No-Knead Bread Redux - Perfect Rye with Caraway

I rhapsodized about the beauty of the no-knead bread method in this post, but truth be told, the original proportions and timing works best with white flour. I on the other hand love rye bread with caraway seeds.

Since my first no-knead attempt, I have been trying to perfect the proportions for rye. For those of you who have made traditional breads you'll know that rye flour has less gluten which is why it is stickier as a dough, has a denser crumb and is a low riser as bread go. Already knowing this I decided to let the rye bread version rise another 12 hours and found that my breads were kind of gummy when baked. I had attributed that to not baking it long enough but after receiving Peter Rheinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice Cookbook for my birthday I read that the gumminess was actually due to letting it rise too long.

I found these proportions for rye no-knead on the internet (and have lost the reference, sorry!). This loaf still has a somewhat moist crumb, but not nearly as gummy as what I had before. I still think it's the best there is!

No-Knead Rye Bread with Caraway

2 cups bread flour
2 cups rye flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
2 cups water

Combine all in bowl large enough for dough to easily double. Be sure to mix in well so that all flour is mixed in, but mix gently. I prefer to use a rubber spatula to get it all in. Cover with plastic wrap or a cut open grocery bag and secure tightly with a rubber band. Place in a warm spot (in a gas oven with a pilot light or on top of the refrigerator works well) and allow to rise for 12 hours. Remove dough from bowl and scrap onto large cutting board or clean counter sprinkled with flour. Dust top with flour and cover with dish cloth and allow to rest for 1 1/2 hours. Place covered baking pot in oven preheated to 450 degrees and allow pot and lid to warm in oven for 30 minutes. Carefully scrape dough into heated pot and cover and bake for 35 minutes. Remove lid and bake another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and slide bread onto cooling rack and cool at least 2 hours. I often bake at night and wrap bread in a clean dish cloth overnight. Rye breads in particular need to breathe before being put away. For the first 24 hours after coming out of the oven I only wrap it in a dish cloth. Then I put it away in a plastic bag and store at room temperature.

Hugs!

Indonesian Rice Salad

This week I embarked on my maiden voyage as someone's "personal chef." My sister Emily is working a temporary gig that involves 12 1/2 hour work days for 10 days straight. Needless to say that leaves little time or energy to prepare meals for said working day. So I offered to prepare her meals in advance; the only catch is she doesn't have access to anything to heat her food and she eats what is generally deemed an anti-inflammation diet.

My creations had to taste good cold and only involve a limited list of ingredients, generally a whole food diet of mostly vegetables, some grains and fish but with the noted exclusions of nightshades (tomatoes, eggplants), citrus, corn, gluten and meat. It was a challenge, but between the two of us we came up with some winners.

This rice salad is one that I found while working for the co-op deli, and while I cannot attest to its authenticity in terms of being Indonesian I can testify to its sparky flavors and surprising combination of sweet, sour and crunchy (toasted cashews!)

Indonesian Rice Salad

1 cup brown rice, uncooked
1 stalk celery, diced
1/4 each of red, orange, yellow bell peppers, diced
1 cup pineapple, diced (1/2 can, juice reserved)
1/2 jalapeno, deseede, diced
1/3 cup cilantro, minced
1/3 cup fresh mint, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated, separated into 2 (about 4 inch piece)
1/3 cup cashews, toasted (either dry fry in skillet or in toaster oven but keep eye on them as they begin to burn quickly)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2-3 teaspoons honey (optional)

Cook rice as directed. In bowl combine peppers, jalapeno, celery, pineapple, herbs, toasted cashews and 1 tablespoon fresh ginger. Mix olive oil, cider vinegar, remaining ginger, and 1/3 cup reserved pineapple juice until well blended. If desired, add honey and mix to blend. Combine rice with rest of ingredients and pour dressing over all. Mix well and chill.

Hugs!

Tuscan White Beans with Sausage and Sage

"Poverty was my best teacher" was what I used to tell people who asked how I learned to cook. While I was in grad school for seven years I not only became a vegetarian (primarily for economical reasons) but I also spent a year on food stamps. Despite my lack of financial resources and because I was an academic I read books to learn how to make staples instead of buying them. I quickly realized that making your bread, quiche crusts and beans was much cheaper than buying the prepared versions. I came to recognize that not only did I love the break from studying that cooking gave me but my academic researcher side loved exploring how to make basics like mustard, BBQ sauce and other assorted foods that I never thought to think that someone once made instead of buying it at a store.

White beans were the first beans that I fell in love with and when I was looking around for a bean stew for the hot bar at the co-op deli that I worked at, this sage and sausage one jumped out at me. I love that the meat and the vegetables are all supporting elements for enhancing the white beans and don't overpower them. If you want to make this vegetarian, add about a teaspoon of toasted fennel seeds or some fresh chopped fennel to bring that flavor that would have been part of the sausage.

Tuscan White Beans with Sausage and Sage

1 1/2 cups white beans with liquid* (or 15oz can of beans)
2 Sweet Italian Sausage, raw
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 carrot, diced
1/2 celery stalk, diced
1 large tomato, cored and diced
1 bay leaf
3-4 fresh sage leaves, chopped
teaspoon salt
pepper

Squeeze sausage out of its casing in teaspoon amounts in sauce pan and cook over medium heat until sausage is all browned. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add carrots and celery and cook another 4-5 minutes. Add white beans with liquid and mix well and cook another 4-5 minutes. Add tomato, bay leaf and sage and stir well. Bring to low boil and then reduce to simmer and cook another 20 minutes until mixture begins to meld. Add at least 1 teaspoon salt and possibly more since beans take a lot of salt. Add pepper to taste.

