12th Annual Seed Catalogue Review

Wow! I find it hard to believe I've been reviewing the seed catalogues for 12 years now, but here we are. So, what seems to be new this year? 

Fenugreek grown for greens suddenly seem to be a bit of a thing, (and fenugreek as a seasoning is having a moment too, I notice). There continues to be high interest in colourful vegetables. For most of my life, the vegetables grown around here have been dominated by traditional British and German varieties; but that hold continues to weaken. Tomatonians and Beaniacs have long dominated in the seed world, but the Chileheads are picking up steam (!). 

The last obvious trend I see is prices going up. Not too surprising, since they've been pretty stable all the time I've been posting this, and as noted that's getting to be a while. Given inflation it's also no surprise. And finally, I'm concentrating on small seed producers who grow, clean, package, market, and mail their own. It's a lot of work, and prices need to reflect that, much as I'm sad to be paying more.

 

When I went to check the list of seed suppliers at Seeds of Diversity, I saw there are a lot of new-to-me companies. I'm concentrating on vegetable seeds, but there are are more garlic growers, more fruit and nut tree and shrub suppliers as both seeds and plants, more seed potato suppliers, and more suppliers of herbs and wild plants. (Still short on sweet potato slips, but they are easy to grow yourself.) The numbers amaze and delight me, even though it seems likely that most of these newer companies may not last for long. I hope, though, that this is a new wave of Canadian supplied garden material that will change and improve the gardening situation in Canada considerably. On which note; buckle up, people! This is going to be looooong, even though if you are looking for non-veg seed items, you should click through below because I don't get into them here.

The in-stock (or not) situation seems to have settled down some from the last 2 years; however, it looks like things are still moving pretty briskly - think about ordering as soon as you reasonably can. If you are looking for something specific and having a hard time finding it, as usual you should turn to Seeds of Diversity and check out their list of seeds available in Canada and which companies carry them. 

 

And finally, while the point of this post is to dream about the new, I was reminded as I found so many old, familiar seeds listed, that there is no deficiency in companies who do not change their lists from year to year. As a gardener and cook I have formed relationships with certain varieties; knowing their individual quirks for growing and eating allows me to get the best from them, and I'm sure the same applies to growers of seeds.

 

Beef Vindaloo

This famous Indian dish has its roots in Portuguese cooking; it comes from vinha d'alhos; meat (pork to be precise) heavily marinated in vinegar and cooked with plenty of garlic, popular throughout Portugal. There was a large Portuguese trading community in India, and the dish underwent a transformation into one that is intensely sharp and spicy. The usual meats are either pork or beef; neither one very common in most Indian cuisines. I prefer beef but you could certainly use pork.

There are quite a lot of Indian dishes that don't necessarily require a lot of heat, but this is really not one of them - it is widely agreed that Vindaloo should be hot. I have to say it is a favourite of mine, and I am looking forward to making it again soon. 

It's a funny quirk of culture that the Portuguese took to hot chiles with a fair bit of enthusiasm once exposed to them (think of Piri-piri sauce for instance) but the Spanish absolutely did not. One of the things I carried with me when we walked the Camino de Santiago was a packet of Cayenne pepper, and I was really glad to have it.

 

6 servings

20 minutes to prepare the marinade

2 hours 30 minutes to cook - 30 minutes prep time

NOT including marinating time

 

 

Make the Marinade Paste & Marinate:

6 cloves of garlic

1 1/2" piece of ginger

1 tablespoon coriander

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed

3 tablespoons sweet paprika

1/4 to 2 teaspoon hot red chile powder (to taste)

6 to 8 green cardamom pods

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon amchur powder OR tamarind paste

1 tablespoon apple butter OR 1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 kilo (2 pounds) stewing beef (or pork) pieces

 

Peel and slice the garlic and ginger, and add them to the bowl of a food processor. If you have a smaller one, use that. Add the spices - the peppercorns should be crushed somewhat first - the apple butter or sugar, and the vinegar. Process until you have a fairly smooth paste, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. 

Scrape the marinade into a non-reactive container with a snug lid. Add the meat, and turn it in the marinade until evenly distributed. Seal the container, and keep refrigerated for 2 hours to overnight.

