Pizza Strata

Pizza is a pretty good way to use up some bits and pieces of this and that, and a strata is even better. One of your bits and pieces can be some fairly stale bread. You will need to be well-supplied with the cheese, eggs, and milk. This is also much easier than making a pizza from scratch. 

When I say mixed pizza toppings, I mean whatever vegetables you like to have on a pizza - for me that's onions, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and green ones, too, when they are in season, which alas, they are not. But also things like the olives and anchovies, and the last of the deli meat, bacon, or pepperettes, the bottom of the jar of pesto, and so forth. If it's something you like on pizza, and you have it, put some in.

 

4 to 6 servings

1 hour 30 minutes - 30 minutes prep time

 

Soak the Bread:

8 cups diced stale bread cubes

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 teaspoons rubbed oregano

 

Cut the bread into cubes; something Italian seems appropriate. Whisk the eggs and milk together with the seasonings in a bowl sufficient to hold the bread, and add the bread. Let soak for about 10 minutes. 

 

Preheat the oven to 325°F. and lightly oil a 2 quart (8" x 10") shallow baking (lasagne) pan. 

 

Assemble & Bake the Strata:

250 grams (8 ounces) mozzarella cheese

2 to 3 cups prepared mixed pizza toppings, see note above

180 grams (6 ounces) ricotta cheese

1 to 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce 

 

Grate the mozzarella, and prepare your "pizza toppings". If you wish to use vegetables such as onions, mushrooms, peppers, etc, they should be cut into appropriate sizes sautéd lightly. Tomatoes should be salted and drained for a few minutes. 

Mix only half of the mozzarella in, but otherwise mix most of the prepared toppings into the soaked bread; crumble in the ricotta. 

Carefully transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and spread it out evenly. Top it with the tomato sauce. Run a wooden spoon through it to allow some of the sauce to get down into the mixture. Sprinkle the reserved toppings over the strata, and finish with the remaining grated mozzarella.

 

Bake at 325°F for 45 to 55 minutes, then let the strata rest for 10 minutes before serving.

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Chicken Kerala Style. 

Bean, Belgian Endive & Blue Cheese Salad

Spring bean salad; here we go! With blue cheese this time. Note that some goes in the dressing and some goes in the salad. 

 

We liked this one; the mellow beans and sharp, rich cheese balance the slightly bitter endive very well. Pretty colourful for this time of year, too. This is probably the low point for vegetables, at least for me. If you rely on markets it will get lower yet, but we have spinach and sorrel coming up. It's time to clean up the asparagus beds, although that will be a while. Peas are planted, but not up yet. I have a lot of green onions pulled from the now pea bed to use up in the next week.

 

4 servings

20 minutes prep time NOT including cooking the beans

 

Make the Dressing:

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

25 grams (1 ounce) blue cheese

1/3 cup mayonnaise (light is fine)

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

the juice of 1/2 lemon

pepper to taste

 

Grate and crumble the cheeses into a small bowl or jam jar. Mix in the remaining ingredients and set aside. 

 

Make the Salad:

1 cup cooked white beans

1 large carrot

200 grams (7 ounces; 1 or 2 heads) Belgian Endive

1 head hydroponic lettuce

100 grams (3-4 ounces) blue cheese

Drain the beans and put them in a salad bowl. Peel and grate the carrot, and add it. Wash, trim, and thinly slice the Belgian endive; in it goes. Wash and chop about 3/4 of the lettuce, and add it. Crumble in the blue cheese and toss it with the other salad ingredients until evenly combined. Use the remainder of the lettuce leaves to line a serving bowl and arrange the salad over them. Or not; you can chop it all and toss it into the salad if you like. 

Pass with the salad dressing. Or you could toss it into the salad before serving, but I only do that if I am convinced there will be no leftovers - leftover salad keeps so much better without the dressing on it.

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Stovetop Barley Pudding. 

Hot Cross Naan

After the extreme local popularity of the Rye & Spelt Naan, I thought about other things I could do with naan. With Easter coming up, how about Hot Cross Naan? EVEN MORE DELICIOUS. Seriously. 

