Nutritional yeast and truffle popcorn

A couple weeks ago I sort of unthinkingly threw together a few things I had never combined on popcorn before and I was totally hooked. I have been eating it more than is probably reasonable. Very nearly every day. Oh well, popcorn is practically a vegetable, isn't it?

I put a little melted butter, a generous sprinkle of nutritional yeast, garlic powder, smoked sea salt and a teeny bit of truffle oil on my popcorn. Sometimes I saute a little minced garlic in the butter instead of the garlic powder. Either way, I can't stop eating it. If you become similarly addicted, I recommend adding some crushed kale chips-that's practically a meal. 

Squirrel life: foraging acorns for dinner

I didn't know you could eat acorns until I read it in The Urban Homestead. They are edible but they need to be processed because they contain too much tannin to be eaten otherwise. They can make you quite sick in their unprocessed state, but they are so bitter from the tannins that you aren't likely to eat enough to be a problem.

Once I knew they were food, I was sort of floored looking around at all the acorns sitting around, crunching underfoot, going to waste. My environment seemed more productive, more fertile, more useful. I started to forage through the city for acorns when I was looking for apples and blackberries. I thought I would share the preparation method with you; I will post some recipes using the acorns in the next couple weeks. This a nice fall activity especially if you can rope in a few friends to help you work; have an acorn shucking bee.

Gleaned panzanella

M and D pick berries

Last weekend I went foraging around the city with a few friends. It's amazing how much food is hanging around if you look for it. We gathered acorns, apples and blackberries growing wild at the beach and the last of the raspberries and tomatoes from a friend's garden. Everywhere we went there was that perfect, dappled, fall sort of light that is so pretty you can't quite believe it's real.

S with blackberries

I got a lot of tomatoes from my friend's garden-big chunky, variegated, red-brown and rust coloured-and quite a lot of tiny, pea sized cherry tomatoes from my best tomato plant from the summer. I wanted to make them the center of a salad. 

Everything else in the recipe is just a suggestion. Panzanella is one of the many brilliant Italian ways of making frugal home economics delicious. They do brillant things with stale bread and you should never throw out bread just because it has gone stale. Panzanella is an improvisation, a showcase of leftovers, of whatever vegetables are around and bits of cheese and maybe a crumble of pancetta or nuts. 

Panzanella

1 stale baguette or crusty loaf
as many good tomatoes as you can get your hands on
1 cup shelled edamame or peas, boiled in salted water until tender
2 cups arugula
1/2 english cucumber, sliced
1/2 cup crumbed feta
1 large bunch parsley
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
lemon juice
red wine vinegar


Roughly tear bread and toss with tomatoes, cucumber, edamame, arugula and feta. Drizzle oil and lemon and vinegar over to coat. Finely chop parsley and garlic into a paste and toss that into everything. The bread should be soft and slightly mush into everything and soak up the salad dressing. If the bread is still  a bit hard, add a little more dressing let it sit for a minute to soak it all up. Add salt and pepper to taste.

A few things I love

I wanted to share some stuff that I really love right now with you guys, some of it fall-ish because it's fall now for real. Some of it not really fall-ish, but still great.

My new Tesla replica light bulbs. I bought them here. I wanted to bring some light to a dark corner of our living room. Instead I got some very pretty, rather dim, not very practical or bright lights. I like 'em pretty and dim I guess. They been mesmerizing everyone who walks by them.

The thickest, warmest tights. With a high cotton content, not wool it's too itchy. Cotton tights make wearing summery skirts and dresses possible in the fall and winter, for which I am very grateful. I highly recommend that locals (and tourists) head to Fan Tan Alley and pop into Heart's Content for warm tights. I recommend that everybody head to Fan Tan Alley even if they don't need new tights. It's awesome, just go.

Truffle oil. Truffles are one of these things that seem awfully snobby and intimidating and I have always been a bit afraid of them. I have been considering buying truffle oil or truffle salt for a while and having heard lots of opinions about what is and isn't worth buying. I was a little overwhelmed. The other day I just bought one that liked the look of. My roommate L came home with another bottle of truffle oil the next day. We are replete with the stuff now. It is topping popcorn, potato gratins and pasta in our home. The oil is expensive but I feel it's worth it. Use sparingly.

This book I found for my friend D. He is a Tintin fan and I saw it and thought he would love it and he did. If you have one of those Tintin lovers hanging around you might want to pick up a copy. It's pretty great.

Bulbs. I bought white tulips, white daffodils and white crocuses. All white. I love the way bulbs just hang around all winter, waiting for spring, waiting until I forgot I ever planted them and then they surprise me. Same goes for garlic. I am planting lots and lots of garlic, it just waits patiently, through the cold and wet. Very reassuring.

The brussels sprouts at Stage. Obviously everything on the menu here is great, but these sprouts are exquisite. If you are nearby you owe it to yourself to eat some.

Berets. Little known fact: berets are a habit forming substance. Charcoal, red, navy, camel, mint, black obviously...you really can't stop at just one.