Çerkez Tavugu, Circassian Chicken with Walnut Sauce

(about 6-8 servings)

I made this many years ago, and decided to make it again. I have no idea why I waited so long as it's quite delicious.

This dish is served at room temperature making it a great for buffets or for a hot summer day.

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 lbs skinless and boneless chicken breasts
2-4 slices bread
1 tsp paprika
1 1/2 cups walnut pieces, lightly toasted, (reserve a few pieces for garnish)

bread, or pita for serving

Add the chicken broth, onion, garlic, salt and pepper to a saucepan; bring to a boil. Simmer until the onion softens. Add the chicken. Allow to simmer gently for about 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is done.

Remove from heat and let the chicken cool in the broth.

Remove the cooled chicken from the broth and either shred or cut into small strips. Arrange on a serving platter.

Place 2 slices of bread (to start), paprika and walnuts into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles crumbs. Slowly pour in the reserved broth and onions. If the sauce seems too thin then add the extra slice of bread; if the sauce seems too thick, then add a bit of water. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Spread evenly over the chicken and garnish with the reserved walnut pieces. Serve at room temperature with bread or pita bread.

Daring Baker Challenge, June 2010; Chocolate Pavlovas with Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse

(about 8 servings)

The June 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Dawn of Doable and Delicious. Dawn challenged the Daring Bakers’ to make Chocolate Pavlovas and Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse. The challenge recipe is based on a recipe from the book Chocolate Epiphany by Francois Payard.

Recipe 1: Chocolate Meringue (for the chocolate Pavlova):
3 large egg whites
½ cup plus 1 tbsp (110 grams) white granulated sugar
¼ cup (30 grams) confectioner’s (icing) sugar
1/3 cup (30 grams) cocoa powder

Directions:
1.Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 200º F (95º C) degrees. Line two baking sheets with silpat or parchment and set aside.

2.Put the egg whites in a bowl and whip until soft peaks form. Increase speed to high and gradually add granulated sugar about 1 tbsp at a time until stiff peaks form. (The whites should be firm but moist.)

3.Sift the confectioner’s sugar and cocoa powder over the egg whites and fold the dry ingredients into the white. (This looks like it will not happen. Fold gently and it will eventually come together.)

4.Fill a pastry bag with the meringue. Pipe the meringue into whatever shapes you desire. Alternatively, you could just free form your shapes and level them a bit with the back of a spoon. (Class made rounds, hearts, diamonds and an attempt at a clover was made!)

5.Bake for 2-3 hours until the meringues become dry and crisp. Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Recipe 2: Chocolate Mascarpone Mousse (for the top of the Pavlova base):
1 ½ cups (355 mls) heavy cream (cream with a milk fat content of between 36 and 40 percent)
grated zest of 1 average sized lemon
9 ounces (255 grams) 72% chocolate, chopped
1 2/3 cups (390 mls) mascarpone
pinch of nutmeg
2 tbsp (30 mls) Grand Marnier (or orange juice)

Directions:
1.Put ½ cup (120 mls) of the heavy cream and the lemon zest in a saucepan over medium high heat. Once warm, add the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and let sit at room temperature until cool.

2.Place the mascarpone, the remaining cup of cream and nutmeg in a bowl. Whip on low for a minute until the mascarpone is loose. Add the Grand Marnier and whip on medium speed until it holds soft peaks. (DO NOT OVERBEAT AS THE MASCARPONE WILL BREAK.)

3.Mix about ¼ of the mascarpone mixture into the chocolate to lighten. Fold in the remaining mascarpone until well incorporated. Fill a pastry bag with the mousse. Again, you could just free form mousse on top of the pavlova.

Recipe 3: Mascarpone Cream (for drizzling):
1 recipe crème anglaise
½ cup (120 mls) mascarpone
2 tbsp (30 mls) Sambucca (optional)
½ cup (120 mls) heavy cream

Directions:
1.Prepare the crème anglaise. Slowly whisk in the mascarpone and the Sambucca and let the mixture cool. Put the cream in a bowl and beat with electric mixer until very soft peaks are formed. Fold the cream into the mascarpone mixture.

