Bernie's 4-Hour Homemade Bread

At long last, Bernie's famous bread recipe appears. He makes 4 loaves a week, one for himself and 3 for gifts.

Bernie's 4-hour Homemade Bread (makes 2 loaves)
Put in a small bowl and let stand 10 minutes:
1 package dry yeast
1 t. sugar
1 cup luke warm water
In another bowl, mix:
3 cups wholewheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. oil
1 Tbsp. molasses
1/2 cup flax flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 cups lukewarm water.
Make the sponge (i.e. add the yeast mixture) and let stand until double in size, about 45 minutes. Do laundry while you wait.
Put 3 cups all purpose flour on the table.
Dump the sponge on the flour and knead, incorporating flour, for about 10 minutes.
If still sticky, add a little more flour, but if it gets sticky again, don't add any more flour.
Let rise in the bowl until the dough doubles.
Cut the dough into 2 pieces and put in 2 bread pans. Let rise until the dough doubles.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 60 minutes.
Remove from the oven and brush top with melted butter.

Lee's Garlic Soup

Lee cooked this for us at Joan and Harry's place on the Riviera. Make it a day ahead for more flavour.
To make the garlic peeling easier, you can roast the garlic in the microwave as follows:
Peel the papery outer shell off of the garlic.
Cut the top of each head of garlic.
Pour 1-2 teaspoons olive oil over the exposed part of the garlic head.
Place the garlic heads on paper towels or a small glass or pottery dish, exposed side facing up, and then place the paper towels and garlic in the microwave.
Microwave on high for 2 minutes and check to make sure it's soft.
If it's not soft enough, microwave it on high for another 15 to 30 seconds.
Remove the garlic and paper towels from microwave. Let the garlic cool for at least 15 minutes.
Squeeze each clove gently until the garlic comes out of the skin.

Lee's Garlic Soup

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb (2 large) onions, roughly chopped
2 medium heads of garlic, cloves peeled
3 oz (2-3 slices) French bread torn into pieces
Fresh parsley
Fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup light or heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 cups chicken broth (1 litre)


Instructions:
Melt butter with oil in large heavy pot over low heat.
Add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are tender and golden brown, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes.
Tie the herbs with a string or stuff into a spice ball.
Add chicken stock, bread, and herb bouquet. Simmer for another 30 minutes.
Turn off the heat and remove the herbs and discard.
Add the cream and reheat but do not boil.
Puree with with a hand blender right in the pot.
Ladle into bowls or soup tureen.
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

Habitant Pea Soup

There are many recipes for Pea Soup, but the Habitant Pea Soup with Ham and Herbs is my favourite. I prefer the flavour of peas infused with herbs and ham stock, to the flavour sauted vegetables.   Besides it is easier and quicker. 


1. Bev's Habitant Pea Soup with Ham and Herbs

Ingredients:
1 ham hock
16 cups (4 litres) cold water
4 cups yellow split peas (or 2 14 oz packages), unsoaked, rinsed well, and checked for stones
Fresh herbs including at least 3 of the following: rosemary, tarragon, thyme, sage, oregano
1 bunch fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Sea salt or sel gris

Instructions:
Put the ham into a large soup pot and add the cold water.
Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for two hours.
If cooking the night before making the soup, cool the stock and ham, and put the pot into the frig overnight.
Remove the ham to a board or plate, remove bone, rind and extra fat, cut into small pieces and add back to the pot.
Tie the fresh herbs (except the parsley) with a white string or piece of cloth and put them into the pot.
Add the split peas (unsoaked) to the pot.
Bring the pot to a boil and simmer the peas 45 minutes.
Add the chopped parsley to the soup and simmer another 15 minutes.
Taste and add salt if necessary.


2. Nancye's Habitant Pea Soup

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. oil or butter
Smoked pork shoulder with bone
16 cups (4 litres) cold water
4 cups yellow split peas, rinsed well
Salt and pepper

Instructions:
Saute the onion and carrots in oil in a large soup pot.
Add the pork and the cold water.
Bring to a boil, turn down the heat, and simmer for 3 hours.
Remove the pork to a plate or board, cut into small pieces, and add back to the pot.
Add unsoaked split peas and simmer for 1 hour.
Taste and add salt if necessary.


3. Green Pea Soup with Leeks
Ingredients:
4 leeks
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, bacon, pancetta, or ham
4 cups dried split green peas (or 2 14 oz. packages), unsoaked, rinsed well and checked for stones
16 cups (4 litres) cold water
Fresh thyme
10 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
Fresh Italian parsley

Instructions:
Trim top and bottom of the leeks. Slice into 1/4-inch rounds. Put in a large sieve or colander and rinse well, making sure all the layers of leeks are separated and thoroughly rinsed.
Saute leeks in olive oil in a large soup pot until soft.
Cut the meat into small pieces, add to the pot, and saute until browned.
Put thyme, peppercorns, and bay leaves into a spice ball and add to the pot.
Add the water and the split green peas.
Bring to a boil, turn the heat down, and simmer for 45 minutes or until peas are mushy.
Add chopped parsley and cook 15 more minutes.
Taste and add salt if necessary.

Indian Fried Fish with Gujerati Dal

There's a lot of fresh snapper around town these days at very reasonable prices, so why not add another fish meal to your weekly repertoire

Here's the best recipe I have found for preparing firm white fish. I've used it for snapper, but any firm white fish would work. When I made it, I made extra, but I and the students just kept eating one more piece until it was gone. I modified the technique to eliminate the egg and the separate flour dredging and instead combined the flour and spices. I used my standard olive oil instead of vegetable oil. I used regular wheat flour instead of chick pea and rice flour. For the dal, I used yellow split peas, which I prefer to lentils.

The recipe is adapted from Meena Patak's book --- she married into the British Indian food importer and manufacturer. As a guest on Christine Cushing live, she gave several great tips for dealing with Indian spices. For one, she said to use the green cardamon with the pod as the pod has a lot of flavour. She also uses asafoetida, which I have yet to find west of Main Street or even any Indian cook who has heard of it. I wish I could find an Indian shopping tour.

