A Good Dish

making food simpler

Icelandic Lava Bread – Actually It Is Rye

Lava bread with smashed avocado
Porcelain plate by Aysha Peltz

We spent 3 weeks in Iceland in 2010 and it remains one of our favorite trips. Driving the ring road around the country and out onto the Snaefellsness Peninsula, we saw landscapes we never even imagined – waterfalls, moss covered lava fields, an iceberg lagoon, black beaches  and volcanic mountains rising out of coastal fjords in every shade of green, brown, grey and blue. The natural beauty stunned us. The food was another story.

Icy river in southwest Iceland

Since tourism and food culture in Iceland have exploded in the last decade, there are more kinds of foods available in restaurants and grocery stores. There are now greenhouses where a range of salad fixings are being grown. That wasn’t true on our first trip. Let me just say there were not a whole lot of green vegetables. What stood out were the major protein sources caught, produced or raised on the island, fish, dairy and lamb, and their lava bread.

Lava bread is moist and dense, perfect for toasting

Icelandic lava bread (also known as thunder bread, volcano bread, geyser bread, Icelandic brown bread or rugbraud) is one of the simplest breads to make. It is typically made of rye although it can be partly wheat, kamut or spelt flour, a sweetener (usually a combination of brown sugar and glucose syrup although I use maple syrup), baking soda, salt and buttermilk. Rye flour is available in good grocery, health and specialty food stores. I’ve even seen it at Job Lot. If you have a grain mill or Vitamix grain container, you can grind your own from rye berries in seconds. I like to add 1/2 cup of sunflower seeds for texture and nutrition but that is optional.

If you have a choice, use one that hasn’t been messed with, like the one on the left
Baked bread can be stored in the carton until ready to use

Traditionally lava bread is slow cooked in the geothermal heat of earth or sand from hot springs underground, hence its name. Although it bakes at a low temperature for a long time, it falls into the category of a quick bread, like pumpkin or banana bread. Since it is unyeasted, it doesn’t need a rise, and is more like savory cake in texture. It is a dense, sweet and dark, reminiscent of Boston brown bread and mixes up in just a few minutes. I make it in quart milk cartons but you could use empty cans or covered loaf pans. Lava bread is delicious freshly sliced or toasted and would make tasty croutons. Spread on a little butter or top it with cream cheese, fruit spreads, mashed avocado or make an open faced sandwich of egg, tuna or salmon salad, smoked salmon or ham – you’ll find your own favorite topping for this easy homemade bread.

Sliced lava bread with smoked salmon
Porcelain plate by Aysha Peltz

LAVA BREAD

Preheat oven to 210 F and remove top rack, making sure milk cartons will fit, standing upright, on bottom rack.

  • 4 1/2 cups rye flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 TBs baking soda
  • 1/2 cup raw sunflower seed (optional)
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup

Combine all the ingredients until just blended and divide evenly into 2 milk cartons (of which you have already opened the top end).

Bake for 6 1/2 – 7 hours at 210 degrees F (100 C). The bread will feel springy not squishy through the carton when you press on the sides.

Cool somewhat before tearing off milk carton. You can leave the second one in its milk carton for storage while eating the first. If you remove the carton, store in a sealed bag to keep from drying out. Makes 2 loaves which keep fresh 3-4 days and can be frozen when wrapped well.

Reykjanes peninsula coastline

Helping Along Your New Year’s Intentions by Having Vegetables at the Ready

A heaping portion of salad a day…
Triangular bowl by Tom Jaszczak

Eat healthier is always at the top of my list of New Year’s resolutions. For me that means eating less flour and sugar, drinking plenty of water and eating lots more vegetables. Sound familiar? Every January I start off full of good intentions and every year I do a little bit better. When I think about how I eat now compared with years past, there is no contest. There are so many more organic and local options that eating healthy is easier now. Always making sure we have celery, carrots, lettuce and other salad fixings in the refrigerator, leftover greens and some bags of vegetables in the freezer is a sure way to insure I should have no excuses.

