The Abundance Of Nature

Happy Summertime ! As the heat rises this weekend in all of California, all our agriculture struggling to stay on the vine certainly comes to mind! My simple garden is a microcosm of what is happening with our vegetables and fruits in the fields.  I have been watering like crazy, but still my poor apricots are getting scorched.  Last night after the sun went down, I decided to harvest my little apricot tree and can them.

Having a backyard has been a wonderful dream, but I have yet to find the perfect place to plant my tree in the ground. I found some of them on the ground already, and the tree was obviously happy I was taking her burden away. She gave birth to these beauties and now they would be recycled as nature meant them to be. We don’t even realize how abundant nature can be, how fortunate we are to reap her leaves, fruits, and roots, until we watch the cycle of life take place in our very own back yard.

Canning to me is like a meditation in our truth, in our human existence as we share it with other plants and beings on the planet, but also in the joy of building community. As I pick the fruit from the tree I give a heartfelt thanks to nature for all her giving. As I clean and cut the apricot harvest, I think about the bitter sweet fragileness of life. We are here then we are gone so quickly. As I stir the fruit with the sugar I imagine all the joy it will bring to those I share with. As I put the preserves in the jar,  I imagine bringing people together to share in a meal and the cycle of life filling us with nutrients from the earth day after day. Writing out the labels makes me think of the pleasing quality our expression in letters can awaken new ideas and hope in each other.
  
The process is very simple, yet profound on so many levels. Now that I share it with you I hope you are able to share it with others by making your own!

 

My 3.5 quarts was filled with apricots sliced thin. I added 1/2 cup of brandy (optional and will make it less liquidy), 1 package of pectin, 1 tablespoon or more of cinnamon and nutmeg, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. 2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of maple syrup. recipes call for more sugar, but prefer it with less sugar and more taste of fruit. Also, if you want a thicker preserve add more pectin.

My preserves are more for eating along side a savory, or toppings on ice-cream, or maybe a toast. I used scraps of paper from my Florentia letterhead. Find something you love and make it beautiful. 
~Tarabud

Oyster Mushroom Crostini

Lately, I have been a little obsessed with OYSTER MUSHROOMS. Did you know that... 


"Oyster mushrooms contain ergothioneine, a unique antioxidant exclusively produced by fungi, 

according to a 2010 study led by Penn State food scientist Joy Dubost. The study found that 

oyster mushrooms have significant antioxidant properties that protect cells in the body. A 3 oz. 

serving of oyster mushrooms contains 13 mg of ergothioneine, and cooking the mushrooms 

does not reduce this level. Read more: LiveStrong.com" 


This antioxidant affect is just a small wonder to the nutritional value they serve in your body. 

They contain significant levels of zinc, iron, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, vitamin C, folic 

acid, niacin, AND B-1 and B-2. 

My husband just love them because it lowers his cholesterol.

Basically they are the wonder mushroom, and it is no surprise the Chinese have been using 

them for thousands of years as medicine! 

So here is a quick appetizer recipe to eat, enjoy & improve your health! 

Ingredients: 

1/2 pound of oyster mushrooms (approximately 4 hand fulls)

2 green onions 

1 tablespoons of butter

1/2 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil 

2 tablespoons of red table wine

1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper. 

1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder 

1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

2 Sourdough slices, or any crackers you can add oyster mushrooms. 

How to prepare: 

Begin by chopping the green onion. Next, chop the oyster mushrooms till they are bit size 

pieces. Turn the skillet on to medium heat and add the butter. 

Once melted, add mushrooms, green onions, wine, toasted sesame oil, pepper, garlic, and 

salt. Toss lightly for a few minutes. Should cook very quicly on medium heat. 

Toast your sourdough bread. Place oyster mushroom hot from the pan onto the toast, and 

Voila! Oyster Mushroom Crostini is served!

Enjoy with a small glass of red wine! 

