Struan

In Brother Juniper's Bread Book, Peter Reinhart devotes a chapter to Struan, a Scottish harvest bread. I can't imagine words any more beautifully written that would entice you to make this bread. So, I would like to share his celebration of Struan with you, and to encourage you to have a little faith and make this bread.

On the eve of the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel, a wonderful custom used to take place in western Scotland. Each family member bakes breads called Struan Micheil, which were made of all the various grains harvested during the year...In remembrance of absent friends or those who had died, special Struans blessed at an early morning Mass were given to the poor in their names. Everyone then chanted an invocation to Saint Michael, the guardian of the harvest, and in praise of God for His ever-present blessing.

I've been reading about Peter Reinhart's Struan for a long time. First from Brother Juniper's Bread Book and then from Artisan Breads Every Day. I never had much interest in giving it a try. I wasn't sure I found the idea of cooked grains in a loaf of bread very appealing.

His Struan recipe calls for bread flour, rolled oats, uncooked polenta, wheat bran and cooked brown rice. (I had to use stone-ground cornmeal, which worked just fine, although this didn't result in the 'gold nuggets' described below, and I substituted cooked barley for the brown rice).

Before forming and baking a loaf of Struan, take a close look at the dough. Notice the different ingredients held in suspension by the soft glutenous dough. Most especially, notice the little pieces of polenta floating in the dough, like little gold nuggets. Stretch the dough in your hands, hold it up to the light, smell it, and experience it tactilely. Enjoy Struan before it is baked for its many-layered beauty.

The two Struan recipes differ in their technique, but not ingredients. The Artisan Breads Every Day method uses the slow, overnight refrigerated rise. Any variety of cooked grains, other than white rice, may be used, and the polenta and oats may be replaced by a multi-grain flour or cereal. The loaves may be shaped as boules, baguettes, rolls, or in loaf pans, as I have done.

While it is baking, pay attention to the aroma in your kitchen. Inhale deeply. Think about the fields where these scents originated and enjoy Struan for its "nose and bouquet."

Struan could become one of my favorite breads. It has a satisfying chewiness, yet the cooked barley became specks in the baked loaf. This solved my wariness. It is slightly sweet from the brown sugar and honey, and as other have noted, it makes fabulous toast.

Finally, toast a thick piece and lightly butter it. This is the ultimate experience of Struan. All of the flavors are released, pushed to their extreme. The outside is crunchy, nutty, and deeply golden. The inside is soft and moist, soaking up the butter.

Are you convinced yet? I hope so. If you don't have the books, I found another recipe at The Fresh Loaf. You may also like this one, which is slightly adapted.

Bring the Garden in Friday with Beet and Arugula Salad

It is 74 degrees here today. Spring is tempting and teasing us.

Yesterday I went out in the garden and picked a huge bowlful of arugula that I planted in the Fall. With beets and goat cheese from the farmer's market, and the addition of slivered blood oranges and toasted walnuts, this salad seemed to fit this March day: a composition of a touch of Spring, lots of sunshine, and a healthy dose of Winter.

Are you planning your garden, yet? This week I took out last year's plans, my leftover seeds, magazine and notebook.

I made a list of everything I want to plant--a list that is probably too long. Like last year, I am thinking of adding a raised bed. When I get a little more organized (will this ever happen?), I'll tell you more about what I'm hoping for.

Roasted Beet and Arugula Salad with Walnuts and Goat Cheese
adapted from Food to Live By

Orange Walnut Vinaigrette

1/2 cup walnut oil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
5 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon finely minced shallots
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk vigorously to combine. Let the dressing sit at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop before serving. The vinaigrette can be refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to 1 month. Let it return to room temperature before serving.

Salad

1 pound beets, roasted, at room temperature
5 ounces (about 6 cups) arugula, rinsed and dried
2 blood or naval oranges, segmented
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled goat or feta cheese
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Trim off the beet greens, leaving the stringy root end and about 1/2 inch of the stem attached. Rinse the beets under cool water and gently scrub them to remove any dirt. Dry them with paper towels.

3. Place the beets in a shallow baking dish and coat them with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Tightly cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.

