If you’re on Pender Island this weekend, be sure to stop by the Farmers’ Market on Saturday:
Sometimes, when it’s really, really hot, a crazy cool-down idea will take shape around here.
Like injecting a watermelon with vodka — circa Lollapalooza ’93 — which is the last (and more age-appropriate) time I considered using a syringe to introduce alcohol into fruit. Back then it was a scheme to get booze past the festival gate checkpoint — a scheme we never got around to actually attempting… Read the rest of this entry »
1. Soba Shots in Frozen Asian Flavoured Double Strength Chicken Consomme by Island Vittles
I think my timing is a little better on this post than my last one — if I had checked the weather forecast before I published on Monday, I would have seen this heatwave coming, and not suggested a Wilted Spinach & Oyster Mushroom Salad with Warm Goat’s Cheese Dressing.
That said, I originally posted the Frozen Soba Shots above in April, when a warm spinach salad probably would have been the more appropriate choice in the cool spring sun.
I could change the name of this blog to Seasonal Food Anachronisms, or I could just get a grip and start posting stuff at the right time, and in the right order…in that spirit, I give you 5 great chilled soups to cool down the summer heat:
Summertime is salad-for-dinner time. Am I right?
So what do you do when, 2 weeks after summer solstice, the sun has appeared for a total of 3 1/2 hours, and dinner on the deck means long pants and long sleeves?
I figured if I had to wear a sweater, then the salad probably needed a warm-up too. And as I found out, cashmere isn’t the only goat product with excellent thermal properties.
I just can’t help but picture Tiny Tim singing “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” when I look at this picture — Koda, on the other hand, takes these things far too seriously. Geez, can’t even take a joke…
I wandered over to Pender Island’s own Morning Bay Vineyard on Saturday to join in the celebrations — co-founders Barbara Reid and Keith Watt put on a party to celebrate the winery’s 5th Anniversary.
We were treated to some new wines and enjoyed some great food and music. Congratulations to Keith, Barbara and staff — and thanks for putting on the party!
My intention was celebratory shot glasses made from meringue. The final result was more like clay pots. I kinda dig them though — and as a strawberry coulis delivery device, they performed brilliantly.
My last little sweet bite — Lemon Drops — were 1 perfect bite. These guys are a little bigger, so it’s more of a 2 bite scenario. But the potential for mess is small, as the chilled coulis is thick enough to hold in the curve of the pot while you finish that first sweet mouthful…
If you’ve been out at a Farmer`s Market in the last couple of weeks, you`ve probably seen bundles of these little curly-cues for sale. Known as garlic greens, flowers or scapes – they are harvested from the tops of garlic plants at this time of yearby many growers in order to send all of the sun`s energy to the bulb developing under the soil.
Love the look and idea of these things but unsure how to use them?
Well, it’s Top Five Friday, so here are my 5 best ideas for incorporating garlic scapes into your everyday cuisine…
Basking on the deck amongst my herbs and tomato pots,taking advantage of the sun`s brief appearance over the weekend.
Salicornia Virginica is a small, salt tolerant plant that thrives across the shorelines, wetlands and salt marshes of North America. Known by a number of names –including samphire, pickleweed and sea asparagus — this nutrient-rich green vegetable adds a not-too-salty crunch when served cold in sushi, or hot alongside a grilled steak.
Plus, if you know where to find it, it’s free. Shazzaam! Take that global marketplace.
A rather delicate looking salad — and a slightly more classic presentation that I gave you yesterday. So what’s on the plate?
Golden beets, soft goat’s cheese and homegrown baby greens dressed in a Roasted Tomato & Jalapeno Vinaigrette. The edible flowers are rocket and calendula — it’s almost too pretty to eat!
I said almost.
Sometimes you just want a squeeze of lemon and a spoonful of oil to lightly dress a salad. At other times, you need a more substantial, flavour packed multi-purpose vinaigrette/dressing/dip — as you can see, this tasty concoction falls into the latter category.
Don’t have a lot on my plate today — as if you didn’t notice.
Cheater (no yolks, no cooking — i.e. fast) homemade ice cream with intense, tangy citrus flavour.
My kinda summertime treat.
About 10 seconds after Koda scared the *^@% out of a Great Blue Heron who was waiting out low tide on one leg — until our little bugger precious darling snuck up from behind.
Howard, a great lover of birds, simply will not permit this kind of primitive behaviour.
Unfortunately, he can’t run fast enough to prevent it.
Baba Ghanoush. Fun to say, difficult to make look pretty. Food this colour is generally not a good idea.
