Belly Lore - False Professions

The following is a favorite excerpt of mine from "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee:

"...ladies, bathed before noon, after their three-o-clock naps, and by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frostings of sweat and sweet talcum."

This reminded me, somehow, of the thin glaze of sugar left behind on my countertops after my son was left to clean up after cookie making.

False Professions (Not like a fake job. More like a fake claim)

First I must give a shout-out to my friend, Liz.  Every year she makes 37 (or so) different kinds of Christmas cookies to share with friends and colleagues.  Thirty-seven kinds!  She's currently up to 24.  I'm currently (and finally) up to one.

I know I professed to being a non Christmas cookie baker but I came across some cookie cutters I couldn't resist.  That damn fancyflours catalogue always sucks me in.  Not only did I make Christmas cookies, I used sparkly sugar!  I usually despise sparkly sugar.  I'm not really into sparkly anything though I do have fond memories of sparkles (not the edible kind) covering my furniture after the obligatory high school dance pictures were taken at my house.  Sparkles left behind by lovely young ladies on their way to sparkle at the dance.

Hopefully the friends with whom I share these cookies will now have a fond memory of sparkles too.






And then there is that test color that goes badly wrong.  So wrong you just can't leave it alone.  So wrong you're really kind of...awed by it.  So wrong you must...not...can't...look...away...

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Belly Lore - Shaken and Stirred

Sugar consumption in the U.S. has risen over 1,000% since the 1800's.  But let's wait until after the holidays to digest (so to speak) that...

Shaken and Stirred

Yes more candy!  Did I not make my addiction, my...need clear?  This time it's toffee.  Really, really good toffee.  I got the recipe from a Better Homes and Gardens magazine 23 years ago.  Been making it ever since.

 I seem to be having technical difficulties with my music so you will just have to play your own.  Put on some Motown, and maybe "I Want Candy" by the Strangeloves, for example.  I know you might think a little Nat King Cole singing Christmas songs would be more appropriate but no.  See there is a lot of stirring involved in this toffee recipe.  Like 20 minutes worth.  That amount of stirring time is clearly meant to be shakin' your booty time too.  So blast that music, keep your eye on the candy thermometer, stir constantly and shake it!  Shaken and stirred.  Take that, James Bond.

Dark Hazelnut Toffee

1 C chopped hazelnuts (3/4 C chopped and 1/4 C finely chopped)
1 C REAL butter
1 1/4 C packed brown sugar
1 T dark corn syrup
3/4 C milk chocolate chips
candy thermometer

Line a cookie sheet with foil.  Crank up the Motown.  Sprinkle the 3/4 C chopped hazelnuts over the foil.  Set aside.  Butter the sides of a heavy 2 Q saucepan.  Do it!  In the saucepan melt the butter over low heat.  Stir in brown sugar, water and syrup.  Cook over medium high heat to boiling, stirring constantly.  Clip the candy thermometer to the side of the pan (don't let it touch the bottom of the pan) and lower heat to medium.  Stir and boogie constantly until the thermometer hits 290 degrees (you really need to pay close attention once that baby hits 280 because things start to pick up speed considerably after that).  Remove the thermometer and IMMEDIATELY pour the toffee over the nuts.  Let stand 2 min. then sprinkle the chocolate chips over it.  Let stand another 2 min. then spread evenly over the toffee.  Sprinkle the 1/4 hazelnuts over the top.  Chill until chilly then break into pieces.  Makes about 48 pieces.  Or so.

Belly Lore - Sugar

Harold McGee in "On Food and Cooking"  writes, "While "honey" is almost invariably a term of praise, "sugar" is often ambivalent.  Sugary words, a sugary personality, suggest a certain calculation and artificiality.  And the idea of "sugaring over" something, the deception of hiding something distasteful in a sweet shell, would seem to be taken directly from the druggist's confections.  As early as 1400, the phrase"Gall in his breast and sugar in his face" was used, and Shakespeare has Hamlet say to Ophelia,

'Tis too much prov'd, that with devotion's visage
And pious action we do sugar o'er
the devil himself."

With all due respect to Harold and Will the Shake, I prefer to think of sugar as a natural mood booster.