Cook the Dish:

2 medium onions

2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil

1 cup water

cilantro to garnish

Peel the onions and cut them in half lengthwise. Lay them flat and cut each half lengthwise again, then cut into slices. 

Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot, over medium-high heat. Cook the onions until they are softened and reduced in volume, about 5 minutes. Add the meat, with all the marinade scraped in with it. Cook, stirring regularly, for about 15 minutes until the spice mixture is fairly well fried and shows signs of separating. The meat will not brown, not that you could tell anyway. Add the water and bring up to a good simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours, stirring regularly, until the meat is tender and the sauce has reduced to coat it. 

 

It's best if you can make this in advance and re-heat it. Serve hot. 

Last year at this time I made Honey Braised Turnips.

Shalgam ki Sabzi

There isn't a lot to say about this; it's a nice tart and sprightly but not particularly hot dish of curried turnips. (I saved the blast of heat for this weeks final dish.) You could use rutabaga if you prefer, but in that case I suspect it would be a good idea to boil it for 20 minutes before you add it to the pan with the spices to finish cooking, as it takes so much longer to cook through. 

 

4 serving

45 minutes - 25 minutes prep time

Prepare the Vegetables & Seasonings:

3 cups diced (3 medium) white turnips

2 pods of green cardamom

1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon red chile powder

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

a good grind of black pepper

1 good grate of nutmeg

1" piece of ginger

2 cloves of garlic

 

Peel and dice the turnips. 

 

Crush the cardamom pods and remove and discard the green papery husk. Grind the seeds with the fennel seeds and salt. Mix them with the remaining spices in a small bowl. Peel and mince the ginger and garlic, and add them to the bowl.

Finish the Dish:

1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 cup of water

the juice of 1/2 lemon

Heat the oil in a good-sized shallow saucepan or a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin and coriander seeds, and cook for a few minutes until they begin to sizzle and pop. Add the bowl of seasonings and mix in well, cooking for another minute or so. 

Add the turnips and the water, mixing well. Cover and cook until the turnips are tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the lemon juice for the last few minutes of cooking. 

Last year at this time I made Chicken, Leek & Mushroom Pie.

Patta Gobhi (Aloo)

Stewed cabbage; with potatoes if you like. I made Sweet Potato Roti and another dish with turnips, so I left them out. This is a simple but lively Indian-style dish, which I made as part of a meal that I will be posting about all week. It goes together very quickly, once the measuring and chopping have been done. It's amazing too, what a little spicing will do to give a new look to good old winter stand-bys.

 

4 servings

45 minutes prep time

 

 

Prepare the Vegetables:

4 cups chopped cabbage 

1 medium onion

1/4 teaspoon salt 

2 medium potatoes, optional

Chop cabbage and onion, mix by hand with salt and drain for 15 minutes. Rinse and drain them very well. Dice the potatoes into 1" chunks.

 

Prepare the Spices:

1" piece of ginger

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes (to taste)

1/4 teaspoon ground fenugreek seeds

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 

1/4 teaspoon salt

Peel and mince ginger and garlic. Mix everything in a small bowl. 

 

Finish the Dish:

1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

2 cups chopped or crushed tomatoes

 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin, mustard, and fennel, and cook until they sizzle and pop. Be careful with this; the spices can scorch very easily. Add the bowl of spices, and cook for another minute, stirring, then add the cabbage and onions. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until lightly browned. Mix in the potatoes, if using, and the tomatoes. Add a little water if necessary to get the potatoes cooked, then allow the liquid to evaporate to a clinging sauce.

 

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Yiahni Potatoes.

Carrot Cake Salad

Yes, it's a little sweet for a salad - but nothing like as sweet as actual carrot cake, about which I was dreaming when I decided to make this instead (or perhaps I should say, at all). As such, it won't go with everything, but plainish grilled chicken or tofu would be lovely, or certain kinds of sandwiches would go nicely alongside it.

My raisins are not rotating like they used to, and they used to sit long enough to get pretty dried out, so I soaked them in a little of the pineapple juice. I added the left over juice, but I don't think it's a good idea; the dressing came out a little thin. My pineapple came out of a tin, and that's perfectly cromulent, but if you happen to have a fresh one around, a slice could be chopped to mingle unobtrusively with the other ingredients, but even more deliciously. 

Salt and pepper absolutely required - I peppered enthusiastically - because this is a salad, and not a cake, after all.

