargain priced cousins, when I think about how many meals we can get out of a dozen costing $2,50 or even $4, and how the chickens were not feed animal byproducts and kept in tiny cages, well, it makes me actually want to eat them.

One of my favorite staple egg dishes is rice and beans with a fried egg on top. I love the richness the yolk adds to the dish. Similarly, if we make rice and stir fried or roasted vegetables for dinner, topping it with a fried egg and some good hot sauce transforms the dish and adds some much needed protein.

Another great stand by meal (for breakfast, lunch, or dinner) is an Omelette. Some chefs will wax poetic about the sill needed to cook the perfect Omelette. Don't worry about making it perfect, or if it browns a little (like mine did accidentally) just find some good eggs, and some delicious fillings, sautéed greens and cheese, scallions, fresh tomatoes, zucchini and thyme...whatever you have on hand and a pinch of salt and pepper...It's a quick, delicious, affordable and healthy meal.

Making the perfect soft boiled eggs is also a bit tricky. I find that you have to test it out with a specific pot, burner size and amount of water, all of those factors influence how quickly the egg will go from soft to medium to hard. In general, I cook an egg for one minute at a simmer, and it is soft, but if I use a different pot, I may get a slightly uncooked egg or a medium cooked egg.

So here's to hoping that more folks start eating eggs for dinner. It's a great quick alternative on those nights when you might have been tempted to get take out or eat not so healthy packaged foods.

If you are looking for a fun but slightly sweet breakfast or dessert with eggs, check out this puff cake with fruit.

Please share your favorite egg dishes!

Oatmeal Take Two: Caramelized Banana and Hazelnuts

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Fri, 14 Feb 2014 11:09:00 +0000

There have been many cold mornings when the thought of oatmeal for breakfast reminded me of gruel or watery plain congee; bland and totally unappealing. Maybe it was the years of eating oatmeal and peanut butter for breakfast at 6am, before heading in to work at a restaurant, or to teach; a functional breakfast, filling, cheap, and easy. I took a multiyear break from eating oatmeal as a regular breakfast item, which must have been a good decision, because suddenly it has reentered my life, reborn and deliciously adorned, like a grown-up fancy cousin, not the plain jane I once knew.

The thing about this upgraded oatmeal is that it is still simple and delicious; the toppings really take so little time to prepare, but they make such a difference. I generally add some chopped nuts or nut butter to my oatmeal to add protein, and if I have it, any kind of fruit so there is something fresh, and a natural, unrefined sweetness. I almost always add a sprinkle of cinnamon, which lends a bit of sweetness, and occasionally a little drizzle of honey or maple syrup. The easiest toppings are things that don't have to be cooked, like strawberries, shredded unsweetened coconut, walnuts and honey, or diced apples, almonds and dates. On a weekend morning I give it a little more time and sauté some bananas with butter and maple syrup, and caramelized some hazelnuts in the same mixture, making a sweet warm decadent addition to the bowl. When I'm in a rush and I need to save the few pieces of fruit in the house for my kid's lunch or snack, a handful of raisins, cooked up plump with the oats, a big spoonful of peanut butter on top, a drizzle of milk and honey make for one of my workday winter favorites.

Caramelized Banana & Hazelnut Oatmeal
Serves 2
Prepare plain unsweetened oatmeal (recipe below)
Make toppings while oats are cooking

2 ripe bananas. peeled
1/2 cup hazelnuts (whole or chopped)
3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey (you can use less if you want)
2 tablespoons butter (or less if you want)
pinch salt
milk (any kind)
cinnamon or other spices optional

The Nuts: Generally I add a slice of butter (less than 1 tablespoon), a drizzle of maple syrup or honey (1 to 2 tablespoons) and a pinch of salt to a frying pan set over medium heat. Simmer until butter and syrup are mixed and let them bubble and start to caramelize, about 1 minute. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn. Add a handful of whole or chopped hazelnuts. Stir frequently cooking until nuts are well coated and starting to brown. Remove nuts into a bowl or plate and set aside.