4. Bake the beets until they are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 45 minutes, depending on the size of the beets.

5. When the beets are cool enough to handle, remove the stems and stringy roots, and slip off the skins with a paring knife. The beets can rest for up to 2 hours at room temperature. They can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 3 days.

6. Cut the beets into bite size pieces, about a 1/2 inch dice. Place the beets in a small bowl, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette, and toss until the beets are coated. The salad can be prepared to this stage 1 day in advance, if desired.

7. Just before serving the salad, place the arugula in a large salad bowl. Add about 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Toss to lightly coat the arugula, add more if desired.

8. Transfer the arugula to a platter or individual salad plates. Arrange the beets and orange segments on top of the greens and sprinkle the cheese and walnuts over them. Serve immediately.

Serves 4, as a side dish.

Local Heat

A new vendor, Market Day Canele, joined our farmer's market a few months ago. Each market visit I like to try a new item from their small, but very fine offering.

Recently, I bought their Cucarachas--dried chili peppers with olive oil, garlic and salt. They can be crumbled and used in place of chili pepper flakes.

I tried them in a shrimp and spaghetti dish, inspired by a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks. Patricia Wells often calls for crushed red peppers, so I anticipate reaching for my cucarachas with some frequency.

The shrimp are intended to be cooked in their shells and served as an appetizer along with crusty bread for dipping in the garlicky sauce. For us, the addition of spaghetti turned this into a quick, Friday night dinner.

Spaghetti with Shrimp, Garlic, Oil and Hot Peppers
adapted from Patricia Wells' Trattoria

1 pound medium, large or jumbo shrimp
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 plump fresh garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary or thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon crumbled Market Day Canele Cucarachas (hot red pepper flakes), or to taste
Salt to taste
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, snipped with scissors

1. Put up salted pasta water to boil.
2. Shell and rinse the shrimp, pat them dry and set aside. In a skillet large enough to hold all the shrimp in a single layer, heat the oil over moderately high heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the garlic, rosemary or thyme, chili peppers, and shrimp. Toss to coat with oil, and cook stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are pink. Turn off the heat.
3. When spaghetti is cooked, drain and add to the skillet and toss to coat with the oil. Serve immediately.

Serves 4

Fever (Or What Happens When You're Home All Week With a Sick Child)

On days and weeks when I am housebound, and I feel like nothing is happening, I spend a lot of time online.

It's a little scary how much time can pass as I tell myself that I'll just look at one more link or search for one more thing. However, this week, and really more often than not, those hours bring in treasure of some kind

This week A. has been home sick with a virus. I knew it was a matter of time before the rest of us got some version of what he had. By Monday evening, I was achy and chilled, and slept poorly. Tuesday morning I woke up and wondered how I was going to get through the day taking care of him.

Slumped over my laptop at the kitchen table, I found my way to a very thorough and informative post on tips about food blogging. I worked my way through this list and all the links over the next two days.

Half inspired and encouraged and half wondering whether I should just close up shop, I don't think I can read any more about blogging for a while. However, I found all the ideas, suggestions, and links gave me plenty to think about. I believe they would be valuable to a blogger of any subject.

After two days of note-taking, I found myself back to thinking about what you do when you're waiting.

I haven't cooked or baked all week. Tuesday night I said I wanted a Chinese, brothy chicken soup. We picked up an order of soups, dumplings and sesame chicken. We haven't had take-out in so long, the menu looked yellowed.

Wednesday night Mr. Savory came home and said he was going to bed. He only wanted soup and nothing to clean up. O. walked into the kitchen and said she didn't feel well. I went out to the Co-Op for Carrot-Ginger Soup and Samosas.

All that reading about blogging and my week's circumstances had me thinking about my choices. I can spend the week thinking about what I can't do, and just wait until we all get back to normal. Second choice is to look a little harder at what has been influencing me in my state of achy cabin-fever.

I felt influenced to start going through closets. I have bags filled now by the front door to be taken to a clothing and fabric collection.

