Terroni's for Italian cuisine with friends from Moosonee.

I was excited to introduce some out of town friends to Terroni's, though a little apprehensive that they wouldn't find something on the menu that would fit with their dietary and personal taste restrictions. Is that a well sugar coated way of saying that I love you but you have a lot of things that you don't like to eat? (xox) Moving on..

I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed their mains! We had a Tagliatelle with traditional Bolognaise and Parmigiano, Pappardelle with button and oyster mushrooms, sausage, peas and garlic, a third pasta dish of Rigatoni with spicy sausage and tomato sauce and then a pizza with sweet Genoa salami and mozzarella. My husband and I had shared a lovely salad to start (Ricchia) that had Arugula, mushrooms, Parmigiano shavings with lemon juice and olive oil which was very fresh (and looked like dandelion leaves to someone)! The parm. shavings were huge and the cheese was of such a fine quality. The pizza is extremely thin giving you equal portions of base to topping and meaning that it is light and crispy and doesn't leave you feeling defeated with a belly full of dough! The pasta portions were what you should eat, not what you could eat! 

My dish had the spicy sausage in it, and you've been warned, it is hot!! And I couldn't get enough of it! The ratios of sauce to pasta were perfect, not too dry, not drowning, and the pasta is made fresh daily in the kitchen. Can you ask for more than home made staples and the finest quality ingredients which they import from all over?! The dishes aren't too complicated, leaving the spotlight for the ingredients to shine in. 

I'll be honest now, my bowl of Spaghetti with Bolognaise sauce at home has never looked like the above picture. And why not?! If you have pasta this fresh and this good why would you smother it in huge quantities of sauce! Lesson learnt! (I am sure my husband will disagree here!)

My photos of the dessert course did not turn out well, however, there really is only one that I want to wax lyrical about! We have had it before and it did not disappoint this time round! 'Affogati'! A scoop of home made gelato in a bowl, drizzled with melted chocolate and then they pour a shot of Espresso over it! Wow! Only the outer part of the scoop melts, so you get a wonderful espresso/gelato soup into which you dip your spoonful of gelato with crunchy chocolate that has frozen onto it! Or into which you dip all the other desserts on the table because it tastes so wonderful! After dinner coffee and dessert all in one! A must! I was desperate to get 'ganache' into this entry because there was such an 'issue' with it over dinner - mainly my husband wanting to know what it is and when I told him, not believing me, and deciding he didn't like the sound of it, then when the waitress explained it to him he changed his mind and decided he did like it!) 'Gnashing' of teeth and shaking of head followed!

Non of us were wine drinkers but the wine menu is extensive. The beer drinkers were happy with their beers and the Coke and Limonata come in mini glass bottles. There is such a relaxed, family environment and the food is so wonderful that you don't mind waiting in a long line of people. We were there at 6pm and waited about 20minutes for a table, and my husband and I have been there at 9:30/10pm and waited for at least half an hr! And hundreds of people do, and will continue to, wait for tables here because the experience is so good. 

*See the link to this restuarant's website on the main page of my Blog under Toronto 'Eating & Drinking' Recommendations. 

Sweet 'n' sticky chicken.

I got a new recipe box for Christmas and whilst I was transferring some recipes over I came across this one which inspired me to make it for dinner the other night. I am so pleased to have a new recipe box, my old recipe book is completely falling apart, but it has character, and looks used. I actually like opening the pancake page and having to prise the neighbouring page away because they got stuck together the last time I made pancakes and dripped batter everywhere! And the little grains of sugar that are stuck here and there, trails of egg whites, splashes of oil and colourful smudges all over the place. Now when I open my new box it is all pristine and looks like I never use it. Pathetic I know, I'll get over it. Or I'll work hard to 'sully' my new recipe cards asap! I still have a lot of 'transferring' to do to be honest because my actual recipe book didn't have a huge amount of recipes in it, but the pockets in each section were heavily laden with cut outs, and rip outs and all sorts of versions of recipes I have collected along the way (many of which are scribbled onto the nearest piece of 'paper' I could find) and stuffed into it! No wonder the poor pockets are ripped and falling apart. I now have to copy out all these cuttings etc onto neat little recipe cards even though I have the urge to stuff them into the appropriate section just as they are! I know it won't be long before my poor recipe box would burst at the seams too, so neat, legible, copying it is. Anyway, I digress, sweet 'n' sticky chicken. 

This recipe was down in my book as Mexican chicken and I believe it was one of my late Granny's recipes, however, I am not too sure why it is called that, so I am re-naming it. You start by rolling pieces of chicken in butter and laying them in a baking dish and then covering them in black pepper. You then pour over the sauce and bake until done, about an hr at 400degrees. You may want to scrape the edges of the pan from time to time because this sauce is likely to catch and burn. So, the sauce, is comprised of tomato paste (which I had left over in the fridge and when I discovered this the choice of meal was sealed!), tomato ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, chutney (which I ran out of and used apricot jam as a substitute), garlic and curry powder. It has heat and sweet in a very bold sauce. I tried soaking my brown rice before cooking to see if it would reduce the amount of time it took to cook and it didn't make a huge difference, though the rice was very fluffy after I cooked it the same time as I would un-soaked rice. I use a microwave rice cooker, from The Pampered Chef, and there is not a lot I wouldn't do to keep hold of this fantastic kitchen 'gadget'! For 1 cup of rice you need 2 cups of water, then you cook it on full power for 5minutes and half power for 10minutes and you get perfect rice every time! With brown rice I do everything the same but I cook it on half power for 15minutes instead. Perfect brown rice every time now! We had our sweet 'n' sticky chicken with fluffy brown rice and steamed broccoli and green beans. I am a fan of using as few pots and pans as possible so the beans and broccoli were cooked in the same pot! You can do this with any vegetables really, just put the ones that need the longest time to cook in first and drop the rest in as and when. I often cook carrots until they are almost done and then throw something on top like beans, broccoli, peas etc that don't take long to cook and then it all finishes at the same time. When I was a student I used to cook cabbage and spinach on the top of my rice, it would steam in the last few minutes the rice was taking to cook. This was pre microwave rice cooker time. You can afford to have plainly steamed vegetables and rice with this dish because the sauce is so bold. 

Mushrooms and onions.