Recipe 4: Crème Anglaise (a component of the Mascarpone Cream above):
1 cup (235 mls) whole milk
1 cup (235 mls) heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
6 large egg yolks
6 tbsp (75 grams) sugar

Directions:
1.In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture turns pale yellow.

2.Combine the milk, cream and vanilla in a saucepan over medium high heat, bringing the mixture to a boil. Take off the heat.

3.Pour about ½ cup of the hot liquid into the yolk mixture, whisking constantly to keep from making scrambled eggs. Pour the yolk mixture into the pan with the remaining cream mixture and put the heat back on medium. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens enough to lightly coat the back of a wooden spoon. DO NOT OVERCOOK.

4.Remove the mixture from the heat and strain it through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours or overnight.

Assembly:

Pipe the mousse onto the pavlovas and drizzle with the mascarpone cream over the top. Dust with confectioner’s sugar and fresh fruit if desired.

Lemon Bars

(about 25 squares)

These lemon squares probably won't last very long, which kinda makes them a bad idea, but I have been thinking about them for quite some time now.

shortbread crust
1 cup flour
3 tbsp icing sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
8 tbsp butter, (1 stick)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine the flour, icing sugar, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade. Pulse a few times to combine well.

Cut the butter into a few pieces and scatter them evenly over the flour mixture. Pulse a few more times until the mixture resembles a course crumbs.

Remove and pack firmly into the bottom of an 8" square baking dish.

Bake the shortbread for about 20 minutes or until the top looks golden brown. In the meantime, prepare the lemon curd.

lemon curd
1/2 - 3/4 cup sugar, depending on how tangy or sweet you like your curd
zest from 2 large lemons
juice from 2 large lemons, about 1/2 cup
2 eggs
2 egg yolks

Place the sugar and lemon zest into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Let the motor run until the zest and sugar are well combined.

Add the lemon juice, eggs and egg yolks. Run the motor until the mixture is well combined.

When the shortbread crust is ready, remove it from the oven and pour the lemon mixture evenly over it.

Return to the oven and continue baking for another 20 minutes or until the lemon curd has set.

Remove and allow to cool. Dust with icing sugar, if you like. Cut into squares.

Mushroom Ravioli

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(about 6-8 servings)

Last week I dug out my pasta machine after I came across some beet powder. I'm on a bit of a pasta roll at the moment, and decided to make some ravioli this weekend.

In the past I've usually made fillings with spinach and ricotta cheese, but I'm quite fond of mushrooms and decided to make a mushroom filling after finding some very nice looking baby portobella at the grocery store.

Filling
1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1/2 cup hot water

1-2 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 1/4 lb mushrooms, cleaned and finely chopped
1/4 cup marsala
1-2 pinches dried thyme
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Soak the porcini mushrooms in the hot water for at least 30 minutes. Remove and chop; reserve the liquid.

Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the garlic and fry for about a minute, then add the onion and saute until it's transparent and has a light golden hue.

Add both the porcini and chopped fresh mushrooms, the reserved mushroom liquid, marsala and thyme. Cook until the mixture becomes somewhat dry; about 15-20 minutes.

Remove from heat, cool a bit. Stir in the mascarpone cheese. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

pasta
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 cup unbleached flour
1 1/2 cup semolina flour
1 tsp salt
4 large eggs
1-3 tbsp water

serve with
lightly browned butter and grated parmesan cheese

Place the 1 1/2 cups flour (to start), semolina and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine.

Add the eggs and 1 tablespoon of water to start. Pulse a few times. If the mixture seems too dry, sprinkle a bit more water over the mixture.

