May 17, 2012
May 13th: Vanilla Butter Cupcakes
Olivia has been asking recently if we could make a cake with Smarties on top. I don't know where she got the idea - we've never done this before - but I thought it sounded like fun. I decide to make cupcakes instead, because I like them better. This was our Mother's Day activity. A recipe from May 2007's Chatelaine: Vanilla Butter Cupcakes. The recipe has almond extract in it, which gives the cupcakes a hint of cherry flavour. Feel free to omit if that is not to your fancy. Yum yum.
May 12th: Sausage Soup
After the success of the scalloped potatoes, I decided to give another recipe from "Lost Recipes" a go. This one, Sausage Soup, I chose because I figured my husband would love it (he did) and my daughter would like it (she did). I thought it was alright too, although neither sausage, tomato nor macaroni are on my list of favourites. Greg declared: "It's a keeper. Instantaneous." That is so not how it works.
Sausage Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Italian sausages, casings removed
2 onions, chopped fine
4 celery ribs, chopped fine*
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic, drained and juice reserved, OR 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained and juice reserved, plus 3 minced garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon dried basil or oregano
4 cups chicken broth
3 1/2 cups water
4 ounces elbow macaroni (1 cup)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed**
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook sausage, breaking up any large pieces with a wooden spoon, until it is well browned, about 5 minutes; transfer to bowl. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat left in pot, add onions, celery, and tomatoes and cook over medium heat until softened and lightly browned, 7 to 10 minutes.
Stir in browned sausage, reserved tomato juice, broth, and water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Stir in beans and cook for 5 minutes longer, or until pasta is just cooked. Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve with grated Parmesan cheese.
Serves 8 to 10.
*My celery was freakishly huge. I used 3 ribs.
**The original recipe called for 2 cans beans. I reduced the amount because we are not bean lovers.
[ACK!! No picture. Baby brain.]
Sausage Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound Italian sausages, casings removed
2 onions, chopped fine
4 celery ribs, chopped fine*
2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic, drained and juice reserved, OR 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained and juice reserved, plus 3 minced garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon dried basil or oregano
4 cups chicken broth
3 1/2 cups water
4 ounces elbow macaroni (1 cup)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed**
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook sausage, breaking up any large pieces with a wooden spoon, until it is well browned, about 5 minutes; transfer to bowl. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat left in pot, add onions, celery, and tomatoes and cook over medium heat until softened and lightly browned, 7 to 10 minutes.
Stir in browned sausage, reserved tomato juice, broth, and water and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Stir in beans and cook for 5 minutes longer, or until pasta is just cooked. Stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve with grated Parmesan cheese.
Serves 8 to 10.
*My celery was freakishly huge. I used 3 ribs.
**The original recipe called for 2 cans beans. I reduced the amount because we are not bean lovers.
[ACK!! No picture. Baby brain.]
May 12, 2012
May 8th: Scalloped Potatoes
My friend Kat brought me a lovely "new baby" present, and was thoughtful enough to include a present for the big sister (who sort of expects to get something) and one for me (who doesn't). My part of the present was a cookbook of "Lost Recipes" from the TV show Cook's Country, which I don't know, and from the editors of Cook's Illustrated, which I do.
The first recipe I tried was for Spring Potato Casserole, essentially scalloped potatoes. I have a scalloped potato recipe I love, which I obviously haven't made in a long time, since it is not featured on this blog. I decided to try this new one for fun. Good idea.
Spring Potato Casserole
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 Vidalia onions, halved and sliced thin
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream (35%)
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
175 grams Gruyere cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish.
Heat 1 tablespoon butter and oil in large skillet over medium heat until butter is melted. Add onions, thyme, honey, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until onions are softened, 5 to 7 minutes; remove thyme.
Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in cream and broth, bring to simmer, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons chives, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Spread 1/2 cup sauce into prepared baking dish. Layer half of potatoes in baking dish, then sprinkle with half of Gruyere and half of onions.
Layer remaining potatoes over top and sprinkle with remaining Gruyere and onions. Pour remaining sauce over top and press with spatula to compact.
Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil that has been lightly oiled and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and continue to bake until fork can be inserted into centre of casserole with little to no resistance, about 1 hour longer.
Let casserole cool or 10 minutes, then sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon chives, and serve.
Serves 8 to 10.
This is seriously delicious. Served with Herbed Chicken with Mint-Pepper Salsa.
The first recipe I tried was for Spring Potato Casserole, essentially scalloped potatoes. I have a scalloped potato recipe I love, which I obviously haven't made in a long time, since it is not featured on this blog. I decided to try this new one for fun. Good idea.
Spring Potato Casserole
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 Vidalia onions, halved and sliced thin
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon honey
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream (35%)
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick
175 grams Gruyere cheese, shredded (1 1/2 cups)
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish.