 

4 to 8 servings

 

Make the Salad:

2 cups grated carrots

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup unsweetened pineapple tidbits 

1/2 cup unsweetened dessicated coconut

1/2 head greenhouse lettuce

 

Peel and grate the carrots, and mix them with the raisins, walnuts, pineapple, and coconut. Wash and dry the lettuce.

 

Make the Dressing:

1/2 cup thick yogurt

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/16 teaspoon ground cloves

1/16 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

the juice of 1/2 lemon

Mix the seasonings into the yogurt, then mix in the lemon juice. Toss the carrots, etc, with this dressing then arrange the salad over the dried lettuce leaves. 

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Chocolate Cake with Roasted Strawberry Cream. 

Stewed Lamb Pie

You could, I suppose, serve the filling just as a stew, but somehow putting it in a puff pastry crust makes it clear just how special and delicious this really is. We got some lovely lamb from Wooldrift Farm this year, and this was our first big try-out, on Christmas day. It was definitely worthy of that special spot. We thought this hit the perfect spot between nicely seasoned, but letting the flavour of the lamb speak for itself.

I had made some lamb broth which no doubt added to the intensity of flavour, but if you can't get it beef or chicken broth would do. I also pre-cooked the lamb in our Instant Pot, but you could stew it slowly instead if you don't have one. Should I confess that I used the heart in this dish? Mr. Ferdzy "doesn't like it" but it's just a particularly tough cut of stewing meat, and if you order a complete lamb you will get one. I cut it to about 1/4 of the size of the other pieces and proceed - no one has yet detected them.

The filling should be warm when you assemble the pie - too cold and it will take a long time to bake, too hot and you will really struggle with the pastry, which will want to melt rather than fold around it. By using the full-sized sheets you will have eight points around the edge, which should be folded inward once tucks have been made in the upper sheet to seal the edges of the lower sheet.

 

6 to 8 servings

1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours to pre-cook the lamb - 30 minutes prep time

1 1/2 to 2 hours to cook the pie - 40 minutes prep time

 

 

Pre-Cook the Lamb:

1/4 cup barley or wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons rubbed savory

3/4 teaspoon rubbed rosemary

2 bay leaves

freshly ground black pepper to taste

900 grams (2 pounds) stewing lamb

2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil

1 cup lamb, beef, or chicken broth  (can replace up to 1/2 with red wine) 

Mix the flour and the spices in a mixing bowl, then gently toss the prepared lamb in it - the lamb should be trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1" cubes, and if at all wet patted dry with paper towels.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and brown the floured meat in two batches to allow it to be well spread out in a single layer as it cooks. Put the browned meat into a large stewing pot or Instant Pot as it is done. 

Add the broth or broth and wine. If cooking in a stewing pot, simmer gently for an hour to an hour and a half until tender. If using the Instant Pot, cook for 30 minutes and allow it to release naturally. 

This can be done up to a day ahead and refrigerated; and it's a good idea as that will allow you to remove excess fat while it is congealed.

Make the Pie:

2 medium carrots

1 large onion

2 stalks of celery OR 1 cup peeled diced celeriac

3 or 4 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons lamb fat OR mild vegetable oil

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

up to 1 cup more lamb, beef, or chicken broth

450 grams (1 pound; 1 package) thawed from frozen puff pastry

 

Peel the carrots and cut them in dice. Peel and chop the onion. Wash, trim, and chop the celery or peel and dice the celeriac. Peel and mince the garlic. 

 

Heat the fat in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion, and celery, and cook gently for 10 to 15 minutes, until softened and tender. You may want to add a bit of water and broth to help cook the carrots, but not so much that it won't cook off in the allotted time. 

 

Add the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, and balsamic vinegar, and cook for a minute more, then add the stewed lamb along with any sauce that it is in. Add a little more broth if it seems dry. Heat the mixture through and simmer for a few minutes. It should be thick and saucy but not runny. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Gently roll one sheet of pastry to expand it slightly. Place it in a 9.5" pie plate. The short sides of the pastry should come most of the way up the sides of the pie plate, and the corners will hang over. Fill it with the warm lamb filling. 

