Posted by: briellethefirst | August 28, 2021

What Good is Learning to Cook?


Anymore, if one wishes and can afford to, one can buy meals and snacks day after day, and never have to worry about messing up the kitchen. Of course if you need to be able to feed yourself without your creation killing you, you want it to be something that you don’t have to choke down just to survive. What else is learning your way around a kitchen good for? Well…

Reading, writing, math, science, even history and all parts of school curriculum.

Reading cookbooks, writing notes when you find something you like, of course. Reading is important to follow recipes and if you want to make adjustments to a favourite recipe or send it to friends or relatives writing is also important. And recipes typically take a specific form, so it’s another way to write. Creative writing comes into play when writing menus, descriptions of foods, sometimes in novels or other works or even things like addendums to recipes. Even invitations to a ‘do’ take a minimal amount of skill.

Learning how to schedule and plan is an important part of cooking, especially when you’re pulling together several things for dinner that take various times to prepare and cook. Making sure they are started in the proper order is important.

Learning fractions was easy when I was cooking with my Mom. Numbers, counting, all kinds of basic math stuff. Measuring by displacement is kind of both math and science. Use a glass measuring cup with water in it to measure an awkward amount of butter or shortening.

More science. Physics, like water turning to steam or freezing, baking and other changes is part of cooking. Chemistry is important when using leavenings in baked goods. Biology is useful when brewing, baking or pickling or when growing anything you want to eat.

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Then there’s art and rendering anything kitchen related into any kind of art you happen to want to try. Even flower arranging comes in handy.

Phys Ed can do with a bit of kitchen time. How to plan a good diet for healthy living, how to work safely in the garden, stretching and cool-down before and after garden work. Even kneading bread can be a bit of a workout.

There’s more to cooking than just throwing together something edible. It can be way more interesting than just throwing something together to eat and if the kids learn fractions while measuring in the kitchen it’ll give them a head start in math class.

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Posted by: briellethefirst | August 14, 2021

Pita Bread


When we were kids Dad would run his errands on Saturday morning. He’d go to several cool shops like bookstores (especially Guidon Books), a clock repairman, various food shops, including cheese shops and bakeries. Sometimes Dad would bring home pita bread. We made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with it, but you can do more traditional stuff if you like.

When I lived in Florida in the 1980s I couldn’t find good, fresh pita bread anywhere. One day I came across a recipe and decided to make it. I was surprised when it actually worked! And it’s fun to watch the pitas puff up in the oven. Have a go, you’ll love it. I also need to make more so I can take more pictures.

3 c Flour. Bread flour preferred, but all purpose and whole wheat is fine.

1 tsp salt

1 Pkg or Tbsp dry active yeast

1 1/2 c water

Mix together in a large ceramic or metal bowl and let rise, covered with a damp tea towel, overnight, or at least several hours.

In the morning toss some flour on the table or counter (your preferred work surface), turn the dough (it will seem kind of loose and wet) onto the floured surface and knead it for 10 minutes or so. It’ll turn into a nice, happy ball fairly fast. Set it back in the bowl (oiled if you prefer) and let it rise again for an hour or 2…3 is OK, too, especially if it’s a cold day.

Turn it out and knead it a bit more then divide it into about 12 pieces.

Roll each piece out into a circle about 6 or 8 inches in diameter and cover for about 15 minutes, letting them rest and start to rise again while you pre-heat the oven to 450.

Put 4 pitas on a cookie sheet and bake on the center rack until golden and puffed. It’s fun to watch and only takes about 5 minutes.

As you take each sheet out and put the next in put the baked pitas on a plate covered with a tea towel. This will help keep them soft.

Eat plain, torn pieces with hummus or cut or tear in half and fill with your favourite sandwich fillings. Peanut butter and jelly was a favourite in our house, but tuna salad, bologna, ham or whatever you happen to have sautéed with onions and mushrooms is good, too.

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Posted by: briellethefirst | July 31, 2021

Custard Tarts


I’ve been seeing Custard Tarts mentioned on As Time Goes By (a British comedy) for years now and keep meaning to make some. I finally did. I looked up a few recipes, took notes and did my best on a batch of 6. Not bad for a first time and this is the first time I’ve made pie crust with an egg. I’ll have to remember this. They were quite nice for tea when the British comedies came on and the scones were good, too.

