Smithy

We seem to be continually running ahead of the spring weather we've seen in past years. Sure, there are flowers blooming, but I have yet to see a paloverde tree blossom. The pecans haven't started to sprout leaves yet. ("Why doesn't someone cut down all these old dead trees?" asked my Florida-born cousin when he visited one winter. How we laughed! I think we were kind enough to laugh when he was out of earshot, but it was long ago and I a teenager. I may not have been as kind as I would be now.) I've noticed an interesting pruning pattern on these tall trees. I haven't been able to see the machinery at work, nor have I found a link to show it. Maybe someone else can show us. This shot is deliberately long, to emphasize the geometry we're seeing on pruned pecan orchards.

Nice idea, although we won't be able to go back this trip. There may be other opportunities farther along. Otherwise, if we like it I'll add it to my ever-expanding list of oddball foods to pick up along our route! Thanks also for the refrigeration / anti-oxidation advice. I hadn't thought of that. We had intended to revisit the Barrio Brewing Co. where we dined with @FauxPas and Mr. FauxPas last spring. The only time we got close was quite by accident. My darling thinks it was a Freudian slip on the part of the GPS. We were trying to find HF Coors, of pottery fame, around several traffic accidents and reconstruction projects. My phone was saying to go one way, and so was my head; his GPS kept saying to go another way. It's no good having 2 navigators working at the same time, so I sat back and let his GPS take the lead. We ended up at Barrio Brewing! The GPS must have thought that was what "Coors" meant. It was much too early for dinner, and neither of us wanted beer with lunch, so we decided to come back later. We never made it. I found a consolation prize at a market later. It's a nice, light golden brew: not too hoppy, not too sweet. Pretty good with dinner. I'll add a photo of the brew in a mug later; it's pretty, but has escaped the camera lens for some reason.

Thanks for that information. I find that my sweet tooth isn't what it used to be, and some lemon curds are cloyingly sweet. When you do it in the Instant Pot, I'll be interested to see what the differences turn out to be.

Thanks for that clarification. Have you tried it yet? If so, how is the level of sweetness?

Aha, @sartoric - that helps! In this country we get dried hibiscus. I learned it in Egypt as "karkadeh" but here it's known as hibiscus, or the Mexican equivalent, "jamaica". I never thought of trying to make a jam or jelly from it. The color is beautiful. I'm relieved that you aren't picking out feathers.

Just for clarification: the recipe you linked to uses 3 whole eggs. Does your comment above, about using a whole egg recipe, simply refer to using entire eggs instead of parts? Or did you use only 1 egg?

Please tell more about rosella jam. My Google search simply says rosellas are a type of parrot!

According to the label, it's "Cold Pressed California Extra Virgin Olive Oil Co-Pressed with Fresh Jalapeños". I took a flyer on this one! It may have a mild heat; it may blow our heads off. I'll let you know.

Pomegranate's not a bad comparison, but I think the prickly pear is more tart. My syrup is also sweeter than pomegranate syrup, but since it has sucrose added I'm not sure the comparison is valid. If you should decide to harvest the fruit ("tunas") and juice your own, please let us know about it! I wrote here about the process (skim to the very end of the post) and @FauxPas provided clearer detail here. It sounds ridiculously easy if you have access to the tunas.

During our last visit I fell in love with prickly pear balsamic vinegar and prickly pear syrup. They make great additions to salad dressings and sauces, and are also good simply drizzled over some meats for caramelization. I had a wonderful flan with caramelized prickly pear syrup and want to try making it myself. With that in mind, we went on an expedition to get some more. One of our neighbors is the sort who also loves cooking, gardening and organic foods that aren't common in northern Minnesota. We picked some up for her as a gift. There were impulse buys, also. Our haul: I love the way the light plays through the prickly pear syrup and the white balsamic vinegar!

I have some comments on the breads we bought at Barrio Bread. As noted before, we had sandwiches with some of the Heritage loaf - which they say uses a specialty blend of their flours. I can't find it now, but I think I read somewhere that it's made with their Sonoran blend. It's delicious. The next morning I used slices from the Khorasan loaf for part of my breakfast. It also was delicious. Well..."delicious" is good, but how different were the loaves? I thought I could articulate the differences, but needed a head-to-head test to be sure. Hey, it's a great excuse for buttered toast. On the left is the Heritage loaf; on the right is the Khorasan. Both have a good, firm crumb and pleasant, wheaty flavor. The Heritage bread is a bit browner, the Khorasan more golden. The crust in the Khorasan loaf is stronger. (I think that's a plus; my darling doesn't.) The tastes are quite different. The Khorasan loaf has nutty and deep notes that the Heritage loaf does not. Don't get me wrong! The Heritage loaf also tastes of good whole wheat, but it has a delicate sourdough note - not as pronounced as in a San Francisco sourdough, but it's there. Both are quite good, whether toasted or not. I'll be sorry when they're gone. Before I get to the next part of the story, here's a refresher on what I bought: I had a feeling, when buying all that bread, that I was mimicking Johanna Spyri's Heidi, who hoarded bread in a vain attempt to take it to an ailing elderly woman in the mountains! I was right. By the time I got to the poor baguette - which wouldn't fit in the freezer - our dinner plans had changed twice and a couple of days had gone by. It was quite, er, crusty. I had intended it to accompany ceviche. I tried reviving half the baguette in the microwave with a cup of water. It worked the first time. Then my darling said he wasn't ready yet! I repeated the action...and again, when he was finally ready. I didn't do that bread any favors. But you know what? It was mighty crunchy on its own, but broken up and added to the ceviche it was wonderful: perfect croutons, especially suited to soak up those juices. It also is delicious.

