Hello, everybody.
I've been thinking - for years, really - about writing a cookbook, and I've finally decided it's time to take the plunge. I figure I've got about two-thirds of one here already, but I need some help. From you, perhaps.
If you are interested in testing recipes and generally giving me some feed-back about what I am doing, it would be greatly appreciated. Here's the deal: if you test 20 (or more if you like, I wouldn't mind) recipes for me, I will send you a copy of the cookbook once such a thing comes into existance. Assuming it does come into existance of course; if it ends up not happening somehow I will send you some other small token of my esteem and gratitude. But I don't see why it shouldn't happen, even if I have to publish it myself.
If you are interested in assisting me with this project, please email me at ferdzy2 (at) yahoo (dot) com.
My thought (at the moment) is that I will take a year to test recipes and finish writing the cookbook; that is, starting now with the earliest spring vegetables and working through all the seasons as, of course, the cookbook would be arranged with considerable references to the seasons.
If you are interested, get in touch and within about a week (I hope) I will reply to you with more information about what I am looking for in the way of help.
I'm excited about this and look forward to hearing from... maybe you!
UPDATE: I'm going to stop taking offers to test recipes at this point (1:00 pm May 4th) as I have had 21 volunteers already! Thanks for your interest everyone, and wow, can I stop using the word "exciting" yet? No, I don't think I can. This is exciting. Definitely.
Monday, 3 May 2010
Saturday, 1 May 2010
Poached Eggs in the Oven
I first read about this technique for poaching eggs in the oven, in a muffin tin about a month ago at Well Preserved, and was very excited to try it. I love a good poached egg but I have never managed to cook them so that they stayed more-or-less together, try though I might. Now I can get them to not just hold together but turn out in a neat circle. Ha!
Poached eggs are an excellent light lunch or supper on top of steamed seasonal vegetables - spinach and asparagus come to mind at the moment - and a slice of buttered toast underneath wouldn't go amiss. They will also now fit very nicely on top of an English muffin.
however many eggs you would like
15 minutes - 5 minutes prep time
eggs
boiling water
Lightly butter or oil a muffin cup for each egg to be cooked. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Boil some water; I think it's best to do it in a pot rather than in a kettle so that you can ladle it on and disturb the eggs as little as possible.
When the water boils, put a couple tablespoons worth into each prepared muffin cup. Break an egg into each prepared muffin cup, and top with another ladleful of boiling water.
Put the muffin pan in the oven and bake (poach) the eggs for 7 to 11 minutes, depending on how firm you would like them to be, with 7 minutes producing a quite soft egg and 11 minutes producing a solid egg.
Lift them out of the muffin cups with a slotted spoon, allowing them to drain, and proceed on your eggy way.
Last year at this time I made Fasta Pasta Salad.
Poached eggs are an excellent light lunch or supper on top of steamed seasonal vegetables - spinach and asparagus come to mind at the moment - and a slice of buttered toast underneath wouldn't go amiss. They will also now fit very nicely on top of an English muffin.
however many eggs you would like
15 minutes - 5 minutes prep time
eggs
boiling water
Lightly butter or oil a muffin cup for each egg to be cooked. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Boil some water; I think it's best to do it in a pot rather than in a kettle so that you can ladle it on and disturb the eggs as little as possible.
When the water boils, put a couple tablespoons worth into each prepared muffin cup. Break an egg into each prepared muffin cup, and top with another ladleful of boiling water.
Put the muffin pan in the oven and bake (poach) the eggs for 7 to 11 minutes, depending on how firm you would like them to be, with 7 minutes producing a quite soft egg and 11 minutes producing a solid egg.
Lift them out of the muffin cups with a slotted spoon, allowing them to drain, and proceed on your eggy way.
Last year at this time I made Fasta Pasta Salad.
Thursday, 29 April 2010
Liver & Tomato Casserole, Possibly with Mushrooms & Bacon
Liver: some people love it, and some people loathe it. I admit to liking it quite a lot. I was brought up in the days when people were encouraged to eat it once a week. We didn't eat it that often in our family, but it did show up pretty regularly. Once my parents got divorced, the liver fault-lines started to show though: Mom (and myself, and my brother) was (were) a liver-lover, and Dad - wasn't. Once, while shopping with Dad, it occurred to me that we hadn't had any in a long while. "Dad!" I asked, as we passed through the meat department, "Can we have liver?"
"NO!" said Dad. "I hate liver. NO LIVER!" (Really? News to me. He'd always eaten it when served it before.)
"Pleeeease?" I begged, and my younger brother, then about six years old, chimed in from his spot in the cart, "Yes! Let's have liver!"
"Oh, all right" grumbled Dad, after we begged some more. "You kids can have liver. But get me a pork chop, because I'm not eating it."