 

Of course these do have some sugar in the form of the dried fruits and peel mixed into them, which always makes things a treat. They are a bit more solid and chewy, but it's quite amazing just how much like hot cross buns these actually taste. I won't say they are easier, really, but they take much less time to make. (And if you want a more traditional hot cross bun experience, that recipe is here.)

 

24 to 32 pieces (6 to 8 naans)

3 hours - 1 hour prep time

Make the Starter:

1 cup lukewarm water

1/2 teaspoon fast acting yeast

1 1/4 cups whole spelt flour 

Measure the water into a mixing bowl, and add the yeast. Let work for 10 minutes until foamy, then mix in the flour thoroughly. Cover the batter and leave in a warm (room temperature) spot for 1 hour.

 

Finish the Dough & Cook: 

1/4 cup lukewarm water

1/4 teaspoon fast acting yeast

2 1/2 cups whole spelt flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon green cardamom pods, ground

1 teaspoon dried ground orange peel (optional)

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup total raisins, mixed candied peel and/or other dried fruit

2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter

1/2 cup buttermilk OR thin kefir

about 1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil to cook 

a little more butter if desired

Measure the water into a small bowl and add the yeast; set aside for 5 to 10 minutes until foamy. 

Meanwhile, mix the remaining spelt flour, salt, and spices. (First crush the cardamom, remove the green papery husks, and grind the remaining seed.) Mix in the raisins, peel, etc. (I used raisins, mixed peel and candied ginger, but you could replace the mixed peel and ginger with other dried fruits, chopped to the size of the raisins.)

Add the butter and buttermilk to the starter, then stir in the new bowl of yeast and water. Then mix in the flour with a wooden spoon, beating it thoroughly for a few minutes; as long as you can stand. It should become a bit stretchy and bouncy (the gluten has developed). Cover the dough and let it rise for another hour. 

When you are ready to cook the naans, heat a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat. Brush the surface with a little oil. Using a wet spoon, scoop out 1/8th or 1/6th of the batter and plop it on the griddle. The spoon being wet will help keep the batter from sticking to it. Using a wet hand, immediately pat it out into a flat circle, about 1/2" thick or a little thinner. Immediately slice it into quarters with a pizza cutter, but do not separate the pieces - allow them to cook back together.

 

Cook for about 3 minutes (maybe less if you get them thinner), until the top looks mostly dry. Turn the naan over - the bottom (now top) should look lightly browned and flecked with darker spots. Cook for another 2 minutes, then transfer the finished naan to a plate. Brush the tops with a little butter, if you like.

While the naan cooks, wash the spoon and ready it to repeat the process. Brush the pan with a little oil, and cook another naan, as above. Continue until all of them are finished. 

These can readily be reheated by popping them back into the skillet and covering them for a few minutes; turn and move them around to heat them evenly. Serve warm. (Although they are not half bad cool, either.) 

Last year at this time I made Beet, Prune, & Walnut Salad.

Baked Penne or Ziti

This seems to be a very popular American take on pasta baked in the oven, although it's not something that was ever made in my family. It has a lot of resemblances to lasagne, but it's simpler, both in the amount of effort required to assemble it, and in the flavours of the finished product. I have to admit I thought it was quite pleasant, but maybe a tad dull. But things that are comfort foods often are a little plain, I think; they're comfort foods because they are childhood foods.

Most instructions for this recipe have you cooking the pasta completely before baking. Even at cooking for half the time before baking, I found the pasta got a little bit too soft. I wrote up the instructions suggesting to cook them for even less time, but now I'm wondering if I make this again if I shouldn't add just a bit more sauce and put the pasta in raw. 

And yes, there's a lot of tomato sauce already and I've broken it down as I have because it goes into the casserole in stages.

 

4 servings

1 hour 15 minutes - 40 minutes prep time

 

 

Pre-Cook the Pasta & Get Started:

1 medium onion

3 or 4 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed

1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed oregano

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon Aleppo or similar pepper

340 grams (12 ounces) penne OR ziti

 

Put a pot of water on to boil (salted as usual) for the pasta. Peel and chop the onion finely. Peel and mince the garlic. Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the onion over medium heat until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir regularly. When the onion and garlic are done, transfer them to a mixing bowl. Add the seasonings to them.