Having fresh greens, like watercress, in the fridge and making a big salad makes eating better easier
Bagged kale salad from Costco puts a salad on your table in minutes

Jicama, watermelon radishes and cabbage are easy to find in January and add crunch and volume to cold weather salads. Seaweeds like arame and hiziki can be tossed with julienned carrots and onions and topped with a sesame vinaigrette. Thinly cut and massaged kale or a bag of arugula is an easy way to add a green salad to your diet any time of year or simply sauté that same kale, arugula, cabbage, watermelon radish or watercress with garlic or onions for a warm dish. Costco sells a prepared bagged kale salad ready to eat. All you have to do is dress it. The classic winter salad, the Waldorf (apples, celery, walnuts), is usually made with mayo and too creamy for my taste. Same thing with celery root remoulade but substituting a combination of yogurt and mustard for the mayo or using a vinaigrette solves that problem in both cases.

Root vegetables (beets, carrots, parsnips, squash and rutabagas) last a long time (most in the fridge, squash on the counter) and are easy to roast. Leftovers make a great base for salads or poached eggs or can be added to healthy up or substitute for your breakfast potatoes. I often make extra when roasting sweet potatoes for supper so I have some left over for breakfast or lunch that week. Making extra veggies, whatever way you are preparing them, will provide you the means for making healthy meals for a couple of days ahead.

Another way to up your winter vitamins and minerals is to get in a green smoothie. Just toss some greens in your blender alongside an avocado, some frozen fruit and/or yogurt, kefir or nut milk, perhaps upping the protein with nuts or seeds, and you can have a nutritious liquid meal in minutes.

Eating better can be the easy part of our New Year plans. Keeping your refrigerator and freezer stocked with vegetables can help that happen.

A green smoothie is an easy way to get in more veggies
Tumbler by Tom Jaszczak

When Autumn Gives You Apples, Make Applesauce!

Homemade applesauce in a Maiolica bowl
by Stanley Mace Andersen

Fall is apple season and right now bins of fresh crisp red, green and yellow apples are ours to buy – the markets are full of them. When you have more than you can eat out of hand, cooking apples is a way to intensify and diversify their flavor. Making applesauce is the simplest means by which to transform apples to another level and doing so will generate wonderfully sweet aromas in your kitchen. Homemade applesauce tastes great served with pork, chicken, potato pancakes, with walnuts, pumpkin and chia seeds or on its own. It can be tailored to your own preferences for spice and consistency and is much more flavorful than the generally bland jarred varieties. You can substitute some applesauce for part of the butter in a muffin or cake recipe and it supplies a healthy amount of fiber, always a positive. I make it because I love to eat it and it is one of the easiest things I know how to cook.

A potful of cut apples with cinnamon ready to be cooked

There is almost nothing to it except cutting up the apples. We like to eat applesauce made with the skins (which also adds lovely color) but if you don’t, all you have to do is put it through a food mill after cooking or peel the apples before cutting (although the peels add color and flavor). I usually buy the 2 bags for $5 of sometimes bruised and sometimes perfect apples that one of the farmers at our market offers but any variety you like will work. Just cut up an assortment of apples (composting the cores), add 1/2 cup of water to get things cooking, toss in a cinnamon stick, sprinkle liberally with cinnamon, cover and simmer until mushy (about 20-30 minutes), stirring occasionally. Really – that is it!

Mason jars of applesauce can stay in your refrigerator for weeks

If you like ginger or cardamom or nutmeg, add some. If you like the consistency thinner, add more water or a little apple juice or cider. If you have a ripe pear, plum or a handful of cranberries or raspberries, toss them in to cook along with the apples. Apples and cinnamon together are sweet enough that I never add sugar of any kind. The finished applesauce keeps for weeks in a covered glass jar in the refrigerator or you can process it in a water bath like jam and keep it on a shelf until summer. If you make it now, I’ll bet it will be gone long before we even get to winter!

