sweet potato fries

 Sweet potato fries, from here.  Very tasty.

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1teaspoon garlic powder
• 1teaspoon paprika
• 1teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

1. Heat the oven to 400.
2. Cut the sweet potatoes into sticks ¼ to ½ inch wide and 3 inches long, and toss them with the oil.
3. Mix the spices, salt and pepper in a small bowl, and toss them with the sweet potatoes. Spread them out on 2 rimmed baking sheets.
4. Bake until brown and crisp on the bottom, about 15 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is crisp, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

 

mulberry brownies

 I ran across this "Turkish" recipe for mulberry brownies.  While I know that mulberries are eaten there, I'm skeptical about the brownies part of that, but oh well.

It's likely quite good as is, but I wanted to use up some mulberry jam that's in my freezer.*

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• sugar (I put in about 1/3 cup of brown sugar because that's what I grabbed I was using jam which has sugar)
• 100 grams butter (about a stick)
• 80 grams chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
• 1 cup yogurt
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3 T cocoa
• salt
• 1 cup frozen mulberries (or other fruit, or jam)
  

Instructions

I used a food processor so put things in one by one.  It would be fine by hand, too, I'm sure.

• Grease the pan.  A 9x13 pan is probably preferable but I used a 9x9 to fit in toaster oven. 
• Cream together eggs and sugar.
• Heat  together the butter and chocolate just until melted.  Once cool, add to eggs/sugar and mix.
  
• Add yogurt, mix.
• Whisk together in a small bowl the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa.  Then add and mix.
• Add the fruit and mix
• Bake at 350 degrees until done (about 35 minutes for me). 
  

 They were ... ok. 

*When I canned it, for some reason it siphoned out of most of the jars.  So I put them in the freezer and need to use them up before hurricane season.  Hence, this recipe. Plus, I can put the small pan in the toaster oven and don't have to heat the regular oven which is a lot of electricity and heat for summer.

mulberries

 Got a bunch of mulberries and I'm having some fun.

Mulberry jam - I use Pomona pectin and their instructions because it always works great for me and it gives me a low-sugar option.

• 4 cups mashed mulberries
• 1/4 c. lemon juice
• 2 tsp. calcium water (needs to be made up from the powder in the pectin package)
• 2 tsp. pectin, in a separate bowl, added into
• 1 c. sugar
  

Mash fruits and add lemon juice, bring to boil, add calcium water, bring to full rolling boil.  Add the bowl of sugar/pectin and stir it in well for a couple of minutes and bring to full boil again.  Put up in sterile jars, water bath for 10 minutes.  

Mulberries for yogurt

I then took the rest of mulberries and heated them up again.  (Because I gathered them from a dirty tarp, I wanted them cleaned thoroughly and cooked.)  I added some honey then put in clean jars to refrigerate and add into yogurt or other such things. 

loquat cobbler

 So many loquats.  I go to pick a few and the next thing I know, I have heaps.  So I found this recipe for loquat cobbler which I modified.

Ingredients

• heap of loquats (about 2-2.5 pounds unprepped, 3 cups prepped with seed & skin removed)
• cardamom (1/2-1 tsp) 
• sugar (1 Tablespoon or so)

• Prep loquats and put into a baking dish (pie plate, 8x8, etc.), sprinkle sugar and cardamom on top and stir in.

Then mix together:

• 1 c. flour (whole wheat)
• 1 tsp baking power
• 1/4 c. brown sugar (I put in 1/2 cup - which is a third of what the recipe called for - and it was way too much)
  
• salt

Add in:

• 1 egg

combine with hand or fork.  Sprinkle that atop the loquats and then put on top

• 1/2 c. pecans, coarsely chopped

 Then melt and drizzle over the top:

• 1/4 c. butter

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

loquat jam

I have a beautiful loquat tree in my backyard.  Here in New Orleans they're called "misbeliefs" and they are also known as Japanese plums.  They're not something you'll buy in the supermarket because they don't travel or store well, but they are very tasty.  The dog and I have eaten countless loquats this year, as well as birds who like to come peck at them, and it just keeps producing.  So I grabbed a heap to make loquat jam and remembered that they are not fun to process.  Picking is easy, deseeding not so much.  I skinned probably about half or more because of marred skins, and I removed seed and tried to remove the dark part of the seed sack that goes to the hard blossom end part.  I kept a variety of ripenesses, from barely ripe to very ripe, for pectin and flavor differences.  Cut in half, I then put them with sugar overnight in the fridge.  Recipe below, taken from my own jamming knowledge and various websites.

Ingredients

• loquats - about 4.5 pounds prepared - seeds removed, etc.)
• sugar - about 1.5 pounds (a 3:1 ratio is what I'll try)
• lemon juice - 3.5 Tablespoons
• cardamom - 1/2 teaspoon (or more)
  

Directions

• Mix sugar into prepared loquats and allow to sit at least an hour.  Add lemon juice and cardamom.  Put into a large heavy bottomed pan.
• Prepare jars and lids at this time (sanitize, warm up, etc.).
• Gradually heat up the ingredients.  Bring to simmer until skins burst and juices start to boil.
  
• Increase heat to medium high and cook to a slow, thick boil (about 35 minutes or so). Stir often.
  
• Hot pack water bath process for 5 minutes.

Yield: about 6 jelly jars (half pints)

grits and greens

 This recipe for grits and greens with NYT caught my eye.  It's warming up here and some greens are starting to bolt, so I want to get all the goodness that I can.  

Ingredients

For the Grits:

• 2 cups vegetable stock (I used beef bouillon; vegetable bouillon would be fine, too, or the chicken stock I can up)
• 1 cup quick-cooking grits
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ cup whole milk (having no milk on hand I used half and half and ... it was too rich)
• ½ cup shredded sharp Cheddar (3 ounces) 
• a dab of butter  
• Salt

For the Greens:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• Pinch of red-pepper flakes
• 1 bunch collard greens (12 ½ ounces), stems removed, leaves cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 bunch Swiss chard (10 ounces), leaves and stems cut into 1-inch pieces
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 cup vegetable stock (again beef bouillon)
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• Hot sauce, to serve  

Preparation

1. Make the greens: Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high. Add the shallot and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the red-pepper flakes, collards and chard. Toss to combine until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt, add the vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.
2. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are very tender, 10 to 15 minutes. (Or longer)
   
3. Make the grits: In a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable stock and 2 cups water over medium-high until boiling. Once boiling, slowly pour in the grits while whisking to reduce lumps. Once the grits come to a boil, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, whisking frequently, until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.
4. Remove the pan from the stove. Season the grits with the pepper, then stir in the milk and cheese until the cheese melts. Season to taste with salt. Set aside and cover to keep warm.
5. Stir in the vinegar, and season again to taste with salt and pepper. Divide the grits among plates and top with the greens and a dash of hot sauce.

 

Edit: this is really good.  The ACV was enough umami that I didn't miss the meat at all, and I added a little butter to the grits and it was so good.  Even good as leftovers.  Four good meals worth.  

black bean burritos

 I got this recipe for black bean burritos from the NYT, and I modified it a bit.  The beans are also great as a dip.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup safflower or canola oil
• ½ cup finely chopped yellow onion (from 1/2 medium onion)
• ½ cup finely chopped green bell pepper (from 1/2 pepper) (poblano or other peppers would be good)
• salt and black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, 1/2 cup of bean liquid reserved and the rest drained (I don't drain them because I can them myself; I just add 2 pint jars entirely and do not add water)
• ½ cup store-bought or homemade pico de gallo or salsa
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 6 (9- to 10-inch) flour tortillas
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar (this is a lot of cheese; I use considerably less)
• Sour cream and hot sauce, for serving 

Preparation

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium. Add onion and bell pepper, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden and tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in garlic until fragrant, 1 minute. Add pinto beans, pico de gallo, smoked paprika, reserved bean liquid and 1/2 cup of water, and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring and mashing occasionally with a potato masher or the back of a spoon, until liquid is absorbed and mixture is thick, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer refried beans to a bowl, and wipe out skillet.
2. Spread 1/2 cup of the refried beans in the center of each tortilla and top each with 1/3 cup of the cheese. Fold the short sides of the tortilla over the filling; fold the bottom of the tortilla up and over the filling and tightly roll.
3. In the skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium. Add 3 burritos seam side down and cook until golden, turning occasionally, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to serving plates and repeat with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 3 burritos. Serve warm with sour cream and hot sauce on the side.