Long Haul Catch Up, Part the Second

Where was I? Oh yes, strawberry-peach sundaes. Made these on August 21st and again September 15th.

AMAZING. From Canadian Living, by way of Best Recipes Ever. Definitely on the mark with this one.

Cook peaches.

Allow the good quality ice cream to soften up a bit.

Combine peaches and strawberries.

Keep a few berries on the side for garnishing.

Finished product. Mmm ... lovely.

September 4th (Breakfast): Blueberry Orange Yogurt Bran Muffins

Recipe courtesy of Kellogg's All Bran cereal. Yummy.

The flaxseeds on top are my personal touch.

September 4th (Supper): Garlic Shrimp and Spinach Linguine

From Milk Calendar, month of July.

September 8th: Marinated Steak, Pretzel Steaks

From July 2012's Chatelaine: Anju's Marinated Rib Eye Steak. This one I had to try just because of the exorbitant amount of soy sauce and sugar called for. I didn't love it though, so not worth using up my kitchen supplies. Tossed.

From the same magazine, served with Charcut's Buttery Soft Pretzel Sticks. Good. May do again.

September 12th: Zesty Shrimp Skewers and Thai Mango Salad

From September 2012's Chatelaine: the Zesty Shrimp Skewers would have been good except the shrimp cooked quickly and the shallots were not cooked through, and were too hard/raw to be enjoyed. The Thai Mango Salad was yummy, and we're not huge mango fans here.

More to come...

Long Haul Catch Up

I cooked pretty decent meals all summer long. I took pictures. I did not blog. Super Mom I am not, though I do try. Here I go, trying to catch up on everything before September ends, with the faint hope that maybe in October I could get back to regular-ish blogging. Big breath. Might be achievable.

July 25th: Wonton Soup

From Crazy Plates: one I've wanted to try for years. Finally got around to it.

Obi Wonton Kenobi

Filling

8 oz (225 g) ground chicken or turkey (I used chicken thighs, minced finely)
1/4 cup minced green onions
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp each grated ginger root, sesame oil and cornstarch
1 egg white
1/4 tsp salt

30 wonton wrappers

Broth

6 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut in thin strips
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp grated gingerroot

Combine all filling ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well. Working one at a time, place 1 teaspoon of filling in centre of wonton wrapper. Fold one side over to enclose filling, making a triangle. Moisten edges and press down to seal. Bring the the two points of the base of the triangle around filling, overlap them, moisten and press together. Place filled wonton on a tray and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining wontons.

To cook wontons, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add wontons. Stir once or twice to prevent wontons from sticking together. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove wontons using a slotted spoon. Drain well.

To make soup, bring broth to a boil in a medium pot. Add onions, basil, soy sauce, sesame oil, and ginger root. Simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes.

To serve soup, place 5 wontons in the bottom of each soup bowl. Ladle hot broth over wontons and serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

Cook wontons in big pot of boiling water

Cook broth in separate pot

Place strained wontons in bowl

Top with broth and they're ready to eat

The next day I pan-fried the leftover, cooked, wontons
and served with plum sauce for dipping.
Not as good as the soup, but a decent way to use up leftovers.

I see now, having typed out the recipe, that I missed a step in the folding. I made my wontons into triangles rather than little packages. Greg told me at the time he thought they should be shaped differently. I didn't listen.


August 20th: Parmesan Dutch Baby

A recipe from Karen Barnaby: a bit like a popover, a bit like a savoury pancake. Baked in the oven. I think it was supposed to puff up in the middle, but because of all the cheese sitting there, it puffed up around the edges instead. It was a sight to see, and pretty tasty to boot.

Parmesan Dutch Baby

3 large eggs, room temperature
2/3 cup (150 mL) milk at room temperature
2/3 cup (150 mL) flour
pinch salt
1/4 cup (50 mL) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup (125 mL) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Before you start assembling the ingredients, place a 10-inch frypan on the middle rack of the oven and heat to 450 F.

Beat eggs with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and frothy. Beat in the milk, flour and salt and continue to beat until smooth, about 1 minute longer. The batter will be thin.

