s i x i m p o s s i b l e t h i n g s b e f o r e b r e a k fa st 143 would have been more uncomfortable to come home to parents who used the kitchen for screaming and throwing dishes at each other Anyway, whose parents aren’t embarrassing sometimes? The hardest thing about being raised in a household where most everything is made from scratch is that someday you move out and have to deal with store-bought bread and yogurt My mom was quick to catch on to the leverage she got out of that “I guess you’ll have to come home more often if you want good food,” she would tell me Away from home, I realized I missed more about mealtimes than just the food I missed picking fresh greens from the garden, or taking a jar of dried tomatoes from the pantry, as the starting point of a meal It’s obviously convenient to grab a salad or package of sushi from the dining hall between classes, but eating on the fly seems like cheating to me Maybe I feel this way because my make-it-yourself upbringing drummed into me the ethic of working for the things I want I’ve been involved in growing and cooking the food that feeds me since I was a little kid, and it has definitely given me a certain confidence about relying on myself Just as meals don’t materialize in the grocery store, I realize a new car and a good education won’t just spring into my life on their own, but hopefully I will get there If everything my heart desired was handed to me on a plate, I’d probably just want something else Cooking meals doesn’t have to be that complicated Most of the recipes in this book take less than an hour to prepare The average American spends three and a half hours watching TV every day Even if a family can only manage to eat a meal together a couple of times a week, whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner, my vote would be that it’s worth the effort For most of my high school years, dinner was often the only chance I’d have to see my sister or parents all day We could check up on each other and recount the traumas and victories of our days We might end up laughing through the whole meal A choking hazard, maybe, but also a pretty good way to relieve stress Cheese is one of our favorite special foods to make from scratch This recipe for homemade mozzarella is from Home Cheese Making by Ricki 144 a n i m a l , v e g e ta b l e , m i r ac l e Carroll and really does take only thirty minutes For the rennet, plus the cultures for making other cheeses, contact New England Cheesemaking Supply Company y 30-MINUTE MOZZARELLA Measure out all additives before you start, in clean glass or ceramic cups Use unchlorinated water gallon pasteurized milk (NOT ultra-pasteurized) 11⁄2 level teaspoons citric acid dissolved in 1⁄4 cup cool water Stir the milk on the stove in a stainless steel kettle, heating very gently At 55° add the citric acid solution and mix thoroughly At 88° it should begin to curdle ⁄4 teaspoon liquid rennet, diluted in 1⁄4 cup cool water Gently stir in diluted rennet with up-and-down motion, and continue heating the milk to just over 100°, then turn off heat Curds should be pulling away from sides of pot, ready to scoop out The whey should be clear (If it’s still milky, wait a few minutes.) Use a large slotted spoon or ladle to move curds from pot to a 2-quart microwaveable bowl Press curds gently with hands to remove as much whey as possible, and pour it off Microwave the curds on high for one minute, then knead the cheese again with hands or a spoon to remove more whey (Rubber gloves help—this gets hot!) Microwave two more times (about 35 seconds each), kneading between each heating At this point, salt the cheese to taste, then knead and pull until it’s smooth and elastic When you can stretch it into ropes like taffy, you are done If the curds break instead, they need to be reheated a bit Once cheese is smooth and shiny, roll it into small balls to eat warm or store for later in the refrigerator Lacking a microwave, you can use the pot of hot whey on the stove for the heating-and-kneading steps Put the ball of curd back in with a big slotted spoon, and heat it until it’s almost too hot to touch Good stretching temperature is 175 degrees Here are three great ways to eat your mozzarella: s i x i m p o s s i b l e t h i n g s b e f o r e b r e a k fa st y S U M M E RT I M E 145 SALAD large tomatoes ball of mozzarella Basil leaves Olive oil Salt to taste Slice tomatoes and spread them out on a large platter Place a thin slice of cheese and a basil leaf on each slice of tomato Drizzle olive oil over top, sprinkle with salt, and serve y EGGPLANT PA P O U T Z A K I A pounds eggplant Olive oil Slice eggplant lengthwise and sauté lightly in olive oil Remove from skillet and arrange in a baking dish medium onions, garlic to taste large tomatoes, diced teaspoons nutmeg Salt and pepper to taste ounces grated or sliced mozzarella Chop onions and garlic and sauté in olive oil Add diced tomato and spices and mix thoroughly Spread mixture over the eggplant and sprinkle an even layer of cheese over top Bake at 350° for 20 minutes, until golden on top 146 y F R I D AY a n i m a l , v e g e ta b l e , m i r ac l e NIGHT PIZZA (Makes two 12-inch pizzas: enough for family, friends, and maybe tomorrow’s lunch.) teaspoons yeast 11⁄2 cups WARM water tablespoons olive oil teaspoon salt 21⁄2 cups white flour cups whole wheat flour To make crust, dissolve the yeast into the warm water and add oil and salt to that mixture Mix the flours and knead them into the liquid mixture Let dough rise for 30 to 40 minutes cup sliced onions peppers, cut up While the dough is rising, prepare the sliced onions: a slow sauté to caramelize their sugars makes fresh onions into an amazing vegetable First sizzle them on medium heat in a little olive oil, until transparent but not browned Then turn down the burner, add a bit of water if necessary to keep them from browning, and let them cook ten to fifteen minutes more, until they are glossy and sweet Peppers can benefit from a similar treatment Once the dough has risen, divide it in half and roll out two round 12-inch pizza crusts on a clean, floured countertop, using your fingers to roll the perimeter into an outer crust as thick as you like Using spatulas, slide the crusts onto well-floured pans or baking stones and spread toppings 16 ounces mozzarella, thinly sliced cups fresh tomatoes in season (or sauce in winter) Other toppings tablespoon oregano teaspoon rosemary Olive oil s i x i m p o s s i b l e t h i n g s b e f o r e b r e a k fa st 147 Layer the cheese evenly over the crust, then scatter the toppings of the week on your pizza, finishing with the spices If you use tomato sauce (rather than fresh tomatoes), spread that over crust first, then the cheese, then other toppings Bake pizzas at 425° for about 20 minutes, until crust is browned on the edge and crisp in the center Download these and all other Animal, Vegetable, Miracle recipes at www.AnimalVegetableMiracle.com S O M E O F O U R FA V O R I T E C O M B I N A T I O N S F O R S U M M E R A R E : Mozzarella, fresh tomato slices, and fresh basil, drizzled with olive oil Mozzarella, chopped tomatoes, caramelized onions and peppers, mushrooms Chopped tomatoes, crumbled feta, finely chopped spinach or chard, black olives G O O D W I N T E R C O M B I N AT I O N S I N C L U D E : Farmer cheese, chicken, olives, and mushrooms Tomato sauce, mozzarella, dried peppers, mushrooms, and anchovies ... tomatoes ball of mozzarella Basil leaves Olive oil Salt to taste Slice tomatoes and spread them out on a large platter Place a thin slice of cheese and a basil leaf on each slice of tomato Drizzle olive... garlic to taste large tomatoes, diced teaspoons nutmeg Salt and pepper to taste ounces grated or sliced mozzarella Chop onions and garlic and sauté in olive oil Add diced tomato and spices and... on the edge and crisp in the center Download these and all other Animal, Vegetable, Miracle recipes at www.AnimalVegetableMiracle.com S O M E O F O U R FA V O R I T E C O M B I N A T I O N S