The Bananas: Add one tablespoon of butter to the frying pan right after you remove the nuts, (no need to wash it out). Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of maple syrup on honey, a pinch of salt and any spices you like. While this is bubbling over medium heat, slice 2 peeled bananas in half across the middle and then along the length. Place them in the bubbling syrup and butter. Cook until browned slightly on one side, turn over and cook on other side. If the caramel starts to get too dark, you can add a few drops of water. The bananas will start to soften, so handle gently.

To Complete: spoon one serving of oatmeal into a bowl, top with caramelized bananas and nuts. Drizzle a little milk of your choosing (cow, almond, rice etc...) around the edge. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon if you like. Enjoy.

Basic Oatmeal - Serves 2
1 Cup Rolled Oats*
2 Cups Water (can use 1/2 milk or almond milk if a creamier oatmeal is desired)
pinch salt (optional)

Combine oats and water in a pot. place over medium high heat, bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer oats. Stirring occasionally.
Cook until oats are cooked through and soft. You can adjust water to make your oatmeal thinner or thicker, depending on how you like it.

*If you have quick oats you can use the same ratio of oats to water, but they will cook much quicker. If using steel cut oats, you need 1 cup oats to 3 or 4 cups of water. Check out this recipe for how to cook them.

Really I think almost any fruit or nut is wonderful on oatmeal. Mango and strawberries are particularly delicious and beautiful...sadly we ate that bowl before any pictures could be snapped... Medjool dates, melted butter and almonds make for a deep rich version, perfect for these cold winter mornings.

What are your favorite oatmeal toppings? Please share!

Mochi, Another Chinese New Year Treat

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 12:37:00 +0000

As you may have discovered from my blog, I have a bit of a sweet tooth. This particular treat, Mochi or pounded sweet rice, rises above many in my heart, so much so that my husband started calling me "Mochi Lady" more than 13 years ago, and still does to this day. This post is rather long, which might give you an idea of just how much I love mochi. And, while the chewy, sticky texture of this lightly sweetened rice cake is not so familiar to most Americans, it is something worth exposing yourself too at least once!

Mochi is a not too sweet treat, made by people in almost every country in Asia, and is one of the foods eaten on Japanese and Chinese New Year, which are this month. Various types of cooked glutinous rice or sweet rice flour are pounded or mixed to make a sticky mochi dough which is most often filled with sweetened red bean paste, but may also have an assortment of fillings (like the ones I bought pictured above), with chopped peanuts and coconut, lotus seed, sesame paste, taro or other fillings. The red bean variety is often available in take-out sushi restaurants in the USA, as well as any Asian market in either the refrigerated or dry good self area.

The skillful process of pounding glutinous rice into mochi has become a bit of a spectacle, showing up on japanese game shows and tons of youtube videos, like the one below, keep watching to the end to see the incredible speed they hit!

Many years ago a friend of mine from the Philipines, knowing of my love of mochi, shared an incredible homemade treat made by her family back home, and sent to her in a care package. It was a seasonal specialty in the Philipines: early spring mochi made from the first grains of fresh green spring rice, pounded, sweetened and flattened between two sheets of plastic. It was an amazing, chewy, slightly sweet, nutty and fresh, handmade by her family and sent half way around the world. It was a gift I will never forget! I could not find any photos or recipes on google exactly like what I ate that day, but this is somewhat similar: How to Make Kalamay na Pinipig

Over the years I have made mochi at home only a few times. Once from fresh sweet rice which I soaked overnight, steamed and then "pounded" using the paddle attachment in my stand mixer. Last year, I decided to try using the Mochiko rice flour (pictured in the box at the top). I do not have a microwave, so followed the stovetop directions for cooking the mochi dough. Here is a good video for a Korean style mochi, and she shows how to make the red bean filling using adzuki beans.

