Book Review: A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove

This book has been on my shelf for a couple of years, but I finally got to it. I'm glad I did, it's a great book. Written by Laura Schenone, the book covers the history of women and cooking. It concentrates on the U.S., but she touches on other cultures, as well, especially at the beginning. After all, the women cooking in this part of the world a thousand years ago, were not - ahem - Americans.

There are lots of pictures and illustrations, bringing to life the clothing, backgrounds, and tools of earlier eras. I love old pictures. I love seeing people of history, going about their daily lives.

As you can imagine, there is a lot of discrimination in our history. Women have rarely been allowed to function to their fullest potential. It almost seems as if the closest culture to come to it, were the hunter/gatherer societies. Once humanity settled into "civilization," women were tied to the service of men.

In ten chapters, Ms. Schenone talks about how women and food figure into creation myths, shows women moving to new lands and learning the plants and animals to use, and always comes back to the female trait of nurturing.  Whatever women faced, in a world over which they had little control, they always made it their duty to feed everyone. I wonder if this is an extension of our ability to provide the first and only food, for the first six months of a human being's life.

Cooking in America is covered in detail, and even here (especially here) women do not escape bondage. Subject to political will (or lack thereof), male business greed, pollution, weather, and war, American women always prepared food.  They tried to recreate the dishes of their native countries, learned how to prepare the strange plants of their new land, turned over their abilities to "the Experts," and embraced technology in the kitchen.

As with any book about food, I found recipes I wanted to try, especially Grandma Louise's Peach Pie Supreme. Not the Scrapple, though.

More Greek Weekend

I had more cooking to do on Saturday. Since I made half the recipe for Copenheim, I wanted to use up the rest of the phyllo dough. But the last thing I needed was more sweets.

Which calls for an appetizer. Oooh - vegetables!

Elaine's cookbook has recipes for cheese puffs and spanokopita. My appetizer became a sort of combo, based on what I had in the frig:

A mixture of kale and beet greens, sauteed with onions and garlic:

To this, I added cottage cheese and dill. Are you wrinkling your nose? You might be surprised to know it tasted darn good!

Using oil on the phyllo, I rolled this mixture up into turnovers:

I haven't baked them, yet. I put the pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes, then put the turnovers in a plastic bag for storage. They'll be great to just pop in the oven for a quick dinner or appetizers for guests. Perhaps this weekend, when the R. family comes for dinner.

Ah, but now it was time to prepare the marinade for the Arni Souvlakia, aka, shish kebabs (p. 50).

I had a small leg of lamb and roast in the freezer, so I'd thawed them out and cut them into little pieces. I added quartered onion, cherry tomatoes, and mushroom caps (cremini). The recipe called for bell pepper, but I haven't found any locally grown pepper yet, so I left them out.

Sitting in the marinade







But what did I have left after these preparations? Did you guess a lamb bone? With a little meat still on it? What do you think I did with that?

Yep - lamb stew! An excuse to use more vegetables! Sorry, I didn't get a picture of it, but I've got a nice broth with onion and carrots. I'll finish it today - adding a roux and some fresh peas. Can't wait!

The next day (Sunday), was the crowing touch:

We grilled them, along with some corn, and had a marvelous lunch. We had one skewer left over (go figure), and that became this morning's breakfast, chopped up with some leftover asparagus and scrambled with some eggs. Perfect!

Gloria and Bill have no complaints about Elaine's cookbook! They just want more!

A Report and a Review

Greek Weekend! I finally had company, and took advantage of it to try a couple recipes from Elaine Schmitz's Recipes & Recollections of My Greek American Family.

It was done in my usual of-course-I-messed-with-it way of cooking. This usually happens because I refuse to go out and by an ingredient if I have something else that I need to use up, and that just maybe, could substitute without totally screwing up the recipe.

More often that not, this involves vegetables.

So yesterday, I donned an apron and pulled out the pots and pans. The recipes:

Connie's Arni Souvlakia - Shish Kebab p. 50
Minnie's Copenheim p. 125

Then there were the dishes I had to make up on the spot to deal with leftover ingredients:
Veggie-Cheese Turnovers (a weird version of spanakopita, or perhaps Cheese Puffs)
Lamb Stew (sort of)

First, I made the syrup for the Copenheim:

Sugar, water, & lemon juice, simmered for about 45 minutes.







Then I got busy with the phyllo dough. Being me, I found, and used, whole grain phyllo dough. Every little bit helps.

I should probably remind you that I'm not a patient person. It's rare that I make something both delicious AND attractive. I can live with that.






