The Gouda Life

Dear Cabbage,

I know we’ve had our share of problems in the past. You want to be a bigger part of my life, but you’re hard to stomach sometimes. I struggle with your waxy personality and bitter dispostion. If you want another shot with me, I suggest you mellow out and learn how to be softer and more palatable.

Thank you in advance.

Love,
Kelly

And just like a prayer answered from above, came Marcella Hazan’s Smothered Cabbage and Rice Soup.

The cabbage in this soup is shredded down to coleslaw-like ribbons, braised until it can hardly even be labeled as cabbage, and then simmered with arborio rice and beef broth. Holy cow. It is good. It runs a line somewhere between soup and stew (and no, I won’t call it stoup. I am not Rachel Ray.) and is brutally unappealing to look at. Porridgey beige would be a good description of what is eventually ladled into your soup bowl. But if beige were a flavour, this certainly would not be it. Maybe brown, because brown tastes good. But nothing as bland as beige (which is to be said in a monotone with your bottom lip left loose and your eyes rolling).

I should also say that this soup is made blissfully rich with a last minute addition of a few pats of butter and Parmesan cheese. Oooohhh baby. Magic words, right there, eh? Eh?

I know cabbage is not everybody’s favourite. My own best friend likely wouldn’t eat this even if I swore on my life that she would love it. (note: she said she would try it, but preferably while she was sick and everything tasted like cardboard anyways.) I also know cooking a whole head of it is probably not your idea of a first step in giving cabbage a chance. But hear this. Are you listening? It doesn’t taste like raw cabbage. It takes on a whole different persona when you slooooow things doooooown and give it some time to luxuriate and get gussied up. Have patience, will you?

Rice and Smothered Cabbage Soup
via The Wednesday Chefvia Marcella Hazan

Smothered Cabbage:
2 pounds Savoy cabbage (red or green will do in a pinch)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon wine vinegar

Detach and discard the first few outer leaves of the cabbage. Shred the remaining head of cabbage very fine, either with your food processor’s shredding attachment or by hand. Be sure to remove the cabbage’s inner core. 

(I hate shredding cabbage so I just sliced it into thin ribbons.)

Put the onion and olive oil and a large saute pan and turn the heat to medium. Cook the onion, stirring, until it’s softened and taken on some color. Then add the garlic. When the garlic has turned a pale gold, add the shredded cabbage. Turn the cabbage over 2 or 3 times to coat it well, and cook it until it has wilted.

Add salt, pepper, and the vinegar to the pan. Turn the cabbage over once, completely, then lower the heat to minimum and cover the pan tightly. Cook for at least 1 1/2 hours, or until it is very tender, stirring from time to time. Add 2 tablespoons of water, if needed, during the cooking if the cabbage becomes too dry. When done, taste and add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Allow it to settle a few minutes off heat before serving.

Soup:
Smothered cabbage
3 cups good quality stock (chicken, beef or veggie) or water
2/3 cup Arborio rice
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Put the cabbage and broth into a soup pot, and turn on the heat to medium.

When the broth comes to a boil, add the rice. Cook, uncovered, adjusting the heat so that the soup bubbles at a slow but steady boil, stirring from time to time until the rice is done. It must be tender, but firm to the bite, and should take around 20 minutes. If while the rice is cooking, you find the soup becoming too thick dilute it with a ladleful of homemade broth or water. The soup should be on the dense-ish side when finished.

When the rice is done, before turning off the heat, stir in the butter and the grated cheese. Taste and correct for salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into individual plates and allow it to settle a few minutes before serving.

Note: I made this yesterday and was anxious to see how the leftovers would be. There is little to no liquid left today, so the ‘soup’ is more like a risotto. Drizzled with some good olive oil, some shaved parm and pepper, it’s almost better than day 1. Yum!

I’m going to be honest with you. I’ve been sitting here for 30 minutes trying to think of where in the world (is Carmen San Diego?) to go with this entry. And all that’s come up is that I am hungry and would like to eat a block of butter covered in cheese. And no more salad. Pathetic, isn’t it?

Blogging is more complicated than it seems sometimes. You can’t just slap a recipe down with some photos and expect people to keep coming back. There’s got to be something that connects and keeps you reading. And I can’t, for the life of me, give that to you right now. I just can’t. My dog Ryder could probably tell you a more compelling story.

Our weekend was crammed full of travel, late nights and socializing, which I do well with, but in small quantities. I require (nay, demand) a lot of alone time in order to keep my head on straight and not walk around punching strangers. I didn’t get nearly enough of that this weekend so that is why I am taking it out on you. You’re just lucky I can’t reach through this screen.

I made us a nice dinner last night so we could start the week off fully satisfied and with full happy bellies.

I think you should make it sometime. Or don’t. Whatever. I don’t care. (I’m kidding. Really! I care so much. So much! About YOU!)

Now, please, enough story telling. Here comes the recipe!