But even the most aesthetically demanding foodies I know make an exception for Baba — it`s just too smoky, creamy and delicious to pass up.
We had it out on the deck last night with some flatbread and beef short ribs fresh off the charcoal grill. The sun may be acting a little shy lately, but I am determined to usher in summer, post-haste. Enough with this inside living stuff…
A summer salad of grilled halloumi cheese, local heirloom tomatoes, some (very) baby greens from my container garden, a squeeze of lemon, a pour of olive oil, and a crack of fresh pepper — most definitely worthy of a late afternoon lunch on the back deck.
Too bad the weather was more worthy of a sou’wester and oilskin coat ensemble.
(We ate inside.)
photo by grevillea.
Have a look at a small selection of the names of organic spinach seed varieties currently available in Canada:
Dolphin, Whale, Butterfly and Strawberry.
Compare those with the names Seminis, Monsanto’s global seeds brand for open field crops, gives to their spinach seeds:
Avenger, Hellcat, Interceptor, MIG and Tigercat.
Cetaceans, an insect & fruit VS war bombers & missiles.
I feel like some of us are about to be caught with our pants down. Seriously.
Lookie here! I deep fried myself (and Howard) some leftovers, and they sure were tasty.
“Deep fried leftovers? How do I get me some of those?” you ask.
Well, first, go off and make yourself a full recipe of Black & White Quinoa Risotto. Enjoy a big bowlful. Isn’t it good? Don’t eat it all though. It’s even better deep fried…
We may live on an island, but that doesn’t guarantee sandy beaches.
Not that we’re complaining — he’s content to turn over every rock on every beach in his perpetual hunt for crabs, while I focus my gaze on the rocky path ahead and absorb the silence between the calls of the birds and the waves against the shore.
Walking side by side, each taking our own path.
And somehow, we always end up back at the car at the same time.
These are easy, quick to assemble,vegan and sugar free — yet they`re flaky, sweet and (just) gooey enough to satisfy everyone.
Think McDonald`s Apple Pie — ONLY MADE WITH REAL FOOD. Read the rest of this entry »
We loved this — talked about it for 2 days — that said, once you learn the number of steps involved to get it to its ultimate end , it’s highly unlikely that you’ll want to attempt it — even if you could find some “lamb riblets” – which is what these delectable Lamb Flat Bread Sandwiches started out as before I cooked the bejesus out of them.
How many of us knew anything about quinoa 5 or 10 years ago? (Don’t answer that if you’re native to the Andes mountains.)
Nowadays, it’s hard to find anyone who hasn’t at least heard of it. I don’t have a lot to say about it that you can’t read somewhere else. It’s the perfect food, contains all the essential amino acids, is an excellent source of protein, is not a grain, but rather a plant seed, and therefore gluten free. Oh yeah, one last thing: quinoa comes in white, red and black.
Sometimes, it’s just good to get the dry stuff over with.
Photo by Chiot’s Run
Look what my friend Jill found in her car after she dropped me off at the ferry terminal!
The mystery is solved, and I feel somewhat abashed at thinking so ill of the women who happened to be in the Swartz Bay ferry terminal with me on Sunday. How could I have believed that anyone would take a bag of wild mushrooms from the waiting room washroom? I’m sorry.
And the morel of the story? Why, they’re back in my hot little hands, of course. 
Koda (aka Douglas Doozley) had a bit of a fixation with the woodpile in the shed this past winter. More specifically, his focus was on the nest of mice under that pile. Now that winter is over and the wood is gone, so are the mice, and so is the Dooze`s fascination with the shed.
Only to be replaced by cargo ship chasing — no more slow ambles along the shore for this family.
Wild Morels. The stuff my magic mushroom dreams are made of.
No hallucinogenic visions– just earthy, savoury, umami-laden delights — that is, if I can find mine. Read the rest of this entry »
I spent the day at Fort Rodd Hill in Victoria yesterday, attending Defending Our Backyard: the 3rd Annual Island Chefs’ Collaborative Local Food Festival and Farm Fund Raiser.
Big mouthful, eh?
Not as big as the one I had all afternoon – enjoying a feast of local, seasonal and sustainable food. And drink. Did I mention the drink? There was a lot of drink. Read the rest of this entry »
A Fridgecleaner Flatbread Pizza that would have had Odysseus home years earlier.
Leftover flatbread dough, partially cooked on the stovetop, then dressed with pizza sauce from the freezer, mozzarella, mushrooms and onions, and browned in our workhorse of a countertop convection oven.