I made this to go with a steak but I think it would work well with pasta or just served over a bed of rice or as a side to pork or chicken as well, very versatile indeed!

Finely slice onions and cremini mushrooms (little brown ones, or any that you want really, I have used an assortment all mixed together in the past with great results) and fry in a little oil and butter. As they soften, add grainy mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, Sherry and cream. The Sherry needs to be in long enough for some of the alcohol to burn off so it isn't an overpowering flavour and you don't want all your cream to reduce away either. Just keep tasting it to see how it is and once the mushrooms and onions are soft enough it is ready to serve. If I were serving this with pork I would add some apples to soften in it and if it were with chicken maybe a little lemon and some sage and thyme would be good. I am glad to have the Sherry in the house (which I needed to make my eggnog) as it goes so well with mushrooms and cream. It is also great with chicken livers if you like such things.

If you are trying to be healthy then don't use the cream, instead try using yoghurt or low fat sour cream or even milk or stock with some flour to thicken the sauce. 

Christmas dinner leftovers.

I am sure everyone has lots of Christmas leftovers and some may be wondering what to do with them to make them desirable once again. If you don't like re-eating the same meal several times then you definitely need to be creative with your leftovers. 

Making soup is a great fix. Boil up all your turkey bones and make your own delicious stock, which you can fill with lots of your left over vegetables and maybe some new ones too. My husband is a fan of the turkey sandwich which is a great way of using up the meat. Toasted or soft bread, mayonnaise, stuffing, cranberry sauce, turkey. You can also add green leafy matter or bacon for some crunch. Another way to use up the meat is in a curry. Admittedly you have to make the sauce in advance and just drop your meat in at the end, so in this instance using a jar of curry sauce works well. Or put it all in a pie!

Our Christmas dinner this year was a wonderful array of pot luck dishes, with a fantastic butternut squash and coconut rice dish, some mashed potatoes and cauliflower (which were half of my sister-in-laws vegetarian shepherds pie), steamed fresh green veggies, mashed turnip/carrot/parsnip and even some home made cranberry sauce which my Mother-in-law made using orange juice! And turkey. I have been more than happy eating the vegetables over and over again, and sometimes just making a new meat to go with it. The rice dish my sister-in-law made was my favourite; it had roasted butter nut squash through it, shallots, fresh ginger, fresh lime zest and juice and coconut milk! Such a wonderful medley of fresh flavours popping all over! I am going to re-create this a lot in the future and experiment with things to serve it with. Maybe satay chicken or lamb skewers and a mango salad? Another old trick we used to do back in the UK was to make 'bubble and squeak'. This was traditionally mashed potatoes and cabbage I believe, but we pretty much add whatever left over vegetables we had to the mashed potatoes, which you form into flat, circular shapes (like a puk) and fry in a little oil to get a crispy patty. We used to eat them plain, with tomato ketchup, I think even a little blue cheese would set them off well!

Happy leftover creating!

Eggnog.

Back in the UK we would traditionally use eggnog as an accompaniment to a dessert, like you would custard or pouring cream or whipped cream. We would serve it over Christmas pudding which would be similar to a 'plum pudding' here in Canada. When I first came to Canada I was amazed that you drank eggnog! Having read over some local recipes for it I now realise why you can drink it, because it is made with a combination of milk and cream whereas my recipe is purely whipped cream and thus extremely thick and rich. My recipe also includes Sherry, so in my world there was no such thing as an alcohol free eggnog! I had made this once before at a 'Tree Trimming' party in Moosonee a few years ago and it went down a storm so I made some more this year as a Christmas Eve beverage. I made sure to use some milk to thin it out a bit, but still put the Sherry in. Sherry just goes so well with cream, and dessert! I also used brown sugar instead of regular sugar which really added to the luxuriousness of it! We still served it over alcohol in true Canadian fashion, some had Spiced Rum and I stuck to the Sherry, so there was a double dose of 'spirit' and a sprinkle of nutmeg to see the big day in! 

Rum and coke with limes.

My husband is home for the holidays! And what better way to celebrate not having to work for 4 days than to have a rum and coke and a few salt and vinegar crisps (chips for the Canadians)?! We started drinking Havana Club rum after a trip to Cuba a few years ago and have remained fans ever since. They do a great 7 year one, this particular one is the 5 year one. You should roll the lime around on the counter top to help release the juices then squeeze a 1/4 lime into a tumbler and run the wedge around the rim too! Lots of ice! Real Coke! You could almost believe you're lying on the beach with the ocean air around you and the warm sun above you but in reality it's -10 with the wind chill and there is snow/ice outside! Oh well! The crisps are Miss Vickies, hand made, kettle cooked, with sea salt and malt vinegar flavouring. The salty/sour flavour really compliments the sweet drink. Happy holidays!x

Humble oatmeal.

I had oatmeal for breakfast, what a yummy way to start the day! And there are so many ways to fashion it in order to keep it interesting. I know it is best to use it in it's original state, and if you have time to cook the big, old, whole oats for half an hour then it is great, but I do use the instant variety (guilty as charged!). I know there are good recipes for oatmeal in a slow cooker, so if you have one then put it to use for the first meal of the day! And if not, pick your battle, stove top stirring or instant!

So, ways to liven up your oatmeal, where to start? When I was a nanny I used to sweeten oatmeal with a mashed banana or apple sauce, then add ground seed flax and some blueberries. Play around with your sweetening agent; maple syrup, honey, brown sugar, mashed banana/berries/apples, then think about adding things like seeds, nuts, raisins or other fruit pieces (dried or fresh)to make it colourful and wholesome.  Some ideas are other berries, dates, figs, dried apricots, dried cranberries, dried coconut, the list goes on. I have even put some yoghurt in it at times. Go with whatever you are craving or seems to go well together. If you are being indulgent you could use cream instead of milk over the porridge or even add some cocoa powder to it to make it chocolate-y! The creativity options are endless and it is such a great way to start your day. 

Today my instant oatmeal had a mashed banana in it, some milk and some flax seeds, mmmmm..

Pasta bake.

I couldn't decide between doing a brown rice casserole or a pasta one. Then I realised that my pasta is made from brown rice and other grains so not much difference really. Pasta it was! It was also a chance to use up some more odds and ends that were in the fridge and to then have a dish of ready to eat food in the fridge for the next day or so. 