Roll out the remaining sheet of pastry in the same way as the first. Place it on top of the pie so that the corners of the top piece are in between the corners of the bottom piece. Lift them one at a time so that you can see the lower piece of pastry. Pull the lower piece of pastry away from the side of the pan and tuck the top piece down between them to seal it. The corner will stick up; fold it in over the pie. Repeat with the remaining three corners/sides. Cut some vent holes in the top of the pastry. Place the pie plate on a baking sheet, in case of leakages, and bake the pie for 50 to 60 minutes, until golden-brown. Let it rest 10 minutes before serving. 

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Braised Oxtail with Dried Tomatoes, Peppers, & Beans. 

Korean Sweet Potato Noodle Salad

This is a perfect salad for the summer, being cool and refreshing yet relatively substantial without being heavy. But it is also a perfect salad for the winter, since it can be made with readily available winter vegetables. Carrots and cucumbers make a good foundation, then add such things and green onions, celery or celeriac, turnip or winter radish, bean sprouts or cabbage. I used a little cabbage; I had been thinking bean sprouts but whottasurprise, my local grocery store had none. 

If you can't find sweet potato noodles (which generally seem to come in bundles of about 200 grams) then you could use mung bean thread noodles. They tend to come in bundles of about 50 grams, so you will need 3 or 4 of them. The treatment is similar, but do check the cooking time - I think they might need a little less. 

I did not get around to making this as quickly as I intended (so just as well there were no bean sprouts) and my shiitakes got a little dried out. Therefore, I fried them briefly in a smidge of oil before adding them.

 

4 to 8 servings

Make the Dressing:

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 to 2 teaspoons sugar

1 to 2 teaspoons gochujang OR chile-garlic sauce

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 tablespoons sesame seeds 

Put the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, hot sauce, and sesame oil in a small bowl or jam jar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. 

The sesame seeds don't go directly in the dressing, but now is the time to toast them - a few minutes in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Stir them as they toast and be prepared to scrape them out at once onto a plate to cool - they will go from perfect to scorched very quickly.

 

Make the Salad: 

150 grams to 200 grams sweet potato noodles (dangmyeon)

10 to 20 grams (1/2 ounce) dried wakame

8 to 10 shiitake mushrooms

1 medium carrot

1 or 2 small greenhouse cucumbers

1 cup other prepared vegetables (see introductory notes)

 

Put a fairly large pot of water on to boil. Boil the noodles as instructed on the package (probably for 5 minutes). LIFT them out of the water, keeping the water. Put the noodle in a strainer and rinse under cold water until cool. Drain well. Chop slightly to make them more manageable, if you like.

 

Meanwhile, put the wakame into the boiling water and boil for 3 minutes. Turn it over as it cooks several times, to allow it to re-hydrate evenly. You will need about a 3" x 8" sheet. Drain the wakame well, shred it into long thin "noodles", then cut it into bits about 2" or 3" long. 

 

Mix the noodles and wakame in a serving bowl. 

 

Remove and discard the shiitake mushroom stems, and shred the caps into thin julienne strips. Peel and slice the carrot very thinly, then slice the other way thinly to form fine julienne strips. Wash and trim the ends from the cucumber(s), and slice in the same way. Any other vegetables used should also be cut in fine julienne pieces. Toss them all with the noodles. 

 

Toss the dressing into the salad. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving (it can be kept for longer in the fridge) then sprinkle the toasted sesame seeds over it and serve. 

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Jerk Sweet Potatoes.

Fish Fillets in Potato Crust

When I made Gomel-Style Cutlets a while back I threatened to coat other foods to be pan-fried in grated potato, and now I've finally done it. This is a bit like fish and chips, chips included with the fish. A little cole slaw or other salad should finish the meal nicely.

This is a very simple way to cook fish, but I'd say there are two points to watch carefully for success. The first is to be sure your fish fillets are as dry as you can reasonably get them, or the potato crust won't stick well. The second is that while they are being cooked, do not press them down into the oil. I did that, and it packed the potato together too firmly - I believe it would have been a little more crispy if I had managed to refrain. Still, we all enjoyed these and I will try to improve my technique by making it again.