*Soaking and Cooking Dry Beans
If you plan in advance you can make your own beans, which is not only cheaper to buy bulk beans but also easier to digest when you soak them and then boil them. I usually soak the beans in at least 2 inches of water to cover them and a piece of kombu, which is a flat seaweed that is used to make Dashi, Japanese broth used in miso soup. I soak the beans for 8-12 hours (usually overnight) in a deep casserole dish that can go from the stovetop to the oven.

I learned to make beans by bringing them to a boil on top of the stove and then placing them in a preheated oven at 325 degrees and cooking them covered for 45-60 minutes, depending on the bean. For white beans, it takes about 45 minutes. If you don't have this kind of casserole dish, you can simply bring the beans to a boil and then reduce to simmer and cover and cook on the stovetop, they'll be just as good. When you bring the beans to a boil, they will usually create some foam that rises as the boiling happens. Skim off the foam and reduce to simmer or place in the oven covered to cook.


Hugs!

Traditional Italian Style Grilled Radicchio

Radicchio is one of those interesting vegetables that so many people don't know what to do with. Most of us are introduced to it in a salad where it is mixed in raw to add some color to the rest of the greens and yet that is the worst way to eat it.

To me radicchio is the Jekyell and Hyde of vegetables; served raw it's bitter and practically inedible but slow grilled or baked in the oven with olive oil and salt it becomes a crisp and almost buttery sweet treat. Such a difference adding heat makes!

I reach for radicchio when I find myself tiring of a constant stream of green vegetables; its slight peppery flavor breaks the monotony. But be sure to buy fresh heads (firm when lightly squeezed and crisp looking leaves) or it will continue to taste bitter despite the baking or grilling.

I like to make grilled radicchio along with a mix of other vegetables, such as asparagus or green beans and then serve them all on a platter. Adding some minced rosemary when baking or grilling also works well. Chopped parsley or mint are wonderful garnishes too.

Grilled Radicchio with Balsamic Vinegar

1 head radicchio, outer leaves and core removed, sliced in 1/2 inch slices
salt
olive oil to drizzle
1-2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Place slices on baking sheet to accommodate all in single layer. Sprinkle with olive oil and salt. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until edges crisp. Remove from oven and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar for additional sweetness. Serve warm or room temperature.

Hugs!

Super Garlicky Shrimp

I love garlic, always have and suspect I always will. I love to peel it, chop it up and toss it into the pan to smell it sizzling in hot olive oil. Combining this love with my obsession with shrimp and you have a perfect really quick meal that is good tossed on rice or with pasta or on a bed of salad greens.

I've noticed lately that, for whatever reason, I find making shrimp to be slightly decadent. Maybe it's because growing up we only had it occasionally and usually when we were on vacation, or perhaps because I have usually conceived of it as an expensive food item that I couldn't afford. But lately, living near a Trader Joe's Store, I can't get enough of it. So here's my recipe for super garlicky lemon shrimp.

Garlicky Lemon Shrimp

10 raw shrimp, deshelled and deveined
3-4 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lemon
1/3 cup cilantro, minced

In skillet or cast iron pan heat oil until nearly smoking. Add garlic and stir constantly until it just begins to color. Add shrimp and cook on one side until it turns pink; turn over to cook other side (total of about 2 minutes). Squeeze lemon juice over all to deglaze pan and remove from heat. Serve on cooked grains or a bed of salad greens garnished with cilantro.

Hugs!

Celeriac Coleslaw

Celeriac or celery root is one of those strange vegetables that is simultaneously repulsive and compelling. Its hairy root end and green tops make it look like a shriveled head, complete with a scratchy beard and green hair. Yet I am always intrigued by it and buy it at least once a season when it shows up at the farmers' market

My first introduction to celeriac was digging it up at my friend Signe's Earthcraft farm in Indiana. Farmers always say celeriac tastes almost like celery, but since it is nothing like the consistency or texture of celery, it can be kind of confusing in how to cook it. It has an earthy, fresh green smell and my first attempt to cook it was to steam it and add some olive oil, salt and pepper. Steaming really brings out the celery flavor, so if you're not a huge fan of cooked celery (which I'm not) I would recommend blanching it in some milk or cream and then sprinkling it with some grated hard cheese.

I have locavore friends who use it in the winter in making soups when celery is not available, but I find it works best either roasted with other root vegetables or raw and shredded as in this coleslaw. Right now I'm cooking from the pantry as much as possible so I decided to just add some carrots, parsley and red onion to this simple coleslaw. Quick and yummy!

Celeriac Coleslaw

1 head celeriac, peeled and cleaned
2 carrots
1/2 cup parsley, minced
1 slice red onion, minced
1/3 cup mayonnaise
4 tablespoons lemon juice or cider vinegar
1 teaspoon prepared spicy mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
salt
pepper

Combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, paprika and salt and pepper and set aside. On the large holes grate the celeriac and carrots and combine in a bowl. Add parsley and red onion and pour over dressing. Mix well and taste for salt and pepper. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Hugs!