I always remember this incident because as I gleefully grabbed a packet of liver from the cooler, I saw the face of a woman who had overheard this exchange. She was absolutely flabbergasted, to say the least. I think her mouth was actually hanging open. At that point it occurred to me that this hadn't been a typical parent-child exchange.
Anyway, you may notice that this is the first liver recipe I have posted, because as it turns out Mr. Ferdzy has at least one thing in common with Dad. However, when you buy a whole lamb it does come with the liver. If you think you might like liver, but aren't sure, this is a good recipe to start with. The trouble with liver, I think, is that raw liver is plainly rather icky, but too many people think that it should therefore be cooked to death. Nasty, dried out old shoeleather it then becomes. By casseroling it, it can be well-cooked if you like without it becoming tough or dried out. You can also cook it so that it's still a bit pink in the middle, which is the prefered level of doneness for most liver lovers.
There are an awful lot of "optional" choices in this recipe, but it is a casserole and casseroles tend to be like that. It's good with the mushrooms and bacon but there's nothing wrong with it if you have only one or neither of those, which I didn't. I just used an extra onion to make up for the lack. If you like lamb, and you like liver, then lambs liver is THE liver, but calves liver is fine too. I admit to finding pork liver just too intense.
To me this is a spring or late summer dish; it's great with firm but ripe field tomatoes but the greenhouse ones are fine too. I got some nice greenhouse tomatoes in three colours last week, and I tried to arrange them so the colours could be seen. It worked reasonably well; better than my onions staying in slices. Since they fell apart I just put some of them on the top and some on the bottom.
4 servings
45 minutes - 20 minutes prep time
500 grams (1 pound) lamb or calves liver
1 cup flour, about
1 large onion, or 2 if no mushrooms or bacon are used
2 or 3 medium tomatoes (greenhouse are fine)
a handful of button mushrooms (optional)
OR 1 or 2 portobello mushrooms
3 or 4 slices of bacon, or up to 100 grams/1/4 pound (optional)
OR 2-3 tablespoons bacon fat or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup beef or lamb broth; use part wine if desired
Cut the liver into about 8 similar-sized pieces, discarding any tough veins or membrane. Dredge it in the flour, and set it aside; discarding any excess flour.
Peel and slice the onion (or onions) and set them aside. Wash, core and slice the tomatoes. Clean and slice the mushrooms, if you are using them.
Preheat the ovent to 375°F.
Next, fry the bacon briefly in a medium skillet until softened but not crisp. Remove it and set it aside. Fry the onions slices, taking care to keep them as whole as possible. (You will notice I didn't have much success with that, but still.) Remove them and set them aside. Finally, fry the liver pieces quickly on each side, just to brown them. You may need to a add a little more oil or bacon fat if it has all been soaked up by that point.
Now it is time to arrange all the ingredients in what should be a somewhat snug baking dish. Arrange the onion slices, tomato slices, mushrooms if using, and liver in overlapping layers in it. Lay your slices of bacon over top, if you are using them.
Put the sage and mustard, and a bit of salt and pepper into the skillet, then use the broth or broth and wine combination to deglaze the pan. Cook and stir, scraping up any brown bits, until the broth is reduced about in half, then pour it over the liver and vegetables.
Bake the casserole for 20 to 30 minutes at 375°F. until the tomatoes are soft and the liver is done to your liking; as noted, there should still be some pink at 20 minutes but it will be well done at 30 minutes. Serve with rice or potatoes to soak up the juices. Yum, I tell you; yum.
Last year at this time I made Blue Cheese & Apple Cole Slaw.
"NO!" said Dad. "I hate liver. NO LIVER!" (Really? News to me. He'd always eaten it when served it before.)
"Pleeeease?" I begged, and my younger brother, then about six years old, chimed in from his spot in the cart, "Yes! Let's have liver!"
"Oh, all right" grumbled Dad, after we begged some more. "You kids can have liver. But get me a pork chop, because I'm not eating it."
I always remember this incident because as I gleefully grabbed a packet of liver from the cooler, I saw the face of a woman who had overheard this exchange. She was absolutely flabbergasted, to say the least. I think her mouth was actually hanging open. At that point it occurred to me that this hadn't been a typical parent-child exchange.
Anyway, you may notice that this is the first liver recipe I have posted, because as it turns out Mr. Ferdzy has at least one thing in common with Dad. However, when you buy a whole lamb it does come with the liver. If you think you might like liver, but aren't sure, this is a good recipe to start with. The trouble with liver, I think, is that raw liver is plainly rather icky, but too many people think that it should therefore be cooked to death. Nasty, dried out old shoeleather it then becomes. By casseroling it, it can be well-cooked if you like without it becoming tough or dried out. You can also cook it so that it's still a bit pink in the middle, which is the prefered level of doneness for most liver lovers.
