First Ever Recipe Contest!
Sharon October 14th, 2008
So when we wrote _A Nation of Farmers_ Aaron and I got to interview a number of famous thinkers about the future of food and agriculture. And we conceived the brilliant (?) idea of asking each one for a recipe, their vision of what we’re going to be eating in the coming decades, and how to make it. So we got recipes from Bill McKibben, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Bob Waldrop, Faith Morgan, Gene Logsdon, Richard Heinberg, Albert Bates and more. Because we’re deeply convinced that how we eat is going to be at the center of how we adapt - and don’t you want to know what Richard Heinberg thinks we’ll be eating after the oil runs out (hint, it isn’t rats - he’s a vegetarian ;-)).
But we wanted a few more recipes for the book - we threw some of our favorites in too. But we really wanted to add some more perspectives on this. So I’m officially announcing the first ever Casaubon’s Book Recipe Contest! I want to know what you think we’re going to be eating in a lower energy world - and I want to know how to make it appealing, appetizing, delicious, delightful. Because the truth is that food is wonderful - and you don’t have to be rich to eat well. We’re calling it good food for hard times!
We’re looking for recipes that take into account local foods, that some things may not be available all the time, different, lower energy cooking techniques, or that make low-cost foods delicious. To enter, just post a recipe in the comments section of this post, and include an explanation of why it is a good example of good food that is practical in a changing world. Everyone benefits from this - I mean we all get a slew of wonderful new recipes - but the best five (or if we really can’t narrow it down, maybe more) will be selected to appear in the book, credited to you in the acknowledgements, and you’ll get a free, signed copy. All entries must be submitted by this Friday, and I’ll announce the winners next week!
Ok, how fun is this, btw? I promise I’ll post a couple of my own while I’m at it.
Cheers,
Sharon
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How about one of the oldest, most tried and true of all time: bannock
http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/bannock/
Easy to make in nearly any situation and nutritious - famous food of hobos, explorers, pioneers, and Native Americans
Darn - someone beat me to the punch by suggesting Bannock! It’s a household favorite for us, and endlessly versatile - sweet or savory, can be made with cornmeal, wheat or buckwheat flour, spelt, whatever. It might be perfect.
Hmm…I only have until Friday for this? Yikes. I’ll have to get back to you!
solar-cooked quinoa stew: http://www.veggiemealplans.com/archive/1-recipes/1215-cooking-with-the-sun
Thanks Sharon!
Chickpea stew. This recipe can be made with all tinned/frozen vegetables, or all fresh or a mix depending on what you have. You can makes lots or a little. It uses one pan. It is quick to cook (except for boiling chickpeas before hand). Leftovers freeze and reheat well (except for potatoes). its ok to eat hot, room temp or cold. It can be served with rice, pasta, bread or potatoes. All our kids like it. The flavours can be changed to be (sort of) Indian, Spanish, Mexican, Italian depending on the spices and herbs used (which we all have stored of course!). It can include meat or be vegetarian or vegan. endlessly adaptable.
2 onions chopped
)
oil (olive if you have it)
garlic chopped (optional but preferable)
2 tins of chickpeas drained, (or equivalent dried - pre-cooked)
2 tins tomatoes, chopped (or fresh, or passata)
1-2 packs frozen spinach (or fresh, or silverbeet, or warrigal greens (local to me
potato chunks (optional) Ive also added carrots
s and p
flavourings:
Spanish - chorizo sausage*, smoked paprika, garlic, serve with bread
Indian - garlic, ginger, chilli, panch pora or other Indian spice mix, serve with rice or bread
Italian - garlic, Italian sausage*, parmesan cheese on top, serve with pasta
Mexican - chilli, cumin, garlic (and you can use kidney beans instead of chickpeas) serve with sour cream and tortillas
Fry onions and garlic in oil. add flavourings. add chickpeas and tomatoes (and potatoes). cook until done. add spinach and cook 10 minutes more. serve with rice, bread, pasta and a salad if you have it.
* I make both these versions without meat and they are fine without.
good idea this cookbook
In a catastophy that forced local eating or wood heat or some other similar hardship, Alaskans would pull together. There already is some sense of that among the people who live here. We are entirely dependent on shipped in goods and the history of living on hard tack and moose is not the ancient past. There are still places without adequate public works. We have experienced helpful generous people commonly in our 21 years living here. But if we had to rely entirely on local foods and wood heat, here’s what I would cook. These assume you have a cow or goat handy for butter, cream or milk. There are some cows….Alaska has 4 dairies, and many private goat-herds. So anyway, here’s my 2 contributions. They won’t win top 5, but they will keep you alive!
Alaska root stew
In Alaska if you don’t like root vegetables A LOT you really can’t eat local. We don’t have the ability to grow many things, but potatos, carrots, turnips and so on !thrive!. We also have a lot of wild meats to choose from including sea foods.
Alaska root stew
4 potatos
4 carrots
2 onions
2 turnips or rutabagas
3 stalks celery
parsley
2 tbs butter
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
whatever game meat you have nearby, grouse, moose….cooked and chopped
Saute onion in butter until translucent. Add salt, pepper, and root vegetables. Saute briefly and add 2 qts water. Simmer vegetables until soft. Add cooked chopped meats, parsley or whatever herb you have available. Cook until water is reduced by 1/3.
If you have a lot of available meat, you can make a rich bone broth or stock of it and use that instead of water.
Salmon Chowder(or clam or halibut or shrimp…)
2 TBS butter
1 onion chopped
3 carrots, diced
4 potatos, diced
6 c water
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 side of salmon
1 cup cream
Saute onions in butter until translucent, add chopped veggies and seasonings, water or broth. Cook until veggies are tender with the lid OFF to reduce the water and thicken the stew. Remove some of the root veggies and mash. Return to the soup along with the pre-sooked salmon and the cream. Heat through and serve with parsley or whatever herb you have handy sprinkled on top.
i love sunchokes because they are so versatile (they can cooked any way you cook potatoes) and they can be left in the ground all winter & harvested fresh when you want them…simply cover the area with a thick layer of mulch (i use their stalks).
solar baked sunchokes
4-5 large sunchokes, sliced thinly
olive oil, butter, tallow or lard
sea salt
herbs of choice (i love rosemary) dried or fresh when available
set up the solar oven to start heating while preparing the sunchokes.
place sunchokes in a dark container, drizzle with oil (melt if using butter, lard or tallow).
sprinkle with salt and rosemary or other herb to taste (usually about 1 tsp of each) and toss well to coat.
cover dish with a clear lid and place in oven. bake for about 4 hours or until soft.
German Potato Salad!
One of my favorite dishes and can be completely local. This version is not completely traditional but can be done in a crock pot or solar cooker this way.
Slice enough potatoes for the number of people you will be feeding (usually 1 to 1 1/2 per person).
Dice an onion or two.
Dice a bit of country ham or crumble some cooked bacon. This can be left out.
1/2 cup good apple vinegar.
Enough apple juice to just cover everything in the pot, usually around two cups.
1/2 tsp celery seed (or chop celery)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt (if you used country ham, leave it out)
Cooked on low in a crock pot this will be done in about 4-5 hours but just gets thicker and even more traditional in texture if you do leave for the 8 to 9 hours you might be out at work.
If you want a traditional recipe, this one is good. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Hot-German-Potato-Salad-III/Detail.aspx
Already there are recipes I need try, yummy.
Try this one. I come from sheep country so it is logical to use it.
A large leg of mutton (any sort but not lamb). Cut the leg in half.
Sunday - Roast one half with veges. Set aside leftovers including left over gravy.
Monday - serve some of the leftover cold meat with veges.
Tuesday - Boil the other half along with the bone from the first half (but not the left over meat.) Add whole onions and whole carrots to the pot along with a generous helping of barley. Salt to taste and boil till cooked.
Serve boiled veges and meat with greens and set aside leftover meat and the broth from the boiling..
Wednesday - Salad day with half the cold meat as before.
Thursday - Mince leftover meat with several raw onions. Mix in the leftover gravy and place in a pie dish. Cover with lots of mashed potato and bake until hot. Serve with greens.
Friday - Serve up the broth with fresh bread.
Saturday - leftover day.
Sunday - begin again!
This was something that at least four generations of us have done although I don’t think any of us did it continuously. We did run every other week though and mutton is cheap and tasty (comparatively).
We all had our own variations on what went into the pie too. I like Worcester Sauce in mine. One Aunt put tomato in hers. Grated cheese on top was a special treat. Additional veges really depended on the time of year.
viv in nz
I spent the summer in Costa Rica when I was 14, where I was served a lot of Gallos Pintos. This is a yummy dish that’s filling and good for you. And can be local, if you can find local rice.
Gallos Pintos:
1 chopped white onion
1 T olive oil
3 cups cooked black beans, drained
3 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
1 cup corn kernels
salt and pepper
chili powder
Salsa (optional)
Optional toppings can include cabbage, cheese, tomatoes, or fresh onions.
