the art of home cooking

Good thing, where have you gone?!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 16:01:00 +0000

I'm so sorry it's been so long since my last post, but I have a very good excuse: I had a baby! Our adorable little Lionel was born a whole 15 days late, on a picturesque snowstorm day at the end of January AND as you can imagine life's been a bit of a whirlwind since then, and we're still over the moon with joy!

I do still manage to find time to cook and bake and explore new recipes and I am writing notes and compiling little gems for new posts, but finding the time to sit down and properly edit them and put a new post together is next to impossible nowadays... To add insult to injury my computer has died! So, with all those obstacles in mind I'm currently working on a mini series of posts which I will try to create via the Blogger iPhone app with iPhone photos as well. We shall see how that works out... As as designer I'm usually pretty picky with my layout and photos, but desperate times call for desperate measures (and worse comes to worse I can fix up those posts to my liking when I get a new computer in September!).

My lil' guy is breastfeeding around the clock and it has become apparent that wholesome healthy home cooking from quality ingredients has never been more important to me! I have to be sure to eat well on a daily basis in order to produce enough nourishing milk for my baby to thrive on. In the 'rookie parent' early days once my partner went back to work, it was especially challenging to find time to prepare food some days, and I was starving!!! Well, with my handy little iPhone I surfed from the sofa while nursing and with a little research and some trial and error compiled this rather successful cookie recipe which doubles as a great pro-lactation snack. It's full of ingredients to keep both new mommas (and dads) going on those tough days... Grandparents and other visitors seem to like them a lot too!

What an adorable sous-chef!

Marion's Good Thing, Energy-on-the-go Cookies

(why yes, they make great lactation cookies!) - with oatmeal, raisins, coconut, seeds and more!)

Yield: around 4 dozen

INGREDIENTS

(although not specified I use organic ingredients as much as possible!)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose or wholewheat flour
(I like to mix them - you can play with mixes like spelt, whole wheat, all purpose etc),

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature & 1/2 cup coconut oil

(or 1 full cup butter/coconut oil)

• 2 tbsp coconut manna (optional)

• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar (or 1/2 cup honey)

• 3/4 cup raw cane or granulated sugar

• 3 large free range eggs

• 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract

• 5 tbsp of Flaxseed meal, 2 tbsp of Chia seeds, both soaked in a bit of water
(they'll absorb a good 1/4-1/3 cup)

• 3 tbsp of unhulled sesame seeds

• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats

• 2 cups raisins (or combo of raisins, dried cranberries, other fruit (chopped dried apricots) etc)

• 5 tbsp husked pumpkin seeds

• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

With an electric mixer (or with a strong mixing arm!), cream butter, coconut oil (+manna) and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in wet flax/chia mix and then sesame seeds. Add flour mixture; beat just until combined. Add oats, raisins, coconut and pumpkin seeds; quickly mixing in each ingredient until just combined.

I am very lucky to have a great "friend of the family" source for farm fresh eggs - I only ever buy free range! :)

Drop heaping tbsp or desired size measures of dough, 1 inch apart, onto baking sheets. Flatten slightly.

Bake until cookies have spread slightly and are golden brown and soft to the touch, around 10-12 minutes. Cool a few minutes on sheets; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Please note:

While many of the ingredients of these cookies have been chosen for their milk enriching and galactogogue qualities these are indeed cookies that can happily be shared with the whole family!

ALSO: Think you won't eat 4 dozen? You can drop as many as you like on a cookie sheet but instead of putting them in the oven pop them in the freezer. Once frozen, remove from sheet and store in the freezer in a ziplock or airtight container. It won't be long until you're cooking them up again (but you probably have to add a few minutes to the cooking time).

Handy freezer cookies!

The King of Condiments: Dethroned!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 18:12:00 +0000

Last year I was a preserving MACHINE. This year I'm nearly 7 months pregnant so that does take the wind out of my sails a bit... However, one recipe that I concocted last year with great success and that I will certainly be making again this year is Fruit Ketchup. It's somewhat of a home cooking staple here in Quebec and I'm not quite sure if the rest of the world might be familiar with it. To describe it a bit more (well, fruit ketchup kind of describes itself to a certain extent) it's sweet and tangy with a bit of a pickle edge. It's a condiment that goes great on hot dogs, hamburgers, meat-loaf, a regional speciality here in Quebec called Tourtière and many more things I'm sure...

Ketchup aux fruits

• 12 plum tomatoes chopped (about 8 cups)

• 1 bunch of rhubarb diced (about 4 cups)

• 1 red pepper, diced (about 1 cup)

• 2 apples, peeled & chopped (about 2 cups)

• 2 pears peeled & chopped (about 2 cups)

• 2 pints of strawberries (about 3 cups)

• 4 peaches peeled & chopped (about 3 cups)

(you can vary the fruit a bit, but it's best to keep the ratio similar)

• 2 onions minced (about 3 cups)

• 2 cups cider vinegar

• 2 cups brown sugar

• 1/4 cup pickling spices:

here's my homemade mix for this recipe:

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp juniper berries

1 tsp dill seed

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 bay leaves

a few pieces cinnamon sticks

1 tsp coriander seeds

Put all of the chopped fruit and vegetables, cider vinegar and brown sugar into a large pot with a thick bottom. Tie pickling spices into a little bundle with a piece of cheesecloth and add to pot.

Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, then simmer on medium-low, stirring intermittently for about two to three hours. Ingredients will release juice at first and then start to reduce. Once it has reduced by half to two thirds and the desired consistency has been reach, remove from heat and let cool.

