Father's Day

I'd like to dedicate this post to fathers everywhere, especially my father.  And, of course, my brothers, Andrew and Dan.  Oh, and Greg!  Happy Father's Day to all (for whom it is applicable).

In other news, the piglets have arrived!  I found out this morning, but I think they were born last night.  There are eight, of all different colors.  Some spotted, some orange, some pink, all adorable.    

So this morning I woke up, which I took to be a promising start to the day.  I fed my starter, because from days 10 - 14 of growing a starter you feed it three times a day.  Feeding just consists of adding certain amounts of flour and water and stirring.  It's quite smelodious (to quote my father on Father's Day).  Is that a positive statement?  I'm not sure, but it's meant to be one.  It smells pretty good, like apple cider vinegar. 

Then I had breakfast...obviously, I ate chili on a piece of bread with cheese.  Because I'm too cool for cereal.  I worked in the cheese house from about 8 - 12, flipping chévre and pouring crottina/Lake's Edge.  And then I was free!  I fed my starter again, and then started to think about feeding myself.  I had a plan, and that plan involved homemade flour tortillas.  I'd just read, on Orangette (see previous post), about making your own tortillas.  It just so happened I had all THREE ingredients required to make it.  Well, she said to use white flour, but I only have whole wheat.  So they were whole wheat tortillas.  And they were DELICIOUS.  Here is the recipe, adapted from Orangette (Molly Wizenberg), who adapted it from Saveur Cooks Authentic American.

Barn Swallows I

Whole Wheat Tortillas

4 cups organic whole wheat flour
6 Tbs vegetable shortening (Earth Balance)
1 1/2 tsp salt, if shortening is unsalted

In a small saucepan, bring about 2 cups of water to a boil.

Mix together flour and salt in a large bowl.  With there being a dearth of large bowls in my apartment, I used a stock pot.  Mix in the shortening with your fingers until the flour mixtures is a coarse meal.  Add about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups of water (enough so that the dough holds together), and start by mixing with a spoon.  Once it is cool enough, bring it all together with your hands.  

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for about 2-5 minutes, but no more.  

Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 min.
Heat a 9" cast iron skillet over medium heat, with a tiny bit of canola oil.

Cut ball of dough into 6 wedges.  Cut wedges into 3 to make 18 wedges in all.  Take 1 wedge and roll it into a VERY thin circle about 8 inches in diameter.  Put dough in pan and cook for about 20-30 seconds, until puffed.  Flip and do another 20-30 seconds until golden brown.  Cool on rack, and repeat with remaining wedges.  Don't stack until wedges are completely cool.
Yield: 18 tortillas

I ate these tortillas as part of soft tacos made with more chili (can you overdose on chili?  I hope not), avocado slices, and crottina leftover from the farmer's market.  I am still so full from lunch that I'm skipping dinner altogether.

I lazed about all afternoon...except for the hour I exercised, and the half hour I weeded the garden.  The rest of it was spent reading Orangette and The Paupered Chef (another food blog, check it out.  One of the writers visited our farm yesterday)...and, I confess, on ConnColl Confessional and Facebook.  

The writer of The Paupered Chef has kindly identified those mysterious garlic greens from last post!  They are called "Garlic Scapes," and they are the first young tendrils of garlic plants.  I found a lovely looking recipe for Garlic Scape Pesto from A Mighty Appetite, which I would most certainly make, had I in my possession a food processor.  Someone else must make it and tell me how it is...assuming you could get your hands on garlic scapes, which, come to think of it, is rather unlikely.  Keep an eye out though!  Stop by farmer's markets.

Barn Swallows II

Garlic Scape Pesto

1 cup garlic scapes (about 8 or 9 scapes), top flowery part removed, cut into ¼-inch slices
1/3 cup walnuts
¾ cup olive oil
¼-1/2 cup grated parmigiano 
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Place scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until well combined and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated. With a rubber spatula, scoop pesto out of bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add parmigiano to taste; add salt and pepper. Makes about 6 ounces of pesto. Keeps for up to one week in an air-tight container in the refrigerator