The best mole recipe in LA includes figs - Los Angeles Times

The best mole recipe in LA includes figs - Los Angeles Times
How to manage ailing azaleas, fruitless fig tree - Newsday
How to eat fruit and vegetables during COVID-19 pandemic - SBS
Figs are in season. We have recipes - Los Angeles Times

Posted: 10 Jan 2020 12:00 AM PST

Mole's layered flavors come from first bringing out the best in each ingredient on its own, then blending and simmering them in a balanced, smooth, silky sauce.

Complicated as it may seem — and there are a lot of steps — you can nail mole on the first try without stressing if you break it down into its components and understand how they all come together. First, steep a stock of herbs, spices and Mexican chocolate; then toast and fry each component; then bring it all together.

The recipe that follows is adapted from Christy Lujan of CaCao Mexicatessen. Dried Black Mission figs lend a deep red wine-like sweetness to a mole Poblano-style base. Lujan had three tips to help the new-to-mole cook:

Good cooking takes time and effort. You need to deeply brown each ingredient individually: Dry-toast the nuts, seeds, dried fruit and crackers; blister the dried chiles; and fry the onion, garlic, tortilla and bread. Let each cook to deep brown, but don't let any blacken. The dark burnish brings deep savory notes, but even a hint of burn will make the whole mole bitter. The ingredients have to be prepped one at a time because they toast at different rates; they also must be watched carefully because they go from toasty to charred quickly. Later, you need to strain the sauce, which is a pain but necessary to achieve the silkiest texture.
Be bold in the kitchen. Lujan says the step where you pour the sauce into smoking hot oil is crucial, as it melds the flavors of the disparate ingredients by searing them together. Yes, it's scary: It crackles as loudly as fireworks, spatters hard and may cause burns if you're not careful. Put on an old long-sleeve shirt and an apron, stand back and pour with confidence. Then turn off the fire as fast as you can.
Trust yourself. You can — and should — adjust mole's seasonings to your taste. The recipe is calibrated to have a certain mix of spicy, salty and sweet, but you have to trust your taste buds to make it perfect for you. If it's too spicy, toast or fry more crackers, tortilla or onion, then puree with water until smooth and blend into the sauce to mellow it. If it's not spicy enough, do the same with chiles. Salt it more if you'd like or, if it's too salty, thin it with water.

Mission Fig Mole Sauce

4 ½ hours, largely unattended. Makes about 8 cups.

You can serve this sauce with shredded poached dark chicken meat or grilled eggplant slices, though it probably would make wet cardboard taste good. Simply heat some of the sauce thinned with chicken or vegetable stock or water to achieve a pourable consistency.

Simmered ingredients

2 dried bay leaves
1 canela stick
1 3/4 teaspoons whole allspice berries
1 ¼ teaspoons whole black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 2-inch rosemary sprig
2 sprigs thyme
1 ounce Mexican chocolate, preferably La Soledad

Toasted ingredients

6 tablespoons unsalted peanuts
2 tablespoons raw almonds
6 tablespoons white sesame seeds
½ cup animal crackers, preferably Mexican animalitos
2 cups dried Black Mission figs
¼ cup raisins
1 teaspoon canola or vegetable oil
2 ½ ounces chile negro peppers (about 7), stems and seeds removed
2 ½ ounces dried ancho chiles (about 5), stems and seeds removed
¾ ounce dried pasilla de Oaxaca chiles or chipotle chiles with seeds (about 2), stems removed
2 tablespoons dried árbol chiles with seeds (about 8), stems removed

Fried ingredients

1 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 small white onion, coarsely chopped
8 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 day-old yellow corn tortilla
½ cup stale bread cubes
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Instructions