Regarding legumes, there are so many reasons why it is much better to cook dried ones rather than opening cans. I usually cook 2 to 4 cups of dried beans or peas for a yield of 4 to 8 cups, then freeze half for another day. For health reasons, collect a repetoire of good bean and pea recipes that can be made more or less with ingredients on hand.


Indian Fried Fish

Ingredients:
4-pieces of snapper, 6-8 oz. each
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. turmeric, ground
3/4 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. coriander, ground
1 t. cumin, ground
1 tsp. salt (kosher or sea)
1/2 tsp. asafoetida (optional)
2 tsp. fresh grated ginger
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Instructions:
If frozen, thaw the snapper completely and dry with paper towels.
Mix the spices, ginger, and lemon. Do not increase the ginger and lemon juice or the mixture won't stick onto the fish properly.
Pat the fish with the spice mixture.
Set aside for 15 minutes to allow the flavours to mix (optionals).
Heat the frying pan on medium, testing by touching the top edge with your finger.
When hot, add olive oil. Adding the oil to a hot frying pan prevents the food from sticking.
Fry the fish 3 minutes on one side, 2 minutes on the other side.
Fry in batches if the pan is not big enough. Add more oil if necessary.
Remove the fish to a platter and serve with Gujurati Dal and Patak's Lime Pickle.

Gujurati Dal

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups yellow split peas
1 tsp. turmeric, ground
1 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves, whole
2 green cardamon pods
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 t. asafoetida (optional)
juice of 1/2 lemon
fresh coriander, chopped

Instructions:
Put the peas into a sieve or colander and rinse in cold water several times and drain. Sort through and take out any stones or other dirt.
Do not soak the peas.
Put in large pot with 6 cups cold water. Add the turmeric.
Cook for 20 to 60 minutes or until the peas are mushy.
Add the brown sugar and salt. Don't add salt until the end as it can stop the peas from softening.
Meanwhile, heat a frying pan on medium heat.
When hot, add the olive oil and the spices. Reduce the heat, and when the spices crackle, add them to the peas.
Stir well. Add lemon juice and fresh coriander.

Cooking Legumes from http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/

For those that want to cook legumes from dried, here's a list of the soaking and cooking times for some legumes. Soaking is not necessary for some legumes but it increases all legumes' digestibility and shortens their cooking time.

To soak legumes, put them in a bowl, cover by at least two inches (they will expand) with water and let soak at least eight hours. Legumes can take soaking periods of more than eight hours, but don't let them soak for more than a day. Before cooking, drain them and rinse them well. To cook, put them in a pot, cover with water by at least an inch, bring to the boil, cover and put on a low simmer.

Don't add salt or any acids (such as lemon juice or vinegar) until the end of cooking, because those things slow down the cooking time.

The cooking time can vary depending on the quality of the water used to cook. Beans are done when tender, underdone when al dente and overdone when mushy. Depending on the variety of legume, a given amount of dry will yield about 2 to 3 cups cooked.

If you have extra cooked legumes, you can keep them in the fridge in a container with their cooking water for about a week.

Black beans (soaked): 1.5-2 hours
Black-eyed peas (unsoaked): 30 minutes – 1 hour
Broad beans a.k.a. fava beans (soaked): 30 minutes-1 hour
Chickpeas a.k.a. garbanzo beans (soaked): 2-3 hours
Red kidney beans (soaked) 1-1.5 hours
Red lentils (unsoaked): 10-15 minutes
Green or brown lentils (unsoaked): 40-45 minutes
Navy beans (soaked): 1-1.5 hours
Pinto beans (soaked): 1.5-2 hours
Yellow or green split peas (unsoaked) (cooking at medium heat): 45 min-1 hour

Here's a handy guide to cooking grains and legumes including volume of water, cooking time and yield for unsoaked grains and legumes.

http://www.darkroad.com/Recipes/CookTime.htm

Spinach, Penne and Tuna Salad

This salad recipe was improvised one night after a hard day at school. I had no meat thawed and nothing but leftover penne in the frig, spinach, tomatoes, and a few bits and bobs but not enough to do anything with. The students pronounced it worthy of an encore.

I always stock canned tuna for emergencies and in case we don't have enough leftovers for student lunches.

The pine nuts, capers and cheese were also leftovers that I just happened to have. I have also made this salad with leftover pesto and without the tuna.

Spinach, Penne and Tuna Salad

Ingredients:
Fresh spinach leaves
3 cans white chunk tuna
2 cups cooked penne

Pine nuts, toasted
Capers
Kalamata olives, pitted
Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/4 small red onion, sliced fine
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1/2 large lemon
1 tsp. sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
Fresh basil leaves
Grated gruyere cheese

Instructions:
Warm the pasta in the microwave for 2 minutes, if it's cold.
Toast the pine nuts in a frying pan on medium heat until nice and brown. Keep stirring to make sure they don't burn.
Put the following in a large bowl: spinach, tuna, olives, capers, pine nuts, cherry tomatoes, red onion, olive oil, and lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir well, breaking up the tuna chunks.
Add basil leaves and grated the cheese at the table after serving.

New Potatoes, Prawns and Strawberries

We went out to my favourite farm on the estuary this morning
http://www.westhamislandherb.ca/
to pick strawberries in the cool of the early morning. We ate until our mouths were red. One of the student's friends said his sore throat was cured after eating them.


I also bought some new potatoes called Warbas, mmmm!). They are quite waxy in texture so perfect for holding their shape in salads. I keep the preparation very simple ---- new potatoes are best that way. Something about fresh fried fish and seafood seems to call for boiled potatoes or maybe vice versa.


So we went off to the docks to buy spot prawns. Spot prawns are delicate in flavour and cook very quickly so you don't want a completing flavour. One of the students took the heads off, but I left the shells on to keep all the juice in. I tossed them in olive oil, salt and pepper and baked them in the oven at 450 degrees F. for 5 minutes until barely done.


