greens and grains and good things to read!

First, the camera I have known and loved for 4 years decided to come down with photographic-parkinsons, and then we were incredibly deluged with Missoula Community Chorus responsibilities : Hiring a new Chorus Manager (Andy Morris - he's great!), then interviewing, auditioning, and hiring a new Conductor (Tod Trimble - he is going to take us far!!) and then it was time for our Spring Concert - and whew! So, Dear Jon helped me get a new camera - "just like" the old one, but with up-grades. It is going to take a while before I figure it out.... the whole back is a touch screen - so about every other picture, I  inadvertently change settings....

I also recently acquired a lovely pair of GREEN Shoes  and a Kindle (note the extraordinarily beautiful green embossed leather cover!) that I just had to show off. Naturally, the shoes required a new pair of socks, and Spring Spirals came to mind....

For Gluten-free people, Injera is a great substitute for wrap breads that I used to use frequently for convenience....it is made with a sourdough-like starter, and of Teff flour. Teff is an amazing grain that looks like a tiny seed - from the lovegrass family - so, it's related to "Love-lies-Bleeding" that Victorian garden beauty, and Amaranth! With that lineage, who wouldn't want to eat it?!

My F-I-L gave me the starter- he has always been generous with his kitchen experiments - so rather than wait for 3-5 days, I was able to go forth and cook!

 Here's how to make Injera:

• In a bowl, place 1/2 c. starter + about 1 1/2 c. teff flour + 2 c. water.  Stir it all nicely - it will look like thin pancake batter. Set aside , covered with a towel, and let it ferment for 2-4 hours.
• When you are ready to cook, to the batter, add a pinch of salt if you like, and a crackle of pepper - or not :-)  Heat a flat bottomed griddle (the trusty 12" cast-iron seen here) over medium heat and add a drop or two of oil. 
• Pour in enough batter to cover the bottom of the skillet- lift it, and twirl so that the batter covers the whole bottom... it's not as thin as a crepe, so no worries.
• Cook until holes (bubbles) form in the injera, the top is dried, and the edges brown. Do not flip it over- Injera is only cooked on one side (this is what gives it that spongy-soaks-up-flavors-of -everything texture!)
• Remove, and cool.

My first one was so deformed, that I tossed it right out - again, sort of like cooking crepes! And Jon, being the international type that he is, decided to eat them with (home made) yoghert and applesauce and declared them "quite fine"

I cooked the remaining batter, setting aside 1/2 cup of batter to start my next batch (refrigerate, in a covered jar, and feed with 1/2 c teff flour + 1 c water every week or so) and simply separated the injeras with parchment paper and froze.

And here is how to create an Injera Starter:

• Mix 1 1/2 c. teff flour + 2 c. water and let stand, in a bowl covered with a clean cloth, at room temperature until it bubbles and turns sour. About 3 days.