Prepare the simmered ingredients: Combine the bay leaves, canela, allspice, peppercorns, cloves, rosemary, thyme and chocolate with 2 ½ cups cold water in a large pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring to melt the chocolate and prevent it from scorching, then remove from the heat and let steep until ready to use.
Meanwhile, prepare the toasted ingredients: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the peanuts and toast, tossing continuously, until dark golden brown in spots, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the pot. Repeat with the almonds, toasting for 1 to 2 minutes, then the sesame seeds, toasting for 1 to 2 minutes.
Spread the animal crackers in the skillet and toast, turning occasionally, until dark brown in spots, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to the pot, then wipe the skillet clean. Add the figs, turning occasionally, until softened and blistered in spots, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the pot. Repeat with the raisins, stirring for 1 minute. Rinse out the skillet to remove any residual sugar and wipe dry.
Set the skillet over medium heat again and add the oil. When it shimmers, swirl to coat the bottom of the pan and add the negro chiles. Toast, turning often, until soft and paler in spots (don't let them blacken), 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the pot. Repeat with the ancho, pasilla and árbol chiles, and keep the skillet on the stove.
Prepare the fried ingredients: Fill the skillet with the oil. Heat over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and fry, stirring occasionally, until very dark brown, about 15 minutes. Use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer to the pot. Add the garlic to the oil and fry, turning occasionally, until deep golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the pot with the slotted spoon.
Add the tortilla and fry, turning occasionally, until dark and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Use tongs to transfer to the pot. Repeat with the bread, frying until brown and crunchy like croutons, about 30 seconds. Add the salt to the pot after the bread goes in, along with 6 cups water and stir well to combine. Pour the frying oil through a fine-mesh sieve into a liquid measuring cup and reserve.
Puree the mole: Working in batches, transfer the mole mixture to a blender and puree until smooth, scraping the bowl as needed. The spices and herbs may not break down completely, which is OK, because the sauce will be strained. Pour and push the puree through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much sauce as possible.
Fry the sauce: Pour the reserved strained canola oil into a large, deep stockpot and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering. Carefully and quickly pour in the mole sauce at arm's length to avoid burning yourself. Immediately turn off the heat and let stand until the bubbling subsides. The oil and sauce will splatter violently; the hard-fried flavor is an important element of the sauce.
Stir the sauce well and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring often for the first 30 minutes, being careful to not let the mole scorch at the bottom of the pot. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings if needed. Continue simmering over low heat, stirring occasionally, for an additional 2 hours.
Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Skim off and discard any oil that has accumulated on the surface. Cool to warm for serving or to room temperature for storing. When ready to serve, thin the sauce with stock or water to a pourable consistency if needed. Fold in meat or vegetables.

Make ahead
The mole can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks or frozen for up to 2 months.

Adapted from Christy Lujan.

How to manage ailing azaleas, fruitless fig tree - Newsday

Posted: 01 Apr 2020 12:00 AM PDT

DEAR JESSICA: I have azaleas that have a white crust on their branches that I haven't seen before. They are not doing well. — Christine Doukas, Lindenhurst

DEAR CHRISTINE: The white masses you're seeing are female azalea bark scales and their egg cases, covered by a protective waxy coating. The spots are not only unsightly, they threaten your plant's health as they suck out its sap. To make matters worse, the insects' sweet, sticky excrement, honeydew, will cover the plant over summer, attracting other pests as well as black sooty mold; the latter is uglier and will further weaken the plant.

Your best course of action is to scrape off as many of the white masses as possible, or prune out heavily affected branches, then spray the plant with horticultural oil before it breaks dormancy. (It's too late for this now, but I emailed this advice to Doukas early last month.)

For others experiencing this problem, the seasonally appropriate control right now would be scraping and pruning. For heavy infestations, follow this with a soil drench using a product containing the active ingredient imidacloprid; follow package directions carefully, and it should offer protection for the season.

Figs, like these at Belleclare Nursery in Plainview, require an abundance of heat, sun and water during the growing season. Credit: Newsday/David L. Pokress

DEAR JESSICA: Someone gave me a fig tree cutting, which I planted in a pot and for two years kept outside, moving into the garage over the winters. In 2018, I planted it outside, on the south side of my house, and the tree produced about a half a dozen edible figs. In 2019, the tree came through the winter nicely and produced about two dozen fruit. Unfortunately, these figs did not develop and never got any larger than big grapes. Please let me know what went wrong and what can be done to prevent a reoccurrence this year. — Felicia Werst, Commack

DEAR FELICIA: Figs are fickle fruit. Many of the available varieties originated in the Mediterranean, where the climate is a lot warmer than in New York. There are cold-hardy types, but even those require an abundance of heat, sun and water during the growing season.