Pistachio-Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Cauliflower Puree

The combination of a sweet glaze and salted pistachios gives this pork a really lovely sweet-salty combination. The puree is as close to mashed potatoes as you can get without using potatoes. The texture is bang on and it makes such a pretty little bed for the meat.

I served this with two different options for sides. Roasted potatoes and kale salad with grape tomatoes, shaved Parmesan and a balsamic dressing. (recipe tomorrow!) Serve it with whatever you like best. Or just the pork and puree.

For the Cauliflower Puree
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
3 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste

For the Pork Tenderloin
1 medium-large pork tenderloin, trimmed of silver-skin and excess fat
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (soy sauce will do in a pinch)
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tbsp lime juice
1 1/2 cups salted pistachios, run through food processor to produce coarse crumbs

For puree:
In a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, add your olive oil and onions. Cook until onions are just starting to brown.

Add your garlic and cook for 10-15 seconds until fragrant. Add the cauliflower and milk. Cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until very tender.

Using a slotted spoon, add the cauliflower to your food processor/blender and puree. Add leftover milk from the pan slowly until you achieve your desired consistency. I did not add any since I prefer a pretty thick puree. Set aside. Can be made a day in advance, covered and refrigerated until ready to use.

(Just so you know, cauliflower puree dipped in the pistachio crumbs makes a nice little bite while you’re cooking. Just so you know. I don’t want to leave you out or anything.)

For pork:
Preheat oven to 425.

In a small bowl, add the ginger, garlic, honey, oyster sauce, and lime juice. Mix until combined. 

Spread the pistachio crumbs on a large baking sheet.

If you choose not to use salted pistachios, I would suggest rubbing the pork down with 1-2 tsp of salt. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the glaze onto the pork on all sides. Place the pork on the pistachio crumbs and roll the pork in them until covered.

Place the tenderloin on a rack in a roasting pan and cook for 20 minutes or until an instant thermometer reads 160 F (71 C).

Most importantly: Cover pork with tin foil and let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. This will ensure a tender, perfectly blushing piece of meat.  

I promised you an ice cream recipe, so an ice cream recipe I am here to deliver. Finally. No rice gratins or blowtorches to get in the way.

As I mentioned a while back, I got an ice cream maker for Christmas (an attachement for my Kitchen Aid). I find the heavy little guy a little intimidating (much like I find everything else to be intimidating). I always just assumed homemade ice cream was unattainable for me. Too good to be true. Until December 26th when I opened a big, heavy box from my dad. I slowly peeked through the colourful paper and saw the words “ice”. I don’t think I even finished upwrapping it before I started holding it up in the air like I’d just won the Stanley Cup.

It’s taken me until now to whip up a batch because, in case you didn’t know, ice cream isn’t exactly part of a balanced diet. Phooey!

I was browsing through David Lebovitz’s recipes last weekend and saw an older post about Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream. Helloooo, nurse! Healthy be damned. Get that ice cream in my face, now!

If we’re talking dessert, salty and sweet are two of my most favourite things. And I would happily choose caramel over chocolate any day. There is something so cool about watching a pile of plain old white sugar turn into a smooth, deep brown caramel.

The recipe takes a little time to make and come together, so if it’s your first ice cream try and you want something simple, maybe give something a little less intensive a go first. It was my first ice cream experience and I found it to be easy, but a lot of steps. However, the end result was absolutely worth the effort. This ice cream is so good. Sinfully rich and creamy.

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Edit - 01/20/2011

I got a comment on this entry from Mr Lebovitz explaining, very kindly I might add, that his recipes are copywrited (dur! …ummm I’m new here? It’s my first day?) and can not be copied or written out word-for-word. So please see the link below, to David’s website, to see the recipe and try it out for yourself!

Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream recipe can be found here. 

I had full intentions of coming on here tonight and writing out the Salted Butter Caramel ice cream recipe for you. I did. Scouts honour.

Up until about 2pm, I had decided that I wasn’t going to cook dinner tonight, but instead have something easy, poached eggs on toast or salad, so I could relax and spend some time on the other intended entry. And then my good friend Melody, the one who left me for Halifax and perfect fall-like weather year round, asked me a question.

“Cooking anything good tonight?”

It was as simple as that. That’s all it took to send my thoughts into “need to find something to make, need to make something different, need to get in the kitchen…” mode. I never claimed to be even remotely sane or have it totally together.

As I sat at my desk and frantically scoured the internet for some inspiration, I had a few thoughts of what I might want to make. Vegan breakfast loaf…no, wait… pasta…no, no… something for lunch.. roasted vegetables… and then I saw it. Spinach Rice Gratin. Courtesy of Heidi Swanson, whom I gush about much too frequently, of 101cookbooks.

This is the perfect dish. It’s easy, it’s cheap, it can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner, it’s delicious and filling, and it’s good for you. Things I wish every meal could be.

