Monday 17 December 2018

Pasta e Fagioli

Pasta e Fagioli

Takes a few ingredients to pull this one together, but it is so worth it
Ingredients:

  • 4 Scrubbed Carrots
  • 1 Medium Onion
  • 3 Celery Stalks
  • 6 Good Sized Garlic Cloves
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 1 Can Crushed Tomatoes(28oz), without tomato concentrate or puree
  • 8 Ounces small or medium dry white beans
  • Chicken stock
  • 8-10 Ounces Chopped Spinach Leaves
  • 8 Ounces small dried pasta shapes
  • Parm Rind (optional)
  • 2-3 Bay Leaves
  • Pork hock
  • 2 Slices Bacon, uncooked
  • Fresh Parmesan to serve

Instructions:

  1. The night before planning to make soup, set the beans to soak in a large bowl. Cover beans with at least one inch of water, set in fridge and soak overnight.
  2. To start the soup, scrub the carrots and roughly chop, peel the garlic, roughly chop the Celery and onion. In the bowl of a very large food processor, or in batches, pulse all the vegetables until they are fine chopped but not a puree.
  3. Heat a large stock pot over medium low heat, and heat about 1/3 cup olive oil. Add the finely chopped garlic, carrots, onion and Celery, season well with salt and pepper. Slowly cook the veg down, without adding color. If things are cooking too quickly turn down the heat and continue to cook. The goal is to sweat down the veg until they are soft, juicy and reducing in volume without browning yet. Cooking the veggies down should take 20-30 minutes.
  4. Once the veg base is looking good, add the ham hock. Roughly chop the raw bacon and also add it to the pot. Continue cooking an additional 10-20 minutes until it seems like the veg has reduced in volume by half.
  5. Add the beans and their soaking liquid to the pot along with the crushed tomatoes and at least four cups of chicken stock. Add more stock or water to ensure that the beans are always fully submerged.
  6. Bring everything to a boil, add the bay leaves and the Parmesan rind if using. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 1-2 hours. Add in the spinach and stir well.
  7. Cook pasta in a separate pot of well salted boiling water, 1-3 minutes less than package instructions indicate. The pasta should be slightly toothsome as it will continue to cook a bit in the soup.
  8. Pull the pork hock out if the soup and shred any available meat off the bone. Discard skin, bones and fat chunks. Return usable shredded meat to the soup. Fish out the parm rind and bay leaves and discard.
  9. Once the pasta is cooked to desired doneness, drain the pasta and stir into the soup.
  10. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with fresh shredded parm and a drizzle of olive oil. Goes excellent with a bit of crusty toasty bread.
Enjoy!


Notes:

Holy goodness, this soup was so tasty! The veg base that we start with is called a sofritto and that is the ticket to flavor town in this recipe.

This soup is amazingly rich, hearty and so comforting on a cold winters night. Plus since it is so veg heavy, with beans it'll fill up hungry tummies so well and keep them full!

* update, froze some, added some extra chicken stock as the pasta had taken in more liquid while cooking and it was just as delicious reheated after being frozen, still had lots of flavor.

Tuesday 11 September 2018

Gluten free doughnuts

Gluten Free Doughnuts

Ingredients:
  • 2 1/2 Cups Gluten Free Flour Blend (I used the 1:1 gluten free baking flour from Bulk Barn this time. 
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Cream of Tarter
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
  • 1/4 Cup Sugar
  • 2 1/2 Teaspoons Dry Active Yeast
  • 1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg or Vanilla
  • 1 Teaspoon Cider Vinegar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Cup + 2 Tablespoons Milk (not fat free) 
  • 56 grams or 4 Tablespoons Butter
Oil for frying

Instructions:

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift together the flour, salt, cream of tarter, baking soda, sugar, yeast and nutmeg if using.
  2. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer.
  3. Melt the butter and allow to cool slightly, warm the milk to just above room temperature.
  4. In a small bowl whisk together the egg and milk. While constantly whisking, slowly pour in the melted butter and vanilla if using.
  5. Turn the stand mixer on to stir, or it's lowest possible setting. While paddle is moving, slowly pour in the liquid ingredients. Once everything has come together, turn stand mixer up to a medium speed and beat for two minutes. Turn off stand mixer. Dough will be very soft.
  6. Oil a large bowl or container that has a tight fitting lid. Transfer the dough to the oiled vessel. Cover and chill in fridge for at least one hour, or up to two days.
  7. When ready to fry doughnuts, heat oil in either a deep fryer or in a heavy sauce pan on the stove to between 350-375°F. You will need a depth of oil of at least 2-3 inches.
  8. While oil is heating, remove covered dough from fridge.
  9. Try to handle the dough as little as possible to keep as much air in the dough as possible. Take about 1/4 of the dough at a time and flatten to about 1 inch thick. Use a sharp knife to divide the dough into one inch square/round pieces. Set the cut pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet and allow to rise in a warm draft free location for at least thirty minutes. Repeat until all the dough has been shaped.
  10. When dough has risen and oil is hot, carefully drop the dough balls into the hot oil one at a time. Do not over crowd the oil. After about two minutes turn each doughnut over until they are evenly browned on all sides. Roughly 2-3 minutes on each side.
  11. Remove cooked doughnuts to a cooling rack with paper towels underneath to catch drips as the doughnuts cool.
  12. Some of my cooked doughnuts cooled with a slight white dusting appearing on them. I am not sure why, but it didn't seem to be an indication that the doughnuts were over or under cooked, and it only happened with a few in each fry batch. Maybe I didn't sift my dry ingredients well enough.
  13. Doughnuts can be enjoyed plain, or are very good with a light dusting of cinnamon sugar on them.
  14. Doughnuts are always best when eaten the same day, but these will keep about two days if left plain, and stored in an airtight container. I like to lightly reheat my doughnuts the next day in the microwave before dusting with sugar.