I realized while making these that I’d have 3 leftover egg whites, so this time I made meringue cookies. Next time I’ll plan better, make a double batch and make lemon tarts as well so I can have somewhere to put most or all of the meringue. Besides, lemon tarts are nice at tea, too.

1c flour

about an oz of ground nuts

1/4 c sugar

Mix well

4 oz cold butter, sliced into bits

mix these well and with a fork, 2 knives, a multi-bladed cutter like in the picture or just smush them into the flour with your fingers until it resembles coarse sand. Then make into a volcano in the bowl.

Add 1 egg

Mix as well as you can with a spoon, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead just enough for it to hold together.

Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for about 30 minutes while you prep the filling and the baking muffin pan.

1 1/4 c milk, in a 2c glass measuring cup. Warm this to just over body temperature in the microwave.

3 egg yolks, leaving the whites in another bowl for later.

1/4 c sugar

Mix the sugar with the yolks well.

Add vanilla if you like.

Add to the warm milk and whisk til frothy.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease the muffin pans you plan to use. If you like you can cut waxed paper into strips to use as slings to help pull the tarts out. You can also use cupcake cups to line the muffin tins, too.

Take the dough out of the fridge. Lightly flour a surface and divide it into 6 equal sections. Roll each section out until it’s big enough to line a muffin cup, just bigger than a cupcake liner.

Or estimate and slide the waxed paper strips under them and press carefully into a muffin spot.

Once you have them in, even up the edges and, if you like, flute or crimp or just press into the tin just above the edge. Next time I think I’ll skimp the crimp and even them out.

Now fill the crusts with the custard and grate nutmeg on top.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning half way through baking. If the edges start to get too brown mask it with aluminum foil. If you want scones with tea, throw them together now and turn the tarts when you out them in the oven. Then whip up the meringue, whether you use it for lemon tarts or little cookies. Or just stick to tarts, especially if you’re doing them the day before.

I waited too long on this bake, but it wasn’t as bad as it looks.

They might take a bit of coaxing to come out. All but one just needed loosening at the top crimping. The cupcake cups came out better but the waxed paper strips were easier to get off once they were out. I only had once catastrophic failure and that was from one of the strip-lines cups. The strips were easier to get off the underside of the tarts, though. If you made meringue, when the tarts come out of the oven you can put some waxed paper on a cookie sheet and spoon the meringues into bite-sized cookies and put them in the cooling oven. You may have to turn it back to 170 later to finish drying them out. Or you can cover and refrigerate them until a more convenient time.

Serve at tea, dessert, late night snack or just any time you fancy one. My tea guest decided that scones should be opened upside-down. Whatever works.

I have recipes for scones and meringue cookies if you want to browse my blog posts. Or not, it’s up to you, but there’s some fun stuff in there.

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Posted by: briellethefirst | July 22, 2021

Variations on Simple Bread


Yesterday I decided I wanted bread today so I threw together a bit of dough to sit overnight. Look up my Simple Bread recipe from August 2010. This morning I threw together a batch of scones for breakfast and some shortbread for tea later.

While they were in the oven I kneaded the bread dough, prepped a couple cookie sheets and divided the dough into 6 breadsticks, 1 small baguette and 1 larger baguette and set them under a towel to rise. Once risen I brushed them with butter, ground some salt on the breadsticks and baked at 425 about 30 minutes until the loaves sounded hollow and the breadsticks were crisp. Don’t forget to put a pan of water in the oven while it pre-heats so the humidity helps make a lovely crust.

Now we have breadsticks for soup or salad pre-dinner, bread to have with dinner, scones for tea or breakfast and shortbread (not pictured) for tea and dessert. When I make another form, maybe from a loaf-pan or a braid, I’ll add it here.

