Fearless Friday: Cornmeal Pancakes

Husband brought home this booklet, 50 Pancakes & Waffles, taken out of the Food Network Magazine. Everyone loves pancakes and waffles, but being made of refined grains, they are definitely not something we have regularly. Browsing through the booklet, I saw a recipe for Corn Cakes. Cornmeal is the one grain other than brown rice, that I occasionally indulge in, and I had all the ingredients on hand, so I decided to try it. I wrote down the ingredient list & adapted it for overnight soaking - mainly for the small amount of flour in them. It's not nixtamalizing the corn, but I figured it couldn't hurt the cornmeal to soak it, too. They came out delicious! And they did not make me feel bloaty and terrible like some other grains might have. Not daily fare, certainly, but definitely repeatable.

Here is what I actually did:

The night before I wanted to make them, I mixed together:
1/2 cup unbleached white flour (I'd have used whole wheat if I'd had it)
1 cup stone ground cornmeal
1 cup milk + 1/4 cup sour cream (This is what I had on hand. 1 1/4 cup buttermilk or yogurt would be great.)
3 T local honey (From my next-door neighbor. It doesn't get any more local than that!)

I covered this mixture with plastic wrap and left it on the counter overnight.
In the morning, I added:
4 T melted butter
2 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 T baking powder

You'll also need:
More butter or coconut oil for the griddle
Butter and honey to serve them with.

I mixed it all up with a whisk, heated the griddle, buttered it, and cooked them just like pancakes (Scant 1/4 cup batter onto heated, greased pan, wait for bubbles, flip over.) We ate them with more butter, and tried them with a tad of honey added, too. I also added some fresh blueberries to a couple of them - this was great, too. Just add the blueberries after you pour the batter onto the pan, then wait for bubbles & flip as usual. Yum!

I may try adding a couple tablespoons coconut flour and another egg in place of the 1/2 cup wheat flour to see if they can be made gluten-free. But at least with the soaking, the wheat is rendered more digestible.

Enjoy!

100% Rye "Biscuits"

So I got this recipe for Soaked Whole Grain Buttermilk Biscuits, and decided to try them. Husband misses such things, and he was on his way home. As with most things I cook, I used the recipe as a starting place, and made a lot of changes.

Friday night I went to the store for buttermilk, but was horrified at what they put in it. I remembered that in the absence of buttermilk, you could "clabber" milk with lemon juice or vinegar, both of which I had at home, so I bought a quart of whole, organic milk. (A so-so choice. Read about healthy milk choices here.) I came home and opened Joy of Cooking, checked substitutions, and found they suggest yogurt as a buttermilk replacement. I guess the clabbered milk substitution was from the previous edition of Joy of Cooking (I have both, LOL). Anyway, I had some homemade raw milk yogurt on hand, so I used that instead of clabbered milk. I also didn't have any whole wheat flour in the freezer, but I did have some stone ground rye flour, so I used that. Since I was using rye flour, I added some caraway seeds and rosemary to the dough. The rest of the method I followed. I did roll the dough out and cut them out with a biscuit cutter that was my Mom's - maybe even my grandmother's. Using that made me happy, but I'm sure the biscuits would be just as good made as drop biscuits, as recommended in the original recipe.

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups stone-ground rye flour
½ cup cold butter
1 T caraway seeds
1 T dried rosemary
1 cup buttermilk or yogurt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon unrefined sea salt

Method:
Measure the whole grain flour into a bowl or better, into the bowl of a food processor or mixer. Add the cold butter, cut into chunks. Cut the butter into the flour, using two knives, or mix with the food processor or mixer  until the mixture resembles the texture of cornmeal. Mix in the caraway seeds and rosemary. Stir in the buttermilk or yogurt to form a thick dough. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap, and allow to sit on your counter overnight.

In the morning, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once the oven is preheated, knead baking soda and unrefined sea salt into the dough.

Flour your hands and gently form the biscuits either by rolling them out and cutting them out with a biscuit cutter, or drop them straight from the mixing bowl onto a baking sheet or preheated baking stone.