I made a few minor changes. Mostly because I had to. Lesson of the day: Grocery lists work better when you don’t leave them on your desk at the office.

I really enjoy this dish. Enough to bring it for lunch for the rest of the week. And that’s a big deal. I do not like to have the same thing over and over. Or even two days in a row sometimes. That makes me sound like a bit of a priss-pants, which I hate, but I just get bored easily, ok? So stop judging me and make the dang gratin. You’ll like it. For days and days.

Spinach and Rice Gratin
recipe from 101cookbooks

The recipe calls for leftover rice, but I made mine when I got home from work and just let it cool a little before making the gratin. Use brown rice or a mixture of brown and wild.

2 1/2 cups leftover/pre-cooked brown rice, room temp
1 1/2 cups cups well finely chopped spinach
10 black olives, chopped
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1/3 cup almonds, toasted (buy raw almonds and toast them yourself for the best flavour)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Rack in the top third. Grease a 10-inch round baking dish (or equivalent) with a bit of olive oil.

If you’re making your rice, cook according to package instructions and spread on a baking sheet until cooled.

In a large bowl combine the rice and spinach. Now, reserving a bit of each for garnish, stir in the olives, and red onion, amonds and olive oil. Now stir in 1/4 cup of the cheese. Add the eggs and fold in. Pour into a greased 10” casserole dish, or whatever dish you have. The gratin should be spread out enough to be about 2” thick. Mine was a little thin. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until the casserole is set, and the top toasty and golden. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle with remaining onions, olives, and almonds. Sprinkle with a bit more salt before serving - or taste and get a sense of whether you need any.

I gave mine a pretty hefty dousing of hot sauce before I ate it. If you’re a hot-sauce fan, this is a good dish for it. If you don’t, well you’re a wuss. No, I’m kidding. You’re not a wuss! Some of us just aren’t cut out for a spicy life.

Let’s talk about something ridiculous, shall we? I have 30+ cookbooks [a seemingly small collection to some]. Some I’ve spent $10 on and some I’ve spent $100 on. I look at them often, flip through them regularly, gaze at them lovingly while they lay, unfulfilled, on the shelf. But I rarely cook from them. I haven’t given them the life they deserve, and I think it’s about time I self-intervened and changed my ways so they can live out their lives (or more likely, mine) the way they were intended.

I’m sure at least one or two of you are guilty of this. Buying books, bringing it home just dying to open it, flipping through it 40 times in a week, and then retiring it to a shelf, to be seen once a year when you’re looking for some inspiration. Please! Tell me I’m not the only one!

I decided a few weeks back I was going to go through my cookbooks, starting with two in particular, and fold off some pages that I wanted to try. The two books, which I would highly highly recommend, are Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rogers and Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller. Both are beautifully written books, with inspiring photos and recipes that are easily attainable by the home cook. Of course, there are some recipes that are quite daunting. Some with ingredients I haven’t heard of, or ones that are extremely specific and that the recipe relies on for success, but a good many of them are not. Some require a little forward thinking in order to prepare all aspects (like a jar of preserved lemons or pickled watermelon rinds) but are fairly simple and straightforward other than that. I am really anxious to try some of the creative dishes in both books, Chicken Braised with Figs, Honey and Vinegar [Zuni] and Salt Crusted Striped Bass [ad hoc], to name a couple.

When Sunday came, I wanted to do something that challenged me a little. I really want to try and get better at the things that make me uncomfortable in the kitchen. Beef makes me a little weary. I don’t know why, but I am intimidated by it. Steaks, tenderloin, roasts… they make me sweat. I think it’s because I know how well my boyfriend, his dad, my dad, my mom…everyone makes them. I love (would-likely-ask-for-on-death-row kinda love) beef. It’s a treat for me since I rarely make it. I’d like to enjoy it more often, and I’d like to feel comfortable making it. So I gathered my courage, channelled Chef Keller, and bought a really nice hunk of meat from the best butcher shop in the west end of town, Pete & Gus. Which also happens to be the first place I was employed.

And how could I not notice a recipe titled “Blowtorch Prime Rib”? Blowtorch? Prime rib? Sold.

Because I’ve had a less than perfect past with barbeques and fire (I’m lucky to still have my eyebrows/eyelashes. Real lucky), I asked Mr Goudalife if he could be my knight in shining armour and blowtorch my roast for me. Naturally, he agreed. Just to explain, the purpose of the blowtorch is to start the fat rendering process so you can cook the meat at a low temperature and still achieve a layer of crispy, brown fat on the outside.

It was the most successful piece of meat I’ve cooked. Crispy on the outside but perfectly medium rare (maybe a little closer to rare, which is how I like it), moist and flavourful inside. And with only salt and pepper to season it, the flavour of the beef really shined through. We served it with horseradish cream sauce [Ad Hoc]creamy buttermilk mashed potatoes [Zuni Cafe Cookbook] and some low fat yogurt creamed spinach that I’ll share with you just as soon as I play with it a bit more.