The dough should have the consistency of fresh bread crumbs, and be moist enough to stick together if you gather a small amount and gently squeeze it together. Some people add enough water until the dough forms a ball inside the bowl, but I prefer mine to be somewhat dryer. If I have added too much liquid and get a ball, I add a bit more flour until the ball breaks up again.

by hand
Gather up the dough and knead for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface until you have a smooth ball. Cover and allow to rest for about 20 minutes.

Roll out the dough to about 1/8" thickness in whatever shape you need for how you will make the ravioli. I am using a ravioli form which I will describe below.

with pasta (crank) machine
Gather a small handful of dough and squeeze together. Flatten the piece and run it through the pasta machine at the widest setting a few times. Fold and pass through a few more times, tightening the setting each time. This helps develop the gluten.

Crank out a piece long enough to cover the ravioli form. Place over the form and gently push the pasta sheet down using the plastic domed sheet.

Place a bit of filling into each indentation, wet the edges with a bit of water. Roll out a second sheet of pasta and place over the first pasta sheet and fillings. Roll over with a rolling pin to cut the ravioli; turn over and separate.

Repeat until the dough and filling is used up.

Boil the ravioli in batches in lightly salted boiling water for about 2-3 minutes. Drain and toss with butter and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Olive Hummus

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(about 3 cups)

Hummus has got to be one of the easiest things to make at home, and in my opinion it tastes much better than the ready made stuff. I usually intend to make a simple one with just a bit of garlic and lemon juice, but invariably I end up coming across something in my refrigerator or pantry and add that to the mix.

This time it was olives, and the hummus turned out great.

1 25 oz can chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained
1/2 cup tahini paste
1/2 cup olives, I used a combination of kalamata and spanish
1/4 cup water
3-5 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
freshly ground black pepper
salt, if needed

Place everything, except the salt, into the bowl of a food processor, and process until smooth. Check for seasoning. Add the salt if needed.

Serve with pita bread or crackers. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil if you wish.

Spaghetti and Meatballs

(about 6 - 8 servings)

If there's any leftover, the cooked meatballs and sauce freeze quite well.

meatballs
1 lb lean ground beef
1 lb pork sausage meat
1 onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
small handful parsley, chopped
2/3 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs, (I made these in the food processor)
1 large egg, slightly beaten
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1-2 tbsp oil for frying

Combine all of the ingredients (except the oil) in a bowl and shape into 2" balls.

Heat a small amount of oil in a skillet and fry the meatballs in batches until browned on all sides. Set aside.

sauce
1 tbsp oil
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 onion, chopped
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup sliced olives or 2-3 tbsp capers, (optional)
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine or 2-3 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the garlic and fry for about 1 minute, then add the onion and continue to cook until the onion softens and turns a light golden brown.

Add the tomatoes, olives or capers, tomato paste, and the red wine or vinegar and oregano. Stir to combine everything well, lower the heat and simmer, covered for about 25 minutes.

Add the meatballs, and continue to cook (uncovered) until the meatballs heat through and are done; about another 15 minutes or so. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

spaghetti
about 1 1/2 lbs dried spaghetti, cooked according the package directions
grated parmesan or romano cheese

Portion out the spaghetti between plates and top with the meatballs and sauce.
Serve with grated cheese.

Dill Potato Salad

(about 8 servings)

This salad always changes a bit for me because I usually add to it whatever I happen to have in my refrigerator at the time.

2 lbs yukon gold or waxy potatoes
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1/2 bunch radishes, sliced
1 cup shelled peas
4-6 dill pickles, (1 cup) chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2-3 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup pickle juice (marinade)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
freshly ground black pepper
salt, if needed (the pickle juice is usually high in sodium)

Wash the potatoes and place into a pot of lightly salted water. Boil for about 15 minutes or until they are tender. Drain, rinse under cold water, allow to cool. Cut into bite-sized pieces and place into a large bowl.

Add the eggs, radishes, peas, pickles, onions and dill.

Combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, pickle juice, mustard and ground pepper in a small bowl. Pour over the vegetables and toss gently. Check and adjust the seasoning.

