Cooking Weekends

Tofu Noodles (Shirataki) with Peppers and Shrimp

2012-02-19T00:11:00.000-06:00

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(2 servings)

Tofu noodles, OMG! They are absolutely delightful! I've read complaints on the Internet about them smelling "fishy" and having an odd texture. Even the package doesn't inspire a great deal of confidence, "Parboil for 2-3 min. to reduce the authentic aroma", lol.. what does that mean exactly? Who's going to purchase this except someone desperate for noodles while on a low-carb diet?

I love noodles and eat a higher proportion than I should, so I wanted to explore alternatives. I didn't think the Shirataki tasted bad at all, if anything I couldn't discern a flavour at all. I liked their texture which struck me as noodle-like. If this product wasn't so darn pricey, I would probably use these exclusively except for those times I felt like hauling out my pasta machine.

These tofu noodles only have 3g of carbs, 2g of fiber and 20 calories per serving and they are filling!

1 tbsp olive or canola oil
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp *minced ginger paste
1/2 large yellow onion. chopped
2 tbsp rice wine
1-2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce, to taste
2 tsp oyster sauce (gluten free)
1 tsp "hot" sesame oil, or regular sesame oil with a bit of chili
3 tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 red or green bell pepper (or a combination), cleaned and cut into matchstick pieces
1 cup defrosted cooked salad shrimp, **see note if using raw

1 8oz pkg Tofu Shirataki noodles, prepared according to directions

sliced green onion, for garnish

Heat the oil in a wok and add the garlic. Cook for a minute then add the ginger and onion. Stir to combine everything, adjust the heat if necessary and cook until the onion becomes translucent.

While the onion mixture is cooking, prepare the sauce by combining the rice wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, water and cornstarch. Stir, then set aside.

Add the cut up bell pepper to the onion mixture, and cook for 1-3 minutes depending on how crisp or done you like them.

Stir in the sauce and cook until it begins to thicken; about 1-2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook just long enough to warm them, but not cook them further.

**I am working my way through a ton of frozen pre-cooked salad shrimp I impulsively purchased. If you are using raw shrimp, cook them for a couple of minutes until they turn pink, taking care not to cook them for too long, lest they become rubbery. You might need to adjust the cooking time for the bell peppers.

Serve immediately with the tofu noodles. Garnish with the green onion.

*I have been using prepared ginger paste for several months now. There's a fresher product sold in a tube from Australia with a 1-2 month expiration date; can't recall it's name atm. I ran out and decided to try the paste in a jar from The Ginger People which I quite liked. If you are using fresh ginger root, then a 1 1/2-2 inch piece (peeled and minced) should be enough.

Komteß-Kuchen; Orange Cake with Chocolate

2012-02-18T12:03:00.000-06:00

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(one 4x8 cake)

Contrary to my usual approach to baking a cake, I increased both the amounts of sugar and butter! My warped sense of logic decided it would be ok to increase those amounts if the actual cake size was smaller than usual, lol. However, l didn't use as much sugar as some bakers who use a ratio of 1 cup of sugar for every cup of flour in a recipe. The resulting pound cake was moist and buttery which I sectioned and brushed with a mixture of orange juice and Grand Marnier before enveloping it with a semi-sweet chocolate ganache.

This delicious German cake presents really well. Its ganache filled layers are vertical instead of horizontal.

Pound cake
3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
zest from 1 navel orange, minced
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream

To finish
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup Grand Marnier, or another orange liqueur
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Place the butter into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat for a minute or two on medium speed. Gradually add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy; about 8 minutes.

Combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda and zest in another bowl. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 4 x 8 inch loaf pan and set aside.

Slowly beat the eggs, one at a time into the butter and sugar mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions; about 15 seconds per egg. Beat in the sour cream; another 15 seconds.

Scrape down the sides and add the flour mixture. Beat very slowly until you have a nice thick batter; about 45-60 seconds.

Spoon the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for about 50-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove it and allow it to cool completely on a cake rack. My cake slid out nicely, but if it's sticking, run a knife around the edges and try again.

Combine the orange juice and Grand Marnier in a small bowl or glass. Set aside.

Cut the cake in half along it's length from the top, then cut each half in half again, see photo.

Brush one side of each slice of cake with the orange mixture. Try to divide the juice mixture evenly among the pieces and use all of it up. Leave the slices for about an hour to allow the liquid to soak into the cake.

Heat the cream until bubbles begin to form along it's edges. Remove from heat and stir in the chocolate chips. Continue to stir until smooth. If the chips don't melt completely you might have to heat the mixture a touch. The microwave oven works great for this, just power the oven for 5 seconds or so at a time, stirring the chocolate until it's completely melted.

Starting with one of the outer slices (a side), spread a layer of chocolate (evenly) over the (cut) surface and top with it with a slice of cake. Brush that slice with chocolate, and top it with the third slice. Brush that slice with chocolate and top it with the last (outer) slice, thus reassembling the cake in the process. I didn't illustrate it very well in my photo, but I brought the chocolate to the very edge for each layer.

Brush the remainder of the ganache over the top and sides of the cake. You can see I brushed the chocolate on as it was cooling and getting thicker, leaving ridges across the cake instead of a smooth surface. I could have warmed the ganache by heating it a touch, but I don't like working with runny ganache/glazes where a good portion often ends up on the counter.

Allow the chocolate to set completely before attempting to slice into it. I found it easier to cut into the cake the next day.

Quinoa Pudding with Fresh Blueberries

2012-02-17T00:07:00.000-06:00

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(4 servings)

I have been experimenting a bit with quinoa lately as it's still relatively new to me. I love its texture and the fact it cooks so quickly. I know it can be used in place of rice, so I thought I'd try it in a pudding this time.

Cooking the quinoa in milk required me to babysit it a bit, something I haven't had to do, but there was the danger of the milk burning. I could have used water, but I prefer using milk when I make rice pudding, so I used it here as well.

1/2 cup quinoa
2 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp cardamom
a pinch or two of nutmeg
2 eggs
2-3 tbsp maple syrup, to taste
2 tbsp ground flaxseed, (optional)
2 tbsp heavy cream, (optional)
2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 pint fresh blueberries, rinsed and picked over
additional milk**

Rinse the quinoa in water, then drain it before adding it to a small pot. Add 1 1/2 cups of milk reserving 1 cup. Stir in the cardamom and nutmeg and cook for about 20 minutes or until most of the milk has absorbed into the quinoa. You might have to lower the heat a touch and you will definitely have to stir it to keep the milk from burning.

Whisk together the eggs, remaining 1 cup of milk, maple syrup and flaxseed in a small bowl.

Stir the egg mixture into the quinoa and continue stirring it until it thickens, but don't allow the mixture to boil as the eggs might curdle. Remove from heat.

Stir in the cream and vanilla extract. Cool to room temperature. **If the pudding seems too thick then stir in a few tablespoons of milk to thin it out to your liking.

Divide between four bowls or plates and sprinkle with almonds and blueberries.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks very much to Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes for nominating me for the Liebster Award! I'm absolutely thrilled!

"Liebster" is a German word meaning "favourite", and this honor is given to bloggers with less than 200 followers by fellow bloggers.

The award has the following stipulations:

1. Thank the giver and provide a link to their site.

2. Copy and paste the tag on your blog.

3. Pick 5 bloggers and let them know by leaving a comment on their blogs.

4. Hope the people you have chosen will continue the tradition.

These are my picks in no particular order:

My Little Expat Kitchen This blogger has relocated to The Netherlands from Greece. She has covers a range of international recipes in addition to Greek, takes beautiful photos of her food and weaves it all together with her engaging dialogue.

Chili und Ciabata A nice collection of recipes from this German blogger who also has an additional site just for her bread recipes! (in German)

Thyme in Our Kitchen This dad (of 6 boys!) shares his nicely photographed, tasty recipes.

Scandi Foodi This Finnish blogger has settled in Australia. She's a prop-stylist who takes amazing photos of wonderfully styled (healthy) food. I have no idea if she fits within the category of less than 200 followers, but I love visiting her blog.

Life is Great I have just begun to follow this blog recently. This delightful blog out of Singapore, is well written, has an interesting mix of recipes and great photography.

Thinly Sliced Cucumber I have also just recently come across this bright and cheerful blog, full of great photos and recipes. The author of this blog hails from beautiful Vermont.

Greek Style Salad Shrimp and Pasta

2012-02-12T08:15:00.001-06:00

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(2 servings)

I loved the way the cooked salad shrimp held up with the spaghetti the other day, so I decided to have them again, adapting one of my favourite Greek recipes this time. I'm thrilled by how well these dishes have been turning out. The more than three pounds of cooked frozen salad shrimp remaining in my freezer won't all end up in shrimp cocktails, lol.

about 1 1/3 cup dried pasta, (check package for 2 servings)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 tsp dried oregano
freshly ground black pepper
2 plum tomatoes, diced
about 1/4 cup hot water from the pasta
1 cup cooked frozen salad shrimp brought to room temperature
1/2 cup crumbled feta

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil and add the pasta. Cook according to the directions on the package.

While you are waiting for the water to boil, heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and when it becomes fragrant, add the onions. Adjust the heat to keep the mixture from burning. Cook until the onions soften and become translucent. Add the wine, oregano and black pepper. Cook for a minute or so, then add the tomatoes. Lower the heat and cook gently until the pasta is almost ready.

When the pasta is very close to being done, increase the heat for the onion and tomato mixture. Stir in about 1/4 cup of hot water from the pasta; you might need a bit more or less depending on how dry the onion and tomato mixture has become. Add the shrimp, and stir for 30 seconds or so.. just long enough to heat the shrimp, but not cook them further. Remove from heat.

Stir in the feta cheese, drain the pasta and add that as well. Toss to combine everything evenly.

Divide between two plates, garnish with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Citrusy Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

2012-02-11T00:02:00.000-06:00

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(8-10 servings)

The last time I made a bread pudding, it was a bit of a disaster. It stuck in the pan and when I tried to invert it, the pudding came out in pieces. This time I checked online and found a recipe I liked enough to try, on Simply Recipes.

I had a large loaf of challah I wasn't crazy about, but I was determined to use it up. I usually shop for groceries at the same place where I'm able to purchase 1/2 a loaf of an amazing challah which is moist and tender and still tastes great a few days later (no preservatives!). This week I ended up with an entire loaf of a dry, though not stale challah made at a different bakery. I was surprised because this particular bakery turns out some of the best European style loaves of bread in the city.

I made a few adjustments to the recipe. I decreased the amount of sugar substantially; from 2 cups to half a cup. The bread pudding was plenty sweet, especially with the bourbon sauce which also contained sugar. I swapped out half the bourbon with fresh orange juice because I wanted a less boozy version; the bourbon was still quite pronounced.

The orange I used was so fragrant, I decided to use it's zest as well. The citrusy flavour complimented the bourbon quite well. I used currants, because that's all I had. Oh, and before I forget, I used 25% less milk (the challah might have been less dense than the french bread called for in the original recipe); the resulting bread pudding was very moist and custardy.

adapted from Simply Recipes
Bread Pudding
day old challah, cut into 1 inch squares (about 7 cups)
3 cups milk
zest from an orange, about 1 generous tablespoon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cardamom
pinch or two of nutmeg
1/2 cup currants (soaked overnight in 1/3 cup bourbon)
2 tbsp butter, melted

Pour the milk over the bread cubes and set aside.

In another bowl whisk together the orange zest, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cardamom and nutmeg.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Coat the bottom and sides of a 9 inch cake pan with the melted butter. Set aside.

Pour the egg and sugar mixture over the bread and milk. Add the currants, reserving the bourbon for the sauce. Combine everything until it's evenly mixed.

Pat the bread mixture evenly into the prepared cake pan (adding all of the liquid, if the mixture is especially wet) and bake for about 35-45 minutes or until the edges brown and pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove from oven.

Bourbon Sauce
1/4 cup butter, melted (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 small egg
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup bourbon (top up the reserved bourbon from the currants)

In a small saucepan, melt the butter, then whisk in the sugar and egg. Cook over low heat, whisking the mixture constantly until it thickens. Whisk in the orange juice and bourbon and heat the mixture until bubbles begin forming. Do not bring to a boil as it might curdle. Remove from heat.

Spoon the bourbon sauce over the warm bread pudding and serve.

Salad Shrimp with Spaghetti

2012-02-10T00:09:00.000-06:00

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(2 servings)

A week or so ago, I came home with four pounds of frozen cooked salad shrimp. They looked so good, I couldn't help myself. No freezer burn, no snow flakes in the bags, just beautiful looking plump, pink salad shrimp. I know they will last a while, but every time I open the freezer, I feel inclined to eat them.

I've made a cold shrimp cocktail almost every other day since I got them, and have been craving something warmer. The problem is, shrimp cook very quickly and if over cooked, they become rubbery. After giving this some thought I decided to bring some of these cooked shrimp to room temperature, then add them to the skillet at the very last moment, just long enough to heat them. This simple dish turned out so well, I will probably have shrimp with spaghetti every other day until I feel like shrimp cocktail again. :)

5 oz dried spaghetti
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp small capers
1-2 tsp anchovy paste, to taste
1/2-1 tsp Harissa, or chili paste, to taste
1-2 tsp fresh lemon zest, finely minced
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup hot water from the spaghetti
1 cup frozen cooked salad shrimp brought to room temperature

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the directions on the package until al dente; about 5-8 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute, then stir in the capers, anchovy paste, Harissa, lemon zest and lemon juice.

When the pasta is ready, remove 1/4 cup of hot water and stir that into the garlic, caper and lemon mixture. **At this point you need to work quickly. Toss the shrimp into the skillet after you have stirred in the water. Remove from heat. Quickly drain the spaghetti, and toss that together with the contents from the skillet.

Divide between 2 plates and serve immediately.

** You just want to heat the shrimp, not cook them further.

Divide between two plates and serve immediately.

Fried Oysters

2012-02-05T10:41:00.002-06:00

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(3 servings)

I love oysters on the half shell, but in all honesty I love fried oysters even more. If they are fried quickly, they can be crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. I try to stay away from fried foods, but I have been thinking about these oysters for several weeks now, and took the plunge this weekend when I saw some nice plump ones at the seafood counter.

I served these with tartar sauce, I made.

tartar sauce
1/4 cup cornichons, finely diced
1 tbsp small capers
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp anchovy paste
1/4 tsp paprika
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp plain yogurt

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl until well mixed and set aside.

fried oysters
1/4 cup flour
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne
1/4-1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1/4-1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
about 1 1/2 cups Panko
16 shucked oysters, about 9-10 oz.

oil for frying
lemon wedges for garish

Combine the flour, cayenne, salt and pepper on one plate.

Whisk the egg and milk with a fork in a shallow soup dish.

Place the panko on a third plate.

Heat the oil to ***about 360°F.

Shake the excess liquid off an oyster and dredge it in the flour. Coat it with the egg wash, then roll it in the Panko. ***I like to test one oyster first for a couple of reasons. To see if I need to adjust the seasoning for the flour mixture, and to check the heat of the oil so that I can fry the oyster fast enough to brown the outside and keep the inside tender and juicy. If the oysters fry for too long, they can become rubbery. (I ended up increasing the heat a bit.)

When I'm happy with my test oyster, I coat the remaining oysters in the flour/egg/Panko mixtures and fry them in small batches. Drain on paper towels.

Serve with the tartar sauce and garnish with lemon wedges.

Moroccan Quinoa Salad

2012-02-04T12:00:00.003-06:00

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(about 4 servings)

This flavourful and exotic salad is a great choice for potlucks as it travels really well. I used to make this with couscous and added olive oil. The quinoa makes a great substitute and I don't miss the oil at all in this version.

I love this combination of spices; cumin, ginger, cardamom and cinnamon with a pleasant kick from the Harissa.

2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup quinoa
juice from 1/2 lemon, or more to taste
2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp (or more to taste) Harissa
1 large carrot, shredded
1/4 cup dried currants
1 green onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped
salt, if needed

Heat the chicken broth in a saucepan and add the cumin, ginger, cardamom and cinnamon. Stir in the quinoa (check the package to see if it needs to be rinsed in water first). Simmer gently for about 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat when most of the liquid has been absorbed into the quinoa. Allow to cool.

Combine the lemon juice, honey and Harissa in a bowl. Stir in the cooled quinoa, shredded, carrot, currants, green onion and cilantro.