By 9 a.m. we were sitting in the sunshine enjoying a good strong coffee and anticipating the evening's feast.

New Potatoes


Ingredients:
2 lbs new potatoes (e.g. Warbas, nuggets)
1 bunch fresh Italian parsley, chopped fine
1/4 red onion, sliced fine
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper


Instructions:
Wash and boil the potatoes in heavily salted water, at least 2 tsp. of salt. Cut the larger ones in half. New potatoes cook fast so keep testing them and drain them out as soon as they are done.
They are done when you stab them with a knife, pull them out of the water, give the knife a shake and they fall off the knife.
Drain the potatoes nd put the pot back on the stove to steam dry the potatoes.
While the potatoes are cooking:
Take a large bowl, put the oil, parsley, onion, salt and pepper into it and stir well.
Put the steamed potatoes into the bowl. Cut any large ones in halves or quarters.
Toss the potatoes, oil and herbs.
Serve warm.

Beef Short Ribs in Cinnamon Onion Curry

This recipe is adapted from Vij's book and it is outstanding. I only streamlined it a bit and omitted the wine. It is amazingly delicious and I can't stop thinking about it. I don't think I'll make short ribs any other way for awhile. None of the flavours dominate but all are brought out to their fullest.

I like using short ribs rather than stewing beef because the ribs are so succulent and the fat and bone make the dish so nutritious and tasty. They are not usually available in regular grocery stores, but Stongs, small butcher shops, and Real Canadian Store usually have them if you ask. There is a fad for boneless short ribs lately so you have to ask for the butcher to cut some with the bone in.

Spices

Indian cooks are true artists with spices (Italians with herbs, and Mennnonites with milk dishes). You have to know how to roast and grind spices, but also at what stage to add them, and also how guage how strong the spices are. Some whole spices are added to the hot oil at the start, some ground spices are added a little later with other ingredients, and some are added at the end. Salt and fresh herbs are added at the end.

You should buy whole seeds and roast and grind your own, but fresh ground spices are okay too. You will need a mortar and pestle and for really hard seeds, an electric coffee grinder set aside for spices only. I don't recommend buying curry and masala blends as you don't know what the proportions are.

I buy my herbs and spices locally but would love someone to do a cooking tour of the Indian shops so I know what to buy and can find some things that can't be found elsewhere. I think that's on the list of summer activities --- a self-guided tour of Indian grocery stores.

I used butter instead of ghee and olive oil instead of canola. I left out the wine because I find cooking with wine really changes the taste, so you really have to like that flavour. I kept the fat and bone with the meat. I didn't bother chopping things too fine or pureeing the tomatoes because, after 4 hours cooking, the tomatoes and onions are mush. I used my turkey stock from the freezer.

Vij recommends taking the cinnamon bark out part way through cooking if it seems too strong. Mine wasn't overpowering at all.

My fenugreek seeds were not ground so I used my dedicated spice grinder. The seeds are too hard to grind with mortar and pestle. Fenugreek is salty tasting so do not add more than the recipe specifies and then add a tiny bit of salt before serving.

Beef Short Ribs with Cinnamon Onion Curry

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. butter or ghee
1/4 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
2 large onions, chopped
10 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. ground fenugreek seeds
1-1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 ground cayenne pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp. Mexican chili powder
1 3 inch piece cinnamon bark
3-4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup red wine (optional)
2 packages (about 3 pounds) beef short ribs with fat and bone (8 medium or 6 large)

Instructions:
Take the stock out of the freezer to thaw.
Rinse the short ribs and set on a clean dish.
Chop onions and garlic and hold on the cutting board in separate heaps.
Chop tomatoes, put in a bowl, and measure out the fenugreek, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, chili, and cinnamon bark and add to tomatoes, but don't stir. Grind any spices if required
Melt ghee or butter in a large pot on medium heat. If using butter, use low heat.
Add oil and increase heat to medium.
Add cumin seeds and allow to sizzle 30 seconds.
Add onions and saute til brown, about 10 minutes.
Add garlic and saute til golden brown, about 2 minutes.
Keep sauteing garlic and onions until quite brown, the darker the better, up to another 30 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and add tomatoes and spices.
Stir and increase heat to medium until ghee/oil separates from the tomatoes, about 10 minutes.
Add the stock (and red wine if used) and simmer stirring occasionally, until ghee/oil separates from the stock and rises to the top, about 15 minutes.
Add short ribs, and simmer 4 hours, stirring occasionally. The curry will be dark almost black by this time and incredibly delicious.
Place one short rib in each bowl, and pour curry over top.
Add a very short grinding of salt.

Roasted Pepper Salads

There are many versions of roasted pepper salad and many ways to roast peppers. I learned the method in the Roasted Multi-coloured Roasted Pepper Salad recipe from Patrick and the recipe is Patrick's too. Patrick's looked considerably more professional than mine. This method is very easy and the dish is very popular with students and guests.



The second recipe, Roasted Red Peppers with Olives and Capers, is also really easy and a great taste combination.

The leftovers of both salads also taste great alone and you can add them to a cheese sandwich too.

1. Patrick's Multi-coloured Roasted Pepper Salad

Select 3 or 4 different colours of sweet peppers --- red, yellow, orange, and green. Make sure the outside is perfect and each pepper has an intact stem, because you need to keep the peppers whole to keep all the liquid inside them.

Ingredients:
4-8 sweet peppers of various colours, with skin and stems intact
1-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) (the good stuff)
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

Instructions:
Wash the whole peppers gently and put them on a baking sheet covered in foil in a 450 degree F oven (middle rack) for 30-50 minutes depending on the size of the peppers.
Keep turning them gently every 5 or 10 minutes using oven mitts, taking care not to burst them and lose the liquid inside. They don't need to brown or turn black.

Once they are completely collapsed in on themselves they will look like this. The red peppers on the left are the ideal, the yellow and orange peppers are not quite collapsed.

