Food Friday: Jackfruit

Fresh jackfruit grown in Florida, in portions or the whole fruit, is now available in Asian grocery stores in my area. They are as good as the ones from Asia but the color is not as deep yellow maybe because the fruits are picked a little early.

Jackfruit is a favorite of mine. I cook them in sugar syrup then add the sweet langka in halo-halo, ice cream, candies, sapin-sapin, guinatan, and of course in saba banana turon which I'll make this weekend. I also boil the seeds with a little sea salt until they are very soft. They're so good for snacking.

guinatan halo-halo

Food Friday: Spaghetti with Meatballs

This is my favorite spaghetti, with garlicky marinara sauce topped with meatballs and freshly grated Romano or Parmesan. Very yummy and comforting.

Italian Meatballs
1½ pounds ground beef
½ pound ground pork
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 eggs
1 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
1½ teaspoons sea salt or to taste
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups bread crumbs
1 cup water

• In a large glass bowl, mix everything together, it should be moist. Fry a teaspoon and adjust seasoning. Form into balls, from teeny to ginormous ones and bake in a 375°F oven until lightly browned. Continue cooking in a simmering pan of marinara sauce for 20 to 30 minutes.

Flapjacks and Hobnobs

flapjacks

McVitie's cookies and digestives are my long time favorites British stuff. I usually get them from World Market whenever they are available. A few weeks ago I bought a package with 3 different types of biscuits and one of them is the highly addictive crunchy Hobnobs which according to the package are made with rolled oats, whole wheat flour, margarine, brown sugar, golden syrup, and baking soda. I looked for a recipe online and most have exactly the same ingredients as the package, with a few different variations in the preparation. Having made the digestives and Jaffa cakes once before I thought why not bake some.

The Hobnobs ingredients, except for whole wheat flour, remind me of the British oatmeal bars called Flapjacks which I read about in the bon appétit magazine several months ago. I had to search for it which means reading the table of contents of a few issues and found it in March. The recipe which the author says is similar to Rice Krispies Treats is unbelievably simple to make yet delivers a satisfyingly delicious caramelly oatmeal bars that are chewy in the middle and crispy at the edges. They are addicting just like the Hobnobs.

It's a good thing Lyle golden syrup from the UK is widely available [in almost all grocery stores] where I live. This essential ingredient for both flapjacks and hobnobs is a very very thick syrup and although the ingredient indicated on the label says it's cane sugar syrup, I can taste a hint of salt which I really like btw, and I end up licking my fingers and the spoon I used. But I might be mistaken about the salt. Anyway, look for them at your grocery store's baking section near the sugars and syrups.

Flapjacks
by Molly Wizenberg (bon appétit magazine)
½ cup unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
½ cup packed golden brown sugar
¼ cup golden syrup
2 1/3 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant or old-fashioned)
pinch of salt

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8 x 8 x 2 inch metal baking pan.
  
• Combine first 3 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until butter melts, sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Add oats and salt, stir until coated. Transfer mixture to prepared pan and spread out in even layer.
  
• Bake until top is golden (edges will be darker), about 25 minutes. Cool in pan on rack 5 minutes. Cut into 4 squares, cut each into 4 triangles (mixture will be soft). Cool completely in pan before serving.
  

Hobnobs

2 cups quick-cooking oats
1¼ cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
2 tablespoons golden syrup
½ teaspoon baking soda

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
  
• Pulse the oats in a food processor a few times to break them up into a coarse consistency but do not process too much. In a large bowl, whisk the oats, flours, baking powder, and salt until thoroughly combined.
  
• In a medium saucepan, place butter and syrup and heat gently while stirring until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Turn off heat and stir in baking soda; then add to the dry ingredient mixture and stir thoroughly to combine.
  
• Using a small scoop, measure out round pieces and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet 3 inches apart. Shape the pieces into balls and with a fork or a small glass, flatten into ¼-inch thick rounds, they will spread while baking. Bake for 15 minutes. Let cool in pans on a rack for 5 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack. Optional: Melt some milk chocolate and spread on top. Let the chocolate set completely before serving. I myself prefer these cookies plain.
  