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Posted by: briellethefirst | July 15, 2021

Butter


I made butter! I’ve been meaning to do this for you don’t want to know how long! Like since i was a kid. It’s in the fridge and so is the buttermilk. I’ll use that to make scones. It really is easy. I only made a small batch because I only have a small food processor, so I started with about 1c cream. If you want to make butter, use the highest fat-content cream you can find. If you have a larger food processor you can make butter from 1 pint of cream.

Pull out your food processor. Don’t have a food processor? OK, go get one. While you’re at it pick up more cream. We’ll wait I got this one on a whim in the gadget section at the grocery store, but I’m sure you can also find them at big-box stores or mall kitchen boutiques. Have fun. *goofs off on internet stuff to waste time* Got it? Wash it and dry it. OK, now we can start.

Put 1c cream into your food processor and start whizzing it up. Whizz it for many minutes. Got whipped cream? You’re on your way. Keep whizzing. I alternated between high speed and low speed. Is it finally getting smooth and you can’t see individual bubbles? Keep going.

It will finally get really thick, holding a shape. Nope, we’re not there yet, keep going.

It’s starting to break up and look ragged. Almost there.

Suddenly it goes THUMP! And we’re there! You’ll see a lump of butter and a bunch of liquid. That’s buttermilk, by the way. Don’t toss it. You can drink it or use it in baking. It’s wonderful.

Pull the butter out with a spoon and put it in a container til tea time. If you want to add a pinch of salt, now it the time to do it. Just knead it in, start with just a pinch, you can always put more in but you can’t take it out! This time I’m not bothering, maybe next time.

Put the buttermilk in another container till it’s time to make scones for tea.

Side note: This is why I se cream in my coffee instead of creamer. You can use it for more than one thing. Need whipped cream? Grab a bowl, a whisk and whip it up. Run out of butter or margarine? Pull out the food processor and whizz some up. Need cream for a sauce? There it is.

When tea time comes I’ll add more pictures…if I remember…sure hope I remember…

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Posted by: briellethefirst | July 12, 2021

Pasta


A few months ago I had an abundance of tomatoes in the garden, all sizes and colours. There were enough for me to use in salads and still give some to the chickens daily. It was only fair to share with the chickens, since they planted some of them! I finally had so many I had to use part of a day off to harvest and make spaghetti sauce. I had enough to make spaghetti, lasagna, a few pizzas and freeze the rest.

I’ve been meaning to try to make. Whether my great grandmother’s egg noodles or Italian style pastas, Next time I’ll try wide egg noodles for chicken soup or other configurations, but I’ve lately seen a few show do pasta and finally gave in. I’m off work for an extended period and finally feel up to fitting this into my busy day of recovering from ankle surgery. If I can make edible pasta on my 1st unsupervised attempt (OK, there was the cat), then so can you.

3 c flour

3 eggs

2-3 Tbsp olive oil

Put the flour in a mound on the table and make it into a volcano.

Add 3 eggs and oil. I only added 2 here. just wait.

Start mixing the eggs gently with the flour from the walls of the volcano. Realize you should have added the 3rd egg.

Make a well of the remaining flour, add the 3rd egg that you should have added before and mix that egg with the flour, too.

Knead it all together as best you can, leaving the flour that wouldn’t work in to the sides.

Let it rest for 20-30 min while you mix up or check the spaghetti sauce you’ve been making. Covering it with plastic wrap or a slightly damp towel. Also, wash your hands, butter some bread for garlic toast, make some tea, pour a glass of wine…that sort of thing while you wait.

Start rolling it out.

Cut in 1/2 when you realize it’s getting a bit large.

Cut that 1/2 in 1/2 when it gets too large. keep rolling until you think you finally have it thin enough. hint: it won’t be thin enough!

Use any available cutting implement to cut into wide-ish noodles. Set them aside.

Roll out another 1/4 of the batch. Roll up to more evenly and efficiently cut more noodles.

Shake them out and set them aside, too. Do another 1/2 in boring straight noodles, try stacking them. Decide there’s got to be better ways.

Decide to make another kind of pasta, decide on gnocchi. Don’t roll this last 1/4 any thinner. Cut into thumb-wide strips and then into knobs. Roll/squish into balls and form with a fork.

Press the fork into the ball.

Draw toward you to make ridges and curl into a small dumpling.