 

When the water boils, add the pasta and cook for HALF (or even less) of the time listed on the package; generally this will be for 5 or 6 minutes, but 3 or 4 may be even better. Drain the pasta, and if you are not ready to proceed, rinse it in cold water and drain well again.

 

Assemble the Casserole & Bake It:

150 grams (5 ounces) mozzarella cheese

2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

1/2 cup tomato sauce 

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce 

125 grams ricotta cheese

1 cup tomato sauce

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grate or dice the mozzarella and grate the Parmesan.

 

Put 1/2 cup of tomato sauce into an 8" x 10" (2 quart) baking (lasagne) pan, and spread it evenly over the bottom. Spread half the prepared pasta over it. Mix 1 1/2 cups of sauce and 1/3 of the ricotta cheese into the onions and spices. Top the pasta in the pan with half of this mixture. 

Dot half the remaining ricotta over the casserole, and sprinkle half the mozzarella over it. Top with the remaining pasta, the remaining mixed sauce, and the remaining ricotta and mozzarella. 

 

Press the top of the casserole gently with the back of spoon to be sure it's reasonably level, then drizzle the remaining cup of plain tomato sauce over the casserole. Sprinkle the Parmesan evenly over it. 

Bake at 375°F for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is lightly browned, then let rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

Last year at this time I made Turkish Red Lentil Kofte.

Kahnawake Beans

 

We tried a number of new dry pole beans last summer. Most of them turned out to be not that productive or disease resistant, but there was one stand-out: Kahnawake. These are a native bean, from Kahnawake, just outside of Montreal. Consequently there is no reason they should not be well adapted to most of southern Ontario. They certainly did well for us.

In the photo above, the beans spilling from the jar and the beans in the blue teacup are Kahnawake beans. (The other, in the orange jug, is a cross that showed up in the garden, about which I just can't stop yapping, because I am so very excited about it.) But let's stick to Kahnawake for a moment. The beans are well-rounded ovals, of medium size and beige, covered with darker brown swirls. They dried down nicely. Dry is their traditional usage, but I understand that they are quite good eaten as green beans as well. We did not try any that way; we planted them, trellised them, and apart from a little water in dry spells, mostly ignored them until it was harvest time. They had very good, although not perfect, resistance against our endemic anthracnose fungus.

The packet said it contained 20 to 30 seeds, although I forgot to actually count. The result was nearly 4 cups of dried beans. That's pretty impressive, and puts this amongst our top-producing beans. They can grow fairly long as vines, up to 12', so good trellising is required. They were quite fast for a dry pole bean, at about 90 to 100 days to maturity. 

Cooked, they are a large, meaty bean with thin skins, a texture on the softer side but not to the point of falling apart easily, and a pleasant, mild flavour (you know; beans). In general, use them as you would Pinto beans, although they are larger and thicker than Pintos. Baked beans would be fine, and I think these would make excellent refried beans. We will be planting these again, definitely. 

We got ours from Annapolis Seeds, but they are available through a number of Canadian seed sellers. 

I posted about the other beans in the year-end garden report, but I'm still so gleeful about them - about 2/3 of a cup of dried beans from 1 plant that got eaten by deer quite a bit. Impressive. I can hardly wait to see what they do this year. This was the stand out plant from a 4 way cross of ((Desoronto x Blue Lake) x (Anellino Yellow x Cherokee Trail of Tears)) or perhaps ((Desoronto x Blue Lake) x (Blue Lake x Cherokee Trail of Tears)). Haven't tasted them yet, but that will be one of the selection features for next year, along with looking to get them ripening just a smidgen earlier.

Carrot & Sauerkraut Soup

Some lively spicing makes this otherwise very simple soup seem more complex than it is, and the main ingredients have a good sweet and sour balance too them. Like a lot of mostly-vegetable soups, it's quick to make and can be eaten at once, although leftovers will keep in the fridge for a day or two and reheat nicely. 

We ate it with Rye & Spelt Naan, and thought it was a terrific combination. (Never mind the soup. The soup is tasty, but I'm absolutely in love with that bread. I can't make it too often because I will eat it. It may just be that it's bread, though.)