I’ve typed this out exactly the way it was written in the book. If you do want to try it out, I suggest you follow it to the letter before making any changes. It’s perfect how it is. You got that? Good. Let’s set some beef on fire.

Note: Please please please be careful when making this. Blowtorches are not a laughing matter and can be extremely dangerous. Read instructions, and be smart. And be ready for some of the fat to flame up a bit.

Blowtorch Prime Rib
recipe from Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller

One 2-bone center-cut rib roast (about 4½ pounds), trimmed of excess fat
Kosher salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
Gray salt or coarse sea salt
Horseradish Cream (recipe follows)

Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 275°F.
Put the roast on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Hold a blowtorch about 1 inch from the roast and turn to lightly brown the fat on all sides; the idea is to start the fat rendering and to torch the meat just until the surface begins to turn gray. Season the roast generously with salt and pepper.

Transfer to the oven, with the meat toward the back of the oven, and cook until the roast registers 128°F in the center. The total cooking time will be about 2 hours, but begin to check the temperature after 1½ hours. Remove from the oven and let rest in a warm spot for at least 30 minutes for medium-rare.

To carve, cut the meat away from the bones. Separate the bones and put them on a serving platter. Cut the roast in half through the center, turn each piece cut side down, and slice straight down into slices that are about ½ inch thick. Arrange the meat on the platter and sprinkle with gray salt and pepper.

Serve with the horseradish cream on the side.

Horseradish Cream Recipe
From Ad Hoc at Home
makes about 1 cup

½ cup very cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
About ¼ cup drained prepared horseradish
½ teaspoon fleur de sel, or to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Put the heavy cream and vinegar in a medium bowl and whisk until the cream holds a soft shape. Whisk in the horseradish, salt, and pepper.
Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 1 week.

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Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes

1 1/4 lbs peeled potatoes, cut into 1 1/2” chunks
salt
2 tbsp. milk
2 tbsp. heavy cream
2 tbsp. buttermilk
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted Instructions

Place the potato chunks in a medium saucepan and add cold water, covering the potatoes by an inch or so. Add the salt and stir. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered until the potatoes are very tender, 8 to 15 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and mash them. Add the milk and whip. Add the cream, whip, add the buttermilk and whip and finally add the melted butter and whip until light and fluffy. Adjust the seasoning adding salt as necessary.

 
Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve officially branched out. Not too far, now. I’m not building cakes out of mashed potatoes and meatloaf or drinking turtle’s blood sakes. Oh no, I’m not branching out that far. Maybe twigging out would be a  more appropriate phrase.  I’m just slowly poking my head out of the hole that is my culinary comfort zone.

I grew up on a fairly ’plain’ diet. Somewhat bland, typically spice-free, keep-the-flavour-to-a-dull-roar type of diet. Mashed potatoes and chicken strips, hamburger helper, pasta with jarred sauce… you know the diet I’m talking about. I should mention, in case either of my parents are reading, that this was the type of food I chose to eat. I bet my dad would have loved if I were to sit down and ask for a big plate of liver and onions, as we so often joked about as kids.

As I’ve learned to cook, and become more comfortable with different flavours and textures, I’ve tried to incorporate a bigger variety of spices, vegetables, oils and vinegars to my food. However, I’ve done so in a very comfortable way that hasn’t forced me to stray from the foods I’m used to. Until now.

Eating healthily is not always exciting or flavourful, but if you learn to use spices in place of butter and salt, you’d be surprised at how much flavour you can get out of your food without any added fat/sodium.

My best friend, Amanda, is Lebanese and comes from a family with a very dedicated and talented mother who cooks extremely health conscious, fresh, delicious meals everyday. She has a giant garden that she cooks from in summer months and tends to preserve everything the season’s bounty has provided her with. I’ve been privileged, on more than one occasion, to eat her food and have never tried anything I didn’t like. I have to say that her steak tartare is one of the best I’ve had. Full of flavour and such a nice texture. She knows how to make the best of the spices and ingredients she has.

When I saw Ana Sortun’s recipe for a middle-eastern inspired dish in this month’s Bon Appetit, I knew if there was anytime to branch out and cook a style of cuisine I was unfamiliar with, it was now.

These kebabs are good. I’m not usually a huge fan of chicken breast but when soaked in a marinade of grated onion, baharat, oil and lemon juice, it becomes moist and full of flavour. The colourful pomegranate-pistachio relish and cooling tahini-yogurt sauce were the perfect accompaniment to the perfectly spiced chicken.

