The Gouda Life

After months and months of thinking “Jeez, I’d really love to be part of a Supper Club…” I finally decided “Ok, I’ll start a Supper Club”. Waiting around for other people to plan things for you never did anyone any good now, did it? 

Tonight is the first meet & greet of our little Centretown Supper Club and I’m so looking forward to meeting some new like-minded people (and some I already know and love) to chat with over tasty snacks and a glass or two of wine. 

When I asked everyone to bring a small bite to snack on, my brain immediately started to dream up elegant bites with delicate little garnishes. But the truth of the matter is, whenever I try to make things too complicated, they usually blow up in my face and I end up wishing I’d just stuck to what I know; simple, honest food made with straight-forward, speak-for-themselves ingredients. Try as I may, I’m just not a fancy gal I suppose. 



I recently bid some new underwear to win 3 brand-spankin’ new cookbooks for Simply Fresh’s Underpants Up fundraiser and lucky for me, I won! One of the cookbooks I won was Just Married and Cooking (by Brooke Parkhurst, James Briscione) and it is absolutely jammed with simple, everyday recipes that every homecook should add to their repitoire. Everything from Simple Syrup to Pistachio-Mint Crusted Rack of Lamb (part of a full Valentines Day menu). It’s an unfussy, real guide to delicious everyday meals. 

Among it’s pages, I found a delicious sounding recipe for a Roasted-Carrot Hummus. You do know how much I love to dip things in other things right? This was exactly what I needed for our little meeting this evening.  Simple, velvety dip that won’t leave my guests needing to unbutton their jeans (I plan to wear tights so this won’t be an issue for me. Snork snork!)

Roasted Carrot-Cumin Hummus
adapted from Just Married and Cooking

I was too lazy to pull out my food processor so I did this in batches in my Bullet which ended up being more work than it would have been to just move the food processor from the cupboard to the counter. Lesson of the day; don’t be lazy like me.

If possible, this should be made the day before you plan to eat it so the flavours all have a chance to hang out and get acquainted. 

4 medium carrots, peel and cut into 4” chunks (if organic, just wash and leave peel on) 
1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
1 16oz can of chickpeas
3 tbsp tahini
Juice from 1 lemon
pepper to taste
extra oil to garnish
cayenne pepper, garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 400. 

Toss the carrots, garlic, cumin and a good pinch of salt with the oil. Wrap in a packet of aluminum foil and roast until everything is soft, about 30-40 minutes. 



Pour the contents of the foil packet into the food processor along with the chickpeas, tahini, lemon and a few grinds of pepper. Process until smooth. 



Spoon contents into a serving bowl and top with a drizzle of oil and a few sprinkles of cayenne pepper. 



Serve with raw veggies, pita chips or whatever dip-ables strike your fancy. 

 

Whoooooeeeee. Ladies and gentlemen, it is a scorcher here in Ottawa. 30 degrees, sunny, and humid. And surprisingly, I’m loving it. No complaints from me (not to say there won’t be in the future. There will be. Lots. I promise) about this heat wave after weeks of dreary, wet weather. I’m only too happy to wipe the sweat from my brow 5 minutes after my second cold shower of the day.

Since I’m not totally insane (nor completely sane), I decided to keep the heat out of our already face-meltingly humid apartment by retiring to the balcony early in the evening and barbecuing for my first time in ages. Every time I use our little bitty balcony barbecue, I wonder why it’s taken me so long to do so. Everything tastes bigger, bolder and better when it’s grilled. Everything. And I’ve decided that this year, I’m going to test the limits of what ‘everything’ really means. But that’s all to come in the not so distant future. For now, I just wanted something simple and packed with flavours.



Grilled vegetables are high atop my list of most favourite summer things. The natural sweetness paired with the smokey flavour only a barbecue can lend takes your everyday vegetables, especially those lurking in the bottom of the crisper, inching close to death, feel indulgent and thoroughly satisfying. If we’re barbecuing, there are always vegetables of some sort peeking out from between whatever main course is charring away. I can’t think of one that wouldn’t taste better with a little caramelized flavour, so be creative!