I Want Candy

I skip most Christmas cookie making and go straight for the candy.  This is the only time of year I can get my hands on enough really good candy.  My shamelessness can be unleashed, my unabashed sweet tooth let  loose and no one will so much as blink.  A candy recipe has only to murmur, "yields four pounds" into my ear and I am smitten. 

The ingredients in my candy are shameless too so I am in good company.  I reveal my Midwestern lust for marshmallows and they reveal their talent for melting into a pool of goodness when combined with butter.

And sweetened condensed milk...languid liquid lust pours forth from that can!  I am not above putting myself in physical danger (beyond that of mere weight gain) by licking the sharp uneven lid after stripping it from the can opener.



So here is a candy recipe involving a menage a trois of marshmallow, butter and sweetened condensed milk.  I tore this out of a magazine approximately 1 to 20 years ago.  Says it's from the Ice Cream Parlor in Osceola, WI.


Salted Peanut Squares
YIELDS 4 POUNDS


4 C dry-roasted or (if you are an addict like me) honey roasted peanuts
1/2 C butter
1- 10 1/2 oz. bag tiny marshmallows
2 C peanut butter chips
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 C peanut butter (creamy or chunky)

Line a 9x13 pan with foil.  Massage it with butter.  Cover evenly with HALF of the peanuts.  Set aside.  In a 3 quart saucepan, melt butter with marshmallows on low heat.  Add chips and sweetened condensed milk and peanut butter. Stir until smooth.  Quickly pour over peanut layer.  Sprinkle remaining peanuts on top.  Cool and cut into squares.  Store candy in refrigerator.

Music, etc.

A reader pointed out that the music selection on my blog had him stumped.  Not my usual musical tastes, said he.  Let me explain- what I try to do is tie music to a blog post.  Pavarotti and Venus make a cute couple, was my thinking.  Cuban coffee- a natural for Cuban music (Go, Tito!).  This doesn't work for every post, however, because, who knew, even with a choice of thousands of songs, the one I want may not be available.  "I Love the Way You Cook" by Tim O'Brien being a perfect example.  I NEED that damn song on Belly's playlist, but it isn't available to post here.

And sometimes I have to stretch it a bit.  " Dude Looks Like a Lady" for a little alliteration, is a good example!  And sometimes I know of a song that jives with my recipe but I just can't bring myself to include it ("Hominy Grits" comes to mind).

So that's the way the cookie crumbles.  O.K. Mr. J?

Since I'm busy correcting confusion concerning my blog anyway, I thought maybe I should attempt to explain why I write" Mind Your Belly" the way I do.  Frame it, so to speak.  Explain why you might come across something that seems a little...naughty, maybe a double entendre or two.  It's o.k.  We're all adults here, no?  Besides, it ain't naughty, it's nice.  Read "Sensuous vs. Sensual" for my explanation.

Sensual vs. Sensuous

Food is sensuous.  The variety of textures, the brilliant colors, the enticing aromas, the sizzle, the taste - all the very essence of the definition of sensuous (food is sensuous in ways different than art or music so I mix in a bit of those for sensuous measure).

Food is also sensual.  There is undeniable physical gratification involved in cooking and eating.  Those textures, whether silky or crunchy, are sensual.  The colors, whether it's the pink of a vodka tomato cream sauce or those bold greens evocative of health and vitality, are sensual, tangible.  Whether aromas are sweet or savory, whether you hear a crackle or a pop, whether the taste is spicy or subtle, all are physically gratifying.  You can feel good food. 

I hope you're feelin' my blog.

Belly Lore - Hot, hot, hot

Many of the ingredients in the Hot and Sour Soup recipe to follow possess health benefits.  Garlic helps immune function and may lower blood pressure.  Ginger is an anti-inflammatory and a strong antioxidant.  Hot chili oil can help reduce pain and may give rise to a yen for some yang.  All three improve circulation.

Hot, Hot, Hot

The holiday season has hardly begun and already I feel...leaden.  Four or five starchy, fat laden dishes in one meal will do that to you.  I'm thinking the antidote to this "leaden" feeling is spice.  I need hot.  I need zesty.   I need scathing.  Have I ever  mentioned I live in the Midwest?  Rural.  It's going to take some creativity to satisfy these spicy cravings of mine.  But doesn't it always?

