We’ve made it to the last month of the year nobody wants to linger. Your challenge here is simple, from D.L., for “oatmeal cookies or muffins or any baked goods that call for oats.”
There are some colorful pots of spicy foods on our newsprint cooktop this morning, along with two invitations as to these wintry favorites. First, Mary Ann McInturff spoke of chili and cornbread, with these final words. “I’ll probably be making a big pot of chili soon maybe you’ll join me and let me know how you like my recipes if you have a chance to give them a try.” I accept that invitation.
Then Tim Threadgill presented a vegetarian chili, with the practical and inviting note, “This makes a lot of chili. Be prepared to freeze some or half.” The Threadgills also share with friends and family.
Today we pass on to you one cornbread, one chili, one cracker and one Asian soup.
CRACKERS
For the necessary cornbread to go with her chili (that recipe will come later), Mary Ann McInturff sometimes uses a standard Southern recipe from her mother, and sometimes “a softer, moister version that was my younger son’s favorite. For both I always use white meal, which is best stored in the freezer. I order really beautiful, finely ground meal from Logan Turnpike Mill in Blairsville, Georgia. Address and phone number can be found online.”
Sour Cream Cornbread
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup oil
1 small can (8.25-ounce) cream-style corn
3 eggs
1 cup cornmeal
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Combine sour cream, oil, corn and eggs. Then add dry ingredients, and mix well. Pour into hot greased iron skillet. (Spray preheated skillet with Pam before pouring in cornbread mixture.) Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown.
CHILI
Tim Threadgill wrote, “I love cooking and playing with spice profiles from different cultures. I have used tandoori masala now a couple of times in place of regular chili powder to change things up a bit. Tandoori is hotter than regular chili seasoning, so I temper it with smoked paprika. With the cumin, the smoked paprika and the tandoori, the result is a hearty ‘meaty’ tasting chili.
“This recipe is now in our regular rotation. It does make a lot, and there are only two of us, so we freeze most of it, either warming it when we need or sharing with friends and family. It would also adapt well to canning.
“If adapting to a slow cooker, it could be a dump recipe and cooked on low for eight hours. I would probably cook the veggies and spices before adding.
“Locally, Desi Brothers on Lee Highway sells tandoori masala and is an absolute treasure.”
Fifteen Bean Tandoori Vegetarian Chili
1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 large bell pepper, diced
6 to 8 cloves of garlic, diced
8-ounce carton fresh white mushrooms
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tandoori spice
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 to 2 teaspoons black pepper, to taste
2 cartons vegetable stock, divided
1 package of 15-bean soup dried mix, seasoning packet discarded, rehydrated
2 cans diced tomatoes, rinsed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
In large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat.
Sauté onion, celery and bell pepper until they start to soften, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add garlic and mushrooms; cook mushrooms until cooked, 2 to 4 minutes.
Add all spices (except salt), and stir/cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add 1 1/2 cartons stock, rehydrated beans and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Cover, and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours. Taste, and add salt to taste as needed (There is some salt in the spice blend, as well as the stock and tomatoes, even though they have been rinsed. Also, salting beans too soon can make them tough.)
Remove 1 cup beans mixture, and purée in blender. Return to the chili. Alternatively, use immersion blender for 10 to 15 seconds. Thin with reserved 1/2 carton of vegetable stock if needed. Serve.
ASIAN SOUP
Here’s another treasure from Clifford Burdette’s Asian collection.
Asian Rice Noodle Soup With Shrimp
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 25 minutes
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 baby bok choy, chopped (separate white and green pieces)
1 large carrot, peeled, sliced very thin
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth (or 5 cups shrimp stock)
2 cups water (I omitted)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (or more if desired)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
4 ounces pad Thai rice noodles (1/2 package) (or use 6 ounces Somen noodles)
1 pound small raw shrimp peeled (51 to 60 per pound)
1 cup small bay scallops (not called for in original recipe)
1 bunch green onions, sliced
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
Heat sesame oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Add white pieces of bok choy and carrots; sauté for 5 minutes.
Add garlic and ginger, and sauté one minute longer.
Add broth, water, soy sauce and fish sauce.
Bring to a boil.
Add uncooked noodles, and cook 2 minutes, separating noodles as they cook.
Stir in shrimp, scallops, green onions and green pieces of bok choy.
Cook 2 to 3 minutes longer.
Turn off heat, stir in rice vinegar, and serve immediately.
CORNBREAD
Rose Secrest, author of at least a couple of cookbooks, has made these flax seed crackers several times. “They are flexible in that all you need to turn them into crackers is whole flax seeds. When I have ground flax seed or ground chia seeds, I put a little into the mix. When I have sesame seeds or black sesame seeds, I put them into the mix as a substitute for the hemp hearts. (Note: When making whole-wheat rolls, hemp hearts mixed into the dough make them irresistible.) I have sprinkled various spices on them, also.”
Flax Seed Crackers
1 cup whole flax seeds
2 tablespoons hemp hearts
2 tablespoons whole chia seeds
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 cups water
Place all ingredients into a pot, and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat. Let the mixture cool a little bit, then spread it on a baking sheet lined with a silicon sheet to 1/8-inch thickness. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Dust with nutritional yeast to make it extra “cheesy.” When it is cool, peel and break off crackers.
Thank you for coming, culinary companions.
REQUESTS
* Baked goods using oatmeal
To Reach Us:
Fare Exchange is a longtime meeting place for people who love to cook and love to eat. We welcome both your recipes and your requests. Be sure to include precise instructions for every recipe you send.
Mailing address: Jane Henegar, 913 Mount Olive Road, Lookout Mountain, GA 30750
E-mail: chattfare@gmail.com
Jane Henegar