Then I beat the egg yolks, folded in the walnuts and beaten egg whites, and spread it over the phyllo:

This was topped with more buttered phyllo dough and baked for about an hour. The syrup was poured over the top of it.

You know, sometimes it does turn out looking attractive!

I need to get a picture of the inside. The egg/walnut mixture bakes into a fluffy, cake-like center. I never would have imagined it. This tastes wonderful, too. A great dessert. Even though I cut the recipe in half, there is still a huge amount left, so it was divided between the guests to take to their various places of work on Monday. The whole Bay Area gets to play Greek!

I'll post the other recipes in a separate entry, so I don't overdo the picture fairy. But I should add: this recipe is very easy to do! Don't be afraid to try it - just have plenty of people around to help you eat it!

Lovely Salads

I've been experimenting lately with vegetarian offerings. I have Deborah Madison's The Green's Cookbook, based on recipes they use in their restaurant. I've had it for years, but don't use it much, since most of the recipes require a lot of time and patience.

Yeah, that patience thing is a killer.

But the recipes are invariably Worth It, once they are done. I always have such a feeling of accomplishment when I finish one. The food is terrific, too. And I can't deny I enjoy myself while I'm making these dishes - this is Real Cooking, if you know what I mean.

So the other day featured one of Deborah's "Salad Plates".

Black Bean and Pepper Salad (p. 18) with Easy Onion Pickles (p. 49)
Avocado with Sweet Pepper Relish (p. 319)
Sliced radishes
A crumbly white cheese, which I didn't exactly have, so I used Cowgirl Creamery's Mt. Tam, which I did have, and I must say it was a perfect choice.
Homemade tortilla chips, with the full disclosure that no, I did not make the tortillas from scratch. I just cut up some organic, sprouted-corn tortillas, brushed them olive oil, sprinkled them with salt, and baked them in the oven.

Here, see:

Isn't it, indeed, lovely?



Worth every minute.

An Interview with Elaine Schmitz

How does the old joke go? A science fiction writer walks into a bar...

No, really.

I'm always surprised at the connections in our lives. You never know who you know, until one day, an innocent comment opens up horizons you didn't know were there.

That's what happened a couple of weeks ago, when I met with my writers group at a local restaurant. That's the other part of my life: writing science fiction and fantasy. My writers group consists of three other SF&F writers who, along with me, take great delight in tearing apart each other's novels-in-progress.

Then helping put them back together in a better form, of course.

So what does this have to do with cooking?

That's where the connections come in. One of my friends mentioned someone she knows in another writing group she belongs to, who has just published a cookbook. When you're an unpublished author, like we all are, it's sort of awesome knowing someone who's actually published a book. It's like hero-worship. Maybe with an element of stalking. In a polite way, of course.

When I learned the book is based on the food and memories of the author's Greek-American family, I had to enter stalking mode. I asked my writing friend to introduce us, which she was happy to do.

So now I can introduce her to you.

Be pleased to meet Elaine Schmitz, author of Recipes & Recollections of My Greek-American Family.

Elaine is a writer and editor who lives in the East Bay. She also teaches Greek cooking through San Ramon Parks and Community Services. Her website is at http://www.elaineschmitz-writer.com, which is where you can find out all about her books, business writing, and cooking classes.

Recipes & Recollections of My Greek-American Family is a lot of fun to read, filled as it is with the history of Elaine's family. There are all kinds of gems: Greek courting customs, long-lost French cousins, and the pros and cons of Greek versus American hamburgers. There's even an aunt who really pinched cheeks.

Like any self-respecting cookbook, it's also filled with food: competing recipes from Elaine's grandmothers, holiday meals, everyday meals, Americanized meals, and healthier versions of some of the more dangerous buttery or meat-filled dishes. I promise to post recipe reviews once I've had a chance to try a few.

But for now, Elaine has graciously agreed to answer a few questions about her cookbook and herself. Get to know her, then click on her website and find out more. You can order the book there, too!

1. Welcome Elaine, and thank you for talking with us. Let's start with why you wrote this book. You knew you wanted to write a memoir. What was it about your family that gave you this desire?

 For some reason I became the depository of many of my family’s stories.  Maybe this was because I love history, and I thought of these stories as a part of my personal history.

Also, in the early 1990’s I was concerned about my parents and how long I would have them with me.  My personal coach at the time suggested that I interview them about their fond memories.  That was the true start of my memoirs.  When they had died, and I began to have grandchildren, I considered my documentation of these tales were an important legacy to pass on to my descendants.