Allow the feline overlord to inspect your work.

Don’t let her walk through it. She may be miffed but a scritch behind the ears and a quick cuddle will fix that.

Put the gnocchi on a plate so you can clean the table while the water boils. Salt the water. Put the garlic toast in. Don’t answer the phone. No! I told you not to answer the phone! Now the water’s boiling and the toast is burnt! Well, at least you know when the plumber’s coming. Toss the burnt toast to the chickens when they cool.

Pour into the boiling water and cook for 5-10 minutes, depending on how thick they are, until they are fully cooked and tender.

Melt herbed garlic butter on them and maybe sprinkle with truffle oil or parmesan. Nosh on this while waiting for the rest of the pasta to cook.

Put the other pasta in the water. Cook until they’re soft and tender, 5 minutes or so. If you realize it’s not quite done when you start putting it into the sauce, take it out and let it boil a bit longer. Yes, it’ll make the water funny red, don’t worry, it’s all going in the same place.

Put in the spaghetti sauce pan, mix well and dish out as needed. Top with parmesan cheese. Serve with a nice red wine, garlic toast and maybe a green salad. If there’s any left over divvy it into single-serving containers and freeze for later lunches or dinners.

Next time roll thinner and plan to get a pasta machine.

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Posted by: briellethefirst | July 9, 2021

Chutney


Tomorrow’s Saturday so British comedies are on at 3pm. Close enough to tea time for a ploughman’s lunch…early dinner for us. I bought some ploughman’s pickle but all the commercial chutneys had mango in them and since I don’t want to itch and take antihistamines I decided to try making a small batch myself. I looked up a few recipes. looked at the pantry and this is what I came up with for now. Next time I’ll put something different like carrot or turnip or coffee or… who knows…in it.

Don’t worry about having all the right ingredients, as long as you have onion, apples, raisins, sugar, spices and beer you can wing it from there. This is poor folk making do emptying the larder of the older stuff to keep it useful food. If you already know you love chutney with certain things in it, then make sure you have them before you start. If you’re not so sure then make it a few times with different things, take notes and when you have a favourite then stick with that. It’s your condiment after all. Here goes:

In a large pan heat a knob of butter while you chop an onion.

Set the onion to sauté while you chop an apple and a few dates. I used 8 Medjool dates.

Add the apples, pour in part of a bottle of beer and add 1/4 to 1/3 c brown sugar. This is your chance to get rid of some of that brown sugar that’s too hard to bake with.

Add the dates and 1/2 c to 1 c or whatever you have of raisins and the rest of the bottle of beer. I used some Sam Adams Summer brew because, my goodness, I forgot to get Guinness on my last trip to the store. Stir that in well.

Add a bay leaf, ginger (preferably fresh & finely chopped but powdered will do), ground nutmeg, peppercorns, mustard seeds and 3 or 4 cloves. You can fish the bay leaf out when it’s done.

Add a cup of water and 1/2 c of malt vinegar. Let it boil down for about 2 hours while you do something else. Feed the cats, clean the birdcage, put some laundry in, write a blog post or, if you’re under surgeon’s orders to keep your wonky ankle up as much as possible, sit with a pot of tea and some shortbread watching Escape to the Country, 60 Minute Makeover, The instant Gardiner and check the pot every commercial break, stirring and adding a cup of water or so as needed.

When it’s been about 2 hours, the mix in the pot is dark and thick and can stand up for itself, take it off the heat and let it cool.

When cool put in a clean jar or 3, refrigerate and use within about a month. Try it with a ploughman’s lunch (this was the closest I could come on short notice), roast beef, burgers, sausages, BBQ or maybe a breakfast fry up. Any beer will do, but I figure a good dark ale or stout would be preferable. If you don’t have malt vinegar cider or wine vinegar or even plain white vinegar will do. You can try adding coffee or tea as well. I was even tempted to toss in a bit of pastis for a touch of anise flavour but figured I can try that on the next batch.