 

2 servings

30 to 40 minutes prep time

 

675 grams (1.5 pounds) white fish fillets

1/3 cup barley or wheat flour

freshly ground black pepper OR other seasonings to taste

2 large eggs

450 grams (1 pound; 3 medium-large) white potatoes

1/4 teaspoon salt

mild vegetable oil to fry 

If you start with frozen fish, it must be thawed. In any case, unwrap the fish fillets and lay them on a good pad of paper or kitchen towels; if kitchen towels preferably clean, but not your good ones. Let them blot and dry thoroughly while you prepare the other ingredients. 

Put the flour on a plate and mix in any seasonings you wish to use. I kept it simple with just some pepper, but a little paprika and thyme would be a good choice. Whisk the eggs on another plate. Wash, peel, and grate the potatoes. Mix them with the salt and let them sit for a few minutes, then squeeze them well to remove and discard as much liquid from them as possible. Put them on another plate. 

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Pour in about 1/4" of oil. While it heats, coat each fish fillet in flour on both sides, then in egg on both sides, and then in the potatoes, ensuring an even coating of potato all over. Lay them in the hot oil and cook for about 5 minutes per side, until golden-brown. If they do not all fit in the pan (unlikely unless you are using a fairly large griddle) put them on a platter in the oven, kept warm at 200°F until they are all done. Add a little more oil to the pan as required in cooking them. Serve as quickly as possible.

Last year at this time I made Apple-Peanut Cole-Slaw with Coconut-Curry Dressing.

Celeriac Fritters (& Oyster Plant Fritters)

As you can see, this is a quick and simple recipe - and yet, not so fast. I feel obliged to note that I had a terrible time getting the temperature just right. I would move the knob about a millimeter, and it would swing from "way too cool" to "way too hot" or back again. I mean, my stove does that all the time, but it seemed particularly egregious with these. Celeriac is a bit touchy, is what I'm saying. In the end, though, they were very tasty if not quite as beautiful as I would have liked. 

The batter seems skimpy and runny, but persevere in mixing them as well as you can - once they are cooking it works just fine.

The bottom 2 fritters were not made with celeriac. They were made with oyster plant. This was the second year that we've grown some, although last time I just looked at them and thought, "Okay, now what?" Progress! With the spices, it was a little hard to assess their flavour. They are considerably milder than the celeriac, which was quite intense. They also had a softer and - I have to use the word - gummier texture than the celeriac. I quite liked it, but it is a texture more common in Chinese cuisine than in Western cuisine. They were more inclined to brown nicely without scorching, which I was also in favour of. I used 2 roots which yielded 1/4 cup each when grated. They wanted to discolour rapidly, so I threw them into some acidulated water while I finished mixing the batter.

 

6 to 8 fritters

30 minutes prep time

 

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds

1/8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1/3 cup potato starch

1 extra-large egg

2 cups peeled, grated celeriac

about 2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil to fry

 

Grind the spices together and put them in a small bowl with the potato starch and egg. Mix well, working out all the lumps. 

Peel and grate the celeriac. Mix it into the batter. 

Heat the oil on a griddle over medium heat. Spoon the batter into even portions onto it once it is hot. Cook for about 3 minutes per side, until set and golden-brown. Add a little more oil when you turn them if it seems necessary. 

Last year at this time I made Paprika Braised Cabbage.

Turkey Meatballs Stewed with Vegetables

I'm on a bit of a roll with "things that get simmered in some kind of sauce or sauce-adjacent mixture" at the moment. Eggs, fish, chops, meatballs... simple and straightforward, and usually just needs a judicious quantity of carbs to round out the meal. I see some take on spaetzle or noodles with these, but potatoes or rice would be just fine, or even some good crusty bread. Actually, how about Rye & Spelt Naan? That would be lovely!

 

4 servings

Make the Meatballs:

1 medium leek

1 medium carrot

2 cloves of garlic

500 grams (1 pound) ground turkey

1 large egg

1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 teaspoon rubbed savory or thyme

2 tablespoons barley or wheat flour

 

Wash, trim, and shred the leeks fairly finely. Peel and grate the carrots - you might as well do the ones that don't go into the meatballs at the same time, but keep them separated. Peel and mince the garlic. Put these in a mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients and mix well by hand. Form into 32 equal balls, putting them on a plate as you work. 

 

Prepare the Vegetables & Stew:

1 medium leek

1 medium carrot

4 cups chopped green or Savoy cabbage 

3 tablespoon mild vegetable oil

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons barley or wheat flour

2 cups unsalted chicken broth

salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

If you have not already, wash, trim, and shred the leek, and peel and grate the carrot. Wash, trim, and finely chop the cabbage. 