I would start my day of heat with a cup of Cuban style coffee.  I choose Cuban, rather than espresso, because Cuba evokes heat.  And spice.  And moist air and oh man I need a...vacation.  Yeah that's it, a vacation.  I am also choosing Cuban coffee because Steven Raichlen, in his "Miami Heat" cookbook, describes it as, "Black as night, sweet as sin, frothy as a sea squall..." and I like that.

Coffee Cubano

4 T finely ground dark roast coffee (La Estrella del Norte if you can get it)
1 C water
2 t sugar (or more according to how much you like sin)

Follow the directions on the espresso maker.  Make sure the sugar is in the carafe before it fills with coffee.  As coffee starts to drip into carafe, stir it vigorously with a spoon for a few seconds until it gets frothy.  Slurp deeply.



For lunch I'm thinking Hot and Sour Soup.  What can't some fresh ginger, garlic and hot chili oil do for your mind and body?  I mentioned I live in the rural Midwest so my recipe is going to be Szechuan-ish.  Never fear, while that may mean no wood  ear fungus or daylily buds, it does not mean no heat.  Hot chili oil I can get.  Add more at will.

Szechuan-ish Hot and Sour Soup (serves 4)

6 C chicken stock (or turkey if you got your lazy carcass up and made  use of that damn Thanksgiving turkey carcass)
1/2 C rice wine vinegar
1/3 C soy sauce
4 green onions (plus some for garnish) cut into thirds crosswise and in half lengthwise
1 oz. dried mushrooms (boiled in enough water to cover for 3 min.)
1 carrot, peeled and cut into strips
8 oz can bamboo shoots
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 T fresh ginger, peeled and minced
6 oz. chopped pork tenderloin
1/3 C water
1/4 C cornstarch
2 t hot chili oil
4 oz. white mushrooms, slivered
3 oz. sugar snap peas, sliced lengthwise
6 oz. peeled shrimp, chopped
6 oz. firm tofu, cubed
Cilantro for garnish

Bring chicken stock (I know you), vinegar and soy sauce to a boil in a soup pot.  Give that broth a taste.  Isn't it bright and acidic?  Don't you feel lighter already?  Add the 4 green onions and next 6 ingredients (through pork) and bring back to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 2 min.  Meanwhile, mix water, cornstarch and hot chili oil in a small bowl.  Slowly add this to simmering soup, while stirring.  Add white mushrooms, peas, shrimp and tofu and simmer for 3 min.  Garnish with green onion and cilantro.  Again, slurp deeply.



For supper I would definitely go for some Pasta Arrabiata.  Use really spicy sausage.  Go heavy on the crushed red pepper.  I would give you the recipe but I'm tired of typing.  I want to get cookin'.

And don't be afraid of ending your day with another cup of that Cuban coffee.  It might keep you up all night.  Make you want to cha-cha-cha.

Belly Lore

This "Belly Lore" section of my blog is supposed to be an area for facts, beliefs, musings, quotes, traditions and more concerning food and all things good for your belly.  I would like you, readers, to add your own wisdom to this section of the blog by double clicking on the word "comment" and writing your own musings, etc. 
To get this started, how about we have a bumper sticker contest?  There are plenty of quotable quotes we can read from the widely known, but I am confident my readers can rival many of those.  "Embrace competence!"  says my sister.  "Don't convert strength into weakness, convert adversity into motivation."  says a friend, "Beware the metamorphosis of the middle aged woman!" say I!  What say you, my friends?
If you have an original phrase you think would make a great bumper sticker, let me hear it.  If and when I get some responses to this, I'll share them on my blog.  Anonymously, or otherwise if you want me to.  Let's hear your ideas!

Belly Lore - Hominy

Hominy:  Dried corn kernels soaked in lye to remove the hull and germ.

Doesn't exactly sound sexy does it?  Soaking something supposedly edible in lye?  Sounds...scary.  But never fear, we're talking food grade lye here.  Think big soft pretzels and glossy bagels (often lye dipped), rather than oven cleaners and drain openers.  Think hominy.  Puffy white, nourishing hominy.

Hominy with Onions, Peppers and Smoked Sausage

This recipe is so quick, easy and tasty.  You can serve it in a bowl or a tortilla.  Or in a bowl with a tortilla on the side, or in a tortilla with no bowl in sight, or topped with a fried egg with or without tortilla or bowl, or topped with hot sauce or...  O.K. you get my drift.  It's versatile.  And quick, and easy, and tasty.  Make it already.