Heat 1 tablespoon butter and oil in large skillet over medium heat until butter is melted. Add onions, thyme, honey, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until onions are softened, 5 to 7 minutes; remove thyme.
Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in cream and broth, bring to simmer, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons chives, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Spread 1/2 cup sauce into prepared baking dish. Layer half of potatoes in baking dish, then sprinkle with half of Gruyere and half of onions.
Layer remaining potatoes over top and sprinkle with remaining Gruyere and onions. Pour remaining sauce over top and press with spatula to compact.
Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil that has been lightly oiled and bake for 1 hour. Uncover and continue to bake until fork can be inserted into centre of casserole with little to no resistance, about 1 hour longer.
Let casserole cool or 10 minutes, then sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon chives, and serve.
Serves 8 to 10.
This is seriously delicious. Served with Herbed Chicken with Mint-Pepper Salsa.
May 7, 2012
Cinco de Mayo: Tostadas De Tinga De Pollo
Greg and I have a thing for celebrating Cinco de Mayo, though we have no links whatsoever to Mexico. It's a good weekend to kick off summer, even if summer is still six weeks away. In Ontario, the heat comes early and while there is no guarantee, there is always a good possibility the weather will be warm enough for an outdoor party in early May.
This year, we kicked the party up a notch. In March, we took a Mexican cooking class at The Urban Element, and learned how to cook some authentic Mexican dishes, not just fajitas from a box. We had some friends and neighbours over and the result of the party was that the main dish was a runaway hit. Credit is due to Maria Amalia Garza, the wonderful chef who taught our class. Here's the star dish, essentially a chicken and sausage stew:
Tostadas of Shredded Chicken with Tomatoes, Onions and Chorizo
4 skinless chicken thighs
1 large onion, cut in chunks
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp oil
200 grams chorizo, crumbled
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp Mexican oregano
2 bay leaves
2 canned chipotle chiles, minced, with 1 tbsp adobo sauce
salt to taste
Tostadas, to serve
Garnish:
onion rings, thinly sliced
avocado slices
In a large pot, place chicken with onion and 2 garlic cloves and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken to cool, and reserve broth. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken.
In Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add chorizo and fry for about 5 minutes. Discard excess oil. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add chicken, tomatoes, oregano, bay leaves, chiles and adobo sauce, and about 1 cup of the reserved broth.
Simmer, uncovered, until the flavours blend, about 15 minutes. Add more broth if mixture dries too much. Discard bay leaves and season to taste with salt.
Serve on tostadas, garnished with onion and avocado.
Serves 4.
Maria had recommended we find chorizo at Mercado, a Latin grocery store in Vanier. I checked my regular grocery store first, but with no luck there, Greg went to Mercado. The chorizo he bought was cured sausage, and I think the recipe intended for fresh, as the sausage we had did not crumble and we had to use the food processor to break it down. The taste was fabulous, however. I used regular oregano instead of Mexican oregano, and I'm glad I decided not to make the trip to Navan to get Mexican oregano at Chilly Chiles, because apparently the store is closed! That is too bad. Perhaps if I had supported them this wouldn't have happened. I found tostada shells at the grocery store in the Asian & Latin American aisle. The chipotle peppers were close by. Taco shells would also work, but would need to be heated first. The only issue I had with the recipe was that my mixture was way too runny. I tried to boil off the liquid, but to no avail, and we had to serve it with a slotted spoon.
Note that this is really, really messy to eat. Napkins are required. So, so delicious though. I had four on Saturday night, and four more Sunday morning for breakfast. On Sunday, the flavour was even better, and I added some sour cream on top (likely NOT traditional Mexican!).
 |
| I spent a few hours slicing and dicing. |
This year, we kicked the party up a notch. In March, we took a Mexican cooking class at The Urban Element, and learned how to cook some authentic Mexican dishes, not just fajitas from a box. We had some friends and neighbours over and the result of the party was that the main dish was a runaway hit. Credit is due to Maria Amalia Garza, the wonderful chef who taught our class. Here's the star dish, essentially a chicken and sausage stew:
Tostadas of Shredded Chicken with Tomatoes, Onions and Chorizo
4 skinless chicken thighs
1 large onion, cut in chunks
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp oil
200 grams chorizo, crumbled
1 large onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp Mexican oregano
2 bay leaves
2 canned chipotle chiles, minced, with 1 tbsp adobo sauce
salt to taste
Tostadas, to serve
Garnish:
onion rings, thinly sliced
avocado slices
In a large pot, place chicken with onion and 2 garlic cloves and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken to cool, and reserve broth. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken.
In Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add chorizo and fry for about 5 minutes. Discard excess oil. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent. Add chicken, tomatoes, oregano, bay leaves, chiles and adobo sauce, and about 1 cup of the reserved broth.
Simmer, uncovered, until the flavours blend, about 15 minutes. Add more broth if mixture dries too much. Discard bay leaves and season to taste with salt.
Serve on tostadas, garnished with onion and avocado.
Serves 4.
 |
| Best food I've made in months. |
Maria had recommended we find chorizo at Mercado, a Latin grocery store in Vanier. I checked my regular grocery store first, but with no luck there, Greg went to Mercado. The chorizo he bought was cured sausage, and I think the recipe intended for fresh, as the sausage we had did not crumble and we had to use the food processor to break it down. The taste was fabulous, however. I used regular oregano instead of Mexican oregano, and I'm glad I decided not to make the trip to Navan to get Mexican oregano at Chilly Chiles, because apparently the store is closed! That is too bad. Perhaps if I had supported them this wouldn't have happened. I found tostada shells at the grocery store in the Asian & Latin American aisle. The chipotle peppers were close by. Taco shells would also work, but would need to be heated first. The only issue I had with the recipe was that my mixture was way too runny. I tried to boil off the liquid, but to no avail, and we had to serve it with a slotted spoon.
Note that this is really, really messy to eat. Napkins are required. So, so delicious though. I had four on Saturday night, and four more Sunday morning for breakfast. On Sunday, the flavour was even better, and I added some sour cream on top (likely NOT traditional Mexican!).
April 30, 2012
April 25th: orzo risotto
For tonight's supper, Shannon prepared an orzo risotto from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman to accompany, from April 2010's Chatelaine: Pan-seared pork medallions on watercress. The risotto is one of her stand by recipes - quick, easy, and delicious - and will probably become one of ours, as Greg and Olivia love pasta! The pork medallions were a second try, and the recipe, while tasty, is not good enough to be a keeper in this household. As well, it was made with wilted spinach rather than watercress as the local Metro had a dearth of produce when Shannon went out gathering. The hunting had taken place previously and the pork came wrapped in plastic from the basement freezer.
The meal was lovingly prepared by our favourite houseguest, and she ensured it was on the table nice and early, around 8pm. We will be counting the days until she gets to come back, although the chances of coming back on the taxpayer's dime are slim to none.
Orzo Risotto:
2 tbsp butter
1 medium onion, diced
1-1/2 cups orzo
3 cups chicken stock (heated)
Pepper and salt to taste
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Melt butter in stock pot over medium-high heat. When foamy, add onions and cook until soft and translucent. Add orzo and salt and pepper to taste, and stir constantly for 30 seconds. Add heated chicken stock all at once. Cover and simmer over medium-low for 15-20 minutes until orzo is soft and stock has been absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of the grated Parmesan and stir to combine. Serve and top with remaining parmesan to taste.
Note from Kirsten: in case you didn't figure it out, this is a guest blog. I hope to be blogging soon, if my infant and leg will let me ... and if I can find a new recipe worth sharing!
March 22, 2012
March 18th: cabbage rolls
Cabbage rolls are one of my dad's specialties (though Mom would protest it is her recipe; yet when I asked her questions about it, she turned to Father for answers. Mm hm.). I prepared this as both an eat now and freeze for later meal, and it was a joint cooking venture for Greg and I, as more hands make light work with this dish. Olivia, who apparently hasn't seen Greg cook much recently, looked at him and said, "Why are you cooking?" We'll have to put him in charge of the kitchen again on occasion so she realizes both parents can do this. Apparently I've been off work too long.
In any case, the recipe as written was essentially nothing like how my father makes them, which seems to be more by taste and feeling at the time, so I've tried to approximate what I think works:
Cabbage Rolls
In any case, the recipe as written was essentially nothing like how my father makes them, which seems to be more by taste and feeling at the time, so I've tried to approximate what I think works:
Cabbage Rolls
1 head green cabbage
¾ cup rice
1 lb ground beef
vegetable oil
2 medium onions, diced
several cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp salt, or to taste
several dashes Tabasco
2 tsp paprika
1-2 jars or cans tomato juice
Remove the first couple of dirty outer leaves from the cabbage. Whether to remove the core now or not is up for debate. We left it in. Greg, who was in charge of steaming cabbage leaves, would like to try coring in advance next time. Place whole cabbage in a large pot, add a few inches of water, cover and bring water to a boil. Monitor cabbage closely. As outer leaves soften enough to come loose, remove them one at a time to a large bowl. Leaves should be tender enough to fold, without being cooked through. Continue until all the large leaves have been harvested. There will be a small inner head of cabbage, which you can save and eat another time.
[If doubling or tripling recipe:
Meanwhile, cover rice with water and bring to a boil, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Drain.
If using single recipe, leave the rice raw.]