Pretzels and Pretzel Buns

I have been reading about store-bought and homemade pretzel dough shaped into burger and hot dog buns. I have always wanted to make pretzels that are chewy and have thin dark crusts and thought the recipe from Jeffrey Hamelman's BREAD would be a good one to try.

I followed the recipe as written but I didn't poach the dough in lye and water solution because I don't have lye. I boiled the pieces in baking soda and water instead and they came out wonderfully dark brown all over, are soft and chewy and so delicious. The pretzels sprinkled with sea salt are so yummy simply dipped in yellow mustard and the meaty sturdy hot dog buns are perfect with the jalapeno cheese German sausages that a friend gave me.

The bread takes 2 days to make because of the 12 - 16 hour pre-ferment which I usually prepare at about 6PM and let it sit on the kitchen counter overnight. It's ready for mixing the next morning. If you love pretzels I highly recommend this easy recipe and the book, BREAD by Jeffrey Hamelman.

Pretzels
adapted from BREAD by Jeffrey Hamelman

pâte fermentée
1 cup/4.2 ounces bread flour
3/8 cup/2.7 ounces water, room temperature
¾ teaspoon/0.08 ounce salt
pinch of instant yeast

final dough
3 7/8 cups/1 pound 1 ounce bread flour
1¼ cups/10 ounces water
½ tablespoon/0.3 ounce salt
¾ teaspoon/0.08 ounce instant yeast
2 tablespoons/1.1 ounce soft butter
2 teaspoons/0.02 ounce dia static malt powder
all the pre-ferment

poaching liquid
6 cups hot water
¼ cup baking soda

for topping
coarse sea or kosher salt
sesame seeds

• Prepare the pâte fermentée: Stir the yeast into the water, then mix in the flour and salt until smooth. Cover with plastic film and let stand for 12 to 16 hours at 70°F.
  
• Prepare the dough: In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, add all the final dough ingredients except the pâte fermentée. Mix on the first speed for 3 minutes. As the dough is coming together, add the pâte fermentée in chunks. The dough will be a bit stiff. Increase to second speed and mix for 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer into a container, cover with plastic wrap and leave to rest for 1 hour. Transfer the dough on the kitchen counter, flatten slightly into a rectangle and fold one third over to the left and the other third over to the right like a letter. Turn 90 degrees and fold again from right to left then left to right then flip over and return to the container seams side down. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for another hour.
• Shape the dough: Divide the dough into 3-ounce pieces. Round the pieces for burger buns and roll with your palm. Place on a parchment lined sheet pan 3 inches apart and flatten the dough to less than 1 inch thick. Cover with plastic film. For hot dog rolls, flatten into a rectangle 5 x 3 inch rectangle and roll tightly, using the heel of your hand to seal the seams. Roll into a a 6-inch log. Place on the sheet pan and cover with plastic wrap. To shape the pretzels, roll the pieces into a log. Let the logs relax for a few minutes, covered with plastic. Roll the logs to 16 inch long with the center thicker than the ends. Twist the ends twice and press on the sides or near the bottom. Arrange on the parchment-lined sheet pan 3 inches apart, adjusting the shape. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes and preheat the oven to 450°F. Remove the plastic and let stand for another 10 minutes.
  
• Prepare the water: Heat the water to boiling and add the baking soda. It will bubble. Turn the heat to medium and poach the pieces, 2 at a time, 30 seconds on both sides. Remove with a skimmer and return to the sheet pan, good side up.
  
• Score the buns: For the round buns, with a sharp knife score the top with a ¼-inch deep cross; hot dog buns, straight down the middle. Sprinkle pretzels with coarse salt or seeds and score the bottom, if desired.
  
• Bake the buns and rolls: Put the pans in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until buns are dark brown, rotating pans halfway during baking. Enjoy while warm.

great with beef sausage and Dijon mustard