Squash, Apple and Onion Medley

We needed a vegetable side dish. We did not have copious amounts of time or energy. Courtesy of our veggie share we had some small apples, a winter squash (acorn, I think) and lovely onions. I recalled a stuffed squash recipe that used those ingredients, but as I remembered it, it required more time and effort than I was willing to put it into it. Besides, the cookbook had been loaned out.

The internet produced a recipe that I modified and it was lovely.

Since it served 8 and we were serving 2, I completely ignored the quantities. Use whatever amount you think will do you the most good. (For reference, I'll put the original quantities in parentheses.) My guess is that you can be fairly flexible with the dressing - something sweet, something acid, something salt and umami and a little fat for richness and mouth feel.

Ingredients

1/2 small squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 inch cubes, more or less (3lbs)

1 small apple, peeled cored and cut into 1 inch cubes, more or less (2 medium apples)

1 medium onion, cut lengthwise, 1/3 inch julienne (2 medium red onions)

olive oil

salt

pepper

Dressing:

1 Tablespoon brown sugar (1/3 cup)

1 Tablespoon sherry wine vinegar (I used a mix of sherry and wine vinegar) (1/4 cup)

1 Tablespoon light soy sauce (1/4 cup)

1 T butter, chilled, ins small chunks (12 ounces - really)

fresh herbs, parsley and tarragon (1/4 cup each tarragon and parsley)

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Toss the squash, apples and onions with some olive oil to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast the vegetables in a shallow baking or roasting pan until tender, about 15-20 minutes.

While the vegetables are in the oven, prepare the dressing:

In a small saucepan mix sugar, sherry wine vinegar and soy sauce. Reduce by about 1/3. Add butter a bit at a time, whisking it in. Season with salt pepper and herbs.

When the vegetables are done, toss with the dressing and serve. (Check quantities, you may not need all of the dressing - a little goes a long way.)

Cherry Cake

For his most recent birthday, Ron requested a Cherry Cake. I'm not usually a huge fan of most things cherry, but how could I say no? I modified a recipe that came from Food.com, and it was fabulous. Even I loved it.

You could tinker with the flavourings (2 t. almond + 1 t. vanilla, for example). You could also soak the cherries in a little liquid first; Kirsch rather comes to mind...

Ingredients:

1.5 cups butter

1.5 cups sugar

4 eggs

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

16 ounces of dried cherries (baking cherries)

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1 cup warm milk

Cream together butter and sugar in a large bowl.

Add 1 egg and 1 cup of flour and beat. Continue to add the flour and eggs in this manner, beating briefly after each addition. Add the baking powder with the last cup of flour.

Add the flavourings and the milk and beat gently.

Add the cherries and mix.

Pour batter into a greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 325 for 1 hour or until done.

The BEST English Muffins

In our cookbook, we have a recipe for English muffins. It's OK, but I have just tried out/adapted a recipe that beats it hands down.  It's a yeast batter rather than a yeast dough, so it requires muffin rings. But the batter only needs to rise for a half hour, so I can be eating toasted English Muffins within an hour of starting! (See me do a little dance?)

I know that you lucky souls in Canada are unlikely ever to make it, so I've posted the recipe in my personal cooking blog. See English Muffins.

Tips: Salmon Croquettes

When rolling the croquettes it is very helpful to grease your hands with a bit of oil.

Black Forest Cake

I don't know what happened when I was proof-reading our cookbook, but the instructions for the cherry filling are truncated, as I recently discovered when making a cake to celebrate Mom's 85th birthday. I also found that I didn't need as much cream in all the fillings, perhaps because my cake tins were only 8-inch pans instead of 9-inch pans.

Whatever the reason, I have updated the recipe on my blog. See http://inthekitchenwithbarbara.blogspot.com/2011/05/cake.html

Pepper Steak Recipes

We have several versions of pepper steak, and they all come down to this: good steaks of a cut that doesn't require much tenderizing or marinading, and a butter based sauce.

Pepper Steak I

Serves 4

This version is from Joy of Cooking. It is the one we use most frequently, but that could be because it is the recipe we've had the longest and have become the most familiar with.