Out of the oven, we dressed them with leftover basil oil, freshly roasted red peppers, cilantro rescued from the vegetable drawer and one of my very favourite locally produced preserves…
You may remember back in February when I happened across a bounty of organic Meyer lemons, sweet limes and tangerines — not an everyday find in our little island’s grocery store – giggling with glee, I picked through the pile, sliced & packed them with salt, and stuffed them into jars.
Six weeks later, we had our first taste of my salt-cured citrus. Since then, we’ve minced the intensely flavoured peel into almost every meal.
It took me until last week to find the sweet side of salt preservation – too long, I know — but life isn’t about regrets. And besides, who can bemoan the final result? From an unexpected treasure trove of lemons, we have a pot of sweet (and slightly salty) liquid gold. Read the rest of this entry »
Now if that doesn’t make you smile, then you really are one tough nut.
I`m a sucker for a good sales pitch.
And my tomatoes are already a foot higher because of it.
Classic bisques are thickened with rice, but all of my culinary instructors used roux to thicken their bisques. Rice, no matter how finely you puree it, will always be grainy.
A roux is a combination of equal parts, by weight, of flour and fat that are cooked together to form a paste. The cooking eliminates the raw flour taste, and the fat-coated starch particles are prevented from congregating together in lumps when added to liquid — making roux the front runner to thicken anything you want smooth and creamy — like a bisque.
Me!
Many thanks to Dan, my friend two islands over, and host of Galiano’s food blog: IslandEat. He has bestowed the coveted Sunshine Award upon little ol’ Island Vittles — and for that, I say “Thanks Dan!” Read the rest of this entry »
This recipe draws upon techniques I learned at not 1, not 2, but 3 professional culinary schools. That’s 6 1/2 months of instruction from professional chefs, bakers and pastry chefs — nine hundred and thirty-eight hours of training to be exact.
Better not dwell on that though. Howard will inevitably begin to add up the tuition in his head — which would normally be ok on its own, but as you’re about to see, this recipe contains 7 egg yolks, almost a cup of butter, and a whole lot of sugar.
After the number of these little cutie pies we scarfed back, it’s best not to put any more stress on his heart.
Sunday Lunch has been hijacked today, for the sake of shameless alliteration. Truth be told, I’m partial to assonance — who doesn’t prefer a little assonance? — but you can’t have everything.
“Alliteration is pleasant and precious, but some fancy assonance can make you dance in your pants,” that’s what my mama used to say.
Acutally, she never said that. And I (still) call her Mom. But I really do like assonance, if that counts for anything.
Seasonal, sustainable, local, foraged, a fridge cleaner — and a freakin’ amazing dinner, if I do say so myself.
Our first Spot Prawn Saturday of the season came together nicely — I was excited to find yellow peppers grown here in BC — then there was Washington State Asparagus, Watercress & Cilantro from Vancouver Island, BC Hothouse Tomatoes and Medicine Beach Market Sourdough Rolls.
The stars of the meal were the Fresh (caught mere hours earlier) Ouzo Steamed BC Spot Prawns – sweet, meaty & HUGE. But where there’s seafood there should always be a dip, so I made this Yellow Pepper Romesco to act accordingly.
Caught myself a nice piece of tail over the weekend.
If you`re hungry on Pender, stop by Medicine Beach Market, where you`ll find a stocked deli — full of fresh sandwiches, salads, dips, soups, snacks and take-home dinners.
I really like my job at MBM: I take fresh produce, meats and dairy — most of them local and seasonal, many of them organic – and turn them into whatever I`m inspired to do that week. A chef`s dream come true! Read the rest of this entry »
Trap caught BC Spot Prawns have gained a lot of fame here at home in the past few years — they’re some of the biggest, juiciest sweetest shrimps in the world, AND they’re sustainable, local and (relatively) affordable.
I fear, however, that things may be about to change. Read the rest of this entry »
Shrimp salad on a toasted kaiser with bacon, lettuce, tomato and cucumber –aka the Shrimp Salad Club.
I like sandwiches. I like sandwiches very much indeed.
So much more colourful than last years batch! I finally settled on a permanent pattern as well — knitting is enjoyably mindless when you have a simple pattern to guide you.
The yarn is Bernat Handicrafter Cotton, and I used a set of (2) 5mm needles (US size 8). I don’t do gauges, but I can tell you that I make my dishclothes about 8″x8″ (20cm x 20cm) – do the math if you want, or just work by trial and error.
(And yes, I know that my conversions in parentheses are inconsistent. Sometimes I work in metric, sometimes I work in imperial. It’s a Canadian thing.) Read the rest of this entry »
Tangy, tasty, sweet & sticky, finger licking finger food.