Hominy with Onions, Peppers and Smoked Sausage

1 T olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large sweet green or red pepper, chopped
1 large sweet yellow pepper, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
8 oz. smoked sausage (like kielbasa), chopped
2 cans hominy, rinsed and drained
1 large can diced tomatoes

In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and saute 10 min.  Add peppers and garlic and saute 5 more minutes.  Add sausage and cook 5 more minutes.  Add hominy and tomatoes and cook until hot.  Serve in bowl, or tortilla, or in bowl with tortilla on the side, or...

Belly Lore-Alliteration

Alliteration is the repetition of the initial consonant sound in a series of words or phrases.  Examples include, "Whereat with blade, with bloody blameful blade he bravely broached his bloody boiling breast", written by guess who, (Will, of course) and another, written by guess who, "Sarah seductively sauced the  spinach, sprinkling it with sesame seeds and sincerely wishing she had some sausage to accompany said dish."  (Not to mention, "Dude looks like a lady").  And now for some  awesomely awful alliteration comin' at you (never fear, I'll tire of this alliteration shit soon, surely).
Belly Bliss
 Joyously joining the
Perfect Pecan
So fresh, so flavorful
To the succulent sweet
(Maybe Seckel, Starkrimson)
Pear Perfection,
Prosciutto presents
Making it rich, making me ravenous
Teeth yielding to tender yearning
I bite
I beam
Bliss

Awesome Alliterative Salad

Pear, Pecan, Prosciutto Salad with Cider Vinaigrette

2 pears (any in season)
1/2 C pecans
4 slices prosciutto- torn into bite-sized pieces
10 oz. fresh spinach
1/3 C blue cheese crumbles
3 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T cider vinegar
2 T apple cider

Rinse and dry spinach thoroughly.  Toss with pears and prosciutto.  In small bowl, mix olive oil, cider vinegar and apple cider.  Toss vinaigrette with salad.  Top with blue cheese and pecans.

Belly Lore - Sense of Smell

The sense of smell , which is extremely intimate with taste, is vital to our well being.  Not, perhaps, as vital as it once was when we were less evolved, but still vital.  Vital to our enjoyment of food, certainly.  Ever take a second or third deep breath after walking into a house filled with the smell of warm pie?  We even use it, sometimes subconsciously, to initiate sexual contact.  And smell is tremendously evocative.  Evocative enough not just to bring up fond memories (not that I'm knockin' fond memories), but also to elicit more physical responses.  Responses like tears, sighs, mouth watering and sometimes, if you're lucky, actual belly twinges.  So let's get in the kitchen and prepare to inspire some belly twinges.  Because if you don't mind your belly...

Air Fresheners

I am so tired of those ubiquitous air freshener commercials encouraging us to infuse our homes with pseudo scents carrying exotic names.  Dragon Fruit- sounds risky, Brazilian Carnivale- sounds sweaty (and not in a good way), Yummyberry Sangria- sounds like a hangover waiting to happen,  Wandering Seasons- sounds...confused.

My advice is to infuse your home with the natural scent of real food.  Say, fresh rosemary riding atop a pork roast.   With that classic combination of onion and garlic bathing in hot butter.  Infuse your home with the scent of warm cinnamon pumpkin pie under a satiny blanket of vanilla bean studded whipped cream. Oh, and apples.  Simmering, bubbling, aromatic apples.

That ain't no commercial, that's love.

Not many need me to give a recipe for pumpkin pie.  Homemade crust and some pumpkin label reading will get you there.  Whipped cream not so much either.  Just put forth a bit of effort and whip it yourself, avoiding the fake stuff.  A pork roast-simple; start high and and then go low.  Sauteed garlic and onion- add whatever vegetable you like (I like fresh spinach) and you are good to go.

I don't hear much about apple sauce makers these days, though so I will give you my simple recipe for that.

