Archive for July, 2011
My nephew, Hugo, can’t eat gluten. And so I made these pancakes and oatmeal and quinoa blueberry muffins for a recent playdate, and they went over very well with all the kids, and the grownups.
I thought you might like to know that I posted the pancake and muffin recipes over at the Family Kitchen. I’ve had good feedback on them, so thought I’d pass it on.
(Note: if you can’t have any trace of gluten, ensure you use gluten-free oats.)
July 15 2011 | Family Kitchen | 5 Comments »
I know – doesn’t that sound amazing? I love it when dinner depends on the contents of your CSA box, and we picked up our first of the season this afternoon. In it: leaf lettuce, spring onions, garlic scapes, radishes, peppery arugula, cilantro, fresh flowers and baby chard.
We had two chewy, bulbous garlic naans left over from last night’s Mirchi takeout (try the African spiced short ribs!) and so when I got home, I tossed the wee chard leaves directly into a hot pan with a slick of oil and a grind of salt.
Once wilted, I was simply going to spread them over the garlicky naan and top them with grated Gouda. But when I opened the fridge door, I discovered some leftover Alfredo sauce from when I was away over the weekend.
So. You’d think the same, right? Spread that creamy sauce over the base of the pizza and nestle the wilted chard over it, then on with some grated aged Gouda.
Bake.
Wow.
July 13 2011 | one dish | 14 Comments »
Having spent the past three days eating very well in Saskatoon, on a ranch (where we had pitchfork fondue – yes, that’s exactly what it sounds like it is) and in some fab new restaurants, I came home tired yet inspired to cook, yet wanting something simple and green.
Also, my spinach has gone to seed. Meaning I needed to come up with a way of using large quantities of it as I pulled out the entire garden to replant.
Also, I watered the spinach before coming to this conclusion, spattering it with mud in the process, and so I needed to swish the lot around in a big bowl of water in order to thoroughly clean it, and didn’t much feel like spinning it dry.
Also, if you are Calgarian or running with Calgarians this week, you could likely use a bowlful of greens to offset the effects of Stampede.
All good reasons, don’t you think? I wound up tossing in bits of other green things – a handful of fresh chives, which are growing in the old sink next to the tomatoes, and a couple garlic scapes, and a shake of frozen peas from the freezer. And onions, stock, a splash of cream. Salt. Soup is that easy.
These are garlic scapes – the big snakey green thing that grows out of the top of a growing garlic bulb. They are like intensely garlicky giant chives, kind of. They make great pesto.
A big handful of mint would have given it an entirely different character. Or cilantro. Or parsley. There are plenty of green growing things you could improv with here.
Spinach, Pea and Garlic Scape Soup
This soup would be fab with a swirl of crème fraîche, I think.
canola oil, for cooking
a big dab of butter
an onion, peeled and chopped
a couple garlic scapes, chopped
a handful of fresh chives
a salad bowl full of fresh spinach leaves
a heaping cup of frozen green peas
1 L chicken or veggie stock
salt
a splash of cream
In a large saucepan, heat a drizzle of oil with a dab of butter over medium-high heat. Cook the onion for a few minutes, until soft. Add the garlic scapes and tear in the chives, sprinkle with salt and cook for a few more minutes, until everything is soft.
Add the spinach and peas and cook until the spinach wilts. Add the stock and bring to a simmer; cook for 20 minutes, or until all the veggies are nice and soft.
Season with salt and add a splash of cream. Puree with a hand-held immersion blender (or transfer in batches to a regular blender) until smooth. Serve warm. Serves 4.
July 10 2011 | freezable and soup | 9 Comments »
I know, right? This makes perfect use of all that mint growing behind my garage.
This morning we had a corn dog contest at the CBC pancake breakfast to kick off the Stampede. Tonight I’m at the Bessborough in Saskatoon, scheduled to visit canola growers and processors early tomorrow morning, having just square danced (that’s right, envision it if you can) at a ranch after a dinner of pitchfork fondue. I’ll explain exactly what that is, with pictures, tomorrow. When I have the gumption to dump all the photos off my camera and sort through them.
So I got permission to share this recipe from a brand new cookbook I’ve been anticipating – Bal’s Quick & Healthy Indian, by Bal Arneson, author of Everyday Indian and host of Spice Goddess on the Cooking Channel. I have a lot of cookbooks, and Everyday Indian is one I actually use, and flip through for inspiration, and is not gathering dust in the basement on my third surplus cookbook shelf.