 

Heat half of the oil in a large skillet and cook the meatballs until browned on all sides. Remove them back to the plate (but WASH it while they are browning, duh). 

Heat the remaining oil, and add the vegetables. Cook over medium heat until softened and reduced in volume. Add the seasonings once they are going well, then mix in the flour. Once the flour is well mixed in with no remaining specks of white, slowly stir in the broth. Return the meatballs to the pan, nestled down into the vegetables, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the meatballs are cooked through - it's a good idea to turn them halfway through. Serve at once.

Last year at this time I made Rye & Spelt Naan, which calls for Bread Spice.

Labneh Cheesecake

"I hope you won't take this the wrong way," said Mom as she ate her piece of birthday cheesecake, "but this reminds me of Sara Lee." 

 

I didn't take it the wrong way; I had been thinking that myself. I used to love a Sara Lee cheesecake as a kid, when it was a rare treat. Mine is better of course; a little less sweet and gummy and we could ladle on the strawberry sauce ad lib.

 

I used my own homemade graham crackers for the crumbs to keep them lower carb (I'm now only using 2 tablespoons each of the Sucanat and honey; it's fine) but you will need to make them a day ahead in that case. I was also feeling reckless and decided not to pre-bake the crust. Other than a couple of pieces I should have ground finer floating up, it worked just fine - the crust was a bit softer than it would have been otherwise, but I quite liked that. It added to the Sara Lee effect.

If you can't get labneh, it's cheese, but cheese that is yogurt strained until it is too thick to stir easily. Be sure to use a good quality yogurt with no gelatine, gums, powdered milk, or other muckings about in it. One with a bit of fat to it will be a good choice. Still, for cheesecake, this hits a magic spot between relative restraint and rich creamy goodness. You will need about twice as much yogurt to make the cheese, i.e. for 450 grams labneh you will need 900 grams yogurt.

 

I forgot to grease the sides of the tin and probably baked the cake about 5 minutes too long, hence the cracking. Next time I might pour some water into the lower baking pan too. But with the sauce covering it up, nobody really noticed the cracks.

 

8 to 12 servings

1 hour 15 minutes - 30 minutes prep time 

NOT including making the graham crackers OR labneh

 

 

 

Make the Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup melted butter 

 

Crush the crackers to smooth crumbs, then mix in the melted butter. Line a 9" spring-form pan with parchment paper, and butter the sides. Press the graham crumbs firmly and evenly into the pan. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Make the Filling & Bake:

450 grams labneh (yogurt cheese)

the finely grated zest of 1/2 large lemon

the juice of 1/2 large lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup honey

4 large eggs

1/4 cup potato starch

 

Put the labneh in a mixing bowl, and add the lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix well. Whisk in the honey, then the eggs, one at a time. Whisk in the potato starch. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. 

Place the pan on a baking tray (springform pans have been known to leak) and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until just set. Let cool completely before serving.

Make the Sauce:

3 cups (frozen) strawberries OR blueberries

1 tablespoon arrowroot OR cornstarch

3 tablespoons sugar (or to taste)

 

Put the thawed or at least semi-thawed berries in a pot and mix in the starch and sugar well before turning on the heat. Heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Let cool before serving with the cheesecake. 

 

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Clementine & Pear Salad with Cranberries & Almonds.

Side-Dish Cabbage Rolls

Cabbage rolls are a bit fiddly to put together, but there is something delightful about receiving your food in a neat little package. It's a present! Usually they are the main course, and contain meat or at least some kind of substantial protein or grain, but I thought I would do something a little different, and make them a vegetable side-dish. I have to say, I really loved them! 

 

The fiddly-ness is mostly chopping vegetables, and once you've made enough cabbage rolls to have the stem-shaving down, they are really quite quick and straightforward to put together. All the work also happens at the front end, so you have lots of time to work on the rest of dinner while these are in the oven. Mind you, I think something relatively simple is a good plan for serving with these - chops, steak, plain baked chicken (thighs could go in at the same time as the cabbage rolls), broiled fish, grilled tofu - they are going to be agreeable with a lot of different things. 