 

Turkish-Style Chicken Kebabs with Pomegranate-Pistachio Relish and Tahini-Yogurt Sauce
Recipe from Bon Appetit

Baharat Seasoning
1 1/2 tablespoons dried mint 
1 tablespoon dried oregano 
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander 
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 
1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

Tahini yogurt:
3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
1 tablespoon Baharat seasoning
1 large garlic clove, pressed 
1/2 cup plain whole-milk Greek-style yogurt 
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste) 

Pomegranate Relish:
1 1/4 cups pomegranate seeds 
2/3 cup shelled unsalted natural pistachios, coarsely chopped 
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley 
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil 
2 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 

Chicken:
1/2 cup coarsely grated onion 
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
2 tablespoons olive oil 
2 teaspoons baharat seasoning
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, each halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 3 pieces 

Warm pita breads  (optional)

Baharat Seasoning:
Using pestle or blunt end of wooden spoon, mash all ingredients and 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper in mortar or small bowl 2 to 3 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.

For tahini yogurt:
Combine lemon juice, Baharat Seasoning, and garlic in medium bowl; stir to blend. Let stand 5 minutes. Whisk in yogurt and tahini. Season tahini yogurt to taste with salt. DO AHEAD: Can be made up to 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

For pomegranate relish: 

Mix all ingredients in medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

(the best way, in my opinion, to get the seeds out. Place a mesh sieve in a large bowl, cut pomegranate in half, face cut side down in your hand, rap on the back with a big wooden spoon until seeds are released. Great for anger management, too!)

For chicken:
Whisk first 4 ingredients in large bowl. Add chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Marinate at room temperature at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours.

Preheat broiler. Thread 6 chicken pieces onto each skewer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on small rimmed baking sheet. Broil chicken until cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Arrange kebabs on platter. Serve with tahini yogurt, pomegranate relish, and warm pita breads.  

Do you ever stop and think about what a crazy thing the Internet is? Not all the Ipads and Itouchs and tablet doo-dads, but just the Internet. The fact that I can type up this entry and the whole world can read it in a matter of minutes is neat. The fact that I have ‘friends’ in other parts of the world that I haven’t met, but only conversed with via twitter/tumblr/email is also pretty neat.

When I started writing this blog (not even 2 years ago), I figured it would be something for me to just get out all my food talk that no one wanted to hear about. Somewhere I could dump a recipe, share with close friends and family who had inquired, and forget about. I never imagined it would have connected me with so many wonderful like-minded people. And with those wonderful people, comes inspiring recipes, tips and thoughts on food. If I’m ever feeling stuck in a rut, or uninspired, I just look to my many peers and am never stuck for long.

All of this to say, I have a special entry for you today. All the way from Ohio! Lindsay writes a blog called The Lean Green Bean and if you haven’t yet read it, you’re missing out! I asked Lindsay last week if she would be interested in guest posting on The Gouda Life with a baked good or doughy recipe. She was quick to respond with an enthusiastic yes and said she had a great bread recipe she’d made over the weekend. I’m especially thankful for her post since I don’t do a lot of bread making at home (call me lazy). So before I go on much further, I’ll let Lindsay do what she does best!

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Hello lovely Gouda Life readers! My name is Lindsay and I blog over at The Lean Green Bean.  Kelly was nice enough to let me do a little guest post for you guys and I couldn’t be more excited to tell you about this bread recipe!

Have you ever made something that too good not to share, but so good you don’t want to share? That’s this bread! I’ve been on a bit of a quest these past few days to find a new bread recipe and I finally have a winner. But losers, ohhhhhh did I have some losers first. Allow me to tell you about some of my latest baking fails. (*All you bakers out there will probably cringe as you read this but please stick with me…I figure it out in the end, I promise!)

The best part about this is that I learned something new with each failed loaf. I will share these lessons with you now so that those of you who aren’t yet expert bakers can learn as well J

Lesson #1: Do not substitute whole-wheat pastry flour for all of the flour in your banana bread recipe. The loaves may look pretty, but they will taste like the inside of your sweaty tennis shoe. Into the trash.

       

 

Lesson #2: Do not substitute whole wheat flour for all the flour in your sweet potato bread. The sweet potatoes make it slightly more edible, but still not worth eating. Into the trash.

                   

                   

Lesson #3: Instant yeast and active dry yeast ARE NOT the same thing. If you use active dry yeast in the same way the recipe tells you to use instant yeast, nothing will happen! I found this awesome-looking recipe for Almost No Knead Bread on one of my favorite blogs, Framed, and gave it a try. The idea is that it rises overnight and then you bake it in the morning in your dutch oven. I mixed up the dough, went to bed, woke up super excited in the morning and……….it looked exactly the same.  Into the trash.

                                  

 And finally, we come to the success! After my third fail, I did some research and discovered that while you can use active dry yeast in recipes that call for instant yeast, you must first activate it! (I knew something didn’t feel right when I was making the dough!) I didn’t want to wait another night, so I did some more searching and found this recipe for Speedy No-Knead Bread on The New York Times website. It was a very similar recipe, except it only needed to rise for 4 hours! And it turned out PERFECTLY!

