satisfying a craving

I'm sitting here in the dark. It has been dark since about 3:30. I haven't gotten up out of my chair at the dining room table, where I'm camped out with my computer and blanket, to turn on any of the lights. It is also raining. The drip from the gutter onto the metal sheet beneath the bay window is mildly annoying, okay fine, very annoying. Unlike the light situation there isn't much I can do about the incessant drip, besides maybe turning some music on, or moving into a different room. That's a good idea actually, maybe I will bring my chair into the kitchen and slip my computer next to this nice loaf of bread, which if I'm lucky will still be warm and fragrant.

I started the dough this morning before I went to the market and I only just now had my first slice with peanut butter and jelly on it. I didn't wait for the bread to cool down. The top gave slightly as I cut into the still steaming center, but a nice slice found it's way on to the cutting board. I quickly cut a second piece, because although I like the end piece, I wanted my first bite to be from a soft middle piece.

This bread is hearty and grainy, made with whole wheat flour and full of all sorts of seeds. I like my bread that way, dense, full, textured. Sure I also like light and fluffy ciabatta and the big bubbles that form on soft pizza dough, but when it comes to bread that I'm going to toast (or eat hot out of the oven), I like it to have a little bit of depth, in flavor and composition.

I don't bake bread regularly, but I should. One of the cookbooks I leaf through most often is Tartine Bread. I have been meaning to start and feed a sourdough starter since last Fall. I can't seem to gather the courage to tackle it. I'm full of excuses. Last night when the urge to bake bread came over me I cursed my lack of ambition in the starter category. I had to look past Tartine Bread, and their beautiful rustic loaves, and towards bread recipes that utilized compressed and instant yeast. I eventually settled on a recipe from Sarabeth's Bakery for their house bread, their go-to sandwich, toast, everything loaf. It is a good recipe to start with; it is easy and it meets my seedy and dense criteria. I don't doubt that there are other loaves out there for me to try (please share recipes if you have any favorites). If these short, grey, and wet days continue on like this, which I have to believe they will since it's already been a month since we've seen sun, I will have plenty of time and desire to bake a variety of different loaves. But for now, this loaf is doing the trick.

// Whole Wheat Seed Loaf //

adapted from Sarabeth's Bakery: From Our Hands to Yours

As with many bread recipes the steps might seem complicated when really they are quite simple. The only hard thing about bread baking is the timing. You will need to allow of two rising periods, the first one being the longest. I met some friends for an impromptu lunch just as the second rise was finishing so I put the dough in the refrigerator to slow things down a bit. The dough sunk a bit, but it still tastes delicious. 

1 oz compressed yeast (or 3 1/2 tsp active dry yeast - if you use the dry yeast be sure to note different initial instructions)

1/4 cup of honey

2 1/4 cups cold water

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

2 1/4 cups bread flour + more as needed (I substituted all purpose and added 2 tbsp of vital wheat gluten)

2 tbsp cornmeal

2 tbsp sesame seeds

4 tbsp flaxseeds

4 tbsp sunflower seeds

1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

softened, unsalted butter for greasing the bowl and the pans. 

If using compressed yeast crumble the yeast into the bowl of your stand mixer and add in the honey. Let it stand for a few minutes or until you notice the yeast giving off some moisture or bubbles. Whisk well to dissolve the yeast in the honey. (If using active dry yeast - sprinkle the yeast over 1/4 cup warm water (105º-115ºF) and let it stand for 5 minutes to soften the yeast, then stir to dissolve. Pour int othe mixer bowl, add 2 cups of water and the honey, whisky to combine. 

Mix the flours, cornmeal, seeds and salt in a large bowl. Using the paddle attachment begin to mix the honey-yeast mixture and slowly add the flour mixture. Beat on low speed until a dough begins to form. Gradually add in a bit more bread flour (about 1/2 cup or so depending) to form a rough dough that cleans the side of the bowl. Replace the paddle attachment with the dough hook and knead for 5 minutes. Add a little more flour only if necessary. 

Dump the dough out on to a clean work surface. You want the dough to be tacky not sticky. It should not stick to the counter. If it does knead in a bit of flour until the texture is right. Butter a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel. Leave in a warm place until the dough doubles in volume, about 1 1/4 hours. 

Cut the dough in half and form two equal sized balls. Place the balls under plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes. Flatten each ball into a rough rectangle, 8 inches on the long side, and then fold in the edges, pinch the seems together and place seem side down in a buttered pan. 

Place the two pans of dough on a baking sheet. Between the pans place a cup or vase full of hot water. Place the cookie sheet with the dough and glass into a kitchen sized plastic bag (I used a garbage bag) and seal the edges, partially trapping air inside. Let it stand for about 45 minutes until the dough has risen about 1 inch over the edge of the pan. 

Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Remove the loaf pans from the cookie sheet and place in the oven. Bake for 40 minutes or until the bottom of the loaf sounds hollow. Cool on a wire wrack. Or don't cool and slice and eat warm. 

Turn The Tables

Today is the last day of consecutive blogging. I made it. Over the past four weeks I have shared recipes, travels, recipes inspired by travel, ups, and some downs. As things come to a close I have an unsettling feeling that I have been blabbering on, talking at you and not with you. I worry I've been like that dreaded cocktail guest who holds you hostage with their dull stories and doesn't ask you a single question. I hate those people. So I thought as I bring a close to this month of rattling that I'd ask YOU - my incredible readers - a few questions. I'll even answer them, just to break the ice, but really I'm hoping you'll answer them so I can learn a little bit more about you. (There is an amazing cookie waiting for you as a thank you!)

So here goes...

On Cooking : 
What recipe or meal do you wish you had the courage to tackle?
Duck Confit

Where do you look for / find inspiration?
One of my favorite pastimes is wandering into grocery stores in foreign places. I drag Zach to all sorts of markets and food shops when we travel. I love seeing what's on the shelves and in people's baskets. 

What is the ideal number of people to cook for?
4. After 4 I begin to get stressed. When I cook for 2 I generally make enough for 4 anyway, so 4 feels natural. 

Is there a recipe you consider your go-to - perhaps a recipe that other people have named after you because you make it so often? (please feel free to share links!)
(Talley's) Fennel Dip and (Talley's) Banana Bread


On Writing (applies to all writing, not just blogging):
Do you have a writing routine? Or do you write whenever you find a few spare minutes?
I try to sit down every morning, before breakfast but with my tea, and write for thirty minutes. These morning notes are more me releasing the busy thoughts that are taking up precious space and that once I get down on paper make room for more productive ideas.  When it comes to blogging, if this month has been any indication, I sit down after dinner and write, just like I'm doing right now. 

What is your writing process? Do you start with index cards and baby step your way to a Word document or blog platform? Or do you dive right in?
I am a slow and self-conscious writer. Before this blogging month I would write ideas - one or two lines - in a Moleskin and then draw those ideas out in bullet point form in a Word Document and then eventually start a new Word document (there is something refreshing about a blank page) and turn those points into sentences. And then finally rewrite everything in Blogger (I know!)

This past month has loosened me up a lot. Now, after four weeks of daily posts, I have started writing directly in Blogger. It's liberating. I don't fret over ever word, I simply write down what I'm thinking in that moment and then press publish. There hasn't been much time for dilly dallying. 

Do you have any tips on how to ease the angst of writing and let the words flow?
My only advice is those thirty minutes of morning pages. I'm really looking to you on this one... 


On Reading :
What do you most enjoy reading about (here or on other blogs)?
I love learning little personal details; being given little inlets into the writer/bloggers life. 

What are you reading when you aren't reading blogs?
I followed Amy's lead and downloaded Jane Eyre, which I have been reading at night scrunched up on the couch. I also just recently bought two books by Michael Chabon - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and Telegraph Hill which the NYTimes compared to one of our favorite movies -You've Got Mail. How could I not get it?

On Eating:
What's for dinner?
Zach is at a whiskey tasting so just me tonight. I made a butternut squash, onion, zucchini and tomato sauté and ate it with torn basil leaves over pasta. 

Let's say there's something baking in your oven right this minute, what is it?
THESE (see below) cookies! You know they're done when they smell like melted Nutella.

* * * feel free to answer just one or three or all * * *

(edit: of course now 20 minutes after posting I'm nervous you won't answer at all...so maybe just one?)

Every year at Christmas mom my makes sugar cookies, Aunt Julie's Sugar Cookies to be exact. After thinking about the recipes I'll be remembered for (see above) I decided I wanted to add a cookie to this list. I decided that one of my missions before Christmas arrives is to find my cookie. I might have found it on the first go. This buttery hazelnut cookie, which is just slightly crackly on the outside and melt in your mouth buttery on the inside, is the perfect bite size Christmas treat if you ask me. The fact that it looks like a snowball also doesn't hurt either. Let's talk about the real clincher though, the fact that this cookie smells like Nutella when it is baking. I opened the oven to check on their plumpness and doneness only to be met with the most wonderful scent, like I was floating down a river of smooth hazelnut chocolate. Granted there is no chocolate in this recipe, yet that is. David Lebovitz just recently posted a recipe for a surprisingly similar cookie with a chocolate layer. I'll be trying those next. 