I slightly undercooked the pasta, by about 2-3minutes, then drained it. While the pasta was cooking I fried up some leeks, orange pepper, mushrooms, tomatoes and spinach with garlic. I set these aside in a bowl and then fried the chicken in the same pan with some salt and pepper. I was using boneless, skinless thighs that had the fat removed and were cut into chunks. When the pasta was done I made the sauce in the same pot from a can of mushroom soup with some tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce. I only added half of the water that the soup called for to keep it thicker and brought it to the boil. I put the pasta into the bottom of a baking dish with the vegetables on top (I added some sun dried tomatoes and broccoli sprouts at this stage too), then the chicken, poured the sauce over it all and topped it with grated cheese. It baked at about 350 degrees for about 20-25minutes until the cheese started to brown. Your ingredients should be cooked before hand, or in the case of the pasta undercooked so that it doesn't go soggy in the dish, so you just want it to all warm together and absorb the sauce flavours and let the cheese melt. Although it takes a bit of time to prepare it is a great way of using up stuff in the fridge and giving yourself a ready to eat meal in the fridge!

Warm potato salad.

I was rushed to put together a quick lunch today so my husband and I could eat together before he went to work. I was going over what we had in the fridge trying to figure out what to throw together, what needed using up etc and this was what we had. 

I got some new mini red and yellow potatoes cooking whilst I made the basis of the salad. The salad consisted of mixed greens, baby spinach leaves, sliced mushrooms, peeled and sliced cucumber, finely sliced leek, sprouts, sun dried tomato strips, avocado and some grated parmesan. I had read recently about how good sprouts were for you and that you can get them in many different varieties, so on the last grocery run we did I picked up some broccoli sprouts to try. A sprout is literally an infant version of the vegetable you would normally eat so the flavour is just more intense and is quite the salad addition!

Once the potatoes were boiling I added 4 eggs to the pan to cook with them. The eggs were balanced on top of the potatoes rather than submerged in the water where you would normally boil eggs, but this version of 'steaming' eggs seemed to work just fine. When the potatoes were ready, I removed the eggs and broke the shell to stop them from cooking, and drained the potatoes. The dressing had the juice of a lime, a few spoonfuls of mayonnaise, some garlic powder and salt and pepper. You whisk this together to get a runny, yet creamy dressing. Pour this onto the salad and toss it around a bit to get everything coated nicely. Put a serving of the salad on your plate then dot with warm, new potatoes and halved boiled eggs. 

Season to taste. Fresh cracked pepper is a must! And enjoy! There was such a great medley of flavours going on in this salad; from the bite the raw leeks add, to the strength of the sprout flavour (almost as pungent as an onion flavour), some creaminess from the avocado, sweetness from the sun dried tomatoes , then the earthy potatoes and soft eggs all held together with a creamy but light, citrus dressing. Yum!

I think that tuna would work well with this salad (we had a bit of tuna mayo left from making my husbands sandwiches to take to work and I tried some with the salad), as would shrimp (prawns for the non Canadians!) and warm, crumbled bacon too.

Tea biscuits for Sunday breakfast.

I felt the motivation to don my apron on Sunday morning and tea biscuits were the creation in mind. So quick and easy to make. You can have them ready to cook by the time your oven has pre-heated to 400 degrees and the coffee is ready!

A few simple ingredients like flour, butter, eggs, milk, baking powder and you are ready to go. The great thing with this recipe is that you crumb the flour and butter together first before adding the wet ingredients and it makes the biscuit/scone so light and almost flaky. They go into the oven on a floured tray and are ready in 20minutes. I like to mould my mix into a large ball and place it in the centre of the tray, then I cut it into 6 and pull the pieces outwards, closer to the edge of the tray, so there is plenty of room around them to cook. It also gives you very rustic looking, triangular shaped biscuits/scones which are very appealing to the eye. We ate these while they were still warm with butter and some home made strawberry and rhubarb jam that we were given over the Summer at a wedding we went to on a farm. 

Easy peasy breakfast that is a lot easier and quicker than you would think. I often feel that people think that using pre-made mixes or buying the finished product is always easier and faster but this really is an example of how it isn't always the case and is definitely a great little baking session if you feel motivated. 

Prime rib roast beef.

We recently purchased a somewhat fancy meat thermometer, not like 'whistles and bells' fancy but one of those ones that the probe is in the meat and the 'brains' is outside with a little optic wire connecting them that the oven door can close around. I also love the fact that instead of setting a timer you can set a temperature and it 'beeps' once this temperature is reached, fail safe! Until it doesn't work when you switch it on and there's a delightful prime rib roast sitting in front of you begging to be cooked medium rare and no more! Never to be defeated I resorted the old '22 minutes per pound rule' and when my other crappy little 'stick in the meat' thermometer told me it wasn't ready yet I went with my intuitions, and the rough time frame from the old rule, and the meat was perfect! Though now I apparently have two useless thermometers (and maybe no need to replace them?)! I like to cook this roast to 145 degrees (if I have a thermometer that lets me know when that is the case) and then rest it for about 15minutes. It can rest longer than that if you like/need but you will then be eating colder meat. You need lots of salt on the outside to help with making a crust that will keep the juices in and add lots of flavour. 

In keeping with the eating of seasonal vegetables theme we had mini red potatoes and brussel sprouts. I boiled the potatoes until they were just done, then drained them, tossed them in some olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary and roasted them in the oven at the same time as the beef. Cooking them in advance was useful because the oven is so low (325) when cooking the meat that they wouldn't have been ready at the same time had they gone in raw. It also gives a nice fluffy texture to the potato. I added sliced onions and quartered mushrooms to the meat tray to roast in olive oil along side the meat and soak up a little of the juices. Sometimes I put these straight into my gravy if I want a 'chunky' gravy. Brussel sprouts are just steamed, with the stems trimmed, nasty leaves removed and a 'cross' cut into the base. This was a family method though I believe the reason behind the method is to let heat into the densest part of the vegetable so it all cooks to the same degree. 