If you have a pear to use up, toss it in. I meant to use carrots this time but forgot to pick them up. A turnip wouldn’t go wrong, either. Figs, currants, cranberries, prunes, stone fruit (plums or apricots would be lovely!) or even some thinly slices or minced orange or lemon peel if you want a bit of bitter to counterbalance the sweet. One recipe called for tomato paste so I suppose you can use a tomato if you want. I don’t use mango because it makes me itch, but if you just can’t live without it go ahead and add it.

Add or leave out any of the spices. Garlic, juniper berries, cinnamon mace, coriander, star anise, fennel seed, regular sugar or molasses,

Make it in small batches, use what you know you like and be adventurous when you feel brave or bored. You’re the cook, after all, and it’s your pantry you’re emptying for use on your kitchen table. Have fun making your own condiments. Yes, that’s a hot dog you saw in the last picture. Well, a fancy smoked sausage hot dog. I obviously am not picky about buns, I’ll even use pita, biscuit dough (then bake as pigs in a blanket) or tortillas. I decided to try my new condiment fresh from the pan as I dished it into the jars. I have some seeded mustard that’s rather assertive, so I put that on instead of my usual plain yellow mustard. It complemented the chutney beautifully. The cheese was also a nice addition and I opened a bottle of beer to wash it down, the same beer I used to make it. All in all I think this was a success.

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Posted by: briellethefirst | July 2, 2021

Language of Flowers


There are a lot of ways to communicate.  Since ancient times plants have had symbolic meanings. By Shakespeare’s time they were well known enough to be casually understood in his writings. The language of flowers has been casually used for centuries, finally being formalized by Victorians in the 19th century. Lucky for us they collected odd things like this and folklore and folk songs then compiled and published them for easy reference before they were lost to modern times.

This was a way to send wordless messages, secret or just discrete. Ever wonder about those roses in old meeting rooms? It’s a quiet reference to the phrase “sub rosa” or “under the rose”. a reminder since ancient times that conversations or proceedings within the room were to remain confidential. “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance, pray, love, remember; and there is pansies, that’s for thoughts.” from W. Shakespeare, Hamlet. Also Ophelia speaks up  “There’s fennel for you, and columbines. There’s rue for you. And here’s some for me  I would give you some violets, but they all withered when my father died.” Not only did Shakespeare use plant symbolism but Chaucer and other medieval and renaissance authors sprinkle their plays and writings with references to flowers and herbs but so did the ancient Greeks, Romans, Persians as well as the Egyptians and Chinese and pretty much any culture you can name. It appears to be a common practice the world over.

Not all of these are flowers, some are just greenery but that’s nice in an arrangement, too. Things like almonds can be used in ways other than flower arrangements, maybe in cooking and other artwork. The most obvious use would be a bouquet, nosegay, corsage or boutonniere but there are other possible uses. Pressed or preserved flowers framed as remembrances. Work plants into your artwork, embroidery or other creative endeavors. Use botanical references to liven up your prose, poetry or lyrics. Really, there’s no limit to your imagination. You can even plan a garden around the symbolism of your choice.

This is by no means a compleat list of flowers, herbs, plants and their meanings, but it should be good enough to get you started and if you want you can find more on your own. In the lists I found there were plants I wasn’t even familiar with so I’ll just include plants that most people will be casually familiar with. which should be a long enough list anyway. Listing them alphabetically will make them easy to find and refer too.

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Allium: Unity, Good fortune, Prosperity. Humility, Patience

Almond: Haste, Hope, Watchfulness

Aloe: Superstition

.Alyssum: Worth beyond beauty, Sweetness of soul

Amaranth: Faith, Immortality, Unfading love (Yes, it’s more than a grain, it’s an old garden flower)

Arbor vitae” Unchanging friendship

Bachelor Button: Protection, Healing, Likes a certain someone

Beech: Prosperity

Birch: Grace, Meekness

Camelia: Excellence, Loveliness (note: tea is Camelia sinensis)