Check and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

Spaghetti with Savory Breadcrumbs

2012-01-29T13:31:00.001-06:00

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(2 servings)

This simple and delicious spaghetti uses very few ingredients, yet it's bursting with flavour. I usually prepare this dish with no cheese so I'll sometimes pair it up with a nice tomato and mozzarella salad.

This recipe is pretty flexible. On occasion I'll had add red pepper flakes, minced lemon zest, chopped olives or even a bit of grated Parmesan. If you really dislike anchovies in any form then just leave those out and use salt instead.

I have loved anchovies ever since my grandfather introduced me to them when I was 6 years old. My long love affair began when he opened up a tin of anchovy rolled capers; I couldn't get enough of them.

5 oz dried spaghetti
2 tsp butter
1 tbps olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 tsp anchovy paste
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the directions on the package; about 5-8 minutes.

In the mean time heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Add the minced garlic and saute for about a minute or until it just begins to brown lightly. Stir in the anchovy paste, and when that's well combined, stir in the breadcrumbs. Lower the heat if necessary, and stirring from time to time saute them until they are an even brown.

Drain the pasta when it's done and add that to the breadcrumbs. Toss until the spaghetti is evenly coated with the breadcrumb mixture.

Divide between two plates. Sprinkle with the parsley and dust with freshly ground black pepper.

Serve.

Southwestern Shrimp Cocktail

2012-01-28T14:19:00.000-06:00

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(2-3 servings)

This cocktail can be found at various restaurants here in Dallas. One of the more popular versions comes from "Big Shucks", and this recipe is fairly close to that. This fresh and delicious cocktail is very easy to prepare.

1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
up to 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice, to taste
1 tsp horseradish
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco sauce, to taste
1 small avocado, diced
1 small plum tomato, diced
1 tbsp red onion, finely diced
1 tbsp jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 cups salad shrimp, cooked

lime wedges for garnishing

Combine everything except the shrimp in a bowl.

Add the shrimp when you are ready to serve them and toss to combine well.

Serve immediately. Garnish with lime wedges.

Canada Cornstarch Shortbread with Chocolate

2012-01-22T14:20:00.001-06:00

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(about 16 cookies)

The very first time I made shortbread it was from a recipe off the back of a Canada Cornstarch Box. This is one of the best recipes I have ever come across. It produces a rich, buttery shortbread which melts in your mouth.

Occasionally, I'll wrap the shortbread around pieces of chocolate for a delightful, but decadent treat.

adapted from Canada Cornstarch
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup icing sugar
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
3/4 cup unbleached flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup unsalted butter (1 1/2sticks), cut up
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 oz baking chocolate bar, broken into 16 pieces*

Place the cornstarch, icing sugar, salt and flour into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and sprinkle the vanilla extract evenly over the top. Run the motor until a soft dough begins to form.

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces. Encase a piece of chocolate inside each piece of dough.

Place the cookies about an inch (or more) apart of an ungreased cookie sheet. Come hell or high water, I was determined to get all of these cookies onto my small baking sheet for my counter top oven. This shortbread will spread a bit as you can see from my photo. Bake for about 25-35 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.

Remove from oven and cool on baking sheet for a minute or two, then remove shortbread onto a wire rack.

*I have always used baking chocolate for this, so I have no idea how regular chocolate might behave, but I would probably give that a try if that's all I had on hand. I like using milk chocolate for this, but all I had was bittersweet which turned out rather nice.

Mediterranean Salad with Quinoa

2012-01-21T14:11:00.000-06:00

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(4 servings)

Throughout the week I've been eating a lot of green leafy salads. I made this tasty salad a couple of days ago to change things up a bit. I decided to give rainbow quinoa a try and although the package directed me to cook this 5 minutes longer (than the conventional white quinoa), it was done in about 15 minutes.

This salad held up quite well for about three days in my refrigerator.

3/4 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups water
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 english cucumber, diced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2-4 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2-4 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
freshly squeezed juice from up to a whole lemon
salt and freshly ground pepper

Rinse the quinoa in cold water. Place into a pot with 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook until the water has absorbed into the quinoa; about 15 minutes. Cool.

Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, green onion, parsley, mint and olive oil with the quinoa in a non reactive bowl (if you plan on keeping it longer than a day).

Keep adding small amounts of lemon juice, salt and pepper while tossing until you like how your salad is seasoned.

Serve. This salad will keep for a couple of days refrigerated.

Chicken with Orange Sauce

2012-01-20T13:01:00.002-06:00

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(about 3 servings)

I didn't have any Chinese chili sauce when I made this, but I did have a tube of harissa which I used in it's place. The result was an unexpected kick in the heat department (I added almost 2 tsp at once) but quite bearable for me. I'm pretty much a wimp when it comes to very hot dishes and in this case the heat was quite pronounced (more so then when I've used chili sauce) yet I could still make out the other flavours. If you decide to give harissa a try, then add it in small amounts, tasting as you go, until you find a balance which agrees with you.

I have never prepared this dish with anything other than chicken thighs. They turn out incredibly tender. I keep meaning to give chicken breasts a try, I imagine they might turn out tender as well.

marinade
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp pureed fresh ginger
1 tbsp rice wine
1 egg white
1 tbsp cornstarch

6 skinned and boneless chicken thighs, about 1 1/4 lb

orange sauce
zest from 1 orange, finely minced
juice from 1 orange
1-2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp oyster sauce
up to 2 tsp (or more) harissa, or chili sauce to taste
2/3 cup water
2 tsp cornstarch

oil for frying

garnish
2 green onions, sliced
1 orange for garnish (optional)

Combine the marinade ingredients with a fork in a bowl until everything is well combined.

Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and toss them into the marinade. Set aside up to an hour or two. You can leave it for only 15-20 minutes if you prefer.. I like the way the garlic becomes more intense with the additional marinating time.

Combine all of the orange sauce ingredients except the cornstarch. Make any adjustments to saltiness and/or heat by taste, then add the cornstarch. Set aside.

Heat about an inch of oil in a wok to about 375°F. Fry the chicken pieces in small batches until they are an even brown and place onto paper towels to absorb any excess oil.

Pour off the oil and turn down the heat a touch. Return the chicken to the wok and add the orange sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Place the chicken on a serving dish. Sprinkle with the green onion and garnish with orange slices if using. This dish goes really well with rice.

Meat Pie

2012-01-15T00:27:00.001-06:00

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(6 servings)

There's something very comforting about a meat pie on a cool winter night. Savory browned meat, studded with veggies inside a flaky crust. This doesn't appear to be a very popular dish in the U.S. which is a shame. It's delicious!

I added more vegetables this time around and ended up having to use a springform as my pie dish was too small to hold all of the filling. I usually don't add carrots and peas to this recipe which is loosely based on a French-Canadian Tourtière.

1/2 lb ground pork
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb lean ground sirloin
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp cardamom
a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp Better than Bouillon Beef or 2 beef bouillon cubes
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup dry red wine
1 cup carrots, shredded
1 cup frozen peas
2 medium potatoes, cooked and riced
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

pastry for a double-crust pie

*There was too much filling for my pie tin, so I used a 9" springform instead.

Fry the ground pork until it begins to render it's fat. Add the minced garlic and cook a minute or two, then add the ground sirloin and continue to cook until the meat is nicely browned.

If there's a lot of fat in the pan, then try to scoop some of it out at this point. I find paper towels work quite well if it's too difficult to remove with a spoon. Lower the heat a touch and stir in the chopped onion. Cook until the onion is translucent.

Add the spices, tomato paste, bouillon, water, wine and carrots. Stir to combine everything, then cover the pot with a lid, set the heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes.

Remove the lid and cook for another 5 minutes or until the liquid has mostly evaporated. Remove from heat.

Stir in the frozen peas and riced potatoes. Allow the mixture to cool.

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Press one layer of pie pastry into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan. Spoon the meat and vegetable mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Cut some holes for venting the steam into the pastry layer for the top and lay that over the meat.

Trim the pastry (if necessary) enough so the edges line up and you can turn them over. Use the tins of a fork to press the seams together.

Place the springform on a cookie sheet as it will more than likely leak a bit, and bake for 15 minutes, then turn down the temperature to 375°F. Bake for another 30 minutes or until the pastry is a nice even brown.

Allow to cool for about 8 minutes before slicing.

Beets with Arborio Rice

2012-01-14T10:14:00.002-06:00

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(2-3 servings)

It doesn't seem right to call this a risotto, although that's what I had in mind when I made this, but when I was done, beets with rice seemed more appropriate. The rice became almost an afterthought, giving these sweet and earthy beets just enough substance to turn this into a meal.

2 - 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp butter
3/4 cup arborio rice
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
6 small beets
1/2 tsp fresh lemon zest, minced
freshly squeezed juice from 1/2 lemon, or to taste
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1/4 - 1/2 cup goat cheese, crumbled

Heat the chicken broth, then keep it warm over a low burner.

Melt the butter in a deep skillet and add the rice. Cook for a minute or two, stirring to coat the rice evenly with the butter. Stir in the onion and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the onion is translucent and has begun to brown lightly. You will have to keep stirring the mixture to keep it from burning.

Scrub the beets and remove the tops. It's not necessary to peel them completely. Grate them, then add them to the rice and onion mixture. Cook them for about 5 minutes.

Add the warm chicken broth 1/2 a cup at a time, stirring until the rice has absorbed the liquid. When you have used up about three quarters of the chicken broth, stir in the lemon zest and the lemon juice. Check for seasoning and add the salt and pepper as needed.

Continue adding the chicken broth in small amounts until the rice is al dente. Cover the pot and let it sit for about 3 minutes.

Divide among bowls and garnish with the chopped dill and goat cheese.

Flädlesuppe; Soup with Crepes

2012-01-08T13:02:00.000-06:00

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(4 servings)

This simple German soup is a great way to use up leftover crepes from breakfast. I love recipes like this because more and more I'm reluctant to toss out food.

about 4 leftover crepes or
1 egg
pinch of salt
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup flour
up to 1/4 cup sparkling water

butter or oil for frying

4 cups beef broth
1 carrot, sliced (optional, I add it for the colour)
1 tsp fresh lemon zest
juice from 1/2 a small lemon
1-2 pinches freshly grated nutmeg

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tbsp fresh chives or green onion, sliced

If you are making the crepes from scratch, then whisk together the egg and salt until frothy, then add the milk and flour and continue to whisk until you have a smooth batter. Set aside for about 15 minutes.

Heat a small amount of butter or oil in the skillet.

Stir the sparkling water into the batter in small amounts until you have the consistency of thick cream.

Ladle about 1/4 of the batter into the skillet and tilt the skillet back and forth until the batter covers the bottom evenly. Cook the crepe until the edges brown and the top begins to feel dry. Carefully flip the crepe and cook the other side until it's golden brown.

Add more butter or oil to the skillet as needed until all the batter is used up.

When the crepes are cool enough to handle, then slice them into strips. Divide them between 4 soup bowls and set aside.

Heat the broth in a small soup pot. Add the carrot (if using), lemon zest, lemon juice and nutmeg. Gently simmer the soup for about 5 minutes or until the carrot is cooked to your liking. Check and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.

Ladle the soup over the crepes in the reserved soup bowls. Sprinkle each bowl with chives or green onion.

Serve immediately.

Palak Paneer; Indian Spinach & Cheese

2012-01-07T14:01:00.000-06:00

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(4 servings)

With the holidays behind us, I'm leaning towards lighter fare this week. In some respects this dish is a bit like Matar Paneer. The main difference of course is using spinach instead of peas. I decided not to fry the paneer in ghee this time, but added it as is, instead.

The paneer is easy to make and a nice introduction to cheese making if you can't find it at the store. All you need to make it (aside from milk and vinegar) is a cheesecloth or a piece of loose woven muslin cloth.

This is one of those dishes which reheats really well and seems to taste even better the next day.

1 large yellow onion, cut into quarters
2 cloves garlic
2" piece of fresh ginger, skin removed
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 tbsp ghee, or clarified butter (or just plain unsalted butter)
2 10 oz pkgs frozen spinach, defrosted - do not squeeze dry
1 tbsp tomato paste
up to 1 cup water or whey (if you made your own paneer)
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp heavy cream (optional)
1/2 lb paneer, cut into 1/2" cubes
salt to taste

cooked rice for serving

Place the onion, garlic, ginger, jalapeno peppers and spices into the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth.

Heat the butter in a pot. Add the pureed mixture and cook for about 15 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring from time to time.

Place one of the packages of the defrosted spinach (or both if you prefer this to be completely smooth) into the bowl of the food processor and blend until it's smooth.

Add all of the spinach along with the tomato paste and water or whey to the pot. Stir until everything is well combined. Cover the pot, lower the heat and cook for about 25-35 minutes.

Sir in the yogurt, cream if using and the paneer. Cook another 10 minutes. Add more water or whey if the mixture seems too dry. Season with salt, to taste.

Serve with rice.

*This seems to taste even better reheated the next day when the flavours have had a chance to blend more.

Most Viewed Recipes for 2011

2011-12-31T00:48:00.000-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Pierogi with Potato & Cheese Filling
I grew up in Edmonton which had a large Ukrainian community, and learned to make these when I was still a teenager.

Semmel Knödel

Why not try these German bread dumplings instead of rice or potatoes with your next meal?

Key Lime Squares

Very easy to make... you just need a bit of patience to squeeze all of those tiny limes.. but the effort is well worth it.

Chinese Corn Soup

This Cantonese soup is especially delicious if made with plump fresh sweet corn!

Pimento Cheese Spread

It's one of those southern dishes people grew up with and love with good reason; it's delicious!

Chewy Ginger Snaps

This recipe was on the back of a tin of The Ginger People's, Crystallized Ginger Chips and it was really good!

Labneh

This strained yogurt has the consistency of cream cheese with less calories and a wonderful tart flavour.

Apple Bran Muffins

These delicious muffins are very moist!

Mediterranean Olive Pesto

This chunky pesto comes together quickly with a few items from your local olive bar.

Garlic Shrimp

Pressed for time? Make garlic shrimp for dinner!

Orecchiette with Pistachio & Picholine Olive Sauce

2011-12-30T11:32:00.000-06:00

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(4 servings)

There's still a ton of pistachios in my house from the holidays and some of them found their way into this dish. It's one of my favourites and if I were given the choice between this and a slice of chocolate cake, I'd go for the pasta almost every time.

I used brine-cured picholine olives which have a wonderful saltiness to them. Their firm texture also makes them great cocktail olives. Orecchiette is perfect for this dish. The roughly textured, indented discs hold the olive sauce extremely well.

If you have a food processor, this will come together very quickly for a delicious lunch or dinner.

2 1/2 - 3 cups dry orecchiette, about 12 oz
1 1/3 cups pitted picholine or brine-cured green olives
3/4 cup shelled pistachio kernels
small handful fresh chopped parsley
1 small clove garlic, chopped
1 or 2 pinches red pepper flakes, to taste
1 tsp freshly minced lemon zest
1/3 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
1/4 - 1/2 cup hot water reserved from cooking the pasta

freshly ground pepper

Cook the orecchiette according to the directions on the package in lightly salted water until they are al dente; about 9 - 12 minutes.

While the pasta is cooking, place the olives, pistachios, parsley, garlic, red pepper, lemon zest and cheese into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture is roughly chopped.

Scrape down the sides, then with the motor running pour up to 1/2 cup of hot water from the pasta, through the chute until the mixture resembles a sauce.

Toss the olive sauce with the drained orecchiette.

Serve. Dust with freshly ground pepper, if desired.

Thai Style Cucumber Salad

2011-12-29T00:29:00.000-06:00

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(4 servings)

Who could pass up an 80 cent English cucumber? I couldn't. I grabbed two of them although they weren't on my shopping list. The label mentioned "pesticide-free" which I had to google when I returned home because I found that description rather confusing. Why pesticide-free and not organic?

Turns out pesticide-free is often a vague term indicating no pesticide residue was detected, although it might contain "natural" pesticides or pesticides "below" the "normal" detection limits.

Generally it indicates it has "more residues than organic food, but less than conventionally grown food."

2 medium English cucumbers
1/2 cup rice vinegar*
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp hot sauce, or more to taste
2 pinches ground coriander seed
2 pinches red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped

*If you use "seasoned" rice vinegar, check the label before adding the sugar because often it already contains some form of sweetener.

Wash and slice the cucumbers as thin as you can into a non reactive bowl.

Combine the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, hot sauce, coriander seeds and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Pour this over the cucumbers. Toss until well combined, then set aside for about 10-15 minutes. You can leave it even longer if you wish.