Below are some pictures of my mochi making adventure with my kids, who share my love of mochi. First we made the red bean filling and scooped it into small balls ready for filling the mochi dough. Then made our dough from the glutinous rice flour, and tinted it pink with a few drops of food coloring.

Below: cutting the dough into 1 1/2 inch squares, then filling them with red bean paste, pinching the dough closed and rolling the mochi round and flat.

To make Red Bean Filling:

Put one cup of adzuki beans in a heavy pot with 3 cups of water, cover and bring to a boil over medium high heat for 10 minutes.

Lower heat and simmer for about 1½ hours.

If the beans haven’t softened after 1½ hours, add more water and cook over low heat until they are soft and can be well mashed.

Mash the beans with a wooden spoon (or food processor) until smooth.

Put the beans back into the pot and add ¾ cup light brown or raw sugar, ¼ tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 2-3 tbs rice or corn syrup.

Stir with a wooden spoon over low heat until the sugar is dissolved and the paste looks a little shiny.

Using spoons, divide the bean paste into one inch balls (or smaller depending on the size mochi you want to make.

To make Mochi:

Mochiko is the only brand of glutinous rice flour I have seen in the USA. You must use glutinous or sweet rice flour for this, regluar rice flour will not work. Most recipes online use a microwave, you can do that if you like. I made mine on the stove top and it was great.

3 Cups water

1 box (16oz or two cups) Mochiko glutinous rice flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

pinch salt

2 drops food coloring if desired.

Put water, sugar, salt and food coloring in a pot and bring to a boil.
Stir in Mochiko flour and simmer stirring constantly, until the dough forms a thick smoth paste, about 3 minutes.
Sprinkle the counter with tapioca or corn starch and spread the dough our sprinkling the top with starch as well.
Cool and cut into squares for filling with red bean paste, or anything else you like. shredded coconut and peanuts are a great combination too!
Mochi must be eaten within a day or two, and should be kept at room temperature, it will get hard if refrigerated.

There are many other kinds of mochi, which if you decide you like it, you can start to discover. For Americans, there is this variety that you can find in most health food stores. I was raised eating this type, toasted and topped with a little butter and maple syrup, a New England twist.

I usually keep sweet rice or glutinous rice in the house, since when it is cooked or steamed you get sticky rice, which we love as well. It can be turned into little balls and sprinkled with sesame, or rice seasoning, which makes a great treat for little (or big) kids.

Have you had mochi? What do you think?

New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 11:54:00 +0000

It's only been a few weeks since the new year started, but to be honest, it feels like months have gone by. I love new beginnings and special holidays with family, so I feel sort of nostalgic for the holiday just past. Lucky for me, I celebrate four new year holidays each year, and each in a different way: Western New Year, Chinese New Year, Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and my birthday (personal new year). Chinese New Year is coming up later this month, and I am working on a post about Mochi sweets which are traditionally eaten on this holiday, but to start getting you inspired for this holiday, I thought I'd include this post about homemade dumplings, which we sometimes make for Chinese New Year, Western New Year...or just for a fun dinner.

The dumpling "skins" or dough (bottom right above) can be found at any asian market, but often in a good regular grocery store at the end of the produce isle, near the tofu. You can fill these with whatever finely chopped ingredients you like, tofu, vegetables, meat and add some garlic, scallion, grated ginger, salt or spices. Steam boil or pan fry and your are done.

It's a bit of a messy project, but great fun for kids or a party night with friends. One of my favorite kids books describes family dumpling making, Mochi, and New Year in the most wonderful way "Dumpling Soup" is well worth the read!

I don't really use a recipe when I make dumplings. I toss together different ingredients that I might have in the fridge and season as I said above with garlic, ginger, salt and spices. The typical fillings I use are: tofu (pressed and crumbled), scallion, blanched mung bean sprouts, finely chopped mushrooms, or shredded carrot. Traditionally, the dumplings are made with pork, if you'd like you can use any ground meat, season it well, and fill dumplings with a small spoonful in the middle, use your finger to wet the edge of the dough with water, hold the dough in half and pinch it tightly closed, overlapping the seam as you go. If that is too complicated, you can just fold them in half and pinch the edges together.

