slightly smokey, slightly sweet

Last night I was thinking about lapsang souchong. It's not a tea I particularly like; it's more a tea I particularly dislike. Yet I have a tiny tin of it in the tea cabinet because I just know it must have a good use, that maybe if I try hard enough, I might just convince myself that I actually like it... All it would take is one recipe.
I don't know if this is the one; I can't decide. Tea-soaked figs, walnuts, honey - a little bit sweet, a little bit smokey - it sounds right, but...
Oh - butter and honey! That's the ticket...


Slightly Smokey, Slightly Sweet Fig and Walnut Bread

Ingredients:

1 tsp. lapsang souchong tea leaves
1 Cup boiling water
3/4 Cup dried black mission figs, chopped
2 Cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 Tb. buttermilk powder
1/4 Cup honey
3 Tb. sweet almond oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
scant 1/2 Cup broken walnut pieces
butter or oil for greasing the pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter or oil a loaf pan and set aside.

Pour boiling water over the tea leaves and steep for 5 minutes. Strain out the leaves and pour the tea over the chopped figs. Steep the figs in the tea for 10 minutes; remove the figs and set aside, reserving the tea.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk powder. Set aside.

In a small bowl, beat together the honey, almond oil, egg, and reserved tea. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the honey-tea mixture. Stir until just combined and fold in the reserved soaked figs and the broken walnut pieces.

Spoon the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until golden and a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn out and cool a bit more on the rack.

Slice and serve warm with a bit of butter and a drizzle of honey.

saucy

In all honesty, I've not felt terribly inspired in the kitchen recently. Is it noticeable? The light is fading so much earlier these days, the night is quickly turning from chilly to cold and everything seems to slow down with these changes. Shifting into colder days, my energy has begun to ebb with the sunlight as I adjust to the rythym of late autumn and onset of winter. No bad thing - just a temporary lull.
And in these still evenings, tucking under a quilt on the sofa has become quite appealing. As have homey, simple things (simple is the key) like slow-cooked soups and simmering applesauce.
A strong cup of chamomile tea, a drizzle of honey and a few straggling apples don't ask for much from the cook.
No recipe to follow - just a little peeling and chopping and then off to the pot to perfume the house and simmer into a sauce.
Plenty of time to curl on the couch...

something satisfying

There is something satisfying in making gnocchi (or gnuddi). In the kneading and rolling and shaping there is a rhythm - a space for thoughts, meditations.

And then in the finished little pillows, such satisfaction.

Oh, and they're pretty tasty too...

Gourmet magazine's Sweet Potato Gnocci with Fried Sage and Shaved Chestnuts*

As you may have heard, Gourmet Magazine will no longer be in print after the November issue. While I will be quite sad not to have these gorgeous issues greet me each month, the current website states that their archive of recipes will remain available through their sister site epicurious.com.

*A few notes: I found I only used 1 1/2 cups of flour total (including dusting the board) and I used chopped, toasted walnuts in place of the chestnuts as that is what was on hand and the results were quite good.

leaves and roots

Several blustery days have rustled the trees and stirred the scent of fallen leaves. There is a damp sweetness about that smells like autumn and there nearly was a frost on the ground this morning. Today I'm inspired to sip tea from ceramic mug, click wooden knitting needles through a soft wool, and really not do much else...

Except, perhaps, a little shuffling in the kitchen:
Peeling and slicing and smelling a few earthy root vegetables - a perfectly autumnal task for such days.
Layering them (River Cottage style) in a dish with cream, garlic and chilies to be baked into a gratin.
Then savored with a handful of arugula tossed with lemon juice and olive oil.

Nothing fancy, but everything inspired.

the eggplant challenge

Sneaking in just under the deadline, here's my submission for the Eggplant Challenge over at Grown in Frederick.

Pardon the not-so-stellar photos - I can't believe I don't have a shot of the raw vegetable. Eggplants are so photogenic too... It's a pity.

But this dish is no slacker - and cooks up in a flash once all the ingredients are prepped. (As the poorly lit photos allude, I whipped this up late one evening after work - the anticipation of actually eating being far more a concern than the photos at that point...)
Tempeh stands in for the more traditional ground pork here* and the eggplant lends its sweetness to this moderately spicy little dish.

Eggplant and Tempeh in a Chili Garlic Sauce
(inspired by the recipe for Eggplant with Spicy Garlic Sauce over Rice in Chinese Rice and Noodles)

Ingredients:

2 Tb. coconut oil
2 Tb. garlic, minced
2 Tb. fresh ginger root, minced
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green portions), plus more for serving
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
8 oz. tempeh
1 Lb. eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1 1/2 inch pieces
4 Tb. low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp. Shaoxing wine (or sherry)
2 tsp. granulated sugar
4 Tb. water (or stock)
1/2 Tb. cornstarch

Combine the soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, sugar, water, and cornstarch in a small bowl, whisking to incorporate the cornstarch smoothly. Set aside. Place a wok or large stir-fry pan over high heat, and when quite hot, add the oil followed by the garlic, ginger, and chili garlic sauce. Cook just until fragrant - only about 3o seconds. Add the crumbled tempeh and continue to stir fry until golden. Add the eggplant and cook until it is meltingly tender - about 10 minutes more - adjusting the heat as necessary to avoid burning. To the fully cooked eggplant and golden tempeh, add the soy sauce mixture (give it a stir just before adding to loosen any cornstarch that may have separated) and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently for a minute or two until the sauce has thickened to the desired consistency (more water/stock may be added to produce a thinner sauce). Serve hot over jasmine rice and garnish with additional sliced scallions.

Thanks to the gals over at Grown in Frederick for putting this challenge together!

*For another take on using tempeh as a substitute for minced meat in Asian cooking see this post which put the notion in my mind...