The Southseas

"The sun rose thinly from the sea and the old man could see the other boats, low on the water and well in toward the shore, spread out across the current. The the sun was brighter and the glare came on the water and the, as it rose clear, the flat sea send it back at his eyes so that it hurt sharply and he rowed without looking into it." Old Man and The Sea


To be up this early in the morning was a revelation for the grandfather. It had been too long, he thought, since he woke in the same pattern as the sun. At that moment, when the world goes from the dark to the first glimpses of the sun as it used spread out behind him along the cliffs to the north of San Francisco, was to find the peace for the day, for only then could you map out the hours and the varieties of birds that either clung to their shrubs on land or skimmed the shallows of the bays by certain hours and tides as they too were magnetically pulled by the shifting of the heavens.  A certain smell of the fishing rose up to them at the beach, a faint smell of motor oil as the local fisherman were already skipping by the straits at the resort, and the smell of eucalyptus and jasmine from behind them at the small golf course. It was true, he began to think, that he had lost some of his initial zeal for finding some enormous treasure for its own sake -- to become a treasure hunter and historian of the sea.  He had been this all the while, of course, nothing, really, but that very thing for all of these years but that nobody would have known this but he and his mind and his stories in which he lived inside.  Lily had found a moth washed up on the shore and was trying to find it some dry ground.  As the water line scooted into the sand, she ran from it, as if chased, and spoke to it as though it were a new friend.  Aha, he thought, this is the adventure, is it not? "What do you say we paddle back out to our spot out on the strait before all the boats anchor in?" He asked.
"I believe there is a dolphin kingdom down there," she said, "that is why you want to go back."
"You may be right about that," but how will we know unless we see." A comforting breeze stirred up. At that hour, despite the sun reaching up over the thin blue line across the bay, the water and the air was still a bit crisp.  He had secretly brought with him some very makeshift tools and a bag.  The children's shovel and bucket would have to do for the treasure seeking, and the bag might work for bringing shells back up to the surface as he hid the jewels in his back pocket.
"What is that out there, Gpa?"
"Where are you looking?" he said as he turned around the face the open water.
"Something floating and moving very slowly. It comes to the top then down and back up again."
"We should go paddle and see, shouldn't we?"

Riverside Ovens
Test Kitchen

When it comes to hummus, you just have to dive in, so to speak. No need to over think whether the popular, maybe trendy, Mediterranean inspired dip looks a little beige or clumpy to eat.  This recipe, Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Hummus, is so quick and easy it's done and ready to try it's not worth the sweat to worry what it might be like.  It's good fresh, and in the previous post it was pointed out that

cauliflower has some surprisingly wonderful benefits for cardiovascular and as an anti-inflammatory. The recipe started with the need for a full head of garlic roasted for half an hour. You have to cut off the head of the garlic then drizzle with olive oil. By minute 15 the aroma near the oven seems very similar to your favorite restaurant which has probably been doing the same thing for hours getting

ready to use those soft pellets of garlic for bread or roasting, who knows.  Cut a head of cauliflower into small florets, making sure to keep some of the stalk -- this too will soften as it steams and is certainly edible.  Find a blender or processor and dump the soft cauliflower and the roasted garlic in, enough olive oil to fully moisten, two full tablespoons of Tahini Paste (this is sesame seeds reduced,

high in good fat and fiber), a pinch of lemon juice, dashes of cumin, paprika, salt and pepper and basically pulse the warm and aromatic mixture until it reaches a consistency you prefer. Scoop out and sprinkle with a dash more of paprika. Find your favorite vegetables for dippers; find your favorite funky crackers, like multigrain seasoned, or pita chips and eat while still warm.  What you find is that the store bought hummus, although good in its own right, tends to carry far more seasonings and far more flavors that tend to stay with you for hours.  Here, the mildness of the central ingredient, cauliflower, is very mellow, with slight flavors of acidic lemon, pinches of the tahini, and slight cumin.  The texture, though, is the true seller of the homemade version, soft, slightly chunky, and basically comfort food.

