Pretzels (Mel's Kitchen Cafe)

I doubled this recipe because my family inhaled these and was asking for more. 
View original recipe here.

Dough

5 cups (20.1 oz) all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
4½ tsp instant yeast
2 cups (16 oz) very warm water

Topping

½ c (4 oz) warm water (try boiling)
2 Tbsp baking soda
Coarse salt
6 Tbsp butter, melted

In the bowl of an electric mixer, place the flour, salt, sugar and yeast. Mix to just combine. Add the water and mix well, adding more flour, as needed, a bit at a time to form a soft, smooth dough that clears the sides and bottom of the bowl. Knead the dough, by hand or machine, for about 5 minutes, until it is soft, smooth and quite slack. The goal is to get a really soft dough that isn’t overly sticky. Lightly flour the dough and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30-60 min.

Preheat your oven to 400°. (Originally 500°). Line 4 baking sheets with parchment paper. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface, and divide it into 16 equal pieces (about 2.5 ounces each). Allow the pieces to rest, uncovered, for 5 min. While the dough is resting combine the ½ c warm water and the baking soda, and place it in a shallow bowl or pie plate. Make sure the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved; if it isn’t, it will make your pretzels splotchy. Sometimes I have a hard time getting the baking soda completely dissolved, so I just lightly stir up the mixture right before adding each pretzel.

Roll each piece of dough into a long, thin rope (anywhere from 14-22” long) and twist each rope into a pretzel. Dip each pretzel in the baking soda wash (this will give the pretzels a nice, golden-brown color), and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with coarse, kosher, or pretzel salt. Allow them to rest, uncovered, for 10 min.

Bake the pretzels for 7-9 min (I baked mine at 500 for only 6 min) or until golden brown. Bake one sheet at a time – it won’t hurt the other pretzels to chill out for a little longer.

Remove the pretzels from the oven, and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing the butter on until you’ve used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that’s what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave.

Vegetable Curry (Bex Loftus)

My British companion and trainer, Bex Loftus, taught me how to make this curry. Besides being an environmentalist and activist, she was a vegetarian (and we weren't allowed to eat the meat in Russia anyway). The first time she made this, I was dreading having to eat it, but it smelled amazing, and I quickly learned that it tasted amazing too.
This recipe is about double what my family can handle.



Olive oil
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
8 tsp ground cardamom seeds*
6 tsp coriander (whole or ground)*
2½ tsp salt
Pepper to taste
6 whole carrots
1 cauliflower head
2-3 zucchini
1 eggplant
1 can garbanzo beans
Vegetable Soup Stock (opt)



Pour a thick layer of oil into a large pot (~¼” or less). Turn heat on medium. Chop onions and garlic and add to pot. Add bay leaves, tons of cardamom and coriander seasoning (until you can smell it), salt and pepper. Chop vegetables and add to pot, stirring occasionally. Add crisper veggies first (carrots, cauliflower) and then softer ones. *Add more cardamom and coriander until you can smell it. Add soup mix. Add enough water to coat all vegetables (about an inch deep). Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally for about 1 hour. Curry is done when all vegetables are soft. Mash with a potato masher until vegetable pieces are quite small. Continue cooking until the water is cooked off the top. ~15 min. Make sure you can smell the coriander and cardamom. Add more if you can’t. Serve with warm homemade tortillas. Use torn off pieces of tortillas to scoop the curry into your mouth.

TWO TORTILLA OPTIONS:

Tortillas (mission recipe)
4 c flour
½ tsp salt
½ c + 1 Tbsp margarine, partly melted
1 c hot water

Mix together until dough is smooth. Keep bowl of dough covered while rolling tortillas. Roll until thin and cook in hot frying pan until barely bubbles (with only a few brown spots, if any)

Tortilla Mix (heart-hands-home.blogspot)
16 c flour (unbleached/add up to ½ whole wheat)
2 Tbsp baking powder
2 Tbsp salt
1 c shortening

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and stir with whisk to fully mix. Cut in shortening with pastry blender or hands. Store mix in airtight container.

To Make Tortillas:

Place 2 c tortilla mix in a bowl, making a well in the center. Add ½ - ¾ c warm water, a little at a time, mixing until you have a soft dough. Knead dough for a short time till it becomes elastic. Cover with plastic and let it rest 10-15 min. Form 12 small balls ~1.3 oz each. Pull the dough around the bottom of the ball to make top smooth. Set aside, covered with plastic wrap. Dip dough balls in flour and roll out thinly. Cook on dry griddle preheated to 350° until top begins to bubble. Flip and cook for about 15 seconds more. To keep warm: stack between towels. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator.

Thank you, Sister Loftus for this recipe!
   

Challah (realfoodliving.com)

Challah or khale is a special braided bread eaten by Ashkenazi Jews on the Sabbath and holidays. According to Jewish tradition, the three Sabbath meals (Friday night, Saturday lunch, and Saturday late afternoon) and two holiday meals (one at night and lunch the following day) each begin with two complete loaves of bread. This “double loaf” commemorates the manna that fell from the heavens when the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years after the Exodus from Egypt. The manna did not fall on the Sabbath or holidays; instead, a double portion would fall the day before the holiday or Sabbath. It is these hunks of bread, recognizable by their traditional braided style that are commonly referred to as challah. (I am not Jewish, but enjoy learning about Jewish traditions.) Serving Size : 24

1 1/3 c warm water, 120°

2 Tbsp organic butter, softened

1 Tbsp yeast

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/3 c honey

2 large organic eggs, beaten slightly

2 Tbsp vital wheat gluten

~4 c whole wheat flour +/- as needed (I used 3¾ c)

1. Place hot water in mixing bowl (Kitchen Aid). Add softened butter and mix to dissolve butter. Add 3 cups of flour and yeast. Mix well and let sponge for 15 min.

2. Stir down sponge and add oil, salt, honey, eggs, gluten and 2 c flour. Stir to mix. Stir in flour, one cup at a time, until dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl and clings to itself. The dough should not be very sticky, but still moist and supple. The amount of flour needed will vary. Let dough knead until very supple and springy and gluten is developed (by hand, 12-15 min, by large mixer 6-7 min).

3. Let rise, covered, until doubled ~1 hour. Punch dough down and divide into 2 portions. On oiled surface, divide each loaf into 4 portions. Roll each fourth into long snakes. Braid by starting with the left portion and running it over, under over under the other portions. Pinch each end of the loaf to seal. Roll loaf slightly longwise on counter before placing on the baking sheet. Let rise about 30 min.

4. Brush with glaze before baking. Bake at 350° for 22-25 min, or until done.

Lentil Soup "Esau's Pottage" (Nancy Giles)

4 hours.

2 potatoes, chopped

4 carrots, chopped


5 c water


4 beef or chicken bouillon cubes


½ onion, finely chopped (or 1 Tbsp dried onion)


2 cloves garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder)


2 strips bacon, crumbled (or 1 Tbsp bacon bits)

½ tsp salt


1 c lentils

Homemade rolls or Cheez-It crackers (optional)

Mix all ingredients but lentils in slow cooker. Cook on high for 3 hours. Add lentils and cook 1 hour more. Serve with homemade rolls or Cheez-It crackers.