Use:

Trimmed steaks (1 inch thick if you've got them), enough for 4 people

Crush coarsely (don't grind):

Several tablespoons of peppercorns (we usually use black)

Press the steaks into the crushed pepper and work it into both sides of the steak of the meat. Press it in firmly with the flat of a cleaver or your hand.

Sprinkle the bottom of a 9-inch skillet (cast iron works nicely) with:

2 Tbsp salt (not that we've ever used this much, just enough to dust the bottom of the pan)

Turn heat to high. When the salt starts to brown, put the steaks into the pan and brown uncovered over high heat. Reduce to medium heat, turn steaks and cook to desired degree of doneness.

In a separate pan, combine and melt together:

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp lemon juice

Remove the steaks from the pan.

Serve the butter mixture separately.

Here's a tip: When cooking the steaks, open the windows, or turn the extractor fan up to Force 10.

Pepper Steak II

Serves 4

This recipe comes from Laura Calder's French Food at Home. She says you can make various substitutions, and it will still be good. No beef stock? A good chicken stock will do. No Cognac? Red wine does nicely.

3 heaping Tbsp mixed peppercorns

1 heaping Tbsp pink peppercorns.

4 pieces of thick boneless steak (about 125 g each)

1 garlic clove, split

salt

3 to 4 Tbsp clarified butter

125 ml beef stock

60 ml Cognac

125 ml heavy cream

If you have time and you want a less powerful peppery flavour, soak the mixed peppercorns (but not the pink ones) in 125 ml red wine or tea for a few hours. If not, omit the soaking step.

Drain the mixed peppercorns and combine them with the pink peppercorns. Crush the peppercorns slightly.

Rub the steaks with the garlic and season with salt. Coat the steaks with the peppercorns, pressing them against the meat so that they cling. Heat the butter until sizzling in a skillet large enough to hold all the steaks without crowding. Fry to the doneness of your liking, usually 2 to 3 minutes for each side. Remove to serving plates.

Deglaze the pan with the beef stock scraping up the good bits from the bottom. Boil to reduce by half. Add the Cognac and flambe. When the flames die down, add the cream and swirl it around. Boil to reduce to sauce consistency. Season to taste. Pour over steaks and serve.

Real Bread-Potato Stuffing

Today is Christmas Day, and as usual, I am making the traditional bread stuffing for the bird (chicken, in my case). In referring to our classic recipe in the cookbook I realized that although Mrs. Slade provided the basis, it is not the way we (I?) actually make this stuffing.

We use cubed bread rather than bread crumbs, and lots more of it than 2 cups. I'm sure we use onion and celery in it as well, and my own variation is to add a coupled of chopped sautéed mushrooms. And of course, the seasoning is all adjusted accordingly.

So for what it's worth, here is what I think our recipe really is. Is this the way you make it too?

Ingredients

• 4 cups stale bread, cubed (150 grams)
• 2 medium potatoes, grated (100 grams)
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped fine
• 2 mushrooms, chopped fine (optional)
• 1-2 teaspoons poultry seasoning 
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons parsley, minced
• 1 egg, beaten

Method

1. Cut the bread into small cubes. If the bread is quite fresh, let it sit out for a couple of hours to dry out.
2. Grate the potatoes and add to the bread cubes.
3. Melt the butter in a skillet and sauté the onions and celery for a few minutes, then add to the bread and potato mixture.
4. In the same skillet, sauté the mushrooms until they release their moisture and turn brown, then add to stuffing mixture.
5. Add the parsley, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper.
6. Mix gently using your hands.
7. Beat the egg with a fork and add it to the stuffing. Stir in gently.

You can put the stuffing either in the cavity or under the skin on the breast of the bird. The second option is better because it helps to keep the breast meat moist. Any stuffing that doesn't go in the bird can go in an oven-proof casserole, covered with tin foil. Stuffing that is cooked separately can be topped with a couple of strips of bacon or dotted with butter to provide some of the fat that would normally come from the bird.