Cranberry Bread

Cranberry Bread, makes 1 - 9”x5” loaf

 This is special and festive enough for the holidays.
I also like to make a special bread with cranberries. Taking advantage of the cranberry’s availability, I’ve made this in the spring. As in my cranberry conserve recipe, this also features cranberries with oranges.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
¼ cup shortening
¼ cup orange juice—fresh from the orange
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1 egg, beaten
1 cup chopped nuts
2 cups coarsely chopped cranberries

1. Mix together the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt, if you’re using. Cut in the shortening.
2. In a small bowl, combine orange juice and grated rind with the beaten egg. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients to dampen.
3. Add nuts and cranberries. The cranberries should be barely chopped. You want their special effect in the bread to be of bright spots of festive color, rather than a blanket of solid color.
4. Grease the pans well (extra shortening). Push the mixture into the pan evenly and let it rest while oven heats to 350 degrees F. Bake for 60 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean and dry.
5. Gently release the loaf from the pan… often breads like this will taste better when they are a day old, but I wouldn’t know. This gets eaten the first night at my house.

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This is a recipe from my book The Good Food Compendium - An indispensable guide to sensible nutrition and eating pleasures for those who care about fine fare and wholesome living.

Seattle Clam Chowder

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Seattle Clam Chowder, serves 8

When I was growing up in the Pacific Northwest, a special family weekend included clamming for goey ducks (a big clam used in chowders) very early in the morning and returning in time for a fried clam breakfast. As little kids, we used to wait until the very last moment to race the tide back in; part of the thrill of clamming was that we sometimes got stranded out too far, up to our waist in water, and had to rescued. On my return visits to Seattle, I try to include a clamming expedition.
My version differs from many traditional recipes in that there is no cream and no bacon. I guarantee this is so delicious these ingredients are not missed.

Ingredients:
48 clams, chowder or razor
2 cups clam broth
1 ½ pounds potatoes
3 tablespoons margarine or butter
1 cup chopped onion
3 cups skim milk
Salt and pepper
Steps:

1. Clean clam shells of sand and place in a large pot with 2” of water. Bring to a rolling boil until clams open (It is also possible to purchase clams already shelled. If you are so lucky, proceed immediately to Step 3. If they have not come with enough of their own liquid make up the difference with store bought clam juice).
2. Drain the clams and strain the liquid through a cheesecloth to filter out sand particles. The liquid should be about 2 cups. With a sharp knife, remove the clams from their shells.
3. Put clams in a blender or food processor to chop coarsely.
4. Cut peeled potatoes into bite-sized chunks.
5. In the margarine or butter, brown the chopped onions in a large kettle, Add the clam broth, potatoes, chopped clams. Simmer for 35 minutes.
6. Add milk and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and serve hot.

This freezes well. During the winter, I often double or triple this recipe so I have something warm on hand when friends drop in unexpectedly.

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This is a recipe from my book The Good Food Compendium - An indispensable guide to sensible nutrition and eating pleasures for those who care about fine fare and wholesome living.

Poppy seed dressing

Poppy seed dressing, makes 2 cups

This simple, show-stopper is delightful served chilled over fruit salads. The grated onion and mustard combination can fool people’s palates. Some guests have guessed it has coconut in it. The traditional southern recipe calls for so much sugar, it’s like dripping candy over fresh fruit. This version keeps the essence of a good poppy seed dressing, but does away with its excesses.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons mustard
1 cup of oil
⅓ cup of red wine vinegar
⅓ cup sugar or honey
⅓ medium onion, grated (a red onion gives a reddish tinge to the dressing)
2 tablespoons poppy seed.
Steps:

Mix well the mustard, oil, vinegar and sweetener in a food processor or blender. Add the onion and poppy seed. The onion is one of the crucial ingredients. Too much makes this taste oniony. Be careful.

I have made this in large batches and saved it in my refrigerator for 6 months and it improves with age.

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This is a recipe from my book The Good Food Compendium - An indispensable guide to sensible nutrition and eating pleasures for those who care about fine fare and wholesome living.

Spiced Crab Apples

This is great for Fall when sweet, pretty, miniature crab apples start showing up in the produce department. From Dr. George York of the University of Southern California at Davis, I got the following advice on how to make spiced crab apples. This has several steps, but it’s mostly passive: you do one step and then wait. Don’t be put off by the multiple steps. It’s worth it.

Ingredients:

Crab Apples

Salt

Vinegar

Sugar

GInger

Cinnamon

Cloves

Optional: Canned beet juice

Steps:

Place crab apples in a salt solution of 1 quart water and 2 tablespoons salt for 2-3 days to allow better penetration of the vinegar mixture. Make enough salt solution to cover the amount of crab apples you are spicing.

After 3 days, remove the fruit and rinse with water. Make 2.5 percent vinegar solution. Since household vinegar is 5 percent. Dilute it with water, i.e. 1 quart vinegar to 1 quart water. Add fruit to vinegar solution.

Add sugar to mixture. You add as much sugar as you have vinegar. If you have used 1 quart of vinegar (4 cups), add 4 cups of sugar. If your hackles go up at the thought of adding this amount of sugar, remember what we’re concocting here isn’t going to be served as a main course, but as a garnish with perhaps one small apple per person. Heat mixture about 5 minutes until apples begin to soften. Cool.

Add spices such as ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Taste for seasoning.

Let sit in refrigerator for 5-7 days. This can either be eaten or used immediately. If you want a brighter red color, use juice from canned beets to color; this is a matter of personal preference since the naturally colored golden-red apples are also nice.

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This is a recipe from my book The Good Food Compendium - An indispensable guide to sensible nutrition and eating pleasures for those who care about fine fare and wholesome living.

Babe’s Clam Dip

BABE’S CLAM DIP, MAKES 2 CUPS

This is a modest, 1950s recipe, which my mother made as long as I can remember. No family reunion was complete unless Babe brought her clam dip. Mom always used cream cheese and probably thought it heresy to make it any other way, but hoop cheese (a West Coast term for Farmer Cheese or soft cottage cheese made with less than 1 percent fat) works too, although the texture is different. WIth cream cheese you get a stiffer dip that goes well with crackers or celery; with hoop cheese it ends up with a softer consistency.

Ingredients:

16 ounces of hoop cheese or farmer cheese, or 16 ounces of cream cheese

1 (12 ounce) can minced clams, drained (may used some of the clam juice)

Worcestershire sauce

Tabasco

Paprika

Optional: small cherry tomatoes, scoop out, and fill with dip.

Steps

1. Place the cheese of your choice in the blender or food processor. Add the drained minced clams and blend until smooth. If you need liquid, add some of the clam juice.
2. When well blended, spike with as much Worcestershire and Tabasco sauce as you like.
3. Refrigerate overnight so the flavors have a chance to penetrate. When the dip is room temperature and soft, fill tomatoes and sprinkle paprika on top.

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This is a recipe from my book The Good Food Compendium - An indispensable guide to sensible nutrition and eating pleasures for those who care about fine fare and wholesome living.