The Pineapple Theorem

What's in a pineapple besides bromelain and vitamin C? You say fiber or perhaps reference CAM photosynthesis, an adaption to plant survival in arid climates. All true, but the most recent connection I've made is that foods prepared by hand will always win. Freshly cut pineapple, juicy and sweet, is quite a summer treat. And yes, it's a guilty pleasure for somebody who cares about eating locally. Although conventionally grown pineapples do not have a high incidence of transferring pesticides, they are quite a waste of resources getting one shipped to Minnesota.

That said, I took a stab at cutting a pineapple along the spirals of eyes. This keeps more of the sweet fruit intact, allows the butcher to reflect on life, and looks really neat when done.

Copied from somewhere else, "In the 1820s it was discovered that, amazingly, the Fibonacci series frequently occurs in nature, illustrated particularly clearly in the pineapple. The fruitlets are arranged in curving rows: one set goes one way from base to top, the other crosses the first row at an oblique angle. The number of rows of each always conforms to two consecutive numbers from the Fibonacci series: usually 5 and 8 or 8 and 13, depending on the variety. Every single fruit is the same in this respect. In practical terms, this minimises the amount of mechanical stress exerted on it during growth. But it also means that it fulfils the properties of Divine Proportion—it is, mathematically, perfect."

The Curry Connection

The first time I made red curry, I worked a significant mount of brow sweat into my dish. Using the traditional method of grinding herbs and spices with a mortar and pestle, like toasted coriander and lemon grass, I was able to produce a delicious and aromatic curry paste. The flavors were dynamic and bright, with an almost chewy texture. As I enjoyed a hot bowl of red curry, I tried to think of ways to speed up the process for next time.


So machines, and kitchen power tools, do make our lives easier, but not necessarily more delicious. I took a spice grinder to my next curry production, cutting the time, and sweat, in half. But I also cut the flavor. Ouch. My machine-aided-paste was flat, smooth, and lacked character. It's like the difference between mom's chocolate chip cookies, roughly shaped and slightly burned, and Chips Ahoy. My paste might have had a giant glacier of garlic floating around or leftover fibrous ginger rafts, but it was down-home good.

Lesson learned. Join me for red curry sometime, and know that I busted ass to whop those fresh ingredients into something wonderful.

Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread

I made this recipe below with cooked squash instead of pumpkin, and it turned out wonderfully.

http://theholisticchef.blogspot.com/2008/12/wonderful-and-moist-gf-pumpkin-bread.html


Now, this bread is gluten free, but you do not have to be gluten intolerant to enjoy it.

I was looking for a special dessert to bring to Thanksgiving dinner that I knew I could eat safely and wanted it to be something others could enjoy too. I also didn't want to do a pumpkin pie. I tried a couple recipes that I found online but none of them were quite right. This is what I ended up with and it is incredibly moist, almost too moist that it never felt completely baked. I have adjusted the liquid here to compensate.

I am not sure of how many standard loaf pans this recipe fills. I made one pan of 4 small loafs made by Wilson, see pic below. I think it will fill 2 to 3 regular size loaf pans.


The Ingredients . . .
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar (I used 1 cup maple crystals, 1/2 cup sucanat, 1/2 cup brown sugar)
1/2 cup grapeseed or canola oil
1 15 oz can organic pumpkin
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups gluten free flour (I used 1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 quinoa flour, 1/4 sorghum, 1/4 potato starch, 1/4 cup tapioca flour, 1/4 cup millet flour)
1 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp sea salt

The Bread . . .
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray your baking pans with a little olive or canola oil and then line with parchment paper.

Beat eggs in a medium mixing bowl with a hand mixer until a little frothy. Add the sugar and continue to beat until smooth. Add the oil, pumpkin, and vanilla and stir together with a spatula.

In a separate bowl, stir to mix the remaining ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to mix.


Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35 minutes, rotating half way through. Test with a toothpick or wooden skewer for doneness. Cool on a wire rack.

Polenta with FourYear Cheddar & Shiitake-

I started with polenta, made from course grits - a little rice vinegar, smoked paprika, and salt. Topped with shiitake mushrooms, poblano peppers, and four-year aged cheddar. In the background, I made a slaw with nappa cabbage, radicchio, and yogurt.

The real star of this dish was the piquante pepper sauce drizzled on top. I pureed piquante (peppadew) peppers with blanched red bell pepper, adding olive oil and salt. The piquantes are very bright, tangy, and sweet...balanced with a little heat and a vinegar tang. I used the leftover sauce on white jasmine rice as side dish to the next evening's trout dinner. Yum.

Domino's New Pizza

I recently came across this bit of marketing from Domino's. Watch Video As a die-hard pizza lover, who makes his own pizza from scratch weekly, I always keep my eye on the pie.