You only need 4 ingredients:

3 cups of bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 ½ cups water
1 package of yeast.

Directions:

1. If you’re using instant yeast, you can mix the yeast, salt and flour together and then add the water.

2. If you’re using active dry yeast, mix the flour and salt together in one bowl, and activate the yeast in another by adding the yeast to the water (100-110 degrees Fahrenheit) with a pinch of sugar! Let it sit for five minutes, stir it up and then mix the two together.

3. Once all of the ingredients are in the same bowl, stir until combined into a doughy ball.

                                 

 

                         

4. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise somewhere warm for 4 hours.

5. Take the dough out, place on a lightly oiled surface and knead 5 times. That’s it! Just 5 times! Then put it back in the bowl for another 30 minutes.

                           

 

6. Place your dutch oven into the oven and preheat to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

                     

 

7. After the second rise, carefully take the dutch oven out, dump the dough in, put the lid on and into the oven it goes for 30 minutes! You’ll hear a satisfying little sizzle when you dump the dough in. 

                           

                                 

8. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and let the bread cook for another 10-15 minutes until it’s golden brown all over.

                           

 

9. Slice, serve and enjoy! 

                                   

PS. I may or may not have made a second loaf IMMEDIATELY following this because I ate 4 slices in about 2 minutes. And guess what?! The second one turned out just as well as the first!

So go grab your dutch oven and give this bread a try. It’s AMAZING! Perfect for making sandwiches, French toast or even dipping in some soup!

Thanks to Kelly for letting me share this recipe with you guys! Feel free to stop by The Lean Green Blog and find some new recipes! Don’t forget to say hi!

Enjoy!

Linds

Were any of you aware that white bagels slathered thick with cream cheese are not the healthiest breakfast choice? Because I have a sneaking suspicion that I was out sick the day they made that announcement.

And by ‘not the healthiest breakfast choice’, I mean when you eat them 4-5 times a week. And maybe a croissant the other 2 days. Yes, I am a woman who can get down with some white bread. It’s all I crave when the morning comes. I’m not one of those people who can get by with a slice of fruit and a glass of OJ. If it were acceptable, I would eat a full dinner for breakfast every morning. My taste buds/stomach don’t know the difference between 7am or 7pm.  But for the sake of my health, and my slowly expanding self, I think it’s probably time for a change.

Something I do really like is granola. I much prefer it to oatmeal (that soggy mess of pastey goo), or cream of wheat or any of those warm, gruel-like dishes. I’ve been buying the Bridgehead granola for a while now and thoroughly enjoying it with yogurt. My only concern is that some granola seems to have the same calorie and fat content as a McDonalds cheeseburger. And if that’s the case, I’ll take the burger and fries [super-sized], please.

Muesli is a much healthier option if you want something that still tastes good, has health benefits, and is easily adaptable to whatever tastes you may have, so long as you’re not adding cheeseburgers to it.

Now, I don’t want to offend any muesli purists, so I should say that a muesli is typically raw and not coated in oil/butter/sugar as much (or at all) as granola. But darn it, I am not perfect and a little honey won’t kill me. Or you. Unless you’re allergic but I can’t take the blame for that.

I’ve packed this muesli full of antioxidant-rich berries, healthy seeds and just a touch of cinnamon and honey. Serve it with milk (cold or warm), over yogurt, or by itself as a quick pick me up. I’ve offered up some options for what I added, but you go ahead and add whatever it is you like, berries, fresh fruit, nuts, seeds, spices… but no cheeseburgers, ok?

Toasted Honey and Fruit Muesli
I split the muesli into two batches and made one with dried blueberries and pineapples, and one with dried cranberries, blueberries, goji berries, raspberries and apricots. I can’t say one was better than the other, both are just delicious.  

5 cups rolled oats (or 4 cups + 1 cup bran flakes)
1 cup raw pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup honey (organic, if possible)
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 cups dried fruit

Preheat oven to 300.

In a large bowl (likely the biggest bowl you have), mix the oats, pepitas, sunflower seeds, coconut, almonds and cinnamon. Add the honey and massage a little with your hands to distribute evenly. It won’t clump like granola, it will still be fairly dry.

In two batches, spread your muesli evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 or so minutes to make sure the edges aren’t burning.

Remove from oven and stir in your dried fruit.

And that’s it. Did I not mention how sickeningly easy this was? No reason to not have fresh muesli whenever you want. It also makes a really nice thank-you/hostess gift for friends.

Finally, Friday has come! And it’s brought with it some big fluffy flakes and cloudy skies. My favourite weather (ok, aside from cloudy fall days). It calls for hot chocolate, sleeping in, and cuddling.

I wanted to share a quick snack recipe in case you were planning on taking advantage of this weather and staying in with some close friends and a bottle of wine.

As previously mentioned, I’ve been reading a lot of Jamie Oliver lately. I know I’m a little late to the Oliver game… but better late than never, right? I really appreciate his simple, straightforward recipes that typically contain less than 10 ingredients.

