Handmade treenware wooden micro spatula in Walnut, Cherry, and Maple

Description

These are handmade treenware micro spatulas carved from Walnut wood, Cherry wood, or Sugar Maple wood.

They are 12 inches long and 1 3/4 inches wide.

See the drop-down options menu for wood species available.

I have been enjoying more petite, more maneuverable spatulas in my cooking. These are very functional. I like using them to keep my eggs loose and moving when frying. I also use one of these and a broader spatula to turn the eggs. Using two spatulas helps corral those slippery suckers so they can't scoot away. The straight front edge is good for chopping things in the pan, like ground meat.

They are great for browning chunks of beef when making one of my favorite recipes: Chili Colorado (see recipe below).

Another great thing about them is that I can use my most common size of scrap left over from other spoons.

The ones pictured are examples. Yours will vary a little in grain pattern and color.

I treat them with a beeswax and mineral oil mixture. I will include a maintenance kit with instructions and the recipe for making the mixture, but you can use Olive Oil or Walnut Oil if you like. I can send them polished and ready for finishing if you want to use something other than mineral oil and beeswax. I can also put a more permanent boiled Walnut oil finish on them if you would prefer.

Care is easy. Wash in hot, soapy water and towel dry. Apply new oil as often as you like. If treated with oil or our oil and beeswax mixture frequently, your tool will age gracefully and take on a beautiful patina.

Chili Colorado Recipe. This is fairly easy to make, and the results will have you making it once a week.

2 pounds beef cut into chunks. I like to do 1 to 2 inch pieces. I use chuck roast or London broil.
4 cups chicken or beef, or vegetable broth.
12 to 14 dried red chili pods. These are the large pods, not the little ones 1 or two inches long. I prefer Guajillo or sometimes a mixture of Guajillo and Pasilla.
Two tablespoons of tomato paste.
3 to 4 cloves of garlic.
One onion chopped course. You can also use pearl onions, but use them whole.
One teaspoon dried Oregano
One teaspoon of coriander.
One teaspoon of smoked paprika.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Brown the beef pieces thoroughly on all sides.
While the beef is browning, simmer the chili pods and garlic cloves in another pan for about 20 minutes in water. If you don't want too much heat in the chili, break them open and remove the
seeds and white ribs. That's where most of the heat is.
After simmering and soft, put the chilis and garlic into a blender with some water from simmering to cover all the chilis and puree for 2 to 3 minutes. Then, use a mesh strainer over a bowl to remove all the skin pieces. You don't want that in your chili.
When the onions are good and brown, turn up the heat to medium-high. Keep stirring your onions so they don't burn. Add in the spices and stir for 30 seconds. Pour in the pureed chilis and garlic and add the tomato paste. It should spatter instantly (which is why you need a deep pan); let this fry, stirring, until it reduces to a brick-red paste, about 10 minutes. Then add the beef and broth to cover. Turn down the burner to med-low and let this simmer for an hour.

The beef will be tender enough to cut with a fork. Serve with rice and refried beans. You will want to make this often. Enjoy.