Divide among salad bowls and garnish with the chopped peanuts.

Daring Baker Challenge, December 2011; Sour Dough Starter

2011-12-27T01:30:00.000-06:00

Our Daring Bakers Host for December 2011 was Jessica of My Recipe Project and she showed us how fun it is to create Sour Dough bread in our own kitchens! She provided us with Sour Dough recipes from Bread Matters by AndrewWhitley as well as delicious recipes to use our Sour Dough bread in from Tonia George’s Things on Toast and Canteen’s Great British Food!

I was thrilled with this challenge. I lost my previous 6-year old starter when we had a four day power outage during extremely high temperatures here in Dallas. This gave me the opportunity to get another one going. Mine took nine days to come to life, but the wait was worth it. The aroma is amazing and it has a wonderful tang which I imagine will develop nicely as time goes on.

I decided to make the French Country Bread, which I've copied out below.

Thanks for this challenge!

French Country Bread

Servings: 1 large loaf plus extra wheat starter for further baking

Wheat Starter - Day 1:
Ingredients
4 1/2 tablespoons (70 ml) (40 gm/1 ½ oz) stoneground breadmaking whole-wheat or graham flour
3 tablespoons (45 ml) water
Total scant ½ cup (115 ml) (3 oz/85 gm)

Directions:
1. In a Tupperware or plastic container, mix the flour and water into a paste.
2. Set the lid on top gently, cover with a plastic bag, to prevent messes in case it grows more than expected!
3. Set somewhere warm (around 86 F if possible). I sometimes put mine on a windowsill near a radiator, but even if it’s not that warm, you’ll still get a starter going – it might just take longer.

Wheat Starter - Day 2:
Ingredients
4 1/2 tablespoons (70 ml) (40 gm/1 ½ oz) stoneground breadmaking whole-wheat or graham flour
3 tablespoons (45 ml) water
scant 1/2 cup (115 ml) (3 oz/85 gm) starter from Day 1
Total scant cup (230 ml) (6 oz/170 gm)

Directions:
1. Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 1, cover, and return to its warm place.

Wheat Starter - Day 3:
Ingredients
4 1/2 tablespoons (70 ml) (40 gm/1 ½ oz) stoneground breadmaking whole-wheat or graham flour
4 teaspoons (20 ml) water
scant 1 cup (230 ml) (6 oz/170 gm) starter from Day 2
Total 1⅓ cup (320 ml) (230 gm/8-1/10 oz)

Directions:
1. Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 2, cover, and return to its warm place.

Wheat Starter - Day 4:
Ingredients
3/4 cup plus 1½ tablespoons (205 ml) (120 gm/4 ¼ oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup less 4 teaspoons (100 ml) water
1⅓ cup (320 ml) (230 gm/8 oz) starter from Day 3
Total scant 2⅔ cup (625 ml) (440 gm/15½ oz)

Directions:
1. Stir the flour and water into the mixture from Day 3, cover, and return to its warm place. At this point it should be bubbling and smell yeasty. If not, repeat this process for a further day or so until it is!

French Country Bread
Stage 1: Refreshing the leaven
Ingredients
1 cup less 1 tablespoon (225 ml) (160 gm/5 ⅔ oz) wheat Leaven Starter
6 tablespoons less 1 teaspoon (85 ml) (50 gm/1¾ oz) stoneground bread making whole-wheat or graham flour
1 cup plus 2 teaspoons (250 ml) (150 gm/5 ⅓ oz) unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup (120 ml) water
Production Leaven Total 2¾ cups plus 4 teaspoons (680 ml) (480 gm /1 lb 1 oz)

Directions:
1. Mix everything into a sloppy dough. It may be fairly stiff at this stage. Cover and set aside for 4 hours, until bubbling and expanded slightly.

French Country Bread
Stage 2: Making the final dough
Ingredients
3/4 cup less 1 teaspoon (175 ml) (100 gm/3 ½ oz) stoneground breadmaking whole-wheat or graham flour, plus more for dusting
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (510 ml) (300gm/10 ½ oz) unbleached all-purpose flour
1¼ teaspoons (7½ ml) (7 gm/¼ oz) sea salt or ⅔ teaspoon (3⅓ ml) (3 gm/⅛ oz) table salt
1 ¼ cups (300 ml) water
1 ¾ cups (425 ml) (300 gm/10 ½ oz) production leaven – this should leave some (1 cup) for your next loaf.
Total 6 cups less 2 tablespoons 1415 ml (1007 gm/35 ½ oz/2 lb 3½ oz)

Directions:
1. Mix the dough with all the ingredients except the production leaven. It will be a soft dough.
2. Knead on an UNFLOURED surface for about 8-10 minutes, getting the tips of your fingers wet if you need to. You can use dough scrapers to stretch and fold the dough at this stage, or air knead if you prefer. Basically, you want to stretch the dough and fold it over itself repeatedly until you have a smoother, more elastic dough.
See my demonstration here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqS3raEGdwk
3. Smooth your dough into a circle, then scoop your production leaven into the centre. You want to fold the edges of the dough up to incorporate the leaven, but this might be a messy process. Knead for a couple minutes until the leaven is fully incorporated in the dough. See my demonstration here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPO97R4iO4U
4. Spread some water on a clean bit of your work surface and lay the dough on top. Cover with an upturned bowl, lining the rim of the bowl with a bit of water. Leave for an hour, so that the gluten can develop and the yeasts can begin to aerate the dough.
5. Once your dough has rested, you can begin to stretch and fold it. Using wet hands and a dough scraper, stretch the dough away from you as far as you can without breaking it and fold it back in on itself. Repeat this in each direction, to the right, towards you, and to the left. This will help create a more ‘vertical’ dough, ready for proofing. See my demonstration here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDoJRCMfclE
6. Heavily flour a banneton/proofing basket with whole wheat flour and rest your dough, seam side up, in the basket. Put the basket in a large plastic bag, inflate it, and seal it. Set aside somewhere warm for 3-5 hours, or until it has expanded a fair bit. It is ready to bake when the dough responds to a gently poke by slowly pressing back to shape.
7. Preheat the oven to hot 425°F/220°C/gas mark 7. Line a baking sheet with parchment, then carefully invert the dough onto the sheet. I like to put the baking sheet on top of the basket, then gently flip it over so as to disturb the dough as little as possible. Make 2-3 cuts on top of the loaf and bake for 40-50 minutes, reducing the temperature to moderately hot 400°F/200°C/gas mark 6 after 10 minutes.
8. Cool on a cooling rack.

Swedish Meatballs

2011-12-23T11:16:00.000-06:00

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(6-8 servings)

I haven't felt much like cooking lately. I've made mostly green salads and whenever I got bored of those, I'd head over to a local salad bar and load up on veggies and various prepared salads. I love beets and this bar often has red beets in a balsamic vinaigrette and golden beets with ginger.. I can't get enough of either of those. I also like to sample some of their other offerings, such as Mediterranean tuna salad, Moroccan couscous salad, spicy lentils or herbed peas. These salads change daily and I never tire of the selection. Considering this is December with so many temptations everywhere, this has worked out well for me.

One of the things very much on my mind this week were Swedish Meatballs. I remembered a friend once mentioning she made her meatballs using a stand mixer which surprised me. I've always imagined tougher meatballs if you "over-worked" the meat. I couldn't have been more wrong, these meatballs were both lighter and smoother, making me curious how a meatloaf might turn out using this method.

Swedish meatballs are usually served on their own with the gravy on the side, but I usually end up reheating them at some point so I just combine them with the gravy when I prepare them. I didn't have any Lingonberry sauce on hand, so I picked up a bag of cranberries instead. Cranberries are altogether different, but they taste fine alongside these meatballs. When I prepare the cranberry sauce (I follow the directions on the bag), I add less sugar keeping the sauce nice and tart for these.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

meatballs
day old bread or rolls
1/4 cup milk
1 - 2 tsp butter
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground beef
1 large egg
small handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
up to 1 tsp salt, or to taste
up to 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper, or to taste
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
a few pinches - 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp butter

gravy
3 tbsp flour
2 cups beef broth or bouillon
1/4 cup red wine or more broth
3 tbsp sour cream

to serve
chopped parsley for garnish
lingonberry or cranberry sauce
good with mashed potatoes, boiled potatoes or egg noodles

Tear the bread or rolls into pieces and process in a food processor until you have about 1 1/2 cups of fresh bread crumbs.

Place the breadcrumbs into the bowl of a stand mixer and pour the milk over those.

Heat the butter in a skillet and add the onions. Saute them over medium-low heat until they become translucent. Allow them to cool, then add them to the breadcrumbs in the stand mixer along with the pork, beef, egg, parsley, salt, pepper, dill, mustard, cardamom and nutmeg.

Combine everything on medium-speed using a paddle attachment for about 2-3 minutes.

Heat 2 teaspoons of butter in a skillet. Fry about a teaspoon of meat until it's done and taste for seasoning. Make any necessary adjustments if needed.

Form the meat into small balls (about 1 inch in diameter) and fry them until they are brown on all sides. You might have to do this in small batches. Place the browned meatballs aside on a plate as you work.

When all of the meatballs are browned, remove all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet and sprinkle the flour evenly over the remaining grease. Using a wooden spoon, work the flour into the browned bits and fat over medium-low heat. When the roux becomes medium brown in colour, work a small amount of broth into it, then add the rest. Add the wine and whisk everything until the gravy is smooth. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes.

Lower the heat. Whisk a few tablespoons of hot gravy into the sour cream, then whisk all of that into the gravy. Return the meatballs to the gravy and gently simmer over low heat for about 5-10 minutes or until the meatballs have heated through and are thoroughly cooked.

Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with lingonberry or cranberry sauce.

Rum Balls

2011-12-18T11:47:00.000-06:00

(28-32 rum balls)

Rum balls are pretty easy to make, and one of those things I associate with Christmas. I use whatever I happen to have on hand. It can be day old cake, cookies... various nuts, such as pecans, walnuts, coconut or hazelnuts.. cocoa powder or chocolate.. bourbon, if you don't care for rum. The rum and melted butter binds everything together, and those amounts can vary depending on the moisture content of the cake or cookie crumbs. I rarely add sugar because the mixture usually already seems sweet enough to me. If I were to add any, I would probably use icing sugar for these.

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup dark rum
4 tbsp butter

cocoa powder or sprinkles for rolling

Place the cookie crumbs and pecans into a microwave safe bowl.

Grind the chocolate chips in a food processor until fine and add those to the cookies and pecans. Stir until well combined.

Place the entire bowl into the microwave cook for about 15-25 seconds on high. Remove the bowl and stir well. The chocolate will have melted just enough to darken the mixture after you stir it.

Sprinkle the rum over the top and stir to distribute the rum evenly.

Melt the butter, and when it's hot, stir that into the rum ball mixture. It should begin to clump up and you should be able to form small balls.If the mixture seems too dry, add an additional small amount of melted butter or more rum.

Form small balls about the size of a walnut. Roll these in either cocoa powder or sprinkles. Store them in a tin with a tight fitting lid.

Peppermint Meringues

2011-12-17T11:59:00.000-06:00

(about 75 small meringues)

The peppermint extract in these is so intense (I added a 1/4 teaspoon), they remind me of after dinner mints which dissolve in your mouth. I like them so much, a part of me regrets not having fired up my large oven so I could have doubled the recipe.

They were very easy to make, but they do need to be stored in an air-tight tin, especially if it's humid. Dallas has had a lot of rain recently and I've noticed these meringues will soften if left out on a plate for a day.

2 large egg whites
1/4 tsp beet powder, for colour (optional)
1/2 cup fine granulated sugar
1/8 - 1/4 tsp peppermint extract, to taste
1-2 tsp gluten free sprinkles, (optional)

Beat the egg white and beet powder until they are frothy, then begin adding the sugar one tablespoon at a time. Continue to beat the whites until they are stiff and still glossy.

Add the peppermint extract. Start with an 1/8 teaspoon for a light peppermint flavour, adding another 1/8 of a teaspoon if you prefer them stronger. Beat for a few more seconds to combine well.

Preheat oven to 200°F.

Cover a cookie sheet with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Drop the meringue by the teaspoonful onto the mat or place it into a piping bag with a star tip or something you like, and pipe little mounds. These don't really expand, so you don't have to place them too far apart.

Add a few sprinkles to each meringue, if using.

Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and leave the meringues in there until the oven has cooled. It's probably best not to open the oven to peak during this time.

Store them in a tin with a tight fitting lid.

Zimtsterne

2011-12-11T16:13:00.000-06:00

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(30-34 small cookies)

December is almost always a hectic month for me and I often end up buying a lot of my baked goods. Zimtsterne are among the items I look for when I head to the German deli. I didn't see any this year, and decided to take the plunge and make them myself. I will admit not only did they turn into a bit of a challenge, they didn't even look like the ones I was used to, but I loved the taste and texture of these cookies. They were so much better than any of the store bought versions I have purchased over the years!

These wonderful star-shaped, chewy cookies are gluten free, and "iced" with meringue. They contain ground almonds and cinnamon; Zimt = cinnamon, Sterne = stars.

This recipe is adapted from an old out-of-print German cookbook my mum gave me; Das neue große Kochbuch by Roland Gööck ©1963

10-12 oz whole almonds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
lemon zest from a small lemon, finely minced
3 egg whites
2 cups icing sugar
up to 1 tbsp rum
additional icing sugar for rolling out

Grind the almonds in a food processor until they are very fine. Add the cinnamon and pulse until it's evenly distributed. Empty the almonds into a bowl. You will have about 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 cups of ground almonds.

Remove the zest from a small lemon. I used a microplaner. It's a great tool for this because it just removes the very top portion of the lemon's surface without getting any of the bitter white pith. Stir the zest into the almond and cinnamon mixture.

Beat the egg whites. When they begin to get frothy, add the icing sugar, one tablespoon at a time and continue beating until the egg whites are very stiff. You can see from the photo above that my egg whites never became super stiff. I have no idea at all why that was the case. I beat those whites for close to 15 minutes. It's rained a lot this week in Dallas and it might have been the humidity, but I wasn't sure.

Remove about 4-5 tablespoons of the meringue and set aside.

Gradually stir the remaining meringue into the almond mixture, about 2 large spoonfuls at a time (you might not have to use all of the meringue depending on the humidity; I had about 4 tablespoons left over) until you have a semi-stiff dough. It will be quite tacky/sticky.

Sprinkle some icing sugar evenly over a piece of parchment and place the dough over that. Sprinkle the top of the dough with more icing sugar. Place another piece of parchment paper over that and roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick. The original recipe doesn't call for parchment paper, but when I saw how sticky the dough was, I decided to use it.

Peel back the top layer of parchment paper. This was where things became a bit tricky for me. I wasn't able to peel back the parchment paper because the dough was sticking to it. I placed the entire 2 sheets of parchment paper with the rolled out dough sandwiched between them into the freezer for about 15 minutes. This worked really well. When I removed the dough from the freezer, I was able to peel off the top piece of parchment paper.

Cut out as many stars as you are able to. Gather up the remaining pieces of dough and roll those out again to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut out more stars. I was able to do this two more times without having to return the dough to the freezer.

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Get the 4-5 tablespoons of meringue you set aside earlier. Stir in enough rum until the meringue is thin enough for glazing the tops of the cookies. I used just under 1 tablespoon of rum.

Place a small amount into the center of a cookie and using the back of the spoon, drag the glaze towards each corner of the star shaped cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are glazed.

Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for about 20-30 minutes, depending on how chewy you like them. The longer you bake them, the dryer they become; they are fine either way.

Allow the cookies to cool on the sheets before removing them. They should keep for about 2 weeks.

Green Salad with Candied Pecans, Apple and Goat Cheese

2011-12-10T14:35:00.001-06:00

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(4 servings)

Recently I had lunch with a friend at a restaurant which specialises in salads. Our salads were delicious, but when I looked around the room I noticed that most diners, ourselves included, had left small mounds of greens on our plates when we were finished. The proportions were way off.

I had ordered a green salad with blue cheese, pear and hazelnuts tossed in a champagne vinaigrette. The problem was I had about 5 cups of greens and about 1 tablespoon each (give or take) of cheese, pear and hazelnuts. I don't have a problem with greens, but I do like to taste a bit of the extra goodies I ordered with each forkful, and I suspect so did a lot of the people in the room with us.