The dill pickle brine and paprika make these piquant, and I have to say the sour cream or yogurt really finished them - I don't know that I would describe it as optional. I didn't actually use a turnip, as I had a kohlrabi in the fridge that won't last as long. You could use some rutabaga or celery instead if you preferred. You could make them more substantial with about a cup of cooked rice, quinoa, or other grain added, but in that case you will need a few more cabbage leaves and should be prepared to apply the pickle brine and tomato sauce with a slightly heavier hand.

 

3 to 4 servings

1 hour 45 minutes - 45 minutes prep time

 

6 to 8 large whole Savoy cabbage leaves

1 medium carrot

1 medium-small turnip (or similar)

1 medium onion

1 cup chopped mushrooms

2 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil

freshly ground black pepper to taste, possibly salt

1 teaspoon rubbed savory

1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika

1/2 cup dill pickle brine

3/4 to 1 cup tomato sauce

thick yogurt OR sour cream to serve

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Carefully remove outer leaves in good condition from a large cabbage. Shave the stems down to as close to the thickness of the rest of the leaf as you can. Once the water boils and you have your leaves ready, blanch them in batches until just softened, then rinse them in cold water to stop them cooking any further. Drain well. This can be done up to a day ahead. 

Peel and grate the carrot. Peel and grate the turnip. Peel and chop the onion. Clean and chop the mushrooms. Peel and mince the garlic. Other than the garlic, this too can be done up to a day ahead. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a shallow baking (lasagne) pan which will hold the cabbage rolls snugly. (Should be 1.5 litre/quart, or 8" x 10"). 

Put the oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the prepared vegetables and cook until softened and reduced in volume by half. Stir frequently. Season with pepper, savory, and paprika when close to done. You may wish to add a little salt, but it will depend on how salty the dill pickle brine is. 

Remove the vegetables from the heat, and allow them to cool enough to handle. Divide them amongst the prepared cabbage leaves, rolling them up and placing them in the oiled pan. Pour the dill pickle brine and tomato sauce over them evenly, and bake for 1 hour. Check them half way through the cooking time, and if they look like they are drying out, cover them with some foil. 

Best served with a dollop of thick yogurt or sour cream. 

Last year at this time I made Buck-"Meat" Balls (or Patties).

Quick-Braised Pork Chops with Caramelized Onion and Mustard Gravy

As the photo shows, I cooked 3 chops, but this is a highly scalable recipe. Feel free to use plain or smoked pork chops. Ham steak would work very well here too. Best served with a mountain of mashed potatoes (or Clapshot would be excellent) to soak up all the delicious gravy. A perfect antidote to winter blues. 

Mustard becomes very mild with cooking, so you may wish to add some more at the end, or just pass the bottle at the table for people to add their own.

 

4 servings

1 hour 30 minutes prep time

 

4 medium (1 kg; 2 pounds) pork chops 

4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

4 medium onions

2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 teaspoon rubbed thyme OR tarragon

freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons wheat OR barley flour

1 tablespoon bacon fat OR mild vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups ham OR chicken stock

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, optional

 

Rub the pork chops with the vinegar then the mustard, and lay them on a plate. Let them marinate for about an hour. 

 

Peel and cut the onions in half, then slice them in half-moons. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-low heat, and cook the onions gently for about 40 to 45 minutes, stirring regularly, until greatly reduced in volume and golden-brown. Remove them to a plate. 

 

While the onions cook, peel and mince the garlic and put it in a small bowl with the other seasonings except the extra mustard, and with the flour. 

 

Wipe out the pan, add the bacon fat, and cook the chops over medium-high heat until lightly browned on each side; about 3 minutes per side. Remove them from the pan. Add the bowl of seasonings to the pan and cook for a minute, mixing well, until there are no specks of white flour left. Slowly stir in about 1/4 of the stock, working out any lumps. Keep adding stock and stirring until it is all in and you have a smooth sauce; lower the heat if necessary. Add the pork chops, working them down into the gravy. Divide the onions evenly over the tops of the chops. Simmer steadily for 15 minutes, shaking the pan gently occasionally to make sure they are not sticking. 

Let rest 5 minutes and serve with the gravy, or remove them from the pan to rest and stir a bit more mustard into the gravy, which should be poured over the chops when they are served. 

 

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Sweet Potato Biscuits.