Many backyard growers — myself included — have experienced the frustration of a fig tree covered in hard, inedible, walnut- (or grape-) size fruits that simply don't ripen. And because figs will not ripen once picked, there's no hope for them.

The problem sometimes can be attributed to pollination. Some varieties are self-pollinating, but others are not. Since your tree provided fruit in the past, we can rule out this. Other possible culprits include insufficient heat, sunlight and/or water, and, in many cases, winter dieback. If plants are unprotected, their above-ground growth will often die back to the ground over winter, with new growth sprouting from the roots. When this happens, new growth is technically a new plant, which can take years to bear edible fruit.

Ensure the tree gets 1½ inches of water per week, accounting for rainfall. During hot, dry spells, insert your finger 2 inches into the soil daily, and apply water when the soil around the roots is dry. Southern exposures typically get the most sunlight, but not when blocked by trees, fences or other structures. If your fig tree is in the shade, dig up and relocate it before it leafs out.

Overfertilization also can prevent figs from ripening, especially if the tree is planted in a lawn that receives nitrogen applications (if that's the case, move it). Fertilize the tree once per month from leaf out until mid-July, applying 1 ounce of a balanced 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 product.

To curtail crabgrass, make sure to apply a pre-emergent control that prevents its seeds from germinating. Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto/Yesim Sahin

DEAR JESSICA: You wrote an article a few months ago about an organic crabgrass prevention application. It had to be applied once in the early season, as the forsythia is blooming. Can you tell me the name of the product? We use Jonathan Green four-step program every year with an extra application of crabgrass control in late July. It hasn't been very effective. — Lou Giacalone, West Islip

DEAR LOU: The adage "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" applies to weeds as to life. Crabgrass is best controlled by preventing its seeds from germinating.

This is done using a "pre-emergent" control, and the natural option I wrote about is corn gluten meal. Follow package directions carefully, and, yes, apply it when the forsythia blooms. But be sure to watch the forsythia on your side of the block; the shrubs across the street have a different exposure than your property does, meaning your crabgrass, too, will be on a different schedule. If there are no forsythia on your side of the street, look for some on properties around the block that face the same direction as your house.

The window of effective pre-emergent control begins when the forsythia blooms, and ends when the lilacs fade, so you typically have more than a month to get the job done.

By Jessica Damiano @jessicadamiano

Jessica Damiano is a master gardener, gardening coach, author and lecturer who pens Newsday's weekly Garden Detective column. She spends her free time weeding and struggling to save her lawn from her two dogs.

How to eat fruit and vegetables during COVID-19 pandemic - SBS

Posted: 18 Mar 2020 12:00 AM PDT

Fresh, frozen, canned or preserved; we asked experts about how to get your fruit and vegetable intake over autumn and winter.

Audrey Bourget

18 Mar 2020 - 3:04 PM UPDATED 18 Mar 2020 - 3:04 PM

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, pasta and rice have been flying off the shelves in Australian supermarkets. With the colder months approaching, it's also important to maintain your fruit and vegetable intake.

The first thing to remember is that in-season, fresh vegetables are generally best.

Chef and Queen Victoria Market ambassador Karen Martini says, "When you're shopping at a market, it's all fresh produce, which is the best thing. And you're getting the freshest version of those things so they'll last a bit longer in your fridge than from the supermarket."

KEEPING THOSE NUTRIENTS UP

In autumn, figs, pears, grapes, Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes are at their prime. Come winter, look for broccoli, beetroots, carrots, lemons and apples.

"Mother nature knows what she's doing; the reason why they're abundant is that they have the nutrients we need to be ingesting at this time of the year."

Alice Zaslavsky, a food educator helping kids fall in love with vegetables through Phenomenom, explains, "Brassicas or green leafy greens are abundant during wintertime. Mother Nature knows what she's doing; the reason why they're abundant is that they have the nutrients we need to be ingesting at this time of the year."

Martini agrees. She's a big fan of cabbage during winter, which keeps well in the fridge: "It's one of these versatile things that people overlook. A white drum cabbage or a sugarloaf cabbage or even wombok can be used for many different things."

While you could cook it, she recommends making kimchi or a salad with a simple dressing for maximum nutritional value.