 2. Do you keep any of the old family traditions in your own life, now? Which ones, and why?

 I cook a lot of the meals and like to share them with my family.  That is the primary way the traditions have been passed.  This is because it is my home cooking, so that’s what my children remember fondly from their upbringing. 

Both my children are Protestants and my husband is not affiliated with a church, so many of the church-related customs are being lost in my family.  Mostly it will be the memoirs and other writings about Greece and my gifts from Greece, when I travel there, that will keep the Greek tradition alive.

 3. Have you been to Greece? If so, what was your impression? Any memorable experiences about food?

I have been to Greece twice so far.  I didn’t travel there until I was 50 – rebelling most of my life against my “foreign” background.  I fell in love with it.  It has a timeless beauty, and everybody there looks like they could be related to me.  I especially like visiting the islands and places that are the origins of my relatives, i.e., Crete and Chios. 

 I have many experiences about the food.  The one I like to tell on myself is when I went to Chios in late 2008.  I ordered a dish of okra, stewed in tomato, looking forward to this dish I hadn’t had in so long.   The waiter apologized, saying they couldn’t serve it to me.  It was out of season.  Even though I pride myself in eating seasonally and locally, I wanted it so badly I was momentarily miffed.  I thought, “What?  Out of season?  Why don’t they just import the okra from Israel or someplace else further south” (like we do with Mexico!).  Then I laughed at myself and ordered something else.  But I’ve had a particular hankering for okra ever since, even though I’ve made it since.  We Americans are very spoiled in our ability to eat what we want when we want it.  It was a good wake-up call for me.

 4. My business, and this blog, are geared toward one of my passions - using local, organic food, and the least amount of processed food possible. How can your book help with this?

See the story above for my unconscious actions.  Consciously, I try to maintain very healthy eating habits.  I tried to include the healthier foods in the book, regardless of whether they are commonly eaten in America – such as grapefruit peel, dandelions, fresh salads and vegetables.  I also provide many alternatives to increase the healthier factors in the recipes.  I use bison (buffalo) because it is such a lean, yet tender meat.  I provide vegetarian substitutes for several casseroles, other sweetener options for white sugar, even a gluten-free rendition of a vegetarian casserole (so I could eat it).  One of the stories explores the cultural influences on the “healthy” Mediterranean diet, and I also add information on the health-improving factors of many ingredients and the fresh foods available to folks, even in my or their own back yard.

 5. This question is really a lot of questions at once. Feel free to ramble as you answer: food used to be at the center of family and community, but all of these have lost importance in our modern society. Did you grow up in a large Greek community? Are you associated with one now? How can these societies help busy families have their own sense of place?

I did grow up in a large Greek community and a large Greek family.  I still talk to many of them now, but time, distance and our own families have weakened the family connections.  The book I published helped me to reconnect with many of my family and to revitalize for them the good times and the background that we share – a real gift. 

 I have been a part of several church-related Greek communities.  I was in church choirs for most of my adult like, served on charity boards and been an active part of the community.  Currently I don’t belong to a congregation, but the people of the Greek community have been very helpful and excited about my book.  In many ways, we have shared the same experiences and, of course, similar foods.

 I think the Greek community and especially church festivals have done a lot to maintain a connection to the Greek culture and traditions.  Although Greeks have melted into the American pot, we still love to dabble in the old country ways (all the way to near immersion).  Those who are involved do have a strong identity and pride in their heritage.

 The Greeks are a very complex people with a fascinating history, and we are very passionate, vocal survivors.  For a writer and novelist, who could ask for a better ethnic background.  After all, the Greeks invented comedy AND tragedy. 

Thanks Elaine! Good luck with the book!

Holidays and Cookbooks

I did have a post last week, but Blogger ate it and I didn't have the energy to write it again. In fact, I've learned my lesson: write all posts in Word first, then copy into the blog. Anything to reduce stress!

Whatever that entry was about is long gone from my mind, so I'll start with something new. I got a new cookbook for Mother's Day!

It's nearly impossible to give me a cookbook as a gift and not make me happy. This one is Food to Live By and it's put out by Myra Goodman of Earthbound Farms.

First of all, the pictures are fantastic. Not just the food - there are wonderful pictures of the farm in Carmel, including cute little kids on field trips discovering that food grows in the dirt! The cookbook was very popular with everyone gathered at my house yesterday. My daughters had to look through it page by page. In fact, I just got of glimpse of it - I didn't get to sit down with it until everyone went home!

Obviously, I haven't tried any recipes yet. But they all look wonderful - lots of salads of course, but also a chapter on meats and one on pasta and another on vegetables, and dessert, too! There's also an entire chapter on raspberries, which made me want to run right out and plant a few bushes. I may do that, anyway!