While I was wrapping gifts a few days before Christmas, I turned on the Food Network and watched as he turned a pile of slimy, unappealingly brownish-red livers into a smooth, creamy spread spiked with brandy. If I hadn’t already gotten into my pyjamas at 4pm (a regular occurrence at our house) I would have rushed right out to fill my cart with liver and red onions. Instead, I took a deep breath, told myself I would make them the next week and tried to continue on with my night without drifting away with thoughts of pate. (It wasn’t meant to rhyme! Honest!)

The pate is quick to make, can last up to a week in the fridge if you make the clarified butter to seal it, and is a really pretty, unpretentious dish to share between friends. 

It’s important to note that I made this before I started trying to eat slightly better. Nothing like a layer of butter to stick to your thighs!

Chicken Liver Pate
recipe from Jamie Oliver

1 cup unsalted butter
handful of whole sage leaves
olive oil
2 medium red onions, diced
2 cloves of garlic, rough chopped
2 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
1 kg chicken livers, if possible organic/free range
1/2 cup brandy
sea salt and fresh ground pepper

to serve:
1 baguette, sliced, drizzled with olive oil and baked until golden
bunch of watercress, arugula or other peppery green
cornichons

To make clarified butter:
On a pan over low heat, add 3/4 of your butter and let it sit for 20-30 minutes until separated. The white stuff on the bottom is the whey. Skim the clear butter off the top and put in a separate pan over medium heat. Let it warm for a few minutes and add the sage. Cook until crispy. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add onions, garlic and thyme leaves. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally until just starting to colour. Add another splash of oil, your chicken livers and a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Cook on high heat for no more than 4 minutes. The livers should still be a little pink inside. You don’t want to overcook them since they get tough pretty
quickly. Add brandy to the pan and let the alcohol cook off for a minute or two. Pour everything into your blender/food processor and zip a few times until the livers are very smooth. Keep in mind, it will be pretty loose looking but will harden up in the fridge. Have a taste of the mixture, season to your liking and then, as Jamie recommends, add a little more since seasoning goes down when you chill the pate. Add your remaining 1/4 C of butter to the pate and give it another zip in the blender until it’s shiny. 

Spoon the pate into one big dish, individual terrines, or however else you’d like. Top with your sage infused clarified butter, cover and place in the fridge for a few hours or until butter has become semi-opaque.

Get your bread, greens and pickles ready, and off you go! If you don’t want to eat right away, the pate will keep well in the fridge for up to a week.

 

 

So it’s 2011. We’ve established that, right? And with every new year, comes a slew of folks who are gung-ho and motivated to start their resolutions …and then swiftly forget about them.

I’m not much for resolutions. Likely because I lack the willpower needed to stay with them and I feel they set me up to be disappointed in myself if I don’t live up to my own standards. So instead of giving myself something way too specific to stick to, I just try to start every year with a fresh outlook and a clean slate. If it doesn’t last, it doesn’t last.  If I don’t lose 30lbs (unlikely), or buy a house (highly unlikely), or get a promotion, life will go on and I’ll still be happy with who I am. Thunder thighs, rented apartment and all!

I’ve started 2011 hoping to get into better eating habits. I’m not necessarily wanting to lose weight but rather, find better ways to incorporate healthy ingredients into my current diet. Replace some of the heavier things with lighter alternatives and learn how to cook them so they don’t taste like drywall garnished with sawdust.

The first item I hope to incorporate more of are grains. I love them dearly, I really do. But usually more so when other people make them. Whenever I’m at a restaurant, I find myself glancing past the protein and looking to the grain/legume/veg that lays humbly under the beef. Cooking a good steak is easy. Turning a pile of bland, toothsome grains into something worth giving your first born away for is not.

Today was a day for barley. I’ve cooked with barley before so it was something that didn’t feel too daunting. Like I said, this mission is to cook things that I want to eat. Things that are comforting and feel like they should be bad for you without the fear of them attaching themselves to your rear end.

My local grocery store carries a nice selection of dehydrated mushrooms, so I wanted to somehow incorporate them into dinner. Risotto seemed warm, filling and appropriate for this time of year. A risotto that was rich and creamy without so much as a pea-sized clump of butter or cream to be found. My favourite part was the fact that no stock was needed, and therefor no excess sodium. It reheats well, it’s good as a side or a main (great for work lunch!), and it doesn’t leave you feeling bloated, or guilty that you’ve messed up your new years resolution on January 5th. Whoops!

Wild Mushroom Barley Risotto

1 cup dehydrated wild mushrooms (I used a mix of porcini, portobello, shiitake, and oyster)
6 cups of water

1 medium-large onion, diced
glug of olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 - 2 cups pearled barley
1 cup white wine
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup parmesan cheese + extra shavings for garnish

Quick method for re-hydrating mushrooms: fill a microwave-safe bowl with your 6 cups of water. Microwave until boiling (4-5 minutes). Remove carefully and add your mushrooms to the water. Let sit 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms with slotted spoon, set aside and reheat mushroom stock when ready to start your risotto.