Using a jar funnel, pour fruit ketchup into sterilized canning jars, leaving 1/4" head space. Skim any foam from the top with a non metallic utensil. Wipe any spills the edges of rim with clean paper towel, apply heated sealing disk pressing the centre and then screw the meal band on - fingertip tight.

Process in hot water bath for 20 minutes and let water cool 5-10 minutes before removing to a quiet place to cool undisturbed. Let cool overnight and check seals before storing in a cool dark place. Use within six months to a year.

Makes enough to fill a good 5 x 500ml (mason style) jars or about 10 x 250ml (jam style) jars.

"Blessed relief for Mother and the other women in the household!"

- Heinz slogan when it introduced its commercial version of ketchup in 1876.

And now I'm back with Arrainak!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 23:57:00 +0000

Okay so summer may have seemed to have speed by and days may be getting shorter... Fall MAY creeping up upon us but I think there's still time for me to share with you one of my favourite BBQ recipes, one that converts quite happily into a baked autumn-hearty meal.

One of the first of my cherished Basque family recipes that I plan to share with you, it's a traditional coastal fish (arrainak) recipe that my dad made growing up and which I adore!

It is as simple as it is good and is one of my all time favourites.

Dorade à la Donostia

(or as it was known in my household - "Dad's Dorade")

1 fresh dorade (sometime called a sea bream) about 2-3 pounds in weight, cleaned and gutted

(* I've also made the recipe quite successfully with mackerel, but keep in mind that it yield a stronger fishy flavour...)

• 1/4 olive oil

• 4-5 garlic cloves slice into approx. 1/4 inch slices

• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar

• juice of half a lemon

• salt & Piment d'Espelette

Rinse fish in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel.

Preheat oven or BBQ to 400 F. Rub fish with olive oil and place in BBQ roasting pan and cook in BBQ for about 20 minutes (or more for a larger fish). If cooking in an oven, line a pan with baking parchment place olive oil rubbed fish and bake in oven for 20 minutes (again more time for a larger fish, add maybe 5 minutes per half pound).

Meanwhile in a small saucepan on stove top, place red wine vinegar and bring to boil. Reduce by about half and remove from heat.

While vinegar is reducing carefully heat olive oil and garlic in small frying pan on medium heat until bubbling. Stir intermittently and watch carefully and remove from heat as soon as they are nice and golden, being ever so careful not to burn the garlic (remove from oil into small dish if you want to be sure to stop the cooking process - reserve the oil for the next step though)!

Once olive oil and garlic had cooled slightly, whisk in vinegar reduction along with lemon juice, salt to taste and add healthy 1/2-1 tsp of Piment D'Esplette.

Serve fish with a generous spoonful of delectable garlic "vinaigrette".

Dig in and enjoy!

"It's okay to eat fish because they don't have any feelings."

- Kurt Cobain

When life give you lemons...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 15:57:00 +0000

WOW it's HOT out.

After a bit of a brief blogging hiatus I'm back in action and and thankfully SO IS SUMMER! Warm weather is in full swing and sunny skies are upon us and so is BBQ season! So while I'm busy preparing some great summer recipes to share with you here's an easy refreshing drink for you to make and kick back with after a long day's work. You can even slip a little alcohol in and turn it into a cocktail if you like. ;)

LEMONS. Any one of you who knows me well enough, knows how much I love lemons and how my pantry is never quite complete without a healthy supply of happy yellow citrus. There is no end of use for this versatile fruit from a wedge in a drink, some lemon juice to bring out the flavour in a great dish such as a nice pan-fried fish or even a couple of slices in a hot cup of water as a morning eye-opener or as a nice after dinner digestive. I even save my discarded lemon half-rinds to use as a great cutting board scrubber (add some sea salt, turn rind inside out and scrub away!) or I pop them into the hot water when we're doing dishes and they not only smell great but the lemon oil helps cut grease! If only I lived in a warmer climate I would definitely have a lemon tree in my yard...

Classic Summertime Lemonade

Serves 3-4 (you'll need a small pitcher ~ around 1 litre)
ingredients

• 2-3 juicy lemons (about 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice)

• 1/2 cup sugar or other sweetener (I happened to have some maple sugar on hand - yum! Maple syrup, honey or a simple sugar syrup would work nicely too)

• 2.5 - 3 cups filtered water

• a good handful of ice cubes, plus more to serve

Squeeze every last drop out of those lemons and pour the juice into a small pitcher (you can strain it if you like, but it's totally not necessary...) Add sugar/sweetener and stir to dissolve and then stir in filtered water. Taste. I like my lemonade a bit on the sour side and not too sweet. You may want to add more water or sweetener to taste.
Aim for a basic breakdown of 1.5 parts lemon juice, 1 part sugar and 6-8 part water plus ice.
(MY SECRET is to make it a bit on the sweet side and add fresh ice cubes to each glass prior to serving...) Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint or some raspberries (if you want to be fancy) and serve.
Hope you enjoy it!

"I believe that if life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade...

And try to find somebody whose life has given them vodka, and have a party."

– Ron White

Itadakimasu: Okonomiyaki for me and you!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 21:52:00 +0000

Ever since the catastrophic events in Japan last week, both the country itself and the welfare of the kind-hearted Japanese people has been weighing quite heavily on my mind... I sincerely hope that things over there will soon take a turn for the better and that the cleanup, reconstruction and healing can soon begin. My thoughts are with the Japanese people, daily.

