Carrot Pudding - An Old Canadian Recipe

For Christmas this year I was given a modern printing of a little cookbook that was originally published in 1906: "CULINARY LANDMARKS: Recipes collected by the ladies of St. James Church, Port Colborne, Ont". I have been interested in old Canadian cookbooks since I was a teenager, and I can remember inflicting some distinctly hair-raising concoctions on my long-suffering family (Apple Rice Pudding. Had apples. And rice. Um, that was it. Yes, it was bad; why do you ask?)

But I'm digressing here; what I'm getting at is that I have read an awful lot of older Canadian cookbooks, and I know all the usual inhabitants therein. This is one of them. In fact, this one shows up in the 1877 Canadian Home Cookbook, and it was still showing up in cookbooks published in the 1960's, although by then it was presented more as a historical curiosity than as something many people would want to make. CULINARY LANDMARKS had 25 pudding recipes. This was 3 of them. (The editing in CULINARY LANDMARKS was absolutely classic: there wasn't any.) The thing is though, the recipe survived that long for a reason - it's pretty darn good. It's not quite as rich and complex as a Christmas plum pudding, but it's fairly similar and some people would say that it being a little lighter is a good thing.

Here's one version of the original recipe:

"1 Cup brown sugar, 1 cup suit, chopped fine, 1 cup raw potatoes, grated, 1 cup raw carrots, grated, 1 cup raisins, 1 cup currants, 1 teaspoon soda sifted in flour, 1 teaspoon each cinnamon and cloves, flour to make a stiff batter. Steam 3 hours. "

Mrs. Wm. Hawkins

Most of the versions I've seen vary a little from each other, but this is fairly typical. Mrs Hawkins, by the way, does not mean that you should start shredding your navy pinstripe; she means that you should use the fat found around the kidneys of cattle, or as it is also known, suet.

I've made some changes, of course, and I don't just mean elaborating the instructions. The first thing I did was to ditch the suet. Good suet is hard to find, and frankly I'm not sure why you would want to. It's noticably solid at anything lower than steam-bath temperature, and I've heard some pretty astringent commentary about how it sticks to the teeth, and leaves a long-lasting tacky film on them. This is not from some namby-pamby modern eater such as myself, but from my Great-Aunt, who as someone who grew up in the large, poorish, rural household of a clergyman, was accustomed to eating what was put in front of her and liking it. She didn't care for suet though, and I can't say I blame her. A plain vegetable oil works just fine. I also add a grated apple, which is something that showed up in later versions of this pudding.

12 servings
2 hours 30 minutes - 30 minutes prep time

I made this pudding at the same time as I made Boston Brown Bread, and so my steamer was quite full. I could not get the lid on, with items on both tiers of the steamer, so I sealed it as best as I could with foil, which worked very well.

butter

1 cup Sucanat or dark brown sugar
1 cup flour (I used half buckwheat and half brown rice)
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (I used rye crackers)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup raisins

1 cup grated carrot (1 medium-large)
1 cup grated apple (1 large)
1 cup grated potato (1 medium)
1/2 cup mild vegetable oil

Butter a 6 cup pudding mold, or 3 500-ml wide mouth canning jars.

Mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Peel the carrot and grate it. Wash and grate the apple to the core. Wash and grate the potato. Add these to the dry ingredients with the oil. Let the mixture sit for 15 or 20 minutes.

Divide the mixture equally between the canning jars, or press it gently but firmly into the single mold. Cover the mold or jars with parchment paper and foil, and hold it in place with string, or the outer rings for the jars. Put the puddings into a large steamer with water coming halfway up jars. If the steamer does not have a lid, seal the top with foil.

Bring to a boil and boil for 2 hours. Check regularly and top up the water with more boiling water if it is needed. (The water level can drop, but don't let your pot boil dry - disaster!)

These kinds of puddings are often made in advance and re-heated. I find the microwave best for that; otherwise you are essentially re-steaming them for another hour to get them hot through to the middle, whereas 5 minutes in the microwave should do it, at least for the smaller ones. However, unlike traditional plum puddings, this was meant to be eaten promptly. Because of the use of fresh vegetables, it will not have the keeping qualities of plum pudding.

Serve the pudding with a pudding sauce - my favourite is hard sauce, which is basically a butter cream icing made with lots of booze - or with custard.