Stuffed Peppers ~ Meat, Rice & Indian Spices

Moving to a new home has been exhilarating, exhausting, and so distracting to my foodie blogging. This weekend I was finally unpacked enough to feel creative in my new kitchen! I thought Cinco De Mayo Sunday should be special and colorful, and what a better way than stuffed peppers of every color~ green, yellow, and red!  

I hunted around Oaktown for organic peppers, since I did not have time to go to the local farmers market. Luckily, my nearby grocery store Farmer Joe's, has wonderful organic produce for this dish, and grass feed beef. 

This dish took a lot longer than I imagined, as I didn't presoak my black beans, and of course, you need to make the rice and cook the ground beef before you can stuff the peppers, not to mention the baking time. In the end it was all worth it. 

The wonderful secret to this recipe is the Indian spice combination that has gone unused in my spice drawer ~ Garam Masala. This spice is a combination of black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cardamom. The Garam Masala really complements the cayenne and the cumin that I cooked the ground beef with. The filling had exciting flavors and the peppers where a perfect vehicle for this dish! 

I served them with a side of black beans and some fried ripe plantain. Please enjoy these stuffed peppers, and amend the recipe as you need to make it yours! 

Ingredients

1 cup of white rice 
2 cups of water
1 table spoon of oil 
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt 

1/2 pound ground beef 

1/3 cup chopped onion 

1/4 teaspoon of cayenne

1/4 teaspoon  cumin 
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder 

1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup of water 

1/2 cup of Parmesan 

1/3 cup Italian parsley

1/3 cup of raisins 

Sprinkle of Garam Masala  

4 peppers 
1/2 cup of Parmesan 

How to Prepare: 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

First cook the white rice with oil and salt on medium heat in two cups of water. When water boils away and you can see top of rice, give rice a little stir, then place lid on pan and lower heat to low. The rice should be done in ten minutes from when putting the lid on it. Turn heat off when done, and let rice sit in pan until beef is ready. 

Prepare the peppers, chopped parsley, raisins, and 1 cup of grated cheese for later. Cut peppers in halves and take out the seeds and middle lining to make room for the stuffing. Place halves in casserole as seen below. 

At this point, you can start cooking the ground beef, onions, and the spices: cayenne, cumin, garlic powder, sea salt at medium heat. I like to add some water to my iron skillet while they beef is browning. Just a few dashes of water to keep things cooking well. (Iron skillets cook very evenly, and I highly recommend you invest in this pan for your kitchen.) Once ground beef is nicely brown and onions are translucent, you are ready to add rice and other ingredients, turn heat off skillet. The water should be cooked away at this point. 

To your cooked ground beef (ground turkey can also be used) add rice, raisins, grated Parmesan, parsley, and few dashes of Garam Masala.Toss this combination quickly and prepare to start stuffing. 

Fill peppers till they have little mounds. You will have plenty of stuffing with some left over if you stuff 4 peppers. Lastly, I added more Parmesan on top to of them all as seen below. Bake peppers in oven uncovered for 25-30 minutes and you see them nicely golden on top. 

Serve hot with side dishes to complement. 

Will serve 4 people. 
  

Naficy Mediterranean Pasta

Happy 3 Year Anniversary to Foodie Out Of the Closet blog ! 

 

These past three years have flown by and that is because I've had so much fun!  Originally I started out my blog by going down to film and interview local farmers and vendors at my neighborhood farmer market, but also by sharing some cooking recipes, and ranting about the environment, and most recently focusing mostly on audio podcast interviews. Really want to acknowledge all the contributors to this blog, for allowing me to interview them and share in their joy of food, organic farming, and sustainable homesteading, that in turn inspired my small contribution to awareness of these issues in the Bay Area. I feel very blessed to live in Northern California, near so much conscientious farming and food entrepreneurship. Thanks also, to the innovative websites like Youtube.com and Soundcloud.com, Apple Co, with their iTunes podcast player, and Google's Blogger.com, that allows me to self-publish and post to a larger audience. Technology is really amazing! 