Carnation: Admiration

Cherry Blossom, double: False Hopes

Cherry Blossom, single: Education

Clover: Fertility

Columbine: Folly

Crocus: Youthful gladness

Daffodils: Regard

Dahlia: Instability

Daisy: Innocence

Evening primrose: Fickleness, Faithlessness

Fennel: Strength, Worthiness

Ferns: Fascination

Fern, Bracken: Shelter

Forget me not: Forget me not

Foxglove: Pride, Energy, Magic

Gardenia: Purity, Gentleness

Geranium: Good health, Good wishes, Friendship, Foolishness

Grass: Usefulness

Heather: Solitude

Heliotrope: Constancy, Devotion, Infatuation

Holly: Foresight, Good wishes

Hollyhock: Circle of life, Ambition

Hyacinth: Games, Sport, Woe

Iris: Hope, Message, light, Power, Eloquence

Ivy: Fidelity

Jasmine: Admirability

Laurel (Bay leaf): Renown

Lavender: Distrust

Lily, white: Majesty, Purity

Lily, water: Eloquence

Lilly f the Valley: Return of happiness, Sweetness, Purity

Lotus: Enlightenment, Regeneration

Lupin: Imagination, Admiration

Magnolia: Nobility, Perseverance, love of nature

Marigold (African or French): Jealousy, Avarice

Marigold, common Calendula: Cares, Sorrow

Mistletoe: I surmount difficulties

Narcissus: Egotism

Nasturtium: Victory, Courage, Joy

Nettle: Slander

Oak: Hospitality

Olive: Peace, Security

Orange blossom: Chastity, Bridal

Orchid: Beauty, Refinement, Many children

Palm: Victory, Immortality

Pansy: Thought

Parsley: Feasting, Death

Peach blossom: A Bride

Peony: Prosperity, Good fortune

Pine, Fir, Spruce: Pity, Fidelity, Boldness

Poppy: Sleep, Consolation

Primrose: Early youth, Lover’s doubts and fears

Queen Anne’s Lace: Sanctuary

Rose, pink: Elegance, Refinement, Sweetness

Rose, red: Passion, Marital bliss, Respect

Rose, white: Purity, Innocence, Youthfulness, Eternal loyalty, Silence

Rose, yellow: Jealousy, Friendship, Joy, Welcome Back, Good luck

Rosebud: Youthful beauty

Rosemary: Remembrance

Rue: Mercy, Pity

Sage: Domestic Virtues

Snapdragon: Strength, Deviousness, Grace, Charm against falsehood

Sunflower: Pride, Riches

Sweet Pea: Departure:

Thistle: Defiance

Tuberose: Purity, Peace, Innocence

Tulip: Ardent love

Verbena: Romance, Sweet memories

Violet: Steadfastness

Willow: Forsaken love

Yarrow: Lasting love

Yew: Resurrection, Faith, Sorrow

Zinnia: Thoughts of absent friends

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Bibliography:

The Magic Garden by Anthony S. Mercatante

Flower Lore” The Teachings of Flowers, Historical, Legendary, Poetical and Historical by Miss Carruthers of Inverness {Honest, years…OK, decades…ago I found it in Books out of Print and got it on Inter-library Loan!)

Random Google search

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Posted by: briellethefirst | June 14, 2021

Mexican Wedding Cookies


I’ve also seen these called Polish wedding cookies and other people know them by other names. Mom used to make these every once in a while, usually for special events. Now I’m understanding why, since the technique is a bit tricky. I’ve looked all over for her recipe card (as well as about a half dozen others!) that I just can’t find, so I’ve had to look things up online and take a stab at recreating it.

This is basically a shortbread cookie with finely chopped nuts. Many recipes call for pecans but I used walnuts and I’m sure hazelnuts would work well, too. You already know how to cream/mix softened butter and sugar and mix in the flour, so I’m leaving off those pictures. I will mention, though, that the dough will seem more sandy than doughy, more so after the nuts are added in.

Finely chop the nuts of your choice and mix well. Yes, it’ll still be really sandy. The last recipe I looked at said to just keep mixing and it would eventually come together. That might be true with a stand mixer, but I don’t have one and got tired of stirring, so I just muddled through.

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened, creamed together with 1/2 c powdered sugar and 1 tsp Vanilla,

then mix in 1 1/2 c flour

and finally add 1/2 c finely chopped walnuts, pecans, cashews, hazelnuts or whatever you have, even a mix if you don’t have enough of one kind.