There are an awful lot of "optional" choices in this recipe, but it is a casserole and casseroles tend to be like that. It's good with the mushrooms and bacon but there's nothing wrong with it if you have only one or neither of those, which I didn't. I just used an extra onion to make up for the lack. If you like lamb, and you like liver, then lambs liver is THE liver, but calves liver is fine too. I admit to finding pork liver just too intense.
To me this is a spring or late summer dish; it's great with firm but ripe field tomatoes but the greenhouse ones are fine too. I got some nice greenhouse tomatoes in three colours last week, and I tried to arrange them so the colours could be seen. It worked reasonably well; better than my onions staying in slices. Since they fell apart I just put some of them on the top and some on the bottom.
4 servings
45 minutes - 20 minutes prep time
500 grams (1 pound) lamb or calves liver
1 cup flour, about
1 large onion, or 2 if no mushrooms or bacon are used
2 or 3 medium tomatoes (greenhouse are fine)
a handful of button mushrooms (optional)
OR 1 or 2 portobello mushrooms
3 or 4 slices of bacon, or up to 100 grams/1/4 pound (optional)
OR 2-3 tablespoons bacon fat or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup beef or lamb broth; use part wine if desired
Cut the liver into about 8 similar-sized pieces, discarding any tough veins or membrane. Dredge it in the flour, and set it aside; discarding any excess flour.
Peel and slice the onion (or onions) and set them aside. Wash, core and slice the tomatoes. Clean and slice the mushrooms, if you are using them.
Preheat the ovent to 375°F.
Next, fry the bacon briefly in a medium skillet until softened but not crisp. Remove it and set it aside. Fry the onions slices, taking care to keep them as whole as possible. (You will notice I didn't have much success with that, but still.) Remove them and set them aside. Finally, fry the liver pieces quickly on each side, just to brown them. You may need to a add a little more oil or bacon fat if it has all been soaked up by that point.
Now it is time to arrange all the ingredients in what should be a somewhat snug baking dish. Arrange the onion slices, tomato slices, mushrooms if using, and liver in overlapping layers in it. Lay your slices of bacon over top, if you are using them.
Put the sage and mustard, and a bit of salt and pepper into the skillet, then use the broth or broth and wine combination to deglaze the pan. Cook and stir, scraping up any brown bits, until the broth is reduced about in half, then pour it over the liver and vegetables.
Bake the casserole for 20 to 30 minutes at 375°F. until the tomatoes are soft and the liver is done to your liking; as noted, there should still be some pink at 20 minutes but it will be well done at 30 minutes. Serve with rice or potatoes to soak up the juices. Yum, I tell you; yum.
Last year at this time I made Blue Cheese & Apple Cole Slaw.
Wednesday, 28 April 2010
Scrambled Eggs with Ramps & Mushrooms
Known in this household as sc"ramp"led eggs. Yeah, I just can't help myself sometimes. This was another nice, simple dish to make with those deelicious ramps. You can leave out the mushrooms if you like, but I can't see why you would like. People can be strange though, I know.
2 or 3 servings
15 minutes prep time
1 bunch (16 to 18) ramps or wild leeks
6 to 8 button mushrooms (optional)
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons water
salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Wash the ramps, and cut the thick stems from the dark green leaves. Chop the stems fairly finely. Clean and slice the mushrooms.
Beat the eggs with the water and salt and pepper to taste. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and sauté the mushrooms until they begin to soften and brown. Add the chopped ramp stems and continue sautéing until the mushrooms are nicely browned and the ramps are softened and lightly browned. While these cook, coarsely chop the greens from the ramps - just lay them in their original bunch on the board, and cut them across in inch-long pieces.
Add the ramp greens to the pan and sauté until they soften and turn limp. Turn down the heat to medium and add the eggs. Cook, stirring regularly and gently, until the eggs are mostly set, or otherwise done to your liking. Serve at once.
Last year at this time I made Pasta Salad with Marinated Vegetables and Maple Custard.
2 or 3 servings
15 minutes prep time
1 bunch (16 to 18) ramps or wild leeks
6 to 8 button mushrooms (optional)
6 large eggs
2 tablespoons water
salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Wash the ramps, and cut the thick stems from the dark green leaves. Chop the stems fairly finely. Clean and slice the mushrooms.
Beat the eggs with the water and salt and pepper to taste. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and sauté the mushrooms until they begin to soften and brown. Add the chopped ramp stems and continue sautéing until the mushrooms are nicely browned and the ramps are softened and lightly browned. While these cook, coarsely chop the greens from the ramps - just lay them in their original bunch on the board, and cut them across in inch-long pieces.
Add the ramp greens to the pan and sauté until they soften and turn limp. Turn down the heat to medium and add the eggs. Cook, stirring regularly and gently, until the eggs are mostly set, or otherwise done to your liking. Serve at once.
Last year at this time I made Pasta Salad with Marinated Vegetables and Maple Custard.