THAT'S RIGHT

Now is the time to take advantage of autumn produce like pumpkins, tomatoes and figs. Zaslavsky says, "Vegetables that are abundant now won't be around pretty soon.

"With tomatoes, you can easily make passata or confit tomatoes in oil."

Mushrooms are at their peak during autumn and winter. According to Martini, "Dry roast mushroom in the oven and throw them in a mix of rice vinegar, tamari or light soy and a bit of sesame oil with a few slices of ginger. They can sit in the fridge like that for two weeks in the soy dressing. You can throw them in stir-fries, salads and sandwiches."

"I roasted a whole pumpkin the other day. I scooped out all the flesh, mixed it with chicken stock and finished it with some cream, salt and pepper. It was an easy pumpkin soup for my kids. You could add fresh dill, pumpkin seeds or stir chilli into it. You get better results for soups during the winter if you roast vegetables rather than boiling them," she adds.

Make sure to store your fresh fruit and vegetable properly so they keep longer.

Some notes on vegetable storage for folks trying to keep perishable veggies fresh as long as possible:

— Joy of Cooking (@TheJoyofCooking) March 14, 2020

Both Martini and Zaslavsky have no qualms about buying certain vegetables frozen, like peas, corn and spinach.

Zaslavsky says, "Usually, fresh is best, but some things have more nutritional value when they're frozen because they're flash-frozen immediately after they're picked. You're better off buying frozen peas in winter than fresh peas. Not only are they more nutritious, sweeter and cheaper, they also last longer."

You can freeze excess produce, including herbs and chilli, as well as condiments like zhug, curry paste and chermoula. Keep your vegetable offcuts in a container in the freezer, and you'll have enough to make vegetable stock at the end of each week.

Frozen fruits don't keep their texture as well, but they can be added to smoothies and baked goods.

Some canned veggies like tomatoes and artichokes can also come in handy.

Zaslavsky, who has a book about vegetables coming out this spring, says, "I always have jars or tins of whole peeled tomatoes which I like to squish into a sauce with my hands like a nonna."

LOOK AFTER YOURSELF

Ferments are also a great way to consume vegetables during winter and give that extra oomph to your dishes. Make them yourself (check out Rough Rice and The Fermentary for inspiration), or simply buy a jar of kimchi or sauerkraut if you're short on time.

"When you're preserving, freezing and pickling, you need to make sure you've rinsed and washed the produce. Food spoils if there's residue on it. And don't try to preserve already blemished or old overripe stuff; it's better to eat that right away," says Martini.

If you're worried about having access to fresh produce in the coming months, you should know that even in countries in lockdown like Italy and Spain, markets and supermarkets are still trading. If people don't stockpile and only buy what they need, Australia will unlikely experience a food shortage.

As of Tuesday afternoon, only people who have recently travelled from overseas or have been in contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case and experienced symptoms within 14 days are advised to be tested. If you believe you may have contracted the virus, call your doctor, don't visit, or contact the national Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. If you are struggling to breathe or experiencing a medical emergency, call 000.

Figs are in season. We have recipes - Los Angeles Times

Posted: 07 Jul 2017 12:00 AM PDT

What's in season: Fig season is short, appearing for just a few weeks during the hot summer months. While there are many varieties of figs, the fruit — actually, a fig is an inverted flower — can be divided into two classes: green and black. Here in California, black figs, including smaller Mission and larger, paler Brown Turkey, are most often eaten fresh, as they're generally sweeter and have a more pronounced flavor. Green figs such as Adriatic and Tiger are also prized for their fresh flavor, though Kadota, the most common green fig, has a thicker skin with an often bland flavor, and is best saved for drying or canning.

9 great recipes using fresh figs >>

What to cook: Fresh or dried, figs have a distinctive crunch, owing to the many seeds trapped in the center . Ripe, flavorful figs are best enjoyed fresh, eaten as a quick snack or chopped and added to salads or used as a garnish. Throw them on the grill, charring the sugar in fresh figs for caramelized notes and deeper flavor. Figs also work well in jams or as a quick summer pickle. Use dried figs in quick breads and other baked goods.

What's on the horizon: Tomatoes are showing up in force, thanks to the hotter weather, with a variety of colorful heirloom large and cherry tomatoes filling stands.

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