The Blue View - An Edible Knot

 

I've referred to The Ashley Book of Knots in previous Blue View Blogs. Of his 3,854 knots, my very favorite is his knot #169. It is difficult to untie, jams easily and is not very strong. The only thing going for it is that it tastes great.

Since today is National Pretzel Day, it only seemed fitting to talk about pretzels in today's blog. I like big, soft pretzels right out of the oven, slathered with mustard. I have my own recipe for pretzels, and I've made these on long passages and more than once on a cold, rainy afternoon in a remote anchorage. And of course, I use Ashley's knot #169, the Pretzel Knot to form the pretzels.

I boil the pretzels before baking. I think it adds to the flavor and gives them a softer, firmer skin. The time they are allowed to boil is important. If they aren't boiled long enough, they will be too soft, while boiling them too long makes them tough.

Edible Knots

Recipe Type: Snack

Author: David Lynn

Ingredients

• For 1 dozen pretzels
• 1 tbsp (15 grams)yeast
• 1 tbsp (12 grams) sugar
• 1 tsp (5 grams) salt
• 2 tbsp (30 grams) soft butter or margarine
• 1 cup (250 ml) warm water
• 3 cups (300 grams) flour
• 2 tbsp (30 grams) coarse sea salt to sprinkle on Pretzels before baking
• 2 tbsp (25 grams) baking soda mixed in 4 cups (1 liter) water in a saucepan (non-aluminum).
• Greased cookie sheet

Instructions

1. Put yeast, sugar, salt, butter or margarine, water and 1/3 of the flour into a medium mixing bowl. Stir mixture until it is smooth. When the yeast starts to bubble, add the remaining flour. Stir the mixture until it is too stiff, then begin kneading. Knead the dough until it is smooth and no longer sticky. Cover the bowl, set it in a warm place and allow the dough to rise until it doubles in size, about an hour.
2. When the dough has risen enough, punch it down, and knead for a minute or so. Divide into 12 equal parts and roll each with your hands into 12-15-inch long ropes. Use the photos or Ashley's Book of Knots #169 to form each into a pretzel knot. While the pretzels rest for a few minutes, grease the cookie sheet and bring the the baking soda/water mixture to a boil on stove. Preheat oven to 475 F (250 C).
3. Boil them for 1 minute on one side, then flip them over with a slotted spoon and boil one minute on the other side. When each pretzel is done, remove from the water and let it drip for a few seconds before placing on the cookie sheet.
4. Sprinkle the pretzels with the coarse sea salt and bake for 12-15 minutes or until they are golden brown.
5. Serve with mustard – either the basic yellow type or a spicy brown mustard.
6. If they aren't eaten right away, they can be refrigerated and reheated at 250 F (120 C) for a few minutes.
7. We're pretty sure this works, but we usually eat them so fast, there are none to re-heat.

3.2.1275

Lemay Special

It's amazing what constitutes “comfort foods” for different people. For some it's chocolate or something sweet; for others, warm bread or cookies. Sometimes just the delicious smell alone provides comfort when you're cold, wet, tired, lonesome or all of the above. For me, it's a big kettle of Lemay Special. I grew up in New England where the winter nights began at 3:30pm and cold and snow were a requisite part of living in central Massachusetts in February. A Saturday winter tradition in the Lemay household was for Mom to prepare this hearty soup early in the day and it would simmer and sit on the stove till dinner time. Some call it Hobo Stew and it's probably got lots of different names and variations on the theme. It's been cold and raw here the last week, so I put the soup pot on and brewed up some Lemay Special and it warmed us up from the inside out. Just in case there's none left when you stop by, here's the recipe so you can make some for yourself.

Lemay Special

Author: Marcie Connelly Lynn

Ingredients

• 1 lb minced (ground) beef or turkey
• 4 carrots peeled and sliced
• 4-6 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp each salt
• 1 – 15oz (400g) can chopped tomatoes
• 1 – 8oz (225g) can tomato sauce
• ½ tsp black ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• Tobasco sauce to your taste
• Water

Instructions

1. Brown the meat, onion and garlic; drain any fat. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, vegetables and rest of ingredients. Add enough water to just cover the vegetables. Stir well. Add more salt, pepper, Tobasco to suit your taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until all the vegetables are tender. Serve hot with crusty bread or crackers and cheese.

Notes

I use this recipe as a Passage Soup, prepared before we leave the dock, knowing I'm not usually up for much for cooking or galley work the first couple of days on a passage. You can use your imagination and substitute chicken chunks for ground meat; add peas or green beans in addition to or in place of carrots. Out of tomato sauce...substitute catsup. It always tastes good.

3.2.1275