Heat the oil in a large pan. Cook the onion until translucent but not browned. Add the beans (if you’re using canned beans, use two 15 ounce cans, drained) and corn (one can if using canned, also drained.) Cook, stirring often, until the beans start to dry and break up, 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste. Add the rice. Adjust seasoning if necessary.
This is how they eat it in Costa Rica.
We like to add some salsa to the pain and stir it in. My kids like it in a tortilla like a burrito. I like to eat it in a bowl topped with cheese and cabbage.
It reheats beautifully.
This is my favorite thing to do with whole grains in the winter– none of the ingredients need refrigeration, and it’s rich and hearty, even for those of us accustomed to cooking with meat and broth. The recipe is easily doubled, and it also works well with quinoa instead of brown rice.
_Mushroom Pilaf_
1 cup brown rice
2 tablespoons red lentils
2 tablespoons dried mushrooms, broken into pieces (I use a mix of wild mushrooms or dried shitakes, but any variety will do)
1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes (2 tablespoons if they’re marinated in oil)
1 small onion
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil
Soak the mushrooms and tomatoes in 1 cup hot water until mostly rehydrated and pliable, about 15-30 minutes. (If the tomatoes are oil packed or marinated, don’t soak them.) Remove the mushrooms and tomatoes, and strain the soaking water through a coffee filter into a measuring cup to remove sediment (or carefully pour off most of the liquid, leaving the sediment behind.) Add water to the strained soaking liquid, bringing the total amount of liquid to 2 cups. Chop the mushrooms, tomatoes and onions. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onions and cook until translucent and slightly golden. Add all remaining ingredients including the soaking liquid and water, cover, bring to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes (or 15-20 minutes for quinoa.) Remove from heat and leave pot covered for another 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork and serve.
Oops, I forgot that in the mushroom pilaf, you should add salt and pepper to taste.
Sun-Oven Machaca
1 cheap, tough chunk-o-beef, typically from the shoulder, 1-3 lbs
Cook in sun oven for several hours until tender. Shred muscle fibers with a fork. Fry shredded beef in lard with chili peppers, tomatoes, onions, smoked jalapenos(if you’ve got them, +/- tomotillos. Add salt to taste. Roll in homemade, still warm flour tortillas(made with lard - of course).
Tortillas
Four lbs of flour to one lbs room temp. lard, Mix by hand until it looks like rolled oats; lard must be thoroughly mixed with the flour - smear it between your fingers. Dissolve three TBSP of salt in four cups of warm water. Mix water into flour/lard and mix until a dough forms, then kneed for just a minute or two; do not “over-process” or you will active too much gluten. Allow dough ball to sit a room temp. for about an hour or three. Pull off golfball-sized chunks and roll out round. Fry in a dry cast-iron frying pan(12 inch min.)
Polenta with Marinara and Egg
Basically, this: cook up corn grits/polenta until stiff. Put a cup’s worth on a plate, flattening slightly. Cover with some marinara sauce, and top with an egg cooked “over easy”. Meatless, with grains that should be easily obtained, an easy tomato sauce, and a protein source that could come from your own backyard flock.
If the recipe intrigues, I’ll write up detailed instructions.
Mainer here. The local staple is the potato. When I ponder what to have for dinner the spud is my bud. My favorite recipe is Bamborak, a version of the potato pancake. It is easy to improvise with seasonal veggies.
Here is the basic recipe:
6 large potatoes
1-2 eggs
5 garlic cloves
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup flour ( or what ever grain you have on hand, flax meal, oat flour, buckwheat flour grow in Maine. I recently made this with amaranth from our garden)
salt ( to keep it local to Maine , dulse flakes)
Shred potatoes,pour milk over potatoes to keep them from browning. Mix in garlic, egg,salt. Add enough flour to make a semi liquid batter.
Pour oil ( or lard, butter) into pan,fry on both sides until golden brown but not too long or they will dry out.
If I want to serve this for breakfast, I would shred apple and serve with maple syrup.
If I had, broccoli or kale in the garden I would chop finely and add to the batter.
Shredded cheese is yummy, herbs of your choice, combine another shredded root like turnip or carrots, add the last few scrapings of meat from the roast.
I am a firm believer in food that packs the most nutrition into each bite; especially when trying to feed toddlers.
Roasted pumpkin or winter squash
We are currently innundated with beautiful winter squashes and pumpkins here in Western NC. They are round, skinny, lumpy, warty, orange, yellow, green, pink…. Some especially tasty varieties are Blue Hubbard, Buttercup and Candy Roaster. They pack a lot of food and flavor into one long lasting package. Many will keep until spring in the cellar. I learned an easy way to cook them from Barbara Swell, a local food lover who writes old-timey cookbooks.
Squash:
Cut open the squash with a big knife and scrape out the seeds. A spoon works well for this. You can clean, dry and save the seeds to grow next year. Cut the squash into “little smiles” 3 or 4 inches long and 1 or 2 inches wide. Set aside.
Glaze:
Melt 2-4 tablespoons of local butter over medium heat (amount depends on how big your squash is). Chop 3 or more cloves of garlic finely and drop them in. Simmer for a few minutes. Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of honey or maple syrup. Add a pinch or 2 of hot pepper - either flakes or powder (this is the one thing I haven’t figured out how to make locally but I’ll bet there’s a way because hot peppers do grow here). Let it all warm and mingle for another couple minutes in the pan.
Put it together:
Preheat your over to about 400. Now dip your squash pieces into the glaze and turn them over, coating each one. Lay on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 30 minutes. Flip the pieces over with a spatula, scraping up the yummy goo on the pan and smearing it back over the squash. Bake another 15 to 20 minutes.
Viola. It’s like spicy candy and it’s loaded with vitamin A. I can eat a whole squash in one meal, cooked this way!
Sharon,
I hope you’ll include somewhere prominent in your cookbook the fllowing quote from Charles Hugh Smith (www.oftwominds.com/blog) since it perfectly reflects so much of what we need to be doing:
“A healthy homecooked family meal and a home garden are revolutionary acts.” (coined May 2008)
Julie
I vote for the humble but easily elevated omelette (or frittata). It cooks in minutes, so it uses barely any fuel of any sort, and can be cooked over virtually any heat source. If you use fresh eggs from your (or your neighbor’s) hens and vegetables from the garden, no refrigeration is necessary. They’re great for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and can be left plain or stuffed with whatever you have on hand. Omelettes are great with fresh veggies of all sorts, fresh herbs of all sorts, beans or cheese if you have it. To get your starch in, I’d suggest adding some diced potato. Apparently one can grow potatoes and raise laying hens virtually anywhere! You could even fill them with leftover stews, curries, etc.
Low Energy Garden Omelette for Two
1 tablespoon cooking oil (optional)
4-5 eggs (depending on their size)
1/2 cup diced potato
about 1 cup diced garden vegetables - Consider onions, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, asparagus, broccoli, spinach or other tender greens, or whatever you have on hand. Be creative!
1 teaspoon fresh herbs of your choice
Salt and Pepper to taste
Condiments, if available: crumbled fresh cheese, a drizzle of pesto, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, etc.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Heat oil and saute potatoes and other hard vegetables (such as peppers, eggplant or onion) until tender. Alternatively you can steam or boil them in a little water if you have no oil, just be sure to drain them well. Beat eggs with salt and pepper and add to skillet. Lower heat and cook gently until eggs are nearly set, and add herbs and any vegetables that did not need pre-cooking. Fold omelette over and continue to cook for about 3 more minutes, or until fully set and heated through. Transfer to a plate and top with cheese, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, sour cream, homemade salsa or whatever you like! Serves two.
2 recipes I use frequently that might be of use. The 2nd is for a single serving (on my rigorous food plan), so adjust as needed:
Roasted Autumn Vegetables
(can be adjusted for whatever you have–beets, parsnips,
Use roaster(s) and/or cookie sheet(s), sufficiently oiled. Spread the following into roaster/onto cookie sheet (OK to stack)
2-3 winter squash, seeded and cut up
1 rutabaga, peeled and sliced
2 purple-top turnips or 1 bunch turnips
1 bunch carrots, peeled and chopped
1 pint brussels sprouts, peeled
1 small onion, cut up in chunks
1-2 peppers, seeded
3 tomatillos, sliced
Brush desired oil (olive, walnut, canola) onto the veggies.
Sprinkle pumpkin pie spice, paprika and if desired, curry, to taste.
Drizzle with maple syrup (I use sugar free b/c I’m EWP free. (EWP means “evil white powders” — all flours and sugars.)
Roast at 400 for 40 minutes to an hour, until root veggies are soft. One cookie sheet can make 8 servings.
