What's cooking?

[Robin Garr]

Huevos con chorizos made with neighborhood eggs and Field Roast "grain meat" Mexican chipotle sausage with El Milagro tortillas (and a salad out of photo range).

[Robin Garr]

Ethiopian-style Gomen Wot (spicy collards stew) with green lentils added to bulk it up a bit.

If I could have outdoor farm animals in my neighborhood, I'd have chickens for eggs too. Of course, I'd have to fear that I'd become too attached and it would affect my relationship with my favorite meat, but I'd love to have a reliable supply of unpasteurized farm eggs. I occasionally find a source somewhere in the county, but it's always out of the way and I must emphasize the word 'reliable', which almost anything "out in the county" is not. I think they all have meth labs on the side.

Nice critter family you have!

Jenise - I am happy to announce that with some persuasion and several duck egg omelets, I have been granted permission (by my significant other and the county) to raise 4 ducks! They are coming in the mail at the end of February and I cannot wait! We won't have eggs of our own until late summer, but should get several a week after that.

Sunday cooking: made Julia Child's boeuf bourgignon and a big pot of cumin and thyme scented lentil soup. That beef recipe is amazingly good.

[Robin Garr]

Super Bowl supper: A hearty, warming plant-based "beef" stew made with Gardein Home Style Beefless Tips and fresh veggies - potatoes, fresh carrots, celery, green peppers, onions, garlic and oregano, a red roux and a rich veggie broth.

[Jenise]

Jenise - I am happy to announce that with some persuasion and several duck egg omelets, I have been granted permission (by my significant other and the county) to raise 4 ducks! They are coming in the mail at the end of February and I cannot wait! We won't have eggs of our own until late summer, but should get several a week after that.

That is VERY cool, Joy! I've never imagined baby birds being shipped in the mail, though! Will you need to build them a coop, or will they just roam free?

That is VERY cool, Joy! I've never imagined baby birds being shipped in the mail, though! Will you need to build them a coop, or will they just roam free

?

Jenise, my grandparents used to raise hens and harvest the resulting eggs for Purity Stores. Every spring, a huge truck would pull up in front of their home and grandpa would start off loading boxes and boxes of teeny, yellow chicks who were making a huge racket. It was a highlight for me every year and I made sure I was always there. Grandpa had two huge chicken houses on his land, set up with large umbrella like heating units, outdoor yards for the chicks, and laying beds. It was such a delight when he opened those boxes and the chicks jumped out and somehow knew to head for the heat, making such a racket you can not imagine. One year he was mailed a few ducks, but they did not seem to work out too well for him.

[Jenise]

Ethiopian-style Gomen Wot (spicy collards stew) with green lentils added to bulk it up a bit.

That looks fantastic.

Jenise - I am happy to announce that with some persuasion and several duck egg omelets, I have been granted permission (by my significant other and the county) to raise 4 ducks! They are coming in the mail at the end of February and I cannot wait! We won't have eggs of our own until late summer, but should get several a week after that.

That is VERY cool, Joy! I've never imagined baby birds being shipped in the mail, though! Will you need to build them a coop, or will they just roam free?

Once they are old enough and the weather gets warmer they will roam mostly free in the backyard, but we will build them an enclosure to keep predators away. Should be fun!

Our new seafood store is carrying Sea Bass, and I bought two small fillets for dinner tonight. My favorite white fish and we love it with a little evoo , with fresh lemon juice, grilled. I think I have a harvest of spinach in my garden to go with it. We've had more than our share of fresh oranges, grapefruits so will make another citrus salad with an addition of lime segments. Putting lime segments in a salad is new to me.

Decided to cook the sea bass on the new Himalayan salt block instead of grilling. Threw on some broccolini with it. Wow, it was great. Cooked the two foods to perfection. Fish was so buttery, and seasoned perfectly. Broccolini was bright green. Going to do a flank steak next.

Decided to cook the sea bass on the new Himalayan salt block instead of grilling. Threw on some broccolini with it. Wow, it was great. Cooked the two foods to perfection. Fish was so buttery, and seasoned perfectly. Broccolini was bright green. Going to do a flank steak next.

Thanks for the report on the salt block. Would you say more about how you used it, how it compares to using a pan or grill?

It was my first time using it, so about all I can say right now, is that it was fun and different. I liked the flavor of the fish...not too salty, just right, without any additional from me. It would certainly be fun with company and make for interesting conversation. It took about 45 minutes for the salt block to heat up sitting over two gas burners on my cook-top. I was very careful and did as instructed my Mark Bitterman. It can also be heated up on the outdoor grill but oven heating is not favored because some blocks have exploded. I think those may have not been cooking blocks, which must be at least 1.5", with 2" preferred. The block is very heavy for me. It is 2 inches thick, 8 1/2" wide and 18" long. I let it cool overnight, and cleaned it up this morning with a scrubbie and water. One thing I learned is that caramelizing lemon halves is not a good idea on a salt block. It left a very black mark that took me a long time to scrub off. There is a ton of info on the INTERNET and also videos. I am doing up a project for Linda Stradley's site right now and when she finishes with it, I will post the link which has pictures.