Enjoy!

Notes:

I would have never ever put a gluten free recipe here when I first started. You see I think gluten free diets are stupid nonsense for anyone who has not been diagnosed with celiac disease. I have known people with celiac my whole life and I have always respected how serious and challenging their dietary needs can be, with celiac disease it is an autoimmune disorder where gluten protein causes an immune response in the small intestine, damaging the tissues of the small bowel in the process. But since I did not have celiac, I was all gluten all the time.

However, last month my sweet baby boy was confirmed to have celiac disease. Meaning he now requires a diet that is 100% free from gluten contaminants. This has been a challenging adjustment but we are doing our best.

Prior to celiac diagnosis, my son had loved doughnut holes from our local coffee shop. Sadly those are now no longer an option for him, but I am hopeful that he will learn to like the ones I can make for him.

Hopefully I can also nail down some more user friendly gluten free recipes, because oh goodness there is current a dearth of simple usable recipes.

I plan to try experimenting with bread this week wish me luck!

Thursday 19 July 2018

Greek Rice with Spinach

Greek Rice with Spinach

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup long grain Rice
  • 2 Cups Chicken stock
  • 3 ounces chopped wilted Spinach(2-3 frozen spinach nuggets)
  • 1 small Onion
  • 2-3 cloves Garlic
  • 2 tablespoons Greek dressing
  • Lemon, zested and juiced
  • Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

  1. Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic. 
  2. Heat a medium pot over medium heat. 
  3. Add the Greek dressing, chopped onion and minced garlic. 
  4. Season with salt and pepper. Stir occasionally until onions begin to soften, about 3-5 minutes. 
  5. Add the uncooked rice and stir for two minutes to toast the rice. 
  6. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. 
  7. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. 
  8. Stir in the spinach, and cover and continue to simmer until all the water is absorbed. 
  9. Remove pot from heat and keep covered for 5 minutes. 
  10. Add lemon Zest and Fluff with a fork before serving. Drizzle lemon juice to taste.
  11. Can also be garnished with fresh herbs, feta, olives etc.

Enjoy!

Sunday 8 July 2018

Raspberry Lemonade Parfait

Raspberry Lemonade Parfait

Ingredients:

  • 250ml Whipping/Heavy Cream
  • 3 Egg Whites
  • Pinch Salt or cream of tartar
  • 1 1/3 Cup Sugar, divided
  • 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
  • Zest and juice of one Lemon
  • 1/4 Pint Blackberries

Instructions:

  1. In a small pot combine raspberries, lemon juice and zest, and 2/3 cup sugar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stir until sugar is dissolved. If some sugar remains a small amount of water can be added.
  2. Once boiling reduce heat to a simmer, and reduce liquid by about half. Use an immersion blender, blender or food processor to smooth out the sauce. 
  3. The seeds and pulp can be strained out with a fine mesh sieve if desired. 
  4. Pour finished syrup into a small bowl and set in fridge to cool. 
  5. Wait until syrup is at least cooled to room temperature or cooler before continuing with recipe.
  6. In a medium bowl add the heavy cream and 1/3 cup sugar. Whip together until stiff peaks for. Fold in vanilla extract. Set aside for now.
  7. In a large bowl add the egg Whites and the pinch of salt or cream of tartar and whip to stiff peaks. Set aside.
  8. Add the whipped cream to the egg white bowl and gently fold the cream and meringue together. Gently so as to keep as much air in the mix as possible, while still blending everything together smoothly.
  9. Get a container with a lid large enough to hold the entire contents of the large bowl. Pour half the cream and meringue mixture into the container. Pour 1/2 of the raspberry syrup over the cream and meringue. Pour the remaining cream and meringue mixture into the container, followed by remaining raspberry syrup. Using a butter knife or small spoon, gently swirl all the layers together, creating ribbons of syrup through the white parfait.
  10. Cover and chill at least an hour. Set parfait should be similar to ice cream in consistency.