Chicken with Leeks and Barley - An Anglo-Saxon Recipe

I found this recipe on the internet, although it comes from The British Museum Cookbook by Michelle Berriedale-Johnson, and is adapted from a 7th century British recipe. It sounds very plain, but it is surprisingly good. The leeks, vinegar and sage combine very well. I used a good bit more barley than called for, and even so, I wouldn't say it makes 6 servings. I've made a few other tweaks as well, and I suppose I should also confess that I prefer it made with dried sage. I find fresh sage to be just too overwhelming in flavour.

4 servings
2 hours - 30 minutes prep time

3 large leeks
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
3 pounds skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces

3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups pot barley
4 cups (1 litre, or 1 quart) chicken stock
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 bay leaves
salt & pepper
1 tablespoon dried sage, or 2 to 3 tablespoons minced fresh sage

Trim the leeks, chop them, and rinse them well. Peel and mince the garlic. Cut the chicken into pieces, if it is necessary.

Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet, and sauté the leeks until soft. Add the garlic, and sauté for a minute or two more. Put them in a large pot with the barley and the chicken stock.

Heat the remaining butter in the skillet, and sauté the chicken pieces until nicely browned on each side. Put them in the pot with barley and leeks.

Add the vinegar, bay leaves, salt and pepper, and simmer, covered, until the barley is tender; about 1 hour. Stir very gently if it seems to be sticking, otherwise don't bother. Add the sage about 15 or 20 minutes before the barley is done.

Serve garnished with a little parsley, if you like and if you have some.

Haystacks - An Unbaked Cookie

Here's another popular old recipe. Once a month I need to supply a dessert for a group that meets at my house. This is what I make when I really don't have much time to make anything. It's safe to say though, that nobody feels fobbed off with something makeshift - on the contrary, people cheer when they see these.

The only real difference between this recipe for Haystacks and a lot of the other recipes out there is I use WAY less sugar - at least half and up to two-thirds less - than most of them. Which is a little scary, because these are still more like candy than cookies. I also like to add a mixture of dried fruits or nuts to them. Chopped dried apricots, dried cherries or cranberries are favourites.

24 cookies
30 minutes - 10 minutes prep time

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
3/4 cup Sucanat or dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded dessicated coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup nuts, raisins or other dried fruit, chopped (optional)

Put the butter, milk, sugar, and cocoa into a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil and boil steadily for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Stir to mix as the butter is melting, but after that an occasional brief stir will be sufficient.

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the oats, coconut, vanilla extract and nuts or raisins if desired.

Drop the mixture by spoonfuls onto a sheet of parchment or waxed paper, and let sit for 20 minutes to half an hour, until set. Keep the cookies well-sealed in a tin, for up to a week or two - if you can.

Pasta with a Creamy Mushroom, Celery & Leek Sauce

Gnocchi are what I always think should go with this sauce, but I was not up to wrestling with gnocchi, so it's plain old dried pasta again. Nobody's complaining; it's still very good stuff. For the mushrooms, I like to use a mixture of button mushrooms and fresh shiitake mushrooms, but I would think that pretty much any mixture of mushrooms would be good.

This would make an elegant pasta course in a multi-course meal. It's definitely on the rich side, so if it's not served in smaller portions as a starter, I would suggest pairing it with a light green salad. I would also suggest checking out Presto Pasta Nights at Once Upon a Feast for a ton of great pasta ideas.

4 servings
25 minutes - 15 minutes prep time

450 to 500 grams (1 pound) dried pasta

2 to 3 cups diced mixed fresh mushrooms
2 stalks of celery
1 medium leek
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme (or fresh is better if you have it)
salt & pepper

1 cup light cream
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta.

Clean the mushrooms and dice them fairly finely. Wash and trim the celery and leek, and chop them finely. Mince the parsley and grate the cheese.

This sauce is ready in about 8 minutes, so don't start cooking it until the pasta is sufficiently far along that they will be ready at the same time.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and sauté the mushrooms, celery and leeks until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir regularly. Sprinkle the vegetables with the flour, and season with the thyme and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly for another minute or two.

Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the cream, cheese and parsley. (If you like, reserve a little of the cheese and parsley for garnishing.) Stir constantly until the sauce is well mixed and thickened.

Toss with the cooked, drained pasta and serve at once.

Boston Brown Bread

Boston brown bread is the classic accompaniment to baked beans. You don't see it much anymore though. It was mostly made at home - it's easy and it doesn't keep terribly well - so unlike the beans, there is no well-known commercial version. I love the stuff: the dense, moist grainy texture, the sweetness of the molasses and raisins, with plenty of butter or cream cheese.