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
Monforte Hootenanny
On Sunday we drove down to Stratford for a significant milestone in the progress of Monforte Dairy. This was the long-awaited hootenanny to celebrate the completion of the factory and the recommencement of cheesemaking. As you can see, the celebration is still a little in advance of events. But only a little. May 17th is the day they plan to start receiving milk, and it looks like they will make it.
Ruth Klahsen (and others) gave guided tours of the facility in the early afternoon. Right now, it's a warren of blank, white rooms but notes on the walls and Ruth's excited descriptions of what will be happening there brought it all to life.
Ruth explained a lot about many of the details of construction. For example the slopes of the floors had to be very precise, and different in different rooms, as well as being sealed with different sealers, depending on what was to happen in each. She mentioned several times that the drains alone were $2000 each, which didn't impress me too much at the time but it has since occurred to me that our cheese share paid for exactly half a drain, and presumably not the installation of it.
The metal-clad, foam walls that divided the old open warehouse space into a cheese-making space where the milk flows from room to room in a very precise and controlled manner were manufactured in Quebec and assembled on site "like Legos".
Pinned up plans showed the future use of the building; essentially, raw milk comes in one side of the back, swirls through the building from room to room, and exits the other side of the back as the finished cheese, etc. There are separate rooms for blue mold cheeses to cure, for white mold cheese, and for non-mold cheeses, as well as a little smoke room.
Sanitation is a huge issue in a cheese factory, and so there is considerable space allowed for workers to wash and change - things that must be done every time they go on or off the factory floor, or even between some of the rooms. It's just as well the factory wasn't up and running for the hootenanny, or no-one could have gone in.
Equipment is starting to arrive; some new, ordered from the U.S. (no-one makes such small cheese vats in Canada) and some used, thanks to the sad demise of the Forfar Dairy.
This front room will be a small shop selling Monforte products - naturally - as well as a variety of other local foods. Ruth is even hoping to have a small market outside on Sundays.
See those cameras up near the ceiling? You'll be able to watch the cheese being made on-line! How cool is that?
Old cheddar hoops from the Forfar Dairy, along with other equipment waits to be set up, arranged and put back to work.
Once the factory tours were over everyone headed over to the Festival Theatre lobby for a party.
A hobbit-worthy feast of good food and wine waited at the Festival Theatre. One side of the room had a long table bearing roast pork with an assortment of salads, pickles and breads. The other side of the room had a long table with roast lamb, with an assorment of salads and sauces.
The line-ups rapidly became quite long, but service was brisk and we never waited too long for our goodies.
A number of Toronto restaurants supplied the food, chefs and servers...
... and they put on a great spread.
There were, I think, five different wine-makers on hand with Ontario wine to wash down our meals.
This photo almost makes the place not look jammed to the rafters... which it was. Ruth mentioned the figure of 800 people... it would not surprise me at all.
Here's the lamb, rather late in the proceedings and looking well picked over. With good reason; it was fabulous lamb.
For dessert there was one more table of food, including the few remaining hard Monforte cheeses, "Buff-a-latto" ice cream, made from water buffalo and sheep's milk for Monforte by Mapletons.
And these beautiful (and delicious) little panna-cottas to finish up. I have to say, I feel like we've gotten good value for our CSA share already, and I have yet to exchange a voucher. I hope to head down to Stratford again in mid-summer and start raking in the cheesey dividends. I'm really looking forward to it!
Monday, 26 April 2010
Chive & Cheddar Gougeres
Gougeres are a traditional French recipe, and very popular as an appetizer, or to accompany soup or salad. Why not; they are basically cheese-flavoured cream puffs and there is nothing to not like about that. Delicious with a good quality strong Cheddar and a hit of fresh garden chives. This recipe could easily be doubled.
16 to 24 gougeres
40 minutes - 20 minutes prep time
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup white wheat or 2/3 cup white spelt flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
2 extra-large eggs
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup finely grated old Cheddar cheese
plus 2 tablespoons finely grated old Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons finely minced fresh chives
Put the water and butter in a pot, and measure and set out the remaining ingredients. The salt and paprika should be mixed into the flour. The cheese should be grated. Preheat the oven to 400°F, and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Bring the water and butter to a boil, then dump in the flour mixture. Stir like crazy with a wooden spoon until the mass loses all its lumpiness and forms a ball that pulls away from the sides of the pan. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes.
Beat in the eggs thoroughly, one at a time. They will start off as a bit of a sloppy mess, but after diligent stirring the texture will change back to a smooth soft dough. Mix in the Parmesan and 2/3 cup of Cheddar cheese. Mix in the chives.
Scoop out the dough with a disher or tablespoon, spacing the dough well apart on the prepared baking tray. Sprinkle the last bit of cheese over the tops and bake them for 20 to 24 minutes, until puffed, firm and lightly browned. Serve at once, or allow them to cool before serving.
Last year at this time I made Dragons Breath Devilled Eggs.