Remove the frypan from the oven and add butter, swirling to melt it. Immediately add the batter and sprinkle with cheese, then return to the oven.

Bake until puffed and golden brown, 18 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately before it deflates.

Makes 2 to 4 servings.

August 21st: Breakfast for supper

From June 2011's Chatelaine, with no recipe online for me to link:

Tomato & Egg Pie

3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
130-g log creamy goat cheese, crumbled
6 sheets frozen phyllo dough, defrosted
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp chopped chives
1/4 tsp salt
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
5 strips bacon, cooked

Position oven rack in bottom part of oven. Preheat to 325 F. Place 8 small ramekins on a baking sheet.

Heat frying pan over medium. Add 1 tsp oil, then onions. Cook until onions are soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in goat cheese until melted. Set aside.

Lay 1 phyllo sheet on counter. Lightly brush with oil. Place a second sheet overtop. Brush with oil. Repeat with remaining sheets and oil. Cut phyllo stack in half. Then cut each half into 4 quarters. Line each ramekin with a stack of phyllo, gently pressing against sides. Divide cheese mixture among ramekins. Whisk eggs with milk, Dijon, chives and salt in a bowl. Divide among ramekins.

Bake on bottom rack 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Place tomatoes in ramekins and crumble bacon overtop. Return to oven; continue baking until eggs are set, 25 to 30 more minutes. Let stand 1o minutes.

Makes 4-8 servings.

To accompany the egg pies, I made peach-strawberry sundaes. Recipe? For another day...

July 8th: Chocolate Chip Crisps AND Thai Noodle Salad

[SEE BELOW FOR UPDATED VERSION]


Olivia and I planned to make these cookies today, but we ended up having help, as Jayna and Grace joined us for the baking. This went surprisingly well; each girl took turns adding ingredients and stirring or mixing. Plus, they were happy to snack on chocolate chips while waiting their turns. Yummy crispy cookies, from Best Summer Weekends Cookbook:


Chocolate Chip Crisps


1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups crisp rice cereal 
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (or, as we did, a mix of chocolate chips and peanut butter chips, yum!)


Preheat oven to 350 F.


Beat butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl on medium speed of an electric mixer until light and creamy.


In a second large bowl, combine flour, oats, soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture, stirring until blended.


Gently mix in cereal and chips. Drop by spoonfuls onto baking sheets. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Underbake for chewy cookies; bake longer for crisp ones. Cool on wire rack.


Makes about 5 dozen cookies. (We made 61!)

Then - Supper. It's taken me almost two weeks to find the time to type out this recipe, but I couldn't let it go; this was the best meal I've made since Cinco de Mayo. Vietnamese and Thai food are some of my favourites, and this salad is much like lunches I used to buy when I was working, only better, because I made it myself. It's full of strong flavours: lime, cilantro and fish sauce. Greg and Olivia probably didn't love it quite as much as me, but I thought it was fantastic. I ate the leftovers for breakfast the next day. I topped our salad with cooked chicken; you could also top it with shrimp or tofu or spring rolls. Yum yum. Awesome summer meal: from Best Summer Weekends Cookbook: Thai Noodle Salad:


Thai Dressing


1-2 fresh hot peppers, seeded and chopped, OR 1-2 tsp (5-10 mL) red chili paste
3 tbsp (45 mL) fresh lime juice
2 tbsp (30 mL) fish sauce
2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) sesame oil
2 tbsp (30 mL) crunchy peanut butter
1 tsp (5 mL) sugar
2 tbsp (30 mL) fresh cilantro, chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped


Combine all ingredients for dressing and refrigerate until needed.




Thai Noodle Salad


6 oz (170 g) rice vermicelli or rice stick noodles
1/4 lb (125 g) snow peas (about 2 cups/500 mL)
1/2 red pepper, seeded and cut in slivers
2 cups (500 mL) lettuce, shredded
2 green onions, cut in diagonal slivers
1/4 cup (60 mL) peanuts, chopped
1 lime, thinly sliced 


Cook the noodles or vermicelli in a large quantity of boiling salted water until tender, about 3-4 minutes for the noodles and a scant minute for the vermicelli. Drain well, toss with a little dressing, and refrigerate until needed.


