Peter Piper picked a peck of passion fruit...

Last Sunday my landlord and I picked some passion fruit from the trees in our yard, and he told me how to extract the juice once the fruit were ripe.



I put a strainer over a small saucepan, brought some water to a boil, and washed the passion fruit. Then I halved about seven of the fruit--both gold and purple. I spooned the contents into the strainer and slowly poured about half a cup of boiling water over into the strainer, stirring and pressing the seeds to get as much juice out as possible. The juice is rather strong, so it doesn't matter that water is added. I removed the seeds from the strainer and put them in refrigerator to use later with yogurt and honey. While the juice was still hot, I stirred in some honey to lessen the tartness. I let the liquid cool and then stored it in a plastic container (a used apple sauce jar) in the refrigerator.

I enjoyed some of the juice on my fabulous balcony today, and life was momentarily perfect.


Now I just have to come up with a passion fruit cocktail to serve my family and friends when they visit...

almost there...

I can see a tiny light at the end of the tunnel. Bar exam results were posted today, and after more than four hours (no kidding) of refreshing my browser, I found out that I passed. I still can't believe it. I have only a few more hoops to jump through before I can be sworn in, and then the party begins. I realize that this entry isn't about food and that I haven't posted in a while, but I am still waiting for my cooking supplies to arrive so I can get into the kitchen and start experimenting again. I've been up to my eyeballs in work, too, but this time around I like my job. Spooky...

The Real World 2.0

Sometimes good things come to those who procrastinate wait...


Not bad for someone who, about a month ago, didn't think she'd ever find a job and get out of DC, eh? Above is what I see when I step out onto my expansive balcony. Yes, that's a coconut tree in the foreground and the sea in the background. I also have bananas, passion fruit, limes, mangoes, avocados, sugar apples, and ginger right outside my door. I'll be planting some herbs and a star fruit (carambola) tree later.

My first day at work was rather devoid of, well, work. I arrived just before 08:00, but no one was there, so I had to wait in the lobby. We sat in hearings until noon and then had lunch. Then we got sent home at 3 because a tropical storm is predicted. We all had to cover our office equipment and any exposed documents with plastic. It was surreal (is plastic going to help with anything beyond building leaks?). I have a probate case to read tonight--nothing too heavy.

I think the next twelve months will bring many adventures--and of course I'll be recounting the gastronomic ones here! In the meantime, I leave you with a very sophisticated recipe suitable only for the most refined of palates...

Peanut Butter and Guava Jelly Sandwich

Ingredients

• 2 slices soft whole wheat bread
• 1 tsp natural peanut butter (it actually tastes better than the partially hydrogenated stuff)
• 3/4 tsp guava jelly

Instructions

Lay slices of bread flat so they form a near-mirror image. Spread peanut butter on one slice of bread and guava jelly on the other. Put the two slices together and cut diagonally down the middle. Enjoy.

waste not, want not

So I am moving to a tiny island in the Caribbean next month. You just never know where life will take you. For a while Seattle was the word, and then it was Baltimore. Now I have but a few weeks to find an apartment and a car, to overcome my fear of iguanas, and to get used to driving on the left-hand side of the road (most likely with the steering wheel on the left). ::sigh::

Anyway, the heat is on. I've still got tons of food in my kitchen, so when I got my job offer, I challenged myself to come up with ways to use as much of it as possible. The remainder, except the teas, herbs, and spices, will go to my parents and friends.

My first challenge was a couple of overripe bananas in my fruit bowl. Normally I don't eat bananas once all the green has disappeared because they are just too sweet. At that point they are good only for sweetening other foods and drinks, such as smoothies--and even then, I use only a bit because of their overpowering taste and aroma. Normally I sweeten my oatmeal with unsweetened apple sauce (I swear by the Whole Foods brand), but I ran out last week. Then it occurred to me that I could add a bit of syrupy banana to my oatmeal. I sliced the bananas and stored them in plastic containers in the fridge for easy use. Here is what I concocted.

Oatmeal with Bananas

Ingredients (for one serving)

• 1/4 c Irish style oatmeal
• 5 slices syrupy banana (more or less depending on how ripe the bananas are and how sweet you like your oatmeal)
• 1/3 to 1/2 c 1 or 2% milk
• Half the seeds from one green cardamom pod
• Ground cinnamon to taste

Instructions

In a small saucepan, mash banana slices into oatmeal, trying to eliminate large banana lumps and achieve a smooth texture. This is easy to do with a wooden spoon. Stir in milk and cardamom seeds. Turn on heat and bring to a slow boil. Stir, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until the oats are cooked to your liking, stirring occasionally. Do not let the bottom of the oatmeal burn! Remove from heat and discard cardamom seeds. Serve with ground cinnamon sprinkled on top.