The only thing that could make these better is the barbecue. The weather is right — and I’ve just heaved the Weber from its winter home in the basement up onto the deck — I wonder if I can get a bag of briquettes home on my scooter…
I don’t know where I’ve been lately, but I totally blanked on the fact that yesterday was Cinco de Mayo. If I had been with it, I would’ve posted this quick and easy burger in time for you to have it while celebrating the Mexican Army’s victory over the French in 1862.
Then I ask myself why I, a Canadian, am worried about missing what is really just a regional celebration in the Mexican state of Puebla? When did it get so BIG?
I don’t know, but I suspect it all started with NAFTA. Nothing good came out of that nightmare.
We had a little BC Breweries taste test last night.
I found these side by side in the cooler at the Medicine Beach Liquor Store — and while vague memories of reading the Nut Brown Maid in English Lit 12 occupied my thoughts, my hands took the opportunity to grab a bottle of each.
I don’t remember a battle in the Nut Brown Maid, but these 2 Nut Brown Ales went head to head, and the results weren’t even close. Read the rest of this entry »
My constant companion…he chased bugs while I transplanted some broccoli and cauliflower seedlings — thoughtful spring gifts from our neighbour.
The seedlings went into pots on the deck. After several years of keeping a sizable kitchen garden, I’ve decided to throw in the towel. I can’t fight the towering cedars that surround our backyard anymore – roots that invade and consume. Raised beds are the only solution (and they certainly aren’t going to happen this year). Read the rest of this entry »
I am slightly stunned (but very happy) to announce my new monthly column in Pender’s Avid Magazine — I’m published!
My first Wild Food article appears in the May issue — in Island mailboxes today & also viewable online — please check it out and read the full story on the incredible, edible dandelion.
We’ve all got them in our yards — we may as well put them to good use. Read the rest of this entry »
No, we’re not on bread and water rations for Sunday Lunch here at Island Vittles.
That said, if I was restricted to bread only, I would choose this flatbread as my mainstay. Do you think they`d let me have a little dip to go with it?
No, probably not. Read the rest of this entry »
Exotic & luxurious sounding, but quick and easy to cook — any night of the week. Served with a mixed rice pilaf and a small side salad, we were feasting on rich, moist (but not oily) salmon in under an hour…
Indulge me for a moment as I show you some of my favourite pictures from my week in San Francisco…
Friday may have been the last day of class, but there’s never any slacking off at the San Francisco Baking Institute. (seriously.)
On the calendar for Day 5: Chocolate Salted Caramel Tart, Quiche, Strawberry Breton Tart and Tarte Bourdaloue.
Yes, that’s 4 “tarts” from 3 doughs — no time for dilly-dallying.
Day 4 at the San Francisco Baking Institute had us rolling out (or sheeting for those in the bakery biz) our puff pastry. Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures of the big sheeting machine we used, so just imagine that I rolled out a 6 foot long, 3 mm thick layer of partially frozen dough using only the strength of my forearms.
Yeah, right. Read the rest of this entry »
What do you get when you fill a wheel-shaped choux with praline mousseline?
Something very, very tasty — known as a Paris-Brest to those in the know.
On Tuesday, everybody in class at the San Francisco Baking Institutemade 2 pies: the classic American apple deep dish pie, and a beautiful lattice topped blueberry. Then we took them “home.”
Two pies alone with me in a hotel room is simply not a good idea…
I hope the concierge liked the blueberry….that just leaves the apple to deal with!
OK, so I`ve never actually visited this bride before…but the question you have to ask yourself is this:
Having seen her once, would you willingly go back?
This little fella is a Paris-Brest, named after the predecessor to the Tour de France. It`s a pastry made from choux, a classic french dough used to make eclairs, gougeres, cream puffs, Parisian Gnocchi and another few dozen other good things…
Today was my first day in a week-long course at the San Francisco Baking Institute. A gift I planned long ago to soften the blow of a milestone birthday hitting me later this week. (I`ll let you guess the number.) Read the rest of this entry »
“Frikadeller?” you say.
“Danish meatballs, fried in lots of oil. Always make extra — they’re awesome cold.” I respond.
Koda and I took a walk up Mt. Norman on South Pender Island last week. The new viewpoint is a lovely place to have a picnic lunch…an open-faced sandwich with cold frikadeller, lettuce, red pepper, crispy fried onions and mayo on MBM’s Seedy Light Rye.
Frikadeller? It’s a Danish cross between a meatloaf and a meatball, you pronounce it much differently than it’s spelled, and it makes probably the best meatloaf/meatball style sandwich in the universe. Read the rest of this entry »
Howard wants me to let everyone out there know that I’m the one calling this Biltong — NOT HIM.