******
Lentil-bentlz (for one–this is a lot of prep)
8 oz lentils/red lentils/split peas both yellow/green
1/2c baby carrots
1/2c sliced turnips
1c brussels sprouts
1c cauliflower
2T millet, rinsed
1oz cheddar cheese
1/3c tomato sauce
2 tsp butter (if desired)
You will need 2 stockpots, each filled with 2c water
Boil water in both stockpots. In one boil the legumes, and in the other, boil the millet and cauliflower. Lentils and split peas should take about 20 minutes while the millet/cauliflower should take closer to 35 minutes
Preheat oven to 375. On a cookie sheet, roast carrots, turnips, brussels sprouts and season to taste. (Suggest cumin, Mrs. Dash (basil-garlic mix) and onion powder). Roast for 35-40 minutes, until brussels sprouts look slightly black.
Mix vegetables with the cheese and the tomato sauce in serving dish. Mix in the lentils/split peas.
Mash the millet and cauliflower so that it looks like mashed potatoes. Spread the mixture on top of the veggie/legume mixture (to create a crust like a shepherd’s pie). Melt butter on top of the “crust”. Cool to taste. Serves 1, believe it or not.
May alter the veggie mixture again to what one has, and if there is no cheese available, add 4oz more of the legumes (for protein exchange). Again, alter as food plans may require.
It’s not a recipe but it’s something I do with bones for soup stock.
Whenever I’ve grilled something outside and there’s still enough heat to make smoke, I’ll put the bones on the grill for a bit. Then the stock is really flavorful.
For a quick salty and sweet snack - kettle corn:
Heat your favorite oil (I like a mixture of coconut and ghee for this, but use what you have) in a covered pan or pot. I use enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
Add popcorn until it covers the bottom in one layer. When it is just beginning to sizzle and pop, add 1-2 tablespoons of sugar, depending on size of pan. (you can try other sweetners)Cover and shake till done.
Salt lightly and enjoy!
This is a huge favorite in our house, and it’s made picky me love some root vegetables I resisted for years. It’s my riff on a recipe from Sally Schneider’s _The Art of Low-Calorie Cooking_, a book I found in Husband’s shelves when we got married. Of course some ingredients need to be substituted based on availability, but I’ve never messed it up yet, and that’s saying something. We’re looking forward to producing most of this in our TX fall garden… eventually.
Giambotta
1 medium red onion
2 leeks
2 bell peppers
2 tomatoes
1 fennel bulb
1 carrot
1 celery root
1 parsnip
2 turnips
1 small winter squash
1 zucchini
small bunch winter greens (chard, kale, etc.)
at least 1 head of garlic
1 t salt
2 bay leaves
1 T chopped oregano or 1/2t dried
1 T thyme or 1/2t dried
1/2t fennel seeds
1/2t sugar
1/2t crushed hot red pepper
1/4c extra virgin olive oil
2T white wine vinegar
1c chopped fresh basil
1/4c chopped fresh parsley
freshly ground pepper
Chop everything into similar sizes for even cooking; varying shapes make it prettier, but it doesn’t really matter. Combine everything except half the basil, the parsley, and the pepper in a large stockpot with 1 cup water. Cook over medium-high heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until winter squash is soft but not overcooked. Remove bay leaves and top with remaining basil, parsley, and pepper. Feeds at least 4 with crusty bread.
There’s some wacky alchemy that happens here to produce a fantastic broth and velvety vegetables. I’ve tried steaming fish on top, and it works, but it’s so good on its own with bread for sopping that we never bother. It’s so pretty that it delights guests and makes the house smell glorious, and unless you’re buying vegetables at the store out of season, it’s dirt-cheap.
Sounds like this is basically the Southern temperate-climate version of Shelley’s recipe (Hey, Shelley!).
Veggie Strudels are the wave of the future, doncha know.
Dress up the ubiquitous green cabbage by adding a little cream, some caraway seeds, fennel, salt, pepper, etc, and use it as a strudel filling (using filo or your family’s secret strudel dough recipe - I can’t give out my MIL’s). Maybe you’ll want to saute the cabbage before putting it in the strudel, in that case you can just dot the filling with butter instead of adding cream.
Or use winter squash (I prefer the old fashioned ugly type of hubbard for this) with cinnamon, sugar or honey or maple syrup, and cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla as a filling.
Roll ‘em, bake ‘em, eat ‘em.
Awesome recipes, everyone! Here’s one of my (very simple) favorites:
Between 1/2 and 1 whole apple
Half an onion or so
Most of a full cake of tofu
Nutritional yeast
Soy sauce
Oil
Just heat up the pan, cook the onion and apple together, add the tofu (pressing it helps a lot with the texture), once the apple and onion have softened somewhat. Add soy sauce and nutritional yeast to taste, and cook ’til done! This stir-fry, alongside toast with jam, is a favorite quick meal for me. I’m hoping to make it even more local by making my own tofu from local soybeans- anyone have experience making soy milk without a soy milk maker?
Cherry Tomato fresh pasta sauce - This is quick & easy, and good for when you’ve got an abundance of cherry tomatoes. The proportions can vary - I use about a pint of cherry toms per person.
Saute some onion in oil or butter until they begin to soften. Add some chopped garlic if you have it & cook a little bit. Add WHOLE cherry tomatoes and continue to saute until the tomatoes burst open, then cook just a couple of minutes more. Salt & Pepper to taste. Add some basil if you have it and want it, or just let the tomato flavor shine through.
This is especially good for people who have success growing cherry tomatoes but can’t get any others to grow/ripen.
The new favorite stew cooked on wood stove for hours
one largish piece of wild boar
several large carrots
lots of potatoes
two quarts canned tomatoes
2 leeks
salt & pepper
Slow simmer meat in tomatoes for a few hours. Add carrots and leeks. Finally add potatoes for the last 30 minutes of cooking. A simple meal that makes great leftovers, all grown at home, simmered on the wood cook stove which is used to heat the house anyway now that it’s cold. The least sustainable part of this meal is the frozen boar. Could be substituted for other meat, home canned can replace freezer.
Roast garlic with homemade bread. Tasty, easy to make, and easy to store ingredients, uses oven in wood cook stove.
Roast veggies - potatoes, carrots, onions, parsnips, beets, garlic all in a pan. Easy to make loved by people who usually don’t like parsnips, beets etc. Served with yogurt strained thru cheese cloth with some pressed garlic and a pinch of salt added.
Roast apples with cinnamon.
Lacto-fermented carrots with a drizzle of sunflower oil makes a tasty winter/spring salad.
Squash soup
You need some sort of fat or oil, some sort of alium and some sort of squash. I like pumpkin best. Some sort of beer or cider or apple juice, if you can get it.
Fry the onions, leaks, garlic, whatever in the oil at the bottom of the soup pan. Add mashed squash cooked by roasting, boiling, grilling, mircowaving or any other method you can think off. Add a little liquid, water if nothing better is to hand.
You can grate cheese on top.
Veggie Enchilada Casserole
-2 sweet peppers, cut into thin strips
-1 hot pepper, diced
-1 onion, cut into think strips
- a tiny bit of any cooking oil
-1 1/2 c. cooked beans, any kind (or 1 can, drained)
-1 pint jar of home-canned diced tomatoes (or fresh diced)
- 1/4 c. taco seasoning, or your own mix of chili powder, cumin, and coriander
- 12 corn tortillas (easily homemade)
- 1 1/2 c. enchilada sauce (or your own mix of tomato paste, veggie stock, and chili powder)
- 1 c. shredded cheese, any kind (optional)
- 1 c. dry TVP (optional)
- Any other veggies you want to dice up and throw in!
In a large skillet, heat a little oil over med. low heat. Add both kinds of peppers, onions, and any other veggies (zucchini is good), cover, and cook till soft. Uncover, add tomatoes, beans, and seasoning and bring to up to med heat. If using TVP, add 1 c. hot water and TVP to mix and stire well. Allow to cook, uncovered, about 10 minutes to blend flavors.
In a 9″ square pan (glass or metal), spread half of the enchilada sauce and layer four tortillas across the bottom. Top with 1/2 the veggie mix, then 1/3 of the cheese (if using). Layer 4 more tortillas, the rest of the veggies, and the next 1/3 of the cheese. Top with the final four tortillas, second half of the enchilada sauce, and the final 1/3 of the cheese.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is melted.
I love this recipe because I can use whatever veggies are in season. I can crank up the protein with TVP (a great storage protein) and cheese, or go vegan and leave the cheese out.
Also, since the ingredients are acrtually cooked on the stove, this would be great to finish up in a solar oven.
I often make the filling for this in the morning before I got work, then assemble and bake when I get home. Easy, cheap, tasty, and nutritious!
“Urban Chicken” with Roasted Vegetables & Tossed Salad
-All locally available from your desert Southwest gardens
-Prep time: 2 weeks
1 quart crumbs from whole wheat bread
Zest & juice from 3 limes
Oil pressed from 1 cup dried sunflower seeds - reserve 2 tbs oil
2 dried red chile peppers, powdered
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
Red potatoes - 2 small ones per person
Onions - 1/4 medium one per person
1 quart fresh greens (arugula, mizuna, etc.), washed and roughly torn
2 apples, diced
3 tbs toasted chopped pecans
For one week, toss bread crumbs in a small area of your yard to attract pigeons.