16 to 24 gougeres
40 minutes - 20 minutes prep time
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup white wheat or 2/3 cup white spelt flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
2 extra-large eggs
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2/3 cup finely grated old Cheddar cheese
plus 2 tablespoons finely grated old Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons finely minced fresh chives
Put the water and butter in a pot, and measure and set out the remaining ingredients. The salt and paprika should be mixed into the flour. The cheese should be grated. Preheat the oven to 400°F, and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Bring the water and butter to a boil, then dump in the flour mixture. Stir like crazy with a wooden spoon until the mass loses all its lumpiness and forms a ball that pulls away from the sides of the pan. Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool for about 5 minutes.
Beat in the eggs thoroughly, one at a time. They will start off as a bit of a sloppy mess, but after diligent stirring the texture will change back to a smooth soft dough. Mix in the Parmesan and 2/3 cup of Cheddar cheese. Mix in the chives.
Scoop out the dough with a disher or tablespoon, spacing the dough well apart on the prepared baking tray. Sprinkle the last bit of cheese over the tops and bake them for 20 to 24 minutes, until puffed, firm and lightly browned. Serve at once, or allow them to cool before serving.
Last year at this time I made Dragons Breath Devilled Eggs.
Friday, 23 April 2010
Monforte Reminder
The clock is ticking to get a fabulous deal on Monforte cheese. You have today - April 23 - and tomorrow - April 24 - to sign up for a CSA share. That will provide you vouchers for cheese over 5 years. For every $1 you pay now, you get $1.50 worth of vouchers. It's a deal! More about it here, and here.
Sweet Pink Onions
I wandered into my local Valu-Mart a couple weeks ago, and my eye was caught by something I had never seen before: sweet pink onions, "grown from French seeds", according to the label.
As you can see, they don't look so very pink at first glace; not a bubble-gum pink for instance, and definitely not shocking pink. They do have a definite rosy cast to them though, and they look a bit pinker once cut in half. They are indeed quite sweet, with a strong aroma somewhat reminiscent of shallots. I cut one in half, lifted it up to my nose and sniffed deeply. My eyes stung just a tad, but there were no tears. You couldn't do that with your average storage onion!
That's what particularly amazes me about these onions. Most sweet onions don't store well. The famous (at least in North America) sweet onions are Vidalia and Walla-Walla, which are short-day onions and so have never grown well in Ontario. Yet here it is - April - and I am buying stored, sweet, Ontario-grown onions.
How is such a thing possible? Where did these onions come from?
The first clue was that, according to the label, they were "grown from French seeds". A little digging showed me that there is a well-known pink onion from Brittany, France: the rosé de Roscoff. This onion has a fascinating history; it has been grown in Roscoff for at least 200 years, and was taken by small boats to England where it was sold door-to-door by "Onion Johnnies". That tradition has almost died out, but the onion lives on, and now has an appellation d'origine contrôlée. In other words, if it isn't grown in Roscoff, you can't call it a rosé de Roscoff, even if you are growing it from French seeds. It's a popular and well-esteemed gourmet onion throughout most of northwestern europe, used by all the best chefs and restaurants.
In search of more information, I phoned up Frank Schroyens, the farmer who grows the sweet pink onions in Staffordville, just south of Tilsonburg. He did not mention Roscoff, but he did say that they are grown from seeds of onions grown in only one village in France. He also says they are the best onions in the world and presumably he is a man who, as they say, knows his onions. He also says he is the only one in North America growing and selling them.
Frank has been growing and marketing these sweet pink onions for 2 or 3 years now. At first, he tried selling them for a higher price than regular onions, as the seed is both very expensive and hard to get, but they did not sell well. So off to market they go at the same price as other onions. Now they are becoming known, and he can hardly keep up with the demand. It's a bit sad that now I have discovered them, they are probably going to be in short supply next year as he cannot get enough seed this year. However, he assured me that he should have plenty of seed the next year. They do like a light, sandy soil, and they grow well for him in his ex-tobacco farmland.
I was toying with the idea of planting some of these onions and saving the seed, but Franks says that doesn't work. The resulting offspring are of a different shape, and not as sweet. Pity.
Frank says they are harvested in September, and keep into May. They get stronger in flavour as they sit in storage. Indeed, that was one of the things that struck me about these onions: they have a very robust flavour for a sweet onion, yet they really are sweet and almost tearless. They cook beautifully, although I have noted that I must keep the temperature a bit more moderated than with other onions, because they contain so much sugar they will scorch more readily than less sweet onions.
I discovered, in talking to Frank, that I have been eating his shallots for several years. He sells them through the Loblaws chains and to Costco, and they comprise 95% of his business. I think he's the king of Ontario shallots, but plainly he is not content to rest on those particular laurels.
