BIRDLAND ALMANAC

Here please find recipes, ideas, and other things to make life cycle more smoothly through the years.

A few Stillmeadow Recipes by Gladys Taber

"[T]here is only one true shortcake, and this is how to make it:

Sift together 2 cups of flour, 4 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of sugar. I work in 1/3 cup of butter and gradually add 3/4 cup of milk. I toss the mixture on a floured board, patting it rather than rolling it. I bake it in a deep pie pan in a hot oven (425ยบ) for about 25 to 30 minutes, then split it and butter both halves.

I pour the berries on the bottom layer of the shortcake, pour more on top and serve immediately. This will probably serve four, unless they are dedicated! I like it in shallow soup plates so the juice is easy to spoon up" (The Best of Stillmeadow, 263-4).


Squash and Cucumbers:


A crook-necked squash should be picked when it is not much thicker than two thumbs. The skin is pale and waxy, not knobby and mustard yellow. It should be easy to slice with a table knife.

The slices, dusted with seasoned flour, can be sauteed in butter with a suggestion of diced onion in it. This is squash as it should be. By the time a squash must be peeled, I am losing interest in it.


Cucumbers, on the other hand, are delicious when they are ripe. They turn to the color of a new-minted penny and are large and plump. Then we split them lengthwise, scrape out the seeds an stuff them with anything from poultry dressing to steamed chicken. And bake in seasoned milk, not quite covering them.
Baked stuffed cucumbers and a tossed green salad make a gardener's supper. For dessert a bowl of ever-bearing raspberries with sweet cream, and plenty of coffee. Afterward Jill decides she will plant another row of cucumbers next year"
(The Best of Stillmeadow, 301-2).




Nanny's Purple Eggs--with a Birdland twist

You'll need: eggs, beets (canned or fresh) vinegar, honey, herbs, salt, olive oil, water.

Hard-boil the eggs (and beets if you're using fresh ones).
Peel them and put them into a bowl with the beets and any beet juice. Pour in some vinegar, maybe a cup or a cup and a half. Add a few tablespoons of honey, a few tablespoons of oil, and enough water to cover all of the eggs. Add any fresh herbs you want, salt and pepper. Let sit in the fridge over night.

When sufficiently pickled the eggs will be a deep magenta almost to the yolk, and have a rubbery texture. A delicious blend of tart and creamy.

Dragon Tail Soup

Snap fresh asparagus into 2 inch lengths, reserving the tips. Steam the stem ends gently, just until they are the color of spring grass. Now steam the tails (I mean, tips) while you puree the stems with a little water, stock, cream, milk, or yogurt. Pour in bowls and drop in tails. Garnish with yogurt, sour cream, and fresh herbs of your choice. Enjoy!

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