to empower a woman to claim her birthright as sensual, ecstatic, juicy.
spring!
the season's madness all started w/women's sexuality during the most punishing/rewarding month of my pro(fessional) life... my grrrl the tantrika - of the white tigress sect - had a women's sexuality workshop & wanted me to contribute the chocolate dipped offerings from my blog. so i did the aforementioned (found in feb/2012 'hungry niggas are the worst') spiced chocolate oranges & bananas - & let me just say that while i really hate watching chefs pat themselves on the back @ a feast well done ("Mmmmmm-Hmmmmm - this is good, y'all" - ala paula deen - as a matter of fact, fuck a paula deen & a rachel ray, given that paula's sinister ass kept cooking diabetes specials long after she knew she had 'sugar in her blood' (((fried butter, anyone? no? well how about a burger nestled betwixt 2 GLAZED DOUGHNUTS))) & rachel ray, who devoted an entire show to pertinent cooking tips that involve poking holes in hot-dogs - yes hot-dogs - b/c who doesn't need a cooking class on hot-dogs??? - when you boil them so they don't explode & a coleslaw made of unseasoned shredded cabbage, mayo, mustard, ketchup, & bad taste all around - do these people just not like food???), still, it must be said - the oranges specif. were AMAZING. this is less about my skills than the flavor combo. there is the type of good that smacks you over the head - yet you can only stand so much of it. - like tiramisu, good but cloying - this is where sweets generally live for me. (total cheap, manipulative hype: - an old master lady chef i once worked for cynically said, "if you give people enough fat/sugar/salt, then they will always be happy".) in my career i have always tried to appeal to something more deep/perfumed/mythical than just sweet. the adage sugar tastes good = people are always going to love it - isn't good enough for me. but a sweet that isn't all that sweet, that in fact employs bitter chocolate & oranges w/minimal extra sugar & not only tastes good but MAKES you eat more & more so that by the time you take stock of your sins you have devoured 10 - 15 from a plate of 30 & can only hang your head in shame muttering "but i am not even that sweets bitch!"??? that's my kind of dessert, yo. - & this is a nigga that hates fruit & chocolate - sachertorte? naa - i'll be alright - but the fresh coolness of the orange against that dark bittersweet chocolate?
still recovering.
to this simple offering, working backwards from dessert, i offered a seared scallop dish in a lemon Dom (yes, as in Perignon) butter sauce: yes chile:
sexy seared sea scallops for all around juiciness!!!
1 # sea scallops patted dry, seasoned & set aside to dry once more - this helps them to cook more evenly
3 shallots, sliced
6 cloves garlic sliced
1 cup dom perignon
lemon juice
6 TBSP butter
melt 1 TBSP of the butter in a hot pan; add the scallops immediately, & sear to a crust on one side, about 6 min. turn, lightly brown the other side, & remove from pan. then add the shallots to translucent, the garlic, lem j & dom. reduce a touch, then add the rest of the butter 1TBPS @ a time, whisking till glossy & smooth.
serve.
to add to the pressure cooker that is my life, went to my daughter's school to read green eggs & ham, & to make green eggs & ham ..."& remember kids, Sam-I-Am's narrow-mindedness keeps him from experiencing delicious new foods, & people, too!" & can you believe i was tons more anxiety riddled before presenting to a bunch of (REALLY adorable) 3-year-olds than i have been before most of my catering jobs??? for, like dignitaries & shit??? SMH. but it went well... some of the short ones even had seconds... & i think they even maybe got the inspirational message? maybe. lol.
green eggs & ham:
preheat oven to 375
potato latkes, 1 bag, from fairway
1 dozen eggs, preferably cage free
1 bunch parsley (spinach, arugala, or swiss chard)
1 sm bunch scallions (leek tops or chives)
4 oz grated parmesan
4 tbsp butter
4 oz heavy cream (coconut milk or soy creamer)
1/2 pound turkey pastrami (or turkey bacon, or ham) sliced into inch squares
i used a saute pan, & 2 pie pans - 1 for baking & 1 to bake the turkey-ham squares: bake them w/2 of the TBSP butter till slightly crispy around the edges,
& while that's happening,
slice the latkes thinly, & arrange them in one layer on the bottom of the pan(s) melt the butter & pour over the latke slices
whisk the eggs together w/the cheese, salt & pepper, & the cream
add half the whisked mixture to the blender & pulverize the scallions, & parsley till the mixture is an even green, like 1 min
combine green mixture together w/the other eggs, pour into the latke-lined pie pans, & bake for about 1/2 hour, or until the center has risen, & no longer jiggles...
