Frito Pie season is open

 

    My pantry is telling me it’s Frito Pie season. I love and respect the Texas connection to this delicacy. I don’t often crave Frito Pie, but when I do, it’s in the fall.

    My first encounter with this was the Eugene Field Elementary carnival in Beaumont. It started right after school so I was aloud to attend it alone, with some pocket money. I saw a sign for Frito Pie and imagined it would look like an apple pie, with chips sticking out. Imagine my surprise when someone’s mom ripped open a little bag of Fritos and ladled some chili on top. It was a match.

    Homemade chili is the best and there are all levels of canned chili. This year I went outside the box with Hormel Cilantro Lime. It was a bit watery if you ask me, but the cheese served as a binder and some chopped onions and pickled jalapenos made it alright, alright, alright in Texas. 

How to keep fermented, sharp and growing:

"Do/Ferment/Gut boosters and foods that fizz" - Have you ever even thought of fermenting tomato water? Served a shrub sour? Matthew Pennington and Nicola Cradock are "that couple" that forage about with their lurcher Lint, filling baskets that will later foam and become syrupy blossoms the delight with flavor and gut health. Imagine shelves filled with jars of Swedekrout, Curtido and Peakles. It makes more sense with the book in front of you, but hey, this is like a fairy tale. They lived with better gut function ever after. 

"Do/Maintain: How to sharpen knives, scissors and garden tools" has some handy tips. I have a whetstone from a grandfather who died before I was born. I use it, but never knew it was supposed to be, wet. Gareth Heaton can fill in for the older wise ones may may have never had. Know how to check the burr? Know how to face a serrated blade? How are your loppers holding up? This is a modern take on the how-to books my parents used to rely on. Get sharp with this book.

Got a Garden? – I’ll be dining on the patio as long as the weather allows. Nature is good for digestion. Here are two products helping my garden grow:

Moon Valley Nurseries has ties to League City, and their Moon Juice mixes into a bucket of water to douse your plants. A proprietary blend of amino acids “makes plants happy” as the product helps create a stronger root system, makers say. Go to https://www.moonvalleynurseries.com/products/fertilizer to learn more.

That Yucca Stuff is an eco-friendly soil conditioner that improves soil structure, promoting sustainable growth. Organic yucca extract is key here. Maybe it is like making your soil feel like it is not “old as dirt,” and become rejuvenated. www.thatyuccastuff.com will have one plant making you see other plants in a whole new light.

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie enjoying pumpkin spice season. Reach her via panews@panews.com

Sushi, pumpkin miso and movement on the menu

Are you one of those diners who sneaks a look at other people’s plates before finalizing your order? At Yuka Sushi it all looks good. I also like to observe that there’s a variety of diners, too. Just a short time ago sushi was still considered an unusual thing. The umami got us. Who can resist the sweet, sour and savory of it all. Did you know that traditional Japanese “sushi” refers to the sour of the vinegared rice, and is not a reference to the fish which may or may not be part of your roll?

Now we’re all maneuvering seaweed rolls of shrimp, eel, crab, avocado, etc. into pools of soy and dots of wasabi with our chopsticks. And we like it. Sushi was unusual around here when I went to high school in the ‘80s. If there’s a reason that it got to be 2025 without your trying it, this Port Arthur restaurant has your thrill seeking handy.

Everybody talks about dining at Yuka Sushi for their birthday special and I sure hope I remember to do so next time around. I recently grabbed lunch there with some friends and enjoyed all the flavors, the colors and textures… and the company.

Pumpkin Watch: Fermenting is trending and fits right into pumpkin season. Read up here:

“Ferment: Simple Recipes from My Multicultural Kitchen” has author Keni Morimoto transporting us into tradition and having us try new ideas. Pumpkin Miso may not be “true,” as it has no soybeans. But it acts like miso, with intense flavor. He avoids seasonal Halloween pumpkins in favor of those with less water content, or cuts them into smaller pieces before roasting. If you start now, you can ferment for 6 months to a year. Start tasting after 6 months.

