Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at 06:50PM ...with whipped mascarpone. And maple syrup. AND berries.
Do I have your attention now?
My mother invented this pancake to feed a hungry track team one morning. This recipe is award winning. And the track team went on to take 2nd in state. What else can I say.
Did I mention that my mother is a registered dietician? So they are good for you too.
Monday, April 30, 2012 at 05:03PM That's the basic recipe for farinatas--equal parts chickpea flour and water, plus a bit of salt and a generous amount of pepper. If you get really fancy you can add rosemary and thinly sliced onions. It's so simple.
Farinata
Adapted from this NYtimes recipe
1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup warm water
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
Pepper, be generous
3 sprigs of rosemary finely chopped
½ large onion, sliced thinly
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Put a cast-iron skillet in the oven while it’s pre-heating to warm it up.
2. In a medium sized bowl, mix the chickpea flour and water together. Use a whisk, and stir until smoothly integrated. Mix in 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the onions and rosemary right before you put the batter in the skillet.
3. When the oven is heated, carefully take the cast-iron skillet out of the oven and coat bottom with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Pour batter evenly over the bottom of the skillet and cook for 12 minutes. Slice it up like pizza and serve with some olive tapenade as an appetizer. You might have to make a second one!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 07:10PM 
This recipe was on the page before the Carrot Cornflour Waffles. I had no choice but to make them. And it's rhubarb season!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012 at 04:17PM Cross-posted on the Cultivate Santa Cruz blog. Cultivate Santa Cruz is a partner in the Heritage Grain Collaborative.
At farmer’s markets people often ask me, “Who is that old man on the front of your flour bag? Is it your dad?” (Another man with a white beard and the new owner of Hayden Flour Mills).
“No, it’s not my dad,” I have to say.
While my dad is considering dying his hair, I see it as an opportunity to tell some wonderful stories about the man who founded Tempe and Hayden Flour Mills: Charles T. Hayden (1825-1900). These are two of my favorites:
ONE. The legend goes that in 1868, Charles T. Hayden was making his way up to Prescott when he was waylaid by dangerously high waters on the Salt River. While waiting for the waters to subside, he stood on top of Tempe Butte and looked out on the fertile land surrounding him and envisioned an ideal spot to establish a town. In 1874 he put a grist mill at the base of Tempe Butte. In its early days, Hayden Flour Mills milled grain from all over Arizona (mostly White Sonora Wheat) and the mill became a social hub and a prosperous community built up around it.
TWO. In the late 1800’s there was a catastrophic flood on the Salt River. It destroyed neighborhoods and devastated Tempe economically. It is reported that Hayden burned the ledgers of those affected by the flood. This extreme generosity was characteristic of Hayden’s whole life. At this time Tempe was a conglomeration of European immigrants, Hispanics, Mormon settlers, and the preexisting Native communities (Akimel O’Odhman and Yaqui). Hayden was well respected among all these communities, at a time with relationships between the settlers and the Native populations were tense.
After Charles T. Hayden, the mill was managed by four generations of Hayden’s, but following the national trends and the growing demands of the Phoenix market, the mill become industrialized and closed its doors in 1998. Reviving Hayden Flour Mills is mainly about milling local grains into high quality flours, but it is also about telling stories; using our rich heritage to inspire and inform the restoration of Arizona’s local grain economy.
In many ways, these stories reflect the principles at the heart of Arizona’s Heritage Grain Collaborative: Recognizing and respecting our land as a resource and an excellent place to grow wheat, harnessing the power of a diverse group of farmers, chefs, historians, millers, and seed savers to save a lost food culture, and generously sharing that restored food culture with our community.
These stories come from a comprehensive, three volume history of the Hayden Flour Mills that was commissioned by the city of Tempe in 2008. Hayden Flour Mill: Landscape, Economy, and Community Diversity in Tempe. Cultural Resources Report no. 143. Tempe, Arizona. August 18, 2008.
Friday, April 20, 2012 at 12:36AM 
When you break corn down into its parts you get flint (the hard glassy bits), startch (the white floury part), germ (good oils and fats), and the outer pericarp (good for chickens). So depending on how we sift the corn when we mill it, we can get cornflour, cornmeal, polenta, or coarse grits. Nothing gets wasted. It's all about how fine the screens are and how close the stones are set together. Corn is incredibly versatile. And we haven't even started talking about color and cob patterns.
So here's just one idea on how to use cornflour--waffles. Perfect for a lazy Sunday morning.
If you want to include more whole grains in your cooking, then this cookbook is required reading: Kim Boyce's Good to the Grain. Although she uses some pretty obscure grains, even for a miller's daughter, most of the recipes can be modified and it gets you thinking outside of the all-purpose-flour-box.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at 03:42PM 
The head of the wheat it starting to emerge from the flag leaf.
But there aren't any berries inside it yet. It's just a baby.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012 at 02:51PM 
The ham was good. The swiss chard tart from the garden was brilliant. But when I went back for seconds, I dished my plate full of this farro salad.
Thursday, April 5, 2012 at 05:58PM 
(Photo: Pasta Test #1: Family Dinner. Even the puppy likes it!)
A few weeks ago we sent our pasta flour away for testing.
A dear friend from grad school agreed to lend us her Nonna. She always had the most enviable lunches. Gnocchi and pappardelle and ravioli. All made with love by Nonna. So who better than to test out our pasta blend?
To be honest, it's not a fair competition because Nonna could probably make amazing pasta out of sand or jelly beans--she's that skilled!!! But we are going to keep tweaking our pasta flour until it's Nonna approved.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012 at 09:33PM I recently watched the movie the Mill and the Cross.
I loved how the movie depicted the ceremony surrounding bread. A mother blesses the bread before she cuts it up for her children by placing it to her forehead. Another young women places the loaf she just bought to her forehead and then gently carries it under her shirt.
Friday, March 30, 2012 at 01:59PM I love these old advertisements. Back in the day, Arizona Rose Flour was Hayden Flour Mills' most famous brand, synonymous with quality baked goods. Do you notice how it says, "made with Arizona soft wheat"? They were still milling Arizona grown wheat!