Once you have made a batch of dumplings, you can steam, boil or fry them. I served these up with some sautéed pea greens from the Asian Market, totally out of season for the north-east in the winter, but a joy to eat, and a great way to start another new year.

Here are some links to some traditional dumpling recipes:

Steamed Vegetable Dumplings (Zhengjiao)

Homemade Chinese Dumplings - Jiao Zi - This has great photos to show how to pinch the dumplings closed.

For dipping, you can buy a "dumpling dipping sauce" or make your own by mixing: 2 crushed cloves of garlic, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons Chinese rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, 1 teaspoon hot chili oil (or other hot sauce)

Beyond this, get creative: sweet, savory, curry, sweet potato, banana and chocolate..... whatever your heart desires.

UPDATE 1/29/14: Check out my friend and cousin, Nadine Nelson of Global Local Gourmet demonstrating how to make delicious Golden Chicken Spring Rolls.

So, are you going to make some dumplings...or did this scare you off

and you're headed to the store to just buy some?

Four and Twenty Black Birds Pie Book

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Sat, 14 Dec 2013 11:00:00 +0000

As some of you might know I have a particular sweet spot for pie. So, when my dear friends showed up at my 40th birthday party with the new Pie Book from the famed Brooklyn pie shop Four and Twenty Blackbirds, well, I was pretty darn happy. Conveniently, this occurred the week just before Thanksgiving, so I thought I'd swap out my favorite pie dough this year and try out theirs, and let's just say I we were not disappointed! It is a very similar recipe, including the vinegar, but theirs has a bit more, and they spoon the ice water in 2 tablespoons at a time. The dough is tender, flaky and delicious. (If you want to check out my other favorite pie dough recipe click here.) What is amazing is that they make all ther dough for their pie shop by hand, including cutting in all the butter! I found that I could cut the butter in with a paddle attachment to my mixer just fine, but adding the water by hand a tablespoon or two at and time works great.

Here is the link to the Four and Twenty Blackbirds shop: and their new new Pie Book which would make a wonderful gift for any avid or aspiring baker. The step by step instructions and photos are extremely well done.

Four and Twenty Black Birds All Butter Pie Crust:

Author Notes: This is one of our staple crusts used at the shop. It's also featured in a variety of our pies included in THE FOUR AND TWENTY BLACKBIRDS PIE BOOK. - ElsenEM

Makes dough for one single-crust 9- to 10-inch pie or tart

1 1/4cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2cup cold water
2tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2cup ice

Stir the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl.
Add the butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture using a bench scraper or spatula.
With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain (a few larger pieces are okay; be careful not to overblend).
Combine the water, cider vinegar, and ice in a large measuring cup or small bowl.
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture, and mix and cut it in with a bench scraper or spatula until it is fully incorporated.
Add more of the ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, using the bench scraper or your hands (or both) to mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining.
Squeeze and pinch with your fingertips to bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of the ice water mixture, if necessary, to combine.
Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to give the crust time to mellow.
If making the double-crust version, divide the dough in half before shaping each portion into flat discs.
Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.

This Pie Party blog post has some great links to fun pie recipes too. Below is a cherry berry pie based on this cherry pie recipe form Melissa Clark. Mine is a mix of raspberries, blueberries and cherries cooked in a tart pan. Hope you make some time for delicious pie baking this winter! it's a great excuse to turn the oven on!

And...please share your favorite pie recipes!

