Fresh Baked Dilly Bread

Well foo. A small bout of food poisoning (not from my own cooking; stop laughing!) put my good intentions to get back on schedule to waste. Bleargh. Oh well. Here's a recipe post a day or two later than planned. I hope you all enjoy it!

This particular recipe has been in the family for a while. My grandparents used to make this and my mom's been raving about it for years. I had never had it before, but I do have access to all my grandparents' old recipes. That, combined with some texting to my mom/consultant, enabled me to recreate their process.  She seems to think it turned out pretty well. It was certainly tasty and delicious. Fair warning, this is not a difficult recipe but it does require a significant time investment for rising of dough.

What You'll Need

Supplies

Large mixing bowl                                                       Measuring cups

Small bowl                                                                   Wooden mixing spoon

Measuring spoons                                                        Plastic wrap

Mortar and pestle                                                         Round casserole dish

Spoon

Ingredients

1 packet dry active yeast                                            1 tsp onion powder

1/4 cup warm water                                                   1/4 tsp baking soda

8 oz small curd cottage cheese                                    1 1/2 Tbsp dill seed, divided

2 Tbsp sugar                                                               1 egg

1 Tbsp butter, soft + some for greasing                     2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Now Let's Make Dilly Bread!
Start by making sure you have a warm, dry place around 85-90 F to place the dough while it rises.  If you don't (I live in an apartment that's generally cold and drafty), you can set your oven on warm and put it in there. I also find (if its not summer) that a car parked in the sun does the trick. Warm on my oven is about 100 F so I let it heat, then turn it off, then repeat until the dough has had enough time to rise.

Measure out 1/4 cup warm water and pour it into the large mixing bowl. Make sure the water is very warm but not very hot. You want to activate the yeast, not kill it (like a visit to the spa instead of the Sun). Add the yeast to the water, sprinkling it evenly along the surface and allow it to soften. Softening yeast is a fancy term for letting it foam (I like to picture a little yeast disco). Leave your yeasty water alone for about 10 minutes, and when you come back it should be nice and frothy. If it's not, throw it away, get new yeast, and start over.

Beginning to foam

While you're waiting for your yeast to froth, measure out 8 oz of small curd cottage cheese (at least 1%; none of this nonfat junk, please) into your small bowl. Heat it to lukewarm in the microwave; about 20 seconds out to do the trick.

Then, measure out and add to the small bowl 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp soft butter, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda. Don't bother mixing it yet, this is just a prep bowl. If you're using a stand mixer, don't worry about having soft butter, but if you're doing it by hand it's a must.

Pile'o'ingredients

Add 1 Tbsp of dill seed to the small bowl. Put the other 1/2 Tbsp of dill seed in your mortar and pestle and grind until partially crushed. You don't need to go for a powder, but you want all the seed to be broken up. This releases more of the dill flavor into the bread. Add the crushed dill seed to the small bowl.

Crush, crush, crush

By now, your yeast should be foaming. Add the small bowl of ingredients to the yeast. Crack your large egg into the bowl as well. Mix the ingredients together until everything is well blended. You'll especially have to watch that egg, as the whites will resist mixing with the other liquids (snobs).

Dental floss, anyone?

Begin adding your flour to the liquid mixture 1/2 cup at a time. Beat well after each addition. I find that by the last addition I have to get in there with my hands because the dough begins to get stiff and hard to mix with the spoon. Make sure as much of your flour gets squished into the dough as possible. By the end, you should have a rounded floury ball of dough. If, for some reason, you find that your dough is too wet, you may add and addition 1/4 cup flour; just be careful.

 After addition 1                                                  After addition 2

 After addition 3                                                  After final addition

Place the dough ball in the center of the large bowl and cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap (ie attach the wrap firmly but don't vacuum seal the thing). Place the bowl in a warm place and allow it to rise for 50-60 minutes. The dough should double in size and be nice and light.

Bundled up and ready to rise

While you wait, grease the bottom and sides of your round casserole dish with butter. I use a 9", 2 qt. round dish.  Once the dough has risen, stir it down and turn into the casserole dish. Let it rise for an additional 30-40 minutes in a warm place until the dough is light.

First rise

Stirred down

Second Rise

Bake at 350F for about 30-40 minutes until bread is golden brown.

Extract carefully with butter knife and fingers

Cut, serve, and nom!

