Apricot jam, shakshuka and red cabbage slaw
I read a lovely book last week, Three Apples Fell from the Sky by Narine Abgaryan.
The writer is of Armenian descent, but has lived in Russia for decades and writes in Russian. The book, however, is set in a mountain village in Armenia, and the back story is everything the villagers and their families endured during the 20th century. (If you know anything about Armenian history, you know that "a lot" is an understatement.)
But the book isn't actually about the historical events. It's about the survivors, their lives and their community, and about looking forward while holding on to the best of the past.
One scene in particular stood out to me in the food context. A woman receives a package from her grandson, who has left the village to live and work in Russia. He has sent her packages of instant yeast, and despite the rumours she has heard of the bread not being as good as traditional methods, she gamely tries it out. Her husband takes a bite and refuses to eat more, and so she goes to a neighbour for a second opinion. They agree: the bread is no good. So she puts the yeast aside and goes back to her sourdough. Why sacrifice flavour for convenience?
I was in Armenia almost exactly five years ago (thanks, Facebook, for the timekeeping) and for some reason I associate the country with apricots. It was extremely hot and dry when I was there, and while I don't specifically remember eating apricots, I do recall a lot of delicious, sun-ripened fruit. Here, for instance, is a woman I met who was pitting giant quantities of yellow cherries.
So this week, as I've been making ridiculous amounts of jam and pickles, I've been thinking about how ditching convenience for extra effort can make everything taste better – not just for technical reasons, but for emotional and nostalgic ones, too. And if you've got too much going on to make your own jam and sourdough, one good thing about 2020 is there are plenty of indie food purveyors willing to do it for you. (Shoutout to Stasis Preserves and to Brodflour, whose Bird Pan Loaf – purchased at Unboxed Market – was one of the best things I ate all week.)
Tell me more about the jam
Well, since you're asking.
I grew up with home preserves – family lore has it that my mother was canning apricots the night I arrived in the world – so jam-making isn't new to me, though I hadn't made any in years. But the pandemic-induced combo of homesickness and a desire to hoard food led me to my bookshelves and the long-neglected Preservation Society Home Preserves.
I've been working through a bunch of the recipes, like apricot-honey jam and strawberry margarita jam, as well as coming up with my own blends, like a really nice gooseberry rhubarb I made the other day. I also tried the maple-ginger pickled beets last night. I am enjoying myself immensely, and still haven't figured out where all the jars are going to go in my tiny house.
All of this is thanks to Muddy Crops, who I discovered via BlogTO. They deliver fruits and vegetables straight from farms to your door, sometimes on the same day, and are the worst kind of enablers for someone like me. I am holding myself back from doing another order right now, even though I see they have both peaches and nectarines. Once blackcurrants appear, it will be game over.
Also on the cooking list
I feel like I've been spending tons of time in the kitchen, and yet not generally making recipes.
Smitten Kitchen's Broccoli Parmesan Fritters were good, and I was upset for at least a day that we lost the leftover ones in the back of the fridge until it was too late to eat them.
I also made shakshuka a couple of times, and the best version was: Sugo tomato sauce, heated with a bit of cumin added, then chickpeas stirred in, then eggs poached, then served topped with tons of fresh parsley and a sprinkle of Aleppo pepper. (Or you could just make this recipe, which also looks good.)
During the heat wave, I was eating chilled plain tofu topped with Okazu sauce. Not only is it no-cook, but it requires a refreshing visit to the fridge.
Oh and this slaw was really nice: quinoa, red cabbage, peas and carrots with a peanut dressing.
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