It will be very crumbly and hard to manage, but work at it carefully. Take a spoonful at a time.

Press carefully into balls

Arrange on cookie sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes

While still warm, roll in powdered sugar. It may melt a bit.

When cool, roll in powdered sugar again. This time it’ll stick well and look more like a snowball.

These are lovely served with tea…or anything else, really.

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Posted by: briellethefirst | June 6, 2021

Linguini in Clam Sauce


Always keep a couple of cans of minced clams in the pantry just in case… Just in case of what you may ask? Someone shows up unexpectedly that you’d like to impress (boss, client, mother-in-law) Or you want something quick to throw together after work, or you’ve been having a nice afternoon with friends (old or new) and you want to whip things together without losing track of the conversation.

I have impressed my husband’s boss and his wife with this (boy, that was once-upon-a-time!) and regretfully I never made it for my mother in law (I do like her) but it was a favourite quick dinner for after work when stock in the fridge was low or on weekends when we wanted something quick to have with friends or just in front of a movie before we popped the corn. One still wants a ‘real’ dinner, don’t ‘cha know.

Tonight this is making a hearty dinner for 2, but with salads and bread can be stretched easily to 3 or 4 and with appetizers, cheese board (for conversation before dinner while you toss this together) and a salad with bread or even soup it can manage a nice nosh for 6 to 8. It doesn’t do well frozen for tomorrow’s work lunch (it’s still good, just dry-ish) so it’s best eaten fresh off the stove. My kids and grandkids love this, so don’t think you have to make something separate for the kidling set. Raise them with good food, teach them to cook and they and the world will be the better for it.

You’ll need: Garlic, 2 cans of minced clams, vermouth or dry white wine, half and half, linguini. pepper and parmesan cheese. Make a salad before you start and butter the bread so all you have to do is add some garlic and put it under the broiler as you finish the sauce.

Peel a bunch of garlic. When you think you’ve got too much peel a couple more. 6 or 8 is a good start. Also, open the cans of minced clams now, leaving the lids in place. You’ll want them ready to go when the garlic is ready.

If you don’t have fresh garlic you can use minced garlic from a jar you keep in the fridge. A couple heaping spoonfulls should do it.

Heat a pan, pour in a couple tablespoons of olive oil and add the garlic. You can use a garlic press to squish them into the pan (what I usually do) or you can slice or mince the garlic cloves with a knife, which is what I did this time.

On a whim I bought a jar of black garlic, so I decided to try some this time. Looks weird, tastes wonderful.

Put a large pot of water on to boil for your pasta. traditionally you’d use linguini, but you can get away with anything if it’s just you or the family for dinner.

When the garlic starts to brown pour in the clam juice from the cans. Use the lids to hold the clams in place while pouring off the juice over the garlic.

Let the clam juice simmer down until you can leave a trail through it with a spoon.

When the pot of water boils, add the pasta.

Then add about 1/2 c vermouth or dry white wine, more or less.

If you don’t drink, use vermouth and just save the rest of the bottle for cooking, since it kind of lasts forever in the cabinet. If you do drink, use the nice white wine you’ll have with dinner. If you only have red wine that’ll work, but it’ll make your clam sauce purple. Yes, I speak from experience and yes, it’s fine and fun to eat anyway.

Reduce this down in the skillet til your spoon leaves a trail, like with the clam juice. If the pasta needs more cooking before the sauce is ready you can add a dash more wine or vermouth at this point to stretch the cooking time.

Add the clams and about 1/4 c or so of half and half. At this point you don’t need to reduce anything, just bring the clams and stuff up to temperature.

If you don’t have half and half you can use cream and milk or just milk. This time our cream was off so I mixed some sour cream in a bowl with milk. It worked just fine.

When the pasta is ready drain it and put it either back in the pot or into a bowl. Add the sauce and pepper to taste as well as a generous amount of parmesan cheese. Yes, I do add a lot of pepper. It’s yummy, especially if you have freshly ground pepper. I used to use Sarawak pepper but haven’t been able to find it for a while.

Serve with salad, garlic toast and a nice wine. you can garnish with green onions or parsley if you like as well.

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