   

Wholesome and Hearty

For today's culinary offering, I have Vegetable Beef Soup.  This recipe comes from my Aunt Caitilin and her family out in California, so you have them to thank (or curse when you scald you mouth on hot soup cause it smells too tasty to wait).  The great thing about this recipe is that it's pretty easy, and you can throw in the vegetables that you have on hand (fresh or frozen, no need to be picky). The prep work takes a little time, but once the soup is going, you can pretty much ignore it.

What You'll Need

Supplies

Knife for chopping                                                        Measuring cup

Cutting board                                                                Measuring spoons

Potato peeler                                                                 Soup pot or Cast iron dutch oven

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil                                                             1 cup water

1 1/2 pounds stew meat                                              1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 yellow onion                                                              1 tsp chili powder

2 tsps minced garlic                                                     1 tsp soy sauce

2 stalks celery                                                              1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2-3 carrots                                                                   1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 red bell pepper                                                       2 bay leaves

2 russet potatoes                                                          1 1/4 tsp salt

1 cup frozen cut green beans                                       Black pepper to taste

3 cups beef stock                                                          1 cup frozen corn

3 cups tomato juice                                                      1 cup frozen peas

Now Let's Make Vegetable Beef Soup

Meat and onions!

Let's start with some of that prep work I mentioned.  Begin by dicing your onions. Start by removing the non-root end. Slice through the onion in vertical lines, stopping just short of the root and working your way around the onion. Turn the onion so that the root faces parallel and away from your knife and begin chopping for a quick dice. Once diced, put 1 Tbsp olive oil in your soup pot and warm over medium heat. Add the onions and the stew meat and let them begin to saute. Stir occasionally, but move on to the rest of your prep work.

Take your two stalks of celery (give 'em a good wash, grocery store celery is filthy) and begin chopping.  Once chopped, gather the celery into a pile and dice by rocking your knife across the pile.  Repeat these steps until you've achieved a fine mince (I hate celery, so it has to be very tiny for me).  Next, cut your red bell pepper in half and remove the stem and the white, seeded flesh inside.  Set one half aside for another day. Hold your half pepper down with one hand and slice vertically along the pepper in thin lines. Gather these together, turn and chop across them until the entire half pepper is diced. Add the celery and red pepper to your sauteing meat and onions. Don't forget to stir occasionally!

Do NOT peel yourself, trust me.

Next, take your potatoes and carrots and peel them (best do this over a sink or trash bag).  Hold the vegetable in one hand and apply the peeler in swift strokes moving away from your body.  Rinse the vegetables once peeled in order to remove any dirt that got on the flesh during the peeling process. Beginning at the tip, slice the carrot into thin rounds. Discard the carrot top.  If you're working with large carrots, you'll only need two and you may need to halve the larger rounds that were cut closer to the top of the carrot. If you're working with smaller carrots, you may need three.  Next, coarsely chop the potatoes into chunks.  The easiest way to do this is to quarter the potato, and then chop those pieces up.

Add the potatoes and carrots to the soup pot, along with 2 tsps of minced garlic.  Now, measure out and add 3 cups of beef stock, 3 cups of tomato juice, and 1 cup of water. Stir everything together well.

Open the can of tomatoes, and add them to the pot, juice and all (do NOT drain).  Add 1 cup of frozen cut green beans.  Next, measure out and add 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1 running over tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 2 bay leaves, 1 1/4 tsp of salt, and as much ground pepper as you'd like to the soup.  Stir well.  Reduce the heat to medium low, cover, and let simmer for about an hour (or more, it'll only add flavor), stirring occasionally.  

I swear there's corn in there somewhere

About 15 minutes before you're ready to serve (or after an hour), measure out and add 1 cup of frozen whole corn kernels and 1 cup of frozen peas.  At this point, your meat should be nice and tender. If it's not, you might want to hold off on this step for a bit. Also, feel free to use fresh veggies if you have them on hand; since it's not quite summer yet, I didn't.  Stir well, and allow to cook uncovered for an additional 15 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves if you're picky and serve along with a delicious slice of Irish Soda Bread.  The perfect pairing.  Enjoy with friends and family (see I do feed my Lovely Assistant Jen)!

