Closing the Hotpot

It’s about time to close The Hotppot. I’ll still post occasionally on The Marys. And I’ll either be doing a closed blog or sending emails. I want to write more stuff about us, but can’t on the open blog o’sphere. See ya around!

SIMPLE YOGURT SHAKE

Take a plain Ronnybrook yogurt drink, add a bit of honey and shake. Garnish with ground pistachios and a pinch of nutmeg. Heavenly!

What’s in the freezer?

Nothing, anymore. The timing was almost perfect. We’ve used up all the veggies and stock that I put in the freezer just as everything is coming back at the greenmarket. So what worked well in the freezer and what worked not-so-well?

4 stars
Hot peppers–will definitely freeze more this year.
Stock
Pesto
Tomato sauce
3 stars
Veggies for stock. But no carrot tops–they just taste too bright.
Berries–however, I think storing them in their plastic containers was a mistake. This year I’ll wash them and put them in my containers.
2 stars
Whole tomatoes–these did surprisingly well, but they’re a bit mushy so they’re best used in stocks and sauces.
1 star
Garlic chives–I’m going to try again, but this time I’ll wash and chop them first.
Thai basil–as above

Goodbye Old Friend

I’ve had this National Bread Bakery for 20 years. We’ve made many loaves together over the years, loaves that have traveled with me, loaves that have become gifts for family and friends. The bread maker was ailing over the past year: the bread pan was leaking and the loaves have been consistently turning out flat. I tried to replace the bread pan, but alas, they don’t make this kind of bread maker any more. Last night, the bread maker eked out its last pizza dough, and then expired, shook off its electrical coil, left the house. Godspeed, National Bread Bakery. I won’t forget you.

It has begun . . .

Routine Substitutions

Just by making a few changes, you’ll be eating much healthier.

White flour: 50-50 mix of whole wheat and white flour
Soy sauce: for every 1 tbsp, use 1 tsp soy sauce and 2 tsp water
Pasta: 100% whole wheat–there are some great tasting whole wheat pastas out there
Baking powder: use no more than 1 tsp regardless of what the recipe says
Salt: use none most of the time, for soups and bread use 1/4 tsp or 1/8 tsp instead of 1 tsp
Rice: use only brown rice
Oil: use olive oil; reduce the amount to only about 1 tbsp per recipe

Most recipes do not suffer at all when you use less fat, salt, and baking powder. Experiment and see what happens when you make these substitutions part of your routine. You probably won’t even notice after awhile.

Still Here

Last fall, I canned my first tomatoes. I followed the instructions in the “Ball Blue Book of Preserving” and yet, I’ve been putting off opening the tomatoes all winter. The literature about canning I’ve read is replete with horrific tales about botulism and how dangerous it can be. I was scared. So I did some more research and found that what you’re supposed to do is visually inspect your jars. If they’re still sealed and not foamy or bubbly or discolored, open them. Then give ‘em the sniff test. And then if they look good and there are no odors, just to be on the safe side, boil the hell out of them for 10 minutes.

So finally, we’ve used one jar of tomatoes. Of course I boiled them for 20 minutes instead of the recommended 10. I made spaghetti and pizza sauces and they were delicious. That was two days ago and we’re still here.

Hotpot Jones

Yesterday I had a Hotpot Jones. But it was just me during lunch and so a big production was not in order. Plus I’d already eaten my quota of meat this week and didn’t want too much sodium. So I used some vegetarian broth that I had on hand and using one pot, made a very lovely hotpot soup. I then dumped in my noodles and poured the whole mixture into a soup bowl. The results were delicious. I guess it was more a “Ma La Tang” than hotpot, since it was basically a spicy bowl of soup with no table-cooking. But it did have all the necessary hotpot flavor. And it took care of my Jones.

Vegetarian Hotpot for one

1 tsp peanut oil
2 or 3 dried chilies, broken in half
1/2 tsp fermented black beans, rinsed with water
1/2 tsp chili bean paste
1 tsp freshly-grated ginger
1 tsp Shaoxing wine
vegetarian broth
1 tsp Sichuan peppercorns

In a soup pan, place the oil and the chilies and cook on low heat until fragrant. Meanwhile, mash the rinsed fermented black beans, the chili bean paste and the ginger together with the Shaoxing wine. Add to the chili-oil mixture and sizzle for just a minute. Pour in the vegetarian broth and add the Sichuan peppercorns. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Add in whatever pre-cooked noodles and veggies you like and serve.

Plastics

We are pursuing a life without plastics. I hadn’t been paying attention to this at all, other than the “don’t microwave your plastics” thing, which didn’t even apply to us because we don’t have a microwave. I just recently (finally) did a little research on it however and have concluded that we have to adjust. But we use so much plastic! Cups, spoons, forks, chopsticks–you name it. And apparently, in my unwillingness to litter, by reusing these plastics and washing them in the dishwasher, I have inadvertently exposed us to toxins. It’s time to go medieval on plastics. I just threw out an entire dish set because it was the dreaded #7 type. Getting rid of sippy cups will be harder as L loves to sit on the couch, watch TV and sip. Now we have a compelling reason that will help me wean her off those cups. Of course I’m feeling horribly guilty since we’ve had them a couple years and have been washing them in the dishwasher. I’m sure the plastic is breaking down and leaching right into her organic milk. I’ve failed as a mom! Yes, it’s much harder than you think. But there are bad plastics and there are less bad plastics. This page breaks them down for you.

Xin Nian Kuai Le

We love Chinese New Year celebrations and traditions, especially the foods. On New Year’s Eve, we always have jiaozi, though my recipe varies from year to year. One of these days I’ll post a recipe. We also had chicken, longevity noodles, congee, niao gao and fa gao. I served tea gongfu style in the fancy tea set that I purchased in Guangzhou. Of course, with the exception of nian gao and fa gao, these are foods I make all the time.

But we didn’t go to the parade this year: L gave us mixed signals about wanting to go and I also made the mistake of scheduling her and her dad to go to “The Little Mermaid” musical that afternoon. But we will be going to the performance by the New York Chinese Cultural Center. They are so talented and their show is so beautiful. If you live in NYC, you should check it out. Definitely don’t go to the “Chinese New Year Spectacular”–that is a show with a political agenda by the Falun Gong. We made that mistake last year and regretted it.