 

4 to 6 servings

45 minutes - 30 minutes prep time

250 grams (1/2 pound; 2 or 3 large) carrots

1 large onion

2 to 4 cloves of garlic

2 bay leaves 

1/2 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon sweet or smoked Hungarian paprika

6 allspice berries

2 tablespoons barley or other flour

2 tablespoons chicken fat, bacon fat, OR vegetable oil

3 cups chicken OR vegetable stock

1/3 cup sauerkraut OR dill pickle brine

2 cups fine, chopped sauerkraut

1 to 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

 

Peel and grate the carrots. Peel and finely chop the onion. Put them aside together. 

 

Peel and mince the garlic. Put them in a small bowl with the bay leaves, salt, pepper, paprika, allspice berries, and flour. 

 

Heat the fat of your choice in a heavy-bottomed soup pot, over medium heat. Add the carrots and onion and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. They should cook down well; if they get a little brown towards the end that's okay, but keep them from browning too early. 

Add the little bowl of garlic and spices, and mix in well. Cook for another minute or two, until no raw flour can be seen and the garlic is fragrant. Add the stock and the brine and mix in well. Let simmer for 20 to 30 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Keep covered. 

Stir in the sauerkraut and mix in well. Let it heat through. Mix in the mustard and serve at once. 

Last year at this time I made Mustardy Curried Green Beans.

Buckwheat & Flax Meal Tortilla Wraps

There are a lot of "low-carb" or "keto" tortilla wrap recipes out there these days. I like this one particularly. I would describe it as low-carb and not keto, since it has the buckwheat flour. Keto food, I have decided, does not sit well with me, but this seems like a good middle way. It's also gluten free, which I know some people will like. 

 

These were surprisingly easy to make. The timing for cooking them is important, and you need to roll them out promptly once you have mixed the dough, but they were very easy to work with; much more so than pastry, for instance. They made a good lunch with hummus and salad vegetables wrapped inside them.

 

4 to 6 wraps

30 minutes prep time 

 

1 cup flax meal, reground

1 1/3 cups water, boiled

1 cup buckwheat flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

extra buckwheat flour to roll 

a little oil for the pan

Put the flax meal into a blender (if you have one with a "dry" bowl, so much the better) and regrind the flax meal to get it as fine and floury as you can. Put it in a mixing bowl. 

Put the water into a reasonably large pot (the dough gets mixed in it) and bring it to a boil. 

Meanwhile, add the buckwheat flour and salt to the flax meal and mix until evenly combined. Lay a sheet of parchment paper out on a clean countertop, and get out your rolling pin. Keep the buckwheat flour handy. 

When the water boils, turn off the heat and dump the mixed dry ingredients into it. Mix quickly and thoroughly until it forms a soft dough. Scoop it out onto the parchment paper and let it sit for a minute, which you might as well spend getting the pot soaking, because this stuff will set like concrete otherwise. 

As soon as you can handle it, divide the dough into 4, 5, or 6 equal portions. Put a cast iron griddle on to heat over medium heat. Dust a portion of dough generously with buckwheat flour, and roll it out as thin and as round as you can. Apart from a tendency to be sticky - solved by dusting it generously with buckwheat flour; did I say? - these are very easy to work with and can be rolled amazingly thin without difficulty. I found them sturdy enough to move onto and off of the griddle with just my usual thin metal spatula.

When you have the first one rolled, use a piece of paper towel to lightly oil the griddle. Cook the prepared wrap for about 2 minutes on the first side, and 1 minute on the second side; perhaps a few seconds longer. It should look dried, and faintly browned in spots, but it should be cooked no further or it will break rather than roll. 

While the first wrap cooks, roll out the second wrap. Re-oil the pan, and cook in the same way. Stack the cooked wraps on a plate as you continue cooking them all. I find I needed to reduce the heat a little for the next 2 or 3 wraps as the griddle gets hotter.

They do need to be made very shortly after you mix the dough, while it is soft enough to roll easily. If you are not a fast roller you should cover the waiting balls of dough with a damp tea-towel.