Bal’s Quick & Healthy Indian is sure to be as well used, starting with these mint and ginger chicken kabobs. Perfect for summer grilling, no?
Mint and Ginger Chicken Kabobs with Spicy Raita
reprinted with permission from Bal’s Quick & Healthy Indian by Bal Arneson (Whitecap)
1/2 cup (125 mL) finely chopped mint
2 Tbsp (30 mL) tamarind pulp
2 Tbsp (30 mL) grapeseed oil
1 Tbsp (15 mL) freshly grated ginger
1 Tbsp (15 mL) garam masala
1 Tbsp (15 mL) brown sugar
salt to taste
1 lb (500 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1½-inch pieces
6 metal or wooden skewers
In a large bowl, combine the mint, tamarind pulp, oil, ginger, garam masala, brown sugar, and salt and mix well. Stir in the chicken. Cover the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
Preheat the barbecue to medium heat. (If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes before using.)
Thread the chicken onto skewers. Grill the kabobs on the preheated barbecue for 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently to make sure all sides are cooked through. Serve with Spicy Raita. Serves 4.
Spicy Raita
This dip can be made ahead of time and it will keep well in the refrigerator for three to four days.
1 cup (250 mL) plain low-fat yogurt
1 Tbsp (15 mL) chopped mint
1 Tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped chives
1 Tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1 tsp (5 mL) prepared grainy mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Combine all the ingredients in a small serving bowl and stir until well mixed.
Makes about 1 cup.
July 08 2011 | appetizers and chicken & turkey and on the grill | 15 Comments »
Having read about Shauna’s pie party, I couldn’t not be part of it. Pie has been on my mind a little more than it usually is, anyway. (It always takes up a wee chunk of cranial space over the summer. Somehow or other, albeit subconsciously, I am most always thinking about pie. And ice cream. (Both?)
I wanted so badly to be swept away by one of the new cookbooks I got at Christmas, or any of the ones I’ve accumulated since. But I couldn’t not do strawberry-rhubarb. I hadn’t had any yet.
One of the very best pie quotes I’ve heard in a long time? “I just want pie. If it’s flaky? Great. But tender is even better. Best yet? On the table.” Shauna’s comparison between assembling pie pastry and disassembling a bomb. The pressure of making a perfect, tender, flaky pastry is too much for some people. (Most people?)
The very next night, last night, I was among the full house at CharCut, watching Connie come oh so close to winning Top Chef Canada. After, we talked about pie. They had served wee blueberry pies with tiny pitches of crème anglaise to pour overtop. Oh my. She had won one of her challenges with a chocolate silk pie, made with a simple cream-chocolate ganache. “Store bought pie crust is just fine”, she said, relieving the pressure of all who are humiliated by their frozen crust purchases. Same idea: the very best kind of pie is the kind on your dinner table. If the obstacle between that summer scenario and you is homemade crust, go buy some.
I personally am a fan of puff. (If you’re going to buy it, that is.) No matter what you do to puff pastry, it looks fantastic and rustic and totally deliriously good. All you do is thaw it, roll it out and -if you’re going to make small pies or galettes- cut it into circles and toss them on a cookie sheet. They don’t have to be perfectly round, even.
Stir some cornstarch into some sugar, if you have juicy fruit; this will get rid of any lumps. Toss your starchy sugar with your fruit, top each pastry round and fold over the edges. Brush them with egg and sprinkle with sugar if you like; if not, not. Bake.
Repeat over the course of the summer, using fruits as they come into season.
Little Strawberry Rhubarb Pies
1 1b pkg frozen puff pastry, thawed
3 cups chopped rhubarb
2 cups hulled, sliced or chopped strawberries
1 cup sugar (or to taste)
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 egg, beaten (optional)
sugar or coarse sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry dough out 1/4″ thick. Cut into rounds whatever size you like using a cookie cutter or glass rim. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
In a large bowl, toss together the rhubarb and strawberries. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch until no lumps remain. Add to the strawberry-rhubarb mixture and toss to coat well.
Spread some of the mixture over each pastry circle, leaving about an inch around the edges. Fold them over the filling, wherever they naturally fold. If you like, brush the edges with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and the fruit is tender. Makes 4-8 pies.
July 05 2011 | dessert | 19 Comments »
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