Boston Brown Bread

It is no coincidence that the method used to bake this bread, known as steaming, is similar to one used by the native Indians of New England, who taught us how to use corn as a grain for bread. The most famous of our region's breads, this wholesome blend of wheat, rye, and yellow corn flours is suitable for our diets today as it was 300 years ago.

1 - 2 tablespoon unsalted butter for greasing
1 1/2 cups brown-bread flour*
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup dark molasses
1 cup milk
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins (sometimes they used dried cranberries)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Next generously grease a 1-quart pudding mold or 1-pound coffee can. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir in the molasses and milk. Fold in the currants.   Fill the mold or coffee can with batter. It should come up about two-thirds of the way. Cover the top with foil and tie securely with a string to make it airtight. Place in a deep baking pan and fill the pan with boiling water, to come halfway up the side of the mold. Place in the preheated oven and allow to steam for 2 hours, checking the water level after 1 hour. Add more boiling water if needed. Check by sticking a skewer into the bread; it will come out clean when done. Remove string and foil and allow cooling for 1 hour before unmolding.

*A specialty of New England, brown-bread flour is a mixture of whole wheat, rye and cornmeal or johnnycake meal. It can be purchased already mixed or made by simply combining equal parts of wheat and rye flour and yellow cornmeal.

Colonial Corn Chowder

On Saturday I came a crossed this really neat new Facebook page entitled The Founders, Religion and Government. And we decided that we wanted to be part of the Benjamin Franklin Project, so this week since the Virtue was Temperance and it deals with food, we thought it would be fun to research, study and make some colonial style dishes this week.

Today we are featuring Colonial Corn Chowder.

COLONY CORN CHOWDER

• 6 large soda crackers or biscuits       
  
• 1 cup milk   
• ¼ lb salt pork
• 1 good large onion, sliced
• 4 large potatoes, pared, sliced
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups of corn cut whole from the cob
• 1 ¼ tsps salt    
• ¼ teaspoon paprika

1. Soak crackers or biscuits in sweet milk.
2. Cut salt pork into cubes and brown over medium fire
3. Add onion and cook until soft.
4. Add potatoes and water, then cook until potatoes are soft but not all broken
5. Stir in the cracker-milk mixture, corn, salt, and paprika
6. Heat all through
7. Serve piping hot
8. Serves 8 people

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Feelin' Saucy.... (Homemade Ragu/Bolognese Sauce)

The good old fashion kind that calls for three kinds of meat and you cook it all day.

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 carrot, finely, diced
2 medium onion, diced
2 celery stocks, finely diced
6 clove garlic, sliced
12 oz. beef stock
1 pound turkey, ground or shredded
1 pound pork, ground or shredded
1 pound beef, ground or shredded 
1/4 pound pancetta or slab bacon, ground 
1 large can tomato sauce
1 large can whole tomatoes
1 med. can tomato paste
2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning blend
1 cup milk
1 cup red wine
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmigiano-Reggiano, for grating
Directions
In a 6 to 8-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, and garlic and sweat over medium heat until the vegetables are translucent and soft but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the beef stock, ground meats and pancetta and stir into the vegetables, stirring to keep the meat from sticking together until browned. Add all tomato ingredients, milk, spices and wine and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 3 1/2 hours. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from the heat. Serve over fresh pasta.

Feelin' Moussey....

Feeling very lucky and creative, so I made homemade chocolate mousse as a New Years surprise for my hubby today.

Ingredients

4

egg yolks

1/4

cup sugar

1

cup whipping (heavy) cream

1

package (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup)

1 1/2

cups whipping (heavy) cream

Directions

• Beat egg yolks in small bowl with electric mixer on high speed about 3 minutes or until thick and lemon colored. Gradually beat in sugar.
• Heat 1 cup whipping cream in 2-quart saucepan over medium heat until hot. Gradually stir at least half of the hot whipping cream into egg yolk mixture; stir back into hot cream in saucepan. Cook over low heat about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens (do not boil). Stir in chocolate chips until melted. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours, stirring occasionally, just until chilled.
• 3Beat 1 1/2 cups whipping cream in chilled medium bowl with electric mixer on high speed until stiff. Fold chocolate mixture into whipped cream. Pipe or spoon mixture into serving bowls. Immediately refrigerate any remaining dessert after serving.

