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| BEV'S FAVA BEAN STROGANOFF |
Well, it's been long enough...like more than a year...last Thanksgiving. It was a long, busy and semi-rough year. I thought I had a stable job, but I was cut to half time. Surviving well enough and I have a new significant other in my life...which is the best news I've had in years.
While in Little India a few weeks ago, I went nuts over all the wonderful food items I saw in the grocery stores there on Pioneer Blvd: fresh turmeric, gooseberry juice, coconut cream, lentils of all kinds, produce and roots I had never seen before. I bought a ton of stuff and couldn't wait to share my joy with an Indian colleague of mine. She was amused at how excited I was; she laughed and said, "I didn't know you were such a foodie!"
After watching all those scarily addicted chefs and cupcake war soldiers on The Food Network, I had never seen myself as a "foodie"...but I guess I am. At least I LIKE food, different, GOOD food, and I also like to experiment.
I come from a long line of great cooks. My mother can cook anything and make it taste fabulous. There isn't enough space to write about it here. Furthermore, she loves to entertain and has been known to take pictures of her food-laden party tables and e-mail or snail them to me for my pleasure. My father could also take things out of the refrigerator and mix them into something delicious...all impromptu and improvised.
My paternal grandmother was a most amazing cook and baker. She has a zillion and one recipes, mostly new and different and partially gourmet...and she made every one of them while she was living. She went by the book and everything always turned out to be divine. She introduced me to Red Velvet Cake (originally called "The American Beauty Cake") with the authentic frosting...not the heavy cream cheese that everyone puts on it nowadays. She also introduced me to such wonders as twice-baked potatoes, bacon burgers, eggs Benedict, carmel toast and a decadent non-alcoholic dessert drink called "Apricoffee Frost".
My maternal grandparents were excellent cooks too...yes, my grandpa as well! Whereas my dad's mom resided in Chicago and had a more urban edge to her cuisine, my mom's parents lived on a farm. They made equally wonderful dishes, but their cooking was the countrified fare of the Midwest, AND they rarely used a recipe. They spoke in terms of pinches, smidgens, dabs, dashes and dollops. They introduced me to homemade rhubarb pie and preserves, country potato salad, wilted lettuce, chicken fried in left-over drippings from a can on the stove, green beans done basically the same way as the chicken, homemade macaroni and tomatoes, homemade tomato soup, country chili, homemade biscuits and cornbread, squash pie and fried apples...and of course rock gut coffee in which a spoon could almost stand alone. (Eat your heart out espresso lovers!) :)
I can't move forward with this entry until I also mention my paternal Aunt Jane. She was a phenomenal cook. My foodie memories of her include her mouthwatering Swedish green mashed potatoes, homemade potato bread, a tangy Italian casserole with noodles and sour cream that should have won a Food Network medal. She made tantalizing desserts, including an angel food cake that was so soft you could cut it with a feather...literally.
So, I come from the best of cooking worlds: those who went by the book and those who improvised. When I have time, I do a bit of both and that is what I did today: a variation on an old recipe for "Bean Stroganoff" that I found back in the 80s. Believe me, it was hard to track down a recipe that was close enough, but I did, and my favorite "sous chef" taste tester, Kate, backs me 100%.
Tomorrow I will have pictures and recipes for you. Meanwhile, have a good food day this rainy Sunday in Southern California!
So glad to be back!
Peace and Happy, Healthy, Cruelty-Free Eating,
Bev
