I said I had used one in place of the other before, but truthfully it was only because I wasn’t paying attention to my recipe and didn’t realize what I had done until after everything was already mixed. Oops. But after some quick research, I discovered that they are interchangeable in a pinch. The website Joy of Baking states the two products are both “chemical leavening agents that cause batters to rise when baked.” They suggest an appropriate substitution is two teaspoons of a double-acting baking powder. It is also noted that too much baking powder can give batter a bitter taste, so that’s why it’s really appropriate only in a pinch. If you’re interested in looking at more of the chemical reaction of baking soda, here’s a link.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Ask the Blogger!
On Saturday I received a call from my friend who was in the middle of a cooking conundrum. She had a lot of overripe bananas and was making banana bread. She was in the middle of mixing ingredients when she realized the recipe called for baking soda, and she only had baking powder. Hmm. She called to ask if the two are interchangeable, since she didn’t want to stop what she was doing to go to the store and get a box of baking soda.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Salsa Verde
I didn’t actually set out to make my own salsa verde. I have a black bean soup recipe I’ve made before that’s really good and it calls for a whole cup of the stuff. I figured if I’m making this soup from scratch, then why in the world can’t I make the salsa verde from scratch, too? Good question.
This is pretty easy to make, but it does take a little while what with all of the charring and husking and cooking involved. The tomatillos are funny little things. They’re so cute and like… you guessed it… little bitty tomatoes. They are firm and not juicy at all so they dice really well. As far as the Anaheim chilies, I tend to use Poblanos. They’re available in my local stores and while I’ve seen the Anaheims (lighter green) before, I’ve just always used Poblanos (darker green).
Unhusked tomatillo
Tomatillo after being husked and rinsed
I also use jarred sliced jalapenos instead of a Serrano. I just don’t want to have that level of heat. I could use a fresh jalapeno, too. I know there would be a taste difference in the two, especially if I can get some of the fresh ones from our summer farmers market. The most recent time I made this, I used too many jarred jalapenos and the salsa came out a little on the spicy side. The chips evened it all out in the end, and with the addition of the salsa to the soup as called for in the recipe, the other flavors greatly tamed the heat.
If I ever got into canning, I would make batch after batch of this stuff and put it up all summer long. It’s really good and so fresh tasting. It’s even really good to eat alone. I can dip chips in this stuff all day long.
Simmering on the stove
Open wide!
So back to the black bean soup recipe I mentioned earlier. After I made the salsa, I added the requisite one cup of it to the blender along with two cans of undrained black beans, a teaspoon of cumin, a handful of cilantro, a cup of chicken broth and a dash of fat free half and half.
Getting ready to blend this bad boy up
After it was thoroughly blended, the soup went into a pot and simmered on the stove until it was warm. Then I topped the soup with a little more salsa verde and some crumbled queso fresco. Delicious and good for you on a cool evening.
Voila!
Salsa Verde
Ingredients:
2 large fresh Anaheim chilies
1/2 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, diced
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 large green onions, chopped
1 large serrano chili, stemmed, seeded
1 large garlic clove
1/4 cup (firmly packed) fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon whipping cream
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (optional)
Char Anaheim chilies directly over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag; let stand 10 minutes. Peel, seed, and chop chilies.
Combine tomatillos, broth, green onions, serrano chili, and garlic in medium saucepan; bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until mixture is reduced to 1 2/3 cups, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Transfer mixture to blender. Add Anaheim chilies, cilantro, and cream. Puree until smooth. Season salsa with salt and pepper. Add lime juice, if desired. (Can be made one day ahead. Transfer to small bowl; cover and chill. Rewarm before serving.)
This is pretty easy to make, but it does take a little while what with all of the charring and husking and cooking involved. The tomatillos are funny little things. They’re so cute and like… you guessed it… little bitty tomatoes. They are firm and not juicy at all so they dice really well. As far as the Anaheim chilies, I tend to use Poblanos. They’re available in my local stores and while I’ve seen the Anaheims (lighter green) before, I’ve just always used Poblanos (darker green).
I also use jarred sliced jalapenos instead of a Serrano. I just don’t want to have that level of heat. I could use a fresh jalapeno, too. I know there would be a taste difference in the two, especially if I can get some of the fresh ones from our summer farmers market. The most recent time I made this, I used too many jarred jalapenos and the salsa came out a little on the spicy side. The chips evened it all out in the end, and with the addition of the salsa to the soup as called for in the recipe, the other flavors greatly tamed the heat.
If I ever got into canning, I would make batch after batch of this stuff and put it up all summer long. It’s really good and so fresh tasting. It’s even really good to eat alone. I can dip chips in this stuff all day long.
So back to the black bean soup recipe I mentioned earlier. After I made the salsa, I added the requisite one cup of it to the blender along with two cans of undrained black beans, a teaspoon of cumin, a handful of cilantro, a cup of chicken broth and a dash of fat free half and half.
After it was thoroughly blended, the soup went into a pot and simmered on the stove until it was warm. Then I topped the soup with a little more salsa verde and some crumbled queso fresco. Delicious and good for you on a cool evening.
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