Wordless Wednesday .... Burdock Root!

I love learning about new foods and to see what creative things people do with them, so we thought it would be fun to play a little game called "Wordless Wednesday's". Where we post a picture of a new ingredient that we have came acrossed during the past week. The challenge to everyone will be.... The first person to comment and tell us the correct name of the ingredient and answer the following questions below will win a "Pantry Prize"! (I will post the winner and answers by 10:00 pm)

(Here is your first photo...  Hint: It was one of the ingredients that was featured on "Chopped" )

What is it?.........................

Burdock Root

Where does it grow?......... 

North America (except in the deep south)

How do you prepare it?....  

Scrub with a scrub brush, do not peel. Slice and then boil like Artichokes

What does it taste like?.....  

Tastes a like like Artichokes

Have you ever tried it?......

No, We have not yet!

What recipe would you suggest using this mystery Ingredient?.....

Most often it is suggested that it be boiled and eaten like cooked carrots or artichokes. I think I would prepare it just like I would  mashed potatoes and enjoy it with a little butter or gravy.

As a side note: Traditionally, burdock has been used as a remedy for measles, arthritis, tonsillitis, viruses like colds, throat pain, and as a diuretic. Historically, the seeds of the burdock plants were compressed to make a mixture that was effective in cleansing the bloodstream, easing pain from arthritis, and treating gout, rheumatism, ulcers, acne, eczema, and psoriasis.

Looking forward to 2014... happy New Year!

As we stop and reflect back on all the many blessings that our bountiful Pantry has welcomed us with during the past year, we look forward to restocking the pantry full of goals, ideas and recipes for 2014. We have gained a sense of order and budget wise menus, packed with lots of nutritional choices for a awesome guide to a healthier lifestyle.We would like this to become a over interactive blogsite where all FOODIES can come and enjoy hanging out!

This next year we would like to offer the following Daily Guide here at the Pantry...

MONDAY MADE-OVER ---- (Where we take a recipe and do a complete makeover to gear it for a healthy life choice, without skimping on the taste of the traditional treat.)

TUESDAY'S WITH DORI ---- (Where we follow the suggest plan of spending the time with Tori Greenspan and Friends, website: "Tuesday's with Dorie")

WEDNESDAY's Words of Wisdom--- (This will be a new feature where we will post a picture of a food item and the first person who posts in the comments what it is and what you would cook with it, will win a prize from the Party... This is a bit of fun to help us all expand our food Knowledge.... Everyone is invited to play!)

THRIFTY THURSDAYS ---- (Where we combine "Blog Hoppers" (2nd & 4th) and the "Five Dollar Dinner" Challenges (1st & 3rd), to help us stay on budget and freshen up our cooking skills.

FRUITFUL FRIDAY ---- (Where we will be featuring Favorite Family recipes and Home Storage Ideas that have helped to fill our bountiful Pantry)

SUPER SATURDAY ---- (Where we will be posting educational and starter recipes, along with some cooking 101 skills sets to help not only the basic cook but even the seasoned chef.)

SUNDAY ---- For those of you who are new to our site... Reminder: The Pantry is dark on Sundays!
We are God fearing, church going people who, enjoy a day full of sabbath blessings, family time and everyday, over-the-counter snacks !!!!!!

"Tuesday's with Dorie"... Making Challah

I had so much fun learning how to make traditional challah yesterday... So much love, respect and culture involved.