Frank particularly recommends the sweet pink onions for soup. His wife makes a soup of pink onions, leeks, celery and potatoes cooked together then puréed and finished with a touch of cream. I'll be trying that a little later this week, I think. I've got a few leeks left in the garden from last year.
And finally, keep your eyes out for something called eschallions, which Frank is growing this year. Apparently these are known in England as Banana Shallots, and they are a longer, larger, milder form of shallot.
Thursday, 22 April 2010
Spinach Salad with Marinated Onion & Mushrooms
Spinach from our garden! How do we have it so soon? We planted it last fall, that's how. It overwintered beautifully in our coldframes, and some we left exposed in open ground survived as well and is now recovered and grown enough to pick.
With a bit of luck you will start to see some spinach for sale out there that has been grown in hoop houses, and it won't be too long before spinach grown in the open is available as well. The asian flavours are not the usual mushroom marinade, but they make a nice change from the usual, and go well with the onions. The onions were an exciting find this month, and I'll tell you more about them tomorrow. But seriously; get out there and look for "pink onions"! You won't be sorry.
4 side servings
2o minutes prep time - plus 2 to 24 hours marinating time
Marinate the Onion:
1 medium pink onion (or other mild sweet onion)
1 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Peel the onion, and cut it in half from top to bottom. Cut each half into thin horizontal slices, and cut them in half across. Put the onion pieces into a non-reactive container and add the vinegar, sugar and salt. Cover and marinate for 2 to 24 hours. (In the fridge if it's for more than a couple of hours.)
This will make considerably more onion than required for this salad, but it will keep in the fridge for up to a week, and can be used in a number of other applications; try it on sandwiches, burgers, eggs, etc.
Marinate the Mushrooms:
125 grams (1/4 pound) button mushrooms
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
Clean and slice the mushrooms, and put them in a non-reactive container. Add the remaining ingredients, and stir gently but well. Cover an marinate for 2 to 24 hours, again putting the mushrooms in the fridge if the marinating time will be more than several hours.
Make the Salad:
4 to 5 cups tender young spinach, or mixed spinach and lettuce
Wash, drain and tear up the spinach (and lettuce) leaves, and arrange them on serving plates or in a salad bowl.
Lift the mushrooms out of their marinade with a slotted spoon and arrange them over the spinach. Lift a couple of tablespoons of the marinated onions from their marinade and arrange them over the salad. Drizzle as much of the mushroom marinade over the salad as you would like for a dressing. Serve at once.
With a bit of luck you will start to see some spinach for sale out there that has been grown in hoop houses, and it won't be too long before spinach grown in the open is available as well. The asian flavours are not the usual mushroom marinade, but they make a nice change from the usual, and go well with the onions. The onions were an exciting find this month, and I'll tell you more about them tomorrow. But seriously; get out there and look for "pink onions"! You won't be sorry.
4 side servings
2o minutes prep time - plus 2 to 24 hours marinating time
Marinate the Onion:
1 medium pink onion (or other mild sweet onion)
1 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Peel the onion, and cut it in half from top to bottom. Cut each half into thin horizontal slices, and cut them in half across. Put the onion pieces into a non-reactive container and add the vinegar, sugar and salt. Cover and marinate for 2 to 24 hours. (In the fridge if it's for more than a couple of hours.)
This will make considerably more onion than required for this salad, but it will keep in the fridge for up to a week, and can be used in a number of other applications; try it on sandwiches, burgers, eggs, etc.
Marinate the Mushrooms:
125 grams (1/4 pound) button mushrooms
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
Clean and slice the mushrooms, and put them in a non-reactive container. Add the remaining ingredients, and stir gently but well. Cover an marinate for 2 to 24 hours, again putting the mushrooms in the fridge if the marinating time will be more than several hours.
Make the Salad:
4 to 5 cups tender young spinach, or mixed spinach and lettuce
Wash, drain and tear up the spinach (and lettuce) leaves, and arrange them on serving plates or in a salad bowl.
Lift the mushrooms out of their marinade with a slotted spoon and arrange them over the spinach. Lift a couple of tablespoons of the marinated onions from their marinade and arrange them over the salad. Drizzle as much of the mushroom marinade over the salad as you would like for a dressing. Serve at once.
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Cinnamon Sour Cream Coffee Cake
This is a recipe I have had for a long, long time. I got it from a woman in the Toronto Monthly (Quaker) Meeting back in the 70's, after she brought it to a pot-luck. It was a very popular cake for a while in the late '70's and early '80's, and then it seemed to fade from the scene*. I, however, have always been loyal to it and still regard it as one of my favourite cakes.
Not that I make it often; there's no question but that it's thoroughly rich. For a while I tried making a version with reduced butter and yogurt instead of sour cream, and it was okay; I mean, it was a cake, and cake is good. But I have decided that if you are going to have cake at all, it might as well be the best cake, and have gone back to the original version.
The original recipe called for a bundt pan, which thing I have never owned. A springform pan works just fine.
