2018-10-14

Welcome to a Rainy Day in the Kitchen Edition of Food Porn, brought to you by The Burrow - It was cold and rainy today, so Ania and I decided to play in the kitchen - I made a batch of Bread and Butter Spears -

fresh cucumbers from the farmer's market yesterday, sliced into spears, salted with Himalayan Pink Salt, then bathed in a pickle of tangy vinegar, warm turmeric, heady bay leaf, full-bodied mustard seed, a little fragrant dill weed, a pinch of grassy celery seed, and some sultry garlic. I also made some of my Indian Chili Pickle - fresh jalapeno and banana peppers, swimming in a tasty pool of olive and canola oil seasoned with, ajwan seeds, fenugreek, green cardamom, garlic, black onion seeds, a little sumac and dried lemon peel for tartness, and golden turmeric for warmth. Both of these will have to steep for a few weeks in the fridge before we know how they turn out, but if past batches are any indication, they will be quite the treat.

Ania made, not one, but two batches of Sourdough Bread - one, a dark and rich Rye Sourdough bread, made with Ania's long percolating sourdough starter, a little rich dark chocolate, fragrant rye flour, heady caraway seeds, and some tangy buttermilk, along with a little baking soda, to give it an extra kick. The other is a Whole Wheat Sourdough, a crunchy staple here, made with whole wheat and bread flour, to give it a richness and chewiness that you don't get from either one alone, and some flax seeds for a nutty crunch and a healthful little something extra.

Then, this evening, I made some Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce, a simple concoction of fresh cranberries, some candied ginger for warmth, and splenda to make it a little easier on the waistline - it turns into a wonderful accompaniment to almost any dish. And now, for a nap!!!