This recipe has the proportions I prefer in a salad, and our plates were clean when we were finished!

Candied Pecans
1/2 cup pecans
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp warm water
2-3 pinches salt
2-3 pinches ground cinnamon

Transfer the pecans to a skillet which has been heated over medium heat, and heat the pecans, shaking the pan from time to time, until the pecans become fragrant.

Combine the sugar, water, salt and cinnamon, in a small glass, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.

Pour over the pecans in the skillet and cook stirring until the water has evaporated and the pecans are covered in a glaze.

Empty the pecans onto parchment paper, trying to keep them in a single layer. Allow them to cool.

Vinaigrette
1/2 cup raspberry juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 -3 tsp deli mustard with horseradish
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Combine everything in a small glass cup with a fork, until well mixed. Set aside.

Salad
6 cups leafy salad greens
1/2 cup sugared pecans, broken up (recipe above)
1 granny smith apple, cored and cut into dice
1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles
1/2 - 3/4 cup vinaigrette, (recipe above)

Place the leafy greens, pecans, diced apple and goat cheese in a salad bowl. Add the vinaigrette and toss until everything is lightly coated with the dressing.

Serve immediately.

Quick Cheese Lasagna

2011-12-04T16:01:00.000-06:00

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(4-6 servings)

This is a very quickly made lasagna using store bought pasta sauce and "no-boil" lasagna sheets.

I have never used these sheets before, and was pleasantly surprised by how well they worked and how good they were. I will definitely use them again, especially if I'm pressed for time and unable to make my pasta from scratch.

15 oz ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
a few pinches ground nutmeg
3 cups pasta sauce (I used a large 24 oz jar of spicy roasted red pepper)
6 sheets "no-boil" pasta sheets (less than half a 9 oz pkg.)
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Combine the ricotta cheese with the egg, parmesan cheese and nutmeg. Stir until everything is well combined. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

*Spread about 1 cup of sauce evenly over the bottom of an 8 inch square baking dish. Place 2 pasta sheets over the sauce. Spread a third of the ricotta mixture evenly over the pasta sheets. Sprinkle a third of the goat cheese crumbles over the ricotta, followed by 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese. *Repeat this two more times.

Bake for about 45-60 minutes or until the lasagna is hot and bubbly. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes before slicing into it.

Cabbage Rolls

2011-12-02T13:13:00.000-06:00

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(4-5 servings)

Cabbage rolls reheat really well. If anything, they seem to get better a day or two later which is why I like to make them ahead of time.

One of my favourite versions were those made by a friend's Ukrainian grandmother. They were tiny, about the third of the size of a conventional cabbage roll. The filling was mainly rice which had been fried with onion, bacon, and grease, then slowly cooked in tomato juice.

Mine turn out a little different each time I make them, which isn't very frequently. I shy away from what I perceive as a lot of work, but the truth is once I get started it really isn't all that bad. I have made them with various types of cabbages, white or brown rice, beef, pork, sausage or some combination of meat. I've cooked them on the stove top, in the slow cooker or in the oven. They have been delicious every time. It's difficult to imagine them not turning out, they just do.

1 small head cabbage (about 1 3/4 lbs)
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/3 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 small yellow, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
a handful of fresh parsley, chopped
1 large egg
1 tbsp Hungarian paprika
1/4 tsp caraway seed (optional)
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups beef broth
3/4 cup red wine (replace with broth if you prefer not using wine)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp flour

Remove the core from the cabbage and drop the entire head into a large pot of lightly salted simmering water. Cook for a few minutes, then start to pull off the outer leaves. My pot was a bit on the small side, so I turned the cabbage around with a wooden spoon from time to time.

Combine the beef, pork, rice, onion, garlic, parsley, egg, paprika, caraway seed, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix together until everything is well combined.

Cut the rib out of the leaf to about half way up. Bring the sides in a bit and position the meat over the cut. The amount of meat will depend on the size of the leaf; the proportion you see in the photo works well. Bring the bottom cut pieces of cabbage leaf up over the meat, and bring in the sides, then roll it up beginning at the bottom finishing with the loose end underneath the roll. Continue until the rest of the meat is used up.

Cut up the remaining cabbage into strips and place those into the bottom of a heavy pot or dutch oven with a tight fitting lid. Arrange the cabbage rolls over the cut leaves, then pour the beef broth and wine (if using) over the rolls.

Cover the pot and turn on the heat to low. Cook for about 3 hours or until the rice is tender.

Arrange the cabbage rolls and the cut cabbage strips onto a warmed platter.

Stir together the tomato paste and flour until you have a smooth paste. Stir a few spoons of hot broth into the mixture, then return all of it to the pot. Raise the heat and bring to a boil, stirring all the time. Cook for another minute or two, adjust the seasoning if necessary, then spoon the sauce over the cabbage rolls.

Serve.

Honeyed Sausage Appetizer

2011-11-26T10:50:00.001-06:00

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Recently I was looking at various images of food online when I came across an interesting looking dish on a Brazilian site, Lingüiça no Mel. It's sliced sausage, cooked in champagne or apple cider and red pepper flakes, then finished with honey.

I needed a last minute appetizer and happened to have my favourite smoked sausage on hand. It's a nitrate free, pecan smoked beef sausage from Whole Foods. All I had was red wine and it was perfect with this sausage.

This simple dish was a huge hit.

14 oz smoked beef sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 1/4 cups dry red wine, give or take
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp honey

Add the sausage and wine to a pot. The wine should just cover the sliced sausage. Stir in the pepper flakes and simmer over medium heat, stirring from time to time.

When the wine has reduced to one quarter (about 15 minutes), stir in the honey and continue to cook until the wine and honey mixture have almost evaporated and the sausage is covered with a syrupy glaze. The remaining liquid will reduce very quickly at this point, so take care it doesn't burn.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Ham and Potato Croquettes

2011-11-26T09:24:00.001-06:00

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(4-5 servings)

Whenever I have ham in the house I think of these croquettes. They aren't exactly light fare, so I'm often conflicted about making them, particularly because the times I do have ham, it tends to be around holidays when I've already eaten more than I should.

Thanksgiving this year was no different. I did try to be conscious about what landed on my plate. I only sampled slivers from 3 desserts instead of all 7 or 8 that graced the table after the football game! It's so difficult not to overeat, especially when there's so many things to chose from. I spent the holidays this year with a good friend who was here from NYC, and her extended family. We had turkey and ham and a large assortment of vegetables and casseroles. The corn was to die for (I will ask her mum for that recipe)!

These croquettes are a good way to use up leftover ham, but as I mentioned earlier, it's not the lightest dish I can think of. I did come across a recipe posted online by Emeril Laggasse who bakes his, (looking for ways to lighten these up), but in the end I took the plunge and fried them. I had no intention of adding cheese, but when I fried a small piece to check and adjust the seasoning, it seemed to be lacking something. The addition of cheese was was just what these needed.

3 potatoes, about 1 lb. (I used waxy)
1-2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup ham, finely chopped or diced
1 "generous" tbsp dried parsley, or about 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
a few pinches freshly grated nutmeg
freshly ground pepper
2 eggs
about 2 oz sharp cheddar cheese, diced

1/3 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1 cup bread crumbs

oil for frying

Wash the potatoes and cut them into a few large chunks. Boil them in lightly salted water until they are tender; about 10-15 minutes.

Remove the skins and mash them or put them through a ricer into a large bowl. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the garlic. Stir for about 30 seconds, then add the onions. Adjust the heat, if necessary and saute the onions until they are translucent. Remove from heat and add to the potatoes.

Add the ham, parsley, nutmeg, pepper,eggs and cheese. Combine everything until well mixed.

Place the flour on one plate, the beaten egg on another, and the bread crumbs on a third.

Scoop up small amounts of the ham and potato mixture and form into small cylinders. Roll each one in the flour, then egg, then the bread crumbs.

Fry the croquettes in small batches in about 1/2 inch worth of oil in a heavy skillet heated to about 375°F. until they are browned on all sides.

Serve immediately.

Turkish Yogurt Soup

2011-11-18T17:31:00.001-06:00

(3-4 servings)

This is a very satisfying soup when the cold weather settles in. It's one of the few things I will prepare if I'm not feeling well. The lemon juice is optional although I love lemon in most things and it seems right here.

Occasionally as a variation, I'll add a bit of leftover chopped spinach to this soup.

3 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup rice
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp flour
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)
1 cup plain yogurt
salt and freshly ground black pepper, if necessary
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp dried mint

Bring the broth to a gentle simmer. Add the rice and cook until the rice is tender but slightly firm; about 10-15 minutes.

In a small bowl whisk together the egg yolk and flour and lemon juice, if using. When the mixture is smooth, whisk in the yogurt. Whisk in a few large spoonfuls of the hot broth, then add all of the yogurt mixture to the soup and stir.

Cook for about 5-8 minutes over medium-low heat, taking care not to allow the soup to come to a boil; just allow it to simmer. Check for seasoning and add the salt and pepper, if necessary.

Melt the butter and stir in the mint. Set aside. I do this using the microwave.

Serve the soup in bowls and dot each serving with a bit of the butter and mint mixture.

Daring Cooks Challenge, November 2011; Beef Braised in Rooibos Tea

2011-11-14T00:30:00.000-06:00

Sarah from Simply Cooked was our November Daring Cooks’ hostess and she challenged us to create something truly unique in both taste and technique! We learned how to cook using tea with recipes from Tea Cookbook by Tonia George and The New Tea Book by Sara Perry.

We were given three recipes for this challenge; green tea soup, beef stew or Chinese tea eggs. I made the beef stew, primarily because my stews are usually quite similar to each other and I wanted to try something completely different for a change.

The honey was optional and I thought 3/4 cup was too great an amount, so I added 1 tablespoon instead. This amount seemed just right for me. It provided a nice contrast to the spiced and slightly sour stock.

This recipe introduced me to Rooibos tea which I had never tried before. Since making this stew a couple of weeks ago, I have enjoyed a hot cup of this tea with a slice of lemon nearly every evening.

Beef Braised in Rooibos Tea with Sweet Potatoes

Servings: 4-6
Rooibos tea is an herbal infusion from South Africa. Also called red tea, redbush tea, or honeybush tea, it is honey-flavored and light colored. It is gaining popularity because it is low in bitter tannins and caffeine-free. It can be substituted in this recipe by black tea, or try another dark herbal tea such as one containing licorice.

Ingredients
1¼ pounds (600 gm) brisket or stewing beef, trimmed and cut into 2-inch (5 cm) chunks
2 tablespoons (30 ml) (18 gm) (⅔ oz) flour
1 tablespoon (15 m) oil
2 onions, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (8 gm) tomato concentrate
5 rooibos tea bags (or 2 tablespoons loose tea leaves)
1 quart (1 litre) just-boiled water
5 tablespoons (75 ml) red wine vinegar
4 strips unwaxed orange peel, pith removed (the peel of about half an orange)
2 cinnamon sticks
2 inches (5 cm) fresh ginger, peeled and sliced
4 small sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
¾ cup (175 ml) mild honey (optional)
cilantro (coriander) leaves, to garnish
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Season the beef and coat in the flour. Heat the oil in a large stock pot and then brown the beef on all sides.

Add the onions and celery. Put on a tight fitting lid and let soften for ten minutes.
Add the garlic and tomato concentrate and cook for one minute.
Meanwhile, place the tea bags in a heatproof pitcher and pour over the water. Allow to steep for four minutes. Then remove the tea bags (or strain out the tea leaves) and pour the tea into the stock pot. Add the red wine vinegar, orange peel, cinnamon sticks, and ginger.

Lower the heat and cover. Let the stew simmer for 2 hours, until the beef is tender.
Add the sweet potatoes, honey (if using), and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a further 30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft.

Serve garnished with chopped cilantro.

Stuffed Acorn Squash

2011-11-07T16:56:00.001-06:00

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(2 servings)

Acorn squash always makes me think about fall even though it's available during the summer as well. It's been a long time since I prepared it, I'm not even sure I had any last year. There was a time I brought some home nearly every week. I used to enjoy it baked with maple syrup and butter.

I still prefer it baked, but it's become a meal. This is how I have been preparing it lately, although occasionally half a sour apple will find it's way into the mixture or a bit of chopped celery for the crunch.. it just depends on what I happen to have on hand.

2 tsp butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 tbsp raisins
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground ginger
pinch - 1/8 tsp cayenne
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup goat cheese crumbles
1 acorn squash

Melt the butter in a skillet over med-low heat. Add the onions and saute carefully until the onions become translucent and begin to turn a golden brown.

Empty the onions into a small bowl and turn up the heat a bit. Add the pecans and stir them until they begin to brown slightly taking care they don't burn. Add those to the bowl with the onions.

Add the rice, raisins, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, salt and pepper to the bowl and stir until well combined.

Adjust the seasoning if necessary and add the goat cheese crumbles and toss until combined again. I like to add the cheese last so it doesn't completely melt into the mixture which has been warmed by the onions and pecans.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Wash the acorn squash, then cut it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds.

Lightly butter a baking dish with a lid or something large enough to hold the squash which you can cover with aluminum foil.

Divide the rice mixture evenly between the two halves and press it gently into place.. you will have extra filling after the cavities are filled, but just keep stacking that over each half, lightly pressing it into place.

Cover the dish and bake for about 45-60 minutes or until the squash can be easily pierced with a knife.

Serve.

Green Onion Cheese Spread

2011-11-06T16:21:00.000-06:00

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Deli's often sell this along with their bagels, but it's quite easy to make at home.

I like to use Neufchatel cheese which is similar to cream cheese, but has up to one third less fat. If I happen to have garlic chives on hand, I'll add those for an interesting twist.

8 oz Neufchantel cheese at room temperature
2 tbsp plain yogurt
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3-4 green onions, sliced thinly

Mix everything in a small bowl until well combined.

Teriyaki Salmon for One

2011-11-05T16:38:00.002-05:00

The salmon looks huge because I like to eat off salad plates.

A month or so ago, I purchased a couple of tubes of organic minced garlic and minced ginger. They kept really well in the refrigerator and were very handy to use. I ran out a few days ago and promptly replaced them. I still buy whole heads of garlic for when I need to use more than one clove, but these prepared tubes are fantastic for when I need just a small amount.. and no more leftover shrivelled ginger in the refrigerator!

This dish was quite easy to prepare. I marinated the salmon in the teriyaki sauce this morning for a few hours, then broiled it for lunch. I had it with leftover rice from last evening. It was delicious!

2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp Mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp minced ginger
6-7 oz salmon
1/4 tsp cornstarch
sliced green onion for garnish (optional)

In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, Mirin, brown sugar, lemon juice, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Wash the salmon in cold water, then place it into the bowl with the sauce, skin side up (if it has skin). Cover with plastic wrap and leave the salmon to marinate 3-4 hours.

Preheat oven to 375°F. making sure you have a rack in the closest position to the broiler.

Remove the salmon and place into a small baking dish, skin side down.

Mix the cornstarch into the teriyaki sauce until smooth, then pour it over the salmon.

When the oven is hot, turn on the broiler and position the salmon underneath. I use a small convection oven with the broiler about 4-5 inches above the rack in the highest position. The salmon's thickest part was about 1 1/2 inches, and it took about 7 minutes until done. You want to take care not to overcook the salmon as it will become dry. It's best to err on the underdone side because you can always pop it back underneath the broiler for another minute or two. When it's done, the flesh should part easily and still be very moist.

Sprinkle with the sliced green onion if using and spoon the teriyaki sauce over the salmon.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-10-30T13:43:00.002-05:00

(4 dozen)

There are times like today when I find myself wondering if I'd be able to follow a recipe,even if my life depended on it. I started to follow the recipe on the back of a package of chocolate chips, but I wanted to use only half the amount of sugar listed. I knew that less sugar often results in cookies which are rather cake-like.

It wasn't long before I tossed the package aside and began experimenting yet once again. This morning I decided to brown the butter first, but I didn’thave the patience to wait for it to cool because I wanted these cookies with mysecond cup of coffee. I ended up combining the ingredients in an unorthodoxmanner and although this batch turned out better than the last, they stillweren’t quite what I wanted. They were ok; not too sweet.. crispy edges, softcentres, but… too thick for my liking.

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

pinch of salt

1 tbsp cold milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup unbleached flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 cup chocolate chips

Brown the butter in a small saucepan until it's a medium brown colour taking care it doesn't burn. Pour it into a glass mixing bowl immediately to prevent it from browning further.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Stir the brown sugar and salt into the butter and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the milk and vanilla extract.