So what did we do for Mother's Day? I like to cook - you knew that - but it's often a problem for my daughters, who like to cook, too. Since, as Mom, I'm not supposed to do anything, I was told they'd bring the ingredients and we could all cook things together! I thought that was a great solution, because I love sharing the kitchen with my kids and grandkids.

It was hectic and crowded. Lots of "excuse me, I need to get in that drawer" kind of thing, but we all had fun.

I made the Cheeseboard Collective's wonderful oat scones and had them ready early, so people could munch while they worked. While Lydia made a gorgeous fruit salad (we put the grandkids to work washing and slicing strawberries), Gloria and I made the Cheeseboard's Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins. Gloria zested and juiced the lemon and mixed it with the sugar, yogurt, and cream, while I mixed the dry ingredients.

When all that was done, Lydia made Strawberry Bellini's. This took a lot of attention from everyone, since my ancient blender decided to go on the blink, and we tried to figure out what was wrong. We ended up using the immersion blender. I love those things, but they aren't great for large batches.

But it all worked and they got the strawberries pureed and strained and mixed with cold prosecco and poured into wine glasses. Oh, they were good!

Cahlil, the almost-12-year-old, whipped up some cream for the salad and then made scrambled eggs - he's got the food bug, too! I fried up some bacon and brunch was ready.

A great time. I sent the leftovers home with the kids, saving two oat scones for Rick and I. I forgot to send the leftover whipped cream with the kids, so I'm going to make little "nests" on a baking sheet and freeze them. They'll be great for future desserts!

The Magic of Cooking Seasonally

In our ultra-modern, high-speed life, we have become used to driving to the local grocery store for whatever food we feel like having. With the Food Industry in charge of what we eat, the calendar never even enters the equation.

But one of the most important ways to think about food, is to think seasonally and locally. Before we go the store, before we even plan our meals, our first question should be, “What is growing, right now, within 100 miles of where I live? What about 50 miles?” The answer to that question not only tells us what we can buy for dinner (or breakfast or lunch), but it will also supply the exact nutrients our bodies need for the season of the year.

Because this is the way I live and work, the first thing I loved about Beth Brown’s new cookbook, From a Witch’s Kitchen, is that she has categorized the recipes by season.

Don’t give me categories of Meat, Salads, Desserts, etc. If, as is happening in my area now, the trees are beginning to pop out in buds and I’ve just taken off my sweater because the sun is warming me nicely, I go searching for Spring recipes, like Pea Salad with Radishes and Feta Cheese (p. 37) or Penne with Asparagus Pesto (p. 42).

Asparagus pesto? Can I come for dinner?

If I’m still in winter’s grip and the thick sweaters and socks never leave my body as I write my book, I want a hearty Black Bean, Rice, and Chipotle Stew (p. 16) simmering on the stove, and maybe some mulled wine to sip as I read by the fire.

Our bodies, after millions of years of evolution on this planet, are attuned to the seasons and we crave the food that’s growing right outside. From a Witch’s Kitchen shows us how to do this and it sets us free to experience the magic of the kitchen and a sense of place.

As Beth says, “Celebrating the Earth and her cycle of life is a tradition rooted deep in all of us – now get into your kitchen and bring a celebration to every plate!”

Cookbooks: The Cheese Board Collective

I'm so far behind, I haven't even read this month's Cooking Light, yet.

Okay, wait. I don't mean read, I mean skim. Looking for recipes, you know. It's been a long time since I've been able to sit down and actually read the darn thing.

One reason I've been writing entries about my new Celtic cookbook (besides the fact that I LOVE it!) is that I haven't had time to look at my other new cookbooks. But I did get others.

Like: The Cheese Board Collective Works. Just like that.

I was begging for this book and I'm delighted I have it. If you live in the East Bay and you've never had the Cheese Board's pizza - well, just drop what you're doing and get over there, RIGHT NOW.

They are in Berkeley on Shattuck. In the Gourmet Ghetto.

In the East Bay, there are two kinds of pizza:

Italian (or Chicago), best personified by Zachary's, with the flakey crust, incredible tomato sauce and rich, salty toppings. Great sausage. Actual stuffed pizza that you will not find better, anywhere.

Then there's what I call New Age Pizza. This is the Cheese Board style: delicate, flavorful crust, fresh herbs, cheese made from raw milk, sheep's milk, goat's milk. Experimental toppings like corn, eggplant, or cabbage. Fresh, organic ingredients.