After a week, set up a box trap in the feeding area and continue to toss bread crumbs. Do not trip the trap.
Once the pigeons are habituated to the feed and the trap, you should be able to easily catch a few for dinner over the course of a morning.
Clean and dress pigeons. Cut into parts (breasts, legs, back, etc.)
Mix lime, chile powder, salt, cilantro, oil, and jalapeno. Marinate the pigeon in half the marinade, reserving remaining mixture for salad.
Preheat solar oven for 1 hour.
Clean potatoes and onions. Quarter. Toss with reserved oil and sprinkle with a little salt.
Place pigeon and vegetables in large roasting pot, cover tightly, and place in solar oven. Cook until meat is no longer pink and vegetables are tender, 1-2 hours.
Toss together greens and apples. Drizzle with remaining dressing and top with pecans.
Serve with roasted pigeon and vegetables.
Basic Congee
3/4 cup long grain rice
9 cups of water
1 tsp salt
In a large pot, bring the water and rice to a boil.
When the rice is boiling, turn the heat down to medium low. Place the lid on the pot, tilting it to allow steam to escape (the same as you would do when making cooked rice.
Cook on medium low to low heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice has the thick, creamy texture of porridge (1 - 1 1/4 hours). Add the salt, taste and add seasonings if desired.
Stir in 1/4 cup chopped beef or chicken, and/or 12/cup to 1 cup any diced cooked vegetables (ie squash, pumpkin, green onions etc.) to 1 cup of the basic congee. The meat can be left out entirely and just add the vegetables with a little sugar if desired.
A quick way to make congee is to use leftover cooked white rice, add water or stock to cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until it is a gruel. Laddle into bowls. You can then add the extras. Some people like to add a little soya sauce also.
I’ve been researching how to make tofu. It doesn’t sound that hard. Just make sure you do not get Round Up ready soy beans. I bought the material that causes the soy milk to congeal from a Beer and Wine Making online store. I think it’s calcium something. A guy told me it’s also called gypsum? I don’t have my soy beans yet….
Love the urban chcken!
Here’s a recipe for a soup/stew that is very amenable to variations. I think we’ll be eating alot of soups/stews in the future because soup is so forgiving.
Also - barley, garlic, and all the other ingredients grow well here in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Champoeg grows barley and garlic, and sell seeds to the public. It is also easy to throw all this into a cast iron spider and leave it over the coals for a few hours while you are working the homestead and/or baking bread. In my opinion, you could substitute kale for spinach, try another grain for barley, whatever dried beans you have for the white beans (Cannellini or Great Northern or cranberry). Soup is also good when you are not sure how many you’ll have for dinner - you can always add more flavorful broth and thin it out to make enough.
Start mixing and kneading your bread before you make the stew, and let sit to rise for an hour. Chop all your ingredients.
White Bean, Spinach & Barley Stew
1 cup pearl barley
3+ cups water
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion
3 or 4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
3/4 cup small fresh sliced mushrooms
2 T white wine if you have it
2 C *soaked softish* white beans (soak dried beans overnight in water)
3 cups of diced tomatoes
2 cups fresh spinach
1 medium carrot, sliced into rounds
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 pinch hot red pepper flakes
Bring the barley and water to boil in a smaller dutch oven/spider over a hot fire. [Punch down your bread for the second rise]. Cover, and move to a cooler part of the fire, simmer about 30 minutes or until tender. [Start baking your bread].
In another dutch oven/spider, heat the olive oil and cook the onion, carrots, celery and garlic until tender. Season with the rosemary and thyme, and mix in the mushrooms and wine. Cook a few minutes to reduce the wine. Turn your pot around if you are setting it next to the fire so it all heats up. If cooking over a grate, make sure it doesn’t burn. Stir in the hot barley/water and add the tomatoes, spinach and red pepper flakes and cook another 10 - 15 minutes until hot, moving it closer to the fire if you need to.
Serve hot with warm bread.
DARN, I’m HUNGRY now!
Madison - that sounds wonderful! I’m a huge fan of soups and stews, for all the reasons you mention. No matter what I have hanging around the pantry, I always have something I can turn into soup.
olympia, I’ve made soymilk with a stockpot and a potato masher. it’s not hard, just a little strenuous. If you have a metal coffee strainer, that makes much better soy milk - less chalky, fewer chunks.
I haven’t made tofu yet, but if you live in an area with lots of gypsum, you can get it by evaporating or freezing the local water. They make wallboard out of it in my hometown. Nigari is what the japanese use, you can get it from seawater. And a recipe I found on the web claims that Epsom Salts (uh…magnesium chloride?) work as a coagulant. I’m sure Epsom salt is safe to eat, they shot me full of a lot of it directly into my blood as a pre-eclampsia treatment when I was pregnant.
I have helped other people make tempeh and it’s not hard at all, if you are comfortable with cultured food like yogurt - and then you don’t have a whole bunch of soybean mash (okara) to throw away or try to cook with.
Well, others have beaten me to salmon chowder and potato pancakes - two things easily made from Alaska ingredients. Instead, I’ll offer up my version of chicken stock in two parts. A friend of mine raises chickens mostly for eggs but also meat and while I’m a regular egg buyer, when there are meat chickens to be had, I buy some of those, too. For folks with their own chickens (and garden), this could fit the 100 foot diet.
Part the first
1 large chicken or 2 small chickens approx 6-8 lbs total
Olive oil or melted butter
1/2 tsp of each mixed together - salt, pepper, paprika, thyme
Rinse and dry chicken(s). Brush with fat and then sprinkle spice/herb mixture over outside of chicken(s). Bake uncovered until done - in a conventional oven it’s about 20 minutes per pound at 350 degrees, depending on what you bake with, your mileage may vary. Remove and cool. Pour off any drippings and reserve. When chicken is cooled, remove meat from bones and use for something else.
Part the second
Carcass of chicken(s)
Organ meats, neck, tail, wing tips and other bits (feet, head, etc.)
4 good sized carrots, chopped in 1 inch pieces
3 good sized stalks of celery, chopped in 1 inch pieces
2-3 onions coarsely chopped
5 big cloves of garlic coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
10 whole peppercorns (optional)
1 tsp dried thyme (optional)
Chicken drippings
Water
Put all solids and chicken drippings in a large pot and cover with water to about an inch above the solids. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the connective tissues on the carcass have almost dissolved, usually 2-3 hours, adding water to keep solids submerged. Can be simmered longer to extract more nutriousness from the carcass. Strain stock from solids and let stock cool in a large bowl (I don’t have a collander big enough so I end up picking out most of the bones with thongs before straining). If you’re composting, separate the bones from the vegies and compost the vegies. I suppose you could dry the bones, crush and powder them and feed them to your livestock as a calcium supplement but I haven’t done that myself. Put bowl in a very cool place (fridge or in a protected location outside in the winter) to solidify the fat. Remove fat and RESERVE (hey, schmalz is an excellent cooking fat!). Before use, add salt and pepper to taste.
A quick soup for those suffering a cold is to take a cup and a half of chicken stock, add 2 big cloves of garlic thinly sliced, bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off, stir in a spoonful of white miso or naturally fermented soy sauce to taste and enjoy. Dose yourself with this as often as you want. Throw in a few peas or chopped scallions for variety.
Kerri in AK
Pea and ham soup
Normally I use a lot of ingredients in soup, but this one is just sublime with two ingredients. Simmer one bacon hock / ham hock / or some bacon bones (cheaply obtained from a local butcher) in a soup pot - the amount of water really depends on how many people you’re feeding. Add a cup or two of split green peas. When the meat is cooked, cut it off the bone and put back in the pot. Simmer the peas until completely disintegrated. The end result looks revolting but tastes delicious. This is one of those soups that also tastes even better after being frozen so I make some extra for that purpose.
The Beauty of Cream of Carrot Soup
With carrots and onions available all year around from almost everyones garden (especially with a simple cold frame), the simplicity, nutrition and satiety of Cream of Carrot Soup has to be on everyone’s short list.
4 Cups water, chicken or vegetable broth
1 Large Onion
2 lb. Carrots
1 T Oil or butter
1/2 Heavy cream or Condensed Milk
1. Lightly saute chopped carrots and onions.
2. Bring liquid to a boil and add vegetables. Cook until soft (approximately 15 minutes). Cool slightly.
3. In a blender, food processor or manual food mill puree until smooth. Add cream or condensed milk. Simmer until warm thru-out.
4. Add salt, pepper and sugar to taste.
5. Serve and enjoy.
So many fall/winter dishes!
Let’s not forget French potato salad, gazpacho, tsatsiki and wonderful summer salads. All easy to grow most/all ingredients and need no or a minimum of cooking.
