afieldnotebook

Acquainted with the Night I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain -- and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
One luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.

-Robert Frost, 1928

I know I did Robert Frost already, but this is one of many Robert Frost poems that I have partially memorized, and the line "I have walked out in rain--and back in rain" kept coming into my head because of the weather here. Yesterday I woke up and the sky was blue without a cloud in sight, and I put some clothes out on the line because our dryer just seems to make things warm and keep them moist. When I got out of my lecture, the sky was uniformly grey and it was beginning to rain. Last night, the wind and rain were beating outside--and this morning, our front step was covered with a thin layer of grainy hale. 

The food I've been eating is obviously not in line with the food you want to eat in the Northern hemisphere right now, but here are some recipes anyway. The first one is my own; the second is adapted (heavily) from the one on the back of the cornmeal box, and muffins instead of bread because we have no sort of workable bread/brownie/cake pan (but three muffin tins). I'm pretty sure the chili is vegan, if you use oil instead of butter for the sauteing and don't put any cheese in it (which would be sad)--but that's probably not relevant, because I don't think I know any vegans. 

Beans & Rice Chili

Soak 1/3 cup dried black (turtle) beans for six hours in cold water; change the water (beans should be covered with 1-2 inches of water) and simmer 1-1 ½ hours, covered, until beans are soft. (You could probably just use a can of black beans with the liquid, but they don't sell canned black beans here.)
Heat butter or oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add half an onion and 2 cloves garlic, minced; simmer until onion begins to soften and is becoming translucent.
Add three stalks chopped celery and 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, stir and cook until cilantro is fragrent.
Add ½ cup long-grained brown rice, stir to coat. Add two chopped tomatoes, beans with cooking water, and 1-2 cups of water.
Bring to a boil, and add 2-3 teaspoons cumin, ½ teaspoon cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon brown suger, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste), and salt and pepper to taste. (This is really not spicy at all, so you may want to add chili powder and/or jalapenos).
Simmer, covered, 30 minutes or until rice is edible. Add a further tablespoon of chopped cilantro prior to serving.
Serves 2-3; serve with grated cheddar cheese and sour cream, or corn muffins.

Corn Muffins

Combine 2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 cup of fine yellow cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt and 2 tablespoons sugar. 

Add ¼ cup of oil, a little less than 1/3 cup of heavy cream, 2 eggs and 1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice (mixture should be mealy, neither dry nor runny, a little stiff). Alternatively, substitute buttermilk or sour cream for lemon juice and cream.

Divide between 6 greased muffin cups; bake 15-18 minutes at 200ºC/392ºF.