050 Who Wants Seconds?

...During the show we discuss: Secrets to vegan cooking Tips for healthy home cooking Roasting vegetables Making your own mayonnaise Involving kids in the kitchen The problems with cooking shows Working with leftovers Advice for throwing a party Jennie’s book Who Wants Seconds? How to not burn your soup Food swaps If you want to leave a question for the Root Simple Podcast please call (213) 537-2591 or send an email to [email protected]. You can s...

Read…

Quick Breads

...nd of cheap humor. It’s a humor not based on experience but, instead, just making fun of other people based on where they live. It smacks of classism and elitism. Know that I have evolved and am truly sorry.] Now the problem we had in our boho days with maintaining a sourdough starter is that it required daily feeding–in fact it was a bit like having a pet–a very boring slightly messy pet that leaves moist and moldy flour all over your countertop....

Read…

Sourdough Recipe #1 The Not Very Whole Wheat Loaf

...e the loaf from the oven, but resist the urge to break into it. It’s still cooking and you could get a stomach ache from the still active wild yeasts. Let it cool down before slicing. There’s not much labor involved with making this bread especially if you’ve got a mixer, but it does require some scheduling. You’ll note that the time in the refrigerator gives you some flexibility if you’re not a complete homebody. If you try this recipe, leave a c...

Read…

Our Rocket Stove

...ew small branches or twigs. Before we built the rocket stove we considered making a cob oven, a mud domed wood fired oven in which you can cook bread and pizza. There’s a trend in the eco-world to build cob ovens and we felt a certain pressure to keep up with the eco-Joneses. We started to build the base for one and then began to think about how often we would actually build a fire, especially considering that it has to burn for several hours befo...

Read…

George Rector: M.F.K. Fisher’s Dirty Old Uncle

...ver a double boiler (“that’s the dingus Junior’s cereal is cooked in…”) to making “that noble experiment known as Rum-Tum Ditty” for the boys when they come over for cards. Rum-Tum-Ditty, I have to say, defies explanation. Let’s just say the ingredients include whipped egg whites, a pound of cheese and a can of tomato soup. Speaking of befuddled menfolk, Erik is quite fond of this passage about making Hollandaise sauce (from the chapter titled “A...

Read…