The typical “poor” meal here in KY consists of soup beans, mashed potatoes (or fried ones) and cornbread. Now the “soup beans” are always pinto beans cooked with a ham bone for flavoring, though since I don’t eat meat I just omit that part.
it is NOT a bean soup. If you want specific recipes for all of the aforementioned I’ll have to think about it…I grew up just knowing how to cook them from watching my mom and have never measured for any of them.
My grandparents made these pasties to take for lunch when they worked cleaning a high school. My mom made them only on the first couple of snowfalls of the year, so although they’re simple, they are special occasion food for me! I’m vegetarian now, so I use TVP soaked in veggie broth instead of the hamburger.
Pasties:
Filling: Mix one chopped onion, a pound of hamburger, and four large potatoes (sliced fairly thinly). Optional: add a couple stalks of celery and a carrot, sliced thinly. (The filling is very flexible!)
Shell: Make pastry for a double crust pie. Roll out, and cut into circles around a small to medium size plate. Place filling on the circle and fold in half, using a water-moistened finger to seal the edges. Cut slits in the pastry or prick with a fork. Bake until pastry is lightly browned. Serve with lots of ketchup!
***Vegetarian version: Soak a cup of TVP in 2 1/2 cups of veggie broth and substitute for the hamburger.
My husband came up with this one; originally, everything was store-purchased, but now, it all comes from our garden (except the semolina and eggs… the semolina comes from the bulk bins at the co-op, the eggs, from my husband’s co-worker). I can provide more concrete measurements if desired… Our measuring cups don’t get tons of use… it drives my MIL crazy.
The Queen’s Italian-Inspired Dinner (a.k.a. the sundried tomato thing)
Feeds 2 hungry people:
Ingredients:
2 smallish hand-fulls sundried tomatoes (cut in either strips or bite sized pieces)
2 medium onions - diced (okay, we LOVE onions, so you can cut back on this if you want)
5 or 6 cloves of garlic, minced (ditto as for the onions)
1 large or 2 small diced, frozen peppers (we were inspired by the bags you can buy in the freezer section of the grocery store… which is also a respectable option) (When I’m cooking just for me, I like to use frozen peas instead, but hubby’s not so fond of peas)
2 hand-fulls diced squash of your choice - zucchini ’till thanksgiving-ish (or whenever they’re gone/done) acorn after… (if using winter squash, pre-cook it or use leftover bits)
dried or fresh basil to taste
dried or fresh ground rosemary to taste
(optional) other dried or fresh herbs
(optional) - diced meat or substitute of your choice (we use either chicken or home-made tofu [from dried beans purchased at the co-op, but I’m attempting to grow soy next year!])
Noodles of choice (I use semolina flour, egg, and water to make mine, then roll out thinly and attack with knife and boil.
butter or oil for cooking
Directions:
Prepare noodles (either from dry, purchased noodles or from scratch) and set aside - good idea to toss in butter or olive oil to prevent sticking.
If you’re motivated, pull the noodles out of the water, or reclaim the pasta water and briefly (60-90ish seconds) boil the dried tomatoes.
Sautee onions and garlic until onions are transparent. You can include herbs here if desired (if they are dried, it’s a good idea).
Add diced meat or substitute, do not continue until meat is cooked.
Add sundried tomatoes to the sauteing (sp) onions and garlic.. cook for a minute or two
Add frozen peppers… cook for another minute or so
Add squash… cook ’till warm/zucchini is transparent
Add herbs as desired
Add those noodles you cooked a while ago and toss the whole mess around for a while so it’s all well mixed.
Serve and enjoy immediately.
Goes very well with a bottle of our local Pasek Cellars’ Raspberry wine… mmmm… I think I know what we’re having for dinner tomorrow night…
–Erika
Here is a variation on potato pancakes from Southern Appalachia using leftover mashed potatoes…
Potato Cakes
2 cups cold mashed potatoes
1 egg
2 Tbsp. flour
4 Tbsp. butter
Beat the egg then mix into the mashed potatoes along with the flour. When thoroughly mixed, form into biscuit-sized patties about 3/4′-1′ thick.
Spread butter on each side of potato patty and fry at medium temperature until golden brown on each side. (Or melt butter in a pan and fry.)
I like to eat them with chopped onion & diced tomatoes along with a side of black beans or ’soup beans’.
You could try ‘fancied-up’ mashed potatoes as your base -smoked gouda mashed potatoes, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, blue cheese mashed potatoes,etc. Or you could add garlic chives, roasted garlic and the like before forming the ‘dough’ into patties.
Leeon - My granny and grandpa often ate a similar meal for supper (circa early 70’s in east/middle Tennessee).
‘Soup Beans’
A green onion
Cornbread
and a glass of buttermilk
(maybe some greens and pot likker, in season)
This summer I have been playing with making metheglins and melomels.
Metheglin- honey mead made with herbs and/or spices
Melomel- honey mead made with fruit
I have made a number of variations…
Lemon Thyme Metheglin
Blackberry Melomel
Blueberry Melomel
BlueberryMelomel with Lemon Verbena
Strawberry Melomel with Lemon Verbena
Plum Melomel
Pawpaw Melomel
Peach Melomel with cinnamon, slippery elm and maca
These were all ‘wild ferments’ started with the yeast on the fruits and in the air. I used Sandor Katz’s recipe from ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved’. After I got my first good ferment going, I used a few teaspoons to innoculate the next batch. And so on.
Here is my basic recipe-
1 cup local honey (Sourwood is my preference for its light flavor but I’ve also tried Wildflower)
1 cup fruit (whole, chopped or sliced)
A tbsp or so of fresh herbs
4-7 cups of purified water
(4 for a mead I intend to drink ‘young’ -within a few weeks or months after fermenting starts)
(7 for a mead I intend to bottle and age)
A glass or ceramic mixing bowl
Cheesecloth or towels
Mix ingredients in bowl. Cover with towel or layers of cheesecloth.
Put it in a warm but easy to reach place.
Stir every day to incorporate yeast from the air.
When bubbly, start tasting.
When you like the taste; strain, bottle and refridgerate.
Or strain, rack [siphon off liquid leaving sediment behind], bottle and age. (If aging, use an airlock to allow CO2 to escape or put a balloon on top of bottle & release when full of CO2. Or put a screwcap on the bottle and remember to release the CO2 manually…often in warm weather , less often in cool weather.)
Enjoy!
There was an older man here that used to make melomel. His neighbors got annoyed that he didn’t keep his fields mowed, or something like that, and called his relatives, saying that it was probably time for him to go live in a “home” (I believe he was in his 80’s at the time). The story goes that when they came to take him away, he hid in the barn, but his friendly dog led them right to him. His farm and his last batch of melomel were sold.
A few of our friends have stockpiles of it. We just had some a few weekends ago, and it tasted very much like fruit leather dissolved in alcohol (and I mean that in a good way). I could taste apples and pears and raspberries, along with the honey. Truly delicious. I don’t know where the old man is now, but I wish him well.
Thanks, Rosa! I think I may cheat a bit and use the blender to make soy milk, but yeah- it really doesn’t look hard. I’d definitely love to make tempeh- I love all things soybean
My basic go-to dinner recipe is a pretty simple lentil dish, but it always comes out really tasty, and really versatile.
Basic recipe:
Chop up one medium onion and a few tomatos. Toss into a pot with eight cloves of chopped garlic, two cups of dried red lentils, and six cups of broth (proportions can easily be changed - this is pretty much just one part lentils to three parts water). Depending on how salty your broth is, you may want to toss some salt in too, since it adds to the flavour rather a lot. Let the whole thing cook for about 30 minutes at medium on a regular stove, about six hours in a crock pot, or as long as it takes in a solar oven (in mine, this is usually at least a few hours, depending on conditions). On the stove, stir occasionally to make sure that it’s not sticking and burning to the bottom. In either case, you may want to check partway through to ensure there’s still enough liquid. When done, most of the water should be gone, and the lentils should be cooked through. Now, add in one and a half cups of chopped cabbage or other greens, one cup frozen corn (if using dried, this should already be rehydrated, or should be tossed in at the beginning), two and a half teaspoons of cumin, a teaspoon of paprika, fresh-ground black pepper, and chili flakes to taste. Let it cook for another 15 minutes on a regular stove on low heat or half an hour in a solar oven to let all the flavours come together.
Two reasons this is really good - it goes well with a lot of foods, and is easily adaptable.
You can thin this out with more broth to make a soup, or use less for a thicker stew. You can serve it on all kinds of grains (I’ve done it with all kinds of rice, quinoa, and millet), or mix the cooked grain right on it to thicken it a bit more and make it into even more of a stew. Put in enough water and you can even cook the grains right in with the lentils, so long as the timing is right. Make it really thick and it can be pureed and used as a dip or spread. But, coupled with the grains, this is a complete protein, and has all kinds of yummy nutritional goodness in it.
