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The Hungry Scribbler

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Magical Pork Pie

October 18, 2016

Change has been the general theme for us around here. There's been the start of school with a new teacher in a new classroom to adjust to, a bit of travel thrown in, and of course there's the weather which is being its usual Pacific Northwest self: predictably unpredictable.

I've been realizing more and more, though, that that's okay. To have things shift around, make you suddenly crazy-busy or just feel crazy. To not be sure if it's going to rain downpourishly for the five days or not. We just can't predict much of it, but we can adjust to the changes as they happen.

One of the main reasons why I've been thinking this way, in addition to the above mentioned stuff, is that we've had a lot of incredibly challenging moments recently with Kingston, in terms of his behavior. It is absolutely developmentally normal for kids of his age (four going on five) to want to say just what they think (often in a less than kind way), assert themselves boldly and completely ignore what you or any other grown up asks them to do.

This is hard.

Okay, that was an understatement.

It is terribly, terribly hard. But I've learned, with the help of some very smart and loving people in my life, that it's okay to feel that it's just awful and that what a kid who is not behaving and even being aggressive needs more than anything is a combination of empathy and authority. Hold the boundaries! Set limits! But do it with warmth and love.

One person even described it to me like this: "You're the benevolent queen...Act like the benevolent queen."

After she said that, things just clicked. Kingston and I started to get along better. As the queen of my kingdom, I said enough when it was enough (Um, like, no, we can't put "Froggy Went A' Courtin'" on a loop so that it's the only song that plays for every single second of the day just because that's what you want even if you scream about it.).

And things have started slowly to change. My little minion (said lovingly, of course) seems to be getting that I'm firmly saying no or correcting him because I love him and don't want him to grow up to be a narcissistic terror of a person. Or maybe, he doesn't understand it that way, per say; he just knows that mama loves him. Period.

Underneath that sometimes tough queenly benevolence, good things have come to the surface for us. I've been feeling cautious relief. Especially when we have moments like yesterday, when we lay in bed in the morning and drew tons of spider webs together in an old notebook. Or, later the same afternoon, when we sat at the table and drank hot chocolate together, addressing one another as Mr. Dog (him) and Mr. Cat (me).

Life reminder: when you can ride through the changes, the really difficult moments, allowing the stuff underneath to rise to the surface, you'll be surprised, maybe even grateful. Oh, and don't forget that you are the benevolent ruler of your own little kingdom, indeed.

“In his dream he had gone to the pantry to fetch someone a slice of magnificent pork pie. But when he cut the pie open he found that there was very little pork inside it. Most of the interior was taken up by the city of Birmingham. Within the pie crust forges and smithies smoked and engines pounded. One of the citizens, a civil-looking person, happened to stroll out from the cut that Stephen had made and when his glance fell upon Stephen, he said...”
— Susanna Clake, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell

Speaking of what lies beneath the surface... I don't know why it took me so long to read Susannah Clarke's wonderful novel, but an 800-page book about magic and fairies and spells to summon anyone you want through time and space... Well, that was a good, escapist thing to be reading while going through my ups and downs with my child. One day, snatching a few minutes to read while locked in the bathroom (okay, other parents, feel free to admit that you have done this), I came across the above passage and decided I had to make my own pork pie. Nothing, nothing at all like an English pork pie, which is packed to the limit with various incarnations of pork products so that it's actually more like a crust-encased terrine. Nope, this is my version, which probably more closely resembles a sort of pot pie and is packed with potatoes and apples instead. Magical in its own way. Enjoy!

Magical Pork Pie

Ingredients
One recipe for double-crust pie, such as this one.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground pork
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh sage, minced
1/4 teaspoon of dried red chili flakes
3/4 lb. potatoes (about 3 medium), peeled and cubed
1/4 cup water or broth
2 medium apples (such as Golden Delicious), peeled and cubed
salt and pepper

To finish
1 egg yolk
tablespoons water

Instructions
Roll out half of pie dough into a 14-inch diameter circle. Place in glass pie pan. Trim so that there is a 1-inch overhang. Wrap well and place in fridge. Roll out top crust in same manner and place on a baking tray. Cover well and place in fridge. Crust should be chilled for 2 hours to overnight.

Prepare filling. In a large pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sautee until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, cook for another minute then add pork, breaking up with wooden spoon. Add another 1/2 teaspoon salt. Sautee until pork is browned. Add sage and chili flakes. Give the mixture a good stir then add potatoes, stirring to combine. Add water and remaining salt then cover, turning down heat. Cook on low for 10 minutes. Uncover, then add apples, cooking for additional 10 to 15 minutes.  Add freshly ground pepper. Taste and adjust for salt as well. Remove filling from heat. (I like the filling to be at least lukewarm when putting this into the crust, but it will also work if you're in a rush and filling is hot. Just work quickly!)

When you are ready to put the pie together, preheat oven to 450°F. Spoon filling into prepared bottom crust. Cover with top crust, cutting vent holes for steam release. Beat egg yolk and water together. Brush egg wash over top crust. Place pie on middle rack. Bake for 15 minutes then turn temperature down to 400°F. Bake for an additional 45 to 50 minutes, until crust is golden. Serve warm or at room temperature.

In Comfort Foods, Fall, Pork, Pie, Meat, Mains Tags Pork Pie
2 Comments

Beef, Lamb and Spinach Meatballs with Yogurt Sauce

December 2, 2015

A few days ago, Kingston asked me to try out one of his new markers which are supposed to change colors. So, I skeptically put some scribbles and blobs on a piece of paper with the red-to-yellow marker. 

The next day, it was still red. Nothing had happened. No magic, no alchemy. We wondered, how does it turn yellow? The following morning, when we looked at it still sitting there on the table unchanged, we wondered aloud again. 

