Mmmm…soup
Yes, I’m blogging about a totally typical (for us), completely unremarkable dinner we ate. It’s come to that. But the soup really was quite good, and I really do recommend it. I found the recipe here. It was a link in Gmail. One of those things that clutter up my email window has actually proven useful. Go figure. (If only I weren’t vegetarian, so I could try out some of those spam recipes.) I only made a few changes to the recipe: I used a whole cube of bullion instead of a half as suggested (but used the recommended brand, because it’s my staple too.); I added two large carrots; and I left out the paprika because I didn’t have any. We also had broccoli and shallots sauteed in olive oil, and a nice sourdough bread from New Seasons.
Speaking of which…I’ve been wanting to add sourdough to my bread-baking repertoire. I had originally planned to either order the starter online, or get it from a local bakery. Billy asked at the bread department in New Seasons, and the baker said she would give me some of their starter if I wanted to, but that she didn’t recommend that. She said I would have better results making the starter myself, because starter that works in their store, with the particular ambient bacteria they have, won’t necessarily respond the same way in our house, with a different ambient bacteria. I hadn’t thought of that, but it does make a certain kind of sense, doesn’t it? And according to my bread bible, it seems pretty damn simple to make your own sourdough starter.
I’m now on the hunt for a lidded crock to keep the starter in. My favorite home goods store didn’t have one. I’ve found some online that look okay… I’ve got all these romantic ideas tied up in bread-making, though, and the starter is something that’s going to live with us for a long, long, long time, so part of me thinks it’s worth it to hunt down a charming rustic sorta crock for it. And then part of me says I need to get over it and just buy the big (very big) mason jar I saw at Mirador today that would work just fine. I need to decide soon, though, because I’m itching to get that starter…um…started.
In other news, someone really really really likes his new tool bench.
Here he’s shouting “Hammah hammah hammah!”
What a cute little Doobie! I like his row of little board books, too.
Posted by: Mary K. in Rockport
hee hee… Hammah time!
Posted by: Steph VW
He is so cute in those overalls.
Mmmm. Soup. I wish I had some right now. Beadlizard Sylvia just blogged today about the difficulty of bread baking in a new house with NO ambient yeast.
Posted by: claudia
How about one of those huge clear glass jars, with a crock lid, so you can see the bubbly action?
Posted by: m
Uhm…I’m skeptical about the bacteria-at-your-house reasoning. I think that the bacteria in your starter is going to grow and evolve and incorporate whatever bacteria you have at your house that might be different from New Seasons. It’s a living thing, not static. I would jump at the chance to start with an older starter that already has some character. There are going to be so many variables between bread from a home oven and theirs (I recommend a baking stone and a pan of boiling water in the bottom of the oven)….
I also like to keep starter in glass instead of an opaque container, just so I can see it better.
Just my .02 worth….
Posted by: Lynn in Tucson
What a cute little Doobie! I like his row of little board books, too.
Posted by: Mary K. in Rockport
hee hee… Hammah time!
Posted by: Steph VW
He is so cute in those overalls.
Mmmm. Soup. I wish I had some right now. Beadlizard Sylvia just blogged today about the difficulty of bread baking in a new house with NO ambient yeast.
Posted by: claudia
How about one of those huge clear glass jars, with a crock lid, so you can see the bubbly action?
Posted by: m
Uhm…I’m skeptical about the bacteria-at-your-house reasoning. I think that the bacteria in your starter is going to grow and evolve and incorporate whatever bacteria you have at your house that might be different from New Seasons. It’s a living thing, not static. I would jump at the chance to start with an older starter that already has some character. There are going to be so many variables between bread from a home oven and theirs (I recommend a baking stone and a pan of boiling water in the bottom of the oven)….
I also like to keep starter in glass instead of an opaque container, just so I can see it better.
Just my .02 worth….
Posted by: Lynn in Tucson
Have you ever made anything from the website, 101 cookbooks? Really, good, simple vegetarian food. Her books are also pretty good, I like the latest one better than her first. http://www.101cookbooks.com/
Lisa–a lurking knitter in Portland.
Posted by: Lisa
Dude. There’s a GREAT thread on making your own sourdough starter on Ravelry. It’s in the Locavore discussion group. I printed it out for a co-worker (non knitter), and it was 15 pages long!
I haven’t tried it myself. Maybe next year. This year, it’s all about getting the vegetable garden going. I can only handle one food group at a time.