Easy Cheesey

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 11:00:00 +0000

I kid you not when I say this is the easiest cheese to make ever! I whipped this up in just a few minutes before my guests arrived, so keep it in mind for a last minute pot luck dish or special addition to a holiday party. The recipe had been hanging on the side of my fridge for nearly 9 months. My son had brought it home from his after school program at Common Ground- urban farm and school (it was written in crayon in huge letters, if that helps you overcome the idea that cheese making has to be hard). This fresh cheese is a type of farmers cheese, soft and un-aged (as in it is only minutes old!). To make this, all you do is heat milk to 180 degrees, stir in vinegar, pour the curds through a thin clean dish towel, chill and enjoy. That's it!

Easiest Fresh Cheese

1/2 gallon milk

1/2 cup vinegar

1. Heat milk to 180 degrees F

2. Add vinegar, stir. Milk will curdle and the curds and whey will separate.

3. Line a colander with a thin clean dish towel and pour the curds and whey in. Let the whey drain off. You can gently squeeze the remaining whey from the curds by twisting the dish towel, or just let it hang for a while.

4. Separate cheese into two balls and season as you desire with salt, pepper, or any spices or herbs.

For this party I made two small balls, one surrounded by roasted cherry tomatoes and thyme (the last from my garden a little while back). The other cheese, I seasoned with salt and pepper and smothered with honey. Citrus zest would be a great addition to this cheese as well. For winter when tomatoes are lacking, you could also pair this with chopped spiced nuts like these Orange Pepper Almonds or roasted delicata squash.

The only downside to this cheese is that it uses a lot of milk. An entire half gallon of milk only yields two small rounds of cheese...which makes me think deeper about why cheese is so expensive.....

Do you have any homemade cheese recipes? Ideas for fun party appetizers? Please share!

Holiday Cookies & Treats

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 02:58:00 +0000

Not being Christian is a small hurdle to overcome when holiday sweets are at stake. I love that Christmas time brings about mass cookie making around the country. Family recipes, regional specialties and old time favorites emerge. Many years ago when I first met my husband we visited his mother's family in upstate NY; tins of cookies filled the house, old Swedish favorites, with lots of butter, nuts and cardamom, and much like my first evening spent in Brazil many years before, where I was handed a bowl of thick dulce de leche caramel and a spoon, my heart was overcome with sweetness and I was in love.

This year for a holiday party I decided to make my all time favorite cookie, which conveniently happens to be of the Jewish variety, and one I haven't made for years. This recipe for rugelach (the cookie pictured above) comes from the first bakery I worked in in Brooklyn in the mid '90s: Margaret Palca Bakes. We made cookies and cakes in a tiny kitchen and shop on the ground floor of her family brownstone in Carol Gardens. The treats were sold at places like Dean and Delucca, and the rugelach were by far the most buttery, chewiest, most wonderful rugelach I had ever had. Her secret is using powdered sugar in the dough, along with the usual cream cheese. I hope she doesn't mind me posting the recipe here, all these years later!!

I put chocolate in some of these (see below), but I think they were better with only the jelly and nuts for the filling!

Rugelach

adapted from Margaret Palca Bakes

makes 80 cookies

14 tablespoons butter

8 ounces cream cheese

2 cups flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup Jam or jelly of your choice (apricot or raspberry are the classics)

1 1/2 cups walnuts or pecans finely chopped

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Line 3 baking pans with parchment paper or butter very well. Cream butter and cream cheese till very fluffy, add sugar and flour until well combined.
Split into 5 rounds*, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight. Lightly flour one dough round at a time and Roll out between two sheets of wax paper, about 10 or 12 inches in diameter.
Mix nuts, cinnamon and sugar together. Blend jam in a food processor or melt and cool it to make it easy to brush onto the soft dough.
Working with one round at a time, brush with a thin layer of jam, and sprinkle with crushed nuts mixture. Cut round into 16 wedges (like a tiny pizza), roll them up from the outside edge inwards and place on baking sheet.
Bake at 350 till very golden. I didn't time these, but I think about 18 minutes or so... Must cool completely to come off of parchment paper.

* You can make 2 or 3 rounds in a batch and keep the rest in the freezer for later if you like.

