TWO WAY GRANOLA
TWO WAY GRANOLA
Chronicle: Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 28, 2024
Greetings chroniclers! Thanks so much for being here and reading along. It’s still the dog days of summer, so this week there’s a cold cucumber soup with a bit of a surprise garnish. It may or may not have something to do with granola!
How are we not yet sick and tired of granola?
Making granola is one of the most satisfying things I do in the kitchen. Seeing filled canisters of granola in my pantry brings me true joy. When I worked at a coffee café, I was tasked with developing a signature granola recipe. We used it in our yogurt parfait cups and sold it by the pound. It was a good one. The secret was adding a shot of espresso into the mix. It boosted all the other flavors and added a just right hint of smokiness.
I’m not sick of granola because it can be flavored with just about anything I like, or think might go well together. Mixing up a batch of granola is the culinary equivalent of accessorizing an outfit which to me is the fun part of getting dressed. I basically walk around in jeans and a t-shirt, but if I add a fun pair of earrings, swap a pair of booties for athletic shoes, or chuck on a colorful scarf I feel put together instead of clothed.
Clusters, those big beefy granola chunks are another reason I’m not sick of granola.
My favorite way to eat granola is by the clustery handful.
When I make my own granola, I can control the cluster to non-cluster ratio. The secret to creating granola full of clusters is adding a frothy, beaten egg white. The protein from the egg white helps the oats adhere to each other making it easier for clusters to form. Once the granola has cooled completely in the sheet pan, you can break it up into shards and pieces, kind of like how you’d break nut brittle into smaller bites.
Most days, during the late afternoon, I get what I call snack attacks. Sometimes veggies and dip hit the spot. But often I crave something crunchy, something a little bit sweet, definitely a little bit salty. My jaws ache for a crunchy workout. It’s basically like having a case of the munchies without the high since I don’t smoke pot anymore.
Enter granola clusters.
In previous posts I’ve said that I’m not a fan of drinking milk. However, I love milk products, like cheese and ice cream and Kefir. Nowadays, I look for lactose-free Kefir since my digestive system seems happier when I’m mindful of my lactose intake. I pour some Kefir in a bowl, top it with cut up fruit, then add a few granola clusters. But hey, if you’re into cereal and milk, this granola won’t disappoint. It's crunchy, sweet enough, and will stand up to any kind of milk you’re pouring.
The other day, when I was sweltering in 90 degree heat, I decided to make cold cucumber soup for dinner. Sometimes, the best part about soup is the garnish. Here’s where granola comes in again. I found myself thinking how good it would be to make a savory, mildly spicy granola to garnish the cucumber soup. In my mind’s eye, I could picture the cool, green soup topped with a raft made from a few clusters of savory granola on top.
I couldn’t wait to get into the kitchen to experiment.
Basically, granola is made from combining the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, then combining the wet ingredients in a saucepan to cook over medium heat. The wet ingredients are then poured over the dry ingredients, and stirred very well until all the parts and pieces are coated. Next the granola is turned out onto a parchment lined sheet pan and baked in a 300 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
Here's the savory and sweet granola recipes. You’ll see they start with the same mix of 2 cups of oats to 1 cup of buckwheat. If you’re following a gluten-free diet, use gluten-free oats. If you have a nut allergy, use pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. You can add dried fruit like raisins or cranberries, just remember to add them after the granola comes out of the oven. And if you don’t want to add the egg white, simply omit it. The granola will still be delicious no matter how clustery it is.
You’ll find the cucumber soup recipe below. It’s a keeper too, no oven required.
SAVORY GRANOLA
Dry Ingredients:
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup buckwheat (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
2 tablespoons chia seeds
½ cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Za’atar
1 teaspoon Diamond Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Wet Ingredients:
½ cup tahini
¼ cup maple syrup
2 canned chipotle peppers, chopped, plus 3 teaspoons of the juice from the can
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 egg white, beaten with a whisk until frothy
*1/3 cup chopped sundried tomatoes
Add the sundried tomatoes AFTER the granola comes out of the oven.
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Line a 9x13 in. sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside until ready to use.
3. Mix all dry ingredients together, oats through red pepper flakes, in a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
4. In a small saucepan, combine all the wet ingredients, Tahini through olive oil.
5. Place saucepan over medium high heat and stir with a whisk as the mixture heats up. Once it comes to a slow boil, take the pan off the heat.
6. At this point it’s time to crack the egg. Separate the white from the yolk. Using a clean whisk or fork, beat the egg white until frothy. Save the yolk for another use…like adding it to your omelet, or French toast batter, or in Caesar salad dressing. You get the drift.
7. Add the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir well to combine.
8. Add the frothy egg white and stir well again.
9. Spread granola onto sheet pan and place in oven. Cook for 30 minutes, until golden brown.
10. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the chopped dried tomatoes.
Allow to cool completely before breaking up into smaller pieces.
SWEET GRANOLA
DRY INGREDIENTS
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup buckwheat (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
½ cup dried coconut
1/3 cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup unsalted whole almonds, roughly chopped
1/3 cup unsalted walnuts, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
WET INGREDIENTS
½ cup tahini
¼ cup maple syrup
¼ cup honey
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 egg white, beaten with a whisk until frothy
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Line a 9x13 in. sheet pan with parchment paper. Set aside until ready to use.
3. Mix all dry ingredients together, oats through allspice, in a mixing bowl and stir to combine.
4. In a small saucepan, combine tahini, maple syrup and honey.
5. Place saucepan over medium high heat and stir with a whisk as the mixture heats up. Once it comes to a slow boil, take the pan off the heat.
6. Now add the vanilla and almond extract.
7. At this point it’s time to crack the egg. Separate the white from the yolk. Using a clean whisk or fork, beat the egg white until frothy. Save the yolk for another use.
8. Add the wet ingredients into the dry mixture and stir well to combine.
9. Add the frothy egg white and stir well again.
10. Spread granola onto sheet pan and place in oven. Cook for 30 minutes, until golden brown.
11. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before breaking up into smaller pieces.
12. If you want to add dried fruit like cranberries or apricots or blueberries, add them AFTER the granola comes out of the oven.
COLD CUMBER SOUP
1 pound Persian cucumbers, cut into chunks
2 cups buttermilk
½ small onion, cut into large chunks
½ jalapeño pepper, cut into ¼ in. strips
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
A large handful each of fresh basil, dill, and flat leaf parsley
2 preserved lemon wedges or ¼ of a preserved lemon if you have them. Otherwise, use the zest and juice from 1 large or 2 small lemons.
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process on high speed until all the ingredients are well blended. This will take about 3 minutes or so.
Transfer soup from processor to a bowl or container. Let chill in the refrigerator for a few hours. After the soup has chilled, taste it and decide if you want to add more salt or pepper before serving.
Soup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
The savoury granola appeals to me too - brilliant idea. Thank you for sharing 👏😊