If you have not already done so I highly recommend you donate whatever sum you may be able to spare to a reputable aid organization such as Care or Medicins San Frontieres, International Rescue Committee (each rated A, A and A+ respectively by the American Institute of Philanthropy). Better yet, if you have some time and the resources, why not organize or participate in a fundraiser? There are plenty of artists who will be donating 100% of the proceeds from specially created artwork to disaster aid in Japan.

In the spring of 2008 I was fortunate enough to embark upon the most memorable journey to Japan. Having already had a longstanding interest in Japanese culture I was eager to soak in all the new adventures my trip would have to offer, and thanks to the warm hospitality of everyone I met over there and due to the tremendously benevolent nature of my wonderful friend (and tour guide) Chie Manabe, my trip was a wealth of new experiences, both culinary and otherwise!

In the modern western world, when I say Japanese food most people seem to think of sushi and teriyaki as it is the type of food that's been most widely embraced here, and this is especially so here in Montreal. However, as I soon discovered with the aid of of the lovely Chie, these items are just the tip of the iceberg of culinary delights that Japan has to offer.

While Okonomiyaki originates from the Kansai or Hiroshima areas of Japan and is a popular food across the country, it is especially popular in Osaka where my plane landed. So where did Chie and Noriko wisk me off to after they met me at the airport? To an Okonomiyaki restaurant of course!

I had eaten Okonomiyaki a few times prior to my trip, but eating Okonomiyaki in Japan is whole different experience, especially since most restaurants prepare these savoury pancakes right in front of you in a hotplate or grill built into the table. The best part is that once they mix up the ingredients in a bowl and assemble the pancake, they hand the spatula over to you and it is up to you to oversee the cooking!

The recipe below is a simplified version with a thin egg batter base, but in order to enjoy this treat you will have to source out the topping mentioned below from an asian grocer because Okonomiyaki is not Okonomiyaki without Okonomi sauce at the very least! That and the famous Kewpie mayonnaise... it's a mouth-watering delight and if you're like most people, after trying this for the first time you may likely find yourself having very strong cravings for this dish which referred to by some as "Osaka soul food."

Okonomiyaki

Serves two hungry people (4 medium sized pancakes)

• 3 eggs

• 3/4 cup flour - Easy blend, or Okonomiyaki flour (which has yam startch in it to help binding) work better than regular - but I used 1/2 easy blend, 1/4 cup regular and it works great

• 3/4 cup water

• 8-9 cabbage leaves, washed, spine removed and chopped into thin 1-2" strips (about 4 cups)

• 2 green onions sliced thinly on the diagonal

• 1/4 cup Tenkasu or Panko (optional) crumbs

(Rice Crispies could work too!)

• about 1/8 cup minced pickled ginger

• 4 slices bacon cut in half

• 1 tsp vegetable or canola oil

• 1 tsp sesame oil

other fun stuff you can add:

• 1 tin salad or cocktail shrimp or 1 tin canned crab meat

• 1 cup chopped oyster mushroom or octopus

• 1/2 cup corn

• 1/2 cup shredded carrots or other veggie

• kimchi

• AND whatever ever else you want to try, let me know what works for you!

condiments for serving:

Okonomi sauce

Kewpie mayonnaise

Katsuboshi (Bonito) flakes (optional but recommended)

Aonori flakes (optional)

In a large bowl, whisk together flour and water. Lightly whisk eggs in and stir in cabbage, green onions, Tenkasu if using, and pickled ginger. Lightly stir in any other ingredients except bacon.

Heat large pan on medium-high heat until hot, add half the blended oils, heat slightly then spoon out the batter into pan making thick pancake like shapes about 3-4 inches in diametre, using 1/4 of the batter each (or alternatively if you like you can make one large pancake using half of the batter, but this will fill the whole pan).

Pat down with spatula and then spread two bacon half-slices across each pancake. Cook covered about 3 minutes then turn carefully using two spatulas.

Then cook uncovered another 5 minutes or so, then turn again to check bacon well browned. Cook another 2-3 minutes if needed then serve, or place on plate or sheet in prewarmed over (about 200 degrees is fine) until next batch is ready (unless you're using an electric griddle, you'll probably only fit two pancakes per round).

To serve place Okonomiyaki on plate and drizzle with Okonomi sauce in one direction, Kewpie mayonnaise in the other (diagonal) direction and top with Katsuboshi and Aonoari flakes.

Itadakimasu!!! Lick you lips and dig in!

A note on Japanese cuisine:

Discovering cuisine from other countries has never been more easy than it is nowadays. Tons of blog posts, websites and videos are out there to help to whet your appetite for any type of food you may want to explore. I find the Youtube channel Cooking With Dog to be both informative and entertaining.

“Every time you eat something new, you add 75 days to your life.”

- Japanese Proverb

Happy New Year! Bonne Année!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 00:48:00 +0000

The holiday madness is finally winding down and life is quickly getting back to the normal daily routine. It was a very busy December for me because along with my normal pre-Christmas baking routine of cookies, granola and caramel popcorn I was busily hand-making gifts for people this year - which is a fun, inexpensive and really thoughtful way to go about gift giving, especially when you can find the time. So as I am working from home these days, I made the time to get crafty and now before I know it, the holiday season has come and gone!

So here we are a whole new year imbibed with that feeling that life is full of possibilities, but perhaps we are also feeling a bit overfilled of food from all that holiday eating. That brings me to one of my favourite recipes: my home made granola. I like to give this granola out during the holidays to those people who I know will appreciate it because after the overindulging season is done and everyone's making New Year's resolutions (many of which include "get fit" aspirations) this home made granola is a great start to any morning, and especially to an active day. I've had some people exclaim that they think it's not worth the bother to make granola at home, but I tell them that this way I am sure of every quality ingredient that goes in it (I have some nut allergies, so I can also be sure of not having any allergic reactions) and I am know that it is low fat, with no preservatives. It's also a less expensive alternative by at least 30%-50% depending on what ingredients you use, so when you're on a budget and every cent counts this granola is a smart and healthy alternative.

Marion's Naturally Sweetened Organic Granola

before

• 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut flakes (un-roasted, but pre-roasted options are also be available from some brands such as Milanaise)

the mix

• 4 1/2 cups "extra thick" organic rolled oats (I love "Bob's Red Mill")

• 1/2 cup unsalted organic pumpkin seeds

• 3/4 cup whole unsalted roasted almonds, coarsely chopped (or raw almonds if you like, it's a question of preference. I find that pre-roasted (but no salted!) almonds have more flavour and taste slightly smoky...)

• 1/4 cup ground organic flax seed meal

• 1/2 cup organic sunflower seeds

• (optional) 1/4 to 1/2 cup of any other seeds or nuts you may wish to add

the coating

• 1 cup organic apple cider

• 1/3 cup real maple syrup

• 3 tbsp canola oil

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

• 2 tsp premium unsweetened cocoa powder

• 1 tsp coarse sea-salt

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Heat oven to 300°. Place coconut on parchment or silicon-mat lined cookie sheet, and toast until light golden, about 3-5 minutes. WATCH THEM. If you're not careful they'll burn before you know it.

(alternatively, if you can find them pre toasted from a brands such as Milanaise you can skip this whole step) Once toasted, remove from oven an set aside to cool.

Reduce oven temperature to 200°.

In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, chopped almonds, ground flax seeds, and sunflower seeds.

In a small saucepan boil cider reducing the liquid to about 1/2 cup, somewhere from 6-8 minutes. Meanwhile, combine maple syrup, canola oil, and vanilla extract in a measuring cup, as well as cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, cocoa powder in a seperate small bowl. Add wet mix to the cider, stir well and then dry mix to reduced juice and mix until all combined. Remove from heat and pour liquid over oat mixture. Mix until evenly coated.

Divide the coated oat mixture between cookie sheets on parchment/silicon mat and bake about 45-55 minutes at about 200F, stirring every 15-20 minutes. If using silicon mats you may want to raise the temperature ever so slightly or increase the cooking time because they brown the granola slower. (Also, if you double the recipe as I often do, be sure to switch cookie sheets every time you stir to ensure even cooking). The goal is to have the oat mix loose humidity and crisp up slowly without browning too much. Once golden and crispy remove from oven and let cool.

Once thoroughly cool, add toasted coconut and any other ingredients such as dried fruit you may wish to add (or such things can be added when serving granola too).

Store in an airtight container and consume within 2-3 weeks.

I like to eat my granola like this: I add a sprinkling of hemp and chia seeds, and an assortment of dried or fresh fruit + a good dollop of organic yogurt and a small spoonful of jam for extra sweetness!

MAKES 6-7 CUPS

"If wishes and buts were clusters of nuts, we'd all have a bowl of granola."

- (from the tv series) Strangers with Candy

It all comes out in the squash

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 20:45:00 +0000

Oh NO, here we are – it's nearly winter.

It's that time of year where the weather's getting colder and we're all slowing down a bit and becoming more sedentary (at least I am – BUT I'm trying to change that)... So maybe you're craving comfort foods, and eating a bit more, and maybe that heavier eating (and perhaps a few extra pounds) has you feeling kind of blah.

So why not trade your traditional spaghetti bolognese in for something a little lighter and healthier, but just as tasty (if not more!). We're a little squash-crazy at my house and this is the best use of spaghetti squash I've found to date!

Spaghetti Squash Bolognese

• 1 spaghetti squash, about 3-4 lbs
• 1 large onion, minced

• 2-3 carrots, finely chopped

• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
(if you have it – I rarely have it around... it's part of the classic soffritto but you can do without in a pinch)
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely minced (not traditional in spag-bol, but I love garlic in everything so...)

• a few pieces of pancetta or any cured jambon, chopped into small pieces (optional)

• around 650g of mixed ground meat (I used a mix of lean ground beef and pork but I think it'd be fun to try a leaner choice of ground turkey next time, vegetarians could use tofu or soy ground meat substitute)

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup milk (I used goat's milk<3)

• freshly grated nutmeg*

• 1/2 cup white wine (or red wine, or broth)

• 1 can crushed tomatoes (sodium free if you can!)

• seasoning of your choice (salt, pepper, fresh oregano & basil, Piment d'Espelette, etc)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut spaghetti squash in half, remove seeds, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt & pepper. Place on baking sheet with cut side facing up and cook for about 1 hour 15 minutes.

Pour a couple of tablespoons olive oil into a large frying pan and add a dab of butter. Add minced onion, carrots, and celery over medium-high heat stirring often for a few minutes. Then add the minced garlic and continue cooking until onions are translucent, about another 4-5 minutes.

Add ground meat and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon until meat has started cooked through but not browned and reduce heat to medium and add about 1/2 cup milk and some freshly grated nutmeg. Stir to incorporate and allow meat to absorb the liquid. Then add 1/2 cup white wine (or red wine or broth) to deglaze the pan and simmer until meat has absorbed some of the liquid.

Add a can of diced or crushed tomatoes and increase heat, cover with a splatter shield and bring to a good simmer for about 5-10 minutes until it starts to reduce, then lower heat and simmer 20-30 minutes until thick, stirring often. (If you have the time you can just simmer on medium for a good hour instead of increasing and then decreasing the heat. This lets the flavours deepen a bit more.) Season to taste (salt, pepper, fresh oregano & basil, Piment d'Espelette) before serving.

Remove squash from oven and let cool slightly. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, scrape the flesh of each squash with a fork into strands (from near the skin inward) and place into a large bowl.

To serve, place generous portion of "spaghetti" in bowl and top with bolognese sauce and freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese.

Serves 4 (or 2, with mighty good leftovers for lunch).

*A little note on nutmeg:

For years I guess you could say I felt sort of meh about nutmeg, that is until I bought some a little package of whole nutmeg nuts and tried freshly grating it — whoa — what a difference it makes, I think I could say that as a spice it's a whole other experience!

It would seem that fragrant oils are much better preserved when the nut is whole and so the lovely aroma it produces once grated is a welcome addition to home made oatmeal, lattes, eggnog, custards, bechamel sauce, pasta and more... about a million times better that the pre-ground stuff.

No need to purchase a nutmeg grater however. Any fine, sharp grater should work fine, just watch those fingers one you approach the end of the nut! Also, be sure to keep those nutmeg nuts in an airtight container for freshness.

"Yé pas assez épicé ton spagat, Linda..."

- Elvis Gratton

There's more than one way to skin a... banana.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 19:56:00 +0000

I've been closing in on the tail end of a cold and find myself craving still more comfort food (they DO to say feed a cold you know...). So when I stumbled across a sad brown banana going to waste in the fruit bowl, as well as a couple frozen ones in the freezer AND a tub of yogurt about to go off, I decided to devise a recipe to create a healthy, moist banana bread that would incorporate them all.

I must say I am pleased with the results. :)

Banana Bread (with yogurt and other good stuff)

• 1/2 cup softened butter

• 2/3 cup brown or raw sugar

• 2 large eggs, beaten

• 1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 3)

• 1 tsp natural vanilla extract

• 1 cup plain organic yogurt

• 1 1/2 cups flour (You could use a mix if you like. I used 1 cup organic spelt, 1/2 cup unbleached organic)

• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1/2 tsp salt

optional:

• 1 cup chopped walnuts / 1 cup chocolate chips (or half a cup of each!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar (you may be tempted, but try not to eat it...) and add eggs, beating well.

Mash the bananas, then add them along with vanilla and yogurt and stir until well blended.

Incorporate dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and then add wet mixture and stir until incorporated. Stir in nuts or chocolate chips if you like.

Pour into appropriate sized pan*: 1 large buttered loaf pan

(a 5" x 9" or a 4" x 11", or two mini ones) or 12 very full muffin tins (wouldn't it be funny if they made a baker's dozen muffin pan?).

*I have decided that I am REALLY not a fan of glass loaf pans. I personally think it's best to avoid them because for me they have never yielded good results when making banana bread. If you must use one try decreasing the temperature by 25 degrees and increasing the cooking time by 10-15 minutes.

Bake approximately 1 hour on the middle rack (out of 4 racks chose the 2nd one down) in oven, until you can insert a skewer and it comes out clean. Bake 20-25 minutes for muffins. Let cool, remove from pan (run a knife along the edges) and serve.

"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana."

- Groucho Marx

This chicken soup saves my soul...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 17:04:00 +0000

I'm a little behind on my posts right now, but things have just been so busy! Between a few freelance jobs, frantic halloween costume production, collaborating with an artist on a personal project, the last couple of weeks have just flown by! Now (thanks to this weekend's revelry I suppose) I've come down with a rather nasty cold.

Winter's finally starting to set in... I've picked my last bouquet of flowers from the garden and the nasty bugs are starting to go around... Thank goodness I've been save by a big container of home-made chicken soup from the freezer! It's the most wonderfully perfect recipe, and it always make a big batch so I usually freeze half the batch. And it's remarkably easy to make, so while I rest and get better I invite you to check it out.

Gravlax: worth one's salt

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 22:35:00 +0000

I'm a big fan of smoked salmon, but it's expensive and often full of preservatives and sometimes even food colour and other undesirable additives. A tasty and inexpensive alternative is gravlax, and it so simple and easy to make you'll wonder why you haven't discovered or tried this earlier. In fact I think that I can honestly say after years of making gravlax I prefer it to smoked salmon!

I always keep my eyes peeled when I happen to be in a fish store or large grocery chain such as Loblaws for a good sale on salmon or trout, and when I see one I take it as a sign that it's time to make some gravlax.

Easy-peasy Gravlax

• 1 large de-boned and cleaned full fillet of salmon or trout with skin still on (about 2lbs)

• 1/2 cup sugar (per fillet)

• 1/2 cup sea salt (per fillet)

• 1 big bunch of fresh dill

Rinse the fillet and pat it dry with some paper towel. In a measuring cup mix sugar and salt. In a shallow dish or container pour half of the sugar/salt mixture and spread evenly along the bottom. Then create layer of dill sprigs. Top with the fillet and then another generous layer of dill sprig and then sprinkle the other half of the sugar/salt mixture over top evenly.

Cover the dish and store in the fridge about 3-5 days. When you check the dish after a few days the sugar/salt mixture should have turned into a generous amount of brine. If you have a particularly thick piece you can turn it half way through the curing process if desired.

When the fish is ready the flesh should appear to be more dense than it was before, as if a lot of the water in the flesh had been drawn out. Remove from fridge and brine and RINSE the fillet THOROUGHLY under cold water and remove most but not all of the dill. Pat dry.

Slice thinly with a sharp knife (CAREFULLY) and serve with fresh dill, lemon wedge and rye bread toasts. Will keep a week or so in the fridge and can also be wrapped carefully in plastic wrap (doubled) and freezed for later consumption. I usually eat half right away and freeze the other half for later. :)

*A little note on salt:

I love salt. But salt doesn't always love us... and there's so much sodium in prepared food today that it's just plain scary. I try my best to use it in moderation but I believe that the better quality the salt the better the flavour, and except for when grilling meat I usually leave the seasoning of a dish to the very end. Beside my stove hangs a spice rack with 4 kinds of salt and they all serve their purpose. There's coarse sea salt (great for things like making gravlax, throwing into boiling pasta water, etc), coarse Sel de Guérande (perfect for seasoning BBQ'd veggies), fine Sel de Guérande (general seasoning at the end of cooking dishes) and Fleur de Sel (the BEST table salt). If you have never tried Fleur de Sel I suggest you run out and buy some now. I like "Le Saunier de Camargue", as I find it the best quality for the price. I was lucky to see those salt flats this past summer along whilst driving the Mediterranean - just baking in the hot summer sun... so I guess I can say that I can personally vouch for this wonderful salt!

"Salt is born of the purest of parents: the sun and the sea."

- Pythagoras (580 BC - 500 BC)

In a Pickle? Beet the Odds...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 22:57:00 +0000

I'm currently unemployed (although I am working a bit of freelance where and when I can!) and since money's a bit tight and now that it's fall, I'm trying to both take advantage of the bountiful harvest and improve my canning skills. Apart from the great deals at the farmer markets I'm also taking advantage of the "quick sale" deals at my local "fruiterie". So when I saw a bunch of big packets of yellow beets for 99¢ I thought: Why not try my hand at pickling some beets?

However, as I was going through this recipe I released that these quick sale deals don't always work out perfectly... I've usually had great success finding ingredients for jams (see my plum-raspberry jam) this time the beets were a bit hit and miss, and I had to discard some, but I still had enough for 3 jars and I quickly made some pickled carrots with the leftover brine! YUM.

Pickled Beets

• 2.5-3 lbs small-medium beets

brine:

• 1 3/4 cups vinegar (min 5% acidic)

- I used 1 1/4 organic cider vinegar and 1/2 cup white vinegar

• 2 cups filtered water

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 tsp sea salt

spice mix:

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

• 1 tsp black peppercorns

• 10 cloves

• 1/2 tsp juniper berries

• 1/2 tsp dill seeds

• 2 bay leaves

• 1-2 small pieces cinnamon stick

Remove greens from beets leaving roots and stems and give them a good quick scrub with a brush but do not peel them (they'll bleed out their colour in the boiling water if you do). Put beets in pot of water, add a splash of vinegar, bring to boil and simmer on medium 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, drain and pop beets into a bath of cold water for 5-10 minutes. Once they've cooled sufficiently to handle them they should peel really easily. Thicker skins should peel off by hand or thin skins can be easily removed with a carrot peeler. Once all skin and rough spots have been removed rinse and cut into wedges. I cut medium ones into six pieces and smaller ones in four.

Pack them into sterilized jars leaving about a good half an inch head space.

Put all the brine ingredients into a pot with the spices and bring the pickling brine to a boil and then simmer gently (med-low) while covered, for about 15 minutes.

Using a jar funnel, pour brine (while straining out spices with a sieve) into the canning jars and fill to almost the top, leaving 1/4" head space. I let a few mustard and dill seed get in because I thought it looked nice. Wipe the edges of rim with clean paper towel, apply heated sealing disk pressing the centre and then screw the meal band on - fingertip tight.

Process in hot water bath for 30 minutes and let water cool 5-10 minutes before removing to a quiet place to cool undisturbed. Let cool overnight and check seals before storing in a cool dark place. Use within one year.

Makes about 5 x 500ml jars.

"First rule in roadside beet sales, put the most attractive beets on top.

The ones that make you pull the car over and go “Wow, I need this beet right NOW”.

Those are the Money Beets." - Dwight Shrute "The Office"

Jam It on the One!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 03:36:00 +0000

While I am not necessarily new to making jam I am sort of new to the domestic ritual of preserving. It's a fun and inexpensive way to fill your pantry with jars of tasty edibles that you'll get to appreciate all winter long.

For many years I have been making what I call "fridge jam" which is a jam I make when I have a bunch of fruit that has been hanging around too long or just starting to turn. I just chop whatever I have and throw it into a pot, add a little less than half the volume in sugar and the juice of half a lemon and then boil down and put in a jar in the fridge - voila! Instant fridge jam. It's fun to experiment with different combinations and it's a difficult thing to mess up really...

Last year however, I got my hands on a canning kit, bought some jars, did a bit of research and off I went making real jam and other preserves.

So, my parent's have a gigantic elderberry bush in their suburban yard. It produces more berries than we can use really, but they aren't the easiest berry to work with because they are full of tiny seeds. For years I've made elderberry freezer jam, leaving the seeds in because they are quite small anyway and they do add an interesting texture, but having tired I decided that this year I'd try my hand at make some elderberry jelly. After some research and the cross-referencing of a few recipes I think I've come up with a pretty good one. Keep in mind if you feel like experimenting I think that this jelly recipe could work for grapes and maybe some other fruit or berries.

Elderberry Jelly

(you'll want to be sure wear an apron when working with elderberries because their dark juice stain fabric easily!)

• about 5 lbs elderberries, washed, de-stemmed with a fork and rinsed again

• 1 cup filtered water

Put elderberries and water in large heavy bottomed pot and bring to boil stirring intermittently - boil about 15 minutes, or until the berries release their juices and start to break down. Remove from heat and once cooled a bit, squash or mash them with a potato masher or some other appropriate untensil. Let cool and pass* through fine strainer or larger one lined with fine cloth or a few layers of cheesecloth reserving the juice. Allow to drain overnight.

*Some recipes I read said not to mash the fruit or squeeze your strainer too much for it will result in cloudy jelly, but this doesn't really concern me. I let the fine pulp pass through the sieve, which added nice texture - I only concerned myself with not letting seeds or skin pass through.

• add 1 1/2 cups apple cider

(which should make about 7-8 cups liquid - it is a good idea to check the volume before proceeding to the next step)

• add juice of one lemon

• and 5 cups sugar*

*I couldn't get myself to add more sugar even though many recipes call for a 1:1 ratio, hoping the apple juice sweetness and natural pectin would help the jellying process. For this recipe I think the ratio I chose works quite well, but after making various jellies I think that a ratio 1 cup juice to 3/4 cups sugar is a good ratio to keep in mind as a rule.

Heat on medium until sugar begins to dissolve and then increase heat (medium-high) and bring to boil, stirring frequently, until it reaches 220˚F on a candy thermometre* (about 10 minutes), boil another 15-20 minutes, until it passes the jelly test.

*If you don't have a candy thermometre it's okay. The boiling point where it starts to thicken can be your 220˚F mark and then the jelly test will assure you that it's thick enough to jar.

JELLY TEST: put a small plate in the freezer. To test pour a small amount (1/4 to 1/2 tsp) on to the plate. Put back into the freezer for a minute or so and check it by pushing the jelly with your finger - if it has thickened and wrinkles slightly, it's ready).

Using a jar funnel, ladle jelly into your sterilized jars and fill to almost the top leaving about 1/4" head space. Using a nonmetallic utensil, remove any air bubbles. Wipe any spills on the edges of rim with clean paper towel, apply heated/sterilized sealing disk, pressing the centre of disk with your finger and then screw the meal bands on - fingertip tight.

Process in hot water bath for 10 minutes and let water cool 5-10 minutes before removing from the pot to a quiet place to cool undisturbed. Let cool overnight and check seals and tighten rims before storing in a cool dark place. Use within one year.

Makes 4 x 250ml jars plus bonus 1 x 125ml to jar or eat now.

and now a...

Bonus recipe!

I like to peruse the local "fruiterie" from time to time to check out what "quick sale" packages they have to choose from. These items are very borderline in their ripeness and need to be consumed quite quickly, but they are a great deal money-wise and make ideal candidates for jam making. Here's one of my recent "fruit sale" combos that I whipped up to jar that I'm very happy with.

The plums were 99¢ and the raspberries $1.49. I figured I made 3+ jars of jam for about $4 total! Not bad.

Plum-Raspberry Jam

• 6 large plums, washed, diced and pitted with skin on

• juice of half a lemon

• 1 1/2 cups sugar

• 1 package of raspberries (6oz) roughly chopped.

Put all the ingredients in a medium sized heavy bottomed pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer until thickened, stirring intermittently (about 15-20 minutes). Allow to cool slightly and then jar and process!

Makes 3 x 250ml jars plus bonus 1 x 125ml to jar or eat now.

"Times were so tough, but not as tough as they are now,

We were so close and nothing came between us - and the world"

- The Jam

Get thee to a farm

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 03:26:00 +0000

I have gone apple picking every fall since as long as I remember. I find it to be the perfect activity on a lovely fall day. We just head out of the city to spend a day in the fresh air and sunshine, getting some exercise, maybe having a picnic and picking a huge bag of apples for much less than you'd pay at a supermarket. Then you come back home with all these fresh yummy apples - to pack in your lunch, make apple crisp, apple sauce, apple butter and so much more.

Last year we were able to add another element to that apple-picking outing - pumpkin and squash picking! We spent a lovely afternoon not far from downtown at Quinn Farm in l'Île-Perrot, a great little farm that offers U-Pick options year round. With a hay-ride out to the fields, hay-bale maze and other fun stuff, it's also a great place to bring the little ones. So along with our usual gigantic bag of apples we came home with variety of goodies: a pumpkin perfect for Halloween carving, a neat white skinned pumpkin, a bunch of butternut (my favourite!) and other squashes, some little ornamental pumpkins, not to mention honey and other goodies from the farm store.

And yes, as a big "Peanuts" fan I could not help myself from making the obligatory "Great Pumpkin" jokes. ;)

Perhaps I'm bound to romanticize farms, as I do come from a farm-family, my grandparents and great-grandparents and some of my cousins all on my mum's side being farmers. As a child one of the highlights of my Manitoba visits was always a trip out to the various family farms, to ride horses, play on the prairies and pick berries or other goodies from the kitchen garden patches. It's a lifestyle they all take for granted, but such a treat for us "city-dwellers"!

I look forward to the fall harvest every year and plan to make a trip to the farm the coming weeks (with related recipes posts to follow, no doubt) and urge you to look into it as well. PickYourOwn.org is a fantastic online resource for locating a pick-your-own farm of any sort in your area (and it also has lots of other resources including recipes and canning tips and much more). Happy picking!

Patati, Patata, Frittati, Fritatta!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 22:47:00 +0000

I realized that I had a bunch of new potatoes in the fridge, becoming not-so-new anymore, so I decided that it would be "Frittata Night".

Call it Tortilla de patatas, Spanish omelette, Frittata or Potato Omelette as I did growing up, this is an essential comfort food for me, and I've been making my own version of it for so long now, that it's a bit of a challenge to put it into words...

This simple dish can be served right away, but is often traditionally served after cooling at room temperature. It is one of the most common tapas in Spain and is always made up of potatoes and eggs but other fillings vary by region. I prefer peppers, garlic and sometimes chorizo make a fun addition. Any leftovers should be refrigerated however, and what great leftovers this makes, best either served cold, warm or reheated.

Spanish Omelette

• 2 1/2 - 3 lbs waxy new potatoes (or any white potato works fine I just wouldn't recommend red ones because they sort of break down during frying, but can be used in a pinch. Sweet potato is a fun variation as well but burns easily while frying so you might want to reduce the heat a bit)

• 1-2 peppers of you choosing (I used one red pepper & 1 poblano pepper - careful when slicing hot peppers, using gloves is good idea because that hot pepper gets everywhere!) washed & slice the peppers length-wise into short pieces

• 2-3 garlic cloves to taste, chopped

• 10-12 free range eggs

Wash potatoes and peel them unless your using new potatoes, then you can leave the skin on. Slice them in half and then cut crosswise in 1/4-1/2" thick half moons. Rinse them again under cold water and then pour them into a clean dish towel and dry. Drying them helps them brown better in the pan.

Heat about 3 tbsp of oil on medium high in a large non-stick pan. Add the chopped potatoes. If you're impatient like I often am when I make this dish, you can put a lid on for the first 5-10 minutes or so, stirring the potatoes from time to time until it heats up and starts cooking through, once the potatoes start to get half translucent remove the lid so they start to fry & brown. Fry until cooked through and browned about 25-30 minutes.

Add peppers and garlic and cook until lightly browned (about 10 minutes more) reduce heat to medium and then season with a generous pinch of sea salt, freshly ground pepper and Piment d'Espelette*.

Break eggs into a large bowl and whisk well. Fold potato and pepper mixture into the beaten eggs and after checking that the pan still has an oily coating (if not add a little bit and spread to cover) pour the whole mixture back into the pan, arranging the potatoes and pepper to cover evenly. Cover and cook until set (about 10 minutes and then flip using the lid and cook another 5 minutes, just to brown the other side. Remove from heat, slice into wedges and serve!

*A note on Piment d'Espelette:

Piment d'Espelette is a variety of chili pepper which originates from the Basque country, more specifically the Espelette region of France.

It is a medium hot pepper that that is more flavourful than chili pepper. It is a staple in Basque cuisine and used often in place of ground pepper. Piment d'Espelette is AOC (Appellation d'origine contrôlée) and therefore only traditionally recognized as from that region, but it's immense popularity in powder form world-wide has increased it's popularity so much that I was surprised to find some "Piment d'Espelette" plants for sale this spring in a nursery! You will see me using it from time to time in my recipes, especially in traditional Basque dishes. My family loves their Piment d'Espelette and we have been growing it for a few years now, and happily try to find new uses for it apart from the drying and ground it into powder. If you like 'spicy' and are looking to try something new I encourage you to look for it in your local speciality grocery store and give it a try.

“Omelettes are not made without breaking eggs”

- Maximilien Francois Robespierre

A teaser... or 'Things that pop into my head before bedtime'

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 04:20:00 +0000

I often go to bed thinking about food, and tonight is no exception. Maybe it's because I'm perusing some food blogs, but I just found myself thinking back to the fantastic "Steak Tartare" I had in Paris last month in a delightful little restaurant called "Glou"...

Looks like pure perfection doesn't it? It was.

And so was that lovely bottle of Domaine Rimbert Saint-Chinian! If only we could get it here (nope, I've already checked).

Well, maybe one day soon I'll share my recipe for Steak Tartare just so we can all go to bed with it on the brain. Except the vegetarians that is...
Goodnight!

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it must be DELICIOUS...

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:49:00 +0000

Just because you may have never cooked duck before is no reason to shy away from it. Duck has such succulent meat, and it's so full of flavour and you don't have to do very much to it for it to turn out well, but the most important thing is not to overcook it - aim for medium rare.

(When I shot the photos for this recipe I tried using duck legs, which worked just as well and is less expensive, but to be honest this recipe is truly tastes best with the traditional duck breast.)

Grilled 'Magret du Canard' with balsamic cherry compote

• 2 large duck breasts or 4 legs

• 1 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

• about 1 cup fresh cherries, pitted and cut in half
• fresh ground pepper & 'herbes du provence'

Score the fatty skin on the duck pieces in a criss-cross pattern and rub the coarse salt into the crevices. Place the duck in a ziplock bag with the balsamic vinegar and make sure it coats the flesh and marinate for 15-20 max in the fridge. Meanwhile pit and chop the cherries.
Fire up your barbecue to medium-high (about 400ºF), it's a good idea to place a drip pan under the grill because the duck will release a fair bit of fat while cooking and make a mess of your barbecue.

Pour the contents of the ziplock bag out into a dish and season with pepper and some 'herbes du provence' if you like. Place on hot grill, skin side down and cook until golden and crispy (about 7-8 minutes) and then flip and cook 3-4 minutes more (a bit longer for duck leg). Remove from grill and allow to rest covered for 5-10 minutes (it will continue to cook a bit so be sure not to overcook it!)
Meanwhile put the cherries into a small saucepan along with the reserved marinade and bring it to a good simmer until the cherries start to release their juices and the juice begins to thicken a little bit. Remove from heat.

If you used magret, slice it in 1 cm thick slices.
Arrange on 4 plates, and top with the cherry compote and serve immediately, with a side of veggies (steamed green beans with lemon butter pictured here).

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food."
- George Bernard Shaw