Went out this afternoon and filled a pot about half full of yucca blossoms and fruits. Cut the fruits, filled it with water and put it on the wood stove. Added some Anaheim pepper from the store, sliced, two slices of bacon chopped, and a can of clams from Mexico. Left it boiling on the old wood stove while I went and played cards. Came back after the game and went at it with a spoon. Totally awesome. The yucca fruits add the consistency of potatoes to the soup, and the peppers just the right amount of spice.
I'm also getting better at roasting coffee. Just pour green coffee beans into a teflon-coated frypan on an already-hot stove, and stir in a constant, but slow, motion to make sure none of the beans stay on the bottom too long. I use chopsticks for this. After the first "crack" (sounds like popcorn popping), keep stirring for another 5 minutes or so, or until the beans are as dark as you want. The worst that can happen is you have a pan full of charcoal, so go for it. But just realize you'll never get the even consistency of a commercial roaster.
The process leaves your house with a heavenly smell for at least 24 hours. You can grind and brew it right away, or let it sit for a few days. I think it gets sweeter with time. It will blow you away if you've never had real, fresh-roasted coffee before.
last updated 2013-01-10 20:53:46. served from tektonic.jcomeau.com