Posted by: Megan
We just put it in a mason jar. It’s cool to use something clear because then you can see it grow and bubble and fizz. I’ve never heard of the ambient bacteria. We share our starter all the time and it grows just fine. It is also incredibly easy to make your own starter which I would recommend unless you’re looking for the ‘ancient’ stuff which I would gladly grab for you from our pantry. 🙂
Good luck! It’s definitely worth your time. Don’t forget the sourdough blueberry pancakes. YUM. Best with the small sweet Alaska blueberries, but I’ve had them with Oregon blueberries too.
Posted by: Abbey
I grew up eating split pea soup with ham hocks. My secret ingredient for making a comparably savory vegetarian version is Korean pepper paste that uses fermented beans. The right miso would probably also work. Smoked paprika sounds like a wonderful addition. You’ll find a great selection at Pastaworks, and it is nothing like the bland powder used on deviled eggs that most of us Americans associate with it.
Posted by: Andi
Mmm – sourdough! Be sure you get a crock, or jar, big enough. Mine was only 3 cups, which looked plenty big for 2 cups of starter. But it regularly overflowed when I fed it. Now I use a 2-quart jar.
Making your own starter is easy, and you can make decent bread within a week. Over time, the flavor will develop and be uniquely yours. It will change as your “local flora” move in.
Posted by: wendy e
Have you ever made anything from the website, 101 cookbooks? Really, good, simple vegetarian food. Her books are also pretty good, I like the latest one better than her first. http://www.101cookbooks.com/
Lisa–a lurking knitter in Portland.
Posted by: Lisa
Dude. There’s a GREAT thread on making your own sourdough starter on Ravelry. It’s in the Locavore discussion group. I printed it out for a co-worker (non knitter), and it was 15 pages long!
I haven’t tried it myself. Maybe next year. This year, it’s all about getting the vegetable garden going. I can only handle one food group at a time.
Posted by: Megan
We just put it in a mason jar. It’s cool to use something clear because then you can see it grow and bubble and fizz. I’ve never heard of the ambient bacteria. We share our starter all the time and it grows just fine. It is also incredibly easy to make your own starter which I would recommend unless you’re looking for the ‘ancient’ stuff which I would gladly grab for you from our pantry. 🙂
Good luck! It’s definitely worth your time. Don’t forget the sourdough blueberry pancakes. YUM. Best with the small sweet Alaska blueberries, but I’ve had them with Oregon blueberries too.
Posted by: Abbey
I grew up eating split pea soup with ham hocks. My secret ingredient for making a comparably savory vegetarian version is Korean pepper paste that uses fermented beans. The right miso would probably also work. Smoked paprika sounds like a wonderful addition. You’ll find a great selection at Pastaworks, and it is nothing like the bland powder used on deviled eggs that most of us Americans associate with it.
Posted by: Andi
Mmm – sourdough! Be sure you get a crock, or jar, big enough. Mine was only 3 cups, which looked plenty big for 2 cups of starter. But it regularly overflowed when I fed it. Now I use a 2-quart jar.
Making your own starter is easy, and you can make decent bread within a week. Over time, the flavor will develop and be uniquely yours. It will change as your “local flora” move in.
Posted by: wendy e
I got some sourdough starter from here
http://home.att.net/~carlsfriends/
It only cost a SASE. I thought it would be a good way to get my toes wet so to speak.
I am going to use a quart canning jar to keep the starter in. I have some old ones that were left in my house when I moved in that are not safe for canning.
Need to check the loavore on ravelry
Posted by: Rachel
I was checking that recipe out a few days ago. I LOVE split pea soup. Have you tried the one with curry in Vegan with a Vengeance? It’s my absolute favorite.
Posted by: Marlena
Soup and homemade bread sounds wonderful. I love comfort food!
Posted by: knittripps
I wish you luck with the sourdough. Mine never turns out well, and I think I haven’t had good starter. It would definitely be worthwhile to read up on it. Your little guy looks like he is dressed for the job with those overalls. My oldest daughter used to take a hammer around the house and pound on things to ‘fix’ like Daddy. Such a cute age!
Posted by: Kathy
I had a great starter going for about a year – then we moved, and I never got back to the sourdough thing. Definitely a big Mason jar is a good idea – also using and replenishing it frequently to keep it super active. If you are interested in traditional bread making and the secrets of yeast sponges, sourdough, and the subtleties of texture development, try The Village Baker by Joe Ortiz. It completely changed my attitude to bread.
Posted by: Ruth
I got some sourdough starter from here
http://home.att.net/~carlsfriends/
It only cost a SASE. I thought it would be a good way to get my toes wet so to speak.