I am reluctant to touch the kitchen. That food mill I haven't used in years?--it's staying right in it's box on my shelf. However, I do find myself imagining the lightness of paring down, of not pushing unused gadgets aside every time I want my potato masher or cookie scoop.

Sunday's New York Times has had me dreaming of homemade soup. Maybe tonight or tomorrow night we could give one of these recipes a try, if Mr. Savory feels well enough to help with washing dishes.

The most recent Martha Stewart Living is the garden issue. I'm finding all sorts of project ideas in there. One in particular I hope to try next week for Bring in the Garden Friday.

The food blogging post reminds me that blogging is a juggling act, a balancing of a weekly newspaper column and a letter to a friend. That's the beauty and the challenge of the medium.

Not being a spin-on-a-dime kind of person, it takes me a few days to work through my frustration of not being able to carry through with my plans. Once I can pry myself away from the agenda, I can change my focus.

With that conflict resolved, everything opens up. I actually came away with a lot this week.

I hope this post finds you all well. We're starting to turn a corner here. Fever is gone, now it's all about the cough.

HBinFive March 1st Bread Braid

I enjoyed myself with the effects of the Black-and-White Braided Pumpernickel and Rye Loaves in this assignment. I chose a random spot in a loaf to slice for photographing purposes. I ended up with a yin and yang design.

As a family, we had great delight in slicing the loaf up at dinner time. Each slice was differently patterned, even the fronts and backs of a piece were often unique. The bread accompanied a split pea soup.

Did it taste like more like rye or pumpernickel? I think together with the caraway seeds, I noticed an overall rye flavor.

I made my Bavarian-Style Whole Grain Pumpernickel loaves freestanding. I own a brotform, and I have not used it since we have lived in this house because I have no idea where it is. Once, I recall stumbling upon it, and noting it's hiding spot. I left it there, and well, all I know is that it is not in our kitchen or dining room. I suppose a box in the basement is a pretty good bet.

I made my own caramel coloring, an essential ingredient to make pumpernickel bread dark and give it a bitterness. The directions said to be careful not to burn it. I kept a close eye, stirring frequently. Then I walked away for maybe 30 seconds and returned to a mixture that resembled molasses. Did I burn it? I'm not really sure. It smelled a little burned...

My pumpernickel was not so dark; it was more of a gingerbread cookie color. Perhaps the purchased coloring would have given the blackness I associate with pumpernickel.

With my leftover dough I made two more freestanding loaves. I divided the rye and pumpernickel into small pieces and then mushed them together to create a different marbled effect.

I felt a little like a kid with play dough. We all need that freedom sometimes!

Bring in the Garden Friday with Rosemary Snaps

When we come home from school pick-up in the afternoons, I bring A. upstairs to his room to change. I take off my coat and hang it on the newel outside his room. For months my parka has been there, and sometimes my long, black wool coat.

Today that post holds a mound of coats and jackets. My parka and black coat are there, as is my canvas barn jacket, my shorter and lighter, blue wool coat and my rain coat. That pile reflects the bouncing temperatures of the past week.

Yesterday, I got out and turned the compost. I snipped my rosemary for these cookies, and noticed that my lemon thyme is coming back, as is my oregano. I have a patch of arugula that I planted last Fall that is growing taller in a sunny spot.

There are crocuses everywhere! Our Co-Op has seeds. It is time to start planning.

This gingersnap variation was apparently a "serendipitous" creation by the author of this recipe. These cookies have soft, chewy centers, and will make your home smell wonderful while they are baking. This recipe makes approximately 30 cookies.

Rosemary Snaps
adapted from The Original King Arthur Flour Cookbook

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 cups sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup dark unsulphured molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Put the butter, sugar, salt and molasses into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and let cool. Transfer the mixture into a large bowl.

Add and blend in the egg. Blend in the spices and baking soda. Stir in the flour until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Roll tablespoon-sized pieces of dough into balls between the palms of your hands. Then roll them in granulated sugar and place them on a slightly greased cookie sheet. If using a non-stick baking sheet, the cookies will spread nicely. If you are not using a non-stick sheet, press the balls of dough down with a glass before baking.

Bake for 12 minutes.