I believe that gravy is a fundamental part of a meal, no one wants to drown their beautiful food in a gravy that isn't as beautiful, it is an utter tragedy! There is nothing more to it than tasting and testing! And, I am a true believer in the help of packet gravy if you can lower your pride. Clubhouse do some good, low sodium, varieties that I find taste great when you add your own meat drippings and water from your steamed vegetables and a few other tricks or treats! This gravy had a little ketchup in it (I know, groan out loud if you must, but once you have tried it you will take that groan back, and sneak it into your gravy from now on too!). Just a tbsp is enough, to add flavour, a little sweetness, a little depth, give it a chance. I also added horseradish to this one, makes a great accompaniment to the meal if you actually like the stuff! The gravy packet that was my base was a mushroom one by the way. Other things to try in your gravy are grainy mustard for beef, a wild berry or raspberry jam and/or mint for lamb, apple sauce or cooked apples for pork, and I find Worcestershire sauce is always useful. 

A perfect roast dinner!

Ode to the tomato, and the sandwich!

More often than not it's the simple things in life that you really appreciate, like a great tomato sandwich...

I don't eat much bread anymore, it doesn't seem to agree with me, or rather the yeast doesn't, though there are plenty of times I am a sucker for punishment and indulge myself. Especially when it is fresh, warm bread! Anyway, I buy an Ezekiel bread (that is naturally leavened with bacterial culture and made from sprouted grains) so that I can indulge from time to time and feel less guilty about it. Hot toast with a nice, tart marmalade is one of the reasons I have it around. Another is the sandwich. I am a huge fan of the sandwich and was renowned as a child for the great amount of time, effort and skill that went into making one. More often than not everyone else would have finished family lunch right when I would be raising my sandwich for a first bite! It had to have even portions of a topping, the right combination, the right amounts, quite the labour of love. 

Today's sandwich was plain tomato. A great, vine ripened and absolutely delicious tomato, sliced thinly (not in wedges!) and layered on top of buttered toast. I put mayonnaise on one slice of toast instead of butter and some salt and pepper. Perfect, fresh, full of flavour, nothing fancy masquerading the tomato goodness! Cheese goes very well with tomato, though I would make a cheese and tomato sandwich on soft, fresh, white bread instead of toast. Oh the simple things in life. 

P.S. The sandwich was gone before I remembered to take a picture, I shall have to have another one soon for photography purposes!

Stew for these cold Winter days.

I made this stew a couple of days ago in preparation for dinner today (when I knew I wouldn't have time to cook).  The same day I made the mushroom risotto actually, in the bid to use all those mushrooms I bought at half price. The beauty with the stew is that it actually gets better with time, in my opinion. It is also a great dish to have around for fussy eaters or families with differing tastes because there is so much in it you can pick around what you don't like and still have a complete meal. This particular batch of stew contains cubed beef, onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, red peppers and a medley of legumes (kidney beans, chick peas etc). I have been eating less meat recently (I think I could quite happily live on chicken and fish with the occasional transgression when the call for prime rib or ribs calls!) and I have been loving eating the gravy and vegetables over mushroom risotto. I am sure my husband was pleased to find so much meat left behind!

The key to a good stew is getting it thick and tasty. In order to do this you need flour, frying and lots of tasting. I cubed the beef removing any large pieces of fat or grissle and tossed it in seasoned flour. You can season flour with anything really, as simple as salt and pepper or as much of what you have as you like. I used some Montreal Steak Spice, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, coriander and chilli flakes.  You transfer your floured meat to a hot pan with a little oil in it and fry/brown the meat, turning it to seal all the pieces. This process adds tonnes of flavour to your stew. You may need to do several batches of frying depending on how much meat you have, you don't want to overlap the cubes in the pan or it won't brown properly, and likewise you may need to add more oil for each batch. (Keep the unused seasoned flour for later on). Put the browned beef into a large pot then fry chopped onions in the same pan used for frying the meat. Add garlic, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, beef stock cubes (or liquid beef stock and don't add water later on), more chilli if you like heat, red wine if you have any available, water and let it come to a boil. As it heats scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan and incorporate into the liquid. While this is heating up, peel and cut up carrots, celery, mushrooms, peppers, whatever you want to add to it really, and drop on top of the meat in the pan. Once the liquid is boiling tip it into the pot, you want the liquid to just cover all the contents of the pot. Sprinkle some of the seasoned flour into the pot too and stir it in, this will help thicken the stew, as will the flour on the meat. (Still keep unused seasoned flour). Transfer the pot to a hot oven and let it simmer for a couple of hours, stirring occasionally to keep things from sticking. After an hour or so, check to see if a piece of meat is cooked (which it should be) and then taste the liquid. Season accordingly. If the stew isn't thick enough, make a paste out of your left over seasoned flour and water and add it to the stew slowly so as to not over thicken it. Stir it in and it should thicken up straight away, keep doing this until you are happy with the consistency. If your stew is bubbling, that should be suffice to cook the flour, if not you may want to put it over a flame and bring it to boil to ensure the flour is cooked. Once you are satisfied with your stew either serve it or let it cool completely and put it in the fridge for a later date. 

As mentioned previously, I have been eating the stew gravy with mushroom risotto. Today I ate it with nshima, which is a staple diet in the country where I grew up (Zambia). Nshima has a playdough consistency and doesn't smell particularly appetising. When I lived with my Grandparents in the UK they used to threaten that I had to eat in the garage whenever I started to prepare this dish as it smelt so bad to them! It comes from the kassava root, which is soaked (to remove poisons) then dried and then pounded into a fine flour. This flour is mixed with boiling water until it is incredibly thick and very hard to stir, and you continue to stir it as best you can until all the flour has been incorporated. You then pick up a small handful of the stuff, roll it into a ball in your hand (all using one hand), make an indentation in the ball with your thumb and use it like a mini scoop for your gravy (or whatever else you are eating with it). We used to eat it with all kinds of relishes, leaves, wild mushrooms etc. I grew up eating nshima, my mother said they used to line up tiny balls of it on my high chair tray when  I was too little to make my own so that I could eat it with them. The corn meal ('mealie meal') version is far more popular these days, and a little more time consuming to make as it needs cooking but I am a loyal fan of the original kassava version I was raised on. I believe kassava is readily consumed in some South American countries and the Caribbean too, though I think it may be customary to eat it as a whole root? In fact it may have been eaten whole back in Zambia from time to time, though not as common place as the nshima version. 

We now have lots of 'staple' dishes in the fridge to pick at until the weekend, which is nice from time to time. Especially when people are eating at odd times etc. 

