JGE 42 - No-Knead Bread, à la Hemp

Good Day,

No-Knead Bread, à la Hemp; Loaf #7 before and after

No-Knead Bread, à la Hemp - Before

No-Knead Bread, à la Hemp - After

…before the real after.

Jim's gotta eat.

JGE 41 – No Knead Bread - I Need!

Good Day,

Yes I love bread. Yes I love the making of bread. Yes, I love to eat bread. And I love the smell of bread wafting through the house when it is baking.

I decided that it was about time to start baking bread again…after checking out and comparing the prices of bakery breads offered at the local grocery stores. And of course my fallback is the easiest of bread recipes I’ve ever tried, the No-Knead Bread.

This recipe changes the need to spend a couple of hours in the kitchen to just about less than an hour…but I have to warn you that this recipes does take at least 24 hours.

Ingredients – 3 cups Flour; 1 ½ teaspoons salt; ½ teaspoon yeast; and 1 ½ cups of lukewarm water. That’s all you need, no pun intended, to make one loaf of a great loaf of rustic, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, bread.

I discovered this recipe some time ago in Suzanne Dunaway’s 1999 cookbook No Need to Knead. Initially I didn’t believe it, but I tried it. And here I am again.

Here’s the history of no-knead bread from Wikipedia –

“Although no-knead bread was first described in the 1999 cookbook No Need to Knead, written by California baker Suzanne Dunaway and published by Hyperion Books, author Jeff Hertzberg notes such a method before the late 1990s in Italy. One reviewer described Dunaway's cookbook as, "a book that doesn’t care about kneading and still produces fantastic results!" Due to the popularity of her no-knead method, Dunaway's book was re-published in 2012 by Grub Street Cookery.

In 2007, Hertzberg and fellow author Zoe François published Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, which uses a no-knead method of stored and refrigerated dough that is ready for use at any time during a 5-to-14 day period. New York Times journalist Nick Fox wrote, "... soon the bread will be making itself… The crusty, full-flavored loaf that results may be the world’s easiest yeast bread." New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman described Lahey's method in his November 8, 2006 column The Minimalist. Bittman praised the bread for its "great crumb, lightness, incredible flavor [and] enviable, crackling crust." Two years later, he noted the recipe's "immediate and wild popularity," and a 2009 cookbook described Bittman's column as, "one of those recipes that literally change the culinary scene with discussions on hundreds of blogs in dozens of languages around the world. " ”

Well I began the day before yesterday and I found an old package of yeast in the pantry. Needless to say that package was old. It was expired. I believe that the yeast was just a few years beyond its printed date and year, 2003. Guess what? Old yeast doesn’t work. I knew that. I know that…

There are many write-ups online regarding no-knead bread, but all are basically the same recipe. I found a very good online write up at Katrina’s site Kitchen Trials.

Well my first retry into making No Knead Bread was a bust. And so after waiting for my concoction to rise after 24 hours, guess where the unrisen blob ended up? That’s right, in the trash.

Armed with a brand new jar of yeast, some bread flour, and some kosher salt I started again. I mixed my ingredients, covered the bowl with Saran wrap and left it to rise overnight.

Nothing’s greater than the smell of baking bread on the 4th of July…

30 minutes baked, covered –

15 more minutes, uncovered and fresh out of the oven.

Hell, Jim’s gotta eat. And now I will just start to set a routine into by daily schedule of making bread…with fresh yeast of course. And most assuredly I will be experimenting, once again.

Jim’s gotta eat.

Enjoy,

Jim

JGE 40 - Vietnamese Caramel Chicken, Kale Salad, and Strawberries

Good Day,

I chanced upon the recipe for Vietnamese Caramel Chicken on Rasa Malaysia. Oh yeah, I get regular updates from Bee from her site.  And this recipe intrigued me.  The great part - 10 minutes prep time, and 10 minutes (give or take) in cooking time.

