Acorns & Cattails

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Started in on Rob's book tonight.  Nice pictures, interesting philosophy.  The bit about grapevines reminded me ever so much about my balcony.  My grapevine has been growing ten or twenty years, planted by the birds.  Never a grape, ever.  Only recently did I learn that unlike European grapes, the native grapevines are sexual.  This one is undoubtedly a boy.  He provides lovely leaves and shade, and something for the tomatoes to hang onto.

 

[curls]

I would really like to try making the chocolate chip cookies but have yet to be able to find mesquite flour in any of my local stores. Has anybody tried these cookies yet? Any recommended online suppliers of mesquite flour?

[Smithy]

1 hour ago, curls said:

I would really like to try making the chocolate chip cookies but have yet to be able to find mesquite flour in any of my local stores. Has anybody tried these cookies yet? Any recommended online suppliers of mesquite flour?

 

curls, I haven't tried that particular recipe yet, but I've been enjoying the use of mesquite flour since I discovered it at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.  They were out of it the last time I visited, but were willing to send me more at their store price + the cost of postage.  The bags I have at present come from two sources: Flor de Mayo Arts and Kokopelli's Kitchen.  I'm afraid I can't read the web address clearly for Kokopelli's Kitchen on my bag, but here is their listing under IndieBound.org. In both cases I got them through the shop at Organ Pipe.  When I run across the shop's contact information again I'l post it here.

[gfron1]

I found it here in St Louis at Whole Foods and a local co-op. A quick google search just gave me a long list of suppliers.

[curls]

@Smithy thank you very much for the links! Looking forward to trying out the recipes in Rob's book.

 

@gfron1 it is possible that I am looking in the wrong section of the local grocery stores (Wegmans, Whole Foods, Shoppers Food)... I have been checking the baking section and the gluten free aisle. I know that I should be able to find a lot of these ingredients in the Washington DC area, we have tons of offerings in the local grocery stores and the specialty markets but when there is little time to check out all the local markets, the internet is a wonderful resource. 

[gfron1]

23 hours ago, curls said:

it is possible that I am looking in the wrong section of the local grocery stores (Wegmans, Whole Foods, Shoppers Food)... I have been checking the baking section and the gluten free aisle. I know that I should be able to find a lot of these ingredients in the Washington DC area, we have tons of offerings in the local grocery stores and the specialty markets but when there is little time to check out all the local markets, the internet is a wonderful resource. 

Gluten free is where I'd go, but it would be wherever amaranth, chia and all the other goofy stuff is. Often times there's a Bobs Redmill aisle, and not that he has mesquite (as far as I know), his stuff is normally nearby. Have you tried a health food co-op? I am surprised that WF doesn't have it however. Check out LaTienda.com because they aren't too far away from you and maybe they have a storefront associated with their website. I know they carry Zocalo brand mesquite.

[curls]

2 hours ago, gfron1 said:

Gluten free is where I'd go, but it would be wherever amaranth, chia and all the other goofy stuff is. Often times there's a Bobs Redmill aisle, and not that he has mesquite (as far as I know), his stuff is normally nearby. Have you tried a health food co-op? I am surprised that WF doesn't have it however. Check out LaTienda.com because they aren't too far away from you and maybe they have a storefront associated with their website. I know they carry Zocalo brand mesquite.

Thanks Rob! Hadn't realized that La Tienda has a store front in Williamsburg, Virginia (about a 2 1/2 hour drive but would make for a nice outing one weekend). Yes, I was surprised that I could not find it at WF... will seek out a store manager and find out more. I have not tried a health food co-op but that is probably the way to go. Thank you for the mention of Zocalo mesquite - I was shying away from that since it is Peruvian vs. New Mexican. I think I'll give Zocalo a try and then try some of the Southwest resources that Smithy recommended.

 

I also need to check out some more of the ethnic grocery stores... the regular markets used to carry fresh corn tortillas (not fried tortilla chips) and I can't find them any more either. Might have to start ordering masa and learning how to make my own corn tortillas. Strange things are going on in the grocery markets.  ;-)

[curls]

Very glad that I got this book and have started cooking from it. Mesquite flour is a wonderful ingredient! Doubt I would have started using it without this cookbook. Muscovado sugar is also wonderful (but I knew about this one before Rob's cookbook).