Enjoy!


Wednesday 27 June 2018

Sesame Stir-Fry Sauce

Sesame Stir-Fry Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons Mirin
  • 4 Cloves minced Garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
  • 3 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
  • 1-3 Teaspoon Sriracha
  • 1/4 Cup thinly sliced green onions, green and white parts

Instructions:

  1. In a small bowl stir together all ingredients and allow flavors to blend together for a few minutes, or while you make the stir-fry.
  2. Quick fry, chicken or tofu with a mix of veggies until chicken is cooked through. Turn off heat and add sauce, stir to coat and serve over rice or noodles.
  3. Optional to garnish with sesame seeds and fresh green onion slices.

Enjoy!

Galbi Marinade

Galbi Marinade 

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 Cup Soy Sauce
  • 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 3-4 Cloves Garlic
  • 2 Green Onion Stalks
  • 2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
  • 1 Asian Pear
  • Pepper to taste
  • 2 Pounds Steak, short rib or small roast

Instructions:

  1. Season steak all over with pepper and set aside.
  2. In a medium sized bowl add the soy sauce, brown sugar, and sesame oil. Whisk to dissolve brown sugar. If the brown sugar won't completely dissolve, add a few tablespoons of water.
  3. Mince, grate or crush the garlic, finely chop the green onions from top to about 2-3 centimeters from the root. Discard the root, add everything else to the bowl.
  4. Peel the Asian Pear. Discard the peel. Grate the Asian pear over a small bowl. Add the grated pear and pear juice to the marinade.
  5. Add the steak to the marinade. Cover or transfer to a sealable container and marinate the steak for at least an hour or two, or overnight.
  6. Allow steak to return to room temperature and drain off excess marinade to drain from steak before grilling to desired doneness.

Enjoy!

Notes:

Galbi is a South Korean BBQ style dish.

If you read this far, here is a secret, you can just add all the ingredients except the steak to a food processor and pulse a few times to create the marinade.

My husband spent a year and a bit living in Korea and traveling around Asia. I have made this marinade a lot, or used in to slow cook and he liked it ok. But this week I used the BBQ and he was much more impressed with how close it was to what he remembers. So at least for me, it's husband approved.

Wednesday 20 June 2018

Argentinian Inspired Marinade for Grilling

Argentinian Inspired Marinade for Grilling

Ingredients:

  • 6-8 Cloves Garlic
  • 1 Orange
  • 1 Lemon
  • 1 Lime
  • 1 Tablespoon Coarse Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Peppercorns (Black or mixed or 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper)
  • 1 Small Onion
  • Olive Oil
  • Steak or chicken or pork

Instructions:

  1. If you have a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic salt and Peppercorns into a paste together, transfer the paste to a small bowl. If you do not have a mortar and pestle, grind the peppercorns, and in a small bowl mix together the salt and pepper. Mince the garlic and add it to the bowl.
  2. Finely chop the onion, stir into the bowl. Juice the orange, lime and lemon and add the juice to the small bowl, stir to mix everything together. You can also add a little zest from the lime, lemon and orange to the marinade for a stronger citrus flavor.
  3. Stir in a few tablespoons of olive oil and set marinade aside for now.
  4. Dry the meat, season with salt and pepper on all sides.
  5. Rub the marinade all over the meat and transfer to marinading vessel. Something like a shallow dish with a lid, or large ziplock bag. Transfer any excess marinade into the dish with the meat. Seal or cover and marinade for at least 30 minutes to two hours, or as long as overnight.
  6. Remove excess marinade from meat before grilling.

Enjoy!

Thursday 29 March 2018

Chicken Curry Skewers

Chicken Curry Skewers

Ingredients:

  • Two boneless/skinless chicken breasts, or about 4 boneless/skinless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
  • 1 Tablespoon Black Pepper
  •  A pinch/few strands of saffron threads, crushed
  • 1 onion
Instructions:

Easy: 
  1. Dice chicken into bite side cubes, or thin ribbons, however you prefer your meat on a akewer.
  2. In a food processor add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, saffron and the onion roughly chopped. Blitz the marinade in the food processor a few times until the onion is diced and things look evenly combined.
  3. In a sealable bag or container with a lid. Toss the chicken in the marinade and stir around until chicken is well covered.
  4. Allow chicken to marinade at least two hours or overnight for best results.
  5. Skewer the chicken on bamboo skewers and fry, grill or roast until chicken is cooked through.
Slow:
  1. Finely chop the onion and in a large bowl add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, saffron, stir to combine.
  2. Dice chicken into bite side cubes, or thin ribbons, however you prefer your meat on a akewer.
  3. Toss the chicken into the marinade mix and allow chicken to marinade at least two hours or overnight for best results.
  4. Skewer the chicken on bamboo skewers and fry, grill or roast until chicken is cooked through.
  5. Serve over basmati or Jasmin rice or along side a veggie curry.


Enjoy!