And damn for sure... it was quick and easy and as Jim's gotta eat.  The list of ingredients was super easy, but I did substitute boneless, skinless chicken breast for the boneless chicken thighs.

Ingredients - Chicken Breasts, Oil, Garlic, Jalapeño; Marinade: Fish sauce, Sugar, Black Pepper; Sauce: Fish Sauce, Water, Sugar, Apple Cider Vinegar.

Marinated chicken charred in a cast-iron skillet... Removed to rest.

The Sauce -

Garlic and Jalapeño to taste -

Chicken returned to skillet with oil, garlic, jalapeño...  And I turned the heat to simmer and covered for about 5 minutes.

Massaged Kale, Garlic, Lemon Salt, and Oil -

Fresh Strawberries as a compliment.  (Hell I thought I needed some other color, as well.)

My plate - Vietnamese Caramel Chicken, Kale Salad, and Strawberries.

"Professional food photography is a collaborative effort, usually involving an art director, a photographer, a food stylist, a prop stylist and their assistants."

This Jim's gotta eat.   And this will be a re-do.

Enjoy,

Jim

JGE 39 – Harira

Good Day,

Thank you Emeril Lagasse. A short time ago I stumbled upon Emeril Lagasse’s recipe Harira: Moroccan Chickpea Stew with Chicken and Lentils on the Food Network site.  I’m always looking for something different, but in this case I filed the recipe away because I was not willing to spend 10 hours and 25 minutes working on something that maybe I could fix in at least 1 hour. Hell when Jim’s gotta eat, Jim’s gotta eat.

And so I tweaked Mr. Lagasse’s recipe a wee bit.

The tweaked part - I substituted a can of chickpeas. I have never had success soaking beans or peas from the dried stage. Mine, no matter what I do, always seem to be too, too raw, that is, hard. So I figured what the hell, there isn’t anyone judging my dish. There’s just the two of us.

And as I had pulled a chicken breast out of the freezer I figured I would replace the call for chicken thighs.

But wait I also exchanged dried orange lentils for the suggested dried green lentils.

My ingredients – Chickpeas, Olive Oil, Skinless Chicken Breast, Salt, Freshly Ground Pepper, Onions, Celery, Carrots (this was my add-in), Ground Ginger, Tumeric, Ground Black Pepper, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Nutmeg, Can of Roasted Diced Tomatoes, Chicken Stock, Dried Lentils, Long-grain Rice, Cilantro, Jalapeño, Lemon Juice, Plain Yogurt.

My secret – Prep before I start cooking. I have a tendency to pull things out of cupboards as I go along. It is ever so much easier to have everything in place and ready to go.

Mirepoix - Onions, Carrots, Celery

On low for 30 minutes.

Yes I had two helpings… and leftovers for lunch.

Hell, Jim’s gotta eat.

Enjoy.

Jim

JGE 38 – Pasta alla Norma alla Smith

Good Day,

A recipe that I have never heard of before...not that that means that I am a walking encyclopedia of cooking techniques and recipes. Pasta alla Norma. I saw a picture in The New York Times, Mark Bittman's recipe, and I decided about a week ago that Jim's gotta eat and definitely try this one.  (The picture to the right is my creation.)

An Internet Google search of the phrase "Pasta alla Norma" produced 228,000 results.

I got myself a great looking eggplant from Urban Oasis.  And I had, more or less, all of the ingredients here in the house.

Pasta all Norma is a Sicilian dish, purportedly named for the opera Norma by Vincenzo Bellini. One could say a vegetarian meal, is something I would make again.

My concoction - Pasta alla Norma alla Smith. Jim's Gotta Eat.

Ingredients: Linguine, Eggplant, Mushrooms, Chilies, Tomato Pasta, Olive Oil, Vegetable Oil, Parmesan Romano Cheese, Salt, Oregano, Parsley. Filling and delicious, and who’d a think that eggplant could be so deceptive…in a very positive way.