Last year at this time I made Chile-Garlic Tofu (or Paneer) Wellington (or Not).

Sesame-Ginger Chicken

This is a very popular Chinese home-cooking dish, usually known as "Three Cup Chicken", as it is simply cooked in equal quantities of soy sauce, cooking wine, and sesame oil, plus a few other seasonings. I did cut back a bit on the sesame oil, although it still calls for quite a bit compared to how it is usually used. 

 

A common variation on this dish is to add a good quantity of Thai basil to it at the end of cooking. I intend to try that, in Thai basil season, which this is not; I could not muster anything but some sprouting onions for greenery. We still enjoyed it very much.

 

4 to 6 servings

1 hour - 20 minutes prep time

 

Make the Sauce:

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup sherry OR Chinese cooking wine

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons coconut OR brown sugar 

chile-garlic sauce to taste, optional

Mix the above in a small bowl until the sugar is dissolved and set aside. 

Cook the Chicken:

1 kg (2 pounds) chicken thighs or drumsticks, bone-in

2 2" pieces of ginger

3 to 5 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 or 3 green onions OR handful chopped cilantro

   OR large handful cleaned Thai basil leaves

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

 

Remove the skin from the chicken pieces but leave the bones in. Put the skin in a large skillet and cook slowly over medium heat, turning occasionally, to render enough fat to cook the chicken, etc. There is more skin here than you need - only use some of it, or transfer it to another pan when it has rendered enough; then save the extra rendered fat for future cooking and use the crisp skin as you would leftover bacon (if this is something you wish to do).

Meanwhile, peel the ginger and slice it very thinly, then cut it into very fine matchsticks. Peel and mince the garlic. 

Add the ginger to the chicken fat and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for 2 or 3 minutes then add the chicken and brown it on both sides. Mix in the garlic and cook for a minute, then pour in the sauce. Cover the pan and simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Uncover the chicken and simmer for a further 20 minutes, until the chicken is tender and the sauce mostly absorbed or evaporated. Turn the chicken 2 or 3 times as it cooks. If you are using Thai basil, stir it in until it is just wilted.

Transfer the chicken to a serving dish and drizzle the sesame oil over it. Sprinkle with the green onions or cilantro and the sesame seeds. Serve at once.  

Last year at this time I made Vegan Scrambled "Eggs".

Red Winged Blackbirds!

They're back! 

 

It seems a few days to a week early, but the last 2 days would certainly have been encouraging for northward progress. Anyway, I'll take this as a sign that spring in general is fairly forward this year. Time to start counting the peas. (Just kidding. They're counted and ready to go.)

Two Potato & Celeriac Salads

These are both salads I found in old cook books. The first one was from an Edwardian era Jewish cook book; this is the one that calls for the pickled red cabbage posted earlier this week.

 

The second was from the same era but French. It was called Salade Malgache, meaning Madagascar Salad. There is nothing about it that has to do with Madagascar other than that the French would have recently invaded and colonized it. Presumably the author of this cook book aimed at middle-class households approved. I have corrected the title to reflect those things. It is a nice little salad of northern European winter vegetables, and deserved better. 

In spite of how pretty these two salads look together, I would in future not be inclined to serve them at the same time, given the overlap of the two main ingredients - they are a little too similar.

 

4 servings each

45 minutes to boil the vegetables 

30 minutes to assemble the salads 

Country Salad:

1 cup peeled and diced boiled potatoes

1 cup peeled and diced boiled celeriac

1 cup quick pickled red cabbage

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 to 2 tablespoons red cabbage brine, lemon juice, OR apple cider vinegar

a few hydroponic lettuce leaves

 

Boil the potatoes until tender, with the skins on. Cool them in cold water, then drain them well and dice, peeling them if you are so inclined. 

 

Peel the celeriac and cut it in slabs 1/2" to 3/4" thick before boiling them until tender. Cool and dice like the potatoes. 

 

Toss the potatoes, celeriac, pickled red cabbage, oil, and brine, lemon juice, or vinegar together and arrange the salad over a few clean lettuce leaves.

