Stories & Soliloquies

Stories & Soliloquies
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    • A Fairy Tale Feast, Part 3: Forager’s Pie

      Posted at 12:00 pm by Michelle Joelle, on November 16, 2016

      A few weeks ago I posted a recipe for an apple, cheddar, ale, and potato soup fit for a stop at a fairy tale cottage, and just last week, I posted a recipe for a simple breakfast hash. In any story I read, I am always drawn to the descriptions of warmth and comfort, and I am always trying to recreate that feeling of magical coziness at home.

      This week, I offer up some heartier fare in the form of a recipe my husband and I developed a few years back. It’s our version of Forager’s Pie. Based on the more famous Shepherd’s Pie, this version stars mushrooms, and is the result of some study and research. We started at Whole Foods, which at the time was promoting different mushrooms with informational flavor guides, and figured out how to combine mushrooms to get the most savory flavor we could.

      We also looked at several Shepherd’s Pie, Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie, and mashed potato recipes in cook books and across the internet, studied the The Flavor Bible: The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, and learned from the educational asides in a mushroom-barley soup recipe in a 2011 Cook’s Illustrated Magazine. If you’re looking for a legit Forager’s Pie recipe from a dedicated food blogger, check out The Vanilla Bean Blog’s version. Hat tip to Vanilla Bean author Kristy Carlson for her reference to hobbits within the recipe and her inclusion of the word “soliloquy” in her blog’s title tagline. It’s a wonderful site, and I’m excited to try her Pumpkin-Spice Braided Brioche Knots ASAP.

      Though finding Carlson’s recipe would have saved us time, I’m glad that my husband and I took the time to forage through a grocery stores and simplify things as we tested our work and learned about cooking and our own tastes. We ended up with a cozy, hearty, mushroomy meal. And now, I’ll share it with you. So pull up a chair, pour out some ale, and enjoy some Forager’s Pie.

      Tools

      • Mixer (standing/hand) or potato masher
      • Mixing Bowl
      • Large pot
      • Large saute pan
      • Cutting Board
      • Chef’s Knife
      • 9×9 baking dish (or similar size)

      Ingredients

      For the Potatoes:

      • 4 to 5 Russet Potatoes, peeled and diced to roughly 1/2 inch
      • 1.5 to 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
      • 2 tablespoons butter
      • Roughly 1/2 cup of milk (if you use almond milk or skim, you’ll want to up the butter a bit and reduce the liquid, and if you use half and half or cream, you won’t need as much butter)
      • salt

      Filling:

      • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
      • 1 cup chopped sweet onion (about 1/2 a medium sized onion)
      • 2 large carrots, diced small
      • 2 stalks of celery, diced small
      • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
      • 1 lb Cremini mushrooms, chopped (remove stalks)
      • 1/4 lb Royal Trumpet mushrooms, chopped (you can substitute shiitake mushrooms if the Royal Trumpets are hard to find)
      • 1/2 pack dried Porcini mushrooms
      • Salt and Pepper
      • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
      • 1 cup Mushroom Stock (any stock will do, but I prefer stock without any tomato flavoring for this recipe; if using vegetable stock, check the ingredients, or potentially make your own)
      • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
      • 1 tablespoon Fresh Rosemary
      • 1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme
      • 1/2 cup of frozen peas
      • 1/2 cup of frozen corn

      Directions

      1. Wash and chop all produce: potatoes, Cremini and Royal Trumpet mushrooms, rosemary, thyme, carrots, celery, onion, garlic. Measure out all other ingredients. In the spirit of fairy cottage cooking, don’t worry too much about neatness or precision. Aim for a rustic Mise en Place.

      2. To reconstitute the Porcini mushrooms, bring mushroom stock to a boil. Soak the dried mushrooms in the stock until they’re pliable and full sized. Then remove the mushrooms, and reserve the liquid (Cooks Illustrated recommends straining the liquid through a coffee filter, but I confess that I always this step and it turns out just fine). Complete your mise en place by chopping the mushrooms small.

      3. To prepare your mashed potatoes, place the diced potatoes into a large pot with half the butter (about a tablespoon) and a dash salt, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to med-low. Simmer until soft for about 10 minutes, and check the texture. You will likely need another 5-10 minutes, but you want to make sure you don’t over cook the potatoes. They should be just mashable, not mushy.

      4. You may be tempted to skip ahead to Step 6 here while the potatoes cook, but be careful not to forget about them! Because you’re baking the potatoes later on, its important not to overcook them now. If you’re a skilled cook, forge ahead. If you’re a novice like me, proceed with caution.