You can also toss in a lot of different things to make it your own. I usually add whatever greens I have on hand for the last ten minutes - spinach, kale, chard, and beet greens all work well instead of cabbage. Mushrooms are nice, as is leek. Carrot is lovely chopped up and tossed in at the beginning, and potato can work here as well. Parsnips are also good, and I could imagine rutabega or turnip winding up in there at the beginning as well. Peppers of all different varieties are also rather lovely. Different spices are also good - I play around with them frequently and have tried curry and turmeric, cardamom, and even italian seasonings (although, really, cumin is my favourite.) So depending on what you have (or what is local), you can add in whatever’s available.
The other nice thing about this recipe? If it burns a bit on the bottom, it actually adds to the flavour - smokey + cumin is rather lovely, so less chance of waste. And yes, I know this from first-hand experience. : )
I got inspired by this challenge to think of a simple meal that would contain carbs, protein, and greens, most of which I could either forage for nearby, or grow myself in our very small backyard, here in New Zealand.
Grains may become harder to get in NZ, but we can grow potatoes in small plots or even in buckets.
Like many suburban dwellers, I don’t have enough room for chickens, but could grow a few mushrooms or gather snails.
Wild greens are among the simplest foods to forage for.
I’ve also included a very small number of other ingredients that I think will remain relatively easy to produce or get hold of here. These include vinegar or citrus fruits, oil and/or butter, and garlic.
The cooking is gentle and relatively brief, and could be done in a home-made solar cooker or over a barbeque or wood stove. Here’s the recipe:
WARM WILD SALAD
(for people with only a little room to grow stuff)
INGREDIENTS:
(Choose quantities according to taste and how many you are feeding.)
Salt
Potatoes
Home-grown or foraged mushrooms AND/OR snails from your garden, purged and boiled in their shells ***
A bowlful of wild foraged greens – sow thistle, young dandelion greens, wild onion, brassicaceae greens, or whatever is local to you, rinsed and drained
Butter or oil
Garlic
For a vinaigrette:
Oil
Vinegar or citrus fruit
Local or homegrown herbs or spices
A little citrus zest
Salt
For optional extra flavour:
Whatever you have – this may include herbs, a little bit of bacon or sausage, or a little shaved parmesan cheese.
STEPS:
Cut the potatoes into bite-size slices, and boil gently in salted water till cooked but still quite firm. Drain.
Chop or tear up wild greens roughly.
Fry mushrooms and/or heat snails in butter or oil, with some grated or chopped garlic. (Don’t fry snails at high temperatures or they go rubbery. Just heat them through thoroughly.)
Whisk up all the vinaigrette ingredients in the bottom of a large bowl.
Add still-warm potatoes to bowl, and toss gently.
Add wild greens and toss some more.
Add mushrooms or snails and toss a little more.
Add extra flavourings such as bacon, thinly sliced sausage, or shaved parmesan if you have them.
*** Wild snails need to be prepared and purged of toxins before cooking, It’s then best to chill them to send them into hibernation in their shells, and boil them. They can be reheated in flavoursome sauces. There are many different methods for preparing snails, and a google search will bring up a lot of them.
I trialled this salad recipe last night, and here’s a picture:
http://starcooked.blogspot.com/2008/10/self-reliance-salad.html
solar boiled eggs (more of a tip than a recipe)
one thing i have discovered and anyone else who i know that has chickens seem to agree on how difficult it is to peel a recently layed boiled egg
i’ve noticed though if i boil them in my sun oven that they are much easier to peel, this has been revolutionary for me
i am curious to know if anyone else has had the same experience?
anyway:
in a clear glass bowl with lid i cover eggs with about 1″ of cold water and cook for about an hour (i’ve read that it is better to use a dark covered pan but the pyrex bowl is what i have)
timing is definitly been the tricky part with the solar cooker but next time I want to use an eggtimer that you put in the water and hopefully that might take some of the guesswork out of it, i have over cooked them into green yolkville a couple of times
Well, I’ve found myself making several variations on the classic Spanish tortilla - the one made from cubed potatoes and beaten eggs, not the one made from flour or cornmeal.
I like this dish for several reasons, chief among them is the fact that potatoes and eggs are products of our tiny homestead. I think potatoes and laying hens are so easily managed that more people will be producing these things in the future as the food crisis becomes more urgent. This is food that will carry you through a lot of work too.
I also like this dish because it’s extremely frugal and easy to vary slightly so as to forestall boredom. Whenever I fire up the oven to do some baking, I also put in a few potatoes to bake. There are always uses for leftover baked potatoes in a frugal kitchen. This recipe will also work with boiled potatoes, but I more often have baked potatoes on hand. This is what I do:
Melt a little butter or add some schmaltz or reserved bacon fat to a small cast iron skillet. Coarsely chop enough cooked potatoes to fill the skillet in a layer about 3/4″-1″ deep. Beat 2 or more eggs and season them with salt. Add one of the optional ingredients to the eggs, if desired. Pour them over the potatoes to cover. If the eggs do not cover the potatoes, beat additional eggs as necessary to cover.
Cook the egg and potato mixture gently over medium-low heat without stirring, until the eggs are mostly set. Place the skillet under a broiler for a minute or two to finish cooking the top.
Let the tortilla rest for at least a few minutes before serving it whole or in wedges, depending on the size of the skillet. Serve it from the skillet or invert it onto a plate, as you wish. This dish is good either warm or cold.
Optional ingredients:
1 small clove of garlic, minced
few slices of hot or mild chili pepper
generous pinch of ancho chili powder
a few halved cherry tomatoes
pinch of dried oregano
small amount of fresh cut chives or scallions
small amount of shredded cheese
This a little off-topic, but I need some tips on cooking rice in the solar oven. I have great sucess with stews and potatoes, but rice has failed every time.
How much water should I add? The standard 1:2 ratio? And do I need to bring it to a boil on the stove first?
-Robin
When I cook brown rice in the solar oven, I use 2 cups rice and 4 1/4 cups water with a pinch of salt. If it’s a nice hot day and I’ve preheated the oven, I just put the covered pot inside with room temperature ingredients and leave it 1 1/2 - 2 hours. If it’s a cooler day or the oven hasn’t heated as well, I bring the rice and water to a boil on the stove and then put it in the solar oven. It’s never failed.
Oh, I should point out that I have the best results using thing black metal pans. I’ve been very happy with the enameled pots lately. The metal is nice and thin, which means it heats up quickly. Glass Visionware did not work well at all.
This can be cooked in an oven of any type (including solar) or over a flame. I live alongside a creek where a good old forage gives me the vegetables for this meal. All I need is a bit of fat and some form of grain.
Wild Fennel and Dandelion ‘risotto’
3 cups sliced wild fennel bulb
2 tablespoons fat (oil, butter, whatever fat you have is fine)
1 1/2 cups grain, soaked overnight (this works with quinoa, pearl barley or rice…pearl barley is my favourite)
3 cups water
1 cup dandelion flowers (gather leaves as well for a side salad)
Place fennel in pan or baking dish and scatter fat over the top. Slowly cook until starting to brown. Add half the water and cook gently, stirring occasionally if cooking over a flame. Test after about 30minutes, add more water as required. When grain is cooked, remove from heat and stir through dandelion flowers. Serve.
Dandelion greens can be served on the side as a salad.
Kale Chips
These are amazingly good, light, crispy and delicious. Everyone i have served them to likes them a lot. Besides being local, kale is a nutritional dynamo and a garden miracle for those of us in northern gardens. Easy to grow, it is extremely hardy, harvestable after several hard frosts and even after being covered in deep snow for several months.
The chips are really quick and easy to make:
Pick the kale and wash if necessary.
Cut out the stems and cut the leaf part into chip sized pieces.
Season to taste (eg. sea salt and olive oil, just a little of each, it’s easy to overdo it)
Spread on cookie sheets (avoid overlapping pieces for quickest drying)
Bake for 20 min at 250 F or dehydrate for several hours. I imagine a solar oven would work too though i don’t have one yet.
Re seasoning
We like a sprinkle of cayenne and sometimes garlic. Some folks include a sprinkle of vingegar. My daughter claims to prefer these made without oil, and they are quite good, but i definitely prefer them drizzled with a bit of olive oil. Presumeably other veg oils would work too.
Sharon, thank you thank you for your wonderful writings, inspiration and leadership!
P.S. re Kale Chips
I forgot to mention that it’s good to “massage” the olive oil and sea salt (and any other seasonings) into the kale pieces a bit before baking/dehydrating.
I scrabbled this together last week from what was on hand,including our hen’s eggs, hence, Garden Scrabble Eggs. My teens loved it!
Saute thinly sliced Swiss chard greens and scallions in a bit of butter until wilted. Pour over that as many lightly beaten eggs as wanted, cook stirring occasionally until almost done. Add quartered yellow pear tomatoes and finish cooking eggs. In a separate small skillet saute some sliced or quartered mushrooms in a small amount of butter til browned. Serve over eggs. Seasoned with salt & pepper.