Salade Bourgeoise Impérialiste:

1 cup peeled and diced boiled potatoes

1 cup peeled and diced boiled celeriac

1 cup peeled and diced boiled red beets

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 or 3 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

a few hydroponic lettuce leaves 

Boil the potatoes until tender, with the skins on. Cool them in cold water, then drain them well and dice. 

 

Peel the celeriac and cut it in slabs 1/2" to 3/4" thick before boiling them until tender. Cool and dice like the potatoes. 

Boil the beets until tender, about 45 minutes. Cool them in cold water, peel, and dice. 

Whisk the mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper, and lemon juice together. Mix the vegetables and toss them with the dressing and half of the walnuts. Arrange them over the lettuce and sprinkle the remaining walnuts over the top. (I left the beets out, and sprinkled them over the top too, to keep more contrast in the presentation; but it's up to you.)

Last year at this time I made Baked Kibbeh.

Pickled Red Cabbage

I've been getting into quick pickling a bit this winter. Red cabbage makes a very nice one, and is an excellent addition to salads, with its brilliant colour and crunchy, faintly spicy flavour. I'll be making use of it in the next post.

It's not much more work than cutting up some red cabbage for one salad, but then it's around for up to a dozen more. Just pick out the larger whole spices when you fetch it out of the jar; they are not particularly nice to bite into.

 

about 4 cups

2 days 20 minutes - 20 minutes prep time 

 

5 cups finely shredded red cabbage

1 bay leaf

2/3 cup filtered water

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons pickling salt

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds

1/2 teaspoon allspice berries

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon sugar

Have a very clean 1 quart or litre canning jar on hand with a clean lid and ring. They do not need to be sterilized, but should be fresh out of the dishwasher or scalded with boiling water. 

Wash, trim, and finely shred enough cabbage to fill the jar, tamping it in as you go. Add the bay leaf when it is about half full. 

Put all the remaining ingredients in a pot and bring them to steaming hot. Pour the hot brine over the cabbage. Cap it and leave it on the counter for 2 days. Then, refrigerate it, and keep it refrigerated subsequently. It can be used at any point now, and should keep for several weeks. 

 

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Rutabaga Gnocchi. 

Red River Rye Bread

This is my version of a recipe that once appeared on the Red River Cereal box. Red River was a fixture in our house when I was growing up, and I have to confess it was more tolerated than loved. Also, I did not use Red River here; I used a generic "12 grain" cereal. It's basically Red River - a blend of cracked wheat, rye, and flaxseed - with other grains and seeds added. 

I believe this was created as a quick version of a traditional Dutch rye bread, raised by the sour dough method. The use of baking powder and soda makes it more like an Irish soda bread, in some ways. It's quite moist and stodgy dense in texture, and it keeps better than soda bread, which gets stale fairly rapidly.

At any rate, I like my cracked grain cereal much better this way than boiled into porridge. I should note that it is an absolute fibre-bomb, and should be eaten (or not) accordingly. 

 

12-16 slices

10 minutes prep PLUS overnight soak 

1 hour 30 minutes plus a few to bake - 5 minutes prep time

allow time to cool

 

Soak Overnight:

1 1/2 cups Red River or similar multi-grain cereal

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons molasses

3 cups boiling water 

 

Put the Red River or similar raw multigrain cereal (generally sold as 3-grain, 7-grain, or 12-grain; any of which will be fine) into a 1 quart (at least) heat-proof container with a cover. I used a wide-mouthed litre canning jar, which was fine. Add the salt and molasses. 

 

Bring a kettle of water to a boil, and slowly pour 3 cups boiling water into the cereal. Stir well. Cover and leave for 8 to 12 hours (overnight). If you can give it another stir or shake after an hour, that's good. 

 

Mix & Bake:

1 cup whole spelt flour

3/4 cup whole rye flour

1/4 cup ground flax

1/2 cup rye flakes

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons bread spice OR caraway seed (optional)

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Grease a large loaf pan well. 

Mix the flours, ground flax, and rye flakes in a mixing bowl. Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, and spice. 

Scrape the soaked ingredients with their liquid into the dry ingredients, and mix, but no longer than needed to be sure there are not any dry ingredients left. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. 

Bake at 300°F for 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool to room temperature before slicing. 