Add the flour and sprinkle the baking soda evenly over the surface, then stir the mixture until it's combined. Stir in the egg and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Add the second half of the chocolate chips and stir those into the batter (these might not melt as much as the first half did).

Place tablespoonfuls of batter onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat, spacing them about 1 1/2 inches apart. Flatten them slightly.

Bake for about 7-10 minutes or until the edges have browned and the centres are still soft. Cool on the cookie sheet before removing.

Beef and Barley Soup

2011-10-29T13:00:00.001-05:00

(3-4 servings)

It's finally beginning to feel a little bit like fall in Dallas, at least in the evenings and early mornings.. perfect weather for soup!

2 tsp olive oil
1 lb beef shank
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 stick celery, sliced
5 carrots
1 cup sherry
2 cups beef broth
1 tbsp tomato paste
salt and pepper
1/4 cup pearl barley
1 medium zucchini, cut up

Heat the oil in a soup pot and add the beef shank. Brown it on both sides, then turn down the heat.

Add the onion to the pot (around the meat, rather than over it) and gently simmer until the onion begins to soften and turns golden brown. Add the celery.

Slice one carrot, and finely chop the rest of the carrots if you like. I did this in the food processor after I processed the onion. Add those to the soup pot.

Pour in the sherry and beef broth. Stir in the tomato paste. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer gently over low heat for 2-3 hours or until the meat begins to fall off the bone.

Add the pearl barley, cover and simmer for another 35-45 minutes or until the barley plumps up.

Remove the meat and shred it into small pieces, remove the marrow from the bone, and add the meat and marrow back into the soup pot. Add the zucchini and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the zucchini is done.

Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper if needed and serve.

Almás Pite; Hungarian Apple Cake

2011-10-23T10:53:00.002-05:00

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I have eaten broccoli with oyster sauce almost every day this past week. I can't seem to get enough of it and I haven't even tired of it yet. I swapped out green beans one night which were good, but not as good as the broccoli which I love. I decided to bake today so I would at least have something to post about.

My grandmother made this apple cake which is quite popular in Hungary. It reminds me a bit of apple pie in that the filling is in the middle and the pastry is a sweetened version of the classic shortcrust pastry.

This cake is quite easy to make if you have a food processor; both for grating the apples as well as making the pastry dough. I like to add raisins which have been soaked in rum to the apple filling whereas my grandmother added ground walnuts to hers.

filling

2 tbsp raisins

1 tbsp dark rum

4 sour apples such as Granny Smith

1 - 2 tsp lemon zest, finely minced

3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp flour

3/4 cup bread crumbs

Combine the raisins and rum in a small bowl and soak for 1-3 hours.

Peel the apples, if desired and cut them in quarters. Remove the seeds, then grate them. Place them in a bowl. Add the raisins and rum, lemon zest, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and flour. Toss to combine everything evenly. Set aside. (The bread crumbs will be added later.)

dough

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

a pinch or 2 of salt

1/2 cup butter, (1 stick) cold

3 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp milk, give or take

icing sugar to sprinkle over the top of the finished cake

Add the flour, sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Cut up the butter and distribute evenly in the bowl of the food processor. Pulse a few times. Distribute the sour cream in small dabs evenly as well. Pulse a few times.

The mixture will be quite crumbly. Refrigerate it or about 30 minutes.

Remove from the refrigerator and sprinkle on a small amount of milk. Toss the mixture and keep adding drops of milk until the crumbles can be formed into a ball.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Take half of the dough and roll it out to fit the bottom of an 8 inch square baking dish which you have buttered.

Toss the apple filling with the bread crumbs and distribute it evenly over the dough.

Roll out the remaining dough to fit the top of the baking dish, over the apples. Once the dough is in place, trim the edges, then prick it all over with the tins of a fork or a tooth pick.

Bake for about 40- 50 minutes or until the top is an even brown.

Cool completely, then dust the top with the icing sugar. Cut into squares to serve.

Beef and Broccoli

2011-10-16T13:30:00.002-05:00

(2-3 servings)

I enjoyed the tofu and broccoli so much last week I decided to make the dish again, but with beef this time. The beef was marinated and I added some sesame seeds and ketchup to the sauce to change it up a touch.

1/4 lb beef skirt steak
1 tbsp rice wine or sherry
1 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch

4 cups broccoli florets
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp rice wine or dry sherry
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp finely minced ginger
1 tsp finely minced garlic
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp peanut oil
1/2 cup water

cooked rice for serving

Cut the skirt steak into thin slices across the grain. In a small bowl combine the rice wine, soy sauce and cornstarch until smooth. Add the steak strips making sure they are evenly coated with the marinade. Set aside for about 30 minutes.

Wash the broccoli and set aside.

Combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine or sherry, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes in a small glass or bowl. Using a fork, whisk in the cornstarch until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Add the steak strips in batches if necessary and fry them quickly to brown. Remove to a plate and continue until all the meat has been cooked.

Remove the remaining oil from the wok and return the wok to the heat. Add the water and broccoli, and cover with a lid or plate. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the broccoli is partially cooked but still quite crispy.

When the broccoli is ready, remove the lid or plate (taking care not to burn yourself) and return the beef to the broccoli. Stir in the sauce and cook for another minute or two or until the sauce thickens slightly and the broccoli is done to your liking.

Serve with rice, if desired.

Whole Wheat Potato Bread

2011-10-15T11:05:00.000-05:00

(9 x 5 inch loaf)

I baked this loaf a few days ago and it's still wonderfully moist and slightly chewy. I have been experimenting a bit with potato/flour ratios when making potato bread and love the way this particular loaf turned out.

1 medium russet potato, about 12oz
1 cup unbleached flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp dry instant yeast
1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt, to taste
1 tbsp butter
1 cup reserved potato water

Heat up a small pot of water to a simmer.

Wash and cut the potato into a few pieces; you can leave the skin on. Drop the potato pieces into the simmering water and cook until you can pierce the pieces easily with a knife, about 10-15 minutes.

Reserve about 1 cup of the potato water and allow it to cool to room temperature. Cool the potatoes under running cold water, slip off the skin, then rice or mash them.

Add the flours, yeast, salt, butter and cooled mashed potatoes to the bowl of a stand mixer equipped with a dough hook. Set the dial to a low speed and carefully add about 1/2 cup of the cooled potato water.

Increase the speed a bit once the flour is incorporated into the dough. When the dough leaves the sides of the bowl, carefully add 1 tablespoon of potato water (with the motor on) and process until it has absorbed itself into the dough. Keep adding a tablespoon of water at a time until the dough is very moist and quite sticky, yet still leaves the sides of the bowl and clumps to the dough hook as a single ball while the motor is running. If you've added too much potato water, then add a tablespoon of flour or more, until the dough once again leaves the sides of the bowl. Work the dough with the motor running for about 8 minutes until it's smooth, moist and very tacky.

Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Leave at room temperature overnight.

The next morning generously grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and set aside.

Sprinkle a small amount of flour over the dough and punch it down. You might have to add a bit more flour; just enough to keep your hands from sticking to it and being able to drop it into the loaf pan. The dough will be so moist that it won't really hold it's shape. Try to spread it evenly within the pan. Sprinkle a small amount of flour over the top, if desired. Cover the pan loosely and allow the dough to double it's size.

If there are one or two large bubbles near the surface, then prick those with a toothpick.

Bake loaf in a preheated 400°F oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375°F and bake for another 25-40 minutes, or until the loaf is evenly browned and sounds hollow when you tap it.

Allow to cool completely before you cut into the loaf.

Chopped Fish Salad with Roquefort Dressing

2011-10-09T15:19:00.000-05:00

(2 servings)

A while ago I had lunch with a friend who ordered a chopped salad of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and crispy deep fried catfish smothered in blue cheese dressing. He let me have a bite and it was delicious, but way too rich.

I decided to try to reconstruct a similar salad with less fat. I pan fried the fish and lightened up the dressing; the resulting salad was delicious!

2 small fillets of sole
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp olive oil
2 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
1 plum tomato, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp crumbled Roquefort cheese
1 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp plain yogurt
1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice, to taste

Sprinkle both sides of the fish with salt and pepper, then lightly dust both sides with flour.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and quickly fry both sides of the fish until they are lightly browned and the fish flakes easily.

Remove the fish from heat and set aside.

Divide the lettuce and tomato between 2 plates.

In a small bowl, combine the cheese, sour cream, yogurt and lemon juice until they are well mixed.

Chop the fish and divide among both plates. Serve with the dressing.

Tofu and Broccoli with Oyster Sauce

2011-10-08T16:23:00.001-05:00

(2-3 servings)

Yesterday I picked up a box of cereal while I was out shopping for groceries. That cereal put me into my lazy mode and I ended up having it for dinner as well as breakfast this morning. I was about to have it for lunch when I thought it's probably best to eat something green for a change.

This tofu and broccoli was easy to prepare. I got everything ready before I heated the wok because once I did, it cooked very quickly.

6 oz block extra firm tofu, drained
4 cups broccoli florets
2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp rice wine or dry sherry
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp finely minced ginger
1 tsp finely minced garlic
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp canola oil
1/2 cup water

cooked rice for serving

Using a paper towel, remove any remaining moisture off the surface of the tofu. Cut it into 1/2 inch cubes and set aside.

Wash the broccoli and set aside.

Combine the soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine or sherry, sesame oil, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes in a small glass or bowl. Using a fork, whisk in the cornstarch in small amounts until the mixture is smooth. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a small wok or skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add the tofu and fry it until it becomes golden. Remove the tofu to a plate and set aside.

Add the water and broccoli to the wok and cover with a lid or plate. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until the broccoli is partially cooked but still quite crispy.

When the broccoli is ready, remove the lid or plate (taking care not to burn yourself) and return the tofu to the broccoli. Stir in the sauce and cook for another minute or two or until the sauce thickens slightly and the broccoli is done to your liking.

Serve with rice.

Tipsy Peach Crumble

2011-10-02T12:38:00.000-05:00

(8 x 8 inch dish)

The addition of wine turns this into an easy dessert for after dinner. There's more liquid here than a conventional crumble with a subtle taste of wine underneath the fruit.

peach filling
3/4 cup Cabernet
2-3 tbsp brown sugar, to taste
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
2 1/2 lbs peaches, pitted and sliced

Heat the Cabernet, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in a small saucepan. Heat and stir for a couple of minutes until the sugar has dissolved.

Pour the wine mixture over the sliced peaches. Toss lightly until evenly coated.

Place the peaches in a buttered 8x8 inch baking dish. Set aside and make the topping.

crumble topping
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup rolled oats
4 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Place all of the topping ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the butter is cut in and the mixture resembles course crumbs.

Sprinkle the topping over the peaches and bake for 45-55 minutes in the oven or until the top is browned and the dish is bubbling.

The crumble can be eaten warm or at room temperature. Can be served with ice cream or whipped cream.

Beef Brisket in Red Wine

2011-10-01T14:37:00.001-05:00

(4 servings)

This is a very simple dish which takes time but requires little actual work. Everything goes into a dutch oven and bakes for about 3 hours the day before I plan to serve it.

The next day, I skim off the fat and slice the meat. I return the slices to the pot and simmer them on top of the stove until they are fork tender.

I never tire of this dish. It's delicious!

1 large onion, chopped
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lb beef brisket
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp paprika
freshly ground pepper and salt, to taste
2 - 3 bay leaves
2 cups red wine

1 -2 tsp flour

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Place the onions and mushrooms in the bottom of a dutch oven with a tight fitting lid.

Smear both sides of the brisket with the garlic and sprinkle the thyme, paprika, salt and pepper over both sides. Place a bay leaf or two underneath the meat with the fatty side facing up. Place the other bay leaf on top. Add the wine.

Cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and place into the oven. Bake for 3 hours. Remove from the oven and cool over night.

Skim off any fat which has risen to the surface. Slice the meat against the grain and place it back into the dutch oven.

Simmer it over very low heat on top of the stove for 30-60 minutes (depending on the thickness of your slices) or until the meat is fork tender and the sauce has reduced somewhat.

When the meat is ready. Remove it from the pot. You can thicken the sauce a bit if you like by combining a tablespoon of water with a teaspoon or two of flour. Stir this mixture into the sauce and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for a minute or two.

Spoon over the meat.

Daring Baker Challenge, September 2011; Croissants

2011-09-27T09:28:00.000-05:00

The Daring Bakers go retro this month! Thanks to one of our very talented non-blogging members, Sarah, the Daring Bakers were challenged to make Croissants using a recipe from the Queen of French Cooking, none other than Julia Child!

Recipe Source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume Two. Julia Child and Simone Beck.
Ingredients
¼ oz (7 gm) of fresh yeast, or 1¼ teaspoon (6¼ ml/4 gm) of dry-active yeast (about ½ sachet)
3 tablespoons (45 ml) warm water (less than 100°F/38°C)
1 teaspoon (5 ml/4½ gm) sugar
3¼ cups (450 gm/½ lb) of strong plain flour (I used Polish all-purpose flour, which is 13% protein)
2 teaspoons (10 ml/9 gm) sugar
1½ teaspoon (7½ ml/9 gm) salt
½ cup (120 ml/¼ pint) milk (I am not sure if the fat content matters. I used 2%)
2 tablespoons (30 ml) tasteless oil (I used generic vegetable oil)
½ cup (120 ml/1 stick/115 gm/¼ lb) chilled, unsalted butter
1 egg, for egg wash

Directions:
1. Mix the yeast, warm water, and first teaspoon of sugar in a small bowl. Leave aside for the yeast and sugar to dissolve and the yeast to foam up a little.
2. Measure out the other ingredients
3. Heat the milk until tepid (either in the microwave or a saucepan), and dissolve in the salt and remaining sugar
4. Place the flour in a large bowl.
5. Add the oil, yeast mixture, and milk mixture to the flour
6. Mix all the ingredients together using the rubber spatula, just until all the flour is incorporated
7. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and let it rest a minute while you wash out the bowl
8. Knead the dough eight to ten times only. The best way is as Julia Child does it in the video (see below). It’s a little difficult to explain, but essentially involves smacking the dough on the counter (lots of fun if you are mad at someone) and removing it from the counter using the pastry scraper.
9. Place the dough back in the bowl, and place the bowl in the plastic bag (Photos 1 & 2)
10. Leave the bowl at approximately 75°F/24°C for three hours, or until the dough has tripled in size. (Photo 3)
11. After the dough has tripled in size, remove it gently from the bowl, pulling it away from the sides of the bowl with your fingertips. (Photo 4)
12. Place the dough on a lightly floured board or countertop, and use your hands to press it out into a rectangle about 8 by 12 inches (20cm by 30cm). (Photo 5)
13. Fold the dough rectangle in three, like a letter (fold the top third down, and then the bottom third up) (Photos 6 & 7)
14. Place the dough letter back in the bowl, and the bowl back in the plastic bag. (Photo 8)
15. Leave the dough to rise for another 1.5 hours, or until it has doubled in size. This second rise can be done overnight in the fridge (Photo 9)
16. Place the double-risen dough onto a plate and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Place the plate in the fridge while you prepare the butter. (Photo 10)
17. Once the dough has doubled, it’s time to incorporate the butter
18. Place the block of chilled butter on a chopping board.
19. Using the rolling pin, beat the butter down a little, till it is quite flat. (Photo 11)
20. Use the heel of your hand to continue to spread the butter until it is smooth. You want the butter to stay cool, but spread easily.
21. Remove the dough from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured board or counter. Let it rest for a minute or two. (Photo 12)