At the same time, heat a large skillet over medium and brown ground beef. Add a splash of oil and the diced onion. Let cook for a few minutes, then toss in chopped garlic and cook a few more minutes. When beef is cooked through, turn off heat and add rice, salt, pepper, paprika and Tabasco to taste.
When ready to assemble, pour enough tomato juice in the bottom of your pan(s) to cover, plus a bit. Working one cabbage leaf at a time, place enough filling in leaf to fill it about 1/3, so it is still easy enough to roll. Tuck in the thicker end of the cabbage leaf, roll up, and if the leaf is especially big, tuck in the ends. Place, seam side down, in baking dish. Repeat until your pan bottom is covered. Cover with more tomato juice. If your pan is deep enough for multiple layers, and you have enough leaves and filling remaining, add another layer. Repeat until you run out of filling. Cover with more juice, then cover with any remaining cabbage leaves.
Cover pan with tin foil and bake at 350°F for at least 1 hour, longer if using multiple layers of rolls, until cabbage is tender and rice is cooked through.
Makes approximately 11 cabbage rolls.
[If doubling or tripling recipe:
Meanwhile, cover rice with water and bring to a boil, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Drain.
If using single recipe, leave the rice raw.]
At the same time, heat a large skillet over medium and brown ground beef. Add a splash of oil and the diced onion. Let cook for a few minutes, then toss in chopped garlic and cook a few more minutes. When beef is cooked through, turn off heat and add rice, salt, pepper, paprika and Tabasco to taste.
When ready to assemble, pour enough tomato juice in the bottom of your pan(s) to cover, plus a bit. Working one cabbage leaf at a time, place enough filling in leaf to fill it about 1/3, so it is still easy enough to roll. Tuck in the thicker end of the cabbage leaf, roll up, and if the leaf is especially big, tuck in the ends. Place, seam side down, in baking dish. Repeat until your pan bottom is covered. Cover with more tomato juice. If your pan is deep enough for multiple layers, and you have enough leaves and filling remaining, add another layer. Repeat until you run out of filling. Cover with more juice, then cover with any remaining cabbage leaves.
Cover pan with tin foil and bake at 350°F for at least 1 hour, longer if using multiple layers of rolls, until cabbage is tender and rice is cooked through.
Makes approximately 11 cabbage rolls.
Serve topped with sour cream.
To make ahead: I can't comment on how they turned out yet, but I froze 4 cabbage rolls before baking, 2 to each small pan, with the tomoto juice under and over. Hoping they taste good when we bake them post-baby.
March 14th: Cheesy Roasted Potatoes
Halfway through March and I finally cook something new! March has been a good month for eating: out to the Wellington Gastropub for my birthday, Greg and I did a Mexican cooking class at The Urban Element, and with my parents in town for March Break, we ate out a few more times, at the Mill St. Brew Pub, Wellington Gastropub again, and Town. The one night we ate in, with my parents and Greg's in attendance, we cooked up the last of the steaks and sausages from our freezer, and accompanied them with salad and the following recipe, from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry.
Roasted Potato Casserole (AKA Darth Tater)
2 1/2 lbs (1.1 kg) unpeeled, thin-skinned potatoes (red or white)
1 cup chopped onions
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp each freshly ground black pepper, paprika and dried thyme
1 can (10 oz/284 mL) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill or parsley
1/2 cup packed shredded old cheddar cheese
1 green onion, chopped
Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks and place in a lightly oiled 9 x 13-inch casserole dish. Add onions, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme and mix well. Roast potatoes for 3o minutes, stirring once, halfway through cooking time. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.
In a medium bowl, mix together soup, Parmesan cheese, and dill. Pour over potatoes. Mix well. Sprinkle grated cheddar on top, followed by green onion. Return potatoes to oven, and bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and potatoes are golden brown around edges. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Makes 6-8 servings.*
*The cookbook tells you 10. I say otherwise.
Roasted Potato Casserole (AKA Darth Tater)
2 1/2 lbs (1.1 kg) unpeeled, thin-skinned potatoes (red or white)
1 cup chopped onions
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp each freshly ground black pepper, paprika and dried thyme
1 can (10 oz/284 mL) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill or parsley
1/2 cup packed shredded old cheddar cheese
1 green onion, chopped
Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks and place in a lightly oiled 9 x 13-inch casserole dish. Add onions, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme and mix well. Roast potatoes for 3o minutes, stirring once, halfway through cooking time. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.
In a medium bowl, mix together soup, Parmesan cheese, and dill. Pour over potatoes. Mix well. Sprinkle grated cheddar on top, followed by green onion. Return potatoes to oven, and bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and potatoes are golden brown around edges. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Makes 6-8 servings.*
*The cookbook tells you 10. I say otherwise.
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