Banana bread creme brulee from my neighbour Krista.

Krista delivered us a piece of 'still warm' banana bread yesterday. It was divine! When I saw her later on that day she said that she found it a little dry and was going to make a custard to go with the rest of it - I had found it a perfect consistency but the talk of a custard had me gripped. She was generous enough to let me share in her creation and boy was I grateful. She had fashioned a creme custard and poured it over little cubes of the banana bread in small ramekins, cooled it and then 'bruleed' some sugar on top of it. Little pots of gold. What a great way to eat the same thing twice but in such different ways. Thanks Krista!

P.S. I was meant to save the other ramekin for my husband but it does looks like a little mouse has been at it.... 

Balsamic glazed vegetable quinoa and chicken wings.

I was making quinoa to go with wings today and was thinking over what I had hanging around the kitchen and fridge and what would taste yummy. I ended up finely chopping some red onion, cubing zucchini and halving cherry tomatoes then tossing them in olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, truffle salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. This all went onto a baking sheet to caramelise as I was roasting the wings. When the vegetable ensemble was ready (starting to blacken) I tossed it with the cooked quinoa, feta and some lime juice and it was ready to eat. This works well warm or cold. 

I know home made wings often lack when compared to mass produced ones anywhere else but it is nice to try. I also feel that going baked rather than deep fried is a good option. (Not that wings are a good option in general if you are trying to watch what you eat). I tossed these in President's Choice Memories of Portugal Piri Piri Barbecue Sauce. It is hot. They take maybe 40mins in a very hot oven, cut one open to check if you aren't sure. Half way through I sprinkled salt on them to aid crisping. They would crisp better if you roasted them plain and added sauce at the end, but I like the flavour that runs through them when they roast in the sauce. They tend to turn out more moist than the deep fried version you buy when you are out. I guess they aren't an alternative if that is what you are hankering after, but worth a try to see what you think. 

Mushroom risotto.

I found a large bag of mushrooms on sale when we were grocery shopping (the kind you see on the shelves full of things that they want to get rid of fast, with 50% off the price) and that gave me the basis for 2 great dishes for the week. Risotto and stew. 

I don't think that there is necessarily a wrong way to make risotto. You may want to follow a recipe the first time to make it but after that, so long as your rice has absorbed enough liquid to be the right texture then the rest is up to what you feel like eating, what you have to get rid of or what is in the cupboards. A lot of recipes will call for several different fresh herbs, this can be expensive, I often just use what I have in dry form in the cupboard that goes with what I am cooking at the time. I also don't think you can over or under do the amount of vegetables etc that you flavour it with, or, that it particularly matters at what stage you put them in. I guess with something like asparagus you would put it in at the end so it doesn't turn to mush, but with this mushroom version I cooked the mushrooms with the onions and then added the rice to the mix and made the risotto with the mushrooms already in it and they didn't disintegrate. A few months ago I felt like eating risotto and I had some zucchini in the fridge, and so that was what I used and there was no recipe, just what I had available and it turned into one of my favourite risottos! Some people like more 'bite' to their rice, others like it soft, make it however you like it to eat it. You may see recipes calling for wine too, if you have some available by all means add some white wine, it's great, but I rarely use it and haven't missed it. You will also see recipes calling for lots of grated parmesan cheese, this is also great, but the dish can be just as nice without it if you are trying to reduce the fat content, or just sprinkle a little on top of your serving as you eat it. 

I have had a couple of great experiences concerning mushroom risotto with my neighbour, Krista. Once we made risotto out of a puff ball mushroom her Dad had picked in the woods near their house, it was divine! The cubes of puff ball were like little pieces of marshmallow in it. (We did use white wine and lots of parmesan cheese that time!) I do admit I went and flicked through our Survival Guide book for a quick reference on the puff ball having never seen one before - it was bigger than my head! Another time, Krista gave me a sample of their dinner which was beef ribs with mushroom risotto. She had used a black risotto rice which was wonderfully appealing on the eye and a great new version on a classic. 

Anyway, back to the risotto in the image. I made it with plain button mushrooms sliced, an onion finely chopped, garlic and home made turkey stock. I ran out of that stock and used some store bought stuff too, I keep a couple cartons handy most of the time.  I used dry Sage and Savoury, a couple of Bay leaves and some Truffle salt and pepper for seasoning, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce too. I added a small amount of parmesan at the end. Heaven! I made a double batch too, so it will be in the fridge to have on other occasions with other things such as stew (which is going to use up the rest of the mushrooms!).

Caramel Squares - almost the way my mother made them (but never as good!).

This blog is for Denice who emailed and said that I should do a baking blog. Alas, I admit I did not immediately float into the kitchen like the baking fairy that I am and whip these bad boys up in an instant! I walked into the kitchen, opened the freezer and pulled a few out of a tupperware. And here in lies my baking problem; I don't do it often because a) it's naughty to eat b) we end up with way too much and c) it is normally a feast or a famine because you have left over ingredients and go on to use them somehow meaning more baking. This is what happened the last time I took inspiration from a magazine cover, Fine Cooking I believe, and went out to purchase several unusual (for me, as I wouldn't have them lying around) ingredients to make a wonderful Spiced Pumpkin Cake with Browned Butter Icing i.e. pepitas, walnuts and crystalised ginger.

(This is blogging's version of TV's "And here's one I made earlier...."). 

Anyway, so after the mammoth cake was made, and half eagerly given to friends and neighbours, I found myself with pepitas and crystalised ginger. What a conundrum! I roasted the pepitas (which are hulled pumpkin seeds) and put some cayenne pepper, garlic, salt and pepper on them as they were a great snack. The crystalised ginger went into some ginger cookies a few days later. They were not a great success appearance wise to be honest, but tasted fine, I had to scrape them off a baking sheet (sacrificing a fair amount to burn damage!) and cut them into pieces. The point is, after having a cake in the house to eat, I then made cookies to use up an ingredient from the cake, and when I knew we weren't going to eat them all into the freezer they went to join the caramel squares and muffins that I keep in large-ish quantity for my husband's snack at work. The theory being that one shouldn't eat it all at once as that would be bad, but apparently spreading it out over a great deal of time is better?! By the way, the website Epicurious is fantastic for finding ideas on what to do with a left over ingredient if you are struggling for inspiration. It allows you to search for a specific ingredient and plough through the recipes that use that one ingredient, it works for anything, from crystalised ginger, to chives, to pork!

