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Jasper White's Anadama Bread

 
Today was a bread making day. We had some great bread recipes from Irish Soda to Anadama and Pain Rustique. We decided to spend some time baking since a few of the breads were made with yeast and demanded a time commitment. I took on a traditional Irish soda bread, which I will cover later this week. Jeff decided to make the Anadama Bread.

Some of you must be thinking, what is Anadama Bread? According to the storyline from Yankee Magazine, There are loads of stories about how this bread got its name and where it originated. Most people agree it's either Rockport or Gloucester, Massachusetts, and that the name is a derivative of "Anna, damn her." Some say Anna was the "lazy" wife of a fisherman (as if a fisherman's wife could be lazy), who simply mixed molasses and cornmeal together for her husband's meals. One day, sick of the mush, he added flour and yeast, baked it, and created a new concoction. Others say the name comes from a woman who was a gifted baker, and when she passed away, her gravestone read, "Anna was a lovely bride, but Anna, damn 'er, up and died."

This recipe comes from Jasper White who uses more cornmeal and less molasses than the traditional Anadama Bread. It is wonderfully moist and reminds me of cornbread with an English muffin toast twist. It's a perfect bread for breakfast and tastes delicious with jam or butter. For those who have not taken on yeast recipes, it was fairly easy to make.

Ingredients

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1-1/4 cups (approx.) warm water (105-115 degrees), divided
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, cooled to room temperature
• 2 tablespoons dark molasses
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3-1/2 cups bread flour, plus extra for work surface
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• Vegetable oil or butter
• 1 large egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons water (egg wash)

Preparation

In a medium-size bowl (or the bowl of a standing mixer with hook attachment), combine yeast, sugar, and 1/4 cup warm water; mix well. Add melted butter, molasses, salt, flour, and cornmeal. Slowly add up to 1 cup more warm water; mix to form a soft, but not sticky, dough. Add more water if necessary. Knead by machine about 10 minutes, or by hand about 15 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic.

Oil (or butter) a large bowl lightly. Shape dough into a ball and place in the bowl; turn it once so it's lightly greased all over. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth and place in a warm, draft-free spot. Let dough rise until volume doubles, about 1 hour.

Grease two 9-1/2x5-inch loaf pans. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut in half and shape each half into a loaf. Place each loaf in a pan, return to a warm spot, and let rise until volume doubles, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Heat your oven to 350 degrees. Brush the tops of the loaves with egg wash and bake 1 hour, or until deep golden brown. To test for doneness, remove one hot loaf from its pan and tap the bottom of the bread; you'll hear a hollow sound if it's done. If it's not done, return it to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes. When loaves are done, turn them out of their pans and cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes.

 

I think it was the scallops...a culinary disaster

 
Today is more of a story then it is a recipe. I learned on Thursday night that sometimes we go a little too far with our culinary creativity. For the most part, when Jeff and I cook we follow recipes with a little bit of this or a little bit of that.

Our dinner disaster started I brought home wet scallops vs dry scallops. After reading a brief article in Cook's Illustrated, there is a chemical called STP (sodium tripolyphosphate) which can be found in wet scallops. It can give them a slightly soapy taste. Dry scallops have a cleaner taste and they sear much better. I was being lazy, I went cheaper, rather than better.

Jeff decided to sear the scallops (anyway) and mix a hazelnut topping with the searing process, two different recipes. As he was preparing the scallops, I was tasting the toasted hazelnuts coming from the oven. I thought they tasted a little odd, maybe rancid? I couldn't remember how old the hazelnuts were, even if they are in an air tight container. I ate another nut that tasted OK. I chalked it up to one bad nut. With Jeff putting his mixture together, I started mine.

I decided to saute zucchini, carrots and scallions and then added orange juice and some orange rind. They were tasting alright, but something was missing. I think it was a salty or sour component to balance the sweetness. To finish off the meal, some quick couscous.

So, we sat down to eat.

I guess that's all I can say, because the closing remarks were, "I think this is the worst dinner we have ever made." Yes, the hazelnuts were rancid and had a very bitter taste. They didn't complement the scallops, at all. (I'm beginning to taste the nuts again as I write this!) The vegetables were tolerable and when you mixed them with the couscous they did taste better. Overall, that meal rated a 2 on a scale of 1-10. Hence, no recipe. Plus, I'm not sure you would want to take the time to re-create this.

I think sometimes you can add and subtract a few ingredients, but on the whole, sticking to the original recipe sometimes it works the best.

The Disappearing Apple Crisp

 
Seven plus years ago, around Thanksgiving to be exact, the Boston Globe ran a food section on apple pies. There was an apple crisp which was highlighted, so I cut it out figuring this would be my holiday dessert. The original recipe was a delicious apple crisp with a pie crust bottom. I made it a few times with the crusted bottom but found that everyone would eat the inside and topping and leave the crust behind. I ended up adapting the recipe to the eaters in my house. I started making the recipe without the crust and would add various fruits, depending on the season. Sometimes I would make it with apples and pears, other times I would throw in a cup of fresh raspberries or cranberries and one summer we made it with peaches and blueberries. Each variation seemed to taste better than the last.

