How to make roasted red pepper hummus!

Actually, making hummus is not quite as hands-free and disgusting as all that, but it's surely worth the extra effort!

All a good classic hummus consists of is chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice, with salt and pepper as desired. It's not terribly difficult to make if you've got a blender (or a mortar and pestle for that matter), and it beats anything you'll buy at the store. The wonderful thing about hummus' simple flavor, is that you can basically tweak it to have whatever flavor you're craving (I'm not so sure about the idea of sweet hummus though...). Anyway, I picked up these tasty little red peppers at the farmers market and thought that a great way to use them would be to roast'em up and throw them in with some hummus!
I'm not big on exact measurements when it comes to savory cooking, and I think that hummus is something that one should tweak to tickle their fancy, so I haven't provided any measurements...BUT here are the ingredients I used:

Chickpeas
Tahini
Olive oil
Fresh garlic
Black garlic
Roasted/caramelized sweet red peppers (throw in the oven with olive oil, salt, pepper at 400 F until brown/black at edges)
Lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
Cumin
Paprika

I was really aiming for a caramelized flavor, and the red peppers and black garlic certainly helped to bring that out. If you can't get black garlic, then some nicely roasted fresh garlic will certainly suffice! Enjoy. :)

Pickling Season!

According to the Star Tribune, pickling and canning has seen a resurgence in popularity. This is due to a variety of factors. It is a way to eat local produce, even in the dead of winter. A good method of preservation for an overly-bountiful garden harvest. A way of connecting to the grandmother you never knew all that well. Tastiness.


For me, canning is all of these things and more...As hyperbolic as that may seem. In a world where societal structures and bureaucracy have become oppressively complicated while corruption and terror seem to run rampant, canning is the embodiment of nostalgia for a prior, simpler age. Of course it is commonplace for those beyond middle-age to lament the state of the world, of society, of 'these kids today;' but more frequently I seem to be hearing similar despair voiced by members of my own generation. The pace of life has sped up. The machinery has become to complex. Post-post modern society (particularly in the developed world) has gotten tangled in its own gears, smoking and hissing; carrying on with a horrible grinding of metal. The extreme bipartisan politics in America and the current financial collapse. The devaluing of creativity and ideas in place of consumerism and materialism. These are all matters of concern cited by my fellow generation Y-ers. The world today just seems far more complex and frightening than that of our grandparents.

And so, feeling a twinge of insecurity and helplessness in the face of a world in turmoil, I have begun the yearly pickling ritual. If nothing else I can glimpse a vision of an idealized simpler past amongst the cucumber slices and brine.

Meat

CADE (Part 2): The Good Slaughter: A Proud Meat Cutter Shares His Processing Floor from SkeeterNYC on Vimeo.

Winter Treats and Wanderings in Great Britain

My apologies for the extended lack of postings! The past six months of my life have been dominated by academics and assorted personal problems, and I just could not find the time to update. Needless to day, in the midst of all the chaos, I actually did manage to find time to eat, so I've got a bit of a back log.

After the insanity of last semester, I decided that I needed more, and so planned a trip to the UK and Scandinavia over winter break.

The journey began in Southampton, where I was reminded of the true meaning of love with the best homemade full English breakfast the UK has ever seen. (See my prior post for details of what this consists of).

Stuart and I then made our way to Horsham, where Stuart's mother entirely outdid herself, and prepared a Hogwarts-scale Christmas dinner with all the English classics.

The centerpiece of the meal was a free range turkey from the local butcher. Beautifully cooked and absolutely splendid with gravy, roast potatoes, parsnips, and carrots. It was great to be able to have turkey both for Thanksgiving and for Christmas!

Desert is where things got really classically English, however. Homemade minced pies with vegetarian mincemeat. Mincemeat generally consists of dried fruit, spices, and brandy. Stuart's mother used Grand Marnier which embellished wonderfully upon the fruity flavor of the pies. These were a mere appetizer to the Christmas pudding that followed.

The Christmas pudding was, like the mince pies, replete with dried fruit and nuts. Soaked in brandy and warmed by a quick flambe, this was a gorgeously rich winter desert. It was only made better by the addition of clotted cream, custard, and brandy butter.



My sister Becca flew over to join us in time for Boxing Day, and soon we were off to Wales with Stuart and friends! Wales is a truly beautiful place: Rolling green hills, castles, and pristine beaches. We were privileged enough to be able to explore the countryside; visiting the Holy Wells of Gumfreston, scaling the walls of Carew Castle, and gallivanting off to Tenby.
Of course all of these adventures made us hungry, and Will's mother was kind enough to feed us! The one bit of Welsh cuisine that is unforgettable is the cheese. In particular, a cheese from Snowdonia called Red Devil. This cheese is so sharp and spicey that it makes your mouth itch and your cheeks sweat...A truly welcome experience given the monotony of Wisconsin's mild cheddars.
After our sojourn to Wales, we headed off to London for New Years. After a night of revelry with Four Tet and Nathan Fake, Becca got to have her first ever full English breakfast. (Photo courtesy of Becca herself).

"It is an awesome feeling." She said. When asked how it compared to American diner food she responded, "It's much more of a unified vision of breakfast than American diner food. The variety is more subtle and dependent on location and chef rather than the elements themselves." In terms of its healing properties, she replied that, "It's excellent for recovery after a long night out...the lack of options is great...it's like 'yes, this is what will heal you!'"

Again, I really cannot comprehend why English cuisine has such a bad rap. Sure, some of it is a bit heavy, but isn't that what one craves for their physical fortitude winter? As an objective newcomer to English food, Becca offered her opinion, "I was surprised by how different than American food it is...It really is its own distinct cuisine. There are flavors you don't find at all in American cuisine. More emphasis on the savory, which is a good thing."