Today, I want to continue with the healthy diet theme that is currently in the media surrounding the cuisine of the Mediterranean region. Please see latest study covered by the SFGate article, confirming the benefits of this particular diet, that includes, large amounts of nuts, fruits, vegetables, olive oils, and fish for cardiovascular health. Everyone wants to live a long healthy life and why not incorporate some of these region's long held habits for better living.

I imagine it's not always easy to make a healthy dish, when there are so many good restaurants that serve food fast. This is an easy recipe, named in my roommate's honor, and evolved from her and I cooking meals between classes while I attended John F. Kennedy University and she attended Mills College. This meal is light and at the same time filling. I will be using pine nuts, but often times I substitute for finely chopped walnuts, that add a wonderful strongly nutty taste to the dish. Also, I try to make the best choices at the market, by buying locally grown and organic olives and other produce. 

Ingredients:
  
2 cups of farfalle pasta (bow tie) 
1 very small Serrano chili 
1/2 cup of kalamata olives (pitted)
1/2 cup of pine nuts 
1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes 
1/2 red bell pepper 
1 full cup of cilantro 
1/3 cup of basil leaves (6-8 large leaves)
2 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon of dried oregano
3 tablespoons of olive oil 
1 Teaspoon of salt


First, finely chop all the ingredients that will be tossed with the pasta. Start with kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, red pepper, cilantro, basil, and end with serrano chili and garlic. 
I usually separate into bowls.

Second, fill a 3 1/2 Quart cooking pot with water, add a dash of salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to water and bring to a boil for cooking the pasta. Cooking times vary, but approximately 15 minutes till this is ready to strain. 

Thirdly, in a saute pan with medium heat, add two tablespoon of olive oil, oregano, and serrano chili, and pine nuts, cooking until pine nuts are a pretty golden brown color. Stir these first ingredients for about 3-5 minutes. Next add, sun dried tomatoes, red pepper, garlic, kalamata olives. Saute these items for another 3-5 minutes.  

Finally add fresh herbs of basil and cilantro. I usually add these items right before I add strained pasta to the saute pan. I toss all ingredients for a less than a minute. If dish seems dry. Sprinkle some olive oil on all ingredients and toss some more before serving. The timing takes practice so that everything is ready at once. Don't beat yourself if it doesn't work out perfectly.

For the finally dish, I usually grate some fresh parmesan cheese, which gives an extra special flavor in your mouth. Not that this dish is without flavor! Be careful, you don't use too much of a serrano chili, because it goes a long way! Should only be about 1/2 a teaspoon when finely chopped.

Don't forget the glass of red wine! 

Serves 2 comfortably. 

Wishing you all a healthy year!  

~Tarabud

New Year & the Sustainability I Seek

Looking back on 2012, it’s been a great year of adventures featuring local vendors in the Bay Area, with a few recipes thrown in for good measure. Thanks for your time and attention in reading my blog! As the New Year approaches quickly, bringing us to hope that life will continue in a grand manner, we must also prepare for an uncertain future. I will be taking a new focus to my blog, one that supports a more sustainable lifestyle. I want to be the living example that I continuously write about. I will be steering my life towards creating a backyard homestead. In 2013, I will be raising chickens, growing more of the food I put on the table, making more preserves, smoking meats, drying fruit, and hopefully using the natural resources of the planet, like collecting rainwater. This ‘new’ direction has been germinating slowly with each new book I read on sustainability, each new farmer I interview, each new vendor I feature. I will post my experiences of this backyard homesteading lifestyle, and hope to throw in a post or two on Sonoma & Napa County organic winemaking too! We must support each other on this journey to manifesting sustainable lifestyles, ones more in balance with nature, more conscientious of our impact on our resources, and finally one that brings hope to future generations. Happy New Year 2013, Be well, and may all blessings be yours and ours. 

