Scones for President

I don't like how messy scones are to make. Which, now that I write that, seems counter to my cooking personality. But there's soggy dough stuck in every crack on my dry hands after kneading. And I always forget to take off my rings before digging into stuff like this. But for once the scones were worth the effort. This recipe is so biscuit-y, and I mean that in the best way. The jam was the perfect topper, if a bit too sweet.

Scottish Scones: from Orangette 2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick cold, unsalted butter
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 or 2 cups of raisins
1/2 cup half-and-half--I substituted yogurt mixed with some milk
1 large egg Preheat oven to 425. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir together using your fingers--this was according to directions in A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg and I really liked the technique. Add the sugar and butter, continue mixing with your hands until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

In a separet, smaller bowl, whisk together yogurt and egg (adding some orange peel here would be tasty). Pour wet mixture into large bowl, stir with a spatula until dough is moistened. Turn dough out on a floured surface. Knead five or six times, being careful not to overwork. Spread out, using your hands, into a circle about 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 pieces of even thickness and equal size. Arrange on a baking sheet. Brush with milk. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Granola

Maybe I'll write something later. In the meantime, you should make this granola.

Whatever you do, do not forget pistacios.

Granola: from Sprouted Kitchen 2 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons honey 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1 tablespoon vanilla 3 cups oats 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds (couldn't find these at the grocer, totally fine without) 3/4 cup pistacios (the best part, don't forget these) 1 cup raw slivered almonds 2 tablespoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cup raisins Preheat oven to 325. In a skillet, melt the butter, brown sugar, applesauce, honey and vanilla on medium-low heat until it's of a smooth consistency. Turn off heat.

Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl, combine oats, all the nuts, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter mixture to the oat/nut mixture, stirring to coat. Spread the granola out on a baking sheet or pan of just about any size. Bake in oven for 15 minutes. Remove and stir. Place back in the oven for another 15 minutes. Remove and stir again. Bake for a final 15 minutes. Mix raisins in with granola while warm.

Squash Chutney

I made something last night that sort of stank up the entire apartment. Megs and I were vegging on the couch, having a laugh riot about the Daily Show. I took a whiff. I think potent would be a good word. I don't know that it necessarily smelled bad. Megan described it as Easter eggs, which makes sense because there was a whole lot of vinegar going on.

Alright, so what is chutney and why did I decide to spend three hours making it? When I think chutney, I think India (though I do not recall having anything similar to it while there). It does typically have Indian spices and ingredients (i.e. mango chutney flavored sometimes with cumin/coriander/etc). There's a lot of room for variation, which makes me excited to give it another go. In briefer terms, I'd call it the Indian version of salsa.

When I saw the recipe on a blog, I realized it would be a good way for me to use up the rest of my squash. And I actually had all of the ingredients necessary to make it, except that I used balsamic vinegar instead of white wine. (Thus the crazy black color of the sauce.)

Unfortunately, this hors d'ouevre is not about instant gratification. The chutney will be sitting in my fridge for a couple weeks while the vinegar ferments. I'll give you an update in March, but so far it looks delicious even if it doesn't smell so. Squash Chutney: 1/2 butternut squash

4 medium cooking apples (OK, all I had were Galas, whatever)

1/2 large onion

1 1/2 cups raisins (red or white, currants or sultanas)

2 cups combination of brown and white sugar (the recipe I followed used more white than brown, I just happend to measure out more brown than white, I'll let you know in a couple weeks if that was a bad thing)

2 cups vinegar (using different vinegars will lend a different flavor, I predict that balsamic will be very overpowering of the rest of the spices, I think the choice would depend on what other ingredients were in the chutney and what vinegar you had on hand, probably don't use whatever you've got under your kitchen sink, unless it's a last resort)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon coriander

1/2 tablespoon sage

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Peel and finely chop squash, apples and onion. This may take a while, so turn on some music. I recommend cooking to Jamie Cullum or the new Andrew Bird.

Toss the fruit and vegetables into a big ol' pot. Pour in your vinegar, sugar, herbs and spices. Bring it all to a boil then reduce to a simmer. It may appear that you don't have enough liquid to boil and properly cook everything. Don't worry, the fruit and vegs will cook down almost immediately. So simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring periodically. Warning: Do not stick your nose straight above the pot, the vinegar will burn. It's done when the sauce is thickened about to the consistency of molasses.

Matt Wright served this with a baguette and soft cheese, and it makes me want to eat it through the computer screen. Variations will be the best part of this dish. Tomatoes, mangos, apparently coconut is popular, citrus, I nearly added garlic to this one. And then there's the herbs and spices. I think a citrus chutney would be good with some jalapeno. I mused for a moment about putting in some mushrooms but decided against it.

Broccoli Raisin Salad

Broccoli and I have never got on very well. It was the vegetable that caused many a long night sitting at the dinner table after everyone else had finished. I can recall hiding the limp vegetable under my plate once--it was, of course, discovered. I even tried to slip some to our cocker spaniel--she didn't eat it.

Nowadays, it's another thing on my list that I've grown to enjoy--though I suspect my stomach disagrees. I'd say the conversion took place when I stopped eating any sort of frozen vegetable.

I've had this salad before at Christmas or Easter. I decided to make it for a pot luck at work. There are some folks at work trying to lose weight, and I figured this could be a nice alternative to all the fried chicken, meatballs, chips, dips and cookies that would be making up the majority of the buffet. I'm sure it would have been, had I remembered to take it out of the refrigerator that morning. I even made it using turkey bacon to boost the salads health factor--mistake. Turkey bacon is horrible. Never use it. It's suspiciously pink and turned out tough and flavorless.

Broccoli Raisin Salad: 1 head of broccoli 1/2 cup raisins 1-2 ounces bacon optional: sunflower seeds For dressing: 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 tablespoons vinegar 1 tablespoon sugar pinch of salt and pepper Trim broccoli florets and place in bowl. Toss with raisins. Mix dressing ingredients in a separate bowl and toss with broccoli. Marinate overnight. Add crisp, fatty bacon.