The Torch has Officially Been Passed (My first attempt at Bittlewa!)

One of the traditions in my family around Christmas is making bittlewa, a Lebanese/ Arab pastry made with phyllo dough, walnuts and syrup.  Many people know baklava, the Greek version, which is similar except we don't use honey and include orange blossom water in the syrup.

Until just a few years ago when my Aunt Pat passed away, she and my Mom would get together about a week before Christmas and make three trays of pastry.  Mom typically prepped everything the day before and then, they would spend the day putting it together and baking it.  Each tray takes about 2 to 2 1/2 hours to assemble then nearly 3 hours to bake.  We would come home from school and they would be in the kitchen making the bittlewa.    They always joked about it being "hillbilly bittlewa" because my Mom's people were from the South.  Situe (my Lebanese grandmother) made bittlewa when I was really little, but most of my memories are of my Mom and Aunt.

When Popue (my Lebanese grandfather and the family patriarch) was still alive, there was a whole ritual around the serving of the bittlewa after Christmas dinner.  Popue, my Uncle Roni and Aunt Theresa and my Dad would have a piece on their dessert plate.  They would examine the top to see the layers and the bottom for browning and the walnuts for moistness.  They would then take that first bite.  My grandfather in particular would compare the current year's bittlewa with the previous years.  It's kinda funny to think back about it.  My Mom took all of this in good humor! 

The year or two after Aunt Pat passed away, her husband, my Uncle Harold, would come and help Mom make the bittlewa.  They weren't able to make any for a couple of years, so I decided that it was my turn!  I definitely do not want to lose this family tradition.  So, here goes!

I bought the ingredients to make two trays but decided to do one before Christmas and one after.  The night before I planned to assemble and bake,  I clarifed 2 pounds of butter.  Basically, you put the butter in a saucepot and let heat until it just begins to bubble.  Skim off the white foam from the surface.  Keep doing this until the butter is translucent.  As a last step, pour the butter through a cheesecloth to remove any leftover bits.

For one tray of bittlewa, you will need about 2 1/2 pound of walnuts.  The grinder below attaches to a chair and grinds the nuts in no time!  Add about 1 heaping tablespoon of powdered sugar to the nuts and store in a sealed container until ready to use.

The third and final task for the night is to make the syrup.  Five cups of sugar, four cups of water, 2 T. of fresh lemon juice and 2 t. of orange blossom water.  Boil gently for about 50 minutes.  The syrup should reduce and thicken.  

The next day, take the clarified butter out of the refrigerator and heat through.  Assemble the pan, butter, brush, sharp knife and dough.  The phyllo comes in one pound packages and should not have been frozen.  You need 1 1/4 lbs. for the bottom and the same amount for the top.  Dampen a clean dish towel and lay the dough on top of it, then cover with a second damp dish towel.  

Brush melted butter on the bottom of the pan, then begin laying the dough.  Take one layer of dough and position it in the pan, trimming the edge as needed with the sharp knife.  Brush with butter.  Keep laying the dough and brushing with butter. As you work, keep the dough covered with the towel or it will dry out and crumble.

Once the bottom is assembled, put the butter on the stove to keep warm.  Pour the ground walnuts on top, pressing them evenly in the pan.

Now, begin layering the dough and melted butter for the top.   Once the top is assembled, it's time to cut the bittlewa.  But first, set the oven to 350 degrees and make sure the rack is in the middle of the oven. Cut lengthwise first, into 8-10 columns then diagonally.

Bless the tray by sprinkling the top with water before putting it in the oven.                                                    

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, lower the oven to 275 degrees and bake for another 1 hour and 50 minutes.  Remove from the oven and pour the syrup evenly over the whole tray. 

ENJOY!!

CARROTS!!!

Tuesday was a beautiful fall day in Detroit so I decided to take advantage of it by pulling a bunch of the carrots that were still in the garden. Here is my carrot patchAnd some of the carrots that came out of it.

I got to thinking that it is such a shame to toss all the tops into the compost bin and wondered if they were edible. I went into the house to peruse my cookbooks. The first book I took off the shelf was Deborah Madison's Local Flavors. I picked it up at a neighborhood estate sale for $1 and have made quite a few recipes from it. It was here that I found this recipe

Carrot Top Soup

1 bunch carrots, tops and roots, about 6 medium
2 T. butter
3 T. white rice
2 large leeks (I didn't have any leeks so I used onions from my garden)
2 thyme or lemon thyme sprigs (I used lemon thyme and because we love it, 4 sprigs)
2 T. parsley, dill, celery leaves or lovage (I used parsley)
salt and pepper
6 cups Vegetable Stock (I used my homemade stock)


Wash and chop the carrot tops. You should have about 3 cups loosely packed. Grate or finely chop the carrots. I used a combination of yellow and orange ones.