Lift the peppers carefully into a large bowl using oven mitts, taking care not to burst them and lose the liquid inside. I also use wooden tongs to handle the hot peppers.


Cool the peppers. I am usually too impatient to wait and just start the next step.
Carefully pull out the stems trying to extract the core and seeds intact with the stems, discard the stems, core and seeds, leaving the liquid with the peppers in the bowl. Pull the remaining seeds and the skins off the peppers.
Cut the peppers in 1-inch strips length-wise and lay the strips on a platter, alternating the colours.
Pour the liquid from the bowl over the peppers. Use a strainer if there are seeds in the liquid.
Drizzle with a little EVOO.
Season with a little salt and pepper.
Serve hot or cold.

2. Roasted Red Pepper Salad with Olives and Capers

Ingredients:
4-6 red peppers
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
2 Tbsp. capers, drained

Instructions:
Wash the peppers.
Take each whole pepper and lay it down on the cutting board lengthwise and cut 1-2 inch strips off, just missing the stem, core and seeds, turning the pepper as you go. You should end up with 5 or 6 strips of pepper, and the stem, core and seeds in a separate piece.
Discard stem, core and seeds. Rinse any seeds off the pepper strips.
Put the pepper strips on a baking sheet covered in foil.
Drizzle generously with EVOO, season with salt and pepper and toss.
Spread the peppers out on the baking sheet.
Roast at 450 degrees F. for 20-30 minutes or until cooked.
Put the roasted pepper strips into a bowl. Don't bother to skin them.
Add the kalamata olives and capers.
Add more EVOO (the good stuff).

Schiacciata con l'uva (Grape Bread or Tuscan Flat Bread)

I have always loved the grape bread at Terra breads. It's has to be made and sold fresh so you can only get it at the real store. I tried a lot of different recipes and techniques but this one is my favourite so far but I think it can be improved.

I used the Kneadless Bread method for this incredibly delicious Tuscan flat bread. Sonya and Max were here to try the latest version and pronounced it very good. Max by the way, being of Italian heritage, taught me how to pronounce schiacciata. It sounds so good when pronounced with the right accent. It is pronounced "skiachatta". It means "pressed" and uva means "grapes". Maybe it's called "pressed" because the Italians made this bread when they were pressing grapes or maybe because the bread dough is pressed flat.

I use Rogers flour for baking (no additives). I like the black seedless grapes, they are very sweet but any seedless grapes will work.

Schiacciata con l'uva
Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups unbleached white flour
1/4 tsp. plus a bit yeast (instant or bread machine)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. plus a bit kosher salt
3/8 cup olive oil
1-5/8 cups water
3-4 cups grapes
1 cup pinenuts or finely chopped walnuts or half cup of each

Instructions:
Measure the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Don't let the yeast and salt touch each other until you mix them with the other dry ingredients.
Mix dry ingredients well.
Mix oil and water in a measuring cup and then add to dry ingredients.
Stir until all the flour is incorporated - maybe 30 seconds.
Cover the bowl with clean towel and let rise 12-18 hours at room temperature.
Meanwhile:
Wash 3 cups of seedless small sweet black grapes and remove grapes from stems.
Slit each grape with knife or press with fingers to squash slightly. If you skip this step, no worries.
Add 2 Tbsp. sugar to the grapes, stir and set aside.
After 12 to 18 hours:
Get two cookie sheets ready. Drizzle olive oil on them to prevent sticking while you shape the bread.
Lightly oil your hands and gently pull the dough away from sides of bowl, and then pick it up and pinch it into two balls.
Using your hands, spread one ball out on each cookie sheet, pressing the dough out to about 9 x 13 inches in size.
Sprinkle one half with the pine nuts and/or chopped walnuts.
On same half, lay out half the grapes in rows about 1/2 or 1 inch apart or randomly.
Put the second piece of dough on top of the first half.
Put another layer of grapes on the top.
Drizzle with oil.
Sprinkle with fennel seeds or finely chopped fresh rosemary (optional).
Cover with a clean cloth and let rise 3 hours at room temperature.
After 3 hours:
Preheat oven for 20 minutes.
Bake at 400 degrees F. for 25 to 30 minutes, watching carefully and removing it when it's golden brown and the edges are crisp.

Biltmore Estate Succotash Salad with Roasted Corn and Bacon

This salad was a brilliant discovery at the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina. It is a bit more work than I will usually tolerate in a standby dish, but definitely a winner in this house.
It's yet another salad that is great as leftovers and for school lunches. Serve warm or cold.

And finally the perfect foil for celery, as well as bacon and corn.

If desired, freeze half the cooked beans and make half a recipe of the salad.

Ingredients:
14 oz. dried lima beans
1/2 pound bacon
Bacon oil from frying pan
4 cobs of corn
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 stalks fresh crisp green celery
2 carrots
1 red onion
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (if you have it on hand) or lemon juice

Instructions:
Soak the lima beans in lots of water in a large pot overnight.
Next day, drain the water, add fresh water and cook just until done.
You can drain and hold the beans until later to assemble the salad.
While the beans are cooking:
Cut the bacon into 1/2-inch pieces and fry until done cooked but not crisp and you have a lot of fat in the pan.
Put the bacon and all the fat from the pan into a large bowl.
Shuck the corn, coat with oil, salt and pepper and roast in a 450 degree F. oven for 5 minutes, and then finish in the micro-wave for 1 minute.
Holding the cobs upright using a tea towel to protect your hand, slice down 4 sides of each cob to cut off the kernels. Add the corn kernels to the bowl.
Wash and trim the celery stalks and carrots (no need to peel). Slice the celery and carrots length-wise and then slice into small pieces, and add to the bowl.
Peel the red onion, cut in half and then cut into thin rings.
Once the beans are done, drain and cool them, then add them into the bowl.
Add apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
Season with salt and pepper.
Mix thoroughly.