From time to time, we pass through Tucson, Arizona and go to the Arizona-Sonoran Desert Museum. From time to time, they offer cooking or harvest classes featuring native Sonoran Desert ingredients. The closest I've managed to come to attending such a class was last fall's Desert Harvest Festival, which I wrote about here. One of the best parts was a presentation titled A Pot, A Pillowcase, and A Propane Torch, in which Sarah Lee-Allen showed how to make prickly pear syrup, mesquite flour and cholla buds into edible goodness without getting stuck. Since then I've had my electronic ears tuned to other class offerings. I recently received this notification about a class coming up on April 6, 2019. I think it will be an interesting class; unfortunately, we are mobile snowbirds and will have moved on by then. I'm posting about it here in case someone else IS interested and able to attend! Disclaimer: I have been in communication with Sarah, and I have a general membership with the ASDM. I have no financial involvement with the organization, other than paying dues!

It's going to be (already is) beautiful! Sorry if you said this before, but what is the wood in use for the back bar and the bar? The color contrasts are striking.

We made it to Barrio Bread. See here for the difficulties we experienced the first time around. This time, we had landmarks to help us find it. This time, we knew to arrive earlier in the day - and we made it slightly before noon. The shelves were much better stocked than they had been during our last visit! Where last fall there had been few choices because the bread was already sold out, this time the selection was plentiful and choices were difficult. I wanted to get one of each! I knew I couldn't keep them or use them quickly enough. But this was my only opportunity for this trip! I had plenty of time to agonize while in line. I selected a loaf each of Heritage and Khorasan bread, and a Barrio Baguette. The loaves are works of art. (These pictures are lower-resolution for ease of posting. If you want more detail in the pictures, I can post higher-resolution versions.) The heritage grains are locally grown, drought-tolerant. I had never heard of Khorasan before now. The Heritage loaf includes Sonoran white wheat. I also bought 2 5-pound bags of their Barrio flour blend. I haven't taken photos of that. Here's the bread part of our purchase, along with a money shot of the Heritage loaf: Directly we got home, I mixed up some chicken salad and sliced some of the Heritage loaf for sandwiches. We were happy.

I'm glad I asked about the quail! They looked small to me, but the last time I had any was when my father brought them home from hunting trips. My fists were quite a bit smaller then. It's a good question about the 1-week limit. The County owns and operates it, so they get to make the rules. My guess is that since it's first-come-first-served (no reservations taken) they want to maximize the number of people who can enjoy the park...as you say, because so many people want in.

Tucson is a nice place to spend time. In my case, that almost always means spending money too - probably too much, but I love the food scene here. Add to that the fact that we're camped in a pleasant area - much more lush and bird-populated than our previous stops - and it makes us happy for a week. (We'd stay longer, maybe, but the campground we're in has a 1-week limit and we haven't found anything else acceptable so far.) We've had a couple of shopping expeditions. One involved a stop at the Babylon Market, where we could restock certain dwindling or empty supplies: barberries, Egyptian feta cheese, cumin. We had already stopped at a Fry's grocery store; otherwise I might have purchased olive oil and balsamic vinegar here. The prices were lower at Babylon Market. The business continues to thrive, but on our particular visit they were tearing around in overwork. There was a "help wanted" sign, written in at least 3 languages. Sorry, I forgot to take a photo of it. If you know someone who lives around here and might be looking for work in a Middle-Eastern food market, send them to Babylon. These caught my eye, although I didn't buy them. I thought of @heidih when I saw the dried mallow leaves. I thought of @Shelby when I saw the quail, and wondered what she'd think of the sizes. They're advertised as Jumbo quail. There were 1/2 - 2/3 the size of my fist! I remember quail as being bigger than that, but maybe I'm misremembering. This also caught our eye, though we didn't buy it. This party-sized flatbread took up most of the top of their freezer case. Look carefully above the words "flat bread" and you'll see our pickup keys and fob for scale. While I waited in the checkout line - one of the owners answered 3 phone calls and dealt with a butcher-counter problem - these also caught my eye. Before I knew it, they'd fallen into my basket. My darling preferred the original flavor and thought the sweet & sour was too hot; I preferred the sweet and sour (and did not find it hot). I wouldn't get them again, though. Like every other variety of kettle-cooked chips I've tried, these were tough. I think kettle chips just aren't my thing.