In spite of being called a bread, Boston brown bread is in many ways more like a pudding in the traditional meaning of the word; i.e. a boiled or steamed grain and fruit dish, formed by a mold, cloth or casings into a ball or loaf shape. I wonder if it is perhaps the very youngest member of that family; a return to old techniques of cooking when early American cooks had to adapt to a lack of good yeast and ovens and wheat flour for bread, combined with the use of the New World grain corn, and the New World leavening agent baking soda.

Although it is easy it can be a bit intimidating if you haven't made it before. Two hours of steaming requires some planning ahead and also decent ventilation. You also need to save up some tins, if you are going to make it in the traditional way. Coffee tins used to be called for, but we don't drink coffee, and does it even come in tins anymore? At any rate, tomatoes or pumpkin purée purchased in 796-ml (28 ounce) tins will give you the right sized cans for this; you will need two. I am also experimenting with cooking the bread in 500-ml wide-mouthed canning jars. In this case you will need four of them. I think you will need less time to steam them (maybe an hour and a half) but I'm not completely clear about that yet. I'll update this recipe once I know. As usual, I made mine without wheat, so instead of the traditional cup of wheat flour I used half buckwheat and half rice flour. That works fine.

Serve it with Baked Beans with Pork or with Navy Beans with Herbs and Tomatoes. It's also great for breakfast with a good, tangy cream cheese.

2 to 4 loaves - 24 slices
2 hours 30 minutes - 15 minutes prep time

This is the loaf out of the 28 ounce food tin, which gives it its customary round shape.

1/4 cup soft butter to grease tins

1/2 cup buckwheat flour
AND 1/2 cup brown rice flour
OR 1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup dark rye flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup raisins

2 1/3 cups buttermilk
2/3 cup fancy (light baking) molasses

Use the butter to generously grease the tins; either 2 28-ounce (796-ml) food tins OR 4 500-ml (2 cup) wide-mouthed canning jars. If they aren't wide-mouthed, you won't be able to get the bread out.

Put all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add the buttermilk and molasses, and mix well. Divide the mixture equally into the prepared tins or jars. Put a layer of parchment paper and aluminum foil over the top, and hold it in place with string or a large elastic band (tins) or the screw band (jars).

Put the prepared tins or jars into a steamer, with water coming half-way up the sides of the tins or jars.* Bring to a boil, and boil for 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours, until done. You can use a toothpick to test it. Check the water level regularly, and add more boiling water if needed.

The best steamer I have found is a pot set that was sold for cooking pasta, which has a large deep pot, a perferated insert of similar size, and a steamer tray that can go on top of that as well as a lid. I never use it to cook spaghetti, but it's a great steamer.





* Do not bring the water to a boil before adding the prepared tins or jars. Especially don't do that with the jars. They will likely break. Ask me how I know this, duh.

Creamed Onions

In my family, these are known as Aunt Florence's creamed onions, although at one point they were a very common winter dish, and a staple at Christmas. They seem to have fallen somewhat by the wayside in recent decades. Perhaps people are startled by the idea of treating something as plebian as the onion to a rich cream sauce. I think they are delicious, and enjoy them very much. The smaller the onions you can get, the better; but there is no need to go looking for tiny pearl onions or the like, unless you really want to. Regular cooking onions are just fine.

4 servings
40 minutes - 20 minutes prep time

8 to 16 small onions (about 500 grams, or a good pound)

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup rich milk or light cream
salt & pepper
nutmeg

Peel the onions and boil them gently until tender. They should be put in the pot so as to stand on end, and be packed in fairly tightly, and boiled quite gently. This will help to keep them whole.

Drain them into a strainer, and return the pot to the stove. Put in the butter and flour, and mix well. Slowly mix in the milk or cream to make a smooth sauce. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Return the onions to the pan and heat through, occasionally stirring very gently. I like to sprinkle over a little more nutmeg when I serve them.

Sherried Sweet Potatoes

I found this recipe in an old German cookbook, and it's been a favourite way to serve sweet potatoes since then.

4 servings
1 hour - 15 minutes prep time

4 medium sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons light cream
3 tablespoons good sherry
salt & pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the sweet potatoes until tender, 30 to 45 minutes. (The heat is a little flexible, and can be adjusted to the requirements of other dishes, from 325°F up to 400°F. Just remember to also adjust the baking time.)

When you remove the sweet potatoes from the oven, turn up the heat to 450°F. Handle the cooked sweet potatoes through an oven mitt or tea-towel; they are hot. Cut them in half, and scoop out the flesh into a small bowl. Mash it with the butter, cream and sherry. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Spoon or pipe the mixture pack into the shells and bake for 5 minutes at 450°F.