The bonus of the freezer with lots of left over baked goods is that you can pull some out without the work, but it also puts you off making anything new because you know there is lots in there waiting to be consumed. 

P.S. Those beautiful Caramel Squares that I initially came to write about and then got carried away with my freezer of shame; are made with a shortbread base, home made caramel filling (which needs condensed milk, and only a tiny bit, so you are left with a can of the stuff and have to use it in your coffee as a treat from time to time for months afterwards to get rid of it, still going by the way!) and then melted chocolate on top. I used a semi sweet and dark chocolate combination to try and off set the sweetness of the caramel. And I also ended up cutting it into tiny pieces because it was so rich, like little 1inch pieces, hence why there is so much left behind. 

P.P.S. For the Canadians...a small lesson in 'English' (with lots of love and acceptance there too!), there are 3 parts to the word Caramel. Car-a-mel! See the little 'a' in the middle, he feels sad when you leave him out!

xxxx

Mushroom, leek and bacon pasta.

This is a really easy dish to make and could carry itself as a vegetarian dish if you don't have someone in the house who will ask "Where's the meat?". 

I used 2 finely chopped leeks, a box of brown mushrooms finely sliced and half a pound of bacon. You can generally cut a fair amount of fat off the bacon before you use it. Cut it into very small slices or cubes and fry it in a large pan or wok. When it is cooked throw in the leeks and give them a few minutes to wilt and then add the mushrooms. The sauce is made of crushed or strained tomatoes (fresh, canned or bottled), grainy mustard, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and a touch of cream.  I actually used some truffle salt instead of normal salt when seasoning it. Make the sauce in the pan/wok that has everything else already in it.

The pasta is a multigrain fusilli (another healthy alternative to the usual white pasta) and contains whole wheat, and rye/bran/buckwheat/brown rice flour. It is very filling! Toss the drained pasta into the sauce and mix it around if you have the right amount, or mix it in your bowl if you made a large portion of sauce and less pasta. I tend to do this so I can make fresh pasta if I am eating the sauce again as a left over. Grate parmesan over the top and serve. Quick, easy and delicious!

Robbie's Pancakes for breakfast with fresh fruit and cherry yoghurt.

Breakfast was yummy!

These pancakes are the best in the world, ever. They are a recipe from a dear friend Robbie. I lived with him and his wife (the original dear friend) a few years ago and we would have these on the weekends, when I left I had to have the recipe to take with me to continue the tradition. The key is that you use egg whites (that have been beaten till they make peaks) instead of another raising agent such as baking soda or powder. This makes them extremely light and fluffy. I have to be honest that I am so taken with these that I rarely appreciate any other pancake.  

You have to use real maple syrup, it would be sinful to use anything else. Being the 'food snob' that my husband calls me (which I think is actually a compliment though I am pretty sure it isn't meant to be), any other form just doesn't quite cut it! 'Maple flavoured', or any other version syrup and you aren't doing your wonderful pancakes justice. It is more expensive, but we eat pancakes so infrequently that a bottle lasts us like a year!

Today we ate our pancakes with bananas, raspberries, blueberries and cherry yoghurt. With a berry smoothie and coffee on the side! Yum!

Pizza and salad.

Finally we have finished all the curry! Because it is quite time consuming making it, I tend to make a large batch and then either freeze some or eat it several times. I am pleased to say it has been consumed and something new was on the menu for tonight! Take out pizza.

I actually prefer a take out pizza as I seem to have fairly average success when making them at home. We used Pizzaiolo. The toppings of choice this evening were sopressata (a kind of salami), sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese. All bold flavours that set each other off well. The sopressata had a kick to it so I probably didn't need the chilli flakes that I added to it at home! I am a fan of putting my pizza slices in a pre-heated and very hot oven on a cooling rack so that they can crisp up and cook through a bit more and get really hot again. The cooling rack ensemble allows for the heat to get all around the slice rather than it remaining soggy underneath. I lined a baking sheet with foil and put the cooling rack into it so as to catch any melt off bits and for ease of moving it in and out of the oven. Take out pizza does not mean an un-used kitchen for me - I made a huge salad to go with it; lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, celery, zucchini, red onion (finely sliced), avocado and goat feta. I also made a dressing to go with it of lemon juice, olive oil, garic, dijon mustard, sprinkle of sugar, salt and pepper. I love this dressing as it is so light and fresh! Yum!

Already thinking about making pancakes tomorrow for breakfast, with raspberries and bananas and yoghurt! And real maple syrup of course! And coffee...

BBQ chicken and oriental vegetables.

I had a whole chicken to cook and couldn't decide between bbq style or lemon and herbs. My husband picked bbq and I was in the mood for a sweeter version so the decision was made! Bbq, as in bbq sauce, not necessarily cooked on the Bbq! So, I lined a tray with foil, drizzled a bit of a Diana sauce over the middle part and laid the chicken down breast up. I then drizzled more sauce over the top of the chicken, not a lot, just zigzag across it. You then cover it completely in foil and seal the edges, this allows the chicken to steam in its own juices keeping it moist and it makes a little bbq sauce go a long way! You cook it for 3/4 of the time like this, then uncover it, add a little salt to crisp the skin, and let it finish cooking uncovered to get that nice crispy finish. About 20mins uncovered is adequate for crisping. I do the same thing when I am cooking bbq drumsticks; majority of the time covered and then finish them off. In line with the 'sweet' theme I had a hankering for, I decided to stir fry bok choy, mushrooms and red onion in garlic, ginger, soy sauce and honey. Just a touch of honey, about a tsp, and there is a lovely oriental flavour with a gentle sweetness. The bok choy bases still had a 'bite' to them which was great! I had a spaghetti squash on the windowsill staring at me, so I steamed some up, added a little butter, pepper and a sprinkle of parmesan to finish it off! Heaven! So creamy! The baked potato was simple, crispy skin, little butter and pepper. All in all, success! The chicken skin actually looked burnt because of the bbq sauce (as it would had it been cooked on the bbq) but it still had a good flavour and was incredibly moist, the breast meat almost fell apart. Excellent combination of flavours and textures. Some of the left over breast meat went straight into a sandwich for my husband's lunch tomorrow; whole wheat bread, mayonnaise, baby spinach, chicken breast and bbq sauce. I noticed he packaged up some sweet pickles to take with it as well. 