Patrick's Yam Salad with Tomatoes, Garlic and Basil

This is one of Patrick's fabulous standby recipes that I make several times a month. Like many of the vegetable recipes, it can be served hot, warm or cold and makes great leftovers. Yams are so nutritious, being full of vitamins and fibre.

This recipe is made with the dark orange yams (also called sweet potatoes). It is great warm or cold and makes great leftovers and school lunches. I like that it does not have to go to the table piping hot so it's not last minute, and is still good when the stragglers arrive home.

Knives

My favourite chef's knife is my Santoku knife. I like the balance, the length and shape, and the way the concave flutes make food slide off it easily. I wash and dry it after every use and put it back into its slot in the knife block. Never put your knives in the dishwasher, the sink, in pile of dirty utensils, a drawer or a drain board. That way they do not get knicked and you can sharpen the edges easily yourself in minutes with a sharpening steel and you never have to take it to a professional grinder to get a new surface. You need a back-up chef's knife in case you have a helper in the kitchen.

For cutting tomatoes, you need a serrated knife. I always use one of my wood-handled Sabatier steak knives. Of course, they never go into the dishwasher.

For trimming and peeling I use those small short curved paring knives. They are good for testing the doneness of vegetables. You need two in case you have a helper.

Of course, the serrated bread knife lives on the bread board with the Kneadless bread.

Patrick's Yam Salad

Ingredients:
2 large yams or 4 to 6 smaller ones
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1 bunch of cherry tomatoes
6 cloves of garlic
1/4 red onion
balsamic vinegar
1 bunch fresh basil

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. ( 230 C.) and place the rack in the middle of the oven.
Cover a baking sheet with foil.
Wash and trim the yams. Do not peel.
Slice the yams into 1/4-inch thick slices diagonally.
Sprinkle very liberally with olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat every surface.
Lay out the yam slices in one layer to make sure they get golden and crispy.
Cut a cross in each cherry tomato at the stem end and scatter them on top.
Peel the garlic cloves, slice them in half lengthwise, and scatter them on top.
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until yams are done.
Serve on a large platter to keep the slices intact.
Drizzle just a very small amount of balsamic on the yams, maybe 1 Tbsp.
Slice the red onion into very small rings and scatter on the yams.
Sprinkle with torn fresh basil leaves.

Turgay's Basmati Rice with Browned Butter

A Turkish doctor staying in my house taught me this recipe and it really tastes good. Now it is my standard method of cooking rice.


Turgai taught me quite a few things and I never saw anyone so fussy and particular about methods. For example, he would not allow anyone else to scoop ice cream because they didn't do it right. You can't just scoop in the middle or anywhere you want. In making salads and meatballs he was equally particular.


I always use Indian basmati rice because it smells and tastes so good. It is also better than white rice for health. Try to get basmati from India, not the US or other places as the flavour is more intense. Of course, they don't use basmati in Turkey, but the recipe is still works. The Turkish doctor was a traditional cook too, no measuring or timing, just went by experience.


My Sri Lankan aristocratic neighbour, Sumana, taught me how to make rice the traditional way, i.e. no measuring. The amount of water should be one finger nuckle above the rice.


Turgai's Basmati Rice with Browned Butter

Rinse 1 cup rice in running water and drain really well.
Meanwhile, in a large pot, on medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp. butter.
Stir with a wooden spoon until the butter sizzles and then a little more. It is okay if the butter browns a little.
Add the rice and stir it til it sizzles and then a bit more.
Cover with 2 cups hot tap water.
Add 1 tsp. sea salt.
Cover the pot with a lid. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to low so the rice just simmers.
Set the timer for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, turn off the heat.
Put some paper towels under the lid and let stand 5 minutes.

Summer, Sorrel or Green Borscht (Zumma, Zuaromp or Jreena Borscht)

I have been meaning to add this recipe because it is a good spring and summer recipe. It's called summer borscht because you use fresh greens. They didn't have greens in winter in the old days. It is also considered a spring tonic or cleanser.

One essential plant for home gardeners is a sorrel plant. It is hardy and comes up early so you can make fresh soup and salad in early spring. Sorrel leaves are also great in salads and can be used in sauces for fish.

As kids we used to eat zuaromp in the garden all the time. The taste is tart and lemony. It was decades before I realized that the English name was sorrel.

The French use sorrel in sauces, maybe someone can share their favourite recipes.

You should be able to easily find fresh dill and parsley in your local store, but summer savory you may have to grow yourself from seed and freeze. If you don't have any, leave it out, but make a note to buy some seeds next year.

Summer Borscht

Ingredients:
Ham hock with bone or 4 beef short ribs with bones
4-5 large potatoes, preferably Island ambers or other waxy potatoes (red ones work too), diced with peel
4 cups fresh sorrel leaves (can be frozen)
1 bunch fresh dill, chopped
1 bunch flat Italian parsley, with stems, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
10 or more peppercorns
1 bunch fresh, frozen, or dried summer savory
Sea salt (to taste)
Sour cream or heavy cream

Instructions:
Simmer a meat in a large pot of water for 2 hours. This can be done the night before.
Cool in the frig overnight or go straight to the next step.
Remove the meat and bone from the pot and put it on a plate.
Cut the meat off the bone, cut into small pieces and add back to the soup, leaving a bit of fat if you like it. Discard the extra fat, skin and bones. I can never resist a few nibbles of the fat first though. Don't skim the fat from the stock because it contains nutrients and adds so much flavour.
Wash 5 large potatoes, trim any blemishes, cut into 1 inch pieces and add them to the soup. Don't peel the potatoes.
Chop parsley including stems, and add to the pot.
Chop dill removing thick stems and add to the pot.
Chop the sorrel leaves
Put peppercorns and summer savory into a spice ball and add to the pot.
Depending on the saltiness of the ham, season the soup with salt.
Simmer until the potatoes are done, about 30 minutes.
Turn off the heat, and when the soup has cooled slightly, add cream or serve on the side at the table.