Here is the link to Linda's site with my article on the salt block cooking. I haven't totally proofed it yet.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/KarenCalanchini/SeaBass-SaltBlock.htm

Nice writeup, Karen - it looks great!

Nice writeup, Karen - it looks great!

It is a joint effort between Linda Stradley and I. I send pictures and text, she does what is required for her website, so between the two of us, we get there! Thank you!

Just went to see Dr. Michael Roizen speak at our club. Came home and ate brown rice and Swiss chard sauteed in a little EVOO.
I don't think I"ll ever eat sugar again.

Just went to see Dr. Michael Roizen speak at our club. Came home and ate brown rice and Swiss chard sautéed in a little EVOO.
I don't think I"ll ever eat sugar again.

Please tell more Carrie, about what you learned. By the way, how did you make the brown rice taste good? I have a cousin who eats it for breakfast. On a family outing one time, I almost gagged when I caught a whiff of the brown stuff in her bowl. I love all types of rice, but mine are usually have one or two ingredients that add lots of aromatic flavors. Wine, home made chicken stock, fresh herbs, real Parmesan, or veggies. Brown rice is challenging for me.

By the way, how did you make the brown rice taste good?

I'm not Carrie but I'll jump in to say that the best brown rice I have ever found (and it is now a staple in my house) is brown basmati. It is an aromatic long-grain rice. I usually buy the Lundberg brand, grown in CA.

Another good brown rice, though hard to find, is pecan rice. No pecans in it, of course, it is also an aromatic hybrid. The only vendor that I know offers it is Konriko.

I'm not Carrie but I'll jump in to say that the best brown rice I have ever found (and it is now a staple in my house) is brown basmati. It is an aromatic long-grain rice. I usually buy the Lundberg brand, grown in CA.

I am using a brown basmati from Purcell Mountain Farms. In my pantry is an unopened package from Masa Organics in Hamilton City, CA. I never seem to be able to get it cooked right. Only rice I have trouble with. It is usually too crunchy. I know it takes longer to cook than white. I cooked some in the rice cooker last week and it still was crunchy....and I really dislike crunchy rice.

I am using a brown basmati from Purcell Mountain Farms. In my pantry is an unopened package from Masa Organics in Hamilton City, CA. I never seem to be able to get it cooked right. Only rice I have trouble with. It is usually too crunchy. I know it takes longer to cook than white. I cooked some in the rice cooker last week and it still was crunchy....and I really dislike crunchy rice.

Hm. I don't think there is anything special to cooking it: 2 cups water or broth, 1 cup rice, and 1 tbsp butter or oil; bring to the boil then lower heat and cover; do not disturb for 50 minutes; fluff with a fork.

Checking the package, they is a note that says if the rice is still crunchy at the end of the cooking time that you should add 2 tbsp water.

Anyway, the stuff smells just wonderful while it's cooking!

A month or two ago, I got some bratwurst from a local chef who's dealing sausage on the side. (Follow him on Facebook, put in your order, meet up in a coffee house to pick up the goods. Cash only.) The bratwurst was well made but had more nutmeg and allspice in it than we like for a sausage we're just going to eat plain. Tonight, I cut a couple of those brats out of their casings and browned up the sausage meat. I added a big bunch of sliced leeks and a few handfuls of chopped white mushrooms. Once the 'shrooms had cooked down, I dumped in about 1/2 cup of heavy cream and let that simmer a bit until it thickened up. Then stirred in some parmigiano and S&P (heavy on the P). That was mixed into a big pot of penne.

It came out exactly as I'd hoped. The nutmeg and allspice were there but they provided accents rather than dominating, with the mushrooms and leeks rounding everything out. The wife and daughter were very happy with this one.

[Jenise]

Mike, love the idea of a chef who's "dealing sausages". How irresistable. Your vegetable-rich cream sauce sounds like the perfect place for them to end up--great thinking.

Our dinners this week have been pretty much on the fly. Like last night's chicken piccata with orzo and basil. I'd thawed out the chicken breasts but had no actual plan for how I was going to them--spent the day working on stuff for this weekend's big breakfast and I was fairly beat by the time dinner time came around about an hour and a half later than usual.

[Robin Garr]

Broccoli and onion risotto finished with a little butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano.