Devoid Of Culture And Indifferent To The Arts

Mint Chocolate Avocado Pudding

2013-06-18T06:48:00.005-03:00

A sudden bold and unexpected question doth many times surprise a man and lay him open. – Francis Bacon

It tastes as good as it looks.

I’m late to the party on this one I believe. How many of you have heard of chocolate pudding made with avocado?

Don’t be too surprised if you haven’t. But now that I have secret chocolate avocado aficionados are coming out of the woodwork.

I didn’t hear about it until the other evening when a friend mentioned having it at a staff/retirement party. She said it was the best chocolate pudding she had ever had. It’s those type of statements that pique one’s interest. It did mine.

The lurking stranger. Photo: Wiki CC

The next day I went looking to see how to make this rare delight, mostly because I had avocado sitting on my counter that desperately needed to be used.

I found recipes for chocolate avocado pudding everywhere. The basics were the same, recipe to recipe to recipe. The devil was in the details.

One person used an overripe banana to sweeten; another person used agave nectar.

Most used almond milk but some used coconut; others used cacao instead of chocolate, or melted chocolate. None used mint. I thought that was a severe oversight.

Just put everything in the blender...

Besides the avocado I happened to have just made almond milk. So it seemed writ large for me to make this. Unexpected question needing an answer, one might say.

So how does it taste? Like very rich, chocolatey, minty pudding. How does it look? The same way. Really, it does. You would be hard pressed to tell there was avocado in it.

We were gifted some garden mint by a good friend so that was the inspiration for my variation. If you’ve ever had fresh garden mint you’ll know it has a strong minty taste. It’s certainly not peppermint (which I think would also be good).

Hopefully this pudding will freshen my breath while I eat! It is vegan, but this ain’t no diet food.

First, it’s chocolate. Second, it’s avocado – a very fatty fruit. Third, it has a lot of honey. If you can get past that you’ve got it licked. I did some licking myself with this recipe: the spoon, the blender blades, my fingers, the bowl...

This is good stuff. I now have another reason to buy avocados when I see them on sale!

and purée. Scrape down the sides a couple times.

Mint Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Time: 15 minutes | Yield: 4 servings

2 ripe avocado, peeled and quartered
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup almond milk

1-1/2 tbsp fresh chopped mint
1 tsp extract of vanilla

pinch of salt

Place all ingredients in a blender. Pulse until the avocado is broken up, then purée until smooth.

Divide between 4 ramekins, decorate with mint sprigs and refrigerate until ready to serve.

That’s it. That’s all there is to it. Go get a spoon.

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Homemade Barbecue-style Hot Dogs

2013-06-17T06:34:00.000-03:00

Where there is mystery, it is generally suspected there must also be evil. – Lord Byron

Slow and low heat. That's the way to cook all sausage on the BBQ.

There’s two mysteries associated with the ubiquitous sausage we call hot dogs.

The first is what actually goes into them. It’s a bit of an urban myth that all the “evil” bits of the butchered animal go into their making. Snouts, tails, ears, anuses – you name it – are cited as the grosser “meats” that are part of our weekend barbecue staple.

It’s not far off the mark. There’s not a whole lot of redeeming virtue about what goes into a hot dog.

Before spices. No snouts, tails, etc...

What’s in your “dog”?

From varying sources, hot dogs are made from the trimmings left over from the butchering of a pig to make chops, bacon and ham.

Depending on brand, they can also contain mechanically separated pork. That’s anything that can be recovered from a carcass through mechanical means like scraping or pressing – short of breaking the bone – or blasting with water.

Most hot dogs also contain a large amount of turkey and/or chicken, obtained by an even more disgusting “mechanical recovery” method, grate pressing.

The two meats are combined with water into a paste-like slurry, then flavoured, coloured and a whole host of preservatives added.

Stuffed and ready for boiling.

Starches such as potato or wheat flour are also added to bind the meat “slurry” together. Some sausages are sold gluten-free. They don’t have wheat binders.

Powdered milk, a non-nasty ingredient, is also commonly used as a binder. My recipe does, too.

The binders are included to make the processed meats more consistent and palatable in the mouth. I have read some hot dogs are sold stating they’re not made from “real” meat. I'm assuming because no actual cuts of meat were ground to make them.

The whole process seems to be a nasty business. It's been said that if you want to stop eating hot dogs, go see how they're made.

It’s funny, as I was typing the last paragraph I was reminded of the Lord of the Rings quote “One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.”

In the darkness bind them... mmmmm, hot dogs.

After boiling. Note the absence of "pink."

Hot dog history

Homemade hot dogs harken back to the time when food was actually food, with processing restricted to only what could be done at home.

The second mystery (remember my two mysteries?) is where they originated. It is the subject of hot debate.

Sausage has been mentioned in literature (Homer’s Odyssey) as far back as 850 BC. One can only assume that they were common before that time.

Hot dogs, or wieners or dachshund sausage, originate from somewhere in Germany appearing around the 15th to 17th century. Their history is rife with murder, sculduggery and mayhem.

Not really. But their origins are certainly shrouded in conflicting information.

In 1987 the city of Frankfurt celebrated the 500th anniversary of “frankfurters.” That would put the date there to the late 1400s.

Another story has it that a butcher from Coburg, Germany made what he called dachshund (little dog) sausages in the 1690s and later travelled to Frankfurt to sell his products.

On the barbie they went.

Vienna, Austria also weighs in. The term wiener does seem to have a link to the real German name for Vienna, which is Wein. With this story a Viennese butcher received his training in Frankfurt and called his creation weiner-frankfurter or weinerwurst (Vienna and sausage).

Regardless of where they originated, it is almost without doubt that they came with Eastern European immigrants to America in the 1800s. The frankfurter police get their knickers in a twist once agin when asked who actually sold the first “hot dog” on these shores, and when the name "hot dog" came into being.

But does it really matter in the long run? What I really care about is still being able to eat my beloved hot dog-frankfurter-weiner without doing my body too much damage.

A plate of homemade hot dogs and warm toasted buns.
A feast.

A chef knows what goes in the pot

One of my ex co-workers joked that some day I would make my own hot dogs. Upon reading how they are made, and what goes in them, it’s no wonder I would want to.

That’s where going back to the basics comes in to play. If you make your own you know exactly what goes into them.

Since you’re not making meat slurry the consistency won’t be as fine as those highly processed packaged franks. If you do the optional food processor run (see recipe) you can get them closer in texture. I didn’t and they turned out wonderfully.

They weren’t pink either due to the fact I didn’t use any curing salt (also known as pink salt, Prague powder or Insta Cure). I do like my hot dogs pink. I can use it in other homemade preserved meats I want to try as well.

Besides that, these were as fine a hot dog as you could imagine, and even better because they were made at home. The spices were just about bang on. Not bad for cobbling together 4-5 recipes.

We had a wonderful day here last Saturday and had a barbecue with friends at a house at the foot of the lake. Thank you for putting up with us. You know who you are.

The frankfurters were stuffed into hog casing so were the size of “barbecue style” wieners. I do believe these will have to be put into rotation for summer soirées. They didn’t last long and were really, really good. Almost a revelation.

In discussing sausage afterwards over a few beers (as everyone does...) it was brought to my attention that Canada Day was in a couple weeks. The topic of a truly “Canadian” sausage came up. I’m working on it now and have the outline of a recipe. I think it will be another wiener, I mean “winner.”

We had multiple condiments to choose from. I opted for
just ketchup, to test drive the taste.

Barbecue-style Pork Hot Dogs

Time: 24 hours | Yield: 2.5 lbs (about 8)

2.5 lb pork loin, fine ground with cap fat

1/2 cup nonfat powdered milk

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

1 tsp dried garlic powder

1 tsp dried onion powder

1 tsp nutmeg

3/4 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp marjoram

1/4 cup water

Grin the pork loin and cap fat two or three times through a 1/4” plate on a meat grinder. Mix all the remaining ingredients with the meat and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Optional step for a finer texture: Process the meat in small batches in a food processor until close to the consistency of pâté.

Stuff into casings, either pork or sheep (smaller). I used pork casings for “ballpark” sized franks.

Twist into desired length hot dogs.

Boil the hot dogs in just enough water to cover them for 20 minutes for small casings, or 30 minutes for large.

Once boiled they can be kept, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or frozen.

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Easy 12-Grain Cereal Bread

2013-06-16T06:56:00.000-03:00

We are free, truly free, when we don't need to rent our arms to anybody in order to be able to lift a piece of bread to our mouths. – Ricardo Flores Magon

Fresh from the oven and bathed in the morning sun. What could be better?

It’s a bright, clear morning in the country.The temperature is already higher than it has been all week and the birds are singing the sun higher in the sky. Complete relaxation.

And moist, chewy bread is just out of the oven. What? Wait? Relaxing while making bread?

Warm bread and butter. Oh, how we suffer.

Yes, if you follow my method. Almost all of the bread I make takes little to no effort on my part, and that’s the way I like it. Who wants to knead a lump of dough for 15 minutes when it’s actually not necessary? You can get stellar results another way.

It’s called autolyse. That’s the technique where bread dough (or sometimes just flour and water) is allowed to rise for an extended period (overnight). During that time the moisture in the dough realigns the gluten strands in the wheat.

Of course there are some breads that you have to knead to get them right, like many named European breads, but more than adequate results for country-style loaves can be achieved with no kneading. Or proofing yeast.

Yup. Just mix everything together and go to bed. In the morning you’re ready to shape, rise again and bake.

This one’s a little different in that part of the flour has been replaced with 12-grain cereal for sort of a cracked wheat/whole wheat loaf. You can buy just the amount of 12-grain cereal you need at bulk food stores, like the Bulk Barn in Nova Scotia.

The dough just mixed, ready for overnight rising.

Their 12-grain cereal contains cracked wheat, rye meal, steel cut oats, cracked triticale, hulled millet, barley flakes, thick flaked oats, brown flax seeds, buckwheat grits, white sesame seeds, sunflower seeds and golden flax seeds.

It’s usually cooked like porridge for breakfast, with apple and/or cinnamon added. It’s quite a nutrition boost. The Bulk Barn also sells 12-grain flour, but I wanted the crunch of the cereal.

I am finding there’s so much you can do with bread to make it interesting, nutritious and delicious. A simple substitution here and there can really add variety to your diet.

I should list my other breads here so you could check them out, but they’re getting too numerous to count. Do a search for “bread” on this site (close to the top, at right) if you're interested. There's some really good recipes.

It may be time for an e-book. But that would take work – like kneading... shudder...

I have said this before, but since moving to the country, 3-1/2 months ago now, we have yet to buy a single loaf of bread. I have also probably spent no more than 30-45 minutes kneading during the entire time and we have had fresh bread almost constantly.

So there’s really no excuse for not breaking out the yeast and flour and saving yourself some cash. 12-grain loaves would run you close to $4 at the grocery, if you could get it. You’re also avoiding preservatives.

Ready to be proofed again in the morning.

Besides being money and health conscious, there’s no smell I can think of that’s better than bread baking in a sunny kitchen. Maybe warm bread with butter.

12-Grain Cereal Bread

Prep: 5 min | Rise: overnight | Bake: 30 min

3 cups unbleached flour

1 cup 12-grain cereal

1-3/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar

1 tbsp yeast

1 tsp sugar

Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Knead the dough briefly, about 1 minute, to bring it all together.

Risen and ready to be baked. The water bath gives it
a final "push" in the oven, making it rise even more.

Cover with plastic wrap and a towel and let rise overnight.

In the morning, punch it down, knead for another minute and shape into an oblong.

Grease a 5” x 9” bread pan. Place the dough in the pan and let rise until doubled.

Preheat the oven to 425°F, with a pan of water on the lower rack. Once doubled, bake the loaf for 30 minutes total, removing the water pan after the first 10 minutes.

The bread will be done when dark nut brown on top and hollow sounding when tapped on the top.

Let cool at least a little before slicing.

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What’s blooming now? Siberian iris!

2013-06-15T09:33:00.001-03:00

'God's plan' is often a front for men's plans and a cover for inadequacy, ignorance, and evil. – Mary Daly

Pretty. It's amazing what a little attention will do.

Have you ever had a plan that somehow got shoved to the back burner? I did, but it wasn’t evil. It did involve a fair bit of inadequacy on my part, though. And it involved Siberian irises. (I’m just ignorant as part of my personality.)

This is just a few divided plants after 2-3 years.

Many years ago, in what seems like an entirely different life, I purchased 4-5 small pots of blue Siberian irises and planted them in a temporary spot under an oak tree in the back yard.

It was supposed to be a nursery where they could propagate. From there I could dig, divide and have a beautiful swath of them, almost like a river of blue.

It’s funny how turfing a domestic partner (or two) can take the wind out of your sails. That’s what happened to me. I didn’t feel a lot like gardening for quite some time. It seems like you just catch your breath when the wind gets knocked out of you again. True, right?

Someone once said if you want to make God laugh, talk about your plans. Someone was laughing, but it wasn’t me. But now I’m back on track, married to a kind, gentle soul, and the irises are in my sights once again.

Luckily, the Siberian irises didn’t mind waiting – and I mean waiting – for me. It was about 15 years. In that time they did increase, but if I had been paying attention I would have had many, many more.

In the last two years alone, by division, I have doubled what was there. They are now in three spots in our yard.

Siberian irises are attractive through spring, summer and fall. Come to think of it they are even nice in winter. The flowers set decorative pods and the stems dry out making them almost impervious to snowfall. The pods and stems are nice decorations for inside arrangements. I have kept some for years and years.

Siberian iris are pretty forgiving, if mine are any indication. They don’t like to dry out much, though. A bonus is that they’re not fussy to plant like bearded irises. Unlike bearded, that need sun to “bake” the rhizome above ground, Siberians like sitting in soil, not too deep, but in the ground.

They’re pretty tough too. Over the past week we have had cold temperatures, rain and wind. They bloomed right through it. A couple stems are now cocked over a bit, but the vast majority (like 95%) are still standing straight and blooming like crazy.

Originally from Eurasia, growing wild in meadows or by streams, most plants available now are hybrids of that wild iris sibirica. Due to this cross breeding you can buy different colours, as well as ones with larger flowers. Our plants are close to the original species I believe, with smaller sky-blue flowers, but still beautiful.

The centre has died and a "ring" has grown around it.

Siberian iris are well behaved garden plants. They grow in neat clumps, with lovely strap-like leaves. From among the leaves, tall (about 30”) stalks emerge with upwards of 5 flower buds that bloom in succession.

In Nova Scotia ours bloom in late spring just as the last of the rhododendrons are passing and the Oriental poppies are firing up. The colour combo of blue and orange is fantastic. After the flowers are passed the clumps of green leaves remain, making a good background for later perennials or summer annuals.

Siberian irises are quite easy to divide, and they even tell you when to do it. As clumps mature, the centre dies out and new growth forms around the original, almost like a ring. It’s very easy to see when this happens.

Opinion varies, but most agree it is best not to disturb clumps when they are starting to grow in the spring, or late in the fall. Mid summer, while the roots are still active, is the best time. That way the transplants have time to settle in to their new location before growth stops for winter.

This summer the last of the irises will be lifted from their backyard nursery. I’m not exactly sure where they will go, but I’m sure we will find a place of pride where we can enjoy them.

And I’ll make them a promise to tend them with the care they deserve. They’ll reward me with more and more as the years pass. Not a bad deal.

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Weekend: Roasted Tomatillo Guacamole

2013-06-14T07:19:00.002-03:00

We settled this continent without art. So it was easy for us to treat it as an imported luxury, not a necessity. – Arthur Erickson

I was in the “big city” on Wednesday and had occasion to go to one of our boutique grocery stores – Pete’s Frootique.

Tomatillo. Photo Wiki CC

Pete’s is the go-to place for all those imported luxury ingredients as well as all the standards. The owner, Pete Luckett, is originally from the UK so many of the products cater to ex-pats from that country. Locals also benefit from the selection as well.

But it doesn’t stop there. Foodstuffs from all over the world find their way to his two HRM locations and one valley store. Fantastic charcuterie from all corners of the earth, myriad cheeses and a multitude of ethnic specialties are all available.

Unusual items like eddoe, dragon fruit, taro root, fresh figs, bitter melon and the like are common as well. So are tomatillos. I had often seen them but never bothered to buy them before.

We were thinking of growing some this year in our garden but for one reason or another we never got around to purchasing plants.

Before roasting.

Tomatillo is a member of the nightshade family. They are kin to cape gooseberries as well as the poisonous Chinese Lantern.

Ripe tomatillos resemble small green tomatoes, but wrapped in an inedible green paper husk – like the cape gooseberry. As they mature they can actually split the husk revealing the beautiful fruit inside.

Tomatillos are the key ingredient in most Latin American “green” sauces because of their tart taste. The freshness and greenness of the husk are indicators of quality and ripeness of the fruit.

I wish I would have known that. It took me forever to pick through the pile to find 300g of decent fruit. They were definitely past their prime.

In fact, some had started to grow mould inside the husk. If I hadn’t checked each one meticulously I would have been a very unhappy customer. (Note to Pete’s – check your produce more often!)

After 1 hour at 400°F.

Regardless I did find what I wanted – even though I had no idea what to do with them! By now you know me well enough. Fools rush in where angels fear to tread...

But it’s not foolish to want to eat tomatillos, just a little silly when you have no idea what you're going to do with them. And doubly so when you marooned in the country with the nearest grocery 25 minutes away. What if I needed another "key" ingredient?

Luckily Google came to my rescue. Besides my well stocked pantry, and my refrigerator I also had a couple avocados and a lime. A fine start to something “Mexican.”

I quickly found several recipes for a “salsa” using roasted tomatillo and avocado (yes, roasted avocado). Many recipes called for serving it with chicken. I had chicken too.

So that’s what I did, copycat that I am. Interestingly I do not find this very close to any "salsa" I have ever seen. So I renamed it more accurately, in my opinion.

This was great on my roasted chicken thighs. I never would have thought of the combination. A little side of rice and voila! – a full dinner. The chicken can be baked at the same time a the veggies making it a time and energy efficient dinner as well.

There were tomatillo guacamole leftovers. I’m sure I can find a cooperative nacho chip to help me deal with it.

I hope you try this. The smoky flavour of the roasted vegetables was quite different than any guacamole I have ever had before. Fantastic and oh so very, very easy. Try it this weekend!

Roasted Tomatillo Guacamole

This was dinner. I never would have thought about
putting this on chicken, but it was great. The chicken
was roasted with garlic powder, cumin and oregano.
The rice is a style of "dirty" rice.

Prep: 10 min | Roast: 1 hr | Serves 6

2 tbsp vegetable oil

300g tomatillo, quartered

2 avocados, peeled and quartered

2 jalapeno peppers, halved

1 medium onion, quartered

2 large garlic cloves, whole

juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp cumin seed

1/2 tsp oregano, dried

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Spread the oil in the bottom of an oven-proof pan. Add the tomatillo, avocado, jalapeno, onion and garlic. Sprinkle with salt.

Roast for 1 hour. Remove to a food processor. Add the lime juice and spices. Pulse until blended but still chunky.

Use immediately for warm dip, or refrigerate until ready to use.

Avocado will discolour if kept too long. The lime juice helps, but don't make it more than 12 hours before use.

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Booze of the week: Peanut Milk Liqueur

2013-06-13T07:55:00.002-03:00

I'm nuts and I know it. But so long as I make 'em laugh, they ain't going to lock me up. – Red Skelton

Peanut-y goodness, in liquor form.

It goes without saying, but this is not a recipe for those with peanut allergies. This recipes does contain nuts.

The nuts soak in vodka overnight.

But it’s not so nuts to make nut-flavoured liqueurs. There are many on the market. Baileys is a prime example. It is hazelnut flavoured.

This recipe stems from my recent foray into almond milk. It was very successful – and very almond-y. It gave me pause and made me think.

I have made nut liqueurs in the past and peanut liqueur in particular. The recipe is here. It included whey and took four weeks to infuse. Certainly not a quick recipe.

Well, I do believe I have “cracked the nut” so to speak. I have shortened the time to 2 days, and I do believe this method infuses even more peanut flavour into the end result. Why I didn’t think of it sooner is beyond me.

The recipe does not use peanut butter, but uses part of the same technique. If you’ve ever made peanut butter (recipe here) you know that it’s essentially peanuts just ground into a paste. It’s often sweetened a little, but nothing more. This one just adds booze.

After puréeing, it sits again for 24 hours.

I know I haven’t posted a liqueur in quite some time so I was about due. This one is good.

People have asked me how long liqueurs will last, and I have to admit I’m not really sure. I guess it depends on what goes into it.

Some liqueurs with a lot of botanicals should probably be consumed in a couple months, those with cream even sooner. Others – like tea or coffee liqueur – should last a very long time.

I proffer that this liqueur won’t hang around long enough for you to worry.

I let it slip yesterday I was in the process of making this. Someone posted the question “why?”.

Nut liqueurs are amazingly interesting and can be used in many mixed drinks or straight up. But treat this one with respect. It’s only been cut 50% in volume from the original vodka, so I would suggest it’s around 20% alc./vol.

How would I use it? Two that spring to mind are both Thai inspired. How about that for interesting backyard drinks?

Combine it with pepper vodka in a martini, or perhaps with coconut liqueur or spirits in a mixed drink. Food for thought. Or perhaps more accurately “drinks for thought”...

This has no stabilizers or milk products so it won't be quite as creamy as other "cream" liqueurs. So give it a brief shake before using.

I’m probably going to test drive this on my friends this weekend. So they had better watch out.

The resulting infusion after the peanuts have been removed.

Peanut Milk Liqueur

Time: 2 days | Yield: 3 x 375 ml | about 20% alc./vol

2 cups unsalted peanuts, skins removed

750 ml vodka

1-3/4 cup sugar

1-3/4 cup water

small pinch of salt, optional

Place the peanuts and vodka in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight on the counter to swell.

The next day, purée the peanuts and vodka in a blender until quite smooth. The consistency should be like small peanut “meal” in the liquid.

Pour the purée into a large mason jar, or similar, seal and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

After the peanuts have infused the vodka, strain through several layers of cheesecloth, or a jelly bag to remove the peanut meat. Squeeze until as much liquid is extracted as you can comes out.

The last bit of the squeezing will be quite creamy. You will get not quite the whole 750 ml of liquid back out. Some stays in the peanut meal.

Bring the sugar and water to a boil and let cook for 10 minutes. Wash and sterilize three 375 ml bottles and tops.

Mix the simple syrup with the peanut flavoured vodka. Add the salt if desired.

Stir well, pour into the prepared bottles and refrigerate. Shake before using.

This liqueur should last a 2-3 months unrefrigerated, or longer in the ‘fridge.

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Merguez Sausage with Fennel & Couscous

2013-06-12T06:06:00.002-03:00

If strippers can be called exotic dancers, then drug dealers should be called exotic pharmacists. – Unknown

Nice...

I quite like the exotic. Not necessarily strippers or drug dealers; my tastes tend a little more to the gardening and food aspects of the word. Perhaps "adventurous" would be a better term. I like to take chances with USDA borderline plants and unusual foods.

This is my homemade merguez – about 2 lbs.

There would be a few unusual culinary items that I couldn’t bring myself to try, but they would be more on the “yuck/gross” side of things. You know, like slugs or grubs, or some weird bottom-dwelling slimy ocean thing.

Well, you’re safe with this recipe. although it does have three not entirely usual ingredients.

First up is merguez “sausage”. I have sausage in quotes because meguez actually means sausage in Berber language. They are a fairly fiery beef or lamb sausage used in Moroccan cuisine. You can buy them at Pete’s Frootique (I believe) or make your own very easily.

If you want to make your own (highly recommnded), my recipe is here.

In today's recipe I have chilli flakes as an option. If the sausage is smokin’ hot spicy, you probably don't need them. I don’t think Pete’s are as spicy as my own.

Fennel. Photo Wiki CC

Next is fennel. It is the bulb of the plant that yields fennel seeds. It’s the white vegetable at the grocery store that looks like a cross between dill and celery, but swollen. It has a slight anise taste and a crisp, celery-like texture. Most of us walk right by it because we don’t know what to do with it. Now you do. (You can also use it in salads.)

Finally we have sumac. Sumac is a spice that comes from the drupes (the red flower spikes) of the Rhus family of small trees. It is commonly harvested, dried and ground into a powder for use in Middle Eastern cuisine. It has a slight citrusy taste.

Some people harvest our native staghorn sumac and make a sort of lemonade from the drupes. I’ve yet to try it, but it sounds interesting. They would have to be washed well with all of our dust we have here in the country.

Sumac spice. Photo Wiki CC

Sumac is becoming quite readily available, so much so that I saw it for sale at the Bulk Barn, our local bulk food store. Previously it was only available at Middle Eastern groceries.

This dish uses one of my favourite techniques – one pot cooking. Couple that with a short overall time and you have a double barrelled winner, in my opinion.

This was quite an exotic tasting treat, and a great way to introduce some not so common ingredients into my repertoire.

Merguez Sausage with Fennel & Couscous

Prep: 5 min | Cook: 25-30 min | Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lb merguez sausage, cut into 1” pieces

2 cups chicken stock

1-3/4 cup dried apricot, sliced

1 fennel bulb, sliced

1 cup couscous

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp oregano, dried

1/2 tsp sumac

1/2 tsp red chilli flakes (optional)

salt to taste

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or other large pot with a well fitting lid.

Add the onion, cumin and chilli flakes, if using. Sauté for 2-3 minutes and then add the sliced sausage and apricots. Cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Then add the sliced fennel, oregano and sumac. Sauté for a further 2-3 minutes.

Add the chicken stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Then add the couscous and stir everything together well.

Cover the pot and let sit for 15 minutes. Fluff and serve.

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Handmade Manicotti with Spinach & Ricotta

2013-06-11T07:31:00.002-03:00

Handmade presents are scary because they reveal that you have too much free time. – Doug Coupland

Hand made pasta, cooked to perfect al dente.

Manicotti are large extruded pasta tubes that are stuffed and baked. You can buy the tubes in any grocery store. They’re a bit of a pain to fill.

But have you ever heard of hand rolled manicotti? A sheet of pasta is just as good and oh so much easier to stuff. And if you use fresh pasta, as opposed to dried, you don’t even have to pre boil them. Just make, roll and bake.

The filling.

I do have to admit that I did this on a rainy day and had some time on my hands. But when it’s nasty outside you may as well fill your indoor time with activities. Fun activities. (If you like food and have ever made pasta you’ll know what I mean.)

Pasta making is fun. It’s one of those satisfying activities that make you really feel like you’ve done something special. It’s a real treat, and really not a lot of work.

You don’t even need a pasta roller, although one does come in very handy. They can be affordably purchased at Stokes in Dartmouth Crossing in Nova Scotia. That’s one place I know for sure. (No, they’re not paying me...)

But many Italian mothers and grandmothers (and I would imagine dads and grandfathers) have made do without one for centuries. I bet doing so builds muscle as well as character.

I find a necessity to making springy, delicious homemade pasta is to use at least part durum flour. It’s stiffer to deal with, but that’s the point. You need that al dente bite. Personally I don’t like using 100% durum wheat. It’s a little too stiff to easily deal with. For me that’s best left for commercial pasta.

You can buy as little (or as much) durum wheat flour as you want/need at bulk food stores. Way cheaper than the grocery.

Since this one’s a little involved today, let’s just get to it. Time doesn’t include making the pasta. You can use tubes or purchased fresh sheets. But I do have to say the homemade pasta worked amazingly well.

My pasta hanging to dry out a little. It was a humid day so it didn't work all
that well. It kind of looks like I was washing chamois!

Spinach & Ricotta Manicotti

Prep: 30 min | Bake 50-60 min | Yield 16-18 manicotti

for the pasta

1 cup durum flour

1 cup unbleached white flour

1 tsp salt

2 egg yolks

1 tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup water (see recipe)

To make the pasta, mix together the two flours with the salt in a bowl. Whisk together the yolks, 1/2 cup of water and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the flour and slowly start to whisk the two together with a fork.

Once you can’t whisk any more begin working it with your hands. Add only enough water to bring it together. It may be the additional 1/4 cup, it may not, it may be slightly more. Moisture content in flour varies by the day, but the needs to be quite stiff.

Knead the dough on the counter until smooth. Wrap tightly with plastic and let rest for at least 1/2 hour. Then cut into 4 pieces and roll (either by hand or machine) into long sheets. If using a machine only roll to setting #6.

Only use enough four while rolling, if you need any, so that the sheets don’t stick together.

Hang to dry for about 1 hour. Then cut into pieces about 8"-9” long x 4”-5” wide. If using a pasta machine the sheets will be the width of the roller, which is about 4”-5” wide.

Spinach filling

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

3 garlic cloves

1 lb lean hamburger

8 oz cooked chopped spinach

454 g tub ricotta cheese

1 whole egg

1 tsp oregano

salt and pepper, about 1/2 tsp each

650 ml of your favourite tomato sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 cup freshly grated parmesan

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Sauté the onion and garlic for 3-4 minutes. Then add the hamburger and cook until no longer pink.

Remove from the heat and stir in the spinach, ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup of the parmesan, oregano and some salt and pepper. Let sit until cool enough to handle.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Oil a 9” x 13” (or about) ovenproof pan. Place about 2-3 tablespoons of filling on the short side. Roll up and arrange the manicottis in the pan.

Mix any little bit of leftover filling into the pasta sauce. Pour the sauce over the manicotti. Since fresh pasta is uncooked the manicottis need to be covered.

Sprinkle the top with the mozzarella and remaining 1/2 cup parmesan. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the dish is browned on top and the sauce is bubbling in the centre of the pan.

Let cool slightly before serving. A nice accompaniment is a fresh green salad with a vinaigrette.

Enjoy!

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Char Siu Pork and some thoughts on Marinating

2013-06-10T07:20:00.001-03:00

Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. The fearful are caught as often as the bold. – Helen Keller

Red tinged and as aromatic as it is tasty.

Char siu is Chinese marinated, roasted meat – that red-dyed stuff you see hanging from shop windows in your local Chinatown.

The actual term means “fork roast” in Cantonese. Usually it is long pieces of pork that are spit roasted over an open fire.

It smells delicious and tastes the same. But how to make it at home can open up a hornet nest of marinating do’s and don’ts. Many old recipes (and I bet the authentic Chinese ones, too) call for marinating for a short period “on the counter.”

I agree it is best to marinate overnight in the ‘fridge, but marinating on the counter cuts the time by hours and hours, and I didn’t have all night.

If you want your ribs redder add more food colouring.

You can read in a thousand places about the dangers of marinating unrefrigerated – many from people regurgitating (sometimes verbatim) the warnings of government health departments. Government will always err on the side of caution. It’s their job to keep us as safe as possible. Or at least it’s supposed to be...

So they state always (without exception, upon penalty of death – possibly inflicted by your meat) marinate in the refrigerator. But is it that cut and dried?

Of course bacteria can grow on meat left out too long on a counter. But if you use common sense (remember that trait?) , I personally think you’re OK.

I class this “refrigerate only” information sort of the same as “always use hand sanitizer.” That stuff is everywhere, and I believe is causing us to become more susceptible to pathogens that hardly bothered our grandparents. Or worse, making bacteria and germs tougher since only the really heinous ones survive our attempts at eradication.

In our sanitized world I’m surprised children live past the age of 6. We’re supposed to almost keep them sterile. How often have we heard “Did you read about the new pandemic that’s supposed to be coming? It’s some tougher strain of...” They don’t drop from the sky.

Government health departments at one time or another also told us margarine (with high trans-fats) was better for us than butter, eggs were/are bad for you (their opinion changes with the day of the week), GMO crops are fine, artificial sweeteners were a healthy substitute for sugar, tomatoes are a vegetable (they’re NOT), etc...

Speaking of GMOs, several EU states have “safeguard clauses” that allow them to ban GMO foods from their countries. The United States has embraced them whole hog – to the extent that between 60-70% of all processed foods contain GMO ingredients. Almost all the multinationals that make GMOs are located in the US. Canada and China are two other countries on the bandwagon, so we’re no safer from them.

Interestingly, only 52% of Americans even know GMOs are in the corner grocery and only 26% believe they may have ever eaten them – ever. GMOs are present in most animal feed, so what they eat we eat.

These same government organizations that want us to sterilize our environments find it acceptable for us to go into a fast food shop and eat more than half our day’s worth of calories (mostly from fat and sugar) and more than a day’s sodium in a pop, burger and fries.

I'm not looking forward to cleaning this pan...

This is my opinion only and disagree if you wish, but use some common sense. Just make sure you don’t leave meat on the counter for more than two hours or in direct sunlight. Chicken should be outside refrigeration 1 hour at the absolute maximum. But it all depends on your marinade ingredients, too.

Here’s a couple reasons why I think you’re safe with this marinade. Honey is an antibacterial. Cooking wine and soy are acidic. Both inhibit the growth of bacteria – as opposed to leaving a pork chop on the counter in mid-summer heat. Acids have been used for centuries to inhibit bacterial growth and preserve foods longer.

This marinade can be used on other cuts besides pork ribs as well. It imparts a real “Chinese pork” taste.

One word of advice: never marinate in a metal pan. Those same acids may react with the cookware, causing unwanted flavours, or worse – if your pan’s not in tip-top shape – transfer of metals into the food.

Use your brain about marinating. We all have one, of varying sizes. My meat is marinating on the counter as I write. If I have posted this it didn’t kill me.

Char Siu Pork Ribs

Prep: 2 hrs | Broil: 6-7 minutes per side | Serves 4

2 lbs pork ribs, cut into serving pieces

2 tbsp honey

2 tbsp hoisin

1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp five spice powder

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

6 drops red food colouring

Mix together the marinade ingredients with a whisk. Coat the pork and either refrigerate overnight or leave on the counter for 1.5 to 2 hours maximum. Turn at least once during marination. Its easier if you marinate in a zip-lock bag.

Remove the pork from the marinade and place in a pan or on a broiler pan. Broil, about 8-10” away from the heat until caramelized on both sides. You can also do this on a barbecue.

I made pineapple rice as a side dish. Garlic, ginger, green pepper and onion were softened in a little oil. Then rice, pineapple chunks, soy and water were added and cooked as you would white rice.

A veritable feast!

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Almond Yeast Bread

2013-06-09T09:21:00.000-03:00

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. – Anthony J. D'Angelo

Warm, fluffy and waiting for butter.

Yesterday was a write-off in every sense of the word. It was a miserable day outside with rain and some wind gusts. We had no internet for 10 hours and even the TV was out. (We have opted to not buy satellite TV or cable.) Sucky.

Luckily I had plenty of tasks I could do. Funnily, I didn’t do any of them. Two are hanging a new bathroom door and building a stand for our washer and dryer. Nope. They didn’t get touched.

This is my almond meal left over
from my almond meal.

Early yesterday morning I was up squeezing almonds to make almond milk. So I had moist almond meal that had to be dealt with or thrown away.

I chose not to throw it away. I spread it in a thin layer on a baking sheet and stuck it in the oven to dry. A few simple whirs in the food processor reduced it to a fine meal – almost like flour.

From there, I took my meal and added it to bread dough. Since it is gluten free, you can’t just substitute it all or you’ll bake a brick. You need that evil white four to give your bread structure.

Speaking of evil, in writing this post I went looking for some references to almond flour. The first one that popped up was “5 reasons to avoid almond flour.” Hmmm...

According to the post it is among the worst stuff on the planet, and is responsible for starting WWII and the current tensions in Korea. Well... not really, but it seemed almost that bad. I took umbrage at a fair deal of it.

Before the first rise.

For example, one reason it was bad was that it is full of Omega 6 fatty acids. Aren’t those the good ones? It seemed to me like a fair amount of well articulated bull sh*t. There were some important points made, but it was all more a case of “all things in moderation” than outright bad.

But it certainly didn’t come off that way. If you examine anything we eat, or how we cook it, you could find similar problems. So we sit in the corner, quivering, and starve.

So what’s good about almond flour?

Well, first off, it’s nuts. The consumption of nuts has been proven to help in the reduction of cholesterol in the diet, which can lead to lower risk for heart disease and stroke. That info that comes from the American Dietetic Association.

Almond flour, although higher in fat than whole wheat, contains mostly monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and no trans fat. You can get 1/3 of your daily vitamin E from 1/2 cup of almonds and 20% of your daily magnesium. You can also get 12 g of protein and 6 g of fibre.

So it’s not all bad, now is it? This was also a good way for me to use a by-product of the very delicious almond milk I made yesterday. So it was win-win, at least for me.

It certainly didn’t hurt my bread, except it didn’t rise quite as high as an all flour dough. It was also flecked with cute little pieces of almond skin.

So if you do have almond meal leftover from making almond milk, you may want to give this a try. It’s far better than throwing that meal away. Get two food products from one ingredient.

Before second rise.

Don’t be nuts – almonds are expensive! I couldn’t resist the pun...sorry.

Almond Yeast Bread

Prep: 20 min | Rise: 3.5 hr | Bake: 30-35 min | 2 small loaves

1 tbsp yeast

1 cup water 110°F

1 tbsp sugar

1-3/4 cup ground almond meal (or flour)

5 cups unbleached white flour

1-1/2 cups water (additional)

1-1/4 tsp salt

Proof the yeast and sugar in the warm water for 10-15 minutes until it is creamy and bubbly.

Place the almond, white flour and salt in a fairly large bowl. Add the proofed yeast and additional water and bring together into a mass.

two 3-bun loaves. feel free to shape as you wish.

Place on the counter and knead for about 5 minutes. It should be fairly smooth but moist feeling.

Oil the bowl, place the dough back in and cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Put the bowl in a warm place and let proof for 2.5 hours, or until doubled in bulk.

Remove the dough after it has risen, punch down and divide into 6 equal pieces. Shape each one into a ball.

Grease two 5” x 9” loaf pans and place 3 of the balls in each one. Cover lightly again and let rise until doubles, about 1 hour.

While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack to add moisture to the oven.

Once risen, bake the loaves for 30 minutes (removing the water pan at the 10 minute mark), until golden on top and hollow sounding when tapped lightly with your fingers.

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Amazing Homemade Almond Milk

2013-06-08T09:18:00.000-03:00

Society is always taken by surprise at any new example of common sense. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

My result. 1 L of unbelievable almond taste. Don't throw away the leftover
nutmeat! Dry it and use it.

This isn’t really cost effective. You can buy it cheaper at the store. Let me state that right from the start. Nuts are expensive, but at the same time it only uses 2 cups...

You will never – I say NEVER – find anything like it to buy, be it in a regular grocery or health food store. Of that I am (almost) completely certain.

Let the nuts soak on the counter
overnight – like if you're making
baked beans.

I guess that's just common sense since this is homemade, but I have to say it is the most nutty “milk” I have ever tasted. It’s amazing. You will want to make more as soon as it’s finished. Guaranteed.

Unlike milk from animals, nut milk does not contain cholesterol or lactose, making it perfect for anyone who suffers from conditions that are aggravated by them. It goes without saying it is 100% vegan as well.

Almond milk was well known during the Middle Ages throughout both the Christian and Islamic worlds. Since it was non-dairy it was suitable to be consumed during religious fast times. Recipes exist today from as early as the 1300s.

Up until the 1800s it was quite common for milks to be made from blanced, pulverized and soaked nuts. Blancmange is a famous dessert that, at least originally, used almond milk as its base.

After blending, in the morning. That's a 2L jug.

Variations of nut (or plant) milks include oat, rice, peanut, coconut, soy, cashew, walnut and of course almond. I see a lot of posts in my future...

Every grocery store has almond milk for sale in the organic or “health” section. I have often looked at the chocolate almond and thought “how horrible is that?”. I may have to rethink my position.

I am looking at the back of an empty store-bought almond milk container right now. It contains the usual (almonds) but also gum, carrageenan and lecithin thickeners. I’m assuming that means they thin it substantially and there is far less almond in it than in my recipe.

By the same token, since there are no stabilizers in homemade milk you will have to shake it before drinking. No biggie. Manufacturers say to shake the store-bought milk too.

This is really good stuff. Almost all of the time is for soaking the nits. I would say at least 31 of the 32 hours. The overnight soak swells the almonds, and then the refrigerator time allows the mixture to “bloom.” “Leach” is another word, but is far less appetizing sounding.

I was completely blown away by the taste of this. Before the addition of the sugar and salt it was pretty bland. They both brought out the almond taste exceedingly well.

Don’t throw away the leftover nut meat. Dry it in the oven and grind it into flour with your food processor. This afternoon (or later this morning) I’m going to be making almond bread by substituting it 3-1 with flour.

You have to try this recipe. Seriously – you have to try it. It will change your mind about nut milks entirely. I may have to try almond coconut soon. I can see it coming.

Like it says on the side of the store-bought almond milk: "Taste the WOW." My recipe is "wow-er."

This is a close up before soaking for 24 hours. It's almost
the consistency of porridge.

Homemade Almond Milk

Time: 32 hours | Yield 1 to 1.5 L*

2 cups unsalted, un-skinned almonds*

3-1/2 cups spring water

1/4 cup sugar

pinch salt, or to taste

additional water, see recipe*

cheesecloth, or a jelly bag

Soak the almonds in the 3.5 cups of water overnight in a bowl.

In the morning, purée the nuts and water in a blender until as smooth as you can get it. Place in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 24 hours. This is the “blooming” period.

The next day, place small amounts of the mixture in a 4-layer thick piece of cheesecloth.

Gently squeeze out as much liquid as you can. If you squeeze too hard you may break the cheesecloth. This is first-hand knowledge.

Squeeze only about 1/2 cup at a time.

The resulting “squeezin’s” will be very milky and almost completely grit-free. If it isn’t you can pass it through cheesecloth again, or fine cotton.

Place the milk in a 1 L measuring cup.

You will probably have between 2.5 and 3 cups liquid. Add the sugar and salt and taste. It will be very nutty.

Top up to the 1 L mark (or 4 cups mark) with more spring water. Stir well, refrigerate and then use.

You can also leave the milk un-thinned for coffee or tea.

* 2 weeks later I made this same recipe but using blanched almonds with no skin. As you would imagine the colour was whiter. I also stretched it a little more by adding enough water to make 1.5 L. Every bit as good, if a little thinner and not quite so rich!

The yield, before being thinned. Delicious! I almost hated to
add water to make the 1 L!

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Veggie Garden Update

2013-06-07T08:15:00.001-03:00

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockle shells, And pretty maids all in a row. – Old English nursery rhyme

It's growing not too shabbily, thank you very much.

That was what was going through my head as I was taking today’s photos of our first foray into vegetable growing. Part of our plan on moving to the country was to become more self-sufficient. Our vegetable garden is a key component in that plan.

Our garden has no silver bells or cockle shells – and not one of our pretty maids have sprouted yet. But’s that’s more than likely a good thing. They would probably just crawl, zombie-like, from the ground and trample all our vegetables!!

Our fencing has kept the critters out so far.

We’re making headway

But all kidding aside, our garden is progressing fairly well, thank you very much. And I have the pictures to prove it. We have a great start on peas, beans, carrots, swiss chard, cucumbers and squash, plus others.

The "big" row are radishes. Thank goodness Henry or
Bouvier likes them too!

Our mesclun mix will soon have to be dealt with as will our radishes – the thickest growers of the lot. Thank goodness I have discovered you can eat the greens. We’ll be doing that soon, because they desperately need to be thinned. This weekend, in fact.

We have planted basil and dill from seed (about 1 week ago) that have sprouted, and the plant set herbs (Italian parsley, curly parsley, and the rest) are all settling in quite nicely.

Our tomatoes seem to be getting enough sunshine too. They are growing strong stems to hold the weight of our (hoped for) future crop. All of them are doing well. Sweets, yellow pear, pink, heirloom, roma... I can’t wait!!

Nursery rhymes are weird

Besides the pictures I thought I would give you a little background on the opening quote, just for fun. As we all know, it’s a common nursery rhyme from centuries ago. But where do they come from? When you realize what they actually may reference, you wonder why on earth children would be saying them.

For example, another very common one – “ring around the rosie” – is widely believed to be about the symptoms of the Great Plague of 1665 in England. We all fall down? Grim...

Beans and peas staked and ready for growth.

"Mary, Mary" is in the same vein. Three common interpretations all revolve around the state of Catholicism in the British Isles during the Tudor and Stewart reigns.

Silver bells are thought to refer to sanctus bells. The cockle shells are supposedly an allusion to the pilgrimage of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. The symbol of the walk is a scallop shell. The “pretty maids”? Nuns. It’s indeterminate if the rhyme is about the actual persecution of Catholics or a lament for its disappearance in the kingdom.

You can still do the pilgrimage today, as a vacation. We have a good friend who has walked it a few times – not for religious reasons but for fun. The actual pilgrimage route is the same one as Medieval times. Each stage takes a day and you have a designated stop-over so you know where you’re going to lay your head.

It takes her almost a month, but who can argue about walking through the north of Spain in early summer. It is beautiful and relaxing, both by her personal account and her photos.

The "other" garden.

Another theory of the rhyme is about Mary Queen of Scots. This time the cockle shells refer to her husband, who apparently wasn’t all that faithful to her (cockle = cuckold). The pretty maids are her four ladies-in-waiting, all named Mary.

The third theory has to do with Mary I of England. "How does your garden grow" has to do with her childless reign that produced no heir. By most accounts she was seen as “quite contrary” to many in England with her attempts to reverse the religious changes instated by her father Henry VIII. Pretty maids, by some, refer to her many miscarriages.

Kind of creepy and/or deep stuff for children to be singing about, no? But rhyme they did, and these verses are still known today. How they became widespread is anyone’s guess. Some even cross languages and countries.

Weird, or what?

These plant supports came from the Dollarstore. $2 for 3, and they're bamboo.

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Authentic Nova Scotia Lobster Rolls

2013-06-06T08:03:00.001-03:00

A woman should never be seen eating or drinking, unless it be lobster salad and Champagne, the only true feminine and becoming viands. – Lord Byron

Best eaten overlooking the ocean – but that's just my opinion.

Here’s one that I have no idea why I haven’t posted before. It’s just so Nova Scotian. Duh...

One of the things we’re most famous for in Atlantic Canada is our lobster. It’s something that most visitors just have to have when they vacation here. Being so rich and delicious, it’s a luxury.

Did you know that wasn’t always the case?

Atlantic lobster. Photo: Wiki CC.

Lobsters used to be extremely abundant on the Atlantic coast – so much so that often they would wash ashore after storms. This was the 1600 and 1700s – when cod was also so plentiful that it was said you could walk across their backs on the ocean. A slight exaggeration, I’m sure.

Since they were so easy to harvest, many less well-off families used lobster as a free food source. Because of that connection they were seen as food only fit for “poor folks,” a bias that stuck for many years.

It had such a mark of disdain that some servants in Atlantic Canada and New England had it written into their indenture agreements they would only eat lobster a certain number of times a week. It reflected badly on their employers if they ate it too often.

It’s amazing how something so valued now had such stigma attached to it. Lobsters were also routinely cut up and used as bait, or as fertilizer. What a waste...

During those times, it was not uncommon for lobsters to be in the 20-30 lb range. So you can see how they were an easy, and bountiful, food source. A 20 lb lobster would easily feed a family of 8 people.

It wasn’t until the mid-1800s that diners began to recognize lobster as a quality food. Commercial fishing began, taking its toll on the populations within decades.

But how could over-fishing happen so quickly? Part of the reason is that science suggests lobsters become more fertile as they age, and as they age they grow larger. So smaller lobsters do not produce as many young as those 20 pounders. Unfortunately, it was the big ones that were harvested.

With scarcity comes price increases. Now the cost of lobster makes them a luxury, being out of reach to many people except on special occasions. A lobster dinner at a not too fancy restaurant can easily cost you well in excess of $20.

There is much to be said about the cost paid to fishers today and the cost at the store. I will not claim to know all the ins and outs of it, so I’ll leave that for others to discuss.

Standard lobster size now is in the 1.5 to 2 lb range – a far cry from their historical size. Today the lobster industry is highly regulated.

Making a good lobster sandwich is a breeze, although there are a couple things that are necessary that may not come to mind. One is lemon juice and the other is onion. Both add “brightness” and bite to a lobster roll that just isn’t there without them.

You can make lobster rolls with tinned lobster, but it is nowhere near as good as if you use fresh. Keep that in mind.

So without further ado, here’s a standard recipe. Easy to make at home in minutes. Bring memories of the sea shore to your backyard.

As an FYI, I’m working on a “true” lobster sausage recipe. Stay tuned...

This essentially lobster salad, so if you wish it can
be served just as well on a bed of lettuce.

Nova Scotia Lobster Roll

Prep: 10 min* | Yield: 4-8, depending on size

3/4 lb cooked lobster meat (1 can)

1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup celery, chopped small

2 tbsp onion, diced

juice from 1/2 lemon (about 2 tbsp)

1/4 tsp cracked black pepper

salt, optional

Rolls, hamburger buns or sandwich bread

Chop the cooked lobster meat into bite-sized pieces – not too small. Mix in the remaining ingredients together and refrigerate.

The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. You can add more if you wish.

I find tinned lobster meat a bit salty, so if using it you may want to omit salt. Also, if using tinned meat press out the liquid after thawing.

I know it seems like a waste, but if you don’t your lobster filling will be very wet.

This isn’t necessary if using fresh cooked.

* This time doesn't include cooking and cleaning live lobster. You can purchase pre-cooked to save time and anxiety.

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Tree Peonies – Brief but Beautiful

2013-06-05T06:32:00.000-03:00

The elusive nature of love... it can be such a fleeting thing. You see it there and it's just fluttering and it's gone. – Mick Jagger

This flower is about 8" wide.

Yesterday when the sun finally broke through so did our tree peonies. They so beautiful, but so fleeting. It seems any bad weather dooms them.

Did you know that peonies (family Paeonia) come in more than just the herbaceous variety? Herbaceous means they die back to ground level every winter. Most of us are familiar with that type.

They’re extremely common in garden centres and cost about $15-$20. Herbaceous peonies are very long-lived perennials given the right conditions. Once you have them you have them pretty much for life unless you do something nasty to them. They also resent being moved once established.

Think of your grandmother’s garden. If you remember a peony when you were young chances are that it’s still growing. They can keep coming back for decades. I know of some that are in excess of 60 years old and still perform wonderfully.

What is a tree peony?

Tree peonies are different. Rather than being herbaceous, they are woody which means the stems last through the winter and new growth appears on the developed branches. They have beautiful, blousy flowers and are hardy through Zone 4 (USDA Zone 3). Like their herbaceous cousins they also have a sweet scent.

Tree peonies are a little more difficult to establish but are worth your effort. I’ve had several for a while now. It’s taken a while for them to settle in but now I have the time to tend them I expect better growth. I have had a few disasters where they died but I believe it was mostly my fault.

Tree peonies, like herbaceous, love full sun. They also do not like wet feet, which I think is where some of my problems arose. Tree peonies can be quite expensive so losing one not only hurts your garden plan, but also your wallet. They can range from $20 at a garden centre to over $250 online for extremely unusual varieties.

In my garden I have (or had) pink, red, yellow, white/red stripe, burgundy and purple. They also are available in single and double flowers. They’re absolutely gorgeous. I have seen pictures of tree peonies growing in Japan that are centuries old and very large.

If I remember correctly one year a very old plant counted in excess of 100 blossoms. Can you imagine? There are many online vendors if you are interested. Two reputable one are Cricket Hill in the USA (http://www.treepeony.com/Onlinenursuries.htm) and Garden Import in Canada (http://www.gardenimport.com).

Planting tree peonies

Potted peonies can be planted at any time during the growing season. My only caution would be in Fall planting. Like any other perennial you have to give them enough time to settle in before the frost arrives (in Nova Scotia, mid-October if we’re lucky). If you want to relocate or divide an existing (herbaceous only) peony it is best to do it in the early Fall.

Peonies will do best in full sun, and a somewhat sheltered location. The shelter just helps the plant (either kind of peony) because the flowers are so large they tend to droop. Any strong, open wind can toss them around and shorten your enjoyment of the blossoms.

Tree peonies will actually produce viable seed. If you're up for adventure collect in the fall after the seed pods crack open but before the seeds drop. The seed themselves will be nearly black. They do not necessarily grow true to form, so you may (after years of patience) have something new and unexpected!

Preparing the soil

Dig a hole at least 12” deep (or deeper) and mix in compost and some bone meal. Peonies prefer neutral to slightly alkaline soil. Make sure that some of your amended soil is a few inches deep in the bottom of the hole. Then place your peony root ball on top and back fill the rest of the hole.

Ants on your peonies? No problem.

There’s an old wive’s tale that ants are necessary for peonies to bloom. Although this is not true, ants are drawn to the nectar that is part of the budding and blooming process. They do no damage.

Usually the ants are gone by the time the blossoms open. If you are cutting for indoor enjoyment give them a little shake to dislodge any hidden critters.

Tree peonies will give you years and years of late spring enjoyment and will reward your care by increasing year over year.

Each of our tree peonies had 3 flowers this year – a record!

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Homemade Cardamom Sweet Rolls

2013-06-04T07:25:00.000-03:00

A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body. – Benjamin Franklin

Warm from the oven. The best time to enjoy these.

After the blistering weekend it seems we have been given a bit of a rest here in Nova Scotia. Rain started late yesterday afternoon and has continued into the morning.

I’m sure our garden is loving it. Unfortunately it kind of means that we’re a bit “trapped” inside, at least until it starts to clear off this afternoon.

With the rain has come cooler temperatures so the inside of the house isn’t as much like an oven as it was. It is a little on the unpleasant side to cook meals when the weather is hot. Turning on the oven only increases the heat inside your home.

But today, not so much. And since there’s not much one can do outside in the yard, how about a homey baking recipe? But a homey recipe with a twist...

Bread is one baked good that conjures remembrances of hearth, home, comfort and love. Sweet rolls ratchet it up a notch, in my lowly opinion.

This recipe, a delicious twist on cinnamon buns, is no exception. Think about a light, moist dough – flavoured with sugar, eggs, milk and cardamom – wrapping a spicy, sugary filling with more cardamom. Mmmm…

Best served still warm from the oven, they’re good cooled too, if they last that long.

One word of advice. Sweet rolls really should be eaten within 2 or 3 days of baking because, like any dough, they loose that freshness we value so much.

Grocery store baking, complete with preservatives, will last for much, much longer. I guess that’s the price we pay for having the care to bake for our families.

Try these. It’s a rainy day. You won’t regret it.

The risen dough is rolled to 16"x10", spread with butter and sprinkled
with the cardamom sugar.

Cardamom Sweet Rolls

Prep: 3 hrs 15 min | Bake: 35 min | Yield: 12 large rolls

4 cups flour

2 tsp yeast

1 cup milk, at 110-115°F

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/3 cup butter, melted (or margarine)

1/2 tsp cardamom, ground (or mace)

Spice Filling

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom, ground

1/4 cup sugar

melted butter for brushing tops

Roll up with the longest side facing you. Divide into 12 even slices.

Confectioner’s Icing

1 cup confectioner’s icing

2 tbsp milk

2 tsp white corn syrup

1/2 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

Proof the yeast in the warm milk and sugar until creamy. Add to a large ceramic bowl. Add the salt, eggs, melted butter and cardamom. Mix well and then add the flour. Bring the mixture together and knead the dough for five minutes.

Place the dough back in the bowl. Cover with plastic and a tea towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Space evenly in a well buttered baking dish...

...and let rise until doubled.

Mix together the sugar, cinnamon and cardamom. Roll out the dough to 16” x 10”. If you like thinner dough (and more spiral) roll the dough out to 16" x 16".

Rub the flattened dough with the butter then sprinkle with the sugar mixture. Roll up along the 16” dimension and slice into 12 equal pieces. Arrange, cut sides up in a well buttered 10” x 14” oven proof dish.

Cover with plastic and a tea towel and let rise again until doubled, about 1 hour.

Bake and then drizzle with the confectioner's icing. Mmmm...

Bake at 375°F for 30-35 min. Let cool 5 minutes and then drizzle with the confectioners icing.

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Homemade Chipotle Ketchup

2013-06-03T07:42:00.000-03:00

O! for a muse of fire, that would ascend the brightest heaven of invention. – William Shakespeare

Chipotle Ketchup. Photo Rachel Tayse, Flickr CCL

Today’s post is to add a little “fire” to your summer backyard soirées. You can make this ketchup as smouldering as you want, or as mild. The kindling? Chipotle peppers.

It’s always a little enlightening when something you thought you knew turns out to be all wrong. Such is true of the origins of ketchup.

As with many condiments introduced during Victorian times I thought ketchup would be from India, where the English were inspired by so many other exotic ingredients and influences.

Nope… Not only is it not Indian, it pre-dates the Victorian Age.

In the 17th Century Dutch and British explorers discovered a salty pickled fish sauce called “ketsiap” in China, but it was more akin to today's fish sauce than what we think of as “ketchup.” When the sauce arrived in Europe via explorers and trade variations quickly followed using ingredients such as mushrooms, oysters, and walnuts.

If you search for any of those with the term “ketchup” or “catsup” before them you’ll find recipes. I have yet to try any, though.

This is the brand you're most likely to find
in Nova Scotia grocery stores. Whatever you
don't use will keep for a long time.

The first ketchup recipe was printed in 1727 in The Compleat Housewife. The recipe included anchovies, shallots, vinegar, white wine, cloves, ginger, mace, nutmeg, pepper and lemon peel. But no tomatoes.

A Nova Scotia ketchup connection

Around 1800, the first North American tomato ketchup recipe was published in – of all places – Nova Scotia, by James Mease. Recipes continued to change and be modified, most usually using mushrooms in Britain and tomatoes in North America. The marketing of ketchup quickly developed with many small producers selling their own variations on the tomato based recipe.

The real popularity of the sauce came in 1872 when H.J. Heinz added ketchup to his manufacturing line and introduced it at the Philadelphia World’s Fair. Heinz Ketchup has not changed since, and is the gold standard against which all other ketchups are judged by most folks.

I’m not sure when it became the preferred condiment for fried food and hamburgers, but it most certainly has. Ketchup actually does have health benefits from the tomatoes which contain lycopene, an antioxidant known to reduce cancer risk.

Chipotles are available canned in the Mexican section of the grocery store. In our province the usual brand is Herdez. You can increase or decrease the amount of heat in your finished product by the amount of seeds you leave in the peppers. I have found out through trial and error that half the seeds is about right.

This is a fantastic ketchup to have on hand for the summer. It adds a smoky kick to anything you choose to use it in. It’s actually one of my favourite ketchups.

I apologize for the lack of photos, but I have yet to make my ketchup for this year. Once I do I'll try to remember to add them. Rest assured, this recipe is "Docaitta tested" and has my seal of approval.

Chipotle Ketchup

Prep: 10 min | Cook: 60 min

2 tbsp canola oil

2 large red bell peppers, seeded and diced

1 medium onion, chopped

6 cloves of garlic, chopped

5-6 large Roma (or other very firm) tomatoes, chopped

1/3 cup vinegar

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup chipotles in adobo, chopped

Heat oil in a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven.

Add the red peppers, onions, garlic and tomatoes. Allow to cook over medium heat until they are very soft. This will take from 5-10 minutes.

Add the vinegar and sugar. Cook on medium low for 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool slightly and transfer to a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Add the chopped (and seeded as you wish) chipotles. Purée again until smooth.

Return to the pan and simmer on low for 30 minutes longer, stirring occasionally to ensure it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. While still hot, place in bottles or jars and then refrigerate.

As stated above, I leave in about half the seeds. That is from experience. The first year I left all in and it was unbelievably hot; the next year I took out all seeds and it was not hot enough. The third year with half the seeds was “just right.”

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My Best Hot & Sweet Italian Sausage, so far...

2013-06-02T07:30:00.001-03:00

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Quite a feast at the lake. Italian sausage on homemade buns, green and potato salad,
and lobster – I can't forget the lobster! We had a wonderful time.

Yesterday was another stunner in Nova Scotia. It’s like we’re getting early August in early June.

I don’t want to complain, but wasn’t it hot... It had to have been in the mid 30°C or higher again. Sweltering. Today is supposed to be another warm one, but then back to more normal temperatures for this week.

It was an uncomfortable night trying to sleep. Two fans were running full on, and it was still muggy inside our little house. It’s cooler this morning (15°C at 6am) so if it stays cool there may be a quick nap in the offing.

But one should make hay while the sun shines. That’s where this recipe comes in. We certainly made best use of dinnertime yesterday.

The "Loch Ponoque Monster", aka Henry the Bouvier. He had a great time
cooling off at the lake, although he gets a little obsessed with the waves...

There’s nothing like a barbecue to enjoy this unexpected warm weather. No one wants to have the oven on in the house on days like yesterday. It also helps if you have good friends who have a cabin on the lake.

The village where we live is at the foot of a series of lakes dotted with cabins. The wind always blows down the lake and onto the shores, so it’s far nicer up there than in the village where it’s more sheltered.

On Friday, six of us decided to get together for a potluck at the cabin of two friends. They’re the kind of old friends that love you regardless of how “stupid” you may want to get, or end up getting...

I had volunteered to bring sausages for on the barbecue – me being so recently fond of my grinder/stuffer KitchenAid mixer attachment. So I had to make sure it was a good recipe. My reputation was on the line... This one didn’t disappoint.

Making sausage at home is actually very easy. The do not
have to be stuffed. Just use as you would hamburger.

I have made Italian sausage in the past, but never stuffed. Also never barbecued, and never this good. So this was a “first” on a few levels. The sausages met with rave reviews. I do have to say I was even impressed. I’m not trying to say I’m a great cook, just that I’m clever enough to source good recipes.

As usual, I looked at several recipes, took the best bits, and then moulded them (pardon the pun) to my own liking. The most significant influence was a recipe posted by someone reminiscing about their Sicilian grandfather’s sausages. So I guess technically these are Sicilian, and very authentic tasting.

Whatever they are, they’re fantastic. Store-made Italian sausage will be bought no more!

This recipe included no extra fat, which is a bit unusual. All I used was a pork loin with the fat still on the top – the usual cut you buy at the grocery store.

This made enough sausage to feed all six of us, with side dishes, with one left over. If course you could shape it into patties, or meatballs, or whatever shape you wanted if you don’t have a sausage stuffer.

To top the sausages I sautéed sweet peppers with onions until caramelized. They were good. Two of our friends had brought lobster and tried that on top of the sausage à la "surf 'n turf", apparently to great effect. I want to try that...

We ate our sausages, salads and lobster overlooking the lake, with the breeze just enough to keep the flies away and cool us off after a hot, hot day.

This is now my "go-to" summer sausage, without doubt. Sweet, spicy and with just a little heat, I’m sure this recipe will become one of yours as well. It makes about 50-60” of sausage – enough for a crowd.

Here’s a tip for cooking sausages: cook them on low heat and slowly. This will minimize and splitting and subsequent flame flare-up as the fat leeks out.

Do not pierce the sausage as they cook, for the same reason. When the juices look clear inside the casing they’re done. Enjoy!

The sausage benefits from sitting, either before or after
stuffing. The flavours combine. I twisted it into individual
links and cut them apart just before grilling. You could
skewer the whole thing as a coil and cook it that way too.

Best Hot & Sweet Italian Sausage

Yield: 10 sausages about 6” long

2-1/2 lbs pork loin, with top fat

4 large garlic cloves, chopped

2 tbsp white sugar

2 tbsp fresh Italian parsley, chopped

1 tbsp cracked black pepper

1 tbsp paprika

2 tsp whole fennel seed

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1-1/4 tbsp salt

1-1/2 tbsp red wine

sausage casings

Grind the meat through the coarse plate on your grinder. Mix in all the remaining ingredients except for the casings and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours so the flavours permeate the meat.

Shape or stuff as you wish.

If you’ve read this far I may as well give you an excellent recipe for salad dressing. This was great on our romaine, grated carrot, tomatoes, cucumber and chives salad.

Balsamic Italian Salad Dressing

about 250 ml dressing

3/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp oregano, dried

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients in a bottle and shake vigorously. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the flavours to combine. Shake again before use.

Our friends have a beautiful spot to enjoy the summer, don't they?

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Tourist for a Day. Historic Gardens at Annapolis Royal

2013-06-01T08:30:00.001-03:00

The camera makes everyone a tourist in other people's reality, and eventually in one's own. – Susan Sontag

Tree peony in full glory.

31 May 2013 will go down in the history books as the first day of mid-summer.

Seriously, how else can you describe a day of full sun and temperatures in the 30°C range? Suffice to say it was quite a pleasure.

The Victorian Garden. Most of its beauty is yet to come.

I have discovered that one of the benefits of self-employment is that you set your own hours. After I had made sure my clients were taken care of early, we set out on a road trip. A “Mental Health Day” road trip. Working from home does tend to cage one in...

Our trip yesterday took us across the centre of the province – up past Kejimkujik National Park through to Annapolis Royal, across the Annapolis Valley and back home through New Ross and Bridgewater. You can cover a lot of beautiful ground in 7 hours in Nova Scotia.

Azaleas. Fragrant azaleas...

The main attraction I want to talk about today is the stunning Historic Gardens at Annapolis Royal. Located on 17 acres in the heart of the town, it is a must stop for anyone venturing to that part of our beautiful province. It's kind of an oasis in the centre of an oasis (the town).

Not only is it a wonder for the eyes, but it is also a learning centre where 400 years of horticultural practices are represented, including the Mi’kmaq, Acadians, Victorians and present day gardeners. They even have an experimental area where they show how seniors can garden for food well into their old age.

One of the ponds (waterlilies later...) surrounded by mature trees.

Admission during high season is a little steep (for me...) at $10 per person, but since we were there at shoulder season it only cost $6. It is managed by a Society (not Government) and they have to pay for its upkeep, so it is well worth the outlay at either price. I’m just cheap.

The most beautiful displays yesterday were the rhododendrons and azaleas, although some magnolias and other flowers were in bloom as well. Apparently during rose season the gardens are a sight to behold.

The Acadian House has an attached garden that shows how families helped
feed themselves in the 1600s. It looked a lot like our veggie garden!

They have waterways and bridges, meandering through very mature trees and shrubs – all meticulously labeled so if you want to try your hand at something you can search it out.

One of the large red azaleas (a Stewartsonian) we did find at Bolmidon Nurery. So in the car it went...

This is the Stewarstonian Azalea. Magnificent.
Ours purchase was significantly smaller.

Two of my favourites that I want to try are flowering trees. One is Koelreuteria paniculata (Golden Rain Tree) and Paulownia tomentosa (Empress Tree). Both are hardy in almost every part of Nova Scotia. The Golden gets papery yellow flowers; the Empress is covered in bright blue foxglove-like flowers. Stunning. Hope we can find them locally.

Rather than go on at length, I’m just going to let the pictures speak for themselves. We took 75 pictures. What you are seeing is just a small sample.

An arched arbour, soon to be covered with wisteria.

If you find yourself in the Annapolis Valley I suggest you take the time to go to the Historic Gardens. While you’re there, visit 18th Century Fort Anne and the first French settlement in North America, Port-Royal.

There’s lots to see and do on a trip to the Annapolis Valley.

One of the more interesting evergreens.

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Homemade Teriyaki BBQ Sauce with Salmon

2013-05-31T08:04:00.003-03:00

Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy. – Robert A. Heinlein

An easy BBQ sauce, better flavour than commercial and cheap too.

I’m assuming the above quote doesn’t include adults. Let’s go on that assumption, because today’s recipe is easy. Just what one needs on a warm outdoor weekend.

This weekend is supposed to be pretty wonderful, so many of us will be making our way to backyards and patios for BBQs. We’ll have other activities on our minds than cooking.

Probably one of those activities will be breaking out the BBQ. For most that means meat on the grill, but we shouldn’t forget fish. Fish on a grill is easy. All you need to do is place it on tinfoil so it doesn’t end up down through the grates and on the fire.

Fish like salmon doesn’t take to traditional tomato barbecue sauce (yuck), but one sauce that tastes fantastic – and crosses over to meat – is teriyaki. It’s great on pork, beef and chicken and can even be used to grill veggies. It’s also disgustingly simple to make at home.

I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with teriyaki sauce. I love its taste, but hate to buy it because of the price. I find it difficult to put a bottle in my grocery cart, because it’s so cheap and easy to make at home. That’s me in a nutshell – cheap and easy.

This recipe fits perfectly with that philosophy. If you can find salmon "on sale" this meal for four can be inexpensive, and remember frozen salmon always costs less than fresh. If you buy frozen steelhead trout it’s even more cost effective.

Steelhead trout is becoming far more common in grocery stores. It’s usually sold as full filets. If you don’t look closely you would swear it was salmon. And when you cook it I swear you won’t be able to tell the difference. We couldn’t.

Making teriyaki sauce is something we should all know how to do. It takes so few ingredients and they’re all kitchen staples. It literally takes about 8-10 minutes to make about 1-1/4 cups. That time is from chopping the ginger to turning off the heat under the pot when done.

Homemade teriyaki is so much more flavourful than most of the bottled brands on the market. At least that’s my humble opinion. This one's a real keeper.

The only “strange” ingredient used in my salmon teriyaki is nanmi togarashi which is sold in Asian groceries – and probably larger grocery chains. It’s a mixture of ground chilli, sesame and orange peel. I used it on the veggies and rice. It adds a distinct, wonderful Asian flavour boost. I would imagine most of us have eaten it at a restaurant and didn’t know what it was.

Except for the teriyaki sauce this meal is quite healthy: raw vegetables atop rice with a delicious piece of fish. Let’s just pretend that teriyaki has no salt and sugar in it.

Actually, let’s not. It’s amazing, amazing stuff. The recipe makes about twice as much as you will need, but I wouldn’t worry about it lounging in your refrigerator. You’ll find uses if there’s any left over.

I have been severely disappointed more than once by the lunch-sized teriyaki salmon bowls that are sold at one of our larger grocery chains. I keep hoping “this next one will be good.” But it never is. Leave them in the display case.

This recipe banished all my bad memories about teriyaki salmon. Give it a try. You’ll love it too.

I did this recipe a while ago, so my directions are for the oven, but if you’re grilling place the salmon on foil on your BBQ grate, brush the fish with the sauce and cook until done.

Mmmmm... teriyaki.

Best Teriyaki Sauce

Time: 10 min | Yield 1+ cup

1/2” fresh ginger, minced

1 large garlic clove, minced

3/4 cup water*

1/4 cup natural brewed soy sauce

1/4 cup rice vinegar**

5 tbsp brown sugar, packed

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water

Homemade Teriyaki with Salmon Bowl

Prep: 5 min | Cook: 20-25 min | Serves 4

4 salmon portions

sushi rice for 4 (2 cups raw)

teriyaki sauce, recipe below

1 medium carrot, cut into matchsticks

1/2 green pepper, thinly sliced and chopped

1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced

nanami togarashi (assorted chilli pepper topping)*

Preheat the oven to 375°F (or fire up the grill). While the oven is heating make the teriyaki sauce.

Peel and mince both the garlic and ginger. Place in a small saucepan with the water, soy, rice vinegar, brown sugar and honey.

Mix the cornstarch and water together and stir in to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boli, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 4-5 minutes, Until very glossy and thickened.

Any leftover teriyaki can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Place the salmon portions on foil in a rimmed baking dish. Generously paint the top of each fillet with teriyaki. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes for every inch of thickness.

While the fish is baking, prepare the sushi rice and chop the carrot, green pepper and green onions. To make very thin pieces of carrot and green pepper use a mandolin. Then chop into strips.

To serve, divide the hot rice among four bowls. Add some chopped carrot, green pepper and green onion and sprinkle well with the nanami togarashi.

Top with the salmon and drizzle more teriyaki sauce, if desired. (Give in to desire...)

* For an interesting variation, try substituting the water for either orange or pineapple juice.

** If you don't have rice vinegar substitute 2 tbsp cider vinegar mixed with 2 tbsp water.

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Claiming A Hillside Micro-climate

2013-05-30T08:25:00.002-03:00

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. – Marcus Tullius Cicero

One level of terracing completed. The other(s) may have to wait until next year.
Our Scarborough Fair herb lineup: parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme, plus others.

We don’t have much room here in the country. Since we want to grow as much of our own food as we can we need to be a little clever.

One of the best areas we have is on the north side of the house. It is almost completely free of shade and since the driveway goes down that side to the garage it is less used than the south side yard.

A but gloomy looking because it was raining. Nice and bright
when the sun is out.

One part of it we planted about three weeks ago when we removed a very overgrown rose. Luckily the rose had killed everything underneath it. Unluckily we had to dig the rose root out. But we did and planted a cheek-by-jowl garden.

It’s coming up quite well. We have beans (green and purple), peas (sugar and regular), purple and regular carrots, corn, chard, salad mix, beets and squash (spaghetti and buttercup). It’s fenced in so hopefully will be protected from the deer.

Besides the far side yard, the other area that we have that’s sunny is a small hill. In the spring we had used it to burn old wood and some other items we should have gotten rid of quite some time ago. So it was fairly bare to start and begging for green.

There’s two ways to plant on a hill. You can either plough it and plant rows, or if you’re into a little extra work, you can terrace it. The soil you take from the incline fills in the terraced parts. Just make sure you improve it with manure or other fertilizer.

The clay pots came with us from the city. They
were unsuccessfully used in there. Just not enough sun...

We chose the terracing and started yesterday. We (my spouse actually) were able to put in one tier thanks to a very large piece of wood we had on hand. At least one more is in the works, probably for next year.

The reason one would chose terrace over rows has a lot to do with what you want to plant.

If located in the right area, a hillside can be a micro-climate, giving you the potential for a half a USDA zone increase, or even a full zone, from the rest of your yard. Our hill faces north, but has sun through most of the day.

It’s also sheltered. The sheltering is what’s important for those plants that may need a little more special care and warmth. It’s an ideal place for herbs that overwinter outside in Nova Scotia.

We have several Mediterranean herbs that do so in Nova Scotia. Among them are sage, oregano and thyme. If they like where you plant them they will get quite large. Lavender would be another good choice, but has minimal culinary use. (Good in liqueur, though.)

Rosemary, although usually only an annual here, benefits from the additional shelter a terraced hillside offers. We are going to try to protect it over winter, although a new plant next year will only cost about $4.00. I’ve heard it may be possible. Nothing ventured, nothing gained...

Some other herbs that we put in our terrace are chives (thanks to a dear friend), mint (thanks again), basil, parsley, Italian parsley and dill. They will all be happy in a warm place. We also put in tomatoes (always heat lovers), lettuce, cucumbers, eggplant and bok choy.

All were purchased as plants, so the late-ish date won’t put anything behind as far as harvesting. We filled in some areas with seeds. We'll see how that goes.

It will be interesting to see how the creation of a micro-climate changes the speed of growth. Just 20 feet away we have tomatoes as well, so they can be our yardstick.

If you have hilly property with sun and want a garden, be it vegetable or flower, think about terracing. Our is just small scale, but a step in the direction of self sufficiency. Hopefully it will give us the boost we need to grow those more challenging plants that like it a little warmer.

We may try a watermelon or two, although they probably won't get very big. At the very least I am looking forward to having hardy herbs for many years to come.

This is our other garden. Everything is growing. It's a good feeling.

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Donair Sausages & Crusty Buns

2013-05-29T08:05:00.002-03:00

Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. – Ernest Hemingway

Have lots of napkins on hand.

I have three recipes that receive significant hits on this blog every single day:

Dijon Mustard

Maritime Brown Bread

Donair Meat

My original recipe for donair meat is one from food.com. It links to “Dash Rip Rock’s” Halifax Donair meat. It’s pretty good and darned close to what one gets on drunken escapades in Halifax.

They say you haven’t partied in Halifax until you wake up the next morning with donair sauce down the front of your shirt. Dirty ashtrays, stale beer and donair sauce are the signature odours of a good time had by all... Luckily for me those days have passed.

These taste like the best donair meat...

Of course you don’t need a “foggy” Halifax night to enjoy a donair. I love them. And you don't have to be drunk to get donair sauce all over yourself. They're a messy venture.

Donair is a highly spiced Middle Eastern meat mixture that is absolutely delicious. It is spit roasted in pizza shops, sliced and served with a special sweet, garlicky sauce, tomatoes and onions wrapped in pita.

Donair is usually uncased, but to make sausages you have to stuff them. Unfortunately the most common sausage casing is pork. This makes them not quite such a Middle Eastern delight as consuming pork is not allowed.

The benefit of sausage is that they’re easy to put on the barbecue, or do in a pan on the stove at home. There are artificial casings available (plus lamb casings – expensive), so of you have Muslim or Jewish friends search them out.

I did have some issues with the original recipe. It contained no lamb and I found it a little lacking in spice. I like my donair meat on the spicy side. This recipe fixes that issue.

If you don’t want to stuff casings, you can shape the mixture into a loaf and bake it. Then slice and you’re on your way.

I'm including the recipe for a classic Halifax donair sauce, as well as one for sausage buns. Nice buns with a crusty exterior and soft interior.

Donair Sausages

Makes 8 sausages, 8” long

400g lean beef

400g lamb

125 g beef suet (fat)

3 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

1-1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp cracked black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Toppings

diced tomato

diced yellow onion

Donair sauce

370 ml can evaporated milk, chilled

1/2 cup sugar

2 tsp garlic powder

1-3 tbsp vinegar (see directions)

Sausage buns (makes 6)

3 cups flour

1-1/4 cups water, warm (110°F)

3/4 tsp yeast

3/4 tsp salt

Start the buns first

Mix together all the ingredients together in a bowl and then knead briefly to incorporate everything well.

Grease the bowl with a little olive oil and then place the dough back in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a towel. Let rise for 3 hours in a warm spot, but out of the direct sun, until doubled. Alternatively, you can proof the yeast, mix in the flour and salt and let rise for about 1.5 to 2 hours.

Once risen, punch down, knead for 2 minutes and divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each one into a log about 6-7” long. Place on a floured baking sheet and let rise again for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack. Once the buns have risen again, slit the middle of the tops along the length. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown, removing the water pan 10 minutes into the baking time.

Make the donair sauce

Place the chilled (important) evaporated milk in a plastic, glass or ceramic bowl (not metal). Mix in the sugar and garlic powder.

Stirring painfully slowly, add vinegar very slowly. The mixture will thicken. If you stir too fast the mixture won’t thicken and if you add the vinegar too fast it won’t thicken. Once thickened, chill the sauce.

This is tricky business. I had to make it 3 times, because I was impatient.

Make the sausage

To make the sausage, cube the fat and meat into 1” pieces. Grind with the coarse plate of your grinder. Add the remaining ingredients and knead together with your hands.

Stuff the sausage into casings and twist into 8” links.

To cook, cut the sausages apart, and place into a frying pan with a little water and oil. Bring to a boil. As the water boils the sausage cooks. Make sure to flip the sausage, and pierce them with a fork a few times. Once the water evaporates, the sausages will brown.

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How to make Moroccan Merguez (Sausage)

2013-05-27T07:08:00.000-03:00

A donkey laden with books is neither an intellectual nor a wise man, for it is said that however much one studies one cannot know without action. – Berber saying

What did you do on Friday night? Me? I made homemade sausage.

Sounds a bit boring to most folks I would presume. But not to me. It actually was quite exciting because it was only the second time I got to use my sausage stuffer. To each his own.

For me, waking up to a plate of fresh sausage is way better than waking up with a hangover. Call me old. I don’t care. I say it’s more a case of priorities.

2 lbs makes 8 sausage.

These sausages are more than a little interesting too. They are Moroccan, which means they have loads of flavours we usually don’t find in sausage – cumin and coriander being two.

The word “merguez” is most probably from a Berber word (amargez) for pie. The Berbers are from North Africa. It is a common sausage in Morocco as well as the Middle East. Today the word means “sausage” so it’s a little repetitive saying merguez sausage. Merguez are often used in tagines or simply cooked and served with couscous.

As you would expect from being popular in Muslim countries, they contain no pork. They can be made from lamb with lamb fat, beef with beef fat, or a combination of the two.

Because they contain smoked paprika and cayenne, the colour is quite dark. And they have a spicy kick as well. They are quite popular around the world now, and if I remember correctly you can purchase them fresh at Pete’s Frootique in Halifax.

If you have never made your own sausage, either in links or for patties, you should try it at least once. You don’t need a meat grinder, although it does help. Before I purchased mine I “ground” the meat in a food processor. The consistency is a little different, but not much.

Merguez Pizza

A simple Google search for "merguez" brought up many recipes that call for its use, and of those many used just the meat – unstuffed. One recipe I found was a simple pizza that had the cooked, sliced sausage, onion, ricotta, a little tomato sauce, rosemary and spinach. It was a very tasty pizza. That was part of Saturday evening dinner. It really wasn't anything more than that.

Homemade = Gluten free

The following never really occurred to me before: making your own is a great way to ensure you are eating gluten-free sausage. It sounds strange to say gluten-free sausage, but it’s true. Many commercial sausages use wheat (often bread) as a filler. If you make your own you know exactly what goes into them.

The same holds true for the much maligned hot dog. It’s said that you never know what has been ground into the mix. Some more “unsavoury” pieces of meat are often touted out as possible ingredients. I won’t outline them here.

Frankfurters are on my list to make this year. I’ll let you know how they go.

In the meantime, if you want to try your hand at this highly spiced, delicious sausage, here’s the recipe!

I don’t list a time to make these. It all depends if you’re stuffing or not. To grind and mix the meat is only about 20 minutes.

Moroccan Merguez (Sausage)

8 links, 6” long

1.5 lb beef roast (a cut with some fat in the meat is best)

1/2 lb ground beef fat (suet)

6 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp brown sugar

3 tsp dried coriander leaf

3 tsp ground fennel seed

3 tsp ground cumin

3 tsp salt

2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp black pepper

4’ sausage casing, optional

Cube the beef and fat into 1” pieces. If using suet, it usually comes pre-ground. If not pre-ground, cut it as well. Grind the meat into a bowl using the coarse plate on your grinder.

Add the remaining ingredients (except for the casings) and knead well to distribute the spices evenly.

Shape as desired or stuff into sausage casings and twist into individual links. Alternatively, if barbecuing you can leave as one whole link. Coil the sausage and pierce with a skewer to maintain its shape then barbecue whole and slice.

If making sausages, twist into links about 6” long. You will have 8 links. Let the links sit for at least 1 hour for the flavours to fully develop.

The sausages can be refrigerated for 1 week or frozen for several months.

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Sandwich “French” Loaf

2013-05-26T07:43:00.003-03:00

All things are difficult before they are easy. – Thomas Fuller

Here’s just a quickie for a Sunday morning. It’s another bread recipe. I have yet to buy aloaf of bread at the store, and it’s getting on three months we’ve been in the country.

I am finding in the country that a more functional shape of bread makes most sense, unless you’re having company. By “functional” I mean sandwich loaf-shaped.

Beautiful bread brought fresh to the table is a marvellous thing, but sometimes you have to be practical. There’s only two of us here so a loaf has to have more uses than one meal.

That’s where sandwich-shape comes in. It fits neatly into the toaster for morning breakfasts as well as to make sandwiches.

But I hate the thought of giving up on tasty bread. A fresh loaf is delicious, no matter what kind, but I wanted to see what would happen if I used a classic French bread recipe as a loaf. I love the flavour of baguette.

So that’s what I did. It actually worked quite well. The crumb is quite similar, and it has some holes.

My method of overnight raising is a godsend. It takes practically all of the work out of bread making, and all but 2 minutes of kneading. It’s really easy.

If you’re of a mind to have fresh bread on the weekend, why not try this recipe this coming Friday night? In the morning you’re all ready to go. In about an hour or so after waking up you’ll have fresh bread from the oven!

Sandwich “French” Loaf

Prep: overnight | Bake: 30-35 min | Yield: 1 loaf

4 cups unbleached flour

2 cups warm water (110°F max)

1 tbsp yeast

1 tsp salt

Combine the four ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Then knead briefly until all of the flour is incorporated from the bottom of the bowl.

It will be sticky.

Cover with plastic wrap (or place the whole bowl in a plastic grocery bag and tie), place a towel on top and let rest on the counter overnight.

In the morning punch the dough down, knead for 2 minutes and place in a well buttered 5” x 9” oven-proof baking pan.

Let rise for about 45 minutes until doubled. While it is rising preheat the oven to 425°F with a pan of water on the bottom rack.

Bake the loaf for 10 minutes, remove the water and then bake for an additional 20-25 minutes. The loaf will be hard on top and sound hollow when tapped.

Remove from the oven, take out of the pan and let cool.

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Flowering Almond (Prunus glandulosa)

2013-05-25T08:10:00.000-03:00

If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded. – Maya Angelou

I thought today I would show you a shrub we just recently cut out of some overgrowth of wild rose and choke cherry trees. Plants, like people, need love and tending to reach full potential. This one was desperate for some TLC.

It’s an understatement that we had let things go down here in the country. Before the move I was only ever down here every other weekend and most of that time was spent mowing the lawns. So there was little time to keep border shrubs cleared out.

That has changed. We were lucky that this little shrub is so darn tough. It fought off encroachment for literally decades. Of course (by the title of this post) I’m writing about Flowering Almond.

This bush belonged to my Great Aunts Hilda and Nettie and I can remember it being quite spectacular when I was young. So it’s been here for quite a long time, possibly 40 years or so.

Flowering Almond is a small deciduous, multi-stemmed shrub that bears spectacular, if small at about 3/4" wide, rosy pink flowers during May in our garden. There are a few varieties, including ones that set fruit, but the double flowered cultivars do not.

That’s what we have. Double flowering almond grow in USDA Zones 4 through 8 or 9, so that’s a fair range. They usually grow to only 4-5 feet high with a spread of 3-4 feet.

The flowers are borne tight to the stock just as the leaves are starting to emerge. Coincidentally, they flower just as the forsythia if finishing its blooming cycle. That’s good to keep in mind.

Unfortunately the blossoms have little to no scent, so unlike Mock Orange there’s not real benefit to planting it close enough to the house so you can bend down and enjoy the scent. But it is enough to be able to enjoy the flowers. They are quite beautiful.

The scientific name is Prunus glandulosa. Prunus is the family of plants that include plums, cherries, peaches, apricots, nectarines and almonds. In other words, the “stone fruits.”

Flowering almond likes the sun and fairly moist soil, but does not like to have its roots constantly wet. I have read that it is a short-lived bush, starting to decline in about 10 years, but we have a plant that makes me seriously doubt that fact.

It is tolerant of urban growing conditions and some drought. But like all plants don’t push it. Since it is multi-stemmed after a while it can begin to look a little “unkempt” after a while, so perhaps it is better at the edge of property.

This shrub benefits to being cut back slightly after flowering. This will encourage new growth, which we need.

Our bush has responded quite well to being cleared out and I look forward to trying to nurse it back to the shrub I remember from my youth.

Fingers crossed. In the meantime, we will enjoy the blossoms it has graced us with this year.

Since they’re a little uncommon, i you can find one at a garden centre I would strongly suggest you buy it. You won’t be disappointed.

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Old-fashioned Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

2013-05-24T07:21:00.002-03:00

And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow. – Gilbert K. Chesterton

Word to the wise: I cut 6 slits in the top. It's neater to cut along them,
so if you want 8 slices, make 8 slits.

This weekend is supposed to be a weather write-off. So why not take a quick pop out to the grocery store and stay inside and make a pie?

There’s nothing quite as tasty as strawberry-rhubarb pie. I just wish that strawberries were available locally at the same time as rhubarb. Our rhubarb patch out back is doing quite nicely this year.

This is a friend's patch. Ours is somewhat smaller.

You should be able to find rhubarb in the grocery store now, if not very soon. It is one of the first “local grown” crops to come onto market every spring and is loved (or hated) by many. Let’s face it – rhubarb is tart. Some like it, some don’t.

A favourite way to enjoy rhubarb is to therefore combine it with other fruits that are sweeter. Although there are many that could be chosen, the most common pairing is strawberries. This is even though local strawberries don’t become available until the last week of June.

Thank goodness for imports (I guess). That’s what I used to make this pie. Oddly enough, many of the USA grown strawberries are from Nova Scotian plants. The Annapolis Valley is a major exporter.

Strawberries aren’t a problem, but the amount of rhubarb can be. By that I mean too much, not too little. If you have a patch of your own, you probably have much more than you can reasonably use.

So the thing is to preserve it for later. I find the best way is to chop fresh stalks into 1” pieces. This is the size you would use for a pie filling and many other recipes. Then blanch the pieces in boiling water for about 1-1/2 to 2 minutes – with no salt. Then simply drain, bag and freeze.

To harvest, simply pull the stalks and break off the leaf.

If you deal with your over abundance of rhubarb in this way you can have the next best thing to fresh any time of the year!

For those who don’t know, here’s some important information. Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid which is poisonous. You would have to eat quite a lot of the leaves to die (about 5kg), but even a little will give you quite an upset well before that level is reached. The stalks also have some oxalic acid, but far less than the leaves. So never eat rhubarb leaves.

I pride myself on my pie crust. Sometimes I have a dud, but most times it’s flaky and pretty good (if I do say so myself). The trick is to just bring the dough together and not maul it until it's smooth. Rough dough is flaky dough. I learned from my dad, who was impatient in making his crust. It always came out well.

This crust recipe is a keeper. The addition of the egg and vinegar may have had something to do with it, but I mostly blame it on using lard, as opposed to shortening. You can substitute vegetable shortening if you must… but try the lard.

Crust goeth before a fall. Or is that pride...?

Old-fashioned Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Prep: 30 min | Bake: 40-50 minutes

Crust: Prep: 15 min

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional flour for rolling

1 tbsp sugar

2/3 cup lard

1/2 tsp salt

1egg

2 teaspoons vinegar

1/4 cup ice cold water

Filling: Prep: 15 min

3 beaten eggs

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup enriched flour + 1 tbsp

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tsp cinnamon

This is one of my favourite pies, plus apple, blueberry,
custard, cherry, chocolate...

1 tsp lemon zest

2 1/2 cups 1-inch slices rhubarb

2 1/2 cups sliced fresh strawberries

Pastry for 9-inch lattice top pie

Make the crust by cutting the lard into the flour/sugar/salt until the size of small peas. Mix together the vinegar, egg and water. Stir into the dough until just combined.

Do NOT force it together. It needs to be ragged. Any additional flour left in the bowl ca be incorporated by using it on your board to roll out the crust.

Chill until ready to use.

Combine eggs, sugar flour, salt, cinnamon and lemon rind and mix well. Chop and toss the rhubarb and strawberries together.

Line a 9” pie plate with half of the rolled pastry. Do not trim the edges. Fill with the cut fruit. Pour egg mixture over the top.

Top with the remaining crust. Trim both top and bottom doughs about 1/2-34" out past the plate rim. Fold both in under the inner edge of the plate. Pinch together, crimping the edge. Cut several vents in the top.*

Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for between 40-50 minutes.

Let cool slightly before serving to allow the filling to set. Vanilla ice cream goes very well with a slice.

HINT: I cut six vents in the top of this pie. I found it very easy to cut along the vents to serve and the crust didn't break apart or collapse. Six vents equaled six slices. If you wish, cut 8 vents and divide the pie into that many pieces. This is a trick I will be using a lot in the future!

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