This salad will keep well for a few days refrigerated.

Beet Tinted Pasta with Fresh Tomato Sauce

(2 servings; double or triple this recipe for more)



I make this when tomatoes are in season. It's one of those weekend type dishes for me where I chop a few things up in the morning and then get back to making the rest of it later in the day.

This dish is fine without cheese and I don't really miss it.  If you'd like to add some cheese though, I do think a bit of crumbled goat cheese might be nice in this.

Don't worry about the beet powder if you can't find any. I happened to notice some in the bulk spice section the other day, and brought some home. I also used yellow and orange tomatoes. What can I say, I love seeing different colours on my plate.

tomato sauce
2 medium tomatoes, chopped (about 1- 1 1/3 cups)
1 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped, (parsley, chives, mint, dill; anything you have on hand and like)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and allow to sit for a few hours.

beet pasta
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour, (or use 50/50 unbleached flour and semolina flour)
1 tbsp beet powder, (optional)
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 large egg
1-3 tbsp water

Place 1 1/4 cup flour, beet powder and salt into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine.

Add the egg and 1 tablespoon of water to start. Pulse a few times. If the mixture seems too dry, sprinkle a bit more water over the mixture.

The dough should have the consistency of fresh bread crumbs, and be moist enough to stick together if you gather a small amount and gently squeeze it together. Some people add enough water until the dough forms a ball inside the bowl, but I prefer mine to be somewhat dryer. If I have added too much water and get a ball, I add a bit more flour until the ball breaks up again.

by hand

Gather up the dough and knead for a few minutes on a lightly floured surface until you have a smooth ball. Cover and allow to rest for about 20 minutes.

Roll out and cut as desired


with pasta (crank) machine

Gather a small handful of dough and squeeze together. Flatten the piece and run it through the pasta machine at the widest setting. Fold and pass through a few more times, tightening the setting each time. This helps develop the gluten.

When you have the desired thickness, run it through the cutter.

Repeat, until the dough mixture is used up.

Drop the pasta into lightly salted boiling water, and cook for 2-4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pasta.

Drain and toss the pasta with the tomato sauce. Serve.

Tamales; Chorizo and Poblano with Cheese

(makes about 26-30 tamales)

Tamales are wonderful. There's lots of varieties you can make by adding seasonings to the dough and swapping in various fillings. They freeze well, so it never hurts to double the recipe and make a bunch of them in one go.

I made these with 2 fillings; chorizo, and poblano with cheese. If you'd rather stick with one, then just double the filling you prefer.

about 30 dried corn husks

Soak the corn husks in water overnight.

dough
1 cup lard, shortening or unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
4 cups masa harina
2 - 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth or water (aprox.) room temperature


Beat the the lard, shortening or butter until light and fluffy.

Beat in the baking powder and salt, then beat in the masa harina a 1/4 cup at a time until it's used up.

Beat in the chicken broth slowly until the mixture forms a very soft, but not sticky dough.
The dough can be stored up to 2-3 days wrapped and refrigerated at this point.

chorizo filling (for 1/2 the dough)
1  1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 large  sweet onion, diced
1/2 lb chorizo

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and saute until it softens. Add the chorizo and fry until it's cooked through. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

poblano and cheese filling (for 1/2 the dough)
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 large sweet onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 ear corn, shucked
1 cup Queso Oaxaca or Monterey Jack (about 5 oz), small cubes
salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and garlic and saute until they soften. Add the peppers and corn and continue to cook until they soften as well. Remove from heat and alow to cool.

Stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

to assemble

Spread a thin layer of dough over a corn husk leaving about 1/2" free space along the long sides and about 2 inches at both ends. Add about a heaping tablespoon of filling over the centre of the dough and fold the long sides (and dough) around the filling. Fold the edges underneath.

They can be frozen at this point.

Place the tamales into a steamer and steam for about 50-60 minutes.

sour cream to accompany

Serve with sour cream.