8 servings
1 hour 20 minutes - 20 minutes prep time
Make the Cinnamon Streusel:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup Sucanat, or very dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Mix the flours, Sucanat and cinnamon into the melted butter, until completely blended and the mixture forms crumbs. Set aside.
Make the Cake:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
2 cups soft unbleached wheat flour (I used spelt)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Butter a bundt pan, or line the bottom of a 9" springform pan with parchment paper, and butter the sides. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl with the sugar, until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract and the sour cream.
Measure the flour and mix in the baking powder, salt and soda. Sift half of the flour into the wet ingredients, and fold the flour gently into them until evenly blended. Repeat with the remaining flour.
Spoon half of the batter into the prepared baking pan, and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the streusel as evenly as you can over the batter, and cover it as evenly as possible with the remaining batter.
Bake the cake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
*By fade from the scene, I mean it was no longer as popular amongst home bakers, and fancy restaurants weren't serving it, but now there are industrially produced imitations that are ubiquitous in grocery stores. They're such feeble imitations that I barely recognize that they're supposed to be the same thing.
Not that I make it often; there's no question but that it's thoroughly rich. For a while I tried making a version with reduced butter and yogurt instead of sour cream, and it was okay; I mean, it was a cake, and cake is good. But I have decided that if you are going to have cake at all, it might as well be the best cake, and have gone back to the original version.
The original recipe called for a bundt pan, which thing I have never owned. A springform pan works just fine.
8 servings
1 hour 20 minutes - 20 minutes prep time
Make the Cinnamon Streusel:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup Sucanat, or very dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Mix the flours, Sucanat and cinnamon into the melted butter, until completely blended and the mixture forms crumbs. Set aside.
Make the Cake:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 extra-large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream
2 cups soft unbleached wheat flour (I used spelt)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Butter a bundt pan, or line the bottom of a 9" springform pan with parchment paper, and butter the sides. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl with the sugar, until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in the vanilla extract and the sour cream.
Measure the flour and mix in the baking powder, salt and soda. Sift half of the flour into the wet ingredients, and fold the flour gently into them until evenly blended. Repeat with the remaining flour.
Spoon half of the batter into the prepared baking pan, and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the streusel as evenly as you can over the batter, and cover it as evenly as possible with the remaining batter.
Bake the cake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
*By fade from the scene, I mean it was no longer as popular amongst home bakers, and fancy restaurants weren't serving it, but now there are industrially produced imitations that are ubiquitous in grocery stores. They're such feeble imitations that I barely recognize that they're supposed to be the same thing.
Tuesday, 20 April 2010
Trout with Ramps & Potatoes
Ramps are now starting to show up at the markets, hurray! This is a good 3 weeks earlier than last year, I think. What to do with them? Something simple to highlight their rich and pungent yet delicate flavour. This is pretty basic although it does take a little while to cook. Well worth the wait though. The fragrance of the ramps as they roast is amazing.
I've only started eating ramps very recently. Strangely, in all my childhood wanderings in the forest at our cottage I never came across them. Perhaps they don't do well in Muskoka, or maybe I was just unlucky. I think I didn't look very hard for them either, because everything* I had read about them was not encouraging. They were disgustingly strong to the point of near inedibility, and only uncouth bumpkins would or could eat such a thing. The phrase "uncouth bumpkins" was not actually used, but the subtext came through loud and clear in every text I read. Now they are the darling of urban foodies everywhere; my my, how fashions change. Of course, those were the days when even rubbing your salad bowl with garlic (before discarding the garlic, of course) was considered rather daring and possibly offensive to the delicate. I should have known better. Oh, well. I shall attempt to make up for lost time.
2 servings
1 hour 15 minutes - 20 minutes prep time
2 medium-large potatoes
3 or 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch (16 to 18) ramps or wild leeks, well washed
2 fillets (500 grams or 1 pound) rainbow trout fillets
Put a large pot of water on to boil. Wash the potatoes and trim off any bad spots. Grate them coarsely and rinse them in cold water, and squeeze them out in the colander, leaving them there until the water boils. Add them to the boiling water and boil for 2 or 3 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water, and squeeze them to remove as much liquid as you can.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F. Put the butter in a shallow baking dish (8" x 10" lasagne pan) and put it in the oven to melt. Cut the white stem ends from the ramps, and trim off th root ends. Chop the white stems fairly finely. When the butter has melted, toss in the ramps and stir them around for a minute. Add the potatoes, season well with salt and pepper, and toss them well in the butter until they are evenly coated. Spread them out in the dish. Put the dish back in the oven and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until they are fairly browned around the edges.
Rinse and drain the trout fillets. Chop the remaining leaves from the ramps fairly coarsely, and put them over the potatoes. Lay the trout fillets on top, and return the dish to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until the trout is done to your liking. Serve at once.
