Bakery Love and a Restorative Nightcap Between Holidays
Saturday News Digest V1/E25
Table of Contents
A Love Poem
The Month’s Important Dates
The Coffee Snub Incident
The Parting Glass
A Love Poem Ode to the bakery you cannot live without.
The day job in the Office of Communications and Marketing at Brooklyn College was an exciting, creative joy when it wasn't a harrowing mental breakdown. Lords Bakery, one block away from the college's gates, kept the staff together through it all. Lords opened more than 40 years ago, and its offerings reflect the neighborhood's changing population as it went from a European Jewish enclave to a predominately Caribbean population. Few bakeries like Lords exist anymore--small family own for generations, attune to and invested in the community. Part of the reason for this is that when the neighborhood was transforming Lords changed with its offerings and began to hire local residents, becoming an anchor to the neighborhood commercial area and an important link between the past and present. The neighborhood is slowly changing once more--buildings and homes along its northern and western borders are being torn down and replaced by expensive high rises. It's hard to imagine that Lords won't weather these new developments again. Then again, that's one of the reasons beloved old community bakeries disappear. We're going to choose to believe that there would surely be an outcry if Lords was threatened. Hopefully some of the urban historians at Brooklyn College would join forces. Our editor, Stephen, who served as our college office's poet (his Ode to a Chickpea remains unparalleled in the food poetry world) has penned a love poem to Lords. Enjoy it and the video that will give you more of Lords bakery history.
Ode to a Flatbush Bakery
by Stephen GaroneOh, Lords. King of lard. Your cakes and pies Deserve awards. The red velvet cake is divine, The chocolate buttercream a dream. And don’t forget the rugelach, Which truly reign supreme. Your picture cakes Amuse and delight. And those sweetly iced cupcakes— For sore eyes, a sight! Your variety and quality Are guaranteed to astound. And, thanks to you, I happily weigh a few extra pounds.
The Month's Important Dates Banned Books and National Hispanic Heritage Month
Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.~ Banned Books Week
Today is the last day to rally around Banned Books Week. Between 2021 and 2022 1,648 book titles have been challenged or outright banned, most because they address LGBTQ issues. Others have been pulled from school and public libraries on the basis of race, civil rights activism, or the positive portrayal of religious minorities, with Jews and Muslims at the top of target list.
The challenges have been brought by about 50 nationwide groups. The most active among them is Moms for Liberty whose trademark has become storming school board meetings and violently accosting teachers, librarians, elected officials, and parents who disagree with them.
Please consider contributing to organizations that are fighting for and supporting authors, illustrators, and librarians. And buy and read a banned book today!
It's National Hispanic Heritage Month! The Hispanic diaspora living in our country has given us much to be grateful for. Like all immigrant groups who came and are still coming to us, Hispanic people enliven our society, enrich our culture, contribute to our economy, and bring a refreshing vibrancy to our food. From now until October 15, how about putting together a playlist of your favorite musicians, such as Cesária Évora, Bad Bunny, and all the artists in between who will cause you to dance around the kitchen while cooking Puerto Rico's national dish! And, while you're at it, please give whatever you can to help the island and its people recovery from Hurricane Fiona. Check out this list to find organizations handling donations.
The following recipe for Azzoz con Gandules, considered to be Puerto Rico’s national dish, comes via my oldest son's sweetheart. Of Puerto Rican descent, Sandy has injected so much unfettered joy and energy into our little uptight family, not to mention flavors to our table. The most important ingredient in this dish is sofrito. You can buy a jar of it but the taste won't be as vibrant. Besides, it's easy to make and keeps for a little while in the refrigerator.
Sofrito 1 package culantro 2 medium onions, chopped 1 green pepper, seeded, chopped 1 red pepper, chopped 1 orange pepper, chopped 3 fresh chili peppers, seed remove, chopped 2 cloves garlic, peeled, finely chopped
Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse three or four times to well blended.
Sofrito will keep for about a week in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container.
Azzoz con Gandules
2 ounces smoked ham, or pork, diced 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup sofrito 1/4 cup tomato sauce 2 tablespoon water 1 24-ounce can pigeon peas, drained and washed 3 cups water 2 cups white rice 1 teaspoon salt In a 4 quart cooking pan, add the oil, smoked ham or pork and cook over moderate heat for 3 minutes. Stir in the sofrito and the tomato sauce and simmer for another 3 minutes.
Raise the heat to moderate high and add the water and the pigeon peas. Mix well and simmer for 3 minutes. Raise the heat to high and add the water. Once it begins to boil, stir in the rice. Mix everything together until well blended. Return the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to moderate and cook uncovered until most—but not all—the water has evaporated.