I woke up craving soft, doughy flatbreads yesterday, so with that in mind, I decided they would be the perfect container to house the grilled veggies. Having not made flat bread before, I spent much of the day searching for one that was easy, and didn’t need an overnight rest. The one I found, from King Arthur Flour, was perfect. A simple dough that uses potato flour to keep the breads soft and chewy, an hour and a half to rest, and you’re ready to grill (or fry) some wonderfully soft, easily foldable flat breads to fill with whatever your heart desires. In this case, vegetables and a light, lemony herbed ricotta. It was a dish that was not only delicious, but fun to eat, allowing everyone to pile their bread with as much or as little as they please. If you’re looking for something more, grilled or slow cooked meat would be an absolutely perfect addition to this meal.




Grilled Vegetable Flatbreads with Lemon-Herb Ricotta Spread

Make the ricotta dip during the first resting period of the dough. It tastes better if it has some time to sit and soak in the flavours.

Prepare the vegetables during the last resting period of the flat breads. If they sit for too long, they may start to turn brown.


2 italian/graffitii eggplants, sliced in half lengthwise and then each halve sliced again (once more if large eggplant)
2 medium zucchini, sliced into long strips or large slices
3-4 green onions
2 red peppers, each cored, seeded and cut into large slices
olive oil
salt and pepper
Lemon-Herb Ricotta Spread (recipe follows)

Throw all prepared vegetables into a large pan. Drizzle with enough olive oil to lightly coat everything. Add a few pinches of salt and a few cracks of pepper. Toss to coat.

 

Flat breads
adapted from King Arthur Flour

2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 cup boiling water

1/2 - 1 cup All Purpose Flour
1/4 cup potato flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp instant yeast

In a bowl, add the flour and boiling water and stir until smooth. Cover and let sit to cool for 30 minutes. This cooks some fo the flour first, which results in a soft dough that doesn’t taste as starchy.



Stir the 1/2 cup of flour (you may need a little more once you start mixing, keep the other 1/2 cup aside) and remaining ingredients together in the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if you’re using a hand mixer). Add the cooled flour mixture and mix until well blended. It may seem dry at first, but it will come together. If it’s too sticky, add more all-purpose flour 1 tbsp at a time. The dough should be soft but not sticky. Attach the dough-hook and knead for 4 minutes until very soft. If you don’t have a mixer, you can easily knead by hand.

Put the dough in a large bowl, spritz or rub with a little oil, and cover. Place in a warm spot and let rest for 1 hour.

Turn the dough out onto a board and divide into 8 equal pieces. No need to be exact. Roll each piece into a ball and place back int he bowl. Cover and let rest for an additional 15-20 minutes.



At this point, the dough will be very easy to work with. Flatten each ball, and then roll out to approximately 7-8” in diameter.



Heat grill to medium-high (unless you have a dinky one like me, in which case heat to high).

Grill flat breads, two at a time for 1-2 minutes on each side. If bubbles appear, just pop with a toothpick or skewer. Set aside. If you want to keep them warm, put them between two slightly damp towels in an oven preheated to 200. I was happy with them a little cooler.




(our dinky little pathetic barbecue that I love so much!)

Grilled veggies until lightly charred on both sides, about 2-4 minutes on each side depending on vegetable (eggplant and zucchini take a little longer).

Pile vegetables onto a flatbread slathered with ricotta spread and enjoy!

Lemon Herb Ricotta Spread

1 1/2 cup best quality ricotta you can find
salt
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp mint, chopped
2 tbsp flat parsley, chopped
1 tbsp chives, chopped
zest of one lemon
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Add a pinch of salt and a garlic clove to a mortar. Smoosh and smash until it becomes a paste texture. Add the chopped herbs and give them a second or two of smooshing to bruise the leaves and bring out the flavours.



Add the lemon zest, juice and ricotta (I served the dip in my mortar to save on dishes, but if you don’t want to, feel free to add it all to a bowl). Stir until combined. Taste and season to your liking. Drizzle with a little olive oil. Cover and set in the fridge for an hour.