Chicken curry with brown rice and spinach.

We had chicken curry last night which I made from scratch. I always use legs; mostly drumsticks with a few thighs. You rub your spice mix on the meat and let it sit for bit. I use a combination of turmeric, coriander, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, pepper, salt, cardamom and cinnamon. Fry the meat to seal it. In a large pot cook finely cut onions and ginger, add cloves and canned crushed tomatoes. Slowly stir in plain yoghurt so it doesn't curdle, then add stock and remaining spice mix, more crushed chillies and finally the meat. Cook in the oven until done. I prefer the oven because it is fail safe, sometimes when you cook it stove top you get the sauce catching on the bottom. When it is ready, add flour to thicken the sauce if needed, some cream and garam massala. We had it with brown rice, wilted spinach and naan breads. The naan were store bought, chilli and onion, wonderful! The brown rice is a new substitution to white rice in an effort to be healthier. I cooked it the same as white rice, in a Pampered Chef rice cooker, the best purchase ever! You can cook brown rice till it is almost as soft as white rice and we found it was far more filling. I never actually cook my spinach. I put the spinach leaves in a colander and pour boiling water over them, tossing them over a bit until they wilt slightly. I find your spinach goes further as it doesn't disappear into a slimy, tiny portion as it does when you boil it! The water must be boiling rather than just hot or it won't work. We are both fans of pickles with curry, mango and lime, they are hot but are a great accompaniment. 

Chocolate trifle for my mother-in-law's birthday.

I made a chocolate trifle. It was a first, it was decadent and it should not be consumed in large quantities for fear of a sugar overload. The base was a fudge brownie which I drizzled a mixture of instant coffee and Amarula (which had been heated to dissolve the coffee granules) into. The next layer was a chocolate pudding (Angel delight in my English world) which I tossed a mixture of white and dark chocolate chips onto for some crunch. This was then topped with freshly whipped cream. Repeat these 3 layers and then crush a Crunchie bar and top the trifle off with the crumbs. 

This was completely in contrast to the traditional and light trifle that I normally make, with Amaretti biscuit base (laced with Sherry), fresh berries and peaches covered in a raspberry jello (jelly in the English world!), a layer of custard follows, topped with freshly whipped cream and finished with chocolate shavings. 

Back in the comfort of my kitchen.

I was so excited to get home after a week of being away, and though it is a luxury to have to eat out every day it does get tiresome after a while and I couldn't wait to make my first dinner at home. Herb roasted chicken drumsticks, baked potato and steamed broccoli. I use a white or yellow potato instead of a baking one, they tend to crisp better. I also cut time and cook it in the microwave first, about 10mins for a large potato, then put it into a pre-heated oven and wait till it goes golden and crisp. You can also just cook it from the get go in the oven but it will take about an hour at 400. Just add a small amount of butter and some pepper and you really get to taste the potato for what it is!

Delicious poutine in Montreal.

 I had wanted to sample some poutine here in Montreal and after scouring the internet was still unsure where I was going to go to find it. I was very pleased to walk past this place today (Burger de Ville on Saint Laurent) and look through the window and see lots of people eating poutine, and burgers! I would definitely go out of my way to find poutine like this!

Freshly made fries, cooked in peanut oil till golden and crispy. Generous serving of cheese curds that had perfect texture and the 'squeak' when you chew them. The gravy, which can make or break a poutine, was wonderful. It is made with real veal stock and tasted like a gravy you would hope to serve at home. I was very impressed!

Indian in Montreal.

We were less picky with our restuarant choice tonight as it was lashing down with rain and rather chilly outside! After a few were rejected we ducked into this Indian restuarant as much for shelter as for food in all honesty. And so dinner at the 'Star of India' happened. 

In typical fashion we ordered way too much food in the name of wanting to try some of everything. Needless to say lunch for tomorrow is covered with left overs! I was extremely content dipping freshly made breads (naan and chipati) into the curry sauces. Sauces being a madras (on chicken) and a spinach (on lamb). The vegetable curry had some of everything in it, literally, including corns kernels and cabbage! My absolute favourite part was sharing a kulfi at the end, which is an Indian ice cream. Basically a plain ice cream that has mango pulp in it and pistachios, yum yum yum!

Italian in Montreal.

So it's dinner time on our first night in Montreal and I have a specific food in mind. If I were at home I would have made myself pasta with a rose sauce, with mushrooms and spinach in it. We set off in search of a hopeful whereabouts and end up in 'Guido and Angelinas', which is close to the hotel and serves Italian. Unfortunately as I scour the menu I cannot find exactly what I am looking for, a problem that is somewhat common when you actually spend time envisaging food and listening to your cravings! Anyway, driven by a fear of irritating my husband as I have spent 10minutes going over and over the menu, I decide on a salad and a pasta that will hopefully hit all the right spots and it doesn't disappoint! (There is also the fear of irritating him when I do order food and am sorely, and very vocally, disappointed! P.S. Fear is the wrong word, but I'll stick with it anyway!).

The spinach salad was so lightly and freshly dressed that it let the ingredients do all the talking whilst keeping it all together perfectly. The goat cheese was like none I have tasted before, in big 'crumbles' and very creamy. The sun dried tomatoes weren't over powering and the toasted almonds gave a lovely crunch.  Mushroom and spinach craving satisfied!

I then had a very simple pasta with a rose and vodka sauce with cracked black pepper. It was just what I was hoping it would be. The sauce tasted like my Mum's home made cream of tomato soup, which is a good sign, as it just has tomatoes and cream in it! Very light, very flavourful.

I noticed a cabernet sauvignon sorbet on the dessert menu, which sounded amazing with the 'fruity undertones' but that will have to be for another day...

Keg and cake!

Was at The Keg with friends from out of town tonight...how devine are the garlic baked shrimp!? But then, what isn't devine with all that garlic, butter and cheese?! Good job it is a rare dining experience.

Came across a flyer for a bakery recently and I was gripped by the menu immediately. It is called 'For the love of cake', the website is http://www.fortheloveofcake.ca/, definitely worth checking out even if you aren't local, just reading the descriptions of the dozens of cupcakes they make could brighten your day! Japanese Ginger, with plum sake reduction, Salted Caramel, Guiness Chocolate and Tiramisu to name a few, they even do some gluten free.

Funky Monkey milkshake.

Last night I had a hankering for dessert and decided to make a milkshake. Using 1 banana, 1/2-3/4cup chocolate ice cream, 2-3cups milk, 2tbsp Amarula and a blender, dessert was made! Pour over ice in 2 tumblers and enjoy!

'Indonesian Satay' Curry with chicken, onions, mushrooms, green beans and bamboo shoots served on quinoa.

So the curry turned out just as I was dreaming of! Lots of crunch and full of flavour.

Picked up the latest 'Food & Drink' magazine, wow! I want the White Hot Chocolate with Amaretto right now! And I think the Fingerling Potatoes with Mushrooms and Stilton is the perfect way to use up the rest of my blue cheese.

Pineapple for breakfast and thoughts of dinner already.

Nothing like fresh pineapple for breakfast! Don't eat the canned stuff, it doesn't even taste like real pineapple, and don't be intimidated by the ones still in their skin with scary spiky leaves either! Letting it ripen and cutting it up yourself is the way to go, even if buying it ready cored and cut seems easier.  It's also cheaper this way. A pineapple is ripe when you can smell 'pineapple' at the base, and if a leaf comes out easily when you gently tug on it. If you have yank it out, it isn't ready yet. Leave it on your windowsill until it is ready, sometimes this can take several days.

Lay it on its side and cut the top and bottom off, then stand it back upright. Starting at the top, cut sections of the skin off, curving your knife with the shape of the pineapple. You will need a fairly large knife for this. Work your way around in small sections . If there are any little dark rings or spikes left, use a smaller knife and remove them. You want to cut the two sides away from the core, cut about half a centimetre either side of the visible core circle and you should avoid the hard centre piece. Then lay the remaining rectangle down and cut the other two small sides away from the core. You can then cube it and have it ready to eat in a container. I remember asking my Mum, when I was growing up in Zambia, if I could eat the core when she was cutting one up for fruit salad, like you would ask to lick the baking spoon (which I did also!). She assured me it wasn't very nice, but I ate it non-the-less. Still tastes the same, just not as strong, and very chewy. You may notice the pineapple has a different colour at the bottom compared to the top - it ripens from the bottom up, so the bottom could be a deeper colour and sweeter. If you have left the pineapple until it is almost too ripe, separate the bottom from the top and eat that first. I will cube the top part first and just have the bottom part on the top of the bowl so as to eat it first.

This morning I had my pineapple with blueberries, thick Mediterranean yoghurt (with strawberries in it) and home made granola. It was wonderful. I had a glass of berry smoothie on the side, which I tipped the last bit of into my breakfast bowl and mushed it all together! My husband thinks this is disgusting, but it tastes lovely.

Am making a Thai curry tonight. Well, after I open a jar of lovely Sharwoods 'Indonesian Satay Sauce' I will make it all my own thank you very much! I use boneless skinless chicken thighs as they are far more moist than chicken breast meat, and cheaper. You can add any manner of things to make it delicious, including peppers, mushrooms, beans, sprouts, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, zucchini, onions. It can be beautifully colourful with yellow zucchini, red peppers, green beans and some good textures from shoots and sprouts. You can also stretch the sauce with a can of coconut milk. Tonight I am going with what I have at home; green beans, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and onions. Looking forward to the creaminess of the coconut, the nutty flavour and the kick of the chillies! It works well as a vegetarian dish too, minus the chicken, you can have as many veggies in it as you like, there are already peanuts in the sauce and you can add further nuts such as almonds at the end. Now to decide whether to have it on rice or quinoa?

Roasted pumpkin and apple soup, blue cheese and crusty baguette.

Yummy soup for dinner! I am not a huge fan of pumpkin to be honest, but when it is roasted it is completely different, especially with some garlic and seasoning! The soup has a lovely caramelised flavour from the roasted pumpkin, and a tartness from the apples, the rosemary takes it to another level! And everything tastes good with garlic in it!

I had been thinking about blue cheese this afternoon and inevitably ended up going looking for some.  I was looking for St. Agur, but Leslieville Cheese Market didn't have any, and recommended Crozier Blue instead, devine! I did some research on it, and it is of Irish origin, and made with sheeps milk, and, like St. Agur, is a milder blue cheese of a creamy nature. People who don't like blue cheese, or think they don't like it, should definitely try these milder/creamier versions. I ate mine with a crusty baguette along with the soup. Mmmmmmm! Blue cheese also works well in salads, say leafy greens with pears and walnuts, crumbled in soups for a flavour burst, or even crumbled over a steak.

The pineapple on my windowsill is ripe, I am looking forward to cutting it up for breakfast, with granola and yoghurt.

Culinary musings of a housewife - First blog entry.

I have finally decided to write about the food I am shopping for, making, eating, or thinking about making. It could be classed as a small obsession, but I am always planning meals, looking forward to eating/serving them, guessing what is in a dish and analysing food. Writing about it seems a natural progression.

This afternoon there was a flurry of activity in my kitchen as I baked some muffins, made egg mayonnaise and soup, as well as got things ready for dinner. The egg mayonnaise has finely chopped celery, chives and fresh cracked pepper in it. I have pumpernickle bread with rye meal and caraway seeds to make sandwiches with. I started getting the house looking 'Christmassy' and decided that the minature pumpkins decorating my windowsill were out of place now, so they were roasted and a soup was created! It has apples, chicken stock, the roasted pumpkin flesh, garlic and rosemary in it. Having these things in the fridge is handy for lunches.

The muffins are chocolate banana chocolate chip. I normally don't have the first 'chocolate' in there but was inspired by a friends version recently. I cheat and buy muffin mixes for ease, and I mix half oatmeal and half bran packets together, then add whatever I want to them. Some yummy versions are chocolate zucchini,  sweet potato/squash and apple/raisin. I just grate the raw fruit or vegetables into the mix and you can add spices to vary it like cinnamon.

Am off to get dinner ready now, crispy baked potatoes filled with tuna mayonnaise and a salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, avocado and feta. I make a dressing of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dijon mustard and salt and pepper which has a light, fresh taste!