DOUGH INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water, divided
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 egg
• 3 egg yolks

• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 1/2 to 6 cups flour

EGG WASH INGREDIENTS

• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp cold water

• 1/2 tsp salt

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS

• Raisins, chocolate chips (1 ½ cups of either)

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS

• Sesame seeds, poppy seeds, kosher salt

YOU WILL ALSO NEED

• Large mixing bowl, whisk, kitchen towel, cookie sheet, parchment paper, plastic wrap, pastry brush, timer

• Pour ¼ cup of the lukewarm water (about 110 degrees) into a large mixing bowl. Add 1 packet of Active Dry Yeast and 1 tsp of sugar to the bowl, stir to dissolve. Wait 10 minutes. The yeast should have activated, meaning it will look expanded and foamy. If it doesn’t, your yeast may have expired, which means your bread won’t rise—go buy some fresh yeast!
• Once your yeast has activated, add remaining 1 ¼ cup lukewarm water to the bowl along with the egg, egg yolks, honey, canola oil and salt. Use a whisk to thoroughly blend the ingredients together.
• Begin adding the flour to the bowl by half-cupfuls, stirring with a large spoon each time flour is added. When mixture becomes too thick to stir, use your hands to knead.
• Continue to add flour and knead the dough until it’s smooth, elastic, and not sticky. The amount of flour you will need to achieve this texture varies—only add flour until the dough feels pliable and “right.” If you plan to add raisins or chocolate chips to the challah, incorporate into the dough as you knead.
• Place a saucepan full of water on the stove to boil.
• Meanwhile, remove the dough from your mixing bowl and wash out the bowl. Grease the bowl with canola oil. Push the dough back into the bottom of the bowl, then flip it over so that both sides are slightly moistened by the oil.
• Cover the bowl with a clean, damp kitchen towel. Place the bowl of dough on the middle rack of your oven. Take the saucepan full of boiling water and place it below the rack where your dough sits. Close the oven, but do not turn it on. The pan of hot water will create a warm, moist environment for your dough to rise. Let the dough rise for 1 hour.
• Take the dough bowl out and punch it down several times to remove air pockets. Place it back inside the oven and let it rise for 1 hour longer.
• Take the dough out of the oven. Flour a smooth surface like a cutting board. Punch the dough down into the bowl a few times, then turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Knead for a few minutes, adding flour as needed to keep the dough from feeling sticky.
• Now your dough is ready to braid. If you plan to separate and bless the challah, do it prior to braiding. Click here to learn how to braid challah.
• After you’ve braided your challah, place it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (this will catch any spills from your egg wash and keep your challah from sticking to the cookie sheet).
• Note: I usually only put a single challah braid on a cookie sheet, since they tend to expand a lot when baking.
• Prepare your egg wash by beating the egg, salt and water till smooth. Use a pastry brush to brush a thin layer of the mixture onto the visible surface of your challah. Reserve the leftover egg wash.
• Let the braid rise 30 to 45 minutes longer. You’ll know the dough is ready to bake when you press your finger into the dough and the indentation stays, rather than bouncing back.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. The challah needs to bake for about 40 minutes total, but to get the best result the baking should be done in stages. First, set your timer to 20 minutes and put your challah in the oven.
• After 20 minutes, take the challah out of the oven and coat the center of the braid with another thin layer of egg wash. This area tends to expand during baking, exposing areas that will turn white unless they are coated with egg wash.
• Turn the tray around, so the opposite side is facing front, and put the tray back into the oven. Turning the tray helps your challah brown evenly—the back of the oven is usually hotter than the front.
• The challah will need to bake for about 20 minutes longer. For this last part of the baking process, keep an eye on your challah—it may be browning faster than it’s baking. Once the challah is browned to your liking, take the tray out and tent it with foil, then place it back in the oven. Remove the foil for the last 2 minutes of baking time.
• Take the challah out of the oven. At this point your house should smell delicious. You can test the bread for doneness by turning it over and tapping on the bottom of the loaf—if it makes a hollow sound, it’s done. Let challah cool on the baking sheet or a wire cooling rack before serving.
• This recipe will make 1 very large challah, 2 regular challahs, or 24 mini challah rolls. I usually divide the dough in half to make 2 medium challahs, which are more manageable and easier to braid than a large one. Choose what works best for you!