I am going to use a quart canning jar to keep the starter in. I have some old ones that were left in my house when I moved in that are not safe for canning.
Need to check the loavore on ravelry
Posted by: Rachel
I was checking that recipe out a few days ago. I LOVE split pea soup. Have you tried the one with curry in Vegan with a Vengeance? It’s my absolute favorite.
Posted by: Marlena
Soup and homemade bread sounds wonderful. I love comfort food!
Posted by: knittripps
I wish you luck with the sourdough. Mine never turns out well, and I think I haven’t had good starter. It would definitely be worthwhile to read up on it. Your little guy looks like he is dressed for the job with those overalls. My oldest daughter used to take a hammer around the house and pound on things to ‘fix’ like Daddy. Such a cute age!
Posted by: Kathy
I had a great starter going for about a year – then we moved, and I never got back to the sourdough thing. Definitely a big Mason jar is a good idea – also using and replenishing it frequently to keep it super active. If you are interested in traditional bread making and the secrets of yeast sponges, sourdough, and the subtleties of texture development, try The Village Baker by Joe Ortiz. It completely changed my attitude to bread.
Posted by: Ruth
Yay, starter. Did the King Arthur company have a nice crock? They seem like the type.
Cute tool bench. I love the little drill, especially–baby’s first Makita!! Jacob just got a play kitchen and is having a very comparable blast. “Corn-pea-onion chowder, Mommy! Try some!”
Posted by: Amy
Thanks for letting me know about Mirador! I’d never seen it before and I’ve lived here for years.
Posted by: LeAnne
My most recent starter experience didn’t go very well, so I’m going to check out that Ravelry thread too (thanks, other commenters)!
I love that Thumper’s tool bench came with safety goggles. Safety first!
Posted by: abby
Put him to work fixing things around the house! You can never start too early! 🙂
Posted by: Norma
I used the La Brea bread book for my starter recipe. It took about 3 weeks, if I remember correctly, and then you have to feed it all the time… It’s a great one that you make with organic grapes. I started ours in a 1/2 gallon plastic bucket with a lid that I got new at the paint store. Once the starter was ready, I moved it to a glass jar.
All that said, go for the starter that has been offered to you. That way you can use it right away. Your bread won’t taste the same as the bakery’s anyway because I assume you don’t have commercial ovens with steam sprayers inside of them to make the crust especially crisp.
Posted by: pj
Your son is getting more adorable with each picture-he looks like a little boy now and is losing that “baby” look…ahhh.
As for the starter. There’s a fantastic tutorial by Nancy Silverton who started the La Brea Bakery here in Los Angeles-she sort of pioneered the artisanal bread movement. (via a Julia Child website “Lessons With Master Chefs” -lot’s of other great tutorials there)
http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/meet/silverton.html
Posted by: michele
Yay, starter. Did the King Arthur company have a nice crock? They seem like the type.
Cute tool bench. I love the little drill, especially–baby’s first Makita!! Jacob just got a play kitchen and is having a very comparable blast. “Corn-pea-onion chowder, Mommy! Try some!”
Posted by: Amy
Thanks for letting me know about Mirador! I’d never seen it before and I’ve lived here for years.
Posted by: LeAnne
My most recent starter experience didn’t go very well, so I’m going to check out that Ravelry thread too (thanks, other commenters)!
I love that Thumper’s tool bench came with safety goggles. Safety first!
Posted by: abby
Put him to work fixing things around the house! You can never start too early! 🙂
Posted by: Norma
I used the La Brea bread book for my starter recipe. It took about 3 weeks, if I remember correctly, and then you have to feed it all the time… It’s a great one that you make with organic grapes. I started ours in a 1/2 gallon plastic bucket with a lid that I got new at the paint store. Once the starter was ready, I moved it to a glass jar.
All that said, go for the starter that has been offered to you. That way you can use it right away. Your bread won’t taste the same as the bakery’s anyway because I assume you don’t have commercial ovens with steam sprayers inside of them to make the crust especially crisp.
Posted by: pj
Your son is getting more adorable with each picture-he looks like a little boy now and is losing that “baby” look…ahhh.
As for the starter. There’s a fantastic tutorial by Nancy Silverton who started the La Brea Bakery here in Los Angeles-she sort of pioneered the artisanal bread movement. (via a Julia Child website “Lessons With Master Chefs” -lot’s of other great tutorials there)
http://www.pbs.org/juliachild/meet/silverton.html
Posted by: michele
In case you haven’t tried it yet, the Walnut Coffee Cake in the Tassajara Bread Book is wonderful. It is a family favourite. I once made it for a bake sale and a woman, who knew the cookbook, too, btw, bought 4 pieces of it so she could freeze some for later.