Yum. You have no idea.

So now I have their cookbook, with recipes not just for pizza, but for bread and buns and scones. There's a chapter on cheese, which is less about recipes and more about description. Great information.

There goes the diet.

As I try the recipes, I'll blog about them. This is real cooking and comfort food. I can't wait.

The Continuing Saga of Celtic Folklore Cooking

Breads, Porridges, and Breakfast Foods

This entry could amount to the confessions of a breakfast junkie. I love breakfast. I'm not sure I've missed one in years, unless I was scheduled for a cholesterol check.

I eat a variety of dishes for breakfast. Hot cereal, pancakes, waffles, muffins, eggs, bacon, potatoes, toast... I take them all at one time or another.

You know what my favorite is?

Oatmeal.

Yep. Plain, old-fashioned oatmeal, with butter, brown sugar and milk. No raisins, please.

These days, I've altered it a bit, going for honey, cream, and cinnamon. Sometimes I'll put applesauce in it, but I prefer it the plainer way. Complete, homey goodness.

Well, you can imagine that a book on Celtic cooking would have recipes for porridge. You'd be right, too.

1 cup water (or half water, half milk)
3 tbsp oatmeal
dash of salt

Add the oats to the water and bring to a boil. Add the salt and stir at a low heat for about five minutes.

Please don't use those horrid instant oatmeal packets. If those are in your house, throw them away at once!

I'll wait.

Did you know fairies like porridge, too? It's in there. There's also Pratie Oaten (potatoes and oatmeal fried in butter), Burstin, Flummery, and Furmenty, and I'm not making that up.

That's just the first few pages of this section. There are fritters (oh, how I want to try Elder Flower Fritters), pancakes, Hot Cross Buns, and Boxty.

Did you know that Cinnamon Toast used to be made with claret mixed with the sugar?

There are bread recipes (soda, rhubarb, or onion), scones, Crescent Moon Rolls, Dumbcake (I'm not certain one is supposed to eat that), corn dollies and pumpkin bread.

Did the Celts have pumpkin? I thought that was New World.

Doesn't it sound wonderful? Makes you long for morning, so you can put on a pot of tea and have breakfast.

The Celtic Cookbook

Celtic Folklore Cooking
by Joanne Asala

I’ve been browsing through my Celtic cookbook. One of the best things about it (besides the recipes) are the stories scattered throughout. These are tales from the past, things like Cardiwen’s Cauldron, a busy tale of a an ugly son, a protective and vengeful mother, the servant who innocently received a spell meant to help the son and the chase that ensued.

There’s the Milkmaid and the Sailor, about a girl who falls under an enchantment when a mysterious sailor touches her apron. She is doomed to follow him everywhere, until her brother cuts the apron strings and throws the apron in a fire.

Sometimes the stories are related to the recipes, such as the story about Whiskey, You’re the Devil, or the history of Hot Cross Buns. More often, they tell of us of the culture and the way of life in Ireland (or Wales or Scotland) long, long ago.

They are amusing from our point of view, of course, but I like how the stories show us the people. I only hope that a few thousand years from now, the stories they tell about us, will be as enjoyable.

The author also sprinkles ancient proverbs throughout the text and these are hilarious. ‘Course, if you think about them, you nod your head and say, “well, of course.” But you have to think about them.

“Chicken today and feathers tomorrow” (Irish proverb)

“If you go into the forest for a day, take bread for a week.” (Irish)

“Tea seldom spoils if water boils.” (Scottish)

See what I mean?

The history of the recipes is discussed and which holiday(s) the food is sacred to. And whether or not one should share it with the fairies.

That might be important to know.

New Cookbooks

I got some new cookbooks for Yule. They were on my wishlist, which is now empty. It was quite a haul!

My favorite is Celtic Folklore Cooking by Joanne Asala. It's published by Llewellyn Publications, 2007. It's just incredible, with all kinds of tidbits and poems and descriptions of Celtic life and traditions.

Like the author, I feel connected to Ireland, as if I lived there in another life. I love all things Irish and fairies and Druids and this book tells me about that and the food they ate, too! It doesn't get any better.

Being a book about Irish cuisine, the chapter on beverages is quite long and satisfying. We have Syllabub and eggnog and hot whiskey and buttered rum. Spring wine. Ale. Mulled cider and milk punch. Along with stories about John Barleycorn and about wassailing. Traditional times the drink is served and how it fits into the Wheel of the Year and celebrations of the seasons.

I'll post more about each section as time allows. I'm already trying some of the winter drinks and this promises to be a cookbook I use all the time!