Sarasota, FL: Spring Break Destination

Freddy and I had 4 crazy girls come to visit us for spring break. Carolyn and her three friends (Brenda, Steph, and Courtney) drove through the night last Friday/Saturday from Urbana to Sarasota and still managed to arrive full of energy. On Sunday I took the girls to Siesta Key Beach, where there is a drum circle at sunset every week. The girls joined in the festivities by dancing in the middle of the circle, and we came home ready to eat. Carolyn took charge in kitchen, with Brenda as her sous chef. Here are a few pictures of a wonderful meal with very entertaining company.

Degreased bean skin knots ("yuba guitars")

We had nothing to eat. And we were tired. And it was cold outside and we didn't feel like going out. But it was only five p.m. on a Friday and soup sounded better than delivery Thai food, so I decided to see what I could put together.

Okay, we did have food. Five old potatoes with sprouts, two onions, two carrots, half a green pepper, six small colored peppers and three hot finger peppers. If you cut all that up and saute it for 10 minutes, add a box of vegetable broth and two more of water, simmer for 20 minutes, then chop and add a couple of zucchini, you've got yourself some pretty fine soup.

What about some protein? Rummage in the cabinet and find . . . degreased bean skin knots! Also known as yuba guitars, of course. Throw a handful of them in about five minutes before serving, and add the last of the cilantro, now that's soup. Served with frozen alu paratha (indian potato bread), a fine Friday evening meal.

Joining Obama's Day of Service

Apologies to those who are suffering through frigid temperatures in the Midwest, but the Martin Luther King Day of Service event I participated in yesterday in Richmond, California, with Nanette and her kids Lee and Elena, could not have been in a more idyllic setting. The skies were achingly blue, the sun warm and shimmering on the bay, the backdrop of the Bay Bridge and the San Francisco skyline spectacular, and the several hundred volunteers who picked up trash, chopped down clumps of invasive fennel and pampas grass, and planted native seedlings all in high spirits.

"Our new president asked us to serve," said Nanette, "and here we are!"

That's Elena and Lee with me below.

Feeding the spirit.

I’m been feeling rather agitated lately because of certain interactions that have not been going to my liking. If you know me you know what I’m talking about, if you don’t know me, it doesn’t matter. What’s important is I have friends that feed my spirit. Look at the box I found on my desk today, delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.

How fun does this look! I couldn’t wait to look inside where I found many sweet things, Pocky sticks, chocolate “sardines” from France, a dark chocolate bar with cherries and almonds, Lindor candies, Ritter minis, and a bag of Quadratini bite-size cookies from Italy. And there was a card with touching messages from both friends.
Yum! Thank you, thank you, DeDee and Erin!

DeDee, Erin and I were part of a team that worked closely together last year. Chocolate was our drug of choice to ward off bad days. They understood the frustration and anger I’ve been feeling as only someone who has been in the same situation can. Seeing the box on my desk decorated with Erin’s art, DeDee’s science song and some of our inside jokes helped me feel less alone with my frustration.

My spirit is lifted.

Bread details

I could not post a picture in the comments section, so I will just compose a new post. The bread does indeed have a very Italian taste. It is very similar to the hearty Turano loaves. The taste largely comes from the starter dough, which for Italian bread is called a "biga". This started in a very wet version of the dough that rests from anywhere from 6-24 hours at 70 degrees. The temperature of the dough has everything to do with the taste, at different temperatures, different types of byproducts are created by the yeast which is what imparts distinct flavors to the bread. The amount of air in the loaf comes from 2 things. The higher water content of this dough (78% hydration) results in a chewier, more air filled crumb. Also, there are about 5 rises in the process, where the dough is stretch and folded gently to maintain as much air as possible. The final rise takes place in a rising banneton (for me is a colander) lined with a floured cloth. It essentially becomes a big bubble that you have to be very careful not to pop. The crisp crust is created by high wet heat made possible by a pan of ice cubes below the stone. The picture here is the second load which I rushed for the sake of sleep, so it isn't very "airy". To do it properly, it takes about 10 hours, minimum.

The Bread Bible

Freddy and I received The Bread Bible, by Rose Levy Beranbaum, for Christmas from Mom and Dad. Freddy has been making homemade bread for a while now (as blog readers may remember, he made Cuban/French bread for Thanksgiving) but he now admits that he knew nothing before reading The Bread Bible. "I've always wondered," he said, "how breads can contain the exact same ingredients but taste so different. Now I know, its all in the fermentation process!"

The first recipe he decided to try is pictured on the cover of the book, and is an Italian bread from the region of Puglia, which was the home of Great Grandpa Lepore.

Below are some pictures of the baking process. And as you can see, Freddy's loaf perfectly resembles the one on the cover.

New Year's Eve Bouillabaisse

What do boring people do New Year's Eve?

They cook! Here's a shot of our New Year's Eve bouillabaisse. I believe that it is traditional in some cultures to serve fish on New Year's Eve. This stew featured mussels, tilapia, clams, scallops, and shrimp, but the key ingredient was the 3/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika. Yum.

We served it with griddled sourdough bread and some fancy Spanish olive oil. We also had some aioli to drop right into your soup, nice and garlicky. The whole thing was very Spanish.

Any food or cooking New Year's resolutions out there?

Happy New Year everybody!