This Offbeat Life
New Economy Cooking
Backpacking by Bus

Nuts to You

Martha "Stewart" Strom celebrates the Pecan Season

At 70% fat, the pecan is the fattest of all nuts. October and November are pecan season, and so we bring you several things to do with the nuts (and recipe by-product) that might just take you through a good week of fine dining.

I have made two pecan recipes--Pecan Dainties which are simple and good (only three ingredients-1 egg white, 1 cup brown sugar and 1 1/2 cup pecan halves) - a fast sweet nibble to eat with your after dinner brandy - and I did the Cheese Wafers recipe and added a scant 1/2 cup of coarsely chopped pecans to the recipe. Very good. Great with wine or a martini. We know. We had neighbors in for dinner last night and tried them. Consensus was they were GREAT. The Pecan Dainties left me with an egg yolk which I used to make a small batch of noodles; substituted 3 tablespoons of water for the missing egg white--an interesting little bonus to the "Dainties" recipe I thought. Then there's my favorite cookie of all time.

PECAN DAINTIES

• 1 EGG WHITE
• 1 CUP LIGHT BROWN SUGAR
• 1 1/2 CUPS PECAN HALVES

Beat egg white until stiff. Add brown sugar gradually, beating constantly. Work in the nuts and drop from a teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 250 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

NOODLES

If you have more time than money (With a slight apology to "The Joy of Cooking").

• 2/3 CUP ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
• 1 EGG YOLK
• 3-4 TBS. COLD WATER
• 1/2 TSP SALT
• 1 TSP OIL

On a pastry board make a well in the flour, drop the egg yolk into it and combine with the water, salt and oil. Work the mixture with your hands, folding the flour over the egg until the dough can be rolled into a ball. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes and let stand, covered for 1 hour. Roll dough very thin on a floured board. Slice 1/8 inch thick. Fluff the noodles with your hand so they unroll. Let stand to dry or use immediately.

Bring a can of chicken broth to a boil, add the noodles and cook about 10 minutes, add a couple sliced scallions, a few frozen peas and a couple chopped baby carrots and you have a great light luncheon soup! Remember, I'm a kid of the Great Depression and we don't waste ANYTHING.

AND NOW... DUELLING CHEESE WAFERS

CHEESE WAFERS

(Leslie's recipe, which she ran last month, adapted from one in The Joy of Cooking)

• 1/2 POUND AGED SHARP CHEDDAR, GRATED
• 4 TBSP BUTTER (NOT MARGERINE)
• 3/4 CUP FLOUR
• 1/2 TSP SALT
• A FEW DROPS LIQUID SMOKE
• SCANT 1/2 CUP COARSELY CHOPPED PECANS
• PECAN HALVES IFYOU WISH

Moosh the first five ingredients together, add the pecans. Form dough into ball. Roll into logs about an inch round, wrap with plastic wrap and chill. Slice into 1/8" rounds, top each with a pecan half if you wish. Bake at 425 about 8 minutes until toasty. The toaster oven works well for this. Bake just before serving.

CHEESE WAFERS

(Mom's recipe, which comes from Charleston, South Carolina, and it's her column so here it is.)

• 1 1/2 CUPS FLOUR
• 1/2 CUP BUTTER
• 1/2 POUND GRATED SHARP CHEDDAR
• 1/2 TSP SALT
• 1/8 TSP CAYENNE PEPPER OR 1/2 TSP RED PEPPER FLAKES (ONE OR TWO OF THOSE LITTLE PACKETS FROM PIZZA HUT WILL DO)
• 1 TSP WORCESTERSHIRE, OPTIONAL
• 1/2 CUP COARSELY CHOPPED PECANS

Cream butter and cheese together with salt, cayenne or pepper flakes and worcesterhire. Add flour, blend well. You may find this easier to do with your hands. Shape into a 1 1/2" diameter log. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. S;oce abpit 1/4" thick. Bake in moderate oven, 350 degrees, for about 12 minutes.

This recipe freezes well and is nice to keep on hand for future use.

ORANGE PECAN BUTTER COOKIES

Here's my favorite of all cookies--a version of a cookie found in a 1947
Swedish cook book.

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp. orange extract
• 1 tsp. or more grated orange peel
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• Powdered sugar for coating cookies

Cream butter until soft and fluffy. Add flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, extract and orange peel. Blend well. Fold in chopped pecans. Shape dough into finger thick logs. Cut in 1 inch pieces. Bake 20 minutes at 300 degrees. Roll in powdered sugar. Freezes well. Dough can be flattened to about 1/8 inch and cut with a 1 inch (such as a tiny star) cookie cutter.

Love, Mom

Footnote from Editor: Mom really does know how to cook. She also knows that lots of people don't know how to cook, so we invite your dumb-ass cooking questions... direct them to the magazine and we'll set her on it.