~Tarabud

Little Shop Artisan Box Interview

This special holiday podcast features gourmet foodie boxes from Little Shop Artisan Box. All local delicacies are hand-made by food artisans of the Bay Area!  Listen to Tarabud speak with Maricela Yee, through the Soundcloud podcast below. 

 https://soundcloud.com/foodie/little-shop-artisan-box

Native Juice Co. Interview

Tarabud interviews Native Juice Co. owner, Nicci Fish at Grand Lake Farmers Market, Oakland, California. Hear about the freshest juice and smoothies, sourcing from local organic farmers, in Oakland and San Rafael Farmers Markets. They talk about their business model with sustainability at its core!

https://soundcloud.com/foodie/nanajoes

County Line Harvest Interview

County Line Harvest, from Petaluma interview! 

Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co. Interview

Tarabud interviews Jill Giacomini, of Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co., at the Grand Lake Farmers Market, in Oakland, CA. Enjoy this episode of cheese goodness coming from the North Bay!

Nana Joes Granola Interview

Listen to my interview of Michelle Pusateri creator and owner of Nana Joes Handmade Granola at Grand Lake Farmers Market, in Oakland, CA. Healthy and delicious! 

https://soundcloud.com/foodie/nanajoes

Okra & Black-eyed Peas Dance

Lately I have been reading The Food Rules, An Eaters Manual, by Michael Pollan, and have taken to heart that we cook and eat more complicated than we need to. This book reminded me to eat simply. Among some of the highlights: eat fresh foods that are minimally processed, eat with others, enjoy every bite, eat at a moderate pace, eat as much as can fit in both your palms. I will add another old world rule from my grandmother as she always reminded me: eat your food sitting down. She hated when I stood in the kitchen and ate, and probably thought I was missing some important conversation at the family table, where everyone came home for a large midday meal. While modern American lifestyle is not fortunate enough to have this family luxury, we can still find ways to make eating and mealtime enjoyable, like cooking your own farm to table food and sharing lunchtime meals with cook workers, whenever possible.

This simple meal of black-eyed peas, potatoes, with fresh tomatoes and okra on the side, is inspired by my reading. I have only recently become an admirer of the okra vegetable, upon mastering the cooking off of its slimy consistency. Also, I learned that okra is wonderful for normalizing cholesterol and sugar levels, and has the multiple benefit of eating a fibrous plant. From my experience, cooking in an iron skillet really enhances the flavor of okra and is a must for any home cook. Likewise, black-eyed peas have tremendous health benefits. They are an excellent sources of fiber, protein, potassium and iron. For this recipe, I pre-soaked in filtered water for a couple hours. This shortens the cooking time considerably, and somehow maximizes their nutritional benefits.

Ingredients black-eyed peas dish:

1 cup of b lack-eyed peas
1/3 cup of navy beans
4 small potatoes sliced
1 cup of chicken broth
2 cups of water
1/3 cup of fresh parsley
3 small tomatoes
1/3 cup of chopped white onion
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of salt

First, put Blackeyed Peas and Navy Beans in a medium cooking pot with chicken broth and water. Turn heat to medium, and add onions, potatoes, and spices, making sure to stir ingredients. Once it reaches a rolling boil, lower heat and place lid on pot. The beans usually cook within 30 minutes or less if pre-soaked. If peas and beans start to look dry and are still uncooked, add some more water, allowing 10 minutes more cooking time. Add the parsley, and sliced tomatoes before serving. Stirring them in to beans.

Ingredients okra dish:

16 okras chopped into moons
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon curry
1/2 teaspoon of cumin
1 handful of breadcrumbs (or crushed croutons)

First, pre-warm iron skillet on medium heat. Place olive oil and chopped okra in skillet. Add spices and breadcrumbs while sauté in olive oil. Cook until lightly browned. Add salt as needed. Okra is ready very quickly and should be made after beans are done.

Serve side by side together as one meal. This recipe makes 4 moderate servings.
Happy eating!
~Tarabud

Baked Meatballs

Let's be honest all you meat eaters. 

Who doesn't love a good meatball with their sandwich or spaghetti sauce?

I thought I would surprise my husband with meatballs for dinner, as we have been eating very healthy for our hearts lately, with lots of tofu, okra, and oyster mushrooms. I say let's mix it up!

So infrequently I will throw in a dish with grass fed beef, locally grown. 

These meatballs have a fabulous balance of sweetness and savory.

Preheat oven to 375  degrees.

Main Ingredients:
1 lb of grass feed beef
1/3 cup of chopped white onion
1 tsp of Blackstrap molasses 
1 tsp of sea salt
1/2 tsp of cumin
1/2 tsp of paprika
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
A pinch of Santa Fe Peppers
A Splash of cream

For baking you will need:
1/3 cup or less of ketchup
1/3 cup of water

In a large bowl place all ingredients and mix with your hands.

Make small balls, rolling them in your hand. 

One pound will make enough to fill a 9x13 buttered baking dish.

Finally before putting dish in the oven, 

add 1/3 cup of water, and a dollop of ketchup to each meat ball.

Bake for 45-50 minutes (grass fed beef cooks faster than commercial beef). 

Make sure not to brown them, so they will melt in your mouth. 

 Drain the extra fat from baking dish with a large serving spoon. Enjoy with any dish you like!

This evening I happened to make a fresh tomato and basil sauce over spaghetti. 

Enjoy with family and friends! 

Blessed be the cows!

 ~Tarabud

 

Achadinha Cheese Co. Interview

Listen to podcast as Tarabud interviews Stephen, vendor representing Achadinha Cheese Co., at the Grand Lake Farmers Market in Oakland, California. 

Mediterranean Chuck Roast

I love wine and olives, and so manifested the Mediterranean Chuck Roast (Prather Ranch beef) with my two favorites foods. I recently discovered how delicious Mauritson Pinot Noir 2010 is to drink, and well, yes, cook with! Exquisitely smooth and even tasting pinot grapes are wonderful for this dish. Try to find the small potato three color variety, that includes the purple potato from South America. These small potatoes have a power punch of flavor. Wherever possible, add fresh basil and oregano to enhance the entire dish. I found some fabulous sea salts at my local Oaktown Spice Shop. French Grey Sea Salt is suppose to have the highest trace mineral content and the least processed. Also, the Hawaiian Black Lava Sea Salt, has charcoal added to it, which is an absorber of toxins in the intestines. They are more like finishing salts, so add a pinch at the end when serving the dish. Mostly this dish in incredibly easy to prepare. Enjoy with family and friends for any occasion you need a hardy satisfying meal.

2 pounds of chuck roast beef

4 small onions. 

2 large tomatoes

2 zucchinis

1 1/2 cup of small potatoes, cut in cubes

1 cup of chopped kalamata and green olives 

1/3 cup chopped fresh basil

2/3 cup of red wine

1 cup of water

1 tablespoon of garlic 

1 table spoon oregano

1 tablespoon of cumin 

1/2 tablespoon of lemon pepper 

1 tablespoon on agave 

1 tablespoon of sea salt  

 




















 This dish can be cooked in a conventional oven inside a casserole pan with cover for 2.5-3 hours at 375 degrees, or in a crock pot 4.5- 5 hours on high. Add all ingredients  to meat in cooking container, except  for the fresh basil and zucchini. These will be added in last hour of cooking the dish. I do find, I prefer the crock pot as it will stew slowly over the hours and bring out complex flavors. Even though it is possible to leave a crock pot cooking without stirring the dish, I still like to give all items a turn half way through, for more even cooking. 

Serve in bowls, with a glass of red wine, and pieces of baguette to clean up plate in the end. 

 A toast to your health and mine!