Smoked Trout & Rutabaga Chowder

Here's a very quick and simple soup with rich simmered-all-day flavour. I used my smoked splake (which is a form of trout) from The 100-Mile Market and it was fine - very good in fact - but I do think smoked salmon trout is better for this if you can find it.

6 servings
45 minutes - 15 minutes prep time

450 grams (1 pound) smoked trout, preferably salmon trout
1 litre (4 cups) water
1 bay leaf

2 cups diced rutabaga
2 cups cooking water

1 large leek
2 stalks of celery
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
salt & pepper
sour cream

Put the fish in a soup pot with the litre of water and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, until the fish has softened. Remove it from the stock, allow it to cool enough to handle, then remove the skin. Break the fish up into flakes, removing any bones, and return the flaked fish to the broth.

Meanwhile, peel and chop the rutabaga, and cook it until tender in water to cover. Mash the rutabaga coarsely and add it to the fish with 2 cups of the rutabaga cooking water.

Clean and chop the leek and celery, and sauté them in the butter. Sprinkle the flour over them, and season with salt and pepper. When the vegetables are soft and translucent, and the flour starting to brown, ladle a little of the soup over them. Mix well and bring up to a simmer. Scrape the bottom of the pan well, then add the contents of the skillet to the soup. Season with salt and pepper. Allow the soup to simmer for a few minutes for the flavours to blend, or the soup can be cooled and re-heated just prior to serving. Actually, like a lot of soups, I think this is better re-heated.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

The 100-Mile Market in Meaford

I found myself in Meaford on Saturday, and I took the opportunity to visit The 100-Mile Market at 55 Trowbridge Street West. This is a store run by the owners of Stoneyfield Farm, as a means to keep selling their products in the winter when the Meaford Farmers' Market isn't running, as well as farm products from other farms and small producers in the area. They can be reached at 519-538-5096. Their hours are Thursdays and Saturdays 9:00 am to 6:00 pm; Fridays from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm.

The building is a handsome old one with a green mansard roof, just a block south-west of Sykes Street (Highway 26.)

Okay, lets go in. That's my Mom. "Hi Mom!"

The store occupies about 1/3 of the main floor of the building, and still maintains a slight air of the old-fashioned front and back parlours.

In addition to local food, they carry a few cards and other artwork. Like me, they are prepared to make room for some imported stuff providing it's really good... here's a sweet display of maple syrup and some very nice looking chocolates.

They had some lovely looking breads as well as a fair selection of flours and puffed grains from Grass Roots Organics, a mill in Desboro.

There was a wide range of frozen and refrigerated meats, including their own elk, chicken, and a line of locally-produced frozen prepared meals. There was also a good selection of dairy products including ice-cream, yogurt, cheeses and eggs.

And a decent selection of vegetables, considering the time of year.

A steady stream of customers came in and out while we were there, and at one point it was positively standing room only.

Besides succumbing to the chocolate, they had fair-trade coffee, which was locally roasted. Also a large selection of jams and other preserves.

A few funny-looking veggies (but believe me, I've seen funnier) free to a good home.

Our loot. I got frozen plain splake, and smoked splake. I can still hardly believe they had celery, even though I promptly snatched it up with my own hot little hands. Some more prosaic carrots, onions and cabbage, as well as eggs, elk pepperettes (which were delicious,) popcorn and Red Fife wheat flour.

Cinnamon Cocoa Applesauce Cake

What the hell am I doing making cake? I'm supposed to be on a diet. Mind you; I could do a lot worse. This does not have a terrible amount of fat and less sugar than a lot of cakes. It's still all good cakey eating, though. When I used to make cakes more often, I frequently used soft whole wheat flour, and always found it worked just fine.

Cinnamon with chocolate is a particularly popular combination in Mexican desserts.

12 servings
1 hour 10 minutes - 20 minutes prep time

2 1/2 cup soft wheat (pastry) flour
1/2 cup cocoa
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup mild vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
2 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce (purée)
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 9" round cake pans with parchment paper, and oil them well.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, soda, cinnamon and salt.

In a larger mixing bowl, mix the oil and sugar. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla extract. Mix in the applesauce.

Mix in half of the flour mixture, then half of the buttermilk. Mix in the remaining flour, and then the remaining buttermilk.

Divide the batter evenly between the 2 cake pans, and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle test clean.