Blanch the snow peas for about a minute in lightly salted boiling water. Drain and immediately put into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again and slice on the diagonal.


Just before serving, toss noodles with snow peas, red pepper, and remaining dressing. Arrange salad on a bed of shredded lettuce and garnish with green onions, chopped peanuts, and lime slices.


Serves 4. 

July 4th: Rideau Hall picnic drinks

I'm on maternity leave. I love being on maternity leave in a big, big way. I am absolved from all responsibility in the working world. No one judges me for not working. I take a cute baby with me everywhere I go and everyone assumes she's a boy. I get to spend more time with Olivia than I have since I was last on maternity leave 4 years ago. What's not to love?

O and I made a list of activities to do this summer to keep us busy, entertained, and out of the house. Picnics are to happen on a regular basis. We did our first picnic a few weeks ago at the Ottawa Farmers' Market with Janice and Lucas. Amazing cheese pizza by The Flatbread Pizza Company. Wonderful baked potato by The Hot Potato Company. Drinks by I don't know, but I bought 4! It was a hot day. And of course, ice cream by Ottawa's favourite, Pascale.

This week we did picnic number two at Rideau Hall, the Governor General's residence. Beautiful grounds, large play structure, clean public washrooms, and everything for free! I kept the food pretty simple: crackers, cheese, meat by Bearbrook Game Meats Inc., devilled eggs and apple walnut cake for dessert.

And drinks, lots of drinks, all from The Yummy Life. I have seen this blog linked several times recently on Facebook and decided to try out three drink recipes: banana-strawberry oatmeal smoothie, raspberry-lime water, and cold coffee. All were good.

I can't vouch too much for the smoothie, as I can't eat raw bananas. O said she didn't really like it. I might try out another flavour combo.

I added a bit of sugar to the water, which was tasty and refreshing.

I guzzled the coffee, made with milk and sugar added. I pay big bucks to get similar drinks at Starbucks, Second Cup and Tim Hortons. I plan to try more recipes from this site!

Hot baby cooling off in the shade.

Cutest kid in the world.

July something: berry popsicles and apple walnut cake

I have lost track of when things were made. I used to know by the date the picture was taken, but things like popsicles and cake can be made and eaten over a period of time. At some point in the last week or so, I have made berry popsicles and apple walnut cake. Both were good. As time is of the essence in my life these days, enough chatter, here are the recipes:


Berry popsicles (from Best Summer Weekends Cookbook)


1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 strips lemon zest (approximately 1/2" x 3")
2 cups fresh berries (I used strawberries, raspberries and blueberries)
1 cup apple juice


Combine sugar, water and lemon zest in a small saucepan and bring to a boil for 1 minute, or until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cool. Remove zest.


Rinse berries. Sort through them to remove any stems or leaves, and hull strawberries (if using). Place the berries in a small saucepan, crush gently and bring to a boil over medium heat. If you're making the syrup with blueberries or blackberries alone, add 1/4 cup water to the pot; no water is necessary if you're using strawberries, raspberries, or a mixture of red and blue berries. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 5-7 minutes.


Push the cooked berries through a fine mesh sieve (to puree them, leaving the seed and skins behind), then add the cooled sugar syrup. Or puree the berries in a blender or food processor with the sugar syrup, then strain through a fine mesh sieve.


Combine 2 cups of the berry syrup with 1 cup of apple juice. Pour mixture into moulds and freeze overnight.


Makes 6 - 9 pops.


These are super sweet. I might cut back on the sugar next time.


[for Patricia:

Mold is the American spelling for all senses of the word meaning, among other things, (1) a frame for shaping something, (2) to shape in a mold, and (3) any of various fungi that commonly grow on organic matter and are often associated with decay. Mould is the British spelling. American English has no mould, and British English has no mold.

Australian and Canadian English favor the British spelling, though mold is fairly common in Canadian publications.


from Grammarist]

Sadie would rather suck on her hand.
Wise choice, oh young one.