The other night, I was looking at some apples and decided to make an apple crisp for dessert. I haven't made it since Thanksgiving and I forget how good it is warm from the oven with some vanilla ice cream. It was soooo good!

As I was spooning the last bit from the pan to photograph, I kept eating the remaining crumbs, stuck to the sides of the pan. It really is addictive...apples, cinnamon and a sweet oatmeal crunch. I think I'm going to hide the last cup for later. So, as far as anyone else is concerned...the apple crisp is gone.

Ingredients:

 7 Apples (I use a mixture of Green Apples, MacIntosh, Delicious or whatever is in season)

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of vanilla

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

2 tablespoons of honey

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

Pinch of Salt

Crumb Topping:

1/2 cup of butter (softened)

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of oatmeal

1 cup of flour

Peel, core and slice apples into 1/4 inch slices, place into a bowl. Add the brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, honey, cornstarch and pinch of salt. Stir and let rest for about 10 minutes to create juices for crisp. Place in 9 x 13 baking dish or 9 inch pie pan.

Mix together softened butter, brown sugar, flour and oatmeal to form crumbs. Sprinkle over apple mixture in baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes until golden and bubbly.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Hide any remaining pieces.

Maryana Vollstedt's Spaghetti Squash with Vegetables

 
Every Sunday before we go grocery shopping, we try and map out what our dinner menu will look like for the week. I find that with a hectic work schedule, knowing what will we be making for dinner makes things a little easier.

Back a few years ago, while visiting some small country stores in central Massachusetts, Jeff and I came across the cookbook, The Big Book of Casseroles by Maryana Vollstedt. This was one of our first staple recipe books and if you have children, this is a must have. We have made at least 20 recipes from the book. The recipes are easy, tasty and enjoyed by the whole family.

While I was flipping through the book looking for Victory Casserole, which we will highlight, I came across this recipe, Spaghetti Squash with Vegetables. I hadn't made spaghetti squash in years and I loved the combination of mushrooms, zucchini and tomatoes. This recipe tasted so fresh and was extremely light (except for the few pats of butter). Our family devoured the entire dish, I wished I had doubled it.

If you are looking for a light, healthy meal or side dish for dinner, consider this recipe. It's a great alternative to pasta.

Ingredients:

1 spaghetti squash (about 3 pounds)

1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil

6 green onions including some tender green tops, sliced

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 small zucchini, unpeeled, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tomato, seeded, diced and drained

1/2 cup of chicken broth

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh basil or 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds and loose strings. On an aluminum foil lined baking sheet, place squash, cut side down. Bake until tender, about 40 minutes. (See Note) Remove from baking sheet and cool. With a fork, scrape out flesh and place in a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish, lightly coated with Pam.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, warm one tablespoon of the olive oil. Add onions, mushrooms, zucchini, and garlic and saute until tender, 6-7 minutes. Add more oil if needed. Stir in tomato, broth and seasonings, simmer 5 minutes longer.

Transfer to casserole dish containing squash and mix well. (I added a few pats of butter as I thought it might dry out) Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Bake uncovered until heated through and flavors are blended, about 40 minutes. Serves 6.

Note: Spaghetti squash may also be cooked in the microwave oven. Cut squash as directed. Place cut side down in a shallow glass dish with 1/4 cup of water. Cover with plastic wrap. Cook 7-8 minutes on high and then proceed as directed.

 

Hillary Clinton's Chocolate Chip Cookies

 
During the last few months, I have been reporting on many of my index card recipes. These are 5 x 7 index cards with recipes to my past. I had always been fearful that if I lost them I would lose recipes that I could not replace.

As I was copying a few of them into my upcoming posts, a newspaper clipping floated out from in between the cards...Hillary Clinton's Chocolate Chip Cookies. I started to laugh. I think I made them when the Clinton's were in office. I remember them being a little different since the cookie base was shortening (Crisco) and it included oatmeal.

So, off to the kitchen to make some cookies. Before we could get them on the cookie sheets to bake, we were eating the batter. The true sign of a good cookie...good batter. The cookies were sweet and crunchy and before I could save a few, half of them were gone.

I guess since I have entered down the political baking path, I will have to find Laura Bush's and Michelle Obama's favorite cookies and report on those. Then, we can have the great cookie debate.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup shortening

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups rolled oats

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Brush baking sheets lightly with vegetable oil. Combine flour, salt and baking soda on waxed paper.

Beat together shortening, sugars and vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy.

Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in rolled oats and then chocolate chips. Drop batter by rounded teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or till golden. Cool cookies on sheets for 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies.