Artisan Bread
In the crazy rush to do so many things at the end of summer, we started going to our local Farmers' Market, just to add another level of challenge to our crowded calendar! But going to the Market has given us a chance to reacquaint ourselves with many of our past customers. It has also encouraged me to polish my bread baking skills.
I have especially enjoyed practicing the baking of "artisan" breads. I adore the beautiful simplicity of these breads. So many of the recipes are just flour, water, salt, and yeast or starter. The shape you form the bread into is what makes the difference. I have had a lot of fun experimenting with folding different ingredients into the dough. So far, roasted garlic with fresh rosemary has been my favorite. I've also tried kalamata olives, Parmesan cheese and sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic pesto. (Apparently, I'm on a savory, sort of Mediterranean-theme kick!)
The best part about the market is that I can have fun playing with dough, and while I always save a loaf or two for my family, I don't have to eat it all myself! It's fun to share with others!
The challenge that I have not been able to resolve relates to the humidity of our climate. I will make a lovely loaf. It will have that fabulous "crackle" to the crust when it comes out of the oven. But by the time it has cooled, the humidity has turned it into a soggy, bland loaf.
So I'm still working and experimenting. Maybe when winter arrives and brings dryer air...
Back to the Garden
So the big thing in the garden right now is Peppers!
We grow four kinds of peppers: Anaheim, Jalapeno, Serrano, and Sweet Banana.
The Jalapenos and Serranos are pretty much just for salsa making. I've considered making Poppers out of the Jalapenos, but haven't taken the time. I have also made Jalapeno Jelly in the past, and item which was very popular with our customers at the market. One customer made a very simple dip for crackers by taking a block of slightly-softened cream cheese and spreading Jalapeno Jelly over the top. Then you could spread it over crackers.
We grow Sweet Banana peppers just for eating out of hand. I also like to use them in place of bell peppers when cooking. They just have a little different flavor, and they grow better for us than bell peppers.
Once upon a time we grew Hungarian Hot Peppers, which look like Sweet Banana Peppers, but definitely don't taste like them. Then one year when our son was still pre-school age, he was amusing himself cutting up banana peppers while I prepared dinner. When we sat down to eat, he started complaining that everything he ate was spicy hot, even though we thought it tasted normal.
After several minutes we realized the "spicy" was on his hands, not his food. All the time he was chopping peppers, they were actually Hungarian Hot Peppers, and they were HOT! By the time we discovered this, he had the pepper oil from his hands all over his mouth and face (but thankfully not his eyes). I finally swabbed his face with milk, washed his hands several times, and in the end let him soak his hands in a bowl of milk to neutralize the capsicum from the pepper oils.
Never since have we planted any hot pepper that could be confused with a non-hot pepper!
My favorite pepper is the Anaheim. First of all, they're a gorgeous pepper, long, thick, glossy. They are mostly a vibrant green color, but when dried they turn bright red. They usually have some heat in them, but aren't so hot that you (or, at least, I) find them unbearable. Just a good heat with good flavor. And they smell great when you roast them.
Bacon-Wrapped Anaheim Peppers
This summer we discovered a rather tasty way to prepare the Anaheim peppers. You begin by preparing a filling:
- 1 8-oz package of cream cheese
- 1/2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 c finely chopped onion
- 1/4 c finely chopped sweet pepper
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Put all the ingredients in your mixer and mix until it is well blended and has the texture of a thick dip.
- 8 - 12 largish Anaheim peppers
- 1 lb of bacon, not the thick-sliced type
Cut a slit down the side of each pepper. You can remove the seeds and inner membrane to reduce the heat, if you wish. Using a pastry tube with a large opening, fill each pepper with the cream cheese mixture. Wrap each filled pepper completely with one or two slices of bacon. Place on a rack over a pan (to catch the drippings) in the oven at 450 deg F for 20 minutes. Remove when the bacon is crisp, but before the cheese filling starts oozing out of the peppers.
Delicious! The only thing we didn't like was having the skins still on the peppers, and the skins can be a bit tough. It's so much easier to stuff the raw peppers, but I 'd like to roast the peppers first to remove the skin before filling and wrapping. I'm going to try this sometime soon!
Roasting Chili Peppers
To remove the tough skins from chili peppers, char the peppers either under a broiler or on a grill, turning the peppers to char the entire pepper. Immediately place the peppers in a sealed bowl or plastic bag. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes, or even overnight in the refrigerator. Once cooled, remove the stem and skin from each pepper. You can also split the peppers open and remove the seeds if you want. If you're going to stuff them, try to squeeze out the seeds without splitting the peppers down the side.
Chile Verde
This is our favorite way to use Anaheim peppers. We start by sauteing in a heavy pot:
- 2 pork steaks, bones removed and meat cut into cubes
- 1 medium onion, coarsely diced
When the meat is cooked through, add:
- 1 quart water
- chicken bouillon to make 1 quart broth
Bring to a boil. Add:
- 2 c roasted, peeled, coarsely diced Anaheim peppers
- 2 T corn starch dissolved in 1/4 c cold water
Stir, bring to simmer and allow to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with fresh flour tortillas and a cool drink!