Korean Delights

by Celia Hayes

So, many of the headlines this week concern themselves with Korea, a country which I have some slight connection to; that is where my father was serving a tour when I was born. And a good few decades later, I did a year-long tour there myself. About the very first thing that I realized was that Korea in the 1990s looked nothing like the TV series MASH ... and only very little like what my father remembered. Dad and his platoon with their mobile radar set-up lived in several different tent encampments near the DMZ. I spent the year living at Yongsan Garrison, in the heart of a bustling and very cosmopolitan Seoul. The garrison was itself a fairly un-crowded green island in the middle of a very built-up city – rather as

…

Lentil and Brown Rice Compost Broth

Search Online for San Antonio Homes for Sale 

This was one of these things that I read so long ago that I don't remember when, or who, save that it was an interview with a rather clever and creative chef being interviewed, and just about that time I had despaired of finding any broth – canned or as a bouillon cube – at the commissary or local supermarket which wasn't expensive, unbearably salty, or both. Now HEB, Sprouts, and Trader Joe's all offer a nice variety of flavored and low sodium broths and I have used them for some splendid soups, especially when nothing sits very well on on a fractious stomach except chicken broth with a smidgeon of rice or fideos in it ... but nothing beats home-made broth made

…

Comfort Food – Mac & Cheese

by Celia Hayes

When my younger brother and sister and I were in elementary school, my father was a grad-student in hot pursuit of a doctorate in zoology, and my mother was – in the tradition of the time – a full-time stay-at-home mom. This was in the late 1950s to early 60s, and it was the commonly accepted practice. As there were three of us (later to be four) it was really the only practical option – and one of the reasons that it worked was that Mom was a fair to middling cook, very much into the traditional D-I-Y household arts (including sewing childrens' clothes and decorating our home with cast-off and inexpensive furniture. I would hasten to add that it was usually quality stuff; ages later, when Mom and Dad were

…

More Flavors of Spain

by Celia Hayes

My mother just sent us a basket of gourmet foods from Spain as a Christmas present for us again, since last year's basket from La Tienda was such a big hit. We loved living in Spain, loved the food, adored grazing from the little plates – the tapas – invitingly set out at bars, loved the fact that a 'bar' in Spain was usually not just a seamy joint serving spirituous liquors to an assortment of skeevey low-lives. A bar in Spain was much more likely to be a kind of café, coffee shop and neighborhood club-house, the place housing the pay phones, ATMs, video game machines, and clean bathrooms ... and oh, yes – serving snacks and alcoholic drinks of every possible description. It also mildly freaked out many Americans

…

The Way of the Okra

Although I have only one huge okra plant, and a couple of others which have produced intermittently and spasmodically, individual okes (is that the singular of okra, like meese should be the singular of moose?) my garden just doesn't seem to produced sufficient of them in a short period of time to make a decent batch of okra pickles on any given day. At least, not enough to be worth firing up the canning kettle. It's really not worth heating up the kitchen in my San Antonio home unless there are at least three quarts or six pints in contention ... and my okra plants just aren't that prolific. So I cheated – I went and bought two pounds of okra at the Indian market (cunningly disguised as a gas station on the corner of 410 and

…

Sizzling Summer Vegetarian Supper with Tomatos from Our San Antonio Garden

by Celia Hayes

The first of the tomatoes from the garden are coming along slowly – but this week we had a good double-handful of small cherry tomatoes, in all colors; the usual red, but some lemon-yellow ones, and some of them so-called ‘black’ which were actually a kind of pale purple. Having a couple of ears of fresh corn in the refrigerator, I decided to make a summer corn and tomato relish out of them. This recipe was pulled from Cuisine at Home, issue #52, August 2005.

Whisk together ¼ cup cider vinegar and 1 TBsp sugar, until sugar is dissolved. Combine with 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes, 1 cup of fresh corn kernels, (From two ears of corn), ½ cup thinly sliced red

…

Adventures in Home Canning

by Celia Hayes

This latest adventure in home food preparation was my daughter's notion, upon noting that the aisle in our local HEB set aside for housewares and appliances had a new section for home canning supplies; including a sort of starter kit for novices; a large light-weight enamel lidded kettle, with a rack and some implements to shift around the jars ... of which there were also a nice assortment in various sizes. I was certain that we had a huge canning kettle in the garage – a gift from a military friend who was moving to another state – but we couldn't readily find it, as the garage is stuffed with items that my daughter has bought for that residence of her own which she hopes to have one day. But we might

…

Created Monday, 21 September 2009 13:47

The Wild Boar Hunt - A Texas Grizzly Bear

My friend Jim and his son Scott are still talking about hunting the biggest, meanest, baddest, ugliest, smelliest creatures on this earth.

Their first wld boar hunt began last May after one of the hunters booked it online. Scott and three hunter friends from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, met Jim at Langley Ranch, a commercial hunting operation outside Centerville, halfway between Houston and Dallas.

Wild boars are elusive, intelligent creatures. Jim says they can smell food up to seven miles away or buried 10 feet in the ground. Some of the hogs at Langley Ranch have strong genetic ties to the Russian boar. Known for their scruffy, black coats and threatening tusks, their quick

…

Created Wednesday, 18 March 2009 01:54
 

Recipe: Simple and Delicious Carrot Salad

Serves 4-6 as an accompaniment Ingredients ·            6 large carrots, peeled and coarsely grated ·            3/4 cup roughly chopped Italian parsley ·            2 lemons, juiced ·            2-3 tablespoons olive oil ·            3 teaspoons brown sugar ·            Salt and pepper to taste   Directions Coarsely grate the carrots using a box grater, mandolin or food processor with grater attachment. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, salt and pepper. Just before serving, toss the carrots, parsley and dressing together. Serve at room temperature.

Family and Home Tidings

…

Created Wednesday, 18 February 2009 20:57

Recipe: Simple Lentil Soup with Lemon

 

Ingredients

·2 tablespoons olive oil

·1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

·2 garlic cloves, minced

·2 tablespoons tomato paste

·1 teaspoon ground cumin

·1/4 teaspoon pepper

·Pinch chili powder

·6 cups chicken stock

·1 cup lentils

·1 large carrot, peeled and diced

·Juice of half a lemon

·3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

·Salt to taste

·Sour cream for serving (optional)

 

Heat oil in soup pot and sauté onion and garlic until soft and fragrant. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, pepper and chili powder. Add stock, lentils and carrots and simmer partially covered until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Blend half the soup in a

…