Sliced eggplant fried in olive and vegetable oil. Removed from pan and not drained.

Oh yeah, my early morning blood sugar count dropped 15 points to 99.

And who was Norma?

"Simple to make and yet classy enough for a first course in a serious dinner, Pasta alla Norma was so popular in 19th century Sicily that it was named after Sicilian composer Bellini's hugely successful opera Norma to honor both the dish and the opera, whose perfection matched each other in the eyes of Nino Martoglio, a famous Sicilian theater director. It kept the name."

And Jim's gotta eat.

Enjoy,

Jim

JGE 37 - Quiche in a Mug, Sort-of

Good Day,

You know that sometimes, a lot of the times, most times, I do not watch the clock and the time creeps up on me and it's time to eat supper and I say to myself

"Hell-I-just-don't-feel-like-doing-all-the-bloody-prep-work-that-I-should-have-started-at-least-a-couple-of-hours-ago-to-make-that-fantastic-meal-or-recipe-I-chanced-upon-and-now-I'm-just-gonna-order-me-some-pizza-or-get-some-take-out-or-just-get-in-the-car-and-get-to-the-nearest-restaurant-but-I-truly-do-not-want-any-franchise-meal-but-that's-all-there-is-cause-I-really-am-too-damn-tired-to-think-about-getting-something-ready-for-supper." 

You ever had one of those days?  (And I talk a lot to myself.)

Well last night was one of them.

And this time I was prepared for it. I had been researching and checking out a specific type of recipe on the Internet and on YouTube, a recipe to make a quick Quiche in a Mug. And I was shocked how many, 25,600 hits, I found on Google Web Search for the phrase "Quiche in a mug". The phrase "Quiche in a coffee cup" hit 1,760 results and "Quiche in a Cup" 14,500.

So guess what I made last night?

That's right I had a not so bad, actually quite good, Quiche in a Mug, sort-of supper last night.

Oh yeah I sprinkled it with some freshly ground pepper. Next time with a nice green and/or watermelon salad.

Jim's gotta eat.

Enjoy,

Jim

JGE 36 - Thai Chicken Curry - A Quick Method

Good Day,

By now you've probably got the impression that I like food.

Hell yes, I do. Period. It's a wonder that I could eat all day. And if I didn't cycle daily, (for you neophytes to Jim's Gotta Eat that's the Jim's Trek part), I probably would be a major CP. (Oh yeah Couch Potato). And more than likely I would have to use some sort of hoist to get me out of my chair.


I love to cook but I like fresh air. Let me explain.

I keep the house open most days. In Tampa around 4 o'clock, and the with the house and doors wide open there seems to be some sort of atmospheric heating. Yes it seems that with the beginning of the setting sun, this house just begins to get warmer and warmer. The heat and the growing humidity just does not make me feel like prepping and food or even cooking.  (Praise be that I have a pool just outside my kitchen.)

And this is where I find that if I can prepare a meal in 30 minutes with the minimal amount of effort the better. Restaurants, take-outs, frozen dishes are fine, but I do like a meal made from scratch. Hell Jim's Gotta Eat.

Don't get me wrong, I do eat out and/or order in at a somewhat considerable basis, but I do prefer to make for myself...and anyone else who's willing to sit down with me.

And this is where I may then check what's in my refrigerator. I also check and scope out my pantry regularly.

Last night - leftover grilled chicken, of the KFC species,  just sitting on a shelf in the fridge. A red and a white onion. Half a red bell pepper. Can of coconut milk in the pantry. Open jar of Panang Curry Paste. Fresh green beans and a couple of Cubanelle peppers from Urban Oasis. Dried red chilies.

Rice, the steamer, water and some sesame oil.

Mise en place. Wok on the stove. Total time 30 minutes -

Ta-da. Thai Shredded-Chicken Curry on Steamed Rice.

Jim's Gotta Eat.

Enjoy,

Jim