We may have followed — (to a T) — the hundreds years old recipe dictated to him by a Boer grandmother during his time in South Africa in the late 80′s, but because I subjected the marinated beef to 90 minutes of smoke in our smoker/dehydrator it was NO LONGER AUTHENTIC.
Now that the necessary disclaimer is out of the way, I assume it’s safe to continue.
I’ve had a few people comment to me that the Dooze looks so gentle for such a big dog. This leads me to believe that we need to re-post a picture that shows some scale.
He’s 27 pounds, people. Now that may be larger than Shiba Inu standard, but it hardly makes him Marmaduke.
We’ve been traveling around (foodwise) quite a bit recently: to China for Jade Chicken, to Spain for some tasty condiments in Romesco and Picada, to Japan for Yakitori, to North Africa for some flavour-packed Preserved Citrus,and to Ireland for an Iced Irish Coffee.
Today I give you a tasty little vegetarian snack from the Indian sub-continent. The sun is shining; crack open a beer and join me on the deck. I made enough to share… Read the rest of this entry »
Cold buckwheat noodles in a frozen shot of Asian-flavoured, double strength chicken consomme.
Very few people will refuse a piece of cheesecake. I have found this to be a universal truth — except when it’s not — like last week, when I hosted my first ever CHEESECAKE GIVEAWAY.
The long and short of it is that no one showed up. And it was almost time for me to go home for the day — and I couldn’t take it with me. No, no, no. Howard and I had quite enough of this indulgent full-fat homemade mascarpone cheese filling, rum, ladyfinger crumb crust and coffee (espresso) extract glaze.
Next time, I won’t require the winner to tell me that “Island Vittles Rocks!” I guess I found the limit of what Penderites will do for a free piece of cheesecake.
A while back, I had a bit of a salt-curing extravaganza. I preserved some Meyer lemons, some sweet limes and some tangerines.
After the work was done, I had a sleepless night of excitement dreaming up all the ways I would use my precious citrus. It was a sugar plums dancing in their heads kind of moment. (Some people never grow up.) Read the rest of this entry »
These Seared Lamb Lettuce Rolls got their start when I dug out the old photo album that I used to keep my favourite recipes in (BEFORE the internet, for you kids out there).
I found what I was looking for: a recipe from The Vancouver Sun, 1998. Garbanzo and Potato Stew with Romesco Sauce and Picada. I only made it once, but I still remember the blandness of the stew. So why did I keep it? Read the rest of this entry »
We`ve made mayonnaise around here before — stinging nettle mayo. But in my excitement to share the wonderful world of foraged nettles with all of you, I skipped over the basic hows and whys of mayonnaise — this is how we learned to make it in culinary school. Read the rest of this entry »
Smoked tuna w/preserved lemon & ancho mayonnaise, tomato & pickled garlic scapes AND
Seared lamb lettuce wraps with romesc0 sauce & mint picada
The first person who walks into Medicine Beach Market (after 9:30am) today, and tells me that “Island Vittles Rocks” gets a BIG piece of this INSANE Tiramisu Cheesecake with Rum Creme Anglaise.
Seriously — no April Fools.
I’m thinking a Penderite will win this. Mainlanders could try taking the ferry, but something tells me you’ll lose out — and in my world, there is no 2nd place.
What do you do when you have a litre of whipping cream sitting around with nothing to do?
Grab a lemon and make mascarpone cheese, of course…
Opening today!
Corinne MacAulay has always wanted her own little place. Her dream is now reality with Made on Pender, located at the Medicine Beach complex. The store will feature her work, and that of other Pender artists, including: Read the rest of this entry »
I’m not a big fan of hot-cross buns. It’s a dried fruit thing. Which is weird, ’cause I like dried fruit (as you’re about to find out).
Moving on…
I may not be a fan, but hot-cross buns are big this week in foodblog land — there’s no food so quintessentially Easter — so I may as well have a crack at it.
Peter Reinhart’s Raisin Focaccia Bread IS a favourite around here (see what I mean about liking dried fruit?), so it was a small leap in my tiny brain to disguise a batch of that as hot-cross buns.
I divided the dough up, piped on some crosses, and glazed the buns hot out of the oven.
They looked great! Delicious!
The thing is, they were a bit heavy. Too dense. I wouldn’t do it this way again.
As for I would make them next time? Come visit the Pender Islands’ Farmer’s Market this Saturday — swing by my table and sample a free mini hot-cross focaccia bun. You be the judge and see if I get them right!
Imagine, just for a moment, that you are this starfish. Hanging out in a bit of shade, keeping moist, waiting