Chopped Carrot tops and carrots:


Melt the butter in a soup pot. Add everything except the stock. Cook for several minutes, turning over a few times, Add the stock, bring to a boil and simmer until the rice is done.


Serve!!

Souper Saturday

This time of year, and as the weather turns colder, we make and eat soup at least once or twice a week.
One of our favorite soups is Italian Bean and Squash Soup from Moosewood Restaurant's New Classics. You can use just about any type of winter squash and any type of beans.

Here's the recipe:
1 T. Olive Oil

3 1/2 cups finely chopped onions

6 large cloves of garlic, minced

1 celery stalk with some leaves, finely chopped

1 3/4 cups crushed tomatoes with juice (15 oz. can)

1 quart vegetable stock

1 t. dried oregano

pinch of crushed red pepper

4 cups diced peeled butternut squash

3 1/2 cups cooked pinto beans ( two 15 oz. cans, rinsed and drained)

1 t. salt

freshly grated pecorino chees (optional)

Heat the oil in a large soup pot and saute onions, garlic and celery about 10 minutes, until soft. Add the tomatoes, broth, oregano, red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer. Add the squash and cook until tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the beans and salt and pepper. Cook until beans are heated through. Serve hot topped with the cheese if desired.

I use my own canned Vegetable Stock, which tastes wonderful and compared to store bought, is so much cheaper. (Store bought vegetable stock ranges from $1.79 per quart to $2.99 per quart for organic). Canning your own stock takes some time and effort but so worth it! I also can tomatoes out of my garden and dried beans so they are ready to use. It's a great way to use your own garden harvest or support local farmers. Canning fresh produce in season tastes better and can be much cheaper. I can usually find dried beans from one of the local farmers down at Eastern Market.

For the batch pictured above, I used pinto beans. I also used the sweet dumpling squash, garlic, onions and tomatoes from my own garden. Enjoy

Detroit Does Have Grocery Stores, BUT

There is an ongoing debate about food in the City of Detroit. Sometimes called a food desert, other times called a food swamp, the city has no national chains with stores in the City.

According to the Annual Report on the Detroit Food System which was published in May, 2011 and released at the Detroit Food Policy Council’s Powering Up the Local Food System Summit, there are 79 full service grocery stores in the City of Detroit. These stores are independently owned, but with one exception, not by Detroit residents.
At the Summit, we heard from residents who shop in their neighborhood. Some were satisfied with the stores, others were not. We heard from many Detroiters who were not happy with the quality, price and/or customer service at their local grocery stores. Many shop at these stores because they have no other options; lack of transportation was a main reason given.

We also heard from residents who admitted that they rarely go in their neighborhood grocery store, preferring to shop outside the city. The real and perceived reasons: quality, price and customer service.

The Detroit Food Policy Council, through its Healthy Food Access Work Group and the Detroit Food and Fitness Collaborative’s Food System Work Group, are working together to identify ways to improve access to healthy, fresh and affordable food. We want to hear from Detroiters on this issue.

If you are interested in this issue, try this:
Make a list of grocery items that you purchase on a regular basis. Go to your neighborhood grocery store and if you do most of your grocery shopping outside of the city, also go to the suburban store that you regularly shop at. Purchase the items on your list, taking note of the quality and availability of the items, the format and condition of the store and the customer service that you received. Compare the two. What did you find out?

If you are willing to share your experience, please send an email to me at detroitfoodpolicycouncil@gmail.com.

Summer Vacation in the Upper Pennisula...A Whole New World

In June, the boys and I joined a group of about 12 families for a fabulous camping experience in Michigan's Upper Pennisula. The trip was part of a National Park Service Program to expose families from Detroit to the National Forest System in Michigan. The group photo was taken at Taquamanon Falls. Here is another pic of the falls. The water is a copper color from the tannins in the oak leaves that line the area.








Our itinerary included Hartwick Pines where we hiked among old growth forest areas that included white pines, oak and maples trees. The Park's educator grew up in the Detroit area and was excited to share the park with us.