Homemade Applesauce

2 pounds apples (Gala, McIntosh, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious and Fuji are all good choices, readily available)
1 C apple cider
1 T brown sugar
juice of one lemon
zest of one lemon
1 cinnamon stick

ground cinnamon

Zest the lemon,  then squeeze the juice into a bowl.  Core, peel and cut apples into chunks, tossing with the lemon juice as you go.  Put apples and lemon juice into a saucepan with the cinnamon stick, most of the lemon zest (save a bit for garnish), apple cider and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil, uncovered. Lower heat, cover, and simmer just until apples begin to soften.  Take off lid and simmer until liquid is reduced and apples are tender.  Taste and add more brown sugar if needed.  Remove cinnamon stick.  To serve, sprinkle with cinnamon and remaining lemon zest.  I can smell it now...

Belly Lore - Venus's Navel

The legend of the birth of tortellini pasta says that a battle weary Venus; Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility, and Jupiter; god of sky and thunder, took refuge at a tavern near Bologna, Italy. While they slept, an intrigued innkeeper peeked through the keyhole of their bedroom and saw Venus' navel bathed in candlelight. The peeping Tomaso then raced to his kitchen and created a pasta shape, tortellini, inspired by the goddess' glorious navel.

Check back at the Mind Your Belly Blog for facts, beliefs, musings, quotes, traditions, and more concerning food and all things good for your belly!

Venus' Navel

"What are you writing about, Sarah?"  A fair question.  One obviously laboriously, patiently, eagerly,easily and carefully pondered by said blogger.  Except that exactly what I will write about isn't  terribly obvious to be.  Nevertheless, I am hoping ideas will unfold over the course of...many courses.  What is certain is that this blog will be food inspired.  Food inspired by cooking, by art, by music, by eating, by recipes, by seasons, by me and by you.

Speaking of art, I love most Venus inspired paintings.  Botticelli's, Giorgione's, Titian's - they are all exquisite.  I think this is partly because Venus is usually portrayed as beautifully rounded, looking so...sated.

Venus inspired an innkeeper to create tortellini (see "Belly Lore") and me to create this recipe.  In making it I hope you'll find, or attract, or create, your Venus. 

Venus's Navel times about 4 dozen
Squash and Spinach Filling:
small butternut squash
2 t olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
4 oz. fresh spinach
1 1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Cut squash in half lengthwise and bake, flesh down, on a cookie sheet at 350 degrees for about 30 min. or until tender.  Saute onion and garlic in oil.  Add spinach and  stir until wilted.  Give that a spin in the food processor.  Scoop out 2 cups of cooked squash flesh and mix into spinach mixture with Parmesan.  Add salt and pepper if needed.  Set aside.

Sauce:
3 T butter
2 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2-15oz cans diced tomatoes
1 C cream
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil and butter in saucepan.  Add onion carrot and celery and saute until onion is tender.  Add tomatoes and simmer 15 min.  Set aside for now and when tortellinis are ready to serve, add cream and stir until warm and the color of rosy flesh.

Tortellini dough:
3 C flour
4 eggs
1/2 t salt
3 T cold water
2 t olive oil
Put flour and salt in food processor and pulse twice.  Mix eggs, water and olive oil in liquid measuring cup.  Pulse processor while pouring in liquid.  Continue to pulse until dough begins to form a ball (this can also be done by hand).  Dump dough onto lightly floured surface and knead for 10 min.  Full 10.  No faking.  Lose yourself in some Luciano while you knead.  Divide dough in half and using a rolling pin (we've already used one electric appliance so let's do this step old school - O.K. so the truth is I don't have a pasta rolling machine), roll into two very thin sheets.  Very thin.  Pretend you'll have to look through that sheet of dough to see Venus.  Better yet, Jupiter.  Using a biscuit cutter or glass, cut into 3 inch circles.  Cover the dough you aren't handling, with a damp towel.  To form tortellini put 1/2 teaspoon filling in middle of dough circle. fold in half and pinch edge tightly.  fold straight, unpinched edge of dough about 2/3 of the way up.  Place pinkie finger in middle of soon to be navel, fold sides together around your finger and press ends to seal.  Remove finger and admire.  Finish the rest.  Bring a large pot of water to boil and working in batches, add tortellini and boil for 8 minutes, stirring so they don't stick. Toss with warmed sauce.

All of this kneading and pinching, this talk of navels, rosy flesh, and gods has made me extremely...well...affamato!  Remember; A tavola non s'invecchia!