If you don't have time to watch the video...Domino's has crafted a "documentary" that is very engaging. It's a narrative that starts with the company talking about the negative feedback they get from customers, "tastes like cardboard, microwave pizza is better." Then, they talk about how much they love food, and CEO David Brandon describes that it's time to rethink their pizza from the ground up.

The video is very compelling. While I would typically avoid a conventional-unnatural delivery pizza, I will happily order one of these just for research sake. The marketing approach successfully creates a solid emotional appeal, backed with the human touch of acknowledging mistakes and growing. This is, in my opinion, an amazing example of how to build buy-in and reinvigorate a stagnant brand. Wow!

Happy Holidays,

Roo

Pizza Recipe from scratch

Pizza from Scratch

I’ve been trying to make the perfect dough for months now, making pizza
once weekly…perfecting the recipe with little tweaks in both
ingredients and rise times. The following is the culmination of my limited
experience.

Crust (thin) One 13” Pizza
3/4 Cup water (warm)
1 tsp yeast
1/2 T sugar
1 T olive oil
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 3/4 Cup flour

Crust (regular) One 13” Pizza
1 Cup water (warm)
1 1/2 tsp yeast
1 T sugar
1 1/2 T olive oil
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 1/2 Cup flour

Flour Selection
The right flour is key. Different brands of flour will wildly change the character of the dough. Pastry flour will work if you want a more flaky crust. It will produce a more croissant like flavor, almost like a Totino’s frozen pizza, more pasty.

I wanted a soft and lofty crust, plush with big holes throughout, like typical delivery pizza. Use an unbleached wheat flour, all purpose. I tried four different brands before finding the perfect flour for my taste. I settled upon Swany unbleached organic white flour, runner up was a gold n’white variety.

Dough Production
Mix all ingredients together except for the flour. Add in about half of the flour and mix with a big spoon. Once all the liquid is absorbed, add the remaining flour and incorporate by hand. Do not over mix. Cover the dough ball in a bowl and leave out for about 8 hours. I usually sprinkle some water on the outside of the ball and around the bowl before covering. The dough will work after only an hour or so, but not as well. Plan ahead and commit to good pizza!

Mixed Ingredients without Flour                            Dough After Mixing

         

Rolling
After about 8 hours, your dough should be fluffy and fully of holes.  Sprinkle some flour on the counter top where the dough will be rolled.  It helps to coat your hands in flour too.  Knead the risen dough with your hands briefly, then roll out with a pin.

Final Production & Bake
Both dough recipes are for the same size 12” pizza. I use a rolling pin and try to get a consistent thickness. To really get a good pizza, you’ll need a baking stone. Preheat the oven, with the stone inside, to 550 degrees. It may take up to 30 minutes. Commercial pizza ovens are very hot, up to 700 degrees.  Prepare all your toppings and set aside. 

About Toppings
I like to use part-skim mozzarella, still in block form. Already shredded cheeses usually have an anti-caking agent.  I shred it fresh. Use about ½ pound per pizza of mozzarella.  I really like red onions, and to get them a little caramelized I always place them on top, sliced thin.

For tomato sauce, I use a quality red pasta sauce.  You can make your own from scratch, but the difference in taste is not worth it.

For a less cheesy variation, use about 1/3 pound gorgonzola or blue cheese.  Instead of a tomato sauce, brush the whole crust with olive oil, then sprinkle in fresh chopped basil and garlic.  Evenly space cubes of gorgonzola, and it will spread out some.  Finish with your favorite vegetables and meats.  Then drizzle with more olive oil, a little balsamic vinegar to give it some zing, and some salt.

Thin Crust with Gorgonzola
         
Baking
After the oven is warmed, dough rolled, and ingredients ready, it’s time for the final assembly. Pull the warm stone out of the oven, sprinkle the stone with coarse corn meal, and stretch your untopped dough on top. It will start to bake, but don't worry about it. The crust will need a head start, and there’s no need to rush. Add your toppings, brush edges with olive oil, and place back in the oven for 5 – 7 minutes.  The crust will seem stiff when first pulled out of the oven but will soften some during cooling.  Make sure to remove the pizza from the stone to let it cool down. 

     

DIY Cool Shirt

DIY Cool Shirt Cooling System

updated 4/4/09

The following instructions used the ideas from here , combined with my own additions.  I was so excited to finally find somebody that had already done this and provided such great instructions.  I completed the project myself and added in some changes.  The pictures of the red cooler were the from the original instructions.  Feel free to contact me with any suggestions or ideas for improvements.  Andrew -  roocox@gmail.com

Parts

13 Quart Cooler - Ulra Cool Cooler / Dry Box A standard Igloo will leak around the lid.  This one also has slots for an included strap to secure to your car.

Pump - I got a Rule 500 GPH Pump
for $25. I did the research, Rule is the best, 3-year warranty. 