Alternatively, heat 6 cups of water in a large pan over high heat until boiling. Turn the heat off and add the mushrooms. Let stand for 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms and set aside. Keep stock warm over low heat until ready to use.

In a large pan, heat a glug of olive oil and add your onions and garlic. Cook until translucent but not browning. Turn heat up to medium-high. Add your barley and stir constantly for 2 minutes. This toasts the barley so it doesn’t get smooshy (a technical term) in the cooking process. Add the re-hydrated mushrooms and wine and let it reduce until mostly absorbed.

Start adding your mushroom stock, one cup at a time, and let it cook until almost no liquid is left. Do this until you have no stock left.

(about halfway through cooking process)

The barley will still have a bite to it, it’s not the same consistency as arborio. If it still feels too toothsome, add an extra cup of water and cook off. Taste and season with salt to your liking (it will likely need quite a bit as your stock didn’t have any salt added in the beginning). Add 1/3-1/2 cup of grated Parmesan and stir into the risotto until creamy. Serve with fresh ground pepper.

If you’re lazy and hate dishes like me, you could also serve in a roasted acorn squash bowl. A little more nutrition, a little more filling. I cut mine in half, drizzle with oil, honey, salt and pepper and roast at 400 for about 35-40 minutes.

Well, hello! Happy belated holidays, and 2011 to all you guys! I hope you all made it out alive and stuffed and exhausted and boxed into your homes by presents just like me!

I have a hard time saying goodbye to the holidays. While others are gladly taking down the remnants of a once vibrant, scented-filled Christmas tree, tucking away the tiny glass ornaments until December 15th 2011, I am desperately clutching my stocking for dear life, rubbing it’s soft cotton against my skin lovingly.

Christmas is magical. It never fails to make me feel like an 8 year old, listening for sounds of Santa on the rooftops. I hate the idea that you plan for so long, and it’s gone in a blink. The only way I’ve ever found to let go without feeling too badly, is by putting all my new goodies to use. And this year was one of those years where you sit there, pile of presents staring at you, wondering “What did I do to deserve all of this!?”. I was spoiled like nobody should be (and everybody wants to be). Three of my most wonderful gifts were: 

1. My very own Tassimo- it may not be fair trade, organic, yadda-yadda coffee… but it’s ready and waiting whenever I want it and I don’t have to waste a whole pot to get my one cup fix.

2. Lowel Ego Light - if you are a blogger without the space (or money) for a good lighting set up for photos, I would highly, highly recommend you look into this light. It makes my photos from 10pm at night (which also looks a lot like 4:30pm when I typically make dinner) look like I took them at noon in front of a bright window. It’s brilliant and it’s made it a lot easier to cook when I want instead of rushing to beat the sunset.

3. Ice-Cream Maker attachement for my Kitchen Aid. ICE CREAM! In my kitchen. Made by ME!  It’s something I’ve never tried to do but have always dreamed of. Tell my love-handles I’m sorry for me, will you? We’re not speaking.

So I’m putting all my post-holiday depression into playing in the kitchen later and more often than usual. And soon I’ll be able to share some delicious stick-to-your-thighs ice cream recipes! But for now, we’ll stick to a tasty pasta dish.

I saw this on Jamie Oliver’s website, which I just recently starting looking at more closely and have been so awed by his respectful use of ingredients and creative flavour pairings, and decided I needed to make it rightnow rather than putting it aside for 6 months. Pancetta and parsnips are two ingredients that belong together. The salty richness of the pancetta and the mildly spicy sweet flavour of the parsnips just balance so well together.

Tagliatelle with Pancetta and Parsnips
recipe from Jamie Oliver

12 slices of pancetta (can usually be found at your deli/butcher), cut into 1” ribbons
1 handful of fresh rosemary, thyme or summer savory, leaves picked 
3 tbsp butter
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
2 parsnips, peeled and sliced thin (use your vegetable peeler) 
1lb dried tagliatelle
3 good handfuls of grated Parmesan cheese
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper

In a pan over medium-high heat, add pancetta and herbs. Cook until fat is rendered and pancetta is crispy.

Cook your pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Reserve a half cup of the pasta water.

Add 1 tbsp of the butter to a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and let heat and flavour the butter until fragrant. Don’t let it brown/burn. Add the parsnip ribbons and let cook until until softened but still have a bit of a crunch to them.

Add the strained pasta, pancetta, remaining butter, Parmesan and a little bit of the pasta water to the parsnips and toss until combined. If the sauce is still a little sticky, add more pasta water until it’s creamy and shiny. Taste and season to your liking with salt and pepper. Serve in a big ol’bowl with extra herbs if you’d like.