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.

Even Better Pastry Dough

For years, Mrs. Campbell's pastry recipe was the one I turned too, but I made it with butter or margarine instead of lard or vegetable shortening. However, I have recently found a food-processor pastry recipe and method that I think will be my go-to recipe from now on. It comes from The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones. She uses it for quiche, pot pies, and such like.  I assume you could add a bit of sugar for sweet pie dough.

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons | 1 3/4 sticks | 200 grams cold unsalted butter (I put it into the freezer for 30 minutes first)
3 or 4 tablespoons of ice water.

1. Put an ice cube in a small bowl with 4 tablespoons of water.
2. Put the flour and salt in a food processor and spin for a few seconds to mix.
3. Cut the butter in small pieces and add them to the flour.
4. Pulse 8 times with 1-second pulses (say alligator for each pulse to get it right).
5. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of the ice water over the flour-butter mixture.
6. Pulse 8 times with 1-second pulses.
7. Lightly flour a work surface and turn the mixture out onto it. (It will not be a dough yet.)
8. Gather the mixture together into a ball as best you can. If it is too dry, sprinkle a little more ice water on the driest spots.
9. Use the heel of your hand to smear the dough out in small increments, and gather the dough together again. (This is technique called fraisage, first popularized by Julia Child.)
10. Flatten it out into a disk, wrap it in plastic and put it in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling it out.

Tip: If you only need part of it (I use a quarter of it for a 2-serving quiche), use what you need now, cut the rest in the portions you think you'll need, flatten each portion into a disk, wrap and freeze until you need it.

Onion Jam

Yesterday a new cookbook arrived in the mail called Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce. It is devoted to baking with whole grain flours including whole wheat, rye, and oats, but also teff, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, and spelt. The book has been getting rave reviews so I couldn't resist.

Oddly enough, the very last chapter is devoted not to grains but to cooking fruits, mostly compotes and jams for short term use. The item that really jumped out at me was onion jam, so that's what I made first. It is very simple, and very good. It just takes a bit of time.

My one caveat with this recipe is the amount of salt. Kim calls for 1 teaspoon of kosher (that is, coarse) salt. I used coarse sea salt (Baleine) and found it too salty. If you use regular salt, I suggest using just a quarter of a teaspoon.

Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients

2 pounds yellow onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt or 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Method

1. Slice the onions in half length-wise, then in 1/4 inch slices cross-wise.
2. In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat until it shimmers, then add the onions, salt, and pepper.
3. Stir the onions to coat them in oil, and cook them for 10-15 minutes until they are just beginning to brown.
4. Cover them, turn the heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes.
5. Uncover them, stir them, and continue cooking for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Towards the end of the cooking time, stir them more frequently to prevent burning. 
6. When all the liquid has evaporated and the onions are jammy and caramelized, take them off the heat and add the vinegar. Cool and keep in the refrigerator. 

According to the recipe, this will keep a coupled of weeks in the fridge or a month in the freezer. I don't think it's going to last that long!

Tip: Storing Tomatoes

From a recent Cooks Illustrated article, I learned that the way to store tomatoes is stem side down, at room temperature. Either that, or tape over the stem scar to prevent moisture and bacteria from getting in. Needless to say, just turning them over is easier!

Gujerati-style Green Beans

These are nice with all sorts of meals, not just Indian cuisine. You can make the beans as hot or as mild as you like by adjusting the red chili. The recipe calls for fresh beans, but you can get acceptable results using frozen beans that have been thawed, just skip the blanching. Around here, you won't find black mustard seeds in the spice aisles of the ordinary grocery stores; you'll have to look for them in specialist south Asian shops.

Source: Madhur Jaffrey's Indian Cookery (1982).

450 g fresh green beans
4 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil (I actually use less than this)
1 tablespoons whole black mustard seeds
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 - 1 dried red chili, coarsely crushed (red pepper flakes will do)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Trim and cut the beans to 2.5 cm lengths. Blanch them in rapidly boiling water for 3-4 minutes, then drain and rinse in cold water. Set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium heat. When the oil is hot put in the mustard seeds. When they start to pop, put in the garlic, stirring them until they turn light brown (not too dark!). Put in the chili, and stir for a few seconds. 
3. Add the beans, salt and sugar. Reduce the heat to medium low, cooking for 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently. 
4. Add the black pepper, mix, and serve.

Salmon with Mango Sauce

This is what we serve guests in the summer when we want something a little showy, that won't take too long, and won't heat up the kitchen too much! It is very nice with basmati rice and steamed or grilled vegetables.

Source: Skinny Feasts (Dee Hobsbawn-Smith, 1997).

Step 1
Make the Mango Sauce!

Step 2
Combine:

1 tablespoon pureed ginger root
zest of one (1) orange
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon  oil (the original recipe specifies canola, but we use olive or peanut)
freshly ground black pepper

Step 3
Spread as evenly as you can over both sides of

4 5-oz. (140 g) salmon filets or salmon portions

Let stand for 10 minutes.

Step 4
Grill on medium-high until salmon is done.

Pool some mango sauce on each plate and place the salmon on top and serve.