Homemade applesauce in a maiolica bowl by Stanley Mace Andersen

Strawberry Bruschetta – A Toast to Summer

Strawberry Bruschetta
Plate by Mary Barringer

I was never in love with bruschetta (I’m always trying to avoid more bread) but Strawberry Bruschetta changed my mind. For some of you it may not be a new experience but I tasted it for the first time recently at a wine bar happy hour with a friend who was visiting from DC. We were both amazed at how something so simple could be so delicious. Since June is peak season for strawberries in the Northeast, I thought I would start off the month with an easy recipe that is suitable for an hors d’oeuvre, starter or light meal.

The strawberries can be prepared different ways but the two I found best were cutting and tossing with balsamic vinegar and olive oil or slicing and drizzling with an aged balsamic (or balsamic that has been reduced by simmering if you don’t want to spring for the expensive stuff). The spread layer can vary, the most common being goat cheese or mascarpone. I like it with plain ricotta but even cream cheese or butter work. For a lighter or vegan version, you could leave off the cheese completely, perhaps adding a smear of jam under the berries. And to make without bread altogether, try a slice of cucumber.

 

The most popular herb in recipes for strawberry bruschetta is fresh basil (going with the balsamic, cheese, etc.) but I like it with fresh mint, too, and even parsley could be good in a pinch. The toast, itself, can be almost any kind of bread but a dense sourdough or whole grain baguette is an easy size when sliced. For hors d’oeuvres, little specialty crisps (like the Trader Joe’s Fig & Olive Crisps) work perfectly with a single small berry or slice for a one bite serving. For a meal, a larger piece of bread is useful, served like an open faced sandwich. Strawberries are a delicious alternative until tomato season arrives and it is fun to use what is in season for some surprisingly tasty bites! 

Version 1 with mint on left, Version 2 with basil on right
Oiled Maple board by Edward Wohl

STRAWBERRY BRUSCHETTA

Version 1:

  • Wash, hull and cut in bite-sized pieces fresh strawberries.
  • Whisk equal parts balsamic vinegar with extra virgin olive oil.
  • Add a pinch of salt and black pepper.
  • Pour over cut berries, toss and let marinate while you prepare toasts.
  • Cut thin slices from a baguette and toast until golden brown and cool.
  • For a richer bruschetta, drizzle or brush toasts with additional olive oil.
  • Spread each toast with ricotta, mascarpone, cream cheese, butter or fresh goat cheese).
  • Top the cheese with a spoonful of the marinated strawberries on each toast and sprinkle with torn fresh basil or mint leaves.

Version 2:

  • Cut thin slices from a baguette and toast until golden brown. Drizzle lightly or brush with a good olive oil and let cool. For an hors d’oeuvre, use small crisps on their own.
  • Spread each toast (or crisp) with ricotta, mascarpone. butter, cream cheese or fresh goat cheese and sprinkle with a bit of salt (salt optional).
  • Top with thinly sliced strawberries (for crisps just use one slice).
  • Drizzle with aged or reduced balsamic vinegar (or a vinaigrette made from equal parts vinegar and oil) and sprinkle on chopped fresh basil or mint leaves.
Bite sized version on crisps with cream cheese

Another Shot of Winter Gives Us Another Chance to Cook

From The Yosemite Suite (2010-11) by David Hockney

Even though we’ve changed the clocks ahead (when are we going to give up that antiquated routine?), it still feels like winter in New York. Nothing like a little snow on branches to make us forget that Spring will be here next week. But it will. We’ve had little glimpses. And until it gets here, make soup and ginger tea, make oatmeal for breakfast before it gets too warm and be cosy!

We will be traveling for a few weeks, researching food, wine, markets and all things clay. Be back in April with lots more posts. Until then, keep warm and enjoy bundling up with a steaming cup or bowl while you still are able. 

Buds around the Central Park Reservoir in February