arroz con habichuelas guisadas

Beans

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 c chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 heaped tbsp sofrito
• 5 manzanilla olives (sliced or chopped)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 c green bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 15-oz can rositas (pink beans), pinto beans, or kidney beans (if your beans contain added salt, rinse and drain them; if you use dry beans, soak them overnight and do not drain them)
• 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
• 4 oz cold water if you drained the beans
• Salt to taste (if the tomato sauce is unsalted)

Instructions

Heat extra virgin olive oil over moderate heat in a large pot. Add onions and sautee lightly--do not let them get too soft as you want to preserve their integrity all the way until serving time. Quickly add garlic and sautee until golden. Add sofrito and bell pepper and stir. Cover and cook for about a minute or until the bell pepper begins to sweat. Uncover and add olives, oregano, black pepper, bay leaf, beans, and tomato sauce (and water if you drained the beans and salt to taste). Stir and bring to a boil. As soon as the mixture boils, cover the pot and turn down the heat. Simmer for 10 to 20 minutes (or until flavors marry) and then remove from heat. Serve over rice.

If you are feeling naughty, you can add 1/2 to 1 cup of precooked, frozen coldwater pink shrimp 5 to 10 minutes before turning off the heat. This is not traditional, but it is very satisfying.

Rice

Ingredients

• 1 c jasmine rice, washed in 3 changes of water and rinsed
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp onion, minced
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• Less than 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 and 1/3 c cold water

Instructions

In a metal saucepan and while beans are cooking, stir all ingredients except water, distributing the olive oil evenly throughout the rice. Add water and stir again. Bring to a brisk boil uncovered. Cover and reduce heat to allow rice to simmer. Stir occasionally to distribute oil evenly. When rice is tender (but not soggy or sticky), remove from heat and let stand with cover on for about a minute (this is so that the rice doesn't burn or stick to the bottom of the saucepan). Fluff and serve.

How does my garden grow?

Life in the wake of the bar exam is eerily devoid of commitments. Obviously that will change when I start working, but for now I'm living the life of a retiree. This afternoon I went to the farmers' market at Dupont Circle in search of farm-fresh eggs. I found some, but then it occurred to me that it might not be a good idea to carry them home in the heat (I was on foot, as usual). I did, however, acquire some fresh veggies and another roommate--a tiny pot of peppermint (mentha piperita), which I need to repot. Next week I will look for spearmint so I can enjoy mojitos while I play shuffleboard.

The basil is doing well despite a dry spell while I was gone for the bar exam. Four out of five seeds germinated, but two of the seedlings looked like mutants. They might have been a different variety. Anyway, they looked so creepy that I threw them away and kept only the normal-looking plants. Six out of ten parsley seeds germinated, but the plants have fewer leaves than I expected. They look quite scraggly and pitiful next to the basil. Only one of five rosemary seeds germinated, and the plant died long ago.


Four out of ten oregano seeds germinated. Two of the seedlings died while I was gone, but the remaining two bounced back after a good watering.


I am still looking for lavender, chamomile, and cilantro. I may just start them myself from seeds as I've had modest success so far. I actually bought cilantro plants, but they did not survive repotting. I think I might have killed them by using the wrong soil. In any event, my garden is growing (no pun intended) slowly but surely. Soon window sill space will be an issue. . .

I'll have the fillet M&Mignon, please.

Don't knock it. It's a little-known fact that the vitamin M found in M&Ms is essential to healthy bovine development. . .



That grass-feeding guy is so behind the times, huh? His poor cows are missing out on all those great corn, chocolate, and potato chip nutrients. It's forced bovine anorexia, really. Shame on WSJ for insinuating that cows should eat grass, thereby promoting body dysmorphic disorder and eating disorders among any cows who happen to be watching this video.

Okay, okay, this is not exactly news--it is, or at least should be, common knowledge that most of the cows here are corn-fed--but I'm in procrastination mode.

Sauteed Baby Spinach

This simple side dish requires slightly more effort than tying a shoe lace but tastes better than even the most meticulously tied double knot.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped onion (or you can cut from top to bottom and then slice to get crescent shapes)
• 1 pinch chili flakes
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt to taste
  
• 3 dry oz (or about 2 large handfuls) baby spinach
• A few drops of fresh squeezed lemon juice
  

Instructions

In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and chili flakes. Lightly sautee, taking care not to let the onions turn soft. When onions are heated, add garlic and sautee until garlic turns golden. Do not let the garlic brown. Add salt (if in doubt err on the side of too little) and stir in. Add spinach and stir to distribute olive oil. Let the spinach reduce, stirring frequently. When spinach is reduced and evenly coated, turn off heat and squeeze a bit of lemon juice on the spinach and stir in. Serve hot. Enjoy frequently during the bar study period.