Mango Sauce

This tasty and colourful sauce goes well with steamed or grilled fish and vegetables. A great summer recipe, you can make it ahead and quickly grill the fish or steam the vegetables at the penultimate minute. It comes from Skinny Feasts (Dee Hobsbawn-Smith, 1997). I can't find that cookbook on the shelf in the regular bookstore anymore but you might find a used copy somewhere.

Peel and puree:
2-3 ripe mangoes

Add all the remaining ingredients

2 tablespoons pureed ginger root
2 oranges, juice and zest
1/4 cup white wine
2 tablespoons, minced red bell pepper (optional, but it is a pretty contrast in the sauce)
1-2 tablespoons honey to taste
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon minced flatleaf parsley
salt and hot chili flakes to taste

Thin the sauce with orange juice if desired. Taste the finished sauce and balance the flavours with salt and chili flakes.

Makes about 1.5 cups (375 ml) depending on the size of the mangoes.

This sauce can be frozen if you leave out the fresh herbs, adding them after thawing.

Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Poppy Seed Dressing

Today I went to the new branch of Marqt in the Utrechtsestraat in Amsterdam. The store specializes in local products, organic, and fair trade food. They have a great fresh herb selection, a cheese counter that includes cheeses from small producers in Holland, France, Italy, and even a white cheddar  from England. They also have organically raised meat and poultry and MFC fish, all very attractively presented. Needless to say, I picked up lots of stuff just to try (smoked mozzarella, fresh chervil, spiced smoked mackerel, a chunk of Pecorino) and some good-looking fresh spinach and beautiful local strawberries (in August!)

The spinach, strawberries, and Pecorino were the inspiration for today's post. I found a poppy seed dressing recipe, but even on paper it looked way too sweet, so I cut the sugar in half. When I taste tested, it was still too sweet, so I added more vinegar and oil and eventually got them to balance out. The pink color comes from the red onion. I had two helpings of the resulting salad!

Poppy Seed Dressing

Source: Adapted from Food.People.Want

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoons dry mustard 

2 tablespoons finely grated red onion (1 small onion)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup oil

1 teaspoon poppy seeds

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

If you have a small blender, use it. Otherwise, you can mix this by hand.

1. Thorough mix the sugar, mustard, grated onion, salt, and vinegar until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Gradually add the oil, mixing constantly to emulsify the oil and vinegar.
3. Add the poppy seeds and ground pepper. The dressing can be stored in the fridge for several weeks.

Salad

I never bother measuring amounts for salad, since it depends on how many you are feeding, and you can adjust the proportions of ingredients as you please. The cheese and nuts provide a nice contrast with the sweetness of the fruit and dressing.

fresh spinach leaves, washed and torn into bite-size pieces
sliced strawberries (I think 2-3 strawberries per serving is about right)
shaved pecorino or Parmesan cheese
toasted pecans, walnuts, or pine nuts

Rustic Onion Galette

On one of my last evenings visiting home with Mom, I made an onion tart, or more accurately an onion galette, that was inspired by some fresh red onions bought in a farm produce market in the Valley. This recipe makes two small galettes, 6-7 inches in diameter, but you could also make a single larger one. Serve with a green vegetable and/or a salad. (We ate it with Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Peppers)

Sources: The crust comes from  3-Onion Leek Tart by Kelly of Sass & Veractiy, and the filling from Onion Tart with Mustard and Fennel by Deb Perlman of Smitten Kitchen.
Servings: 4 as a main course, more if you cut it into wedges for appetizers

Crust:

3 tablespoon buttermilk
1/3 cup ice water
1 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon sugar
l pinch salt
7 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, chunked

Filling:
3 red onions, cut in half and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 treaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 teaspoons grainy French or Dutch mustard
1/2 cup grated Gouda cheese


To make the crust:

1. Mix the buttermilk and ice water in a small nowl and keep it cold.  
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour and cornmeal, then pinch in the butter with your fingers until the mixture resembles a coarse meal of uneven sized crumbs.  
3. Sprinkle a bit of the buttermilk-water mixture over the meal a bit at a time and mix lightly with a fork until it begins to hold together. Only add as much liquid as needed to form a soft but not sticky dough.   (You probably won't need all the liquid.) 
4. Gather the dough into a ball and flatten it, wrap well in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

To make the filling: 

1. Heat the oil in a skillet until it shimmers. 
2. Add the fennel seeds, cooking until a shade darker, about 30 seconds. 
3. Add the onions, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover, cooking for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are very tender and golden brown.

To assemble:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F.
2. Take the cold dough, divide it in two, and roll out two rounds of about 12 inches in diameter. You can leave the edges rough--this is a rustic tart!
3. Place a round of dough on a baking sheet.
4. Spread a teaspoon (or slightly more) of mustard over the center of the dough.
5. Spoon half of the filling into the center, spreading it to leave 3 inches of dough free at the edge.
6. Sprinkle with half of the grated cheese.
7. Fold the edge over the filling, forming pleats in the dough and leaving the center open.
8. Repeat for the second tart. You should be able to fit both galettes on one baking sheet.
9. Bake for about 40-45 minutes until the crust is golden.