Riverside Ovens
Test Kitchen

Although seemingly complicated at the outset, the Mediterranean Paleo diet is supposed to be, interestingly, as simple as possible.  The concept is to provide ingredients and meals that are more natural, less processed, and closer to how the human body ate in virtually all generations previous to this age.  Convenience and mass production has complicated foods; as the use-by date extends, so too do the artificial ingredients. In theory, cooks can by-pass all of this by walking to the market, buying

fresh, unprocessed ingredients, and taking that to prepare back home in order to apply and recipe that calls for techniques that preserve flavor and nutrition.  The original recipe for Zesty Crab Cakes with Aioli definitely would have played by these rules because the chef lived in San Francisco when he was inspired to first prepare them. He was able to buy the Dungeness fresh and had fun picking out the meat from the cracked shells.  Being from Algiers, the chef had found a similarly vast selection of ocean raised seafood, ranch raised meats and cheeses, and farm raised vegetables.  So, first to cook the crabmeat in any way desired, as long it can eventually be shredded for patties.  Place in a bowl with coconut flour (stay away from the grains in breadcrumbs), two eggs, scallions, garlic powder, cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper, and you have the fresh beginnings of a certainly aromatic crab patty.

To fry, the chef is a strong defender of using alternative forms of cooking oil to anything corn based, including standard vegetable oil or canola oil.  The unprocessed fats found in coconut oil are what are called unprocessed and are the very kinds the body needs for full functioning, nerve enhancement, and brain functioning.  Looking at the make-up coconut oil, it consists of some 60 percent of daily recommended fats, and serves as a very good source of clean fat. Fry the three inch patties about three minutes per side, until golden brown and that the rest of ingredients, including the scallions on the inside, are tender.  Drizzle over with a home made aioli sauce, scatter with some sharp greens, and this is a very real taste of the Mediterranean.

For the accompanying soup, the cumin cauliflower is a great Mediterranean option.  In essence, this soup is seasoned cauliflower and chicken broth. As the side note on the recipe states, "Cauliflower and onions are rich sources of quercetin, a potent antioxidant that regulates blood sugar, lowers inflammation, and provides cardiovascular benefits." This is a good and easy sell, especially considering that cooked and seasoned cauliflower is twenty times more interesting than raw.  This

recipe also starts with 2 tbsp. of the coconut oil (by now combining benefits for both the brain and the heart), and sautéing white onion, adding garlic, cumin and chili powder for taste.  Place a full head of cauliflower florets into the mix, warming, then 4 cups of chicken broth for the real base of the thin soup.  As 10 minutes rolls past, the cauliflower should feel tender. It is time to puree this stock in a blender or processor, pulsing until as thick or thin as chosen.  What comes out is entirely different soup flavor than what might be expected.  All of the bland to bitterness of the cauliflower has been absorbed by the stock and the seasoning.  The coconut fat adds richness.  Drizzle over the top with olive oil, and here is a great compliment to the crisp heartiness of the crab cake.

Nature Stories

"Come in, my friend. Here everything is cool and shade. A few specks of light. Look at that beetle on that cow pat, like a needle shining on a thick cravat." Jules Renard, from "The Wood"









You say you may need a little inspiration as the ground and the plants and the trees still remain gray and beige in late March.  You may here the chickadee in the background off in the shrubs across the street.  You could hear the new chortle of the red-winged.  That is a start.  I see the magnolia buds are thick as small pouches full of powder and wings. A green tuft has just risen, as if overnight, under the new patch bark near the sticky rose bush stem.  There is more to come.  Be patient, give it a month, you will see. At the Limestone Prairie Garden what a rush of color to come, like an invasion against the husky gray bearded early spring. Nearly out of control will be the purple prairie clover, all those little bare helmets bearded underneath this time purple.  Now take a look behind that.  Is that little bluestem outfitted by the side-oats grass? You will very much like the wispy prairie smoke.

How audacious. Who, exactly, came up with this design, such small and lively heads, professor hair unhatted. If this purple is too dark, wait until the little suns in between flare by the prairie coreopsis

and the long canes of goldenrod prodding the open sky by a hidden hand somewhere far below the ground.  Now you must zoom back out, as if camera, if you can; listen now to the warblers, the thrushes, the nuthatches, the cardinal flash past like a single red bolt, an ink streak.  Why, what do the remaining white and red pines say when they shoulder up to the tall wind? Now zoom back in, the huddling turkeys crawl across the drumlin like foot soldiers waiting for the chestnut husk to finally open.