Spring Nettles with Fried Eggs
pour boiling water over nettles. chop them. fry garlic (as much as you like) in oil or butter. add nettles. saute them a bit. add some salt and pepper. fry eggs on other skillet. put them on the nettles. eat with rice or bread or kasha or polenta or nuddles.
thank you Sharon, this is fun:)
First off I have to say “Thank You” Sharon for all of the valuable information that you post on your blog. My recipe is actually two seperate recipes combined into one dish.
Fried Cabbage, Sausage and Dumplings.
Ingredients—1 medium potato, a large head of cabbage, a large yellow onion, a pound of polish sausage (or smoked sausage), flour, 1 egg, a bit of milk, butter and oil, salt and pepper
Let’s start with the dumplings—peel, cut up and boil one medium sized potato. Cook until tender and drain. Mash the potato adding butter and milk(as if you were going to eat as a side dish), salt and pepper. Allow to cool to luke warm. Stir in one lightly scrambled egg and enough flour to get to a play dough consistency. (Knead the flour into the dough to get the consistency on a lightly floured surface.) Pat out about 1/2 inch thick on a lightly floured surface and cut into bite sized pieces using a pizza cutter. Cover with a damp towel or place dumplings onto a cookie sheet dusted with flour and place into the freezer. If placing into freezer, once frozen the dumplings can be stored in a freezer baggie for later use. Start a large pot of water to boil.
To start the cabbage, core a large head of cabbage and remove any bad outter leaves. Chop the cabbage into bite size pieces. Dice one large yellow onion. In a large skillet or pot, over medium/medium high heat, combine a couple tablespoons of butter and a couple tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil. Add as much cabbage as you can fit into the pan and stir to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and continue cooking. As the cabbage cooks down, add the remaining cabbage along with the onion and continue cooking. While the above is cooking slice a pound of polish sausage into rounds about 1/2 inch thick and add to the cabbage mixture. Stir frequently to avoid burning.
To the boiling water, add the dumplings, cook for 1 to 2 minutes after they float. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the cabbage and sausage mixture. Continue cooking until the sausage is cooked and everything is heated through.
The dumplings freeze well of use in other dishes. I add them to sauerkraut. If you don’t have or can’t get the sausage you can substitute some bacon for the meat.
Serve with some nice crusty bread. By the way this is even better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to blend together overnight (if it makes it that long).
Patrice
http://www.patricespage.blogspot.com
This recipe is one from my Mom’s tattered and well used personal cookbook. It is a dessert, but this was a dessert she relied on during the Depression to brighten spirits. It uses ingredients you probably would have on hand, and tastes heavenly. We always have it for holiday dessert. Just for the same frugal reasons.
Mock Plum Pudding
This is a steamed pudding, moist and cake-like in consistency.
1 cup grated potato
1 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses (these could be changed to 1 cup brown sugar)
1/3 cup fat (lard, butter, ?)
1 cup flour
1/3 teaspoon each of allspice, cinnamon, cinnamon and salt.
1 teaspoon soda
1 cup chopped dried fruit
Cream sugar and fat, add dry ingredients. Stir in grated potato, carrot and dried fruit.
Fill greased molds 2/3 full, and cover with foil. Bake in water bath 2 1/2 hours @ 275* or until done.
She used recycled cans from beans or tomatoes, but any slim container would work.
This recipe was popular as a winter time treat, as root crops were harvested, and eggs and milk for cakes and desserts were scarce.
Split Pea Soup
2 or 3 smoked ham hocks (May use leftover chunk of ham, instead, in which case treat it accordingly with regards to any bone or lack of)
a gallon and a half to 2 gallons water
Simmer together in largeish stock pot till meat begins to seperate from bone. More water may need to be added periodically. Remove hocks from stock, and allow to cool before pulling meat off bones. (Feed bones and fat to dogs.)
2 to 3 largish russet potatoes, chopped into moderate size cubes
1 largish onion, chopped
3 or 4 stalks of celery, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
2 smallish or 1 large turnip, diced up to same size as potatoes
2 or 3 sliced, peeled carrots
1/2 head cabbage, shredded, or 1/2 jar sauerkraut (undrained)
4 cups split peas (color not important)
Rutabaga and parsnip may also be used, if you have any available.
Add all veggie ingredients to stock in pot, bring to a slow simmer and simmer at least 45 minutes or until everything is pretty well mush. Add in meat at last few minutes.
Seasonings may vary from person to person, I usually use a mix of Mrs. Dash, a bay leaf or two, and some black pepper and sea salt to taste.
My hubby loves Split Pea Soup since I started adding the cabbage or sauerkraut to it. Says it really takes the flavor up a notch. (In fact, now he doesn’t leave many leftovers for me.)
This is best served with your favorite corn bread or muffins, hot from the oven, and a good bit of butter to slather on them.
I’m really surprised no one else has posted this by now, unless I missed it.
What about cooking in a vacuum bottle, aka a Thermos(TM). I have always wanted to try this so I experimented with it today. Here’s a simple recipe:
Put 1/4 cup steel cut oats in a pan or other container with 1 cup water. Bring to a boil. Keep in mind this could be done over a fire or other alternate places rather then a traditional stove.
In the meantime have your vacuum bottle sitting full of hot water. You may want to heat this water first and just leave about a cup in the pan and add the oats to that.
Once the oats come to a boil (this only took a few minutes on my stove on medium heat) pour the hot water out of the bottle and replace it with the oat/water mixture. You could use the now warm water from the bottle to make something else or I have a special jug in the kitchen to discard water and I use it to water plants or fill the dog dish.
Put the cap tightly on the bottle and lay it on its side. If you do this at night you’ll have fresh oats in the morning, possibly still warm.
I tried it this morning and had my oats for dinner. They weren’t very warm but I had left them for 12 hours, I bet they would stay nice & warm for 8 hours.
Here’s why I like this:
You only have to have a heat source for a few minutes instead of around 20 minutes like it would normally take.
Almost everyone has a Thermos (TM) or could get one cheap enough (you want a nice metal or glass lined one though, no plastic).
It is flexible - you can do this with rice, beans, etc.
My favorite part: I added some of my dehydrated apple slices, all broken up, to the mix and when I ate it they were nice and soft and rehydrated.
So all you would need is a way to heat water, potable water, and dried goods like rice, oatmeal, and an infinite variety of dried fruits or even nuts. This would go along nicely with the ANYWAY food storage system discussed in the new post. Not that you need to cook quick oats for long but it would allow you to try other kinds.
The oats would be even better if I had added some of my canned applesauce to them. It is kind of like a slow cooker without the need for electricity. I think I’ll try rice next! Let me know how you like it if you have tried this or try it now!
Maple Spice Sponge Cake
1 c Maple syrup
1 c Flour
6 ea Eggs
1 t Vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger
1/4 t cloves
Separate eggs. Put whites in large bowl, yolks in medium bowl. Sift
flour several times, put in small bowl. Beat egg whites until stiff,
but not dry. Set aside. Beat yolks until light, add syrup, spices and
vanilla. Beat again to mix well. Pour yolk syrup mixture
into whites and fold gently with wire whip or spatula until blended. Gradually add flour 1 tbsp. at a time while folding mixture. When blended, pour in large tube pan. I use a pan in which the tube part is removeable. Bake at 325 for about 1hr. Cool on rack, then remove cake from pan.
Notes: I like this with a somewhat thin chocolate frosting (so it drips down the sides) but various adaptions could be made using what is available such as: serve plan, serve with ice cream or whipped cream, serve with a drizzle of maple syrup or heat some syrup with a bit of butter for a more savory sauce, maple cream or crumbled maple candy, fresh or canned fruit etc etc.
I have chickens and we make maple syrup so all I’d need from my purchased storage or “the general store” is flour and spices. We don’t now have dairy animals (do have meat animals) but dh grew up on a dairy farm so we would have the knowledge if needed.
We are however spooked in that we live next to Worcester Ma in which the Asian Longhorn Beetle has been found, their favorite food is maple trees, the treatment for the trees is to be cut, also many trees in the affected area will be removed if they seem to pose a danger for spreading the beetle.
Syrup is (hopefully not was) my sweetener for when the shtf and this concerns me more than say 5 years ago when I didn’t know I’d needed it as part of my survival food stores.
Beth in Massachusetts
I’m not sure if I’m in time for the recipe contest, but I did want to put in my two cents worth for the oft-maligned, lowly zucchini. It can be eaten raw, baked, boiled, fried or grilled, or as many a mom has been known to do - pulverized and hidden in any number of other dishes from quick breads to smoothies. Best of all, its fruit can be used at ANY stage of its development - from the blossom itself (delicious battered and fried) to fingerling size, to the size of a baseball bat (though some may argue at that size, using it as an actual baseball bat, might be its best use
Here in S. California, it can be grown nearly year round, from late March to first frost (which often doesn’t come until mid to late December - and given the potential global warming threat, this may extend its season year round!). Though loaded with life-giving water, it’s also packed with vitamins, minerals (262 mg potassium per gram!), and even, according to the USDA, 1.21 grams of protein per 3 1/2 oz.
