Last summer my daughter Jan and I toured northern California on a cookbook signing and cooking shoot.  It was in Bakersfield that we discovered the difference between regular canned food verses organic.  The difference was like night and day. The tomato sauce we made was naturally sweet. It had better taste, less salt, no acidity and less cooking time.  We promised never to buy regular canned goods again only organic. I should of known, since I was born on a farm eighty years ago that all we grew and ate was organic.  I don’t even remember seeing any cans or jars of food in the market in those days.  This weeks Rescued Recipe comes from a lady who talks about her mom with much nostalgic and sentimental memories.  She remembers her making home made strawberry jelly every year and how good it was.  Her story has touched my heart because I too have done that in my life, a long time ago in the sixties and seventies in Lake Tahoe. One of my hobbies was gardening, besides cooking.  I had a glorious vegetable garden, also many fruit trees and a large spread of strawberry plants.  Every year  in the summer I would process the fruits and can them. My children remember my pantry always full of canning jars of vegetable, fruits, jams and jelly.  Most of the jars I gave away to family, friends, and neighbors.  My children like to tell their friends that I have a green thumb. Not so, every body can have a green thumb. It is something you love to do and take proper care, water, feed, sun and sometimes even talk to the plants.  If you’d like to read the Rescued Recipe and story of the lady who sent it to us, it will be in Saturday’s newspaper in the Scottsdale Section where you can always find Jan’s column

 My rescued recipe for this week is over one hundred years old. It was given to me many years ago from a very dear, dear friend.  It was his mothers and grandmothers favorite recipe. When Andy first brought the torte to my house I loved it so much that I made it my favorite right then too.  Sometimes I make it for a special occasion or holiday. This is so good, so different, and so unique.  Try it, if you like French desserts, you are going to love this torte. 

Ciao, until my next blob, may God bless you, Love Momma

Mrs. Kallin’s Strawberry Almond Torte

 Ingredients:

1 cup shortening (half butter and half margarine)

½ cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup strawberry or raspberry jam

 Directions:

 Cream together shortening and sugar.  Add egg and vanilla and mix.  Blend in flour and baking powder to form a dough. If the dough is too grainy or crumbly, add 1-2 tablespoons of cold water. Take ¼ of the dough and set aside for the lattice topping. Roll out the remainder of the dough and place in the bottom of one 10″ x 15″ pan (or two 9″ x 9″ pans). Spread jam evenly over dough.

 For the Topping:

 Ingredients:

4 eggs

1 ½ cup sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

4 cups ground almonds (blanched or with skin)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoon almond extract

1 cube (1/4 lb.) butter, melted

 Directions:

 In a food processor, grind almonds to a course meal-like consistency.

In a large bowl, blend together eggs, sugar and salt. Add ground almonds, cinnamon and almond extract. Add melted butter and combine all until well blended.  Spoon mixture evenly over jam. Roll out remaining dough and cut into thin strips. Place diagonally over top of torte to form a lattice crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Serve with small dollop of jam on top.

*Note: Recipe may be cut in half

 Go to Rescued Recipes for the pictures

When I got commissioned to do the blob for Earth Day, I asked my granddaughter Gina and my great-granddaughter Olivia, what Earth Day meant.  “Conserving and recycling”, they said. “Oh, conserving has been my life story” I said. First, as a young girl and later as a mother and wife with my own family. I am the 4th of 7 girls. I remember wearing shoes passed down from my older sisters, either they were too big, to swim in it or too short to hurt my feet and toes. Hand me down was the name of the game. I had my first bought dress at the age of 10 or12. We never wasted, threw away or discarded anything that was good or reusable. I remember when the earth was beautiful green, pure water, clean air and no bad environment. I often think what it will take to make it clean and healthy again. Energy was not a problem; our appliances didn’t need gas or electricity. We used candles or kerosene for light and wood or charcoal for heating.  Our main transportation was a bicycle to go and come from work, school and recreations. For long trips there was a train or a horse and buggy.  I remember my mother’s most beautiful victory garden, the most beautiful garden you’ve ever seen. The Garden of Eden. She cultivated beautiful green healthy organic vegetable and fruit trees. I always enjoyed helping and working with her making compost and turning the soil over to fertilize the garden.  I can still smell the aroma of the ripe fruit and the taste of fresh tender vegetables.  Oh, how I wish I could turn the clock back one more time and relive those precious memorable days. Life was pure, simple and healthy. Life was good then. Today our children don’t know what I’m talking about. I would like to tell them Earth Day is not only April 22, but 365 days a year. If we want to try to change this planet for a better living and a better environment we need all the help we can get, not only from us, from our government too.  We have only one chance in this life, let all of us work together for a better future.

P.S. Today I got a letter from my sister Norma. She’s lived in Victoria, Canada for the last 50 years.  But when come November, she leaves for Hawaii, until the end of April, every year. A few years ago, she met a wonderful German friend, Connie, and together they rented a small space of land from the city of Oahu, to make a vegetable garden. The minute she arrives, they start working, tuning the soil and planting the seeds. 
“Dear Livia, I wish you could see the amount of vegetable we give away everyday to friends and neighbors. Connie and I take turns to water and weed the garden. I can’t tell you the joy and the therapy I find working in my garden and seeing the beauty of the natural progression daily. I have been waiting for you to come and see me for a very long time. Ciciana, I’m still waiting for you. I miss you so much, love Norma”
Norma is 86 years young, works and swims everyday. She loves her family, life and God. 

She brings us today’s rescued recipe, Un Bella Insalata: “ A Beautiful Salad”

Salad:
1 head of radicchio
2 tbs pancetta, fried and chopped fine
½ sweet yellow onion, thinly sliced
4-5 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 oz gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2 tbs toasted almonds, slivered
1 white mushroom, finely grated
½ golden delicious apple, cut into wedges

Dressing:
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs marsala wine
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 drops white truffle oil
1 clove garlic, minced fine
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Toss together radicchio, pancetta, onion slices and tomatoes. Pile the salad in a mound on a serving platter. Mix together ingredients for dressing and shake or stir well. Pour dressing over salad. Top with grated mushroom, crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and slivered almonds.  Garnish with sliced apple.  Serve with crostini or crusty fresh bread.  Serves 4.