Bake the biscuits at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for about fifteen minutes, or until they puff up and become a golden brown color. I used a Pampered Chef baking stone, and I think I baked the rye biscuits for 20 minutes. They didn't really puff up, but I don't know if that is the heaviness of the rye, or if I should have used more baking soda. I will try using a skosh more baking soda next time.

Use a spatula to transfer the biscuits to a rack to cool slightly, then slather with pastured butter, and enjoy!

Homemade Dill Pickles

One of the cornerstones of Traditional Food is homemade fermented foods. On Ash Wednesday, I finally took the plunge and made some dill pickles. It couldn't be easier! Today I tasted them when I transferred them to the fridge, and guess what? They tasted like pickles! Amazing!

Photo tutorial of this recipe can be found here.

I followed the recipe in Nourishing Traditions, and did it thus:

3 English cucumbers (these are the long, skinny ones - unwaxed, smaller seeds, don't need peeling)
2T mustard seeds
4T snipped fresh dill
2T sea salt
1/2 cup whey (Here's how to get whey)
4 pint-sized, wide mouth mason jars with lids. I bought mine in the grocery store next to the vinegars.

Unwrap and wash off the cucumbers. Cut off & discard the ends. Slice the cucumbers at 1/4 inch intervals. Distribute them among the 4 jars. I had a few left over that I just put in a container in the fridge to eat raw. (They are great with yogurt dip!) Add 1 1/2 teaspoons (1/2 Tablespoon) sea salt to each jar. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons (1/2 Tablespoon) mustard seeds to each jar. Add 1 Tablespoon (or so) snipped fresh dill to each jar. Add 2 Tablespoons whey to each jar. Top each one up with 1 cup filtered water. Add more water if needed to cover your cucumber slices. Put the lids on, and let the pickles sit on the counter for two days. After two days, transfer them to the refrigerator. You can eat them then, but I expect they will improve with age. Exciting!

Mrs. Economides's Yogurt Recipe

I had a gallon of raw milk that I knew I'd be unable to drink all of, so I decided to make yogurt out of it. I looked up several ways to make yogurt, but they all seemed so complicated. I knew I had this recipe, and had made it successfully, when I was quite a novice cook. According to my notes, I received this recipe back in 1994 from the mother of my dear friend Theo. I know that I made it at least once back then, but I don't think I've made it since! I deviated from the recipe somewhat, but it's a very forgiving recipe. Try it!

Mrs. Economides's Yogurt Recipe

1/2 gallon milk
8oz good quality plain yogurt with live cultures

Pour milk into a large pot and bring it to a gentle boil. If you have a candy thermometer, keep temperature between 145-160 degrees. Simmer 30-60 minutes. The longer the milk is boiled, the thicker the yogurt will be.

Put the pot in a sink of cold water to cool it until it won't burn when touched.

Put half the container of yogurt into a small bowl. Stir in a little of the warm milk, then transfer the mixture back to the pot and stir. Pour into smaller containers, but do not put lids on them. Place them in a warm place*, covered with a couple of towels. Allow to set for 5-6 hours. Put lids on, let cool to room temperature on the counter, and place in refrigerator.

*A gas oven with a pilot is ideal. Or, turn on an electric oven for just under a minute, then turn it off. Place a pan of  hot water in the oven under or near the yogurt, and leave the oven light on. This is also how I rise bread dough. A perfect proofing cabinet!

Enjoy!

Fearless Friday: Muffins

Based on the success of the cupcakes made from the gluten-free cake recipe, I decided to try an experiment to decrease the sugar even more. So based on that recipe, I made up the following one. If it works, I'll have a snack that is free of grain, gluten, dairy, sugar, and fake sugar. The only major allergen it contains is egg. I do have at least one friend who will not be able to eat them because of that. And I guess nuts, but those are quite easily left out.

