Partly for fun and partly to avoid work, I thought it would be interesting to republish the less ephemeral bits of some old newsletters. Besides, why should recycling be limited to stuff? In an attempt to retain some seasonality here, I'll be posting them at what I calculate to be the opposite time of year as the original post -- so if this blog turns out to have any readers in the southern hemisphere (and if there is anyone, please drop me a line to say hi and make my day, I'm at TTCFMweb["at" sign]gmail.com), they should be just about in the right season for you.
Some of the recipes will have already been posted here once, but they're on a different context here. Besides, as I already mentioned, I'm avoiding work this winter.
Oh, and please be assured, I will be writing new posts this winter as topics occur to me (or are suggested by readers, hint, hint), so there will be some fresh info showing up as well.
So here we go. Excerpt from the Market Newsletter originally published on 1 June, 2011 (there were earlier ones, but this is the first to include non-market information and recipes). View the full newsletter for all the photos and links.
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I got rushed and forgot to put [a recipe] in last week, so I'll send two this week. They're from Pleyn delit, a classic book of medieval recipes interpreted for the modern cook. The first is fifteenth century English; no date is given for the second, Middle Eastern one. Enjoy!
Buttered Wortes (buttered greens)
2-3 lbs beet greens, spinach, or other greens, plus some parsley
2-3 leeks
2 Tbsp (or more) butter
4-6 slices bread, diced and lightly toasted
Blanch greens and leeks in a large pot of boiling, salted water for 3-4 minutes, no longer. Drain in a colander; squeeze out excess water with a potato masher or broad spoon, then chop roughly by running a knife through the mass in the colander. Combine with butter and 1/2 cup fresh water in a pan; stir, cover, and leave over very low heat for another five minutes. Salt to taste and serve mixed with the bread cubes.
Isfanakh Mutajjan (fried spinach)
2 lbs fresh spinach, washed and trimmed
2-3 Tbsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp salt
1-2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tsp)
1/4 tsp each ground cumin and coriander
pinch ground cinnamon
Parboil the spinach in a large pot of salted water for 2-4 minutes. Press out excess water and chop the spinach roughly. Stir-fry in the oil until fragrant, adding the spices towards the end; or put in a heavy saucepan or casserole with the oil and spices, stir, and leave to cook over very low heat another 10-15 minutes; or cook, covered, in a low oven 15-20 minutes (or microwave 3-4 minutes if that doesn't seem too weird).