22. Spread the dough using your hands into a rectangle about 14 by 8 inches (35 cm by 20 cm). (Photo 13)
23. Remove the butter from the board, and place it on the top half of the dough rectangle (Photos 14 & 15)
24. Spread the butter all across the top two-thirds of the dough rectangle, but keep it ¼ inch (6 mm) across from all the edges. (Photo 16)
25. Fold the top third of the dough down, and the bottom third of the dough up. (Photos 17 & 18)
26. Turn the dough package 90 degrees, so that the top flap is to your right (like a book). (Photo 19)
27. Roll out the dough package (gently, so you don’t push the butter out of the dough) until it is again about 14 by 8 inches (35 cm by 20 cm). (Photo 20)
28. Again, fold the top third down and the bottom third up. (Photos 21 & 22)
29. Wrap the dough package in plastic wrap, and place it in the fridge for 2 hours. (Photo 23)
30. After two hours have passed, take the dough out of the fridge and place it again on the lightly floured board or counter.
31. Tap the dough with the rolling pin, to deflate it a little
32. Let the dough rest for 8 to 10 minutes
33. Roll the dough package out till it is 14 by 8 inches (35 cm by 20 cm).
34. Fold in three, as before
35. Turn 90 degrees, and roll out again to 14 by 8 inches (35 cm by 20 cm).
36. Fold in three for the last time, wrap in plastic, and return the dough package to the fridge for two more hours (or overnight, with something heavy on top to stop it from rising)
37. It’s now time to cut the dough and shape the croissants
38. First, lightly butter your baking sheet so that it is ready
39. Take the dough out of the fridge and let it rest for ten minutes on the lightly floured board or counter
40. Roll the dough out into a 20 by 5 inch rectangle (51 cm by 12½ cm). (Photo 24)
41. Cut the dough into two rectangles (each 10 by 5 inches (25½ cm by 12½ cm)) (Photo 24)
42. Place one of the rectangles in the fridge, to keep the butter cold
43. Roll the second rectangle out until it is 15 by 5 inches (38 cm by 12½ cm).
44. Cut the rectangle into three squares (each 5 by 5 inches (12½ cm by 12½ cm))
45. Place two of the squares in the fridge
46. The remaining square may have shrunk up a little bit in the meantime. Roll it out again till it is nearly square
47. Cut the square diagonally into two triangles. (Photo 25)
48. Stretch the triangle out a little, so it is not a right-angle triangle, but more of an isosceles. (Photo 26)
49. Starting at the wide end, roll the triangle up towards the point, and curve into a crescent shape. (Photo 27)
50. Place the unbaked croissant on the baking sheet
51. Repeat the process with the remaining squares of dough, creating 12 croissants in total.
52. Leave the tray of croissants, covered lightly with plastic wrap, to rise for 1 hour
53. Preheat the oven to very hot 475°F/240°C/gas mark 9.
54. Mix the egg with a teaspoon of water
55. Spread the egg wash across the tops of the croissants. (Photo 28)

56. Put the croissants in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until the tops are browned nicely
57. Take the croissants out of the oven, and place them on a rack to cool for 10 minutes before serving. (Photo Above)

Spinach Gnocchi with Mushroom Sauce

2011-09-18T09:38:00.001-05:00

(4 servings)

These gnocchi didn't come together as quickly as my last batch. I used the spinach directly out of the package and probably should have chopped it further; it would have been much easier to shape them. They were delicious though, and I served them with a mushroom sauce.

mushroom sauce
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 lb mushrooms, cut up
2 pinches cayenne
salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup mushroom or chicken broth
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp heavy cream

Cook the bacon until crispy. Place the bacon on paper towels and remove all but 2 teaspoons of fat from the skillet.

Add the garlic and saute for a minute, then add the onion and cook until it's soft.

Add the mushrooms, cayenne, salt, pepper and broth. Lower the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes. Set aside.

When the gnocchi are almost ready, stir in the vinegar and heat up the sauce; if the sauce is too thick, then stir in a tablespoon or two of water. Just before serving, stir in the cream. (The bacon bits get sprinkled over the sauce.)

spinach gnocchi
1 10 oz pkg chopped spinach, defrosted, squeezed dry and chopped finer
1 lb russet potatoes (about 1 large potato)
1 large egg
2 pinches nutmeg
1/4 - 1/2 tsp fresh lemon zest
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 - 1 2/3 cups flour

Combine everything in a large bowl starting with just 1 cup of flour. Keep working in small amounts of flour until you have a soft dough.

Break off small pieces of dough and roll into ropes about 1/2 inch in diameter. Cut the rope into 1 inch pieces and roll them along the tins of a fork or a gnocchi board. Sprinkle flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil to which you've also added 1/2 tsp of oil. Slide in the gnocchi; you may have to cook the gnocchi in two or more batches depending on the size of your pot. Simmer the gnocchi until they rise to the surface, about 3-6 minutes. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon.

To Serve
Spoon the mushroom sauce over the gnocchi and sprinkle with the crispy bacon bits.

Deviled Egg Salad

2011-09-17T10:28:00.000-05:00

(2 servings)

Whenever I hard boil eggs, it's hit and miss. They are either underdone or overdone. I decided to look it up this time and followed these directions. They turned out just right.

3 hard boiled eggs, broken into small pieces
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp plain yogurt
1 tsp small capers
1 tsp hot mustard
1/4 tsp paprika
salt and freshly ground pepper

Combine everything in a small bowl with a fork.

Jugged Peas

2011-09-11T17:09:00.000-05:00

I came across this 18th Century English recipe in an old cookbook which I believe is out of print. The preparation of this dish struck me as interesting, so I thought I'd give it a try.

These lightly minted peas were quite tasty.

adapted from The Covent Garden Cookbook, 1974 by Marie Stone
2 cups freshly shelled peas (I used frozen and they worked well)
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp confectioners' sugar
1/4 tsp salt
12 fresh mint leaves
freshly ground black pepper

Put the peas into a clean, 2 pound (1kg) jar with a close-fitting top, adding the butter, sugar, salt, mint and a very little pepper.

Cover the jar tightly and immerse it to half it's height in a pan of boiling water. Set the latter over high heat and boil briskly, uncovered.

Although Marie Stone recommends boiling the peas for about 30 minutes for young ones (longer for older peas), I found about 15 minutes for frozen peas to be plenty. About 5 minutes in, wearing oven mitts, I shook the jar a few times.

Macaroni and Rarebit

2011-09-10T16:04:00.002-05:00

(about 3 servings)

Rarebit is one of the few recipes I remember from the home ec class I took while I was still in junior high school. I loved that recipe and it wasn't until several years later I realised it was supposed to have dark ale in it; I had been taught to make it with milk.

The traditional rarebit is served over lightly browned toast which is finished under the broiler. Sometimes I like to combine mine with macaroni and bake it, like mac and cheese.

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp Coleman's Mustard Powder
1/4 tsp paprika
2 pinches cayenne
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 - 1 1/2 cups dark ale (I add more beer if I'm combining it with macaroni)
1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
1/2 lb dry macaroni, cooked in lightly salted water until it's al dente
2-3 tbsp bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter an 8 inch square baking dish and set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook until the mixture takes on a light golden hue.

Add the mustard powder, paprika, cayenne and Worcestershire sauce. Slowly whisk in the ale. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Add the cheese in small amounts, stirring between each batch until the cheese has melted.

Remove from heat and pour over macaroni. Transfer the pasta into the buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the bread crumbs evenly over the top. Bake for about 25 minutes or until bubbling hot.

A Turkey, Pork and Tomato Meatloaf

2011-09-09T12:20:00.000-05:00

(about 5-6 servings)

This was supposed to be an all poultry meatloaf, but I didn't like the look of the Italian chicken sausage when I got to the market. The bulk packages were due to expire the same day I was there, and the butcher only had 3 links displayed in the glass case (a bad sign imo). I picked up a package of the mild Italian pork sausage instead; it wasn't due to expire for another 4 days. I have this thing about expiration dates... I'll even check the bottom of cans and packages before deciding whether or not they should find their way into my shopping cart.

I used tomatoes mainly because I had about 1/2 pound I wanted to get rid of, and meatloaf seemed like a good place to ditch them. I had some green beans in the freezer I thought would add nice colour.. that's the only reason I used those. :)

The meatloaf turned out well. I was very happy with it. It was delicious cold, in sandwiches the next day as well.

3/4 lb Italian pork sausage meat
1/2 lb ground turkey thigh
3/4 cup bread crumbs
2 tomatoes, chopped (about 1/2 lb)
small handful fresh parsley, chopped
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 large egg
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
salt and freshly ground pepper

about 1/2 - 3/4 cup green beans (optional)
2 tbsp breadcrumbs

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 9x5 inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the meat, 3/4 cup bread crumbs, tomatoes, parsley, sun dried tomatoes, onion, garlic, egg, red chili flakes, salt and pepper. Mix until everything is well combined.

Place half of the meat mixture into the prepared loaf pan. Add a layer of green beans, if using. Top with the remaining meat mixture.

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs evenly over the top.

The other end of this thermometer is in the centre of the meatloaf; it's difficult to see at this angle.

Bake in the centre of the oven for about 50-65 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 160° - 165°F.

Allow to sit for about 10 minutes in the pan before cutting into it to serve. There will be a bit of juice in the pan; it's nice spooned over the meat.

The Ginger People's Chewy Ginger Snaps

2011-09-05T09:43:00.000-05:00

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(about 52 cookies)

I never think of a ginger snap as chewy, but rather as a crispy thin cookie. While I was shopping at World Market, I noticed a recipe on the back of a tin of the Ginger People's, Crystallized Ginger Chips, for "Chewy" Ginger Snaps, and decided to give these a try. I was very excited by the prospect that recipes on the back of containers rarely let you down.

This recipe made darn good cookies, although I did make a few adjustments (in parentheses) after baking two batches (half the recipe) of these. The main change I made was decreasing the amount of sugar because I found them a tad on the sweet side after rolling them in the additional sugar. For whatever reason, both batches of cookies refused to crack nicely for me.

I liked this cookie enough that I'll be making these again.

recipe from the back of a tin of "the Ginger People", Baker's Cut Crystallized Ginger Chips
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, (minus 2 tbsp)
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 (1) teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
(1/2 tsp fresh lemon zest)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup [1-1/2 sticks] unsalted butter, softened
1 (3/4) cup sugar
1/4 cup dark molasses
1 large egg
3 1/2 oz [1/2 can] Baker's Cut Crystallized Ginger Chips

Instructions: Preheat oven to 375° F.

Sift dry ingredients together in bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix butter and sugar until light and creamy. Stir in molasses and egg. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture. Mix well. Stir in crystallized ginger chips.

For best results, chill dough one hour.

Form 1-inch balls, weighing 3/4 ounce on kitchen scale. Roll in granulated sugar. Place on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, 2 inches apart.

Bake 8-10 minutes. Remove while still soft (this is important - I left my first batch in the oven too long - the 2nd batch seemed under baked initially, but they were perfect when cooled) and appear slightly wet in cracks. Let cookies cool on sheet before removing to wire rack.

Makes 3 dozen cookies. (They actually made closer to 4 1/2 dozen cookies - I made 1 inch balls, but didn't bother to weigh them.)

Parmesan Gnocchi with Puttanesca Sauce

2011-09-04T00:07:00.000-05:00

(4 servings)

When I decided to make Marillenknödel, I also found myself thinking about gnocchi. The dough is pretty similar.

This gnocchi turned out a bit larger than usual. Once the garlic hit the hot olive oil as I was making the sauce, and that wonderful aroma filled my kitchen, I began to get hunger pangs. All of a sudden my leisurely time became rather hurried, and my focus shifted from the process of making this meal to seeing the finished food on my plate!

gnocchi

1 lb starchy potatoes, russet or idaho

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup flour, give or take

1/2 tsp olive oil
parmesan cheese for serving

Wash the potatoes, cut them into a few pieces (no need to peel them) then boil them in salted water until they are tender; 10-15 minutes. Remove, drain the water.

Remove the skins when they are cool enough to handle, then press the warm potatoes through a ricer, or mash them with a potato masher.

Gently mix the egg, cheese, salt and pepper into the potatoes, then carefully work in the flour, beginning with 1/2 a cup. Keep adding small amounts of flour until you have a soft smooth dough, trying not to overwork it or to get too much flour into the mixture (otherwise the gnocchi might be too dense).

Set the dough aside and make the sauce.

puttanesca sauce
2 tsp olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon anchovy paste, or to taste
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1 tbsp capers
1/8 - 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, to taste
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning*

Heat the oil in a skillet, and add the garlic. Saute for a minute or so, then add the shallots. Cook until the shallots soften.

Add the anchovy paste, tomatoes, olives, capers, red pepper flakes and Italian Seasoning. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Finish making the gnocchi while the sauce cooks.

Break off small pieces of dough and roll into ropes about 1/2 inch in diameter. Cut the rope into 1 inch pieces and roll them along the tins of a fork or a gnocchi board. Sprinkle flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to anything.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil to which you've also added 1/2 tsp of oil. Slide in the gnocchi; you may have to cook the gnocchi in two or more batches depending on the size of your pot. Simmer the gnocchi until they rise to the surface, about 3-6 minutes. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon.

Spoon the Puttanesca sauce over the gnocchi and sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if desired. If your sauce became too thick while you were forming the gnocchi, then stir a small amount of water into it before serving.

* I used "Simply Organic Italian Seasoning" which contains; Oregano, Marjoram, Thyme, Basil, Rosemary and Sage.

Marillenknödel; Austrian Apricot Dumplings

2011-09-03T09:24:00.000-05:00

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(4 - 8 dumplings)

Over the years I have come across various versions for these dumplings. Some recipes use a quark dough or yeasted dough... in my family (both my mum and grandmother) made these with a potato dough similar to gnocchi.

My mum used to fill these dumplings with either apricots or those small Italian prune plums (Zwetschgenknödel). This year the apricots were gigantic and I didn't like the large dumplings I got as a result. I will only make these again if I can get my hands on small apricots. The portions will be more manageable that way.

1 lb starchy potatoes, russet or idaho

1 large egg, lightly beaten
2/3 cup flour, give or take
a pinch or two of salt
a pinch or two of nutmeg
4 - 8 apricots, depending on the size
4 - 8 cubes of sugar

3 tbsp butter
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Wash the potatoes, cut them into a few pieces (no need to peel them) then boil them in salted water until they are tender; 10-15 minutes. Remove, drain the water.

Remove the skins when they are cool enough to handle, then press the warm potatoes through a ricer, or mash them with a potato masher.

Gently mix the egg into the potatoes, then carefully work in the flour, beginning with 1/2 a cup and the salt and nutmeg. Keep adding small amounts of flour until you have a soft smooth dough, trying not to overwork it or to get too much flour into the mixture (otherwise the dumplings might be too dense).

Cut a slit along one side of each apricot. Remove the pit and replace it with a sugar cube.

Divide the dough into 4 to 8 pieces (depending on the size of the fruit), and shape a piece into a ball, then flatten it. Place an apricot into the centre and pull the dough up the sides until the entire apricot is encased, and pinch the dough together. Do the same with the remaining dough and apricots.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a strong simmer. Carefully drop in the dumplings, and lower the heat so that it barely simmers. Cook the dumplings for about 10-16 minutes (depending on the size of your dumplings). I like to cook them for a couple of minutes after they rise to the surface. Drain the dumplings and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of butter in a skillet, reserving the other two tablespoons. When it's melted, add the breadcrumbs and fry them until they are golden brown. Remove from heat.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon, and toss that with the breadcrumbs. Roll the dumplings in the breadcrumb and sugar mixture until they are evenly coated.

To serve. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter until it's nicely browned, taking care it doesn't burn. Cut each dumpling in half and drizzle a bit of browned butter over each one.

Fish in Beer Batter with Tartar Sauce

2011-09-02T00:07:00.000-05:00

(about 2 - 3 servings)

While shopping for fish, the heavily tattooed fellow standing next to me struck up a conversation.. I think he noticed I couldn't keep my eyes off his arms, lol.

He told me his English aunt's trick to a good beer batter was the addition of a bit of yeast. What he described was simple; combine flour and beer until you have a consistency between regular pancake batter and crepes, and to that add the yeast. He mentioned he likes to add salt and pepper to his batter (I added a bit of salt), but mostly I seasoned the fish itself before dredging it in the flour. I was intrigued after this little discussion and although I had planned on broiling fish with tamarind, I decided to fry some instead. Cod and haddock were expensive, so I used sole.

The batter puffed up almost immediately when the fish hit the hot oil. It was on the light side and not at all heavy. I'm not sure what difference the yeast made because I rarely deep fry anything, but I liked the puffed and crispy coating I ended up with. I served the fish with lemon wedges and tartar sauce which I prefer to malt vinegar.

1 tbsp warm water
1/2 tsp dry yeast (I used the type for bread machines)
2/3 cup unbleached flour
1/8 tsp salt
2/3 cup beer, or a bit more

12 oz sole fillets
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup unbleached flour (for dredging)

oil, for deep frying

lemon wedges, for garnish

Combine the water and yeast and set aside for a few minutes until the yeast has dissolved.
Combine the salt and flour in a bowl. Pour in the yeast mixture and beer. Stir the batter until everything is mixed. If the batter seems too thick, then add a bit more beer. It should resemble a runny pancake batter. Set aside for about 30 minutes or until the batter begins to look frothy.