Carrot Apple Raisin Muffins
(Free of gluten, grain, dairy, sugar, & sugar substitutes)

3/8 cup coconut flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons flax seed, ground
(1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp allspice - suggestions*)
5 eggs
1/2 cup coconut oil
3/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup raisins (used 1/4 cup golden & 1/4 cup regular)
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts**

In a small bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, ground flax, & spices.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, and applesauce.
Add carrots, raisins, and pecans and mix.
Add dry ingredients into large bowl and mix.
Grease 12 cup muffin tin and dust with coconut flour, or line with muffin papers.
Pour batter into cups 2/3 full and bake at 325° for 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean.
Remove from oven, allow to cool 10 minutes in pan, then remove from pans & cool completely.

*My applesauce was homemade, and was very spicy with ginger, cinnamon, & anise seeds, so I didn't add any extra spices. Therefore these measurements are just suggestions.
**If you know me at all, you know I used pecans. I always say, "A walnut is a Yankee's poor excuse for a pecan!" That being said, I concede that walnuts would work just fine in such a recipe.

I transferred them to a cooling rack, and we each grabbed a warm one on our way out the door - Husband was halfway through his before I bit into mine, so I asked him for an assessment. He said it was, "like cornbread with fruit in it," and he liked it. I bit into mine and found the texture to be fantastic! It was pretty much not sweet at all, except for the raisins. When we got home, we each had a room-temperature one, and found it much sweeter than the warm ones had been. I refrigerated them overnight, and in the morning found them *plenty* sweet for breakfast.

There are a couple of things I will do differently next time:
- I will grease & flour the muffin cups instead of using papers, because I didn't like how much muffin stuck to the papers.
- I will try using 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut in place of the flax seed, just to see how it affects the taste & texture. Perhaps I'll try using both as well.

But all in all, I declare this Fearless Friday a success! I will *definitely* be making it again.

**Update** I made a second batch, and it did not come out anything like as well as the first. They were edible, but soggy. There were a few changes contributing to this: 
1. I used a less-expensive brand of coconut flour, which was milled less finely and had a higher fat content than the Bob's Red Mill that I used before. I now recommend *only* Bob's Red Mill Coconut Flour. It's around $7/lb, but you only use tablespoons of it at a time. My first bag lasted me an entire year.  
2. I eliminated the flax seed, and added 1/4 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut. I loved the flavor of the coconut added, so next time I will try adding both.
3. My applesauce had sort of separated and was a bit runny, and
4. I didn't measure the carrot shreds, but just grated 2 carrots into the bowl. I don't know that this threw it off, but with baking, measuring is usually a good idea.

I'll make a third batch and let you know how they come out!

Fearless Friday: Meatloaf!

What's frightening about meatloaf, you ask? Well, I think I made it once 15 years ago, and it didn't turn out so well. So it's an entirely new endeavor for me. Also, since we are on a largely grain-free diet, I can't use flour or oatmeal to bind it. So I did a bit of research and made up my own recipe. And promptly used five whole pounds of ground beef to make it. So if it *doesn't* turn out, it will be a pretty big disaster.

Here is what I did:

5 lbs ground chuck (20% fat)

4 eggs, beaten

1 small sweet onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled & diced

1 orange bell pepper, diced (I'd have used red, but I happened to have orange)

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp smoked salt

1 tsp mustard powder

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix the meat, vegetables, spices, & herbs in a large bowl, using your hands. Make a well in the center, and pour in the beaten eggs. Mix again with hands, until evenly mixed. Halve the mixture and press into two 5x9 loaf pans. Place both loaf pans on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch spillovers) & put into preheated oven. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes or until instant-read thermometer inserted into middle reads 165F. Drain fat, and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

I just put them in the oven, so I'll update with how long they actually cook, and how they come out...

Update: OMGYUM!!! I love it! They took just over an hour & 15, certainly no more than an hour and a half. I turned off the oven and let them sit while my neighbor and I walked the dogs. I poured a bit of the fat into the dogs' food when we got back, and boy were they happy campers! I poured the rest of the fat/drippings into a container so we have quite a few more happy dog meals, LOL. So I transferred the loaves to a plate, cut a slice, and tried it out. I declare it a success! It could use a bit of gravy (or ketchup, Husband will say, LOL) because it's just a tad dry, but that really means that it held together well and is yummy!

I'm calling this one a success!