the next day, it was off to F's for the release/healing/soul-feeding that is an evening @ F's...(BTW - F is nashira's good godfather)
F woke me up in a frenzy: "i'm on my way to JC penney's, picking up a pressure cooker... & i want to make oxtails tonight... you down???" he was breathless. damn.
of course i was down. but he... didn't want to meet like, right now... did he? it was 10AM. sunday is the only day i get to sleep in. i went back to sleep. next thing i knew, another call from F: "& just picked up the oxtails!!! what time you comin?"
no way to sleep even a minute longer. uptown to F's house it was... nashira was happy.
to be honest, i've been lusting after a crockpot, & a pressure cooker for a VERY. LONG. TIME. this is what got me out of bed before 5pm. we CAREFULLY read the instructions, & hopped around remembering every story we'd ever heard about someone's entire dinner ending up on the ceiling, while their entire family ends up in the emergency room getting treated for 3rd degree burns. cautious as hell, we followed the directions to the letter, although F is so brave/dumb/thrill-seeking. he kept playing w/the whistling top - you know the thing that regulates the steam right on top of this thing that could explode @ any minute? - while i literally hid behind the kitchen door. we carefully timed everything, so that by the end, we were both comfortable w/the pressure cooker. & the fall off the bone tenderness was not to be fucked w/y'all!!!
the real perfect cooking time is 1 hour simmer over moderate heat, 1/2 hour pressure cooker, & then back to the simmering pot for another hour.
revolution oxtail stew:
3# oxtails pref. halal
2 vidalia onions sliced
2 heads garlic sliced
4 shallots sliced
1 bunch scallions, sliced into rings
1 quart chix or beef stock
1 cup red wine
soy sauce
home-made tomato paste (w/no canned taste - yuck.) = 1 pomi pckg tomato puree reduced to a thick paste w/1 TBSP virgin coconut oil, about 45 min to 1 hr on a very low, whisper-like flame
red wine to taste we used about 2 cups
1 pound uncooked, unsoaked fava beans
saute the onion family, including the garlic till translucent. add the oxtails & brown a touch. add the tom paste, the stock, & the fava beans, soy sauce, s & p & simmer for about an hour. load the pressure cooker to no more that 2/3 full. follow manufacturer's directions on sealing closed, then pressure cook for 30 min. dump into a second large pot & simmer while you pressure cook the other batches
serve w/rice & peas, if you have any sense.
mushroom rice w/turmeric
crimini mushrooms, 1/2# chopped into quarters
1# rice
3cups chicken or mushroom stock
1 tsp turmeric
2TBSP butter
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
1 lg vidalia onion, medium dice
saute the diced onion & turmeric in the butter till soft/translucent. add the mushrooms & let it rip over a med-high flame till they are nicely toasted around the edges. add the rice, & saute in oil till every grain is coated. add the stock, cover to seal, & do not, for any reason, disturb lid till done. (it's a no-no, you need the steam) bring to boil. covered & when boiling, turn flame down to a whisper. let it rock for 17 min, turn the flame off, let rest for 5 min, then your rice is ready.
next sunday, OMG we were back @ F's for his birthday:
fond memories bouillabaisse:
...there's those butter poached lobsters again (found in the 'don't fuck w/my groove' post, along w/ butter poached oysters), my fantasy was seared scallops lemon/butter/garlic on top of a scandalous bouillabase - & here it is:
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup each chopped onion and leek
4 cloves mashed garlic
6 cloves roast garlic
2 or 3 large, ripe tomatoes
2 1/2 quarts water
Fresh herb sprigs: thyme, parsley, fennel fronds and basil (in any combination)
1/2 teaspoon saffron1 tablespoon sea salt
3 - 4 pounds fish heads, bones, trimmings, shrimp shells (& on this special occasion i had in my possession LOBSTER shells - yes.)