Here are some other great holiday treats from years past:

Cardamom bread - this recipe could be made even more delicious by adding a layer of almond paste to the center before braiding.

Cocoa Walnut Raw Truffles - a delicious, beautiful and healthy sweet, just nuts, cocoa and dates. Again, you could alter this recipe by adding some spices like cinnamon, clove or cardamom, citrus zest, or by switching the type of nuts for a wide variety of fabulous truffles.

Honeycomb Candy - an all around amazing sweet.

Do you have any fabulous cookie recipes or family favorite holiday treats? Please share!!

Sufganiyot - Hanukkah Doughnuts

noreply@blogger.com (Tagan Engel) — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 03:09:00 +0000

The synchronism of Hanukkah and Thanksgiving this year, was really just a bit too much for me. As much as I love pie and latkes, I don't really need to eat them together, or even in the same weekend. So it is pretty crazy to think that at this very moment on the 6th night of Hanukkah, a Monday evening, only 4 days after Thanksgiving, I am preparing doughnut dough and re-setting my Thanksgiving table for 12. An impromptu party with some of my childhood friends and their kids for a fun Hanukkah night.

I couldn't really bring myself to make latkes again, and I hadn't made any doughnuts yet (Sufganiyot are the Israeli jelly doughnuts often made on Hanukkah). I invented this doughnut recipe a few years back by altering a basic challah recipe, which is pretty similar to a yeasted doughnut dough. If I can muster any more energy, I just might thaw some of my summer strawberries and make fresh jam to fill these bad boys.

If you are still in the mood for Latkes this year, here is my recipe.

Happy frying.
Tagan

Tagan's Kitchen

A New Site - The Table Underground w/Tagan Engel

Announcing - New RADIO SHOW | PODCAST | WEBSITE

The Table Underground w/ Tagan EngelDigging deep into stories of food, race, radical love and creative social justice.

Chrismukkah, 3 Religions & Rugelach

Cookie Infatuation

Linzer Hearts

Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

INGREDIENTS

FLAVOR VARIATIONS (OPTIONAL MIX-INS AND COATINGS)

DIRECTIONS

Chocolate Brownie Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 375. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment.

2. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl

3. In an electric beater bowl fitted with a whisk attachment whip eggs until foamy. Add vanilla, espresso and sugar and beat on high speed until thick for about 15 minutes.

4. While eggs are beating, melt bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate with the butter in a double boiler, microwave or in a bowl over a pan of water.

5. Gently fold melted chocolate into thickened egg mixture. Mixture should still be streaky. Fold in flour. Fold in chocolate chips.

6. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls (or use a truffle scoop) onto prepared baking sheets leaving an inch or two between cookies. They don't spread too much.

7. Bake for 8 or 9 minutes until puffed and slightly cracked. Cool on a wire rack before removing them from baking sheet.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Moroccan Spiced Chili & Green Tomato Zhoug

The Creative Process of Crafting a Menu

Transformation and Life-Giving Food

Homemade Yogurt, Finally!

Some Holiday Treats

Apple Slab Pie

Pizza from the Garden

The End of Summer: Meals from the Garden

Pie Contest & Block Party Benefit Friday August 1st!

Delicious One Ingredient Ice Cream

Gougéres

Sunday Supper Remixed w/Bryant Terry April 13th 3-5pm

Buttermilk Scones

Brazilian Countryside Breakfast: Avocado, Oats & Molasses

The Love of a Good Egg

Oatmeal Take Two: Caramelized Banana and Hazelnuts

Mochi, Another Chinese New Year Treat

New Year

Four and Twenty Black Birds Pie Book

Easy Cheesey

Holiday Cookies & Treats

Sufganiyot - Hanukkah Doughnuts

Announcing - New
RADIO SHOW | PODCAST | WEBSITE

The Table Underground w/ Tagan Engel
Digging deep into stories of food, race,
radical love and creative social justice.