Heat the oil to 350° F.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the fish, then dredge both sides in flour. Quickly dredge each side of the fish in the batter and carefully slide into the hot oil.

Fry the fish in small amounts so they have enough room around them, about 2-3 minutes on each side or until the batter is puffed and golden brown.

Drain the fish on a warmed platter covered with paper towels to absorb any excess oil, while you finish up with the rest of the fish.

Garnish with lemon slices and serve with the tartar sauce.

tartar sauce
2 medium dill pickles, chopped
2 tsp fresh dill, chopped
2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 tsp shallot, finely chopped
2 tsp capers, chopped
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2-3 tbsp mayonnaise ( just enough to bind everything)

Combine everything in a small bowl. You may add more mayonnaise if you like.. I add just enough until everything binds.

Browned Butter Fig Tart

2011-08-28T11:31:00.003-05:00

I served this with a bit of crème fraiche (which it didn't need) that I had on hand.

I love fresh figs! I've had them almost every morning for breakfast for the past two weeks. I just eat them straight... sans balsamic vinegar, honey, goat cheese ....prosciutto.

Figs have been plentiful this year. I still haven't replaced the tree I lost last year to frost, but they have been available at the market at reasonable prices, so I have been returning home with two or three baskets every week.

This weekend I thought I'd try them in a tart. I toyed with the idea of a fig tart with goat cheese and salted caramel sauce...but in the end I decided on figs nestled in a browned butter and sour cream custard, sprinkled very lightly with cinnamon, brown sugar... and a touch of lemon zest.. heaven!

This tart was very good. The flavour of the figs were pronounced.. you could make out the browned butter with just a hint of cinnamon and lemon ... and the whole dessert was not too sweet. I might make it again next year.. that is if there's enough figs left after enjoying them, just as they are.

1 9" unbaked pie crust
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 large egg
2 tsp cornstarch
1 pint fresh mission figs, washed and cut in half or quarters
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp fresh lemon zest

Preheat oven to 425° F. Press the pie crust into a 9 inch tart pan. Set aside.

Brown the butter carefully. taking care it doesn't burn in a small pan. Set aside to cool.

Whisk together the browned butter, 2 tablespoons brown sugar (reserving one tablespoon), sour cream, egg and cornstarch in a small bowl. Pour this mixture into the tart shell.

Arrange the cut figs in one layer over the custard.

Combine the remaining tablespoon of sugar with the cinnamon, and sprinkle this over the figs. Sprinkle the lemon zest over the figs too.

Bake for about 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350° F and bake an additional 30-35 minutes, or until the custard has puffed up and browned.

Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.

Pad Thai; Thai Fried Noodles

2011-08-27T00:50:00.000-05:00

(2 servings)

I have a lot of delicious tamarind paste on hand, and it's one of the ingredients in Pad Thai.

The four main flavours for the sauce are salty, sour,sweet and spicy hot. I like to start with about 3 tbsp of fish sauce to which I add both tamarind and sugar in small amounts until the salty, sour and sweet seem balanced to me. Then I adjust the heat by adding red chili flakes to this mixture. Needless to say this can be very subjective and I imagine that might be why Pad Thai tastes so different from place to place.

3 tbsp fish sauce
1-2 tbsp tamarind paste
1-2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp (or more) red chili flakes

2 tbsp oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 boneless and skinless chicken thigh sliced
3 oz firm bean curd, sliced
6 medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 pkg rice noodles (about 5.5 oz) soaked in warm water about 15-25 minutes*

1 large egg
2 green onions, chopped
2 tbsp roasted peanuts, chopped
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
1 small lime, cut in wedges for garnish

For this dish it's best to have everything ready beforehand as it comes together rather quickly once you get started.

Place the fish sauce into a bowl. Whisk in small amounts of tamarind paste and sugar until the salty, sour and sweet seem balanced to you. Whisk until the sugar has dissolved.
Stir in the red chili and add more if you prefer more heat and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet (or wok) and add the garlic. Saute for a minute, then add the chicken and bean curd. Fry until both the chicken and bean curd are lightly browned. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp just begins to turn pink.

Turn up the heat a bit and push the meat to the side. Add the second tablespoon of oil and allow it to get hot. Quickly add the drained noodles. *The noodles should have softened but still be rather firm; firm as in you wouldn't eat them like that (very al dente). Depending on the brand and thickness of the noodle, this can take anywhere for 15-25 minutes. If the noodle becomes too soft while in the water, it will turn to mush in your wok. Toss the noodles into the hot oil, then add the sauce and toss it with the noodles until they are coated. Cook them for a minute or two until the noodles have softened enough. Push the noodles to the side and add the egg. Fry until the egg is cooked and scrambled and mix that into the noodles.

Add the onions, peanuts and bean sprouts. Push the meat back into the mixture and toss to combine everything. Serve.

Garnish with lime wedges.

Palacsinta; Hungarian Crepes

2011-08-21T00:17:00.003-05:00

(8 x 9" crepes)

Along Bloor Street in Toronto, between Spadina and Bathurst used to be several Hungarian restaurants. I remember having palacsinta filled with apricot jam and dusted with icing sugar there. It's been years since I had any, so I made some this weekend.

Palacsinta are basically crepes with a filling; often sweet although it can be savory as well. My grandmother used to mix sparkling mineral water into the batter just before cooking them. She said that made them lighter.

2 eggs
1 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup unbleached flour
up to 1/4 cup sparkling water

butter (or oil) for frying

apricot spread
icing sugar, for dusting
2 tbsp walnuts, toasted and chopped

In a bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt until they are frothy.

Whisk in the milk and flour and keep whisking until you have a smooth, lump-free batter. Set aside for about 15 minutes.

Heat a small amount of butter or oil in a skillet.

Stir the mineral water into the batter in small amounts until you have the consistency of thick cream.

Ladle a small amount of batter into the skillet and tilt the skillet back and forth until the batter covers the bottom evenly. Cook the crepe until the edges brown and the top begins to feel dry. Carefully flip the crepe and cook the other side for a bit.

For each palacsinta, keep adding small amounts of butter or oil as needed until all the batter is used up.

Spread a small amount of apricot spread over 1/3 of each crepe and roll them up, beginning with the side where you've placed the spread. Dust them with icing sugar and sprinkle with walnuts.

The palacsinta can be served warm or cold.

Thai Style Beef Salad

2011-08-20T00:29:00.001-05:00

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(3 servings)

The sirloin fajita steaks looked nice this week, so I decided to make this salad. There's still a heat wave here in Texas with temperatures in the triple digits.. this cool and tangy beef salad hit the spot.

salad
3/4 lb sirloin fajita steak
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tsp olive oil
4 cups mixed lettuce and spinach
1/4 red onion, sliced thin
1/2 small cucumber, sliced
3 - 4 tomatoes, sliced
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

dressing
3 - 4 tbsp fish sauce, to taste
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 - 2 tsp brown sugar, or to taste
1 tsp sesame oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1/4 - 1/2 tsp red chili flakes, to taste

Pat the steak dry. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper on both sides.

Heat the oil in a skillet. Fry the steak, searing both sides , about 2-4 minutes on each side or until it's done to your liking. Remove the steak and cool. Slice the steak (against the grain) into thin strips.

Combine the fish sauce, water, lime juice, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and chili flakes in a small bowl. Add the meat strips to the dressing and toss.

Divide and arrange the lettuce, onion, cucumber and tomatoes between 3 plates. Top each plate with sliced steak, then spoon the remaining dressing over the salads.

Sprinkle the salads with chopped mint and serve.

Mango Chutney

2011-08-19T00:02:00.006-05:00

(about 1 pint)

This past year in particular, I have been shocked by some of the prices at the grocery store. A small jar of mango chutney this week, $6. The main ingredient was sugar and the stuff wasn't even organic.

I spent about five minutes looking at the ingredients of several different brands and decided to make my own. How hard could it be?

Mangoes were on sale, 79 cents each, so I grabbed two of them. I also picked up some crystallized ginger in the bulk food section thinking that would make a nice addition.

I wasn't sure about the sugar/vinegar ratio, so in a separate bowl I kept adding sugar and vinegar until it seemed balanced to me. I ended up with 3/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup vinegar. When I added this to the onion, chile and mango mixture, it was still working for me.

This chutney is delicious. More flavourful and less sweet than the commercial brands I've been buying. I ended up with slightly more than a pint (I thought it would make more); next time I will double this recipe.

I served this chutney with some butter chicken I made this week..

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1 medium red onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 hatch chile, chopped (about 1 cup)
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cardamon
1/2 tsp Cole's mustard powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp red chili flakes, to taste
2 firm (under-ripe) mangoes, peeled, pitted and chopped (about 3 cups)
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, chopped
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tsp powdered pectin
3/4 cup brown sugar

Heat the oil in a heavy pot. Add the garlic and saute for about a minute. Add the ginger, onions and hatch chile. Saute until the onion is soft.

Add the coriander, cardamon, mustard, salt and chili flakes. Cook for another minute, stirring the spices into the mixture. Stir in the mango, crystallized ginger and vinegar.

Stir the pectin into the sugar and add that to the pot. Bring the chutney to a boil. Lower the heat a bit and simmer uncovered, stirring from time to time for about 30 minutes or until the chutney has thickened.

Ladle into a hot sterilized jar, cover, cool and keep refrigerated.

This chutney should keep for about a month refrigerated. It seems like too much work to process a small batch like this in water, but if you are planning on keeping it longer than one month, then ladle the chutney into a hot sterilized jar, leaving about a 1/2" head space. Cover with a metal lid, and screw on the band. Process in boiling water bath 8 minutes (extend this time to 15 minutes if your jars weren't hot and sterilized beforehand). Remove from the water and leave to cool.

Chicken with Tamarind and Hatch Chile

2011-08-14T11:45:00.005-05:00

(about 4 servings)

Hatch chile are appearing everywhere in the markets at the moment and they are incredibly cheap to boot. They range in heat from mild to hot. I used medium ones for this.

This delicious dish has a wonderful range of flavours; sour, sweet, salty and of course a small kick provided by the hatch chile.

2 - 3 tsp olive oil
freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 lbs boneless and skinless chicken thighs
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 large sweet yellow onion, chopped
1 - 2 tbsp tamarind paste
1 - 2 tbsp brown sugar
2 - 3 tbsp fish sauce, to taste
1 red bell pepper chopped
2 Hatch chile, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes
handful of fresh cilantro, chopped

Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a skillet. Pat the thighs dry and cut each one into 2 or 3 pieces. Sprinkle both sides with pepper. Add them to the skillet and brown them on both sides. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add another teaspoon of oil, if needed and add the garlic, ginger and cayenne. Fry for a minute or so, then add the onions. Turn down the the heat if necessary and saute the onions until they soften and are an even light brown.

Add half the tamarind paste, brown sugar and fish sauce and stir. Keep adding small amounts of all three until you get a balance of sour, sweet and salty you are happy with. I'm inclined to get a bit heavy handed here because the flavours will tone down after adding the the rest of the ingredients and simmering this.

Add the red pepper, hatch chile and chicken. Cover the skillet with a heavy lid, lower the heat and cook for about 30-40 minutes or until the chicken is tender. At this point check and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

Cut the tomatoes in half and add them to the skillet. Cook for a few more minutes until the tomatoes have heated through.

Stir in the cilantro, and serve. This dish is great with rice.

Tamarind Paste

2011-08-14T11:20:00.010-05:00

(about 2 1/2 -3 cups)

I love tamarind which I first encountered while living in an East Indian community in Toronto. I've tried various pastes and concentrated forms of it, but eventually I realised I preferred the taste of "wet tamarind" the best. It involves a bit of work, but I process the entire package at once and freeze the remainder in ice cube trays for later use.

Wet tamarind is sold in small blocks and I look for packages which feel soft, avoiding the hard ones.

1 14oz package wet tamarind
about 2 1/2 - 3 cups very hot water

Break up the tamarind block into small pieces and pour about 1 1/2 cups of hot water over it. Set it aside for about 30 minutes.

Using the back of a large spoon (or even your fingers) work to break up the tamarind pulp as best you can.

Force small amounts through a sieve. Set aside the bits that didn't go through.

Pour another cup of hot water over the reserved pulp (from the sieve) and leave for about 5 minutes. Stir it a few times and then force small amounts though the sieve again until there's no more remaining.

Occasionally I will do this a third time, adding about 1/2 cup of water. It all depends on how much paste I was able to express the first two times.

This will provide you with about 2 1/2 to 3 cups of delicious tart tamarind paste. It will keep refrigerated for a couple of weeks if you decide not to freeze it.

Cheddar and Sunflower Seed Crackers

2011-08-13T09:06:00.001-05:00

(about 40-50 crackers)

I didn't have any blue cheese on hand, but I have found replacing a tablespoon or two of cheddar for blue cheese gives these crackers an added depth of flavour.

I rarely bake the entire batch in one go. I like to treat these like icebox cookies.

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/8-1/4 tsp ground cayenne, (to taste)
1/4 lb sharp cheddar cheese, cubed (replace some with blue cheese, if you like)
1/2 cup roasted sunflower seed kernels
1 large egg yolk
3-5 tbsp cold water

Place the flour, salt, and cayenne into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times.

Add the cheese cubes and pulse a few more times until the cheese and flour appears crumbly.

Add the sunflower seeds, egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of water. Pulse a few more times. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, (if necessary) until you have a moist, crumbly mixture (on the verge of forming a ball). A small amount pressed together will hold it's shape (bottom left).

Firmly shape the mixture into a log about 10 inches long. If it's too crumble, just return everything back to the food processor and sprinkle a bit of water over the mixture and pulse again. On the other hand if the dough appears to be too moist, add a small amount of flour and pulse.

Wrap the log in plastic and refrigerate for about an hour or longer.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Cut the log into thin slices with a sharp knife and place them onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until the crackers are evenly browned.

Rouladen Filled with Bratwurst

2011-08-12T19:22:00.002-05:00

(4 servings)

I was in the mood for rouladen but wanted to try something a bit different from the ones I usually make.

Whole Foods packaged their bratwurst as bulk this week. It's usually well seasoned and not too fatty, so I thought it would make an interesting filling for my rouladen.

I used a hot mustard instead of Dijon to provide a nice contrast to the sweet and sour sauce resulting from the red wine and chopped apple.

These rouladen turned out even better than I had hoped for and I'll definitely be making these again.

4 thin slices top round, about 3/4 - 1 lb.
3/4 lb bulk bratwurst (sausage) meat
2 tbsp hot German mustard
salt and freshly ground pepper
16 stalks of garlic chives, (optional.. when the rouladen were done, the chives didn't seem to make much difference)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 apple, cored and chopped
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried rubbed sage
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp instant flour such as Wondra or Robin Hood Blending Flour

chopped parsley for garnish

Pound the round steak slices lightly with a meat hammer and then spread some mustard over the top surface of each slice. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper over the mustard.

Place 4 stalks of chives on each slice (if using). Divide the sausage meat into 4 pieces and place one piece near the end of each slice. Roll up each slice of meat, starting from where you've placed the sausage and either tie it together with kitchen string or secure with toothpicks. I like to secure the sides as well.

Brown the rouladen in a skillet. Set aside.

Place the chopped onions and apples into a heavy pan with lid. Add the rouladen. Pour in the wine and apple juice. Add the thyme, sage and bay leaf. Cover the pot and cook over very low heat for about 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

Remove the lid and check the sauce adjusting the seasoning, if necessary. Remove the rouladen and place them on a plate. Remove the bay leaf and turn up the heat a bit. Sprinkle the instant flour over the surface and stir into the sauce. Cook until the sauce thickens, then return the meat to the pot (to keep warm until it's served).

These rouladen go well with rice, plain Spätzle or bread dumplings .. anything you can top with the wine, apple and onion sauce. Garnish with the chopped parsley.

Leftover rouladen reheat very well

Grape and Cabernet Sorbet

2011-08-07T10:11:00.000-05:00

(about 1 quart)

Two weeks ago I brought home a container of Ciao Bella's Blackberry and Cabernet Sorbet which was on sale. It was amazing, so I decided to try to make something similar at home.

I wasn't able to find a blackberry juice concentrate and I was looking for something which was organic as well as 100% juice (with no added sugar). I brought home a couple of grape and raspberry concentrates instead; both worked very well with the Cabernet.