Serve with Perfect Kneadless Brown Bread on the side and a dollop of sour cream on top.

Notes:
Cousin Betty always uses an onion and a full tablespoon of peppercorns.
Marina also adds beet leaves.

Related Posts:

Spinach Salad with Pine Nuts and Gruyere

I prefer my spinach raw in salads, although I often add some to stir fries and stews.

There are so many great ways to serve fresh raw spinach. I think it needs a different dressing and add-ins than a lettuce or mesclun salad.

I usually buy boxes of pre-washed baby spinach. In the summer, I pick it from my own garden.

Here's one version I made the other day that turned out really well. While out touring houses in the east end, I stopped for lunch in an old time deli and bought a piece of cave-cured Gruyere.

Spinach Salad with Pine Nuts and Gruyere --- the recipe

Spinach leaves, about a bowl full
Pine nuts, toasted. To toast, put into an omelet pan on medium heat and toss or stir every few seconds until they are golden. It takes about 2 or 3 minutes but watch them closely.
Grated Gruyere cheese
Extra virgin olive oil
Fresh lemon juice

Having Your Way with Beets

I can't believe how much I love beets. I make them often, but not too often, about twice a month (with leftovers, that amounts to 5 or 6 days a month we have beets). I want to wait until I am yearning for them. The nutritional value is very high, so it is worth perfecting one or two recipes and serving them often.

You can usually buy fresh beets (with green tops attached) but the ones without tops are just as good. I always grow a few rows in my garden just for the treat of eating the small new ones.

General rules for cooking beets are as follows:
- beets are messy and the juice stains, so wear an apron and develop a system for handling them with minimum potential for getting the juices on everything
- do not peel or trim tails and stems before boiling or roasting. If the stems and leaves are still attached, cut the stem down to 1 inch only. This prevents the juices and nutrients running out
- to cook, boil in water until done. It can take close to an hour for large ones. They are done when they can be easily shaken off a small sharp paring knife stabbed into them. Do not overcook as the flavour and sweetness will be greatly diminished
- roasted beets are far better and retain flavour and nutrients much better. To roast the beets, toss with extra virgin olive oil, and roast on a baking sheet in a preheated 400 degrees F. oven just until done
- cool the cooked beets before trimming the root and stem and peeling (if necessary) with a small paring knife. The peel can often be removed by just rubbing it off. If you want hot beets, put on rubber gloves and rub the peel off. You don't have to peel the small new beets, but the older ones may need it

I usually make Beet Salad with Oranges, because it can be served hot, warm or cold and makes great leftovers. If I have the oven on for other things, I roast the beets --- it is worth the trouble.

I am looking for a pickled beet recipe to round out the set of recipes below. Anyone?

1. Beets with Butter

Put unsalted butter, sea salt and freshly ground pepper into a large bowl.
Cut the cooked beets into quarters and slice with a small knife into the bowl.
Stir well and serve.

2. Beet Salad With Oranges

Cooked beets, peeled and trimmed, cut into 1/4's or 1/8's and then sliced
1 large juicy navel orange, peeled, cut into 1/8 wedges and then sliced
1/2 red onion, cut whole onion in half lengthwise, then finely slice
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

Put the oil, salt and pepper into a large bowl.
Take about a third of the orange pieces and squeeze the juice out of them into the bowl.
Cut the beets and oranges into the bowl.
Toss everything together and serve hot, warm or cold.

3. Beet Salad with Arugula, Goat Cheese and Walnuts

Arugula
Cooked beets, peeled and trimmed, cut into 1/4's or 1/8's and then sliced
Crumbled goat cheese
Walnut pieces, toasted

Put dressing ingredients into a large bowl. Use either:
- maple syrup, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper
- walnut oil, raspberry vinegar, salt and pepper
Add arugula and toss.
Put the argula on a platter.
Toss sliced beets in dressing a separate bowl and layer on to arugula.
Add crumbled goat cheese.
Add toasted walnuts.
To toast any nuts, heat an omelet pan to medium heat, add the nuts, and stir or shake until the nuts turn golden and release their nutty smell.

Three Potato Salads

Potatoes were the the mainstay of every Canadian breakfast. lunch, and supper for decades. Fried, mashed, boiled, baked, in stew and soup. In my hometown, walking down the street at lunch time, you could smell those fried potatoes being prepared for lunch in every house. Potato salad was made for every weiner roast (that was before barbeques) and church supper.

A few years ago I discovered some excellent potatoes grown in nearby farms. On Westham Island you can get Island Ambers, and in Richmond you can find German yellow potatoes at a farmstand. Yukon golds, Island Ambers, and German yellows all have good flavour. The Island Ambers especially have the waxy texture that make good potato salad. Red potatoes are another option. Store potatoes in a dark coolish in a box or basket, not a plastic bag and not in the frig. Cut off any green skin and potato.

I often make warm potato salad, because you can make it a little ahead or if some people are late for the meal, you don't have to heat it up. It also makes great leftovers for lunches.

I don't use mayonnaise or salad dressing because it doesn't keep well and I prefer the taste and health benefits of olive oil and fresh herbs.

The measurements here are rough and you should adjust proportions and seasoning according to personal taste.

Be sure to eat the skins because they contain a large percentage of the nutrients in the potato.


1. Potato Salad with Sundried Tomatoes

Potatoes, boiled with plenty of salt and skins on, drained, and steamed dry.
In a large bowl, put:
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes in oil from a jar
1/2 t. cumin
extra virgin olive oil (your good vintage)
One of the following: sliced red onion, or finely chopped green onion, fresh basil, fresh dill, fresh parsley
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
Mix the ingredients in the bowl.
Add the potatoes with skin, chopping with a knife into smaller pieces.
Toss all the ingredients.
Taste and adjust seasonings.