 

Baked up some mesquite chocolate chip cookies, delicious! This recipe makes a lot of cookie dough for the home cook... so I formed about two-thirds of it into a log & am storing it in the freezer for the next time I want to bake cookies.The flavors are wonderful and I love the smell of the mesquite that came from the oven when the cookies were close to being done baking.

Edited November 12, 2016 by curls (log)

[Tri2Cook]

I have zero experience with mesquite other than the wood chips I can buy for the smoker and Jerry Seinfeld asking if it's made from mosquitos. Is the "organic mesquite powder" I can find here the same thing as the mesquite flour called for in the recipe?

[Smithy]

2 hours ago, Tri2Cook said:

I have zero experience with mesquite other than the wood chips I can buy for the smoker and Jerry Seinfeld asking if it's made from mosquitos. Is the "organic mesquite powder" I can find here the same thing as the mesquite flour called for in the recipe?

Probably, more or less.  I suppose the grind may differ from one supplier to another. In my experience some of it has a stronger flavor than others - perhaps from the particular variety of mesquite? or the age? or the processing method? None of it remotely resembles the smell of the wood chips, to my nose.  Its flavors are warm and slightly sweet - reminiscent of chocolate and cinnamon, but not so like either that you'd confuse them.

For more information about mequite flour and what affects its qualities, here are two writeups: 
Mesquite flour says its flavor can even vary from tree to tree; Desert Harvesters: Sources of Mesquite Flour and Mesquite Cooking lists multiple suppliers and their varied sources.

Neither of these pages is likely to do you much good because of shipping costs to Ontario, but they provide additional information for the interested reader and may be useful to USA purchasers.

[Tri2Cook]

Thanks! I don't have the luxury of selection of brands here, just wanted to make sure it wasn't something different. I went back and read a little deeper and the stuff I was asking about does indeed say "in desserts: You can substitute up to half the flour in a recipe with mesquite powder" so if I'd been a little more diligent the first time, I wouldn't have needed to ask.

[Smithy]

I finally found time to try one of the many recipes I've had bookmarked: Crawfish Samosas.

 

I love samosas.  I've never made them, but I love to eat them.  Here was my chance, while I had time and was traveling in seafood country.

 

As with all the recipes, this offers clear instructions.  First, make the dipping sauce from red bell peppers: cut to lay flat, broil, peel, then blend with olive oil and a touch of salt.

 

 

As with most or all the recipes, this offers substitutions.  That's good, because I didn't have crawfish but I did have tiny peeled shrimp.  I didn't have samosa wrappers, but I was able to find eggroll wrappers at a grocery store.  I took one other liberty with the recipe: the goat cheese I had, left over (unopened) from a dinner party over a month ago, contained dill and a decided bleuish funk.  I substituted grated parmesan cheese for half of the goat cheese.

 

 

I have no photo of the eggroll-wrapping procedure; I barely had enough hands without adding a camera to the mix.  I had trouble controlling the oil temperature; judging by the color of the rolls, I may have overcooked them slightly.

 

Still, we liked this very much...enough so that it was dinner for two of us, with leftovers. I will do it again, but try to do it when I have a deep fryer or a bodacious exhaust hood, or can fry outside.

 

 

This dinner photo shows just how much value there is to a food stylist and a good photographer.   It looks much better in the book - but even without the professional look it's well worth cooking.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

On ‎11‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 10:20 PM, curls said:

I would really like to try making the chocolate chip cookies but have yet to be able to find mesquite flour in any of my local stores. Has anybody tried these cookies yet? Any recommended online suppliers of mesquite flour?

 

I recently purchased Aji Panca from Zocalo and was very pleased.  Tonight I was investigating what other foods Zocalo offered and noticed they have mesquite flour:

 

http://www.culinarycollective.com/product/zocalo-peru-organic-mesquite-flour/

 

 

Edit:  and since a bit ago I was looking at the label from the bag, I figured out why my hands are smelling of Aji Panca.

 

Edit 2:  I notice Rob had already suggested Zocalo.  Sorry, carry on.