We arrived at our home base at Clear Lake Education Center located in Hiawatha National Forest at about 4:00 p.m. The camp site was well equipped with plenty of cabins, a building for meetings and media center and one with a full kitchen and eating area. We were welcomed by two Park Rangers (Mimi and Dave) and were assigned cabins. My boys and I shared a cabin with the Moore's and Dixon's -- three moms and seven boys, ranging from 6 years old to 17 in all!! We are all pictured here with Mr. D...he and his wife were the trip organizers.


We spent a whole day hiking in Hiawatha National Forest where we learned how the habitat here contributes to a healthy eco system and how we (humans) are impacting the forest-- both negatively through pollution and positively through conservation efforts. Although it was raining most of the day, we made the best of it.


This lighthouse was at Pictured Rocks National Shoreline. It was foggy that day but still beautiful. We toured the lighthouse, as well as the historic home that had been restored and learned about the bootleggers who operated in the area because of the proximity to Canada... that's something Detroit and the U.P. have in common!

We had a chance to try six different activities in one day including kayaking, mountain biking and fishing. My favorite was the kayaks and I have since gone kayaking several times.

Evenings were a chance to share a meal, make new friends and play games.

All in all, it was a great trip and one we will remember for a very long time. Thanks to the National Park Service and trip organizers, Delashon and Nick Dicrese, Lisa Perez and Ranger Dave!!

And the Kale Stands Alone...Well, Almost

I took this photo of my Kale this afternoon. It's not quite alone in the garden, but almost! Just an hour earlier, it was surrounded by tomatoes, peppers, winter squash and beans, but no more.

I have a love - hate relationship with October! I love fall but hate garden clean up. Although by this time of the year, I am exhausted from harvesting, canning, freezing, drying the garden's bounty. And, I am thankful for another year of being able to provide good food to my family from our little urban farm.

Here's a photo of the asparagus bed, which is now covered in straw mulch. Yes, that's a tomato plant in the middle. I did not have the heart to pull it yet because there are still lots of black cherry tomatoes on it that are not ripe. These were among my favorite tomatoes of the 2011 garden.

My boys and I spent a few hours outside today clearing out much of the garden that remained. I harvested the last of the beets, some carrots, lots of tomatoes (both ripe and green), a few last beans and peas.

Here are the last of the beets...and beets greens. YUMMY!

I will try to write a more extensive review of the 2011 season at some point. Probably after the maple tree has finished shedding her leaves and the snow flies.

Knitting and Stitching and Sewing, Oh My!

I learned to knit and crochet as a child but hadn't done so for a very long time. A couple of years ago while on my annual Ladies Camping weekend, I was inspired to pick up some yarn and needles. A number of the women were brought their knitting and crocheting projects. One of the women who had back surgery in the past year had knitted and felted a huge number of bags. The ones she had with her were beautiful. When I returned home, I decided that I wanted to relearn to knit so I could make a felted handbag. So, I went to the store and bought some yarn, needles and a "teach yourself to knit" book.

I now have a collection of knitting and crocheting books and patterns and tons of yarn. My favorite place for yarn and great instruction is City Knits. They are located in the Fisher Building in Detroit. They also have a store in Mt. Clemens. Their website is http://www.cityknits.com/
Always on the lookout for local sources for anything that I want to buy, I attend a Lavendar Festival and discovered not only locally raised yarns from alpaca and sheep, but also beautiful knitting needles made from Michigan hardwoods. This summer while we were up north, we took a trip to East Jordan, Michigan, home to Stonehedge Fiber Mill. Here are a couple of photos. Debbie McDermott is the owner. She gave us a tour of the farm and mill and we met her herd of about 50 sheep (She called each one by name!)

We also met a pair of African Geese named Lucy and Desi and a young rooster who responded to Khairi's "cock-a-doodle, do"

I took a sewing class last spring with the goal of being able to read a pattern and do simple projects... probably more handbags and totes! More on that at another time. So now, I knit and felt bags, have made a few more bags from old wool sweaters. Decided to try make bookmarks and glass cases. Learned some simple embroidery...

I have accumulated about a dozen finished bags and an assortment of bookmarks and glass cases, so...

Last summer I decided that the time was right to begin selling my bags, so I now have a website on Etsy, a forum for selling handmade and vintage items. I have also done a couple of custom orders, which has been fun. My clients pick the yarn colors, fabric for the lining and pendant. I have sold a few bags, but I am not spending much time these days on it, which is ok. I mostly knit, etc. as a creative outlet, anyhow. I have made many gifts for family and friends and just bought enought yarn to knit myself a sweater. As soon as I have time to start it...