What's Cooking in Sophia's Kitchen ?

I have a gi-normous quanity of spearmint growing. In fact it's kind of getting on my nerves. Any experience drying it for tea?

I dry herbs sometimes just in the sun (wash them first) or in an oven on low temperature 70 *C on baking paper. You have to toss it around a few times.

Did you think of making a mint-sauce ?

Elder flowers are out at this time..they make a nice tea..your getting much too serious these days Peps..is it your new diet?

I hate throwing food away and was happy to find this receipe for the peel of a melon !

Take away the green or yellow skin of the peel and cut the peel in small pieces. Put the parts in a bowl and put them under white wine vinegar. Let it rest for a day.

Pour the liquid in a pan and add (per 1/2 liter):
600 gram sugar
5 gram cinnamon (not grounded)
5 gram white pepper (not grounded)
some stem ginger and/or peel of a lemon (to taste)

Cook the liquid for a few minutes and add the melonpeel. Let is cool down. Let it rest for three days.

Take out the melonpeel and cook the liquid again. Put back the peel and let it cool down. Let it rest for three days.

Repeat step above but cook liquid to a sirop before adding the melonpeel. Top it off with some gloves for a subtile taste !

Keeps well for a long time...

hi arjuna-
i also wash it first, then dry it on the stems because after it is way dry it is easy to knock off the leaves-i dont keep the stems. it will last a good long time.

the best tea i make is regular tea leaves with a little spearmint, coriander powder and cloves-great in the summer, either with milk as hot tea or without as iced tea. even the locals loved it.

also you can add the powdered dried spearmint to a lot of other dishes-sauces and chutneys for meat, and i just added some today to some yogurt with minced onion and chopped steamed spinach and a teeny tiny bit of salt for a mild dip to go with any hot spicy thing you like.

i was wondering if i couldnt add some to yogurt with sugar and freeze it...i do miss my frozen yogurt.

i wonder if you can smoke it???

Must be the new Forum. Trying to make a "good" impression. Still remember my banning... I love elderflowers, but do not no really well to recognize them. I looked in the park but should I look elsewhere ?

You cant miss them here. The elder tree is usually quite small in the hedge rows,compared to other trees.. A creamy white , large bunches. Distinctive dusty smell, gives me loads of hay fever. Watch out for the gypsies they treasure its ability, well the old Romanies used to, they would never cut it down or use it for fire wood. The modern gypsy would not know what it was.

there's gypsies over there? coooooooooooool....

no banning here, mr sweep-everyone can be as 'bad' as they want...

Not always welcome and nothing like my friends as a child. I sell them a few things that come my way.

How was your last dentistapp. ? Hope U are fine. Nice new way to smoke the mint... Did you try ? I do have a water-pipe somewhere

Went to the gym, but did not participate as my journey into the wild is coming so gave myself the day off, ate a egg and bacon sandwich without sauce as the egg yoke was still intact and had another single bacon one, the bacon was not cooked crisply so gave the remnants to the crows, I did not dribble any down my shirt, had a friend over for coffee and gossip, spoke to Leo on the phone and got the idea for two new threads, one from my uncle the other from a mistake I made.
I had no dinner today because of the large cafe bought breakfast, but have eaten half a watermelon and drunk a lot of milk and to much coffee.
But tomorrow after my Minister has left I will make tuna pasta.
Single mans portion;
150 grams wholewheat fusilli,
1 tin of tuna, preferably in oil, if brine you will need olive oil,
1 tin of chopped tomatoes or 6-8 freshly chopped plum toms,
1 medium red onion
1 small courgette
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp (or more to taste) paprika
Lots of basil preferably fresh,
Cook pasta slightly under from packet instructions,
Open tin of oil tuna drain some away,
use rest of the oil or generous olive oil for frying off the diced courgette and finely cut garlic (I use two or three cloves because I love the stuff) about 3-5 minutes first before frying the sliced red onion,
About 3-5 minutes in the wok all in with a liberal sprinkling of the paprika,
Add the tin of tuna and let fry to the bottom of the wok a little only for about a minute,
Add the tin of chopped tomatoes or 6-8 freshly chopped to the frying veg, add dried basil if all you have is dried.
Bring to fast simmer. If you like saly you may want to add some garlic salt or onion salt. I don't.
Add the waiting pasta,
Bring to quick harsh simmer and stir in all the sauce and pasta together.
Take off from the heat and if fresh basil add now.
Add olive oil if brine tuna,
All done,
You could add cheese like most do with tuna pasta,
I do not as I like the pasta especially wholewheat organic to speak more for the dish.
What other herbs and spices would go well with this?
I am thinking mustard seed?
and poppy seeds?
But I add poppy seeds to almost everything.

