Last week I pulled the last of my root crops. In Winter Garden Chores, I shared how I stored my carrots and beets for later use. I also prepared some of my beets to eat. One of my favourite ways is Fresh Pickled Beets. I like them as a side dish, or in a salad. The directions are simple.
Remove beet tops about one inch above the root.
I just had a wonderful, quiet week at my float cabin on Powell Lake in Coastal BC. It may sound like an expensive thing to do, but actually, it's a very economical way to live. Because the cabin is off-the-grid, there are few ongoing costs. But we have a few enhancements to make our life more comfortable. One of those is our wood stove.
Our stove kept me comfortably warm each day. The light from it's perpetual flame brightened the dark nights. An added benefit was cooking one of my favourite comfort foods - baked potatoes. It's simple, but oh, so satisfying.
I placed the foil wrapped potato on the shelf at the front of the fire box. Turn it once and in half an hour it's ready to eat.Pouch PotatoesDo you do any wood stove or stovetop baking? I'd love to hear your recipes. - Margy
Wood Stove Sourdough Wheat Bread
Baking Powder Biscuits
Dutch Oven Rustic Apple Pie
Dutch Oven Apple Crisp
Easy Chili
Dutch Oven Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Cabin Carrot Cake
Cornbread
I always keep a jar of sourdough starter in the refrigerator. We were going to have my Easy Stovetop Chili for dinner, so I thought I would try some sourdough biscuits to go along with it. I got a great sourdough cookbook at the Economy Shop (thrift store) for 50 cents. It's Sourdough Cookery by Rita Davenport. It is available on Amazon for over $10.00, but maybe you can find one at your favourite used book store like I did. It's a great little paperback with 220 recipes from starter to breads to cakes to main dishes.
Mix starter, milk and 1/2 cup flour in a large bowl and let sit in a warm place overnight or until the mixture is bubbly. When ready, add 1/2 cup flour and beat. Mix another 1/2 cup of flour with sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Sift over the dough and mix together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead in the remaining 1/4 cup flour. Knead about 20 times or until all the flour is incorporated. Press the dough into a circle with 1/2" thickness. Then cut it into wedges.
Melt butter and mix with oil and herbs. Brush each wedge with the butter mixture before placing it upside down on a cookie sheet sprinkled with cornmeal. Then brush the other side with the butter mixture. Cover lightly with a clean towel and let them raise about an hour or until they almost double in size. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Eat them warm. Leftovers are better reheated. Now that's comfort food.
The ingredients can vary, but my staples are potatoes, onions, green peppers and herbs. Start with a large rectangle of aluminum foil. Using a paper towel, spread about one teaspoon of margarine up to about one inch of the edge. Slice potatoes (enough for two servings) and place them on the foil. Top with sliced onions and green peppers. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs. I like Rosemary, Thyme, Basil and Sage, but you can use whatever you like. Pull the foil up and seal the edges by folding them over several times. This makes a cooking pouch that should not leak. I sometimes use a second piece of foil to double the pouch, especially when I am going to cook the potatoes in my wood stove. I don't want any grease to leak onto the bricks.
I cook my "Pouch Potatoes" in two ways. If we are barbecuing, I put them on the grill for about half an hour, turning them several times to brown on both sides. If I have my wood stove going, I cook them inside near the front after the wood burns down to coals. Either way, they make a tasty side dish for meat, fish or chicken. Give them a try. They're so easy they almost cook themselves. -- Margy