Hilarious, indeed! But the food looked good...well, except for the cheese. The "loaded fries" looked interesting, too. I'd try that, if I could. I seem to be seeing a lot more variants of poutine / chili fries (depending on which side of the Canada / US border one is on) than I used to. The "dirty fries" I saw at a restaurant recently included chili, cheese, jalapenos and perhaps something else. The "garlic fries" I had around New Year's included parmesan and parsley. Is this variation on a theme a new trend, or am I just slow to spot it?

What makes something "Balti"? Does that specify a particular flavor profile?

I have an EZ-DUZ-IT at home. I like it, but not well enough to justify that price! IMO it is not as good as the old Swing-a-Way. Mine is a couple of years old and starting to loosen/show signs of wear. It does not get heavy usage.

I would so like to be there for the grand opening! It's going to be special. Those bonbons are wonderful in themselves.

What a shame the ribs didn't come out nicely! I have the same question @TdeV has. You'll probably get some good "what to do next time" advice, once you answer. In the meantime,... If the texture is the only problem - that is, if the flavor is good but the meat is just tough - there's hope. One possibility is to cut it into small chunks (bite-sized, or smaller) and make hash. In a skillet, cook potatoes, onions, seasonings of your choice, and the meat chunks.When we cook hash we add the onions after the potatoes are nearly done, so the onions don't overcook; since the meat is already cooked it goes in at about the same time as the onions. There are far more experienced hash-makers than I who can give more thorough instructions if this sounds appealing, but it's a very forgiving dish. Here's one example. Another possibility is to cut the meat as above, and use it in a stir-fry. Finally, you might be able to stew the meat and get it more tender - or at least extract flavor from it - but I think it depends on how it was cooked in the first place. More information, please!

Last night's dinner was a test of a new (to me) recipe: Skillet-Roasted Salmon with Avocado, Pomegranate, and Bulgur, from the April/May 2019 issue of Fine Cooking. I had to take a few liberties with it, since I had no pomegranate and went lightly on the cilantro out of deference to my partner - so our dinner was much less colorful than it is on the cover of the magazine. (It looks much, much better on the cover of their magazine, of course. Garnish and better plating would have helped this photo!) So why am I writing about it here? Because of the unexpected way the avocado augmented the dish. The salmon, with its seasoning of lime, cilantro and aromatics, was excellent. The bulgur, with the same seasonings (and ginger, garlic, scallions, all sweated before the broth came in) was excellent. Taken together, they were great. But when a bite of buttery, silky avocado was taken at the same time, the dish gained new depth and complexity: something was added that I hadn't even known was missing! This recipe is a keeper, when I can get good avocado. Even my husband, who flinches at the idea of salmon or cilantro, liked it and wants me to make it again. Make this dish. Enjoy it. Make it look better than I did, and enjoy that avocado!

That is a lovely tutorial, @sartoric. You and @Okanagancook both turn out lovely dishes, clearly explained. Thank you!

You nailed it right there! We both prefer our hot food on hot plates, but he has a special bugagoo about it because of his past life. He, his then-wife and daughter worked in a backwoods resort restaurant with exactly those heavy china platters. He could NOT get them to warm the plates ahead of time, so those lovely eggs and bacon/sausage/whatever went onto cold plates and were cold by the time they arrived at the table. I think it's a travesty too, but it isn't quite the burr under my saddle that it is for him. He knows all that (well, except maybe the bears' preference) but still is firmly in the burger / brats / red meat / "the more sat fat the better" camp. It happens that salmon is my favorite fish, so I occasionally make a command decision and buy it. Then the trick is to find a way to cook it that we both like. Just this morning he said again that he really liked that dish last night! It's a keeper.

Tonight's dinner was a new recipe from the latest issue of Fine Cooking: Skillet-Roasted Salmon with Avocado, Pomegranate and Bulgur. Never mind that I'm out of pomegranate and may not have access until next fall; I wanted to cook that dish! It looked so beautiful on the cover of the magazine! The recipe involves lime zest and juice; cilantro; bulgur with vegetable broth (I used chicken); minced ginger, scallions and garlic, and oil for the fish and for heating the aromatics. Get the aromatics started on stovetop. Add the bulgur and broth, stir well. Put the (seasoned) fish on top. Bake in the oven. Remove from the oven and let it sit, covered (why? to let the bulgur finish?) then remove the fish, fluff and season the bulgur, put the fish back, season all and serve. Well...food stylists do a far better job than I, and this would have looked prettier with the pomegranate arils and more cilantro. The whitish stuff coming out of the salmon suggests that it might have been overcooked. It didn't taste like it to us. My darling, whose face fell at the idea of salmon for dinner, liked it. He liked it despite its having cilantro, which I downplayed (hence the lack of garnish). His only complaint was that the fish and bulgur were cool by the time they got to the table, and he prefers his fish and grains to be hot. That can be corrected with higher-heat-capacity plates, I told him. Melamine just doesn't cut it. I think I have a new justification for purchasing new dinnerware.