Let the cakes cool for 10 minutes in the pans, then remove them to cool completely.

Ice with Seven-Minute Frosting or other icing.

Seven Minute Frosting

This is an old-fashioned frosting, with a fluffy marshmallow texture, that is has stayed popular for a long time. It uses less sugar than most icing recipes (and no fat!), but it still seems extremely sweet because there is so little else in it besides sugar. It is fairly flexible about flavouring; you can replace some or all of the white sugar with brown sugar or Sucanat for a caramel flavour; or use lemon or orange extract with lemon or orange juice in place of the water. Mint extract would work, and probably coffee would work as a flavouring as well. I'm told that you can fold in an ounce of chocolate, melted, once the frosting comes off the stove, for chocolate frosting, but I have never tried that.

This single egg-white recipe makes just enough to frost the top and middle of a 9" 2-layer cake. If you want to frost the sides as well, you should double the recipe. I find it so sweet that in most cases the single recipe will be plenty, if a little less glamorous, and of course if you are only making a single layer it will be enough.

Don't frost the cake too long before serving it if you can help it. I noticed that the middle layer of frosting got absorbed into the cake after it sat for a day.

3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
a pinch of salt
3 tablespoons cold water
1 extra-large egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla or other flavouring extract

Combine all the ingredients except the vanilla in the top of a double boiler (or in a metal bowl that will be supported by the rim of a pot without touching the water in it.)

Bring the pot of water to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Put the top of the double boiler, or the metal bowl, over the pot and begin beating the contents with an electric mixer. Continue to beat for 5 to 7 minutes, until the frosting is stiff enough to stand in peaks. Have a spatula standing by, and scrape down the sides occasionally.

Remove the frosting from the heat, and beat in the vanilla or other flavouring extract. Continue to beat the frosting for a minute or two. Let the frosting cool somewhat before icing the cake. This icing is best put on the cake just before it is served, and can be kept chilled in a covered container for up to 24 hours, although it may become ever so slightly sandy in texture if kept that long. It should be at room-temperature in order to spread.

This recipe may be doubled; but you should also increase your pan size; not just in depth but also in width in order to ensure that the mixture cooks evenly. It is possible that it may take a minute or two longer to be done.

This photo shows an improvised double boiler. There should be room for an inch or so of water in the bottom of the pot, and the water should not touch the metal bowl. The bowl does need to be metal; other materials will respond too slowly to changes in temperature.

Cheesy Lentil Loaf

Well, dang. Just when I wanted it to particularly cooperate as it come out of the pan, my lentil loaf split in half. Did it know I was taking a picture? I think I could have baked it a few minutes longer, and also I did not let it rest in the pan very long. However, I patched it up and it tasted just fine.

This tends to be a more popular lentil loaf than this one; mainly because everyone loves the cheeeeeeese! (Me too, even though I really like the other lentil loaf.) Even non-vegetarians like this one. To really win friends and influence people, you could up the cheese to 2 cups, although I think it's fine as-is.

4 to 6 servings
1 hour 30 minutes - 30 minutes prep time - but not counting the time to cook the lentils

1 cup green or brown lentils
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 medium onion
1-2 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 cup rolled oats or bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups grated old cheddar cheese or other firm cheese
1 extra-large egg
1 cup tomato sauce or ketchup
1 teaspoon rubbed basil
2 teaspoons rubbed savory
1/2 teaspoon rubbed thyme
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
1/2 teaspoon celery seed, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt

Put the lentils in your rice cooker with the water and salt, and cook until done. I like to do this the night or morning before I want to finish the loaf, just to break the job up a little. Also, if you plan to make this after being out all day, it's good to have this step done ahead of time. Using the rice cooker means they don't have to be watched, but you could also cook them on the stove if you need to.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Peel and chop the onion. Peel and mince the garlic. Heat the oil in a skillet, and cook the onion until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two more.

Coarsely mash the lentils and mix in the onion and garlic, the oats, the cheese and the egg. Mix in the tomato sauce or ketchup (I tend to use a mix of whatever tomato-y products are hanging around in the fridge) and the spices. I like to let the mixture sit for about 10 minutes at this point as I use old-fashioned rolled oats, and they need a bit of time to soak up some of the liquid.

Press the mixture into an oiled or non-stick loaf pan. Brush the top with a little more ketchup if you like. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the edges of the loaf are nicely browned. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges, then unmold onto a serving dish. It tends to look a bit plain by itself, so serve it garnished with whatever vegetable you are having with your lentil loaf.