Though I love it best either baked and stuffed with whatever leftover grains and other veggies we have on hand covered with tomato sauce and baked for an hour, or sliced and simmered in broth and spices (a pinch each of oregano, thyme, turmeric and a dash of powdered pico de gallo) along with other summer squash, corn and stewed tomatoes (a sort of squash soup, we call calabacitas), though the simplest and most energy efficient way that I serve it is in salad form:
Into one bowl, slice one 8″ cucumber (peel, if you must, though an easy way to get used to eating the rind is to take a fork and rake it along the outside, somewhat reducing the sometimes bitter taste - this looks pretty, too) and slice 2-3 young (6″ or smaller) zukes very thin, and cut each of 2 - 3 tomatoes into eighths. Cover with your favorite vinaigrette (oil and vinegar) or even bottled Italian dressing and top with a sprinkling of basil leaves. Let marinate for at least an hour. Only one dish to wash, and the only energy used is the elbow grease used in slicing, and that of the fridge, if you choose to refrigerate it before eating.
Oops - I just realized I neglected to introduce myself - I’ve been lurking, reading along for a couple of months - I’m no longer certain what link led me to your site - but I’m glad it did.
p.s. Also, I meant to mention the incredible cornucopia of food, that a single zucchini plant can produce - enough to feed a neighborhood — but then, given its reputation, that probably goes without saying!
Thank you for all the recipes everyone! I am really looking forward to trying some new meals. Here’s my are my contributions, developed in response to my son’s multiple food allergies.
“Gina’s Allergy Free Black Bean Burgers”
Note, this recipe is soy-free, dairy-free, nut-free, meat/fish-free, and egg-free. All of the ingredients, except the baking powder, can be procured or grown locally (southern California).
Source: Gina Mendolo
Ingredients:
1 T flaxseeds
2 T water
1 small red onion
2 ribs celery
1.5 c cooked black beans or 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 c panko bread crumbs OR crushed tortilla chips OR (basically any sort of bread crumb like things you have around will work)
1 t dried oregano, crumbled
3/4 t ground cumin
3/4 t ground coriander
1/8 t cayenne pepper
1/4 t salt
3/4 t baking powder
Directions:
-Mix the flaxseeds and water and heat briefly (30 sec in the microwave, or briefly on the stovetop).
-Place onion and celery in a food processor and dice coarsely OR dice coarsely by hand.
-Place remaining ingredients in food processor with the onion and celery and pulse until well combined, but still textured OR combine all ingredients and mash by hand until well combined.
-Let mixture sit for 20 minutes, covered.
-Form into “hamburger” patties (makes 4 patties).
-Cook in a 350 degree ove (approximate, temperature is not that important) OR grill on a sheet of aluminum foil until crispy on the outside, yet still moist in the center.
“Layered Vegetable Enchiladas”
Note, this recipe is soy-free, nut-free, meat/fish-free, and egg-free. All of the ingredients can be procured or grown locally (southern California).
Source: Gina Mendolo
Ingredients:
2 T olive oil
2 medium leeks, diced (Alternative: if you can’t find leeks use one medium onion.)
1 large bell pepper, diced
1 cup corn (Fresh, frozen, or canned work fine. If frozen, no need to dethaw.)
1.5 cups cooked or 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped
12 small to medium size corn tortillas
2 cups enchilada sauce (recipe follows)
Optional: 1.5 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterey jack, and pepper jack all work well)
Directions:
-Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.
-Sautee the leeks, peppers, and corn in the skillet until just tender, about 3 - 5 minutes.
-Turn off the heat and stir in the black beans and cilantro.
-Spread 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish.
-Place four tortillas on the bottom of the casserole dish. (More or less depending on the size and shape of your casserole dish. You may have to cut the tortillas to fit.)
-Scoop out 1/2 of the vegetable and black bean mixture and spread it over the tortillas.
-Top with 1/2 cup cheese.
-Top with 1/2 cup enchilada sauce.
-Repeat: tortillas, remaining veggie and bean mixture, 1/2 cup cheese, 1/2 cup sauce.
-Top with remaining four tortillas, followed by remaining enchilada sauce, and finally remaining cheese.
-Cover and bake a 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
-Serve with fresh guacamole and/or sour cream.
“Enchilada Sauce”
Note, this recipe is soy-free, dairy-free, nut-free, meat/fish-free, and egg-free. All of the ingredients, with the exception of the flour, can be procured or grown locally (southern California).
Source: Raving Enchilada Sauce Recipe with Gina Mendolo Modifications
Ingredients:
2 vegetable stock
4 T ancho chili powder
1 t ground cumin
3/4 t salt
1/16 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t sugar
5 T cold water
5 T all purpose flour
2 cups tomatoes, passed through the medium disc of a food mill
Directions:
-Place the vegetable stock, chili powder, cumin, salt, cinnamon and sugar in a medium saucepan.
-Use a whisk to mix everything well.
-Heat to a boil, reduce the heat to a low boil and cook for 3 minutes. Note: Whisk frequently to make sure all spices dissolve. This is important for flavor and a nice smooth sauce.
-While the sauce is on a slow simmer/boil, place the 5 tablespoons of cold water in a small bowl. With a whisk mix in 1 tablespoon of flour at a time with the water. Whisk vigorously to avoid lumps. If you have lumps here, you will definitely have lumps in your sauce.
-After 3 minutes of cooking sauce, turn the heat up to high.
-Slowly pour the flour mixture into the boiling sauce. Here you must whisk the sauce vigorously while adding the flour to avoid lumps.
-After all the flour is added, continue to whisk the boiling sauce for one minute. You can turn the heat down to medium during this time.
-Turn off the heat - you are done.
“What the Heck Am I Going to Do With All of These Cherries Crisp”
Note, this recipe is soy-free and egg-free. It can be made vegan by substituting margerine for the butter and it can be made gluten free by substituting more almond meal for the all purpose flour.
Source: Gina Mendolo
Ingredients:
3/4 c butter, melted
1 c oats, uncooked
1/2 c almond meal (or finely groud almonds)
1/2 c all purpose flour
1 c brown sugar
1/4 c white sugar
1/4 t almond extract
1/8 t cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
3 c cherries, pitted
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
-Grease a 9 inch square or round baking dish.
-Combine all ingredients except cherries in a bowl.
-Press half of the flour and sugar mixture into the bottom of the pan to form a “crust”.
-Pour cherries over the crust.
-Sprinkle the remaining and sugar mixture over the cherries.
-Bake for 30 minutes.
Variation on the Gallos Pintos:
I liked the sound of it so much, I just went and fixed a batch. Scrounging in the frig, I found 1/2 a sausage link and cut that up, sauteed with the onion. Wandering into the garden (not one of those nice huge ones like many people have, but a small plot behind the garage and some containers around the pool), I picked a jalapeno and a cherry tomato. Sauteed the jalapeno briefly, stirred in the beans (I used pintos), rice, and corn, topped with salsa and cheese and the diced tomato. Delicious and extremely filling!
Variations:
* pintos instead of black beans
* add a bit of leftover meat for flavoring only, such as chicken, ham, sausage, etc
* jalapeno or serrano while cooking
* top with parsley
Now for my recipe:
In lean times so to speak, peppers are a good bet. They add much needed flavor to all that corn, rice, beans, pulses, potatoes etc, are terribly easy to grow, and are the universal food of poor people around the world.
CHILE
1 tomato
1-2 nice peppers such as jalapeno, serrano, or chile pequin
1 garlic clove
cilantro (una cabeza de cilantro)
salt
pepper
Boil the tomato and pepper. Add garlic, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Grind all this up or blend. Do not turn into puree. Delicioso.
These items are readily, easily grown in a backyard, patio, or apartment “garden.” If you are lucky, you’ll find the chile pequin growing wild, as we do here in south TX.
Finally, please add URBAN CHICKEN to the winner’s short list. Amusing and practical.
Millet is a wonderful grain, easily cooked, very cheap (even organic millet), and healthful. Millet was the original polenta in Italy, before corn (maize) came from the New World. Here’s how I fix it.
Millet Polenta
Presoak: Cover 1 cup millet with boiling water, let stand all day or overnight. Drain and rinse a couple of times.
Cook: Add 1.5 cups water and 1/2 tsp salt to the drained millet. Bring to boil, simmer 30 minutes.
Pan: Spread 9″ square pan with a little olive oil, and turn the hot cooked millet into it, smoothing the top. Let stand until cool.
Serve: Cut into squares, use like polenta. Brown in skillet in butter. Or cover with tomato sauce. Or cut into squares for an easily-carried snack. Or whatever strikes your fancy. Would also make a good breakfast.
You could add some grated cheese at the “Pan” stage, stirring into the hot cooked millet before putting it into the pan. Or add herbs and/or garlic to the “Cook” stage.