Riverside Ovens
Test Kitchen

The combination of rotisserie spiced chicken thighs mayonnaise and mustard might be enough to make a half pita good, but it's all the other little things added to this that makes the Poppy Seed-Chicken Pita a favorite dinner sandwich.  Added to the shredded chicken and mayo-mustard

combination are 1/3 cup of Greek Yogurt, which gives this Moroccan influenced sandwich a thicker, tangier sauce; chopped celery adds a crisp bright green for texture. Chopping up any kind of nut on hand is a great way to add a richness and additional crunch. A small handful of diced dried apricots (I

also decided to dice up a large slice of Gala apple for brightness), along with a peppering of poppy seeds all soak up some of the extra sauce to thicken.  Since this was already somewhat of a catchall pita, I sent ahead and stacked spinach along the bottom of the pita before I scooped in the chicken mix, then placed cut tomatoes and one good sized avocado slice over the top for good measure.  Once you bit in, there are a few things that standout: the seasoned chicken in sauce, the celery against the sauce, and the poppy seeds for a final and unique texture.  It is at once rich and creamy but without a doubt a healthy and filling portion. Alongside a bowl of tomato bisque soup, a nice and comforting meal that resembles something you might get at the local gourmet sandwich shop.

Arboretum Diary

"A magpie and a golden oriole fly across and the two turtledoves cut through the air, while a blackbird, whom I know, is no doubt going from hedge to hedge in search of his cheap little whistle." – Raynard, from "A Sunrise"








March 18

There is the self-teaching of nature that can be very fruitful – we might call it phenology reporting, as we witness our own little scenes and stations in nature and make very common sense observations.  This approach provides much open joy and the mystery that lurks behind virtually every stump, limb, leaf, caterpillar, squeal of the osprey, glint of the sizzling sun is infinite as we have senses to observe. And then there is approach of following a guide, who most certainly knows his angiosperms and his pollinators. When this world is presented, the self-taught becomes both intrigued and a bit overwhelmed until, after another short distance, and a new shrub is introduced, he realizes that it not only does not quite matter, but that mystery, either way, must be preserved. And so the botanist, we might conclude, looks out upon the sunrise as it's rays begin to laser down across the varying landscapes of Longenecker Garden and wishes that he might see the paint strokes of it all, the jazz of the morning orchestra of songbirds, and the long and deep history that he stands on; just as the impressionist might wish he knew the chemical reaction of the pollination of the beetle onto the Magnolia that is about to bloom.  To rise above the fixation of either is the trick and to be is to be. To be is to know and that no body can take that away or necessarily know more or less.  The Magnolias at Longenecker are soon to bloom. Of the most ancient species of trees, Magnolias are a wonderful storyline of both hardiness and beauty. Millions of years old, they existed before the advent of bees and therefore must have needed a separate pollinator, the beetle, itself ancient, for creation.  Magnolias have survived ice ages and continental drifts, varying climates and no doubt any number of invasive attempts at their livelihood.  And yet here they are in there ancient structure forming cottony buds readying for the right moment to burst. As the weather is perceived more unpredictable than every, the wisdom and strategy of the budding process might hold another view, and have likely seen virtually everything over the millennias. To be in the presence of a museum of trees is more than just the awaiting of the pink blush to come.  There are years of knowledge and wisdom at the end of every limb.  How man has come to interact with time in nature is as much a narrative about the man. The well tended tree that is understood is a good sign.

Riverside Ovens
Test Kitchen

"I left that evening with a bag of gingersnaps for the ride home and the conviction that these deserved a place in the pantheon of great all-American cookies." – Dorie Greenspan, from Dorie's Cookies











There are some things about cookies that store-bought simply can't do justice.  The gingersnap is as about a good example of this as could be.  There are good gingersnaps out there, ones that capture that nearly nasal vibrant clove and ginger taste, but they tend to miss a couple of things: one, they have lost their moistness and two there is no other way to substitute for the smell of the combination

of ginger, clove and molasses that Dorie's Princeton Gingersnaps create in the kitchen.  As she says in her recipe, these cookies are loaded with ginger – 2 tbsp. of finely chopped peeled fresh ginger (a trip of its own, to have the root in your hand to smell), 1 tbsp. of crystallized ginger (like a candy), and

then finally 1 tsp. of powdered ginger (the standard ingredient in less 'packed' cookies.) Where these three gingers meet at the crossroads of cinnamon, molasses, butter and vanilla, a very unique and alive flavor is formed; when cooked (undercooking is always the best way to ensure softness), and

out of the oven still hot, there seems to be enough sustenance in these cookies to swap six of them for dinner. The molasses does its great work days later by keeping the cookies soft and chewy; the crystallized and fresh ginger bits do their job maintaining the 'spring' in the flavor.