 

Edited December 1, 2016 by JoNorvelleWalker (log)

[nonkeyman]

On 12/1/2016 at 2:50 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

I recently purchased Aji Panca from Zocalo and was very pleased.  Tonight I was investigating what other foods Zocalo offered and noticed they have mesquite flour:

 

http://www.culinarycollective.com/product/zocalo-peru-organic-mesquite-flour/

 

 

Edit:  and since a bit ago I was looking at the label from the bag, I figured out why my hands are smelling of Aji Panca.

 

Edit 2:  I notice Rob had already suggested Zocalo.  Sorry, carry on.

 

 

Thank you for adding in! Even if it was already there. If you are like me...you just read the first post and the newest posts and not the whole thread anyway...

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, nonkeyman said:

Thank you for adding in! Even if it was already there. If you are like me...you just read the first post and the newest posts and not the whole thread anyway...

 

No, it's worse.  I had read the whole thread.  In fact I was the one who started it.  I just remembered the question about mesquite and forgot the Zocalo recommendation was already there.

Edited December 3, 2016 by JoNorvelleWalker (log)

[curls]

From the set of bonus recipes when you ordered directly from Rob... brownies. Sorry it is not a better photo but these are wonderful! Looking forward to sharing with with the folks at work.

[chromedome]

Late to the party, but my copy arrived yesterday.

[gfron1]

Hope you enjoy it. I was happy to hear that Barnes and Noble in the bar area still has it on the shelf. Pretty great considering we're two years out from release. 

[chromedome]

I'm knee deep in it now. Took a day off work (I'm a freelancer, I try to make a point of doing that at least once every couple of months) and plan to read through it in the course of the day. Housework will feature in there too, of course.

 

Also, possibly some jumping in puddles with a grand-kid. Because that's what life is made of.

[chromedome]

10 hours ago, chromedome said:

Also, possibly some jumping in puddles with a grand-kid. Because that's what life is made of.

 

Just for the record, she was mud from top to bottom and proclaimed it "the best day ever." She's three, she's pretty easy to please.

[ElsieD]

9 hours ago, chromedome said:

 

Just for the record, she was mud from top to bottom and proclaimed it "the best day ever." She's three, she's pretty easy to please.

 

And you?

[chromedome]

I'm pretty easy to please, too. Jumped in many a puddle with my own kids, back in the day. That was before Peppa Pig made "muddy puddles" even more of an obsession for tots.

She's a sweet kid, cracks us up constantly. A couple of weeks ago I was working in my garden, and chit-chatting with her idly (she wanted to help me weed, so I let her pull daisies and clovers because she could clearly identify those) when she spotted a butterfly. She asked me what butterflies eat, so I explained about nectar and told her that's whey she would usually see butterflies perched on flowers. I even explained about how their tongues curl up when they're not in use, like the noisemakers she'd enjoyed at birthday parties.

 

A few minutes later she ran past the garden, ringlets flailing in the sun, with a bunch of wildflowers clutched in her fist. She was chasing the butterfly, yelling "SNACK TIME!!!!"

 

 

[chromedome]

Returning this to the subject of the thread, it occurs to me that my cousin in NS has two massive oak trees, which fill her lawn ankle-deep with acorns each autumn (she fills her municipal green bin with them several times over, while exercising the nether reaches of her vocabulary). I'm pretty sure I can bespeak as many as I want to experiment with.

 

No idea of their tannin levels, but when you're just playing it doesn't matter if they need longer processing.

Edited July 28, 2018 by chromedome (log)

[gfron1]

One thing I've learned since the publication of the book is that if you have access to a vacuum chamber sealer you can leach the tannins by placing the acorn meat in an open hotel pan, covered in water, bring to a boil three times, drained and refilled and boiled. Takes the leaching process from days to minutes.

[chromedome]

 

7 hours ago, gfron1 said:

One thing I've learned since the publication of the book is that if you have access to a vacuum chamber sealer you can leach the tannins by placing the acorn meat in an open hotel pan, covered in water, bring to a boil three times, drained and refilled and boiled. Takes the leaching process from days to minutes.

 

Regrettably I don't have access to a chamber sealer, just the regular ol' Food Saver.

 

Also, perhaps I'm being obtuse, but I've read what you wrote five or six times and I'm not getting where the sealer comes in.