1 # wild sea scallops marinated in lemon zest, salt, garlic, fresh ground black pepper
butter poached lobster (cited in the don't fuck w/my groove post, 5/7/12)
1/2 pounds each peeled shrimp (use the shells for the stock); wild cod, halibut and/or sole cut into chunks, & debearded, scrubbed mussels or clams
2TBPS roux medium brown*
Heat the oil in a tall pot (I used an 8 quart stockpot) over medium heat; add the onion and leek and cook gently until softened. Stir in the garlic(s) and cook for a minute until fragrant, then add the tomatoes, water, herbs, saffron, salt and fish bones. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat so that the broth bubbles slowly without boiling. Cook 60 minutes, then strain the broth into a large bowl or another pot and discard the solids. Pour the broth back into the stockpot and bring to a boil. Add the shrimp and cook until they turn pink, a minute or two. Add the rest of the fish and shellfish, the roux, cover and simmer until the mussels or clams open. Taste the soup and add more salt and freshly ground pepper if needed. add the butter poached oysters & lobster to the bottom of each bowl. ladle the soup on top of this & add the seared scallops last.
*to make a basic roux, use equal weights of fat and flour. melt the butter over medium heat; slowly add the flour to the butter, whisking constantly. within 2 to 3 minutes the roux will have a consistency of a cake frosting. a white roux is done when the flour loses its "raw" smell and begins to develop a toasty aroma but goes no further than a light tan. for darker roux cook, stirring constantly, until the desired color. if you're adding liquid, now is the time. otherwise, immediately remove the pan from the heat and transfer the roux to another container to cool. refrigerated or frozen roux will keep well for up to 2 months.
this was a seafood feast enjoyed by all. & not to be all sensational & shit but really? there was something in the back of all our minds, those two consecutive sundays:
trayvon. trayvon. trayvon. trayvon. trayvon....
& we all know the details; problem is it is not just one death that we are collectively reacting to. it is
rekia boyd, ervin johnson, ramarley graham - all unarmed young people & - these just since 2012 began, & all of this brings to mind one latasha harlins. 1995. buying orange juice in a way menacing enough to justify a korean shopkeeper shooting her in the back & walking, ostensibly on cultural differences (her lawyer argued that she showed no remorse b/c she came from a culture that was, essentially, stoic. how 'bout, she showed no remorse b/c she straight didn't give a fuck? k...)
the country was literally a pressure cooker, waiting to explode those long weeks leading up to fatboy's (GZ = fatboy) arrest. & when there is no way to get the peace of mind/justice that is needed in ay given situation, i usually turn to ancestral feedings.
let's talk about the ancestors, y'all.
BTW, nashira's evil godfather, the lothario D, has authored himself a masterpiece: a curating of ancestral photos from all those who want to contribute. this is my contribution to the black vernacular:
http://theblackvernacular.tumblr.com/post/20081569814/davidgrant
& not to be all on a soap box or anything, but, feeding the ancestors, if you're into that sort of thing, is a good way to keep their knowledge & power near: pick any of your ancestors' collective favorite foods, prepare them w/little if any salt, light a white candle on top of or in front of the food, & pray & meditate. of course if you're not into it, aiiight!!! but those of you that are... ya
i guess it makes sense; this post started w/sex & leads up to ancestral feeding... sex leads to progeny. progeny worship ancestors to create more ease in their lives, & to create descendants whom they must leave behind when they become ancestors... to await the well-deserved worship of their collective descendants...
everyone says, don't read the replies to articles on news sites - but i can't help it. in any case, there was a link to about.com in one of the replies on Huffpost. it was intended to be a link to an explanation of the connection between picnics & lynchings. well, according to about.com, this is fictional b/c "who can really imagine people picnic-ing next to lynched bodies?" ...& that, folks, is why reading the reply section is as important for finding out what people are saying as it is for finding out what people do & do not know:
ACTUALLY,
it is well documented that lynchings were well attended during the daytime & that they, in their heyday took on an almost festival-like levity: w/professional photographers, festive signs commemorating the death of yet another non-white person, & w/memorabilia themed POST CARDS... - please see the fantastic site WITHOUT SANCTUARY for more detailed photographic evidence:
http://withoutsanctuary.org/
i think Miss Lucille Clifton says it best:
When I get to where I’m going I want the death
of my children explained to me.
anywhoo, status quo better watch out... not a good idea to continually allow some of the population to live continuously in a nightmarish past life loop, knowing that our children can be murdered @ any time. it's going to be a long, steaming summer.
& let's talk about summer: we have to be all about reclaiming. this one coming, i shall be transforming everything hateful associated w/bbq's & picnics - b/c we just don't deserve another moment of hatred/injustice/suffering.
& this summer, we will be grilling... & reclaiming joy, which, as far as i'm concerned, is the birthright of black folks... b/c that's the way it's supposed to be isn't it???
peace love, power, & strength y'all till next time, & thank you for reading!
chef/healer, stefanie kelly