   

Let's Talk about Quiche

Cause really, who doesn't want to? (*glares menacingly*) Quiche is something of a family tradition on my mother's side, likely because her parents were so fond of French cuisine.  Today's recipe is for Ham and Cheese Quiche, and is only loosely based off my family recipe.  Quiche is easily adaptable to fit whatever is in your fridge at the time, so long as you get the basic custardy goodness down. This particular quiche version was inspired by my need to use up the last of the New Year ham. (waste not!) The recipe below is for two quiches, since I had two pie crusts, but the original is for one, and this recipe can be easily halved.

What You'll Need

Supplies

Large mixing bowl                                                   Cheese grater

Mixing spoon                                                            Liquid measuring cup

Medium mixing bowl                                                2 pie plates

Whisk

Ingredients

8 eggs                                                                       1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 cans cream of onion soup                                       salt and pepper to taste

8 oz swiss cheese                                                      6-8 oz leftover ham

8 oz white cheddar cheese                                        1 cup nonfat milk

2 tsp mustard                                                            2 pie shells

Now Let's Make Ham and Cheese Quiche!

Preheat the oven to 375F. 

Crack your eight eggs into your medium mixing bowl. Whisk them together until the yolks and whites are thoroughly blended.  Don't forget to fish out any shell before this step in order to avoid much grumbling.  Set the eggs aside.

Open the 2 cans of cream of onion soup and spoon the soup into your large mixing bowl. Ignore any directions on the side of the soup can, as we'll be using the soup undiluted. Over the bowl, begin shredding your swiss and cheddar cheeses.  I hope you have a nicer grater than my handheld one, although mine at least comes equipped with a lovely assistant.  This is a long, arduous process, so try not to nod off and grate yourself (flesh totally ruins quiche).  However, it's necessary, as pre-shredded cheese messes up the chemistry of the dish (what do they put on that stuff anyway?).

Once your cheese is all shredded over the onion soup (it's easier to mix that way, hence the order), add your eggs, 2 tsp mustard, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. I typically use about 2 tsp of salt and pepper respectively.  Mix everything together until it is well blended and the cheese is fairly evenly distributed.  

Now, it's time to add the ham. Take whatever ham you've got and begin pulling it apart into small pieces.  The pieces should be smaller than bite size, since they need to fit inside a bite of quiche.  I typically do this over the large mixing bowl, adding the pieces of ham as I go. Continue this process until all the ham is shredded, and mix the ham into the rest of the mixture.  Make sure that both the ham and the cheese are evenly distributed.  Pour 1 cup of nonfat milk into the bowl and stir it in. This should achieve the appropriate consistency for the custard filling of the quiche.  You want a relatively thick liquid filling here. Do NOT add too much milk, or you'll wind up with a runny quiche (mumph).

Set your filling aside for the moment.  Take your two pie shells and press them into your two pie plates. Make sure to gently press the crusts into all areas of the plate; you don't want any gaps that can create air pockets during the cooking process. I typically use one box of pre-made pie crusts with this, since each box contains 2 crusts (when I do my more traditional quiche recipe, I'll show y'all how to do the crust from scratch). Take the edges that go over the glass and fold them in, sealing them to the inner side of the crust.  The resulting edge of your pie crusts should come right up to the edge of the pie glass.

Now, pour your custard filling into the pie crusts, dividing it evenly between each. This is definitely a two person job!  You need someone to hold the bowl and half pour as you scrape the filling into the shell.  As you scrape, make sure the cheese and ham don't settle or you'll wind up with an uneven filling distribution (i.e. one pie with more liquid and one with more solids. Ick). Scrape the bowl clean to take full advantage of all that quichey goodness.  

Bake the quiches at 375F for about 50 minutes.  Check the quiches at 30 minutes: you should see the edges beginning to set with a still liquid center.  At 40 minutes the edges should be beginning to brown and the center should be almost set.  Don't be alarmed if your quiche looks puffy; it's supposed to rise.  Remove it from the oven after 50 minutes, and allow the quiche to settle and cool for a bit.  You do not want to the quiche too soon, as it might run everywhere (And being chased by a rampaging quiche is just embarrassing). 

Mmmmm... quiche!

Wait about 5-10 minutes and then serve.  A quiche divides into about 8 slices, and it pairs very well with salad.  In fact, I've never eaten quiche without also having a salad, so anything else just seems wrong.  Quiche also keeps well refrigerated for about a week. Personally I think the leftovers are even better. Now, go impress someone with your newly acquired snooty quiche recipe!

My name is Sebastian R. Gato, and I *burp* approve of this recipe.

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