Fittings And Such - All from Home Depot, except for the nuts and washer were from Ace.

- (2) 1/2″ diameter, 2″ long nipples (pipe threaded on both ends).

- (4) Thin nuts, 1/2″ coarse thread. The nuts need to be able to thread onto the nipples.  Nipples are all tapered towards the inside, so don't go crazy trying to tighten the nut down through all the threads.

- (8) washers that can slip over the nipples.

- (2) 1/2″ female to 1/4″ compression fittings with inserts to fit in 0.170″ ID tubing

- (1) 1/2" coupler

- (1) 1/2" barb

- ~ 8" of 1/2" clear vinyl hose

- Roll of teflon tape

- Quick disconnect plug for pump wiring

Tubing

- (25) feet of 1/4″ OD vinyl tubing. This is what goes in the shirt.

- (25) feet of 1/4″ OD polyethylene tubing. Typically used as the cold
water supply for refrigerators. This is what goes from the cooler to
the shirt. It needs to be different tubing because you use a
compression fitting on the cooler end of the tubing.

- (10) feet of foam pipe insulation. 1/2″ inside diameter works fine.

Quick Disconnects

- (4) Sockets - McMaster-Carr part number 5923K31 - $8 each or so

- (4) Inserts - McMaster-Carr part number 5923K61 - $7 each or so

I wanted quick disconnects at both the shirt end and the cooler end.

 

Shirt - Get a TIGHT shirt. If you wear a Large, get a medium. It needs to be skin tight. Kmart has nice shirts made from solid, pre-washed cotton.  I bought two, the extra was for the patch used to attach the tubing to the shirt.

Silicone - A small tube of GE Silicone II works well.

Putting it Together

Cooler

I wanted the pump to be removable  in case of the need to replace or service it.  Using the 1/2" vinyl tube to connect the pump to the lower water port made the most sense.  I had to heat the tube to fit it around the pump's plastic port. The Cooler comes with a plastic tray.  I just zip-tied the pump to the tray, and the tray just sits, unsecured, in the bottom of the cooler.  

Make sure to put the fittings outside of the line where the strap will pass through.

 

Cooler 2

 

Cooler 1 (original)

Shirt

Hopefully you or someone you know has a sewing machine and is not
afraid to use it! The concept here is that you will need to sew two
panels onto the shirt — one on the front and one on the back. You will
only use vertical stitching on the panel since the tubing is going to
thread up and down between the panel and shirt. The tubing enters the
front of the shirt one one side, goes up and down through the
“channels” in the panel, hooks around to the back, does the serpentine
thing again, and ends up next to the inlet tubing.

Here are diagrams of the front and back. The grey shaded area is the
panel you cut out of pillowcase or sheet material. The red lines are
the stitching, and the blue lines are the clear vinyl tubes.

PetSmart sells silicon tube that is much more flexible and soft.  I may use that instead of the vinyl tubing. I've got my friend sewing the shirt panel.  So I'll add some updates once I put the system to the test.  I might just run some tests, and take temperature readings to see which material, vinyl or silicon, transfers the greatest amount of cold.

Start out by putting on the shirt (TIGHT!) and your HANS and sit in
a chair. Mark on the shirt (water soluble markers from my daughter’s
art box worked great) where the HANS lays. Also mark 3″ or so above
where lap belt falls - that’ll be the bottom of the panels.

Cut out the panels. Center them on the shirt horizontally, and line
them up with the line you drew that’s 3″ above the lap belt. Sew up the
sides of the panels, then sew the channels that will guide the tubing.
The channels should be 1.5″ wide or so — but make sure there is an even
number of them so the tubing works out. I used 12 channels on both the
front and back.

Thread the vinyl tubing through the shirt, being careful to not
twist it in the shirt — it’s not a huge deal, but it will not lay flat
if there are twists. Leave 5 feet or so of extra tubing at the
beginning so you can have flexibility in where things go at the end.
The tubing should enter and leave the shirt on the same side, e.g. in
the front on the left, and out the back on the left.

The vinyl on the left goes to the shirt, with McMaster-Carr quick disconnects in the middle.  I added the barbs for an emergency disconnect, in case somebody needed to pull me out of the car without having to push the button on the McMaster disconnect.  In reality, the vinyl tube would probably slip out of the quick disconnect with enough force.  I thought the barbs might make tech a little happier...

Shirt Connections

Finish Up

Wire up the pump, ideally with a fused and switched circuit. You
don’t want it on all the time, and if the pump burns up you don’t want
to take down the car’s electronics. Make a power distribution block
and fuse block that sits in the center console and used a metal toggle
switch for the pump circuit.  You can also use the Cool Shirt switch.  I think it is a digitally controlled rheostat that may reduce the chances of burning out the pump at lower voltages.  My car already had this installed so I'm using it.