      5. To finish the potatoes, place them in mixing bowl with half of the cheese, the remaining butter, another dash of salt, and half the milk. Mix and mash until smooth, adjusting the consistency with the remaining milk and adding salt to taste.

      6. Preheat over to 400 Degrees F.

      7. Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat, and add onion, carrot and celery. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the onion is translucent, and then stir in garlic, cremini, and royal trumpet mushrooms. Salt and Pepper the mixture, and cook until lightly browned.

      8. Once browned, sprinkle the mixture with the flour and stir to coat, then add porcini mushrooms, reserved mushroom stock, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, and thyme.

      9. Stir, bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce to low. Cover and simmer for about 10-12 minutes until thickened. This doesn’t need a ton of attention, so feel free to start cleaning up after yourself during this time, checking the consistency occasionally so it doesn’t dry out too much.

      10. Add the frozen corn and peas, and stir until everything is combined.

      11. Pour mixture into you baking dish and, starting at the edges, top with the mashed potatoes. Spread the potatoes smooth with a spatula, seal the edges, and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.

      12. Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees F. To brown the top, move the baking to the broiler for roughly 2 minutes – but keep your eye on it so it doesn’t burn.

      And that’s it! Serve hot and enjoy with a side of crusty country rolls or Irish Soda bread, and, if you like, a hearty ale.

      Posted in Series | 0 Comments | Tagged fairy-tale, feast, forager's pie, mushrooms, recipe, vegetarian
    • A Fairy Tale Feast, Part 2: Simple Breakfast Hash

      Posted at 5:30 pm by Michelle Joelle, on November 10, 2016

      A while ago I began a series on epic feasting. I always love the parts of fantasy epics and myths where the weary travelers seek refuge in a homely house after a long journey or difficult struggle. Finding comfort after a period of deprivation makes the characters all the more attuned to the sensory delights of warmth, kindness, and of course, food. Last time I featured a hearty soup of apple, cheddar, potato, and beer. This time, I’m tackling the first morning after a good night’s sleep. The characters wake to the tempting aroma of a well prepared breakfast. It’s usually something simple and familiar, so I am going to feature a simple recipe that – and my family can attest to this – would be delightful to wake to. Now, I love elaborate breakfasts, but I also love sleeping in, so I have chosen a recipe that is quick and easy to make, but also hearty, homey, colorful, and aromatic. It’s colorful, easy to prepare in the morning before everyone else is awake, and it looks and tastes as wonderful as it smells: a very Simple Breakfast Hash.

      Time

      This is perfect for the morning, as it only takes about 20 minutes, depending on how fast you chop vegetables, and while the hash cooks, you can clean up from the prep work, put the coffee on, feed the dog, raise the shades, cook the eggs, or do whatever other morning chores you have on your docket.

      Tools

      • Cutting Board
      • Chef’s Knife
      • Large Skillet
      • Fry Pan
      • Stirring Spoon
      • Turner/Spatula

      Ingredients

      • 1 bag of small tricolor potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes (serves about 4-6)
      • 1 tablespoon of butter per bag of potatoes (and a bit more handy for frying eggs)
      • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
      • 1 small (or 1/2 large) sweet onion, chopped rustically
      • salt and pepper
      • As many eggs as you like (1-2 per person)

      Directions

      1. First and foremost, mise en place. Wash and prepare the potatoes, the onion, and the parsley, and set out the butter, salt, pepper, and eggs.

      2. Heat a tablespoon of butter in the large skillet over medium heat until just melted, and then add the chopped onion. Cook until the onion is translucent.

      3. Add the chopped potato, and a light round of salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly, and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until tender but not soft. You’ll want to stir frequently so you can keep an eye out. You should be able to spear the potatoes with a fork, but they should be firm enough to be picked up without falling apart at all.

      4. Meanwhile, this is your chance to do those chores I mentioned earlier, or to put the coffee on. There’s really nothing like the smell of coffee to begin to stir your house guests and draw them to the kitchen.