Get UNbusy - Put your feet up. On the wall. Keep that yoga mat spread out as a visual reminder. Stop! "Move, Rest, Recover: Your Practical Guide to Balancing Mind and Body" is Erin Taylor's workbook, for you to write in. If FOMO, Fear of Missing Out, is keeping you busy in ways it should not, work out how to do the resting part. Here are some of many tips throughout the book: 

*  Acknowledge when you feel the onset of tiredness, fatigue, sleepiness...

*  Notice any resistance you feel acknowledging or responding to fatigue.

* Pause

* Place one hand on your heart or anywhere on  your body that feels intuitive or comforting. 

* Close your eyes and take a deep breath

* Say to yourself, gently, "stop." 

* Stay here for a moment, breathing deeply, acknowledging how you're feeling - and in doing so , momentarily calming your systems. 

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie into fusion, trending and traditional flavors. Share your finds with her via panews@panews.com

Give Peas a Chance

 

a culinary thrill seeker, I’ll try nearly anything. But I’m not a fan of peas. Not the mushy ones in cans. But when a friend said she got a pallet full of peas and would share, I thought “Challenge On.” I was on a pea mission.

Disclaimer: Decades ago I was trying to impress a woman in my husband’s family who announced she was serving peas. I got a spoonful and voiced enthusiasm. She asked my sister-in-law if she liked them and sis proclaimed confidently and firmly how the cook knew she hated peas and would not be eating them. There was no way I would have said that then or now. So, I have this thing about peas. But, one can always be open minded.

               Disclaimer 2: I have a more open relationship with frozen peas, which can add color to a cool salad or rice dish. I actually am quite fond of snow and sugar snap peas. It’s just canned peas, mushy in my childhood memory, that challenge me.

Here's how I opened up cans of opportunity and gave peas a chance:

·        I passed a can to a friend who avoids canned food, but gifted food is another matter. He soon sent a photo of his lentil, rice and pea concoction.

·        Avocado Thing – It used to be blasphemy to sneak mashed green peas into guacamole. I did a bit of this simply to stretch an avocado and bring the calorie count down. I like a lot of spice in there, so I actually didn’t notice anything amiss. More importantly, neither did my husband.

·        I happened to be invited to a series of summer potlucks. I made big batches of pea salad for each one. They seemed to go over well.

·        Some blended peas got cooked into some soups, etc. with no cause for alarm.

·        Curried Peas – When I found a curried peas with coconut milk recipe I thought it would smell wonderful over jasmine rice. Turns out, I’d used up all the peas. Then, guess what! My friend gave me a few more cans. When I was shopping for coconut milk, I figured a touch of pina colada mix my husband had in the fridge would work just as well. Let me tell you, if you are gifted peas, make this dish.

For pea lovers and pumpkin hoarders: “Homemade*ish: Recipes and Cooking Tips That Keep it Real” is funny and brilliant Lauren McDuffie shows how to transform some quickie grocery into gourmet triumphs. You’re in control. You’re the chef and you’re loving these results. Evry page is a delight as you fashion canned biscuit dough into Citrus Crunch Doughuts and crisp cornbread into a base for butterbeans and tomatoes.

Try these timely delights.

Pasta Rags with Peas, Burrata and Crisped Prosciutto calls for frozen peas. A picturesque layered dish uses torn lasagna noodles as the “rags.” It’s a conversation piece before you even take a bite.

Pumpkin Watch: Our seasonal lookout finds this author hoarding canned pumpkin in season. She mixed one can of unsweetened pumpkin with a box of spice cake mix for Pumpkin Patch Muffins with Salted Honey Butter. Before baking, she showers crunchy, sparkly turbinado sugar on top for a bakery look and addictive texture. The salted butter combines cinnamon and honey.     

Darragh Doiron is a Port Arthur area foodie who gave peas a chance and liked it. Share your pumpkin spice latte season finds with her via panews@panews.com