 // Palle di Neve : Snowball Cookies // 

            from Biscotti: Recipes from the Kitchen of the American Academy in Rome: Rome Sustainable Food Project by Mona Talbott and Mirella Mistenti

(more on this book and the American Academy in Rome in another post)

140 g / 5 oz hazelnuts

300 g / 2 cups + 2 tbsp all purpose flour

230 g / 1 cup + 1 tbsp butter

85 g / 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp granulated sugar

5 ml / 1 tsp vanilla extract

5 ml / 1 tsp water

325 g / 2 cups + 3 tbsp confectioners sugar for coating

Preheat the oven to 150ºC / 300ºF

Spread the hazelnuts evenly on a sheet pan and toast for 10 minutes or until the skins begin to split. While the nuts are still warm pour them into a kitchen towel. Cinch up the kitchen towel and rub with your hands in a circle direction to work the skins away from the nuts. The skins can be somewhat bitter so removing some or all of them is helpful. Lift the nuts out of the towel, leaving the skins behind, and place in a food processor and pulse with 2 tbsp of flour until they are an even sandy texture. 

Cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and water and mix until incorporated. Add the ground hazelnut mixture and the rest of the flour and continue to mix on low speed until the dough forms a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and place in the refrigerator for  at least 30 minutes. 

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and form into 80 balls, about 9 g / 1/3 oz each. At this point you can place the balls of dough in a zip lock bag and store the freezer for up to a month until you are ready to bake them.

When you are ready to bake the cookies heat the oven to 180ºC / 350ºC

Place the balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper leaving about 1 inch between them. Allow the balls to come to room temperature (if they have been in the freezer). Bake for 10-12 minutes. 

Cool the cookies completely on a wire wrack and then roll in confectioner sugar a few times, or sprinkle with a sifter a few times (of if you are like me you can do both). 

These cookies are best freshly baked. (Although I baked them yesterday (made the dough Wednesday) and just ate one and they are equally delicious today as they were yesterday). 

And so it ends, 4 weeks of blogging. It has been a wonderful experience, in a large part because I knew you were there reading. Thank you! 

Ratatouille from Ratatouille

I knew there would be a few in this month of blogging - those posts that reek of desperation, of posting just to post. This might be one of them. I wish I could offer you something more as we near the end of this blogging streak, but I just don't have it in me today. I've been away from my apartment and computer for most of the day and it's late and I don't have the energy to be creative. You know that feeling? I'm guessing you do. Anyway, I'm hoping to redeem myself a little by sharing an outstanding recipe. It is the recipe for ratatouille from the movie Ratatouille. Thomas Keller helped the writers and animators with the food and recipe conception and he shared this recipe with the New York Times shortly after the movie was released. I love everything about the movie, but I especially love the idea that a simple stack of cooked vegetables, full of flavors so simple yet sublime, can evoke memories of love and family.

I made this ratatouille on Tuesday, after our Thanksgiving leftovers ran out and we felt the need to overdose on vegetables. It was actually in the oven as I was writing about detoxing and parsley root soup. I'm going to come right out with it - it was one of the best meals I've made in a long time. The zucchini melted into the eggplant which melted into the tomato which all melted in to my mouth. The pipernade - the sweet caramelized onions, tomatoes and peppers - that rests underneath the sliced vegetables brings all the flavors together and helps to soften the vegetables in the oven.

I'm going to leave you with the link for the recipe because my eyes are closing. I didn't adapt a thing, I just did exactly as I was told. I recommend you do the same.

Ratatouille (Confit Byaldi) 

ps. picture is before I put it in the oven.

Figures, Food, and Flowers

Isn't this mannequin lovely? I see her everyday on my walk, just after I leave Rietberg Park and just before I pass the sheep, which are near the church with the tall bell tower. I often find myself wondering what type of person puts a mannequin on their balcony, and I always come to the conclusion that whoever it is that I would like to meet them. 

A tied lamb roast waiting for it's turn in the oven. I roasted it with red wine and garlic and we ate it with roasted carrots and potatoes. 

It seems that taking pictures at the market never gets old. My files are full to the brim with market photos. I love leafing through and sensing the season by the offerings and the light. This photo is from a September Saturday at the market in Oerlikon.

This delightful cherub kept us company as we sipped our cappuccinos (for him) and green teas (for her) at Kafi für Dich two Sundays ago. 

Only after I looked at this picture for the third time did I notice the apple core. 

These two filets are evidence of Fish Tuesdays. I think I remember lightly turning them in flour, egg and bread crumbs and then sautéing them in the pan. Or maybe I treated them to a meunière preparation, I can't remember.

This is a bouquet I bought on or around my birthday. It was one of many overflowing from buckets lined up under a big tree. They were going quick and so I scooped one up and brought it home. There should always be room in your budget for flowers. 

She is my favorite; soaring, for no apparent reason, on a completely non de-script building.

Because there is something about a pink building with blue shutters and tan branches climbing all over it. I have plans in place to visit this building in the summer when it's pink and blue and green.

Sometimes my husband is full of wonderful zany ideas, like waking up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday with the hopes of seeing the sunrise over the alps. We were there standing on the platform at 6:30 with the hopes of marigold and purple peaks only to be met with violet clouds. Still pretty, definitely still pretty.