Reduce the heat to low. Stir again and place a lid on the pan and cook for 15 minutes. Uncover and mix the rice, put the lid back on, and continue to cook until the rice is fully cooked. It should be soft to chewy. If it isn't cook a little more.
Makes approximately 6 servings.
The Coffee Snub Incident Roadside Eavesdropping
Scene: New Jersey northbound I-95, Grover Cleveland rest area. The general commotion around Starbucks.
You are #13 in line, have been driving for two hours with an accident ahead making home another hour away. All you want is a tall iced coffee.
Woman, early 20s, cuts in before #11, a young man approaching or dipping into his 30s.
Woman, (edges her hip into the line and faces the guy she's trying to squeeze in front of): I was here. You know I was here. Look at me. I. WAS. HERE! Man, looks nonplussed: I didn't saying you weren't. I'm just saying you weren't when I got into line. Woman: That's what I'm saying. You just didn't notice me. (For the record the woman is very noticeable: statuesque, glossy fashionable long layered blond hair, cropped white tee-shirt, and extremely expensive looking pink silk wide-leg pants. Unfortunately, couldn't see what kind of shoes she had on.) Man looks very exhausted in his loose gray tee-shirt, both arms covered in full-sleeve tattoo and jeans. He swivels his head away from her and lets out a loud sigh. Woman: You testing me! (She could be saying this to the man or herself, but she has lean so close to the man they could be taken as a couple. He looks more intently at his phone. The middle-aged woman before her with a pre-teen daughter steps a little to the side, creating some space between her and the woman.) The line shuffles a tiny bit forward. There's a small chain-reaction when one person reading her phone bumps into the couple before her reading their phones, and so on and so forth. Meanwhile, you weigh your desire to be out of this mess and back out on the road. However, there is a distinct possibility of falling asleep if you don't get some coffee in you. Approximately eleven minutes later, the woman is now in third place. Mother and daughter have reached the counter and orders five of those huge and complicated whipped cream and syrup drinks, plus two ham sandwiches they ask to be heated. Woman (basically shouts to the whole rest area): YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! This outburst causes the Starbuck servers and the people around her to visibly grow tense. Some go back to their phones. The staff member at the cash register stares blankly at her. The man behind her rubs his hand across his forehead. You suddenly remember a recommendation from one of your broke sons and step out of line. You to the man: There's a store in back that has coffee. You don't know why you are talking to this man. He doesn't seem like he cares to speak to you at all. But then this is what your family has trained you to do--butt into other people's problems (see Tuesday's story). Man, confused: What? You: You can get coffee in the store in back. Man: Why would I want that? You: 'Cause you'd get coffee and get out of here. Woman turns around, looks at the man: Who wants that shit? You: I'm just saying.... Woman looks at the man, who looks at her, and they both turn away and ignore you. You head on back to the store where they have a whole bank of urns offering very good coffee, the beans freshly ground as soon as you press a button. You get yourself a cup, fill it with ice from the soda machine, then add dark Colombian roast and a splash of almond milk and return to the soda machine for a little more ice--all for $2.65 including tax. You head back through the rest area, toward the exit by Starbucks. The woman still hasn't gotten to the counter, is still telling everyone--and now directly accusting the poor staff--how unhappy she is, and the man looks even more exhausted. You catch his eye and raise your iced coffee to show him what you found in the back. He shakes his head, whether sorry for you or in disgust of the low-rent coffee in your hand. You are happy to get back in the car and speed off toward home. Moral of the story and road tip: The convenience stores often attached to highway rest area food courts in many cases offer terrific coffee that's astronomically cheaper than Starbucks. Rarely do they have customers who will further grate your already road-weary nerves. The Parting Glass The virtue of a nightcap
I thought this up when I was taking care of my sister. It proved to relieve scratchy throats and be an effective nightcap, to boot. For healthy people it’s merely damn delicious no what time of day it is. It doesn’t have a name, so feel free to claim it as your own.
Recipe Ingredients: Soft fleshed fruit. I used the last of the summer peaches. Apples and pears would work, too, but you should par-boil or steam them until they're soft so they absorb the liquid. Whatever liqueur you have in the house. You want something that compliments the taste of the fruit. Luckily, my sister keeps a superb liquor cabinet, and she had a bottle of Chateau Monet Framboise. To make: Whatever fruit you use, peel, discard the pit if it has one, and slice into serving-size pieces. Place the cut-up fruit in a bowl and pour enough liqueur over them to almost completely submerge them. Cover the bowl and place in the freezer for at least an hour or so. You want the fruit icy but not frozen. Divide the fruit into wine glasses, pour any excess juices over them, and serve. Be sure to slurpee slowly while resting on a pile of pillows in bed or curled into the most comfortable chair in the house.
Starbucks. ugh. Gas station coffee has gotten much, much better over the last decade.
The Parting Glass...I like your style.