Welcome and good morning…This week on this topsy turvy blog of mine where nothing stays the same…most of the time the only constant is the fact my posts are food-related of course…I was challenged way back at the beginning of this year by Pete…who suggested that maybe I should use ingredients and cooking methods where the letter used, for example, was the last letter i.e Pizza(A)…

On reflection, I think it was a good idea although how I will fare when I get to some letters I am not sure if it will be doable, but, I will give it a good go… I am not one to back off if challenged…hehe

Today is the letter D ..easy as pie but not so many fruits and veggies it is more processes which I hope doesn’t bore you and at least one is new to you…

 

Arrowhead…

Also known as duck potato…it has round white or bluish tubers that are full of essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals. It has a taste which is similar to potatoes and chestnuts. Roots have long been a significant food source to ethnic peoples of the Americas. Tubers are separated from the ground by several methods: by using the feet, a pitchfork, or even a stick, and generally, come to the surface. quite easily.

How to Eat…

• Tubers can be dried and ground into a powder, this powder can be used as gruel or combined with cereal flours and used to make bread.
• American Indians slice the boiled roots into thin sections and then string them on ropes to dry in much the same way as apples.
• Root raw or cooked, excellent when roasted, the texture is slightly like potatoes with a taste like sweet chestnuts.

Braised…

If something is braised then it is cooked on a low heat and very slowly a good way to cook the tougher cuts of meat and usually results in a glorious tasty gravy. Like this Beef Rendang pictured below a favourite in our house which produces a lovely thick gravy.

Broiled…

If something is broiled it is cooked under an intense heat …As a native English speaker, I would call this method of cooking grilling…Although technically one refers to a top heat and the other to heat which comes from below i.e a BBQ.

Candied…

Preserved by boiling in sugar… this method is applied to fruits which are also known as crystallized fruit or glacé fruit, which has existed since the 14th century. Whole fruit, smaller pieces of fruit, or pieces of peel, are placed in heated sugar syrup, which absorbs the moisture from within the fruit and eventually preserves it.

I love preserved ginger as did my grandmother…

Chard…

Is a green leafy vegetable which often has large stalks which are prepared separately to the leaves…Swiss chard is a favourite of mine quite simply cooked in olive oil with garlic and red pepper…

Chickweed…

As the name suggests is a weed which can grow quite prolifically on a lawn and if your pleasure is a beautifully manicured lawn then I am guessing that you don’t dig it up and eat it…Over the last few years, it has grown very popular with those who forage…

Raw, it tastes exactly like corn silk, if you’ve ever tried that. Cooked it is similar to spinach though the texture is different. It can be added to soups or stews but in the last five minutes to prevent overcooking. Unlike many wild edibles, the chickweed’s stems, leaves, flowers and seeds are all edible. It does hold nitrates and people with allergies to daisies might want to pass it by. Only the Mouse-Ear chickweed should be cooked because of texture issues. The rest of the Chickweeds can be eaten raw but I think they taste better cooked.

Coddled…

In cooking, coddled eggs are eggs that are gently or lightly cooked in water just below the boiling temperature in or out of the shell or other container. They can be partially cooked, mostly cooked, or hardly cooked at all. Poached eggs are a type of coddled egg cooked in water.

Curd…

Is the solid substance which is formed when milk turns sour which is used as a food or made into cheese…It is also the name of the broccoli and cauliflower heads which when cut into small pieces are called florets.

Devilled…

To “devil” food means to season it aggressively, perhaps with a bit of chilli or black pepper heat.

… It can also imply that the food is tinged with red (think paprika sprinkled on top of devilled eggs)

Desiccated…

In cookery is the method used to dry food by removing the moisture i.e desiccated coconut

Fiddlehead…

Are tightly furled tips of ferns again mainly collected in early spring by foraging…Foraging seems to come up a lot on this post but I do believe it is growing in popularity.

Foraged…

To forage is the act of gathering wild food…something which is very popular with the Thais it is done on a daily basis by many…As with all foraging be aware and if in doubt…don’t eat it!

Lily aged 7 yrs out foraging with her mummy…children are taught young here how to forage safely…

Infused…

To infuse is a method of extracting flavours from plant/fruits in water, oil or alcohol, by steeping them for a few minutes or longer i.e. tea or chilli oil…

Fruit waters are another lovely infusion. or beautiful herbs infused in olive oil wonderful over pasta…

Poached…

A method of cooking eggs or fish in water or milk with the addition of aromatics.

Seaweed…

Edible seaweed or sea vegetables are seaweeds which can be eaten or used in the preparation of food…High in fibre, vitamins and minerals, it is becoming increasingly popular around the world. It’s the best dietary source of iodine, which helps support your thyroid gland.

Sauteed…

Scad…

The yellowtail scad is an abundant species of small inshore marine fish of the jack family, Carangidae.

Image by takedahrs from Pixabay 

The species is widespread in the Indo-Pacific region from East Africa in the west to Hawaii in the east, extending north to Japan and south to Australia.

 

Shad…

The shad spends most of its life in the Atlantic Ocean but swims up freshwater rivers to spawn.   In the marine environment, shad are schooling fish. Thousands are often seen at the surface in spring, summer, and autumn. They are hard to find in the winter, as they tend to go deeper before spawning season in the range 13–18 °C (55–64 °F) they have been pulled up in nets as deep as 65 fathoms (119 m).

Like other herrings, the American shad is primarily a plankton feeder but eats small shrimp and fish eggs. Occasionally they eat small fish, but these are only a minor item in their general diet.

When the dam’s away, the fish will play: Demolition on Brandywine Creek is restoring shad

That’s all for this week see you in two weeks for the letter E (poutinE)

Please stay safe as it seems in some places lockdowns are being introduced again…not good xx

About Carol Taylor:

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and well being.

The environment is also something I am passionate about and there will be more on this on my blog this year

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…Then, I will be happy!

Please stay safe and well and follow your governments safety guidelines remember we are all in this together xxx