*Euell Gibbons was the one exception, but I was inclined to take Euell Gibbons with a grain of salt, even though I assiduously bought every book he wrote.
Last year at this time I made Beet & Red Cabbage Salad with Horseradish.
I've only started eating ramps very recently. Strangely, in all my childhood wanderings in the forest at our cottage I never came across them. Perhaps they don't do well in Muskoka, or maybe I was just unlucky. I think I didn't look very hard for them either, because everything* I had read about them was not encouraging. They were disgustingly strong to the point of near inedibility, and only uncouth bumpkins would or could eat such a thing. The phrase "uncouth bumpkins" was not actually used, but the subtext came through loud and clear in every text I read. Now they are the darling of urban foodies everywhere; my my, how fashions change. Of course, those were the days when even rubbing your salad bowl with garlic (before discarding the garlic, of course) was considered rather daring and possibly offensive to the delicate. I should have known better. Oh, well. I shall attempt to make up for lost time.
2 servings
1 hour 15 minutes - 20 minutes prep time
2 medium-large potatoes
3 or 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch (16 to 18) ramps or wild leeks, well washed
2 fillets (500 grams or 1 pound) rainbow trout fillets
Put a large pot of water on to boil. Wash the potatoes and trim off any bad spots. Grate them coarsely and rinse them in cold water, and squeeze them out in the colander, leaving them there until the water boils. Add them to the boiling water and boil for 2 or 3 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water, and squeeze them to remove as much liquid as you can.
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F. Put the butter in a shallow baking dish (8" x 10" lasagne pan) and put it in the oven to melt. Cut the white stem ends from the ramps, and trim off th root ends. Chop the white stems fairly finely. When the butter has melted, toss in the ramps and stir them around for a minute. Add the potatoes, season well with salt and pepper, and toss them well in the butter until they are evenly coated. Spread them out in the dish. Put the dish back in the oven and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until they are fairly browned around the edges.
Rinse and drain the trout fillets. Chop the remaining leaves from the ramps fairly coarsely, and put them over the potatoes. Lay the trout fillets on top, and return the dish to the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until the trout is done to your liking. Serve at once.
*Euell Gibbons was the one exception, but I was inclined to take Euell Gibbons with a grain of salt, even though I assiduously bought every book he wrote.
Last year at this time I made Beet & Red Cabbage Salad with Horseradish.
Monday, 19 April 2010
Fruit & Nut Pilaf with Wild Rice
I've made this a couple of times recently to serve with lamb, and it goes with it very nicely. We've been eating a fair bit of lamb in the last few weeks. (For some reason the lamb we ordered last summer failed to gain sufficient weight during the fall and early winter, so our "fall" lamb arrived from the butcher in March, and we are making up for lost time.) However it would also be good with beef or chicken. Curries, or Moroccan flavoured dishes would go well.
4 to 6 servings
1 hour 20 minutes - 20 minutes prep time
Prepare the Seasonings:
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
Mix them in a small bowl and set them aside.
3 or 4 shallots
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
Peel and mince the shallots and the garlic. Sauté the shallots in a small skillet with the oil until soft and slightly browned. Add the garlic and sauté a minute more, then add the spices and mix in well, cooking for another minute or two.
Remove all this to your rice cooker (or other pot).
Finish the Pilaf:
1 cup brown rice, rinsed and drained
1 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons chopped dried apricots
2 tablespoons golden raisins (sultanas)
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
2 tablespoons chopped, shelled pistachios
2 tablespoons chopped almonds
4 1/4 cups water
Chop the apricots, pistachios and almonds, and add them along with the remaining ingredients to the rice cooker or pot. Turn it on and cook until done. If you are cooking it on the stove, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook over low heat until done. I found this took longer than expected; allow 50 to 60 minutes. (My brown rice is usually done in 40 to 45 minutes.)
4 to 6 servings
1 hour 20 minutes - 20 minutes prep time
Prepare the Seasonings:
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
Mix them in a small bowl and set them aside.
3 or 4 shallots
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
Peel and mince the shallots and the garlic. Sauté the shallots in a small skillet with the oil until soft and slightly browned. Add the garlic and sauté a minute more, then add the spices and mix in well, cooking for another minute or two.
Remove all this to your rice cooker (or other pot).
Finish the Pilaf:
1 cup brown rice, rinsed and drained
1 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons chopped dried apricots
2 tablespoons golden raisins (sultanas)
2 tablespoons dried cranberries
2 tablespoons chopped, shelled pistachios
2 tablespoons chopped almonds
4 1/4 cups water
Chop the apricots, pistachios and almonds, and add them along with the remaining ingredients to the rice cooker or pot. Turn it on and cook until done. If you are cooking it on the stove, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook over low heat until done. I found this took longer than expected; allow 50 to 60 minutes. (My brown rice is usually done in 40 to 45 minutes.)
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