Apple Walnut Cake (from Lost Recipes)

Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 apples, peeled and grated

1 cup walnuts, chopped

1 cup raisins

Glaze

1/2 cup buttermilk

8 tbsps unsalted butter, cut into chunks

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325F. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish.


Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in large bowl. In sparate bowl whisk sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla together until sugar is mostly dissolved. Stir sugar mixture into flour mixture until just combined. Gently fold in apples, walnuts, and raisins.


Scrape batter into prepared pan, smooth top, and gently tap pan on counter to settle batter. Bake until golden brown and toothpick inserted in centre comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 50 to 60 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking. Let cake cook in pan for 10 minutes.


Meanwhile, bring buttermilk, butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt to simmer in medium saucepan, and cook, stirring often, until butter is melted and sugar is completely dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. While cake is still warm, poke holes all over top with wooden skewer. Slowly pour glaze over cake in even layer. Let cake sit until cooled completely and glaze has been absorbed, about 2 hours. Serve.

Serves 15-18.


Is it just me? This cake is also super sweet and I will be cutting back on the sugar next time.

June 16th: Strawberry Vanilla Yogurt Popsicles

I'm so happy to have a four year old who likes to experiment with me. I bought a popsicle mold a million years ago to make popsicles for myself, but it is so much more fun to make them for your children. This week, I bought a new popsicle mold to make the following recipe, from June 2012's Chatelaine: Strawberry-vanilla yogurt pops. I tested them out on Olivia and three neighbourhood kids. They came in at a 50% success rate. More importantly, Olivia likes them, so we will make them again.

Pre-freezer.
As soon as the molds were filled, Olivia asked, "Can I have one?"
Oh, but we have to wait...

And they are worth the wait!

May 20th: Slumgullion, AKA Spaghetti Lasagna

From "Lost Recipes": Slumgullion, which is essentially a simple lasagna made with spaghetti and Cheddar cheese. I made this one for Greg and Olivia, and Greg's parents were here to enjoy it too. I did not. Way too much salt. The recipe has a pound of Cheddar cheese, and Cheddar is so salty on its own, if I make this again, I'll omit all the salt in the recipe and see if it makes a difference. I'm including the recipe because everyone else raved about it:


Slumgullion:


1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra as needed
1 onion, chopped fine
1 sweet pepper, chopped
1 lb ground beef
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
(salt)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb spaghetti
1 lb extra old Cheddar cheese, shredded (4 cups)
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup plain dried bread crumbs
2 tbsps unsalted butter, melted


Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13 by 9-inch baking dish.


Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and pepper and cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in ground beef and cook, breaking up any large pieces with wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes.


Stir in garlic and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, broth, (1 tsp salt), and pepper, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to simmer and cook until mixture is thickened but still saucy, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.


Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven. Add pasta and (1 tbsp salt) and cook, stirring often, until al dente; drain pasta. (If drained pasta sits for longer than 5 minutes, toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil.)


Spread 1 cup sauce into prepared baking dish. Spread half of cooked pasta into baking dish, then spoon 2 cups sauce over top and sprinkle with half Cheddar and half Parmesan. Repeat layering with remaining pasta, sauce, Cheddar and Parmesan. Combine bread crumbs and melted butter and sprinkle over top. Bake until filling is bubbling and topping begins to brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Let casserole cool for 10 minutes before serving.


Serves 6-8.

May 18th: Banana Macadamia Nut Muffins

To date, these are the best banana muffins I have made. From Epicurious: Banana Macadamia Nut Muffins. My bananas were way rotten, so I reduced the white sugar from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup. Good idea. I like my muffins to taste like muffins, not cake. The website says they have a hint of the tropics, which I assume is supposed to come from the nuts, but I didn't find this to be the case. I bought my macadamia nuts a few months ago, maybe that's an issue? The nuts  didn't have much flavour at all. I'm thinking of adding coconut on top next time. I wonder what coconut milk in place of cow's milk would taste like...

Bed night snack

Breakfast of champions: including Grandma's crabapple jelly.

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.]

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.

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.

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!).