reflections, noodles and moose day
a brief culinary review of 2021, part I
Hey! How would you sum up 2021 in your own home cooking?
“Oh my god, Jess, it’s not 2020, you can’t do something like this.” - my sister
Touché.
There’s an almost-irony with the start of this notion, a year-end reflection, through the lens of the culinary casual, comfort, and grander endeavors. That is to say, our propane was pretty much out and we were set to ring in the near year over the hiss of an instantpot, so to speak.
We’re rural, it happens. I am grateful for that plug-in bean maker that’s held up through more than one move. That, and the power largely staying on throughout the “storm of the century” this past week, which saw us snowed-in for multiple days. I’ll give it the technicality. I remember Y2K (my senior year of high school!)
My legendary neighbor says she hasn’t seen snow like this “since ‘94”, and trust me, she’s one to believe.
Within mere seconds of making our way in the car to the freshly-plowed driveway’s end yesterday, we stopped for a moose and calf.
Even if you know, and certainly if you don’t, this is a gentle but empathic reminder that moose are HUGE. They are truly considered megafauna! Just being able to use that phrase…wow.
Look, as someone who has frantically run uphill from a angry mother moose after stumbling upon her sleeping babies earlier in the day and as someone married to a ranger in Alaska who somewhat fondly refers to them as “murderhorses”, hear me out that moose are rightfully considered more intense than bears up here.
Long story short, the multiple feet of snow everywhere plus the walls of newly-plowed snow has led to the sad displacement of moose and caribou in our area right now. The moose duo in the driveaway, who then made their way across the highway (!!!) and over a hill, were just the first of the day.
What followed was a harrowing demi-adventure of making way for moose – aka another day in the north – that brought us to the post office, the park, and across the frozen borough for a combination of fuels (oy). Although, no double or triple-imported bananas, for once.
Harrowing, and surreal.
Four hours later, we were home again and quickly full of beans, chips, and queso after skipping lunch because this is real life.
Fortunately, I was able to put aside any thoughts of holiday-appropriate instantpot concoctions (no offense, I did pasta e fagioli just the other day to reserve the propane before xmas & the ensuing storm) and could once again consider using a pan on the stove….and…simmering…!
That said, I was too full to contemplate cooking real food just yet.
However, with the cats chilling, jazz playing, seven moose and two caribou-spottings behind us, I returned to reflect on however I’d attempt to describe this past year, for the sake of cooking and covid, sanity and uh, stews.
The following observations stand out from the scrolls (and notebooks):
SO MANY rice noodles!! Near endless cabbage slaw!!
There was never enough pasta, nor bitter greens.
We had a garden! We foraged!
We had running water again!!!!
We got new cats! We got new covid strains!! (not us…but, ya know)
We both went to New York…separately!
We only saw one bear nearby!!
And there was a CSA. It was wonderful.
To the thick of it.
Here’s a photo or two (or three, or however it goes) per month that I selected out of my digital and written “dinner diary” archives. True story.
Indeed, I live in a cabin in the woods, and much becomes a project out here. One such, admittedly leisurely (ish) enterprise, is attempting to write down dinners, every night, in a notebook. It’s my own utterly personal version of shares and likes, a ha, and now it’s taken me here. Whoops? It remains therapeutic and meaningful enough – even if it does get neglected from time to time, or a cat steals my preferred pen.
Yadda yadda.
IT BEGINS: JANUARY
OH. Do you see the date?!? Picture my face as I noticed that just now (and also how I noticed the anniversary falling on our next supply run, and how my insides, and glances at so many other humans, may be).
I would ponder HOW I made this dinner, let alone stomached it, but after finishing Don’t Look Up last night, I get it even more. Sigh.
I still recommend Lidia’s recipe archives. And that film.
And changing the world, for the better. And thinking. And feeling. And listening. And, and, and…
Mangia, sigh.
ROLL TO…FEBRUARY
For starters, this stood out because it was after the numbing agony of January. And, now that I’m mere hours and minutes away from January again, there have surely been rightful consequences, up and down the socio-political ladder, for the invasion at the capital? RIGHT?!?
So. Dealing with societal collapse calls for comfort food, RIGHT!?!?!? RIGHT?!?!
I’ll leave it at that, for now.
This was a pretty perfect plate of comfort food.
I hadn’t made baked beans in years, and wheels roll their way to my heavy heart.
One more from the second month of the year, because when sourdough bagels are good, they’re great.