2. German Potato Salad

Potatoes, boiled with plenty of salt and skins on, drained, and steamed dry.
In a large bowl, put:
bacon, cut in very small pieces and fried
bacon fat from frying the bacon
green onion, chopped
extra virgin olive oil (your good brand)
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
Mix the ingredients in the bowl.
Add the potatoes with skin, chopping with a knife into smaller pieces.
Toss all the ingredients.
Taste and adjust seasonings.

3. Potato Salad with Sour Cream

Potatoes, boiled with plenty of salt and skins on, drained, steamed dry and cooled.
In a large bowl, put:
3 T. sour cream
1 T. cider or white vinegar
2 t. caper brine (optional)
1-1/2 t. sugar
fresh dill, chopped fine
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
Mix the ingredients in the bowl.
Add the potatoes with skin, chopping with a knife into smaller pieces.
Toss all the ingredients.
Taste and adjust seasonings.

Valencia's and Eduardo's Yerba Mate with Cinnamon and Star Anise

Yerba mate is consumed all day in Paraguay. It is a mild herbal tea that contains caffiene. Our bus driver had a cow horn guampa (cup) with bombilla (metal straw with strainer at the end) in his hand all day. In Paraguay everyone shares the same cup and it is considered rude to refuse and offer to sip the tea. You need the bombilla to strain the straw out of the tea.

Our bus driver filled the whole guampa with what looked like a lot of dry straw and kept topping it up with water (he also had a separate open air unairconditioned compartment on the bus and didn't come down with a cold like we did from the super air conditioned main compartment bus).

The "hotel" lady filled his 2-gallon thermos with hot water in the morning and later he filled it with cold water for the afternoon. A doctor at the hospital told me that the main benefit of this tea is hydration in the 40 to 50 degree F. heat. He shrugged off the shared cups as "community immunity".

Joan's Instructions:

In a tea pot, add a broken up cinnamon stick and one star anise. The Yerba Mate comes in tea bags so you don’t have to drink it out of a guampa with a bombilla (those can stay on my mantel just for show). I have a pair of them with the bombilla in them beside the old photos of Harry’s dad and the Guarani Indians in Paraguay. Nancy (Valencia) and Eduardo taught me how to drink it like this. It is quite tasty this way and is healthier than green tea --- full of antioxidants plus whatever is in the cinnamon stick and anise. Try 100% Organic Mate Factor Yerba Mate brand.

Lime Ginger Cooler Indian Style for Sizzling Weather

When water won't satisfy, and you don't want to drink pop or beer, try this healthy thirst quenching drink. We drank fresh lime juice in India everywhere we went. You are asked if you want it with sugar or salt or both.

Use the freshest, juiciest limes, lemons and ginger you can find. The juiciness and sweetness of limes and lemons and ginger and the bite of ginger varies by the quality. I use a wooden reamer to get every last bit of juice out of lemons and limes.

The following recipe is a very weak version of the Indian drink that I invented for drinking all day. When you have guests, use more lime juice, more ginger, up to 5 Tbsp. sugar, more salt and bottled sparkling water to make the drink and serve it in small glasses.

Lime Juice Indian Style for Sizzling Weather --- the recipe

Half fill a large glass pitcher with cold water.
Slice 1/2 fresh lime and 1/2 fresh lemon thinly. Quarter the slices. Squeeze them in your hand into the pitcher, and then toss in the slices too. Discard any pits.
Add:
1 Tbsp. grated ginger
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 quick zzz of the electric salt grinder
5 mint leaves
Fill the pitcher with ice cubes.

Drink all day and keep the pitcher replenished at all times.

Joan's Green Salad with Herbs and Ginger

Joan's reflections

When I eat this simple green salad I can almost feel the infusion of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals into my bloodstream. It’s juicy and flavourful.

Green Salad with Herbs and Ginger

Chop up:

Baby spinach or mixed spring greens
Tomatoes (put in a bowl for a few minutes with a little olive oil, sea salt & fresh ground pepper while preparing other ingredients. This makes them juicier)
Green onions
Fresh cilantro
Fresh mint leaves
Fresh basil
(all or some of the herbs, whatever you have available in any amounts)

Mix the following dressing into the salad (you don’t even have to make it separately, just add it to the green mixture):
Grated fresh ginger
Plenty of extra virgin cold pressed olive oil (experiment with a good flavourful olive oil)
Squeeze of small lemon wedge (optional) (I actually prefer the salad without the lemon, but try it both ways and decide.)
Fresh ground pepper (lots)
Sea salt (a little to taste)

Add:
Goat or feta cheese (optional but adds a lot of flavour) (break it up with your fingers into fairly large chunks)

Another option to this salad which I love is to chop up some bok choy, and it gives you a cruciferous vegetable.

You will be hooked.

Green Salads

I make a big green salad almost every evening, and it's always all eaten. I buy large boxes of prewashed mixed or spring greens and baby spinach every week all winter and spring and cut fresh greens from my garden every day from summer to late fall. A green salad with homemade dressing freshens a meal of leftovers too.


I don't usually add other vegetables to a green salad, but maybe once or twice a week I will add But usually I serve the other raw vegetables, such as tomatoes or cucumbers, as a separate salad, so if it's not all eaten, it will hold better for lunches and snacks the next day.


The Maple Mustard Dressing below is a favourite of my student boarders from every country of the world and they never tire of it. For many it is the one recipe they ask for when they go home.


When even the Maple Mustard salad dressing below is too much work, I just throw handfuls of mixed greens from the box into a salad bowl, squeeze a lemon on it, drizzle olive oil over it, and season generously with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. If I have it, I put a handful of torn basil leaves in too. This quick method is perfect for making individual salads to go with a sandwich or cold plate made from frig grazings.


In summer, my greens from the garden can include any or all of the following: various lettuces; mesclun mixes which can include chervil, endive, corn salad, escarole, chicory, cress, onion greens, and dandelion; sorrel; Swiss chard; arugula; spinach; kale; cabbage; broccoli, chives, flat leaf Italian parsley, summer savoury, dill, mint, basil, oregano, thyme




Green Salad with Basil
Fill a bowl with mesclun mix.
Add a large bunch of basil, chopped with stems.
Maple Mustard Dressing (see below)
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper.