Last year at this time I made Butter & Miso Braised Cabbage.

Braised Tau Pok & Cabbage

Tau pok - deep fried tofu puffs - are probably my favourite way to eat tofu. The deep frying does not make them greasy, but it drives out a lot of water and makes the pieces light and spongy but also chewy and substantial. This method of cooking them gets called braising, but it's much quicker and done mostly at a higher temperature than meat would be braised at. Speaking of meat, this dish is not vegetarian as written, but it would not be hard to make it so. Omit the fish and oyster sauces - use more soy, and maybe a few drops of toasted sesame oil - and use a vegetable broth, and there you are. 

 

Another thing that would go well in here are some shiitake mushrooms - maybe next time. 

Serve this with some rice, and it's a complete meal.

 

4 servings

30 minutes prep time

 

 

180 grams (6 ounces) tau pok (fried tofu puffs)

1 medium onion

1 large carrot

5 or 6 cups chopped Savoy or green cabbage

3 or 4 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger

2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

chile-garlic sauce to taste

1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1 tablespoon arrowroot or corn starch

 

Cut each piece of tau pok in half. Peel the onion and cut it into slivers. Peel and slice the carrot. Chop the cabbage. Peel and mince the garlic and ginger. 

 

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot, and cook, stirring regularly, for about 5 minutes. The vegetables should be softening and browning slightly at the end of that time. Add the cabbage and mix in well for a couple of minutes, until it is completely wilted and has mostly changed colour. Mix in the garlic, then add the soy, fish, and oyster sauces. 

Add the broth, and reduce the heat to a steady simmer. Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Mix the starch into the remaining broth, and mix it into the pan. As soon as it thickens - just a minute or two - serve it up.

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Spiced Apple Baked Oatmeal Pudding.

Roasted Onions with Sherry & Vinegar

Around about this time of year it's time to use up all the little onions that were kind of too small to present themselves for consideration earlier, and which may be starting to soften or sprout. Here's a way to make the best use of them. This is a simple dish, but it's also something to make when the oven is on to roast something else along with them; some kind of poultry or meat, sweet potatoes, squash, or potatoes all come to mind. 

If you don't want to cook them with thyme (or savory) a little nutmeg would also be good.

 

4 servings

1 hour 30 minutes - 15 minutes prep time

500 grams (1 pound) small onions

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon rubbed thyme

salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

2 tablespoons sweet sherry

2 tablespoons water

 

Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

 

Put a pot of water on to boil. Peel the onions and cut them into quarters. Add them to the boiling water and boil them for 3 or 4 minutes. Drain well. 

 

Put the onions into a shallow roasting pan that will hold them in a crowded single layer, and toss them with the butter. Slide the bay leaf under them, and sprinkle them with the thyme, salt, and pepper. Drizzle over the vinegar, sherry, and water. 

Roast at 375°F, until tender and rather browned. Give them one or two stirs while they cook. If it looks like all the liquid is gone before they are ready, you can add a little more warm water to keep them from scorching.

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Pasticada.

Nutty Turnips

No harder to make than boiled turnips, possibly because it is boiled turnips. The hazelnut and almond butter treatment, though, makes them really delicious. I'll be doing this with turnips quite often, and I'm going to try it with rutabaga as well. 

 

There isn't much to say about this recipe; it came about when I went to cook some turnips, stuck my head in various cupboards and appliances, and asked myself, "What goes with turnips?" 

 

Nuts. Nuts go with turnips, quite amazingly well. Hazelnuts in particular, I think. 

 

4 servings

30 minutes - 15 minutes prep time

500 grams (1 pound) white turnips

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts

salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons almond butter

Peel the turnips and cut them into bite-sized chunks. Put them in a pot with water to cover them, and boil them for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain them, and return them to the heat. 

Add the butter and hazelnuts, and cook for a minute or two until the butter is absorbed and the nuts are lightly toasted. Season with salt and pepper. Add the almond butter, mix in well and let cook a minute to heat through, and serve at once. Watch you don't leave it for long once the almond butter goes in; it is inclined to stick to the pot and scorch.

Last year at this time I made Celeriac & Mushrooms au gratin.