(And in recent weeks, I’ve started adding diatastic malt powder, and the results are a crusty dream)
MOVING ON TO….MARCH
By this point, Jules was working at a detail in the Southwest. We’d both had our first vaccine shot in Alaska.
I don’t mean this in a bad way, but besides the then-new cats, I’d never been so alone. Geographically. And it was O-K. Really.
Jules was off hiking in the desert and cherishing the sun, and I was still stomping my way through the snow on our “backyard” trails of spruce forests, and appreciative of not carrying bear spray quite yet.
In terms of cooking and my self-described “culinary aspirations in solitude”, this pad thai stood out because clearly, it’s colorful (especially for the long winter and limited groceries!), it had decent broccoli, the noodles achieved that nice bit of char from the sauce, and I remembered the pickled turnip and crushed peanuts.
And to be honest, I was likely thinking of the renewed protest movement in Thailand, particularly Bangkok, for reform in the monarchy - and more.
That heavy heart.
AH, APRIL
As you can see, no melt yet. Ah, the contrast in that scene!
We had snowfall into June. The above is included because it was our first drive of the year on the “old’ Denali Highway that makes its way across the interior.
It’s remote, and stunning.
We’ve camped there a few times now, both at actual campgrounds and pull-outs, with a couple of nights at a roadhouse just this past June. Stories for another day!
Our first cook-out of the year consisted of charred purple broccoli and homemade veggie hot dogs (a la The Homemade Vegan Pantry) and to be FRANK, they were under-set, but were rocked with a plethora of enjoyable condiments, nonetheless, with a side of the growing anticipation for the vast greens & reds & flowers & mushrooms of the short spring and summer to follow.
HELLO, MAY
Oh, I could rant and rave, rave and rant some more about this for what feels like hours, but nevertheless, I certainly enjoy a ridiculously good deal and this silly brand of “modern” branded sausages.
These lasted for ages!
On the downside of being able to find deals like this from time to time when I assume there are only so many people opting for these options, the ‘fake meat” section that’s inside the “real meat” section of both of the Fred Meyer’s up here continues to get narrorow-er and narrorow-er (and my goodness, you need to read the labels, because there’s usually a single package of lamb mince or row of something else sad and gross that’s taken over, despite the official “plant-based” signage).
Lest you believe that we’re eating those sausages all the time – we’re not – the next highlight from the archives (to give May some actual dinner plate recognition!) is a welcome surprise.
I kinda (okay, I do) stink at making mashed potatoes and get bored of them very quickly, much to Jules’ dismay. One day, I will invest in a legit potato ricer. Hold me to that.
Fortunately, Jules can rock mashed potatoes and gets credit for the batch on this plate, as well as the hammered mushrooms. Naturally, I can’t resist throwing minced parsley and smashed, roasted garlic into the former.
Sautéed rapini and stewed black-eyed peas round out the plate, and by round out, I mean, made it surely delicious.
And one more for May, because how could I not with the following - which gets bonus inclusion for being straight up amusing and feeling retro, in its own vegan way.
I don’t quite remember what inspired this, but I have no doubt that breakfast sandwiches followed at some point.
AND THEN CAME…JUNE
You know what, I have too much to say about June from the get-to, with its late night sunshine, my sister visiting (!!!), a road trip, the return of Alaskan grown produce (!!!!!!), and then, my own experiences with flying and spending time in NYC during all things covid, so let me leave it here with these minced spruce tips.
They’re straight from the forest and heading into some cocoa butter-based ice cream with 2020’s spruce tip tincture…
In conclusion, I remain perpetually exhausted, occasionally amused, sporadically inspired, and oft-horrified by this past year (which equals, humanity).
Thank you for reading this. You’re swell.
References + Relevant Links:
Alaskans in the Interior digging out after a wintry weekend wallop of snow, ice, wind Alaska Public Media December 30, 2021
Artisan Sourdough Made Simple by Emilie Raffa (when in doubt, any bread pictured is from this book)
Escarole with White Beans, Lidia’s Italy
Guide to the Denali Highway, Paxson to Cantwell, Alaska.org
I Never Realised How Huge Moose Are and Now I’m Freaking Out, BuzzFeed November 24, 2017
The Homemade Vegan Pantry by Miyoko Schinner
Why are Moose More Dangerous Than Bears? HowStuffWorks
Love this!
I love the moose pics. And the wheels.