Green Salad with Tomatoes
Large bowl of mesclun or lettuces.
Halved cherry tomatoes or quartered small tomatoes, arranged on top with cut sides up.
Grind lots of salt and pepper directly onto the cut side of the tomatoes.
Let stand for 20 minutes.
Add fresh lemon juice and EVOO.
Toss and serve.


Green Salad with Strawberries
Fill a bowl with mesclun or any mixed greens.
Add halved strawberries and 2 or 3 chopped green onions.
Add fresh lemon or lime juice and olive oil, lots of freshly ground pepper, and a little sea salt.


Green Salad with Mango or Papaya
Fill a bowl with mesclun or any mixed greens.
Add mango or papaya, cut in chunks
Add chopped walnuts.
Fresh lime juice
EVOO
Freshly ground pepper
Sea salt



Green Salad with Nuts and Dried Fruit
Sometimes, I make individual salad plates --- everybody seems to eat the whole plate.
Put mixed greens or baby spinach on each salad plate
Add little heaps of 2 or 3 of the following around the edges: walnuts, dried apricots, half hard boiled egg, prawns, chunk of tuna, grated cheese, red pepper, leftover cold cooked broccoli, cucumber sliced in half length-wise and heavily salted, halved salted cherry tomatoes, blueberries, slices of fresh orange, pickles or anything else around.


Spinach SaladSpinach seems to call for a different dressing and add-ins.
Put baby spinach in a big bowl. The add one of the following combinations
1. Avocado wedges, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. Grated cheese, toasted pine nuts, fresh lemon, olive oil, freshly ground pepper.
3. Fresh orange or grapefruit slices, olive oil, salt and pepper.


Maple Mustard Dressing
1/4 cup maple syrup heaping Tbsp. Dijon mustard
juice of 1 lemon
freshly ground pepper
Put in a small jar, put the lid on and shake well or whisk with a tiny whisk.
Keeps in the frig for several days.


Optional additions:


1 clove grated fresh garlic
1 T. olive oil


Variations:
Instead of maple syrup, use fresh grapefruit juice, fresh orange juice, raspberry juice or cranberry juice.

Loris' Sister Corrine's Rhubarb Plauts

While fresh rhubarb is still plentiful, it's time to make plauts --- that once a year sweet-sour treat.

Plauts or streusel cake is quick and easy to make and can be made with plums or other tart fruit as well as dry cottage cheese. The combination of sugar and extremely sour fruit is irresistible.

Plauts is faster and easier to make than pie, especially in large quantities so it was and is often served at family gatherings, funerals and weddings.

In the old days, it was common to make just one dish of whatever was fresh and available and that would often be the entire meal, even if it was all dessert. The women had so much work to do, and there were so many hungry men and kids to feed, that they had to be efficient. Of course, they had to use up what they had and not waste any food.

I like to think that they instinctively knew that one had to eat seasonally to get the best nutrition and they certainly knew the taste was better. With no frigs and freezers, there was really no choice about eating what was plentiful in season.

I love the succession of summer fruits and tend to make whole meals out of whatever fruit is in season. Rhubarb is followed by strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Summer brings cherries and blackberries, and then in late summer peaches, apricots, plums and pears appear, followed by apples in the fall. Bringing home a big box of fresh berries from a farm stand is a great excuse not to make the usual full dinner meal.

I also have a few plants of raspberries, blueberries and strawberries and the first person out in the garden in the morning can eat a handful of unbelievably sweet fruit for breakfast.

My mother always canned rhubarb in syrup, and that was a common Sunday afternoon faspa for visitors, served with Bothwell cheese, grandma's double buns (tviback) and coffee (kind of an afternoon tea). Every home had a large fancy glass bowl with a matching set of small fruit bowls, just to serve such preserves. At grandpa's house, we weren't allowed to have more than one thing on the buns. Take either cheese or jam or butter. Even having all two or three on the table was not approved of. It was a voluntary restraint and a lesson that I can appreciate now.

Nowadays you can freeze rhubarb, chopped, in airtight plastic bags, so you have it on hand any time for pie, plauts, brown betty and sauce.

This Rhubarb Plauts recipe is Loris' sister Corrine's recipe. Loris swears it's the all time best recipe and I have to agree. The various Englander that pass through my house are also very impressed and ask for the recipe. I used butter and increased the amount of rhubarb.

I really like the slightly sour cottage cheese taste in recipes so I made cottage cheese (gloms) plauts. It was delicious and satisfied my cravings. The rhubarb is the winner for me though. Some of the curds baked into hard kernels so the recipe set out below is in development. Suggestions to improve the results would be appreciated.

Corrine's Rhubarb Plauts --- the recipe

Dough
2 cups flour
1-1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2/3 cup margarine

Mix until crumbly. Reserve 3/4 cup of the crumbs for the topping.

Add:
2 eggs, lightly beaten with
1 cup milk

Mix and pour into an greased 9" x 13" pan.

Sprinkle with 2 cups chopped rhubarb.

Crumb topping
Add 3/4 cup sugar to the reserved crumbs and sprinkle on the rhubarb.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for 50 minutes.
Drizzle with icing sugar while still warm.

Gloms Plauts
(from Mennonite Foods and Folkways of South Russia)

Dough (for this step I used the dough recipe from the Rhubarb Plauts recipe above)
3 cups sour cream
5 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Flour to make dough you can roll.
Filling (for this step I followed the recipe but left out the lemon and vanilla as I don't imagine they had those in the old days)
3 cups dry curd cottage cheese (fine)
4 eggs
1-1/2 cups sugar
rind of 1 lemon
1 tsp. lemon extract
1 tsp. vanilla
Crumb topping (again I used the recipe for rhubarb plauts above)
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 salt

Bake at 375 degrees F. for 40-50 minutes. (I followed the baking instructions for rhubarb plauts above)