Page16 RAIN January1977 Geri Taran, also known as Mamma Mangoes, is a vegetarian gourm;t cook. We met in the fall of J 9 70 in Miami, Florida, when Geri came to the newspaper-! was publishing to take out an ad for the '.'Mamma Mangoes Underground Vegetarian Restaurant" she was starting in her , home. - , · · · Since then, Geri has fed hundreds (thousands~) of people 'and i12troduced them to vegetarian natural foods and tqeir nutritional pop{:"epts. Sbe bas owned several restaurants, catered weddings and special luncheons, instructed cooking classes and written numerous articles on food and nutrition. . . ··.P! · Geri recently moved .to the Northwest, where lucky folk were able to sample her nutburgers at the Eugene Saturday Market this past fall. It gives me great pleasure to introduce my friend Mangoes to the ·readers of RAIN. (RE) · BREAD • •• STILL THE STAFF OF LIFE When I was growing up it was almost a rituaL q.t .our evening meal for my father to extol! the virtues of bread-eating to my recalcitrant brother, Barry. lie would remind him, and the rest of us too, that without breaq many persons ~ould. nev~r,have survived the bitter Russian winters, etc., etc:., etc. Ile was right, of course. Since it ~.as.1 fir~t rrtade,-br-~ad.has proven its value to humankind as an unfailing source of nourishment in an otherwise uncompromising bout of starvation. Bread has become so111ething quite different from those famous crusts mentioned in numerous tales, however. Those of us who have \earned better are returning to the ways of our forebears in seeking out whole grain tlours for our daily fare and avoiding the foam rubber-like product offered on grocery shelves all across the country. The white white air-filled dough surrounded by a pale soft crust can never compare to a fat slice of honest brown bread. And in terms of nourishment as well as cost it is economically mor~ sound to have a little homemade love surrounding your peanut butter and jelly. The texture of bread is affected mostly by kneading, as this develops the gluten (the main protein in bread, originating in the endosperm) and well-developed gluten produces good texture. The usc of mi!'k rather than water also affects bread texture, making a smoother, finer loaf. Bread is really very easy to make well; ye>u only "knead".to love what you're doing. One of the very best books on breadmaking I _have ever come across is The Tassajara Bread Book. The comments in "A Cof0posite of Kitchen.Necessities." at the front of the book says a lot about not only bread but food in general. To make bread the first step is to get all the ingredients and utensils together and have a clean clear space. of com-fortable height for mixif!g and kneading. If you have a nice bread board, so much the better, bt.tt a·scrupulot.isly clean tab!~ top will do. If you have never·made bread before, don't worry·,. follow the recipe an9 it \Yill be pe-rfect. Not all breads usc yeast. There are other leavenings st,~:eh as baking soda or baJ<ing powder, and 'some are naturally fermented, as in the case of -sourdough breads. Some use nothin,g at all, such as the East I.ndian and Syrian 'flat breads or the hearty thick crusted _types which rcquire'overnight "proofing" and-lots of dedicated, kneading. These breads are heavy and n~ed lots of chewing but are worth the effort when simple, ' honest food is the,.gQl).l. 1. Bread making does not require as much time as people generally think and can be slipped in f1rriong other duties. Most of the time is consumed in rising, a_nd th_e.-bread does that all o~ its own. Also, nearly all bread recipes can be made up to the po.int before the second rising and then frozen for use at a later time. Simply·remove fn;>zen loaves from the:f.r.eezer in the morning of the day you wish to use them, defrost and allow to rise and bake as though they had just been made that ' day. There is no difference in -taste or t~xture. Following are several different kinds of bread r;ecipes. BASIC BREAD l 6 c. whole grain flour 1 c. warm water (vegetable broth, 3-112 T. honey milk, etc.) 1 pkg. (or 1 T.) yeast 2-112 T. oil (or melted butter). 1 tsp. salt . Into warm liquid dissolve the honey, then add yeast. Allow to "work" for about.ten minutes1 then add abou't two cups of flour, stir well, cover with a clean cloth and 'set in a warm place. This will form the "sponge." ' When this has doubled in size, add oil and sal~ and begin adding flour, mixing well. When dough begins to come away from·bowl sides,.you are ready to start kneading the bread. Place dough on floured surface and knead (at least 100 times) until bread is elastic and smooth and about the texture of your earlobe. , Shape into loaves, place in oiled pans and allow to rise till doubled in size once again. · · ' . Bake at 350° until done (from 40 to 60 minutes). If desired you may brush the top with salted water or egg y_olk and water. This recipe may also be used as rolls. Simply break off pieces-of dough, roll with the hands into pieces about 10" long and 1" in diameter and tie in a loose knot, folding the ends under. Then proceed with rising and baking, but don't bake more than 25 min. (These are good sprinkled with herbs, garlic, paprika or what have you.) ZUCCHINI BREAD 1-3/4 c. whole wheat flour flour . 1/2 tsp. salt 1/3 c. honey (more, up tn 2/3 c. may be used) -1 ts_p. grated lemon rind_ 1 _c.-grated zucchini 1 c. 'grated zucchihi 2-114 tsp. double acting baking powder 113 c. oil 2 beaten eggs 1/2 c. broken nutmeats Combine all ingredients well, bake in oiled loaf pan or square c:ake pan at 325° til done, about 30 minu~~s.
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