The first batch I made was quite good, but too boozy. My second batch was a bit on the sweet side. This batch was my third try and I was very happy with it. I heated up the Cabernet, cooking off some of it's alcohol. The resulting sorbet balanced the grape and Cabernet flavours nicely without being boozy, the sweetness and texture seemed just right to me.

This sorbet isn't rock hard out of the freezer because despite boiling the Cabernet and water mixture, some of the alcohol remains in it.

1 cup Cabernet
1 cup water
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 12 oz container 100% juice concentrated frozen grape or raspberry juice
1-2 tbsp light agave nectar, (optional)

Combine the Cabernet, water and cornstarch in a saucepan. Whisk until the cornstarch is well combined, then set the mixture over medium-low heat and bring to a boil. Boil for about 2 minutes, whisking all the time, then remove the saucepan from heat.

Stir in the frozen concentrated juice until the juice has melted and combined with the wine mixture. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Check to see if the mixture is sweet enough for you. It should be slightly sweeter to taste, as it will become less sweet as the sorbet freezes. Stir in the agave nectar, if necessary.

Process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer. Despite bringing the wine to a boil for two minutes, there will still be some alcohol remaining, slowing down the freezing process. I left my ice cream machine on an additional 20 minutes or so.

Swiss Steak

2011-08-06T14:12:00.000-05:00

(2-3 servings)

My kitchen is still rather hot because in this heat wave it's proven a bit more difficult than I thought to get bids for my A/C. I was tired of snacking and decided to get up early yesterday morning to prepare this before the heat became unbearable. I picked up a package of chuck tender steak which I wasn't familiar with, but this cut of meat turned out to be perfect for braising.

I cooked this swiss steak on the stove-top, and reheated it today for lunch. It held up well and was a nice change from sandwiches and crackers.

1 lb chuck tender steak
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3-4 tbsp unbleached flour
2-3 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, diced
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1-2 tbsp water

1 tbsp parsley, chopped

Generously sprinkle the salt and pepper over both sides of the meat. Press the meat into the flour and press as much of the flour onto the meat as it will hold.

Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a frying pan large enough to hold the steak in a single layer. Brown both sides of the meat, adjusting the temperature so that it takes about 15 minutes or so to do both sides.

Remove the steak and add another teaspoon of olive oil if necessary. Add the garlic and stir for a few seconds, then add the onions. Saute until the onions are soft, then add the tomatoes.

Combine the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, mustard and stir that into the onions and tomatoes. Arrange the steak over that, cover with a heavy lid, turn down the temperature and cook for about 2-3 hours or until the meat is tender. About half way though cooking, turn the meat over. Add a small amount of water if the mixture seems too dry.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley when ready to serve.

Broccoli Slaw Salad

2011-07-24T12:57:00.000-05:00

(4 servings)

I generally don't purchase pre cut fruits or vegetables, but bags of broccoli slaw were on sale and I decided to give one a try. I based this on my broccoli salad which I make with small broccoli florets. I prefer the florets, but this salad wasn't half bad.

2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp greek style plain yogurt
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp cider vinegar
freshly ground black pepper
1 12oz bag broccoli coleslaw
1 green onion, sliced thin
4 oz feta cheese, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup roasted and salted sunflower kernels
salt, if needed

Combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, mustard, vinegar and ground pepper in a bowl.

Add the broccoli coleslaw, green onion, feta, dried cranberries and sunflower kernels. Toss until everything is coated and evenly combined.

Check and season with salt, if needed.

Tuna Salad Sandwich

2011-07-23T13:20:00.003-05:00

(1 serving)

My air conditioning is on the fritz and I haven't felt much like cooking. My kitchen has been reaching temperatures of 86°F so I have been camping out in the upper portions of my house where the A/C is working.

I ran down at lunch and made this sandwich. It came together very quickly.

1 5 oz can of chunk tuna packed in water
2 tsp mayonnaise
2 tsp yogurt or sour cream
2 tsp green onion, chopped
1/2 baby dill pickle, diced fine
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 slices sandwich bread
1-2 leaves of lettuce
3-4 slices of tomato

Drain the water from the tuna and place the rest into a small bowl.

Add the mayonnaise, yogurt, green onion, and pickle. Toss to combine. Check and adjust the seasoning with the salt and pepper.

Place the lettuce onto a slice of bread. Top the lettuce with the tomato slices, and those with the tuna salad.

Top with the second slice of bread and serve.

Daring Cooks Challenge July, 2011 - Käse Spätzle

2011-07-14T00:05:00.035-05:00

(2 servings, as main course)

Steph from Stephfood was our Daring Cooks' July hostess. Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine. She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with!

I decided to make Spätzle, adapting the recipe we were given.

Käse Spätzle
1 oz Bauernschinken or prosciutto, chopped or diced
1 yellow onion, sliced

2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 pinches freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/4 - 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1/4 lb emmentaler cheese, grated
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

fresh parsley, chopped

Add the Bauernschinken to a cold skillet and place over medium heat. When the schinken begins to sweat, add the onions. Saute for about 10 minutes or until the onions have browned taking care they don't burn. Set aside.

Combine the eggs, milk, salt, nutmeg and 1/2 cup of flour in a bowl. Stir until well combined, then keep adding the flour in small amounts (keep stirring) until you have a smooth elastic dough; it will be somewhere between pancake batter and conventional pasta dough. It doesn't need to be a precise consistency.. just runny enough so you can get it into the pot quickly.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil, then reduce the heat allowing the water to simmer. Place some of the dough onto a cutting board and using a knife quickly flick small amounts of the dough off the edge into the water.

Repeat with the remaining dough until you have used it all up. Cook the Spätzle 5-10 minutes (depending how thick you have made them) until all of them have risen to the top.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Drain the Spätzle in a colander, then toss them with the onion and Bauernschinken mixture. Add the cheese, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, and place everything into an 8 inch square baking dish.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the Spätzle are hot and the cheese has melted.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with salad.

Labneh (Yogurt) Low Fat Cheesecake (7 inch)

2011-07-10T14:22:00.004-05:00

I had planned on mixing my labneh with some chives, garlic and green onions for a bagel spread, but I had a couple of very ripe bananas and was curious how the labneh would hold up in a cheesecake.

Years ago I experimented with tofu cheesecakes sweetened with bananas. They weren't bad, but they did taste a bit like the tofu, which is unexpected if you don't know what went into the cheesecake beforehand. The labneh is tarter than cream cheese, but that's not as noticeable when combined with the bananas and honey. If anything, I like a slight tartness in my desserts.

What makes this cheesecake wonderful is the taste and creamy texture is very similar to a conventional cheesecake made with cream cheese... but, the amount of fat in it is considerably lower.

The graham crust is kind of crumbly in this recipe because I used less butter. I couldn't bring myself to add more, but perhaps 1 tablespoon of honey rather than the brown sugar might have made a firmer crust. I'll try that the next time. The crumbly crust was fine.. it certainly wasn't a deal breaker.

Preheat the oven to 400°F

Crust
3/4 cup graham crumbs
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp butter

Combine the crumbs, sugar and butter in the bowl of a food processor. The mixture will be on the dry side because of the lower amount of butter.

Press the crumbs firmly into the bottom of a 7" spring-form. Bake for about 6-8 minutes. Remove from oven and turn down temperature to 220°F.

Filling
2 ripe bananas, sliced
8-9 oz labneh (I used the entire amount from that recipe)
1 tbsp cornstarch
1-2 tbsp honey, to taste
3/4 cup greek style honey vanilla yogurt, room temperature
2 tbsp orange or apple juice
2 large eggs, room temperature

*If you have a flat paddle for your mixer, use that because it tends to aerate the mixture less. Less air means less of a chance for a cracked surface.

In a large bowl beat the banana for a minute or two until the slices begin to break up. Add the labneh and beat for for about 30 seconds. Add the cornstarch, honey, yogurt and juice and beat until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Scrape down the sides.

Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat only long enough until they are combined, being careful not to over beat. Again scrape down the sides.

Pour the mixture into the spring-form, and level the surface with the back of a spoon. *Bake for 1 hr and 35min. Turn off the heat and allow the cheesecake to cool completely in the oven; about 4 hours. Don't open the oven.

*I bake this is in a Breville counter-top convection oven. This might affect the baking and cooling times somewhat compared to a standard oven which is larger and holds more heat.

Cool the cake on a cake rack. Run a knife carefully around the edge of the cheesecake (if necessary) before removing the collar of the spring-form.

This cake slices best when it's cool.

Dulce de Leche Tapioca Pudding

2011-07-09T13:26:00.000-05:00

(4servings)

This pudding ends up taking a day to make, but in my opinion it's worth the wait. I like to soak the tapioca in the morning, cook the pudding in the evening and then let it cool overnight.

1/4 cup small pearl tapioca
1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup Dulce de Leche
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Combine the tapioca and water and set aside for about 8 hrs (or overnight). Drain the tapioca with a sieve and run a bit of cold water through it.

Shake off the excess water and empty the tapioca into a medium saucepan. Add the milk and dulce de leche. Turn on the heat to medium-low and stir the mixture until you see very small bubbles forming around the sides of the pot, but don't allow the mixture to come to a boil. The dulce de leche will have dissolved into the milk by the time it's hot enough.

Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and allow the mixture to cook (uncovered) for about 45 minutes. You might have to stir it once or twice during this time. The pudding will have thickened, and the tapioca will look transparent.

Turn off the heat, and stir in the vanilla extract. Smooth a layer of plastic over the surface to prevent a skin from forming. When the pudding has cooled enough, you can serve it or transfer it to the refrigerator.

Labneh

2011-07-08T10:27:00.001-05:00

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(about 9 oz)

Labneh is strained yogurt which has a consistency similar to cream cheese, but with a lot less calories and a wonderful tangy flavour.

It can be served plain or combined with fresh herbs such as chives and mint, then drizzled with olive oil.

32 oz plain low fat yogurt (large container)
1/4 tsp sea salt

Stir the salt into the yogurt while it's still in it's container. Set aside.

Line a sieve or colander with a double or triple layer of cheese cloth and position it over a deep bowl to catch the whey.

Empty the contents of the yogurt container into the cheesecloth and allow to drip for for about 12 to 24 hours taking care that the whey never comes in contact with the bottom of your sieve or colander. The longer it sits, the firmer it will become.

I leave mine out in the kitchen at room temperature.. some people prefer draining their yogurt in the refrigerator.. others tie together the four corners of the cheesecloth and hang the yogurt on a hook to drip from there. Mine turns out just fine without the additional fuss.

About an hour before the labneh is finished, I like to gather the sides of the cheesecloth and gently squeeze the cheese; usually an additional amount of whey can be extracted this way.

When the labneh is ready, wrap it in plastic and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. The whey can be reserved for another use... I like to cook rice with it.

Lemon Meringue Tartlets

2011-07-04T10:53:00.002-05:00

(12 x 2" tartlets)

I made two batches of these for the July 4th festivities. An unusual choice perhaps, but I had lemons and a strong craving... plus.. I have a cute tartlet pan which fits perfectly in my small convection oven and I wanted to try it out.

When I made the lemon filling, I added the egg yolks right at the beginning and whisked everything until the mixture came to a boil and thickened. I've never seen the need to add them later and that saves a step.

The egg yolks I used were nearly orange in colour, tinting the lemon filling a lovely yellow.

pastry for a 9 inch pie

Lemon Filling
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2-3 tsp lemon zest (from 1 large lemon)
3 egg yolks
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 1/4 cups water
1 tbsp butter

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Cut the pastry into circles and press them into the tartlet pan. Allow a bit of the pastry to "hang" past the pan as it will shrink as it bakes. Prick the bottom and sides of the pastry with a fork and bake for about 6-8 minutes or until the shells are browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan.

Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, egg yolks and lemon juice in a saucepan. Gradually whisk in the water.

Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil while whisking the mixture. Continue whisking and boil for one minute, then remove from heat and stir in the butter.

Cool the filling slightly, then divide it evenly among the cooled tartlet shells. Set aside and allow the filling to cool completely.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Meringue
3 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar

Beat the egg whites until they begin to form soft peaks, then gradually beat in the sugar and continue to beat until they are stiff and glossy.

I like to scoop a small amount of meringue into a sandwich bag (and cut off a corner) to pipe a small circle around each tartlet ensuring it's touching the pastry.. (that way the meringue won't pull away or shrink from the edges later.)

Use the rest of the meringue to completely cover each tartlet.

Bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the surface of the meringue becomes an even brown. Remove from oven and cool.

Slow Cooked Boston Beans

2011-07-03T10:42:00.002-05:00

(about 4 servings)

I used to make these in the oven, but since moving to Dallas, I've made them in my slow cooker instead. They seem to come out almost the same; if anything, imo the slow cooker method seems to produce slightly moister beans.

There was no salt pork at the market yesterday.. they did have smoked pork jowls, but those were huge and I wasn't sure what I'd do with the other half, so I settled on a small package of prosciutto ends. The flavour they added was very good, I loved the small prosciutto pieces and I was pleased there was a lower amount of fat in the dish.

1 lb navy beans (about 2 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup dark unsulfured molasses
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp ground mustard seed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp ground ginger
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 large yellow onion, peeled, in one piece
1/4 lb prosciutto, (give or take) or salt pork

Cover the beans with water and soak for about 5-8 hrs (or overnight) until the beans have doubled in size.

Drain and rinse the beans. Pick them over discarding any discoloured ones, then place them into a slow cooker. Combine the brown sugar, molasses, vinegar, ground mustard, salt, celery seed, ginger, black pepper and water. Pour over the beans and stir in.

Poke the onion into the middle and cut up the prosciutto into a few pieces and poke those into the beans too.

Cover the pot and cook on low for about 5-7 hours or until the beans are tender. Check the beans a few hours in and add more water if necessary.

When the beans are done, remove the onion before serving.

Orange Poppy Seed Loaf

2011-07-02T13:11:00.000-05:00

(4x8 loaf)

I have been thinking about this cake ever since I made my blueberry cake. I used to get a slice of an orange-poppy seed cake in Toronto with my coffee at a coffee shop and still think about that cake. This recipe comes pretty close to that, although this one isn't as sweet and uses whole wheat flour.

Cake
3/4 cup wholewheat pastry flour
1/3 cup unbleached flour
2 tbsp corn starch
1 heaping tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
about 2-3 tsp orange zest, minced (from 1 large orange)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream or plain greek style yogurt

Orange Glaze** (see comment)
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup icing sugar

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Grease and flour a 4 x 8 inch loaf pan. Set aside.

Combine the flours, corn starch, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and orange zest. Set aside.

Beat the butter for a minute. Slowly add the sugar and beat it for about 6-8 minutes or until it's light and fluffy.

Beat in one egg at a time until each is mixed in scraping down the sides between each one.

Slowly stir in half of the flour mixture, then add the sour cream or yogurt. Scrape down the sides and add the remaining flour mixture and mix slowly for about 25 seconds.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 55-70 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool in the pan on a cake rack for about 5 minutes.

**Meanwhile prepare the orange glaze. If you get closer to 1/2 cup of juice out of your orange then combine that with 1/2 cup of icing sugar and use all of it. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Prick the cake evenly with a toothpick (while it's still in the pan and hot) Pour or spoon the juice mixture evenly over the cake. Leave the cake for another 15 minutes. The surface will be sticky. Sprinkle a bit of icing sugar over the surface, then carefully invert the cake onto a serving plate. Once it's on the plate I like to dust the top (bottom) with a bit of icing sugar, but this isn't at all necessary.

Cool completely before serving.

Tangy Red Coleslaw

2011-06-25T12:57:00.001-05:00

(6 servings)

I grabbed 1/2 a red cabbage at the market the other day and was surprised it weighed 2 pounds. It didn't strike me as that large or heavy. I wanted to make this coleslaw to go with some pulled pork, but I didn't like the way the pork turned out. I'll have to experiment a bit more with that before I post anything.

The coleslaw turned out really well.. much better than the last one I made a while ago. This one was colourful as well as nice and tangy.

2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1-2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, to taste
1 tbsp agave nectar
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp ground mustard seed
1/2 tsp celery seed
freshly ground pepper
2 lbs red cabbage, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, shredded
2 tbsp chives, chopped

Whisk together the mayonnaise, yogurt, vinegar, agave nectar, poppy seeds, salt, mustard and pepper in a bowl until well combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Add the cabbage, carrots and chives and toss until everything is evenly coated with the dressing.

This salad will keep well refrigerated for a few days.