Posted by: Bethany
Sourdough bread making is fun, I used to make all our bread years ago, but got out of the habit somehow, but your posts on bread making are getting me inspired to start again. That and the superior quality of the home made stuff.
Cute Thumper pics too!
Posted by: Sharon
Please, Hammer, don’t hurt ’em.
Posted by: alison
my grandson had one of those little workbenches – he just loved it. He graduated to PawPaw’s shop when he was about 5 1/2 – had to build him little steps so he could work the drill press! Thumper has such a sweet thoughtful face.
Posted by: robin
Spam, really? My FIL is nuts for spam, but he says it is from being a child during WWII. I make a mean beef and barley stew, but that wouldn’t work for you.
Posted by: Jo
In case you haven’t tried it yet, the Walnut Coffee Cake in the Tassajara Bread Book is wonderful. It is a family favourite. I once made it for a bake sale and a woman, who knew the cookbook, too, btw, bought 4 pieces of it so she could freeze some for later.
Posted by: Bethany
Sourdough bread making is fun, I used to make all our bread years ago, but got out of the habit somehow, but your posts on bread making are getting me inspired to start again. That and the superior quality of the home made stuff.
Cute Thumper pics too!
Posted by: Sharon
Please, Hammer, don’t hurt ’em.
Posted by: alison
my grandson had one of those little workbenches – he just loved it. He graduated to PawPaw’s shop when he was about 5 1/2 – had to build him little steps so he could work the drill press! Thumper has such a sweet thoughtful face.
Posted by: robin
Spam, really? My FIL is nuts for spam, but he says it is from being a child during WWII. I make a mean beef and barley stew, but that wouldn’t work for you.
Posted by: Jo
Gosh, he’s growing so big! Such a cutie! My nephew’s spouting words out like crazy too. This week’s word is ‘zamboni’!
I did a sourdough starter last year and from my experience you need a larger storage container than you may think. Mine grew right up and out of the container I had it in! Good luck and I wish you sour dough!
Posted by: Ande
Ooh – that’s my favorite soup. I’ll have to try that recipe. My local Organic Market makes a great soup with fresh peas added to it at the last minute which makes it extra special. Thumper looks oh-so-adorable with his hammah. I’m in utter awe of your garden.
Posted by: Jennifer
Have you tried http://www.lehmans.com? I love them guys.
Posted by: Emily
It’s pretty funny that you are going to whip up a starter, because last-night I was cursing about NOT having any around. I made English muffins, and hubby likes sourdough bread, and I like rye bread, and of course all the good recipes require a starter of some kind. You should document the process!
Posted by: courtney
Gosh, he’s growing so big! Such a cutie! My nephew’s spouting words out like crazy too. This week’s word is ‘zamboni’!
I did a sourdough starter last year and from my experience you need a larger storage container than you may think. Mine grew right up and out of the container I had it in! Good luck and I wish you sour dough!
Posted by: Ande
Ooh – that’s my favorite soup. I’ll have to try that recipe. My local Organic Market makes a great soup with fresh peas added to it at the last minute which makes it extra special. Thumper looks oh-so-adorable with his hammah. I’m in utter awe of your garden.
Posted by: Jennifer
Have you tried http://www.lehmans.com? I love them guys.
Posted by: Emily
It’s pretty funny that you are going to whip up a starter, because last-night I was cursing about NOT having any around. I made English muffins, and hubby likes sourdough bread, and I like rye bread, and of course all the good recipes require a starter of some kind. You should document the process!
Posted by: courtney
I just inherited some starter from a neighbor friend who did a non-yeast version starter. Fantastic! I have made about six loaves in about two weeks, two with unbleached white flour, one with rye and another with some wheat. All fantastic. It’s a two step process, but it works great. Good luck on your sour-dough quest!
Posted by: Wendy
the soup looks wonderful, I may have to give it a try. Your little guys is adorable in his bibs!
Posted by: Heather
They’re awfully pricey, but Le Crueset makes some nice crockery that looks all rustic and such, and they’re nice and heavy.
Posted by: Heather
Thyme!!! Thyme (and marjoram) is great in peasoup. Especially if you can get fresh, but dried also works.
I usually boil some carrots and potatoes in another pot and let people put them in their soup if they want to.