I stared at it for another moment.

"Let’s change it,” I said. Kingston nodded in agreement.

I looked at the shape of it, the blob of ink. Suddenly, I thought it looked something like an alligator's head. So I made it into one.

Kingston, being four and bossy and therefore a natural art director, began telling me what to add. 

“Put legs! Then a crow eating the alligator!” I added a body and legs then drew a little crow pecking at it. Hm.

“Now the clouds!” He said. “Oh, and snow! And ants climbing on the alligator!"

Now we were really cooking. The orginal patch of color on the paper had taken on its own life and become something quite other than what it had been. 

How elements – ingredients, objects that seem to definitely be one thing, or perhaps a mark on paper – can be quickly transformed into something else has always fascinated me. 

Maybe it comes from being a kid and watching my brother, Warren, draw as he sat in front of the TV. If I kept my eye on his hand moving across the blank sheet of paper, a few scratches and lines might turn into something magical like a cat sitting in a window, gazing out at the world.

For me, this was better than anything on television. 

Or, maybe my fascination with transformation came from watching women I knew cooking in the kitchen. The essential nature of cooking, after all, is alchemy. 

For example. Take a carrot, some celery, onion, chop everything up and add water, and you have a very simple vegetable broth.

Leave some heavy cream out on the counter overnight with a spoonful of buttermilk in it and it becomes a thick and delicious creme fraiche. 

But what comes to the front of my mind when I think back to the kitchen and being really little is watching my mother toss a live turtle into a smoking hot wok then clamping the metal lid down before the creature could crawl out. 

Later that same day, we took the soup (thank you transmuted turtle) to my Uncle Fish, who was very sick in the hospital. The healing liquid was poured out of a green thermos and spooned into his parched mouth.

Alchemy, yes.

Cooking is transformation itself and something we can all partake in. Who, after all, would turn down a bit of magic in their lives? Not I.

Beef, Lamb and Spinach Meatballs with Yogurt Sauce
I have a few people in my life who don't eat lamb for whatever reason. A mental repulsion or perhaps it's "too gamey" for them. The greens and beef used here, along with spices and the yogurt, transform these ingredients into a well-flavored meatball that I think is truly delicious. You can make more small ones for an appetizer or larger ones as a main. Up to you.

Lightly adapted from Jerusalem.

Makes 16-18 medium-sized meatballs. 

Ingredients

For the meatballs:
1/2 lb. ground lamb
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 bunch fresh spinach, stems removed and washed or 1 - 10 oz. package of frozen spinach, defrosted
1/4 cup finely minced onion
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
5 tablespoons neutral oil for searing

For the yogurt sauce:
1 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 teaspoon sumac, or substitute in another tablespoon of lemon juice

Instructions
Make the sauce first. Stir together all ingredients in a small bowl and chill until needed.

Preheat oven to 425°F. 

If using fresh spinach, heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add spinach leaves and cover for 5 minutes. Leaves will be wilted and will have released a small amount of liquid. Allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out excess liquid then chop roughly. If using frozen spinach, squeeze out excess liquid then chop roughly.  

In a large bowl, combine lamb, beef, spinach, onion, egg, parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt, and both peppers. Combine gently then with your hands then form into balls, small or medium. 

In a large frying pan, pour oil and heat oil over medium-high until it is hot. Sear the meatballs for about 4 minutes, until golden brown. 

Transfer the meatballs to a baking sheet and place in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes until they are just cooked through and tender. Serve warm or at room temperature with the yogurt sauce.

In Middle Easterm, Mains, Lamb, Meat Tags Lamb and Spinach Meatballs
2 Comments
Change is in the air/hair. #haircut #newhair #goldcombsalon #pnwfall
When’s the last time you saw a 5-day old baby donkey? We saw this one today. He stopped to say hi to us after nuzzling his sweet mama. #cutenessoverload #donkey #farmlife #pnw
New bread board, close up. My goodness, what an amazing Mother's Day present! It's a single piece of maple 2 1/2 x 4 feet with gorgeous spalting. Mark the woodworker at Hardwood to Get here in town spiffed it all up for me. Happy Mother's Day to all
So here's my question. If it's a double rainbow does that mean there are two pots of gold? #rainbow #pnw #pnwspring
This book! Ugh, just glorious. My brother keeps those Amazon warehouse robots busy by sending me amazing books he thinks I should read. Everyone needs a brother like him. #emilferris #readingbingetonight #myfavoritethingismonsters #graphicnovel
Bold bake for breakfast today. It's the rye-wheat from @blainewetzel 's beautiful Sea and Smoke. I love how this book highlights so many special plants and ingredients we have in this area, including those right here across the bay from alumni. #rye
From the weekend Easter Egg Hunt. While all the kids and competitive kids-at-heart were running through the woods looking for eggs, I was on the forest floor snipping nettles and fiddleheads. Priorities, you know? I managed to leave the hunt with one
Ssh! Don't tell. We went off the trail! But then we found salamander eggs, tree frogs and touched our fingers to a cascade of sap flowing down the side of a Douglas Fir tree. Spring means the woods are noisy and so alive. #exploringnature #nature #wo
So I was minding my own business, trying to get a #crumbshot of the Country Loaf I made during @matts_miche 'a awesome bakealong, when someone's paper airplane landed exactly on top of my loaf. #photobombed #bread #bread🍞#naturallyleavened #sourdoug
“It is impossible not to love someone who makes toast for you. People’s failings, even major ones such as when they make you wear short trousers to school, fall into insignificance as your teeth break through the rough, toasted crust and sink into the doughy cushion of white bread underneath. Once the warm, salty butter has hit your tongue, you are smitten. Putty in their hands.”
— Nigel Slater

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