I think wisdom practices and plays with me so don't know how to answer,
This may not be wise but when ever you have the chance to sleep in do so as long as you try to get the extra dream time written down.

I am going to try the melon recipe, I saw towards the end as I am only half way through my one,
But anyone who has seen a water melon outside of the UK knows that we the UK get the absolute worst water melons ever, a quarter to a third the size a real water melon can aspire towards.
When I lived in Italy the water melons were so good there I used to eat the whole green skin raw, taste like tough cucumbers,
I still wonder why people skin their cucumbers?
Skin most anything for that matter?
the best part and real flavour of it is predominantly in the skin.

All my best to all the ingredients of Sophia's Kitchen.
Long may we sizzle and refresh, freshen the breath and feed the satisfaction, senses, stomach and soul.

Is any one aware of "soul food"? Got any recipes? Not pigs trotters though.

sometime sun

I speak for myself here, but please jump in, I am sure you are a sauce of great food knowledge, (see what I just did there) as in our old "Art, Food and Bulbs" group we were not just about musing we were about the very real basics and knowledge of cookery and gardening, you will soon see how great a cook Pepijn is and how he and we love to cook and potter together.
There may be a side dish of thought but the main course requires you go into your garden or the supermarket.
Please any recipe would be great, we could even set up a night where we all cook the same thing and give our scores?
Please don't feel excluded.

All my best,

Pick them on a sunny or dry day and not after rain.
Pick in early morning before the sun has got to them and damaged the oils.
Pick before they flower.
Get rid of any withered or unhealthy looking stems.
The whole stem I would get rid just in case they make the batch bitter.
Airing cupboards are great because they slightly scent you linens.
3-4 days usually, dry when stem cracks and does not bend.
Have you thought about freezing them?
But if you want tea then dried is best.
I would warn against oven drying as it is to fast and damages the oils.

Sophia's Kitchen rules.

menthol cigarettes, sure you add just a little pinch to you rolling or pipe tobacco and you are away,
what I did with my pipe tobacco to make mentholly is loosely wrap some in cling film (cellophane) and store in my jar of pennyroyal.

http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/edible-flower-entry.php?term=Elder
http://www.deliaonline.com/ingredients/ingredients-a-z/ingredients-d-f/Elderflowers.html

I tried to make elderflower wine once and failed miserably.
I may give it another go next year?

Branches of Elder are used to make magical wands to prevent physical attack.
Scattering the leaves in the four winds brings protection.
Grow near your home to ward off evil spirits.
Berries are used in love spells to prevent cheating.

They call them "Traveller Communities" now I think,
turn your back for 48 hours and they will have claimed and concreted your field and hooked up their internet.
I fear they may have lost their magic.
But not bad people even if a little tough.

That's kind of bizarre that you asked... I actually grew it because I love burning dried plants as incense. I burned it and... nah. So on to tea and putting it in yogurt... that sounds extremely yummy. My favorite ice-cream is mint-chocolate chip. Thanks for the other suggestions everybody... I'll see what I can do. You guys are obviously awesome cooks.

BTW: there's a plant here called redshank, also known as rabbit tobacco. Poor people used to smoke it. I never have. I let it grow where it wants because it makes a pretty purple spray of flowers.