In Sweden every Thursday used to be peasoup day, peasoup and pancakeday, actually. It has changed a bit but people still love peasoup. ( Most of us put mustard in it before we eat it, even when it´s vegetarian).
Posted by: christina
I just inherited some starter from a neighbor friend who did a non-yeast version starter. Fantastic! I have made about six loaves in about two weeks, two with unbleached white flour, one with rye and another with some wheat. All fantastic. It’s a two step process, but it works great. Good luck on your sour-dough quest!
Posted by: Wendy
the soup looks wonderful, I may have to give it a try. Your little guys is adorable in his bibs!
Posted by: Heather
They’re awfully pricey, but Le Crueset makes some nice crockery that looks all rustic and such, and they’re nice and heavy.
Posted by: Heather
Thyme!!! Thyme (and marjoram) is great in peasoup. Especially if you can get fresh, but dried also works.
I usually boil some carrots and potatoes in another pot and let people put them in their soup if they want to.
In Sweden every Thursday used to be peasoup day, peasoup and pancakeday, actually. It has changed a bit but people still love peasoup. ( Most of us put mustard in it before we eat it, even when it´s vegetarian).
Posted by: christina
Sourdough? Heh. Go to Google Groups and look up the rec.food.sourdough newsgroup. You’ll find *years* of info. Although unless you want to get really serious, you might want to skip lightly over posts from those who dash off advice like this:
“Day 7: 9 am, add 82 grams of this flour, 1.232 kg that flour, 22.0004 grams salt, ferment at 72F with *no* temperature fluctuations of more than 1 degree for 5 days while keeping humidity at 63% and guarding vigilantly against contamination by commercial bread products coming within 180 yards of your kitchen. Day 12:…”
(I’m only slightly exaggerating here, I swear. They didn’t mention the commercial bread product contamination. Plus I was giggling madly, because I’d gone to check the group after reading comments here, and stumbled across someone animadverting against Nancy Silverman as being a bogus sourdough expert. Disclaimer: I’ve never heard of Silverman, have no opinion on her skills with sourdough. When I was baking sourdough, I just used – gasp! – regular ol’ flour and commercial dry yeast to make a starter. But apparently there are Real Starters and lowlife, popularized imitation starters, with feelings riding high on both sides. Natural fibers vs. manmade, anyone?)
Posted by: MonicaPDX
I actually just made my own starter. It’ll take awhile for it to mature, but this is what I did
1/4 cup organic whole wheat flour
1/2 cup water
Put in warm, draft free place (oven with the light on, for example)
Every 12 hours, pour off half, add flour and water (and sometimes a squirt of lemon juice or lime juice or something)
In about a week it should be doubling like mad. Whole wheat flour has enough wild yeast in it to develop all on its own, if you’re patient.
Got my info from – http://www.sourdoughhome.com/startermyway.html
Posted by: Brianna
Sourdough? Heh. Go to Google Groups and look up the rec.food.sourdough newsgroup. You’ll find *years* of info. Although unless you want to get really serious, you might want to skip lightly over posts from those who dash off advice like this:
“Day 7: 9 am, add 82 grams of this flour, 1.232 kg that flour, 22.0004 grams salt, ferment at 72F with *no* temperature fluctuations of more than 1 degree for 5 days while keeping humidity at 63% and guarding vigilantly against contamination by commercial bread products coming within 180 yards of your kitchen. Day 12:…”
(I’m only slightly exaggerating here, I swear. They didn’t mention the commercial bread product contamination. Plus I was giggling madly, because I’d gone to check the group after reading comments here, and stumbled across someone animadverting against Nancy Silverman as being a bogus sourdough expert. Disclaimer: I’ve never heard of Silverman, have no opinion on her skills with sourdough. When I was baking sourdough, I just used – gasp! – regular ol’ flour and commercial dry yeast to make a starter. But apparently there are Real Starters and lowlife, popularized imitation starters, with feelings riding high on both sides. Natural fibers vs. manmade, anyone?)
Posted by: MonicaPDX
I actually just made my own starter. It’ll take awhile for it to mature, but this is what I did
1/4 cup organic whole wheat flour
1/2 cup water
Put in warm, draft free place (oven with the light on, for example)
Every 12 hours, pour off half, add flour and water (and sometimes a squirt of lemon juice or lime juice or something)
In about a week it should be doubling like mad. Whole wheat flour has enough wild yeast in it to develop all on its own, if you’re patient.
Got my info from – http://www.sourdoughhome.com/startermyway.html
Posted by: Brianna