      5. When the potatoes are firm but spearable, add the fresh parsley and stir together. Add another light round of salt and pepper, and whatever other herbs you may desire – I like to add rosemary and thyme if I have them fresh. If the mixture looks too dry, add a bit more butter, but don’t add too much as you’ll want the potatoes to brown. Cook covered for another 5 minutes or so, checking (without stirring too much) frequently, until the potatoes are softened but not mushy, and browned.

      fullsizerender-4

      6. In the meantime, fry up some eggs (protein is the key to a fulfilling breakfast). Heat a pat of butter in the fry pan until hot, and then crack in an egg or two per houseguest (don’t overfill the pan, of course). Fry to taste – I like my over easy, but some prefer them sunny side up, cooked through, or just the tiniest bit dippy. By now, the aroma of cooking butter and onion – and not to mention coffee – will have roused your weary travelers so you can ask them their preference.

      fullsizerender-2

      7. By now, your potatoes and coffee should be ready, so all that is left to do is serve it out and enjoy.

      Voila! A colorful, aromatic breakfast that is hearty enough for the homiest fairy tale cottage, but simple enough for the host who wishes to sleep in just a little. Serve with toast, ketchup, tea, orange juice, fruit, or anything else you like. Keep it colorful and aromatic, and you’ll have some very happy heroes at your breakfast table.

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      Posted in Series | 0 Comments | Tagged breakfast, fairy-tale, feast, food, potato hash, recipe, vegetarian
    • The Philosopher’s Lexicon: Soteriology

      Posted at 11:00 pm by Michelle Joelle, on May 20, 2016

      Welcome back to The Philosopher’s Lexicon. My primary goal in this series is to explore common philosophical vocabulary, hopefully transforming these words from useless jargon into meaningful terms. My secondary goal is to highlight how contentious some of these terms can be – especially those which seem obvious. These definitions will not be comprehensive by any means, so please feel free to add your own understanding of each term as we go. This week’s edition is the final entry in a sub-series on theological terminology. 

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      Next up in this theology sub-series is Soteriology, defined by Merriam-Webster as “theology dealing with salvation especially as effected by Jesus Christ”. Essentially, a theologian’s “soteriology” is their doctrine of salvation – how we are saved, what it means to be saved, who gets to be saved, what we are supposedly being saved from, and the like.

      Even if we stay within the Christian tradition, this can be a dicey, divisive topic. At a basic level, most Christian theologians agree that we need salvation from our sins, redemption for our transgressions, and they agree that the way of salvation is Christ on the Cross. But they do not all agree on how we come to Christ. For some, we do so by confession, atonement, and repentance. For others, such a method comes dangerously close to putting salvation in our own hands, and argue that it is not through good works, but only through dedicating our lives to Christ that we can be saved. Still others think that our salvation is predetermined and thus totally out of our hands, while many others believe in universal salvation.

      This often includes a thinker’s take on original sin, which itself comes with a range of interpretations. For some thinkers, our ability to sin is inextricably tied to our ability to reason, which sets the foundation for free choice. This, of course, gives rise to yet another debate: does “original sin” mean that we are born immoral, or that we are born with the potential for immorality – a potential which grows in accordance with our ability to be moral? Is it the foundation for free choice? Other interpretations view original sin less as a judge of our moral worth and more of a necessary component of our mortality, from which we must be saved as all mortal things suffer and fall away. A thinker’s attempt to pull all of these different elements together forms their “soteriology”.

      But though Christianity is the primary religion in which salvation is the centerpiece, it does not have the market cornered on soteriology. In the interest of brevity, I will keep my focus to the Abrahamic religions, and only then on a very few points. Islamic salvation involves an adherence to a doctrine of active repentance, so that those who disobey God can find forgiveness rather than suffer punishment, though, of course, there is debate here among different sects and theologians as to what this means and how it works. Overall, though, the onus is more on the individual seeking mercy than on a salvific figure (like Christ). In Judaism one seeks salvation more in the present moment than in Islam or Christianity, and also focuses on the salvation of the collective, rather than on the individual. And of course, just as in Islam and Christianity, there are soteriological debates within Judaism also. This is, of course, completely insufficient as an overview of any particular soteriology, and is meant only to show some possibilities.

      This term is broad, but useful, as it allows readers, scholars, and those seeking spiritual guidance a companion to theodicy. In many ways, a theologian’s soteriology is the other side of the coin; in theodicy, they seek explanation for the evils they suffer, and in soteriology, they seek a way to avoid (or make up for) causing evils, either intentionally or accidentally. Abrahamic soteriology is about freeing religious adherents from their own limitations and temptations, and a direct focus on how to do good, live well, and align with God.

      This brings my sub-series on specifically theological terminology to a close. From here on out, I will likely be mixing philosophical and theological definitions in at random. I will also be mixing some Philosopher Fridays entries back into the rotation as well. There will be no regularly set schedule, so stay tuned to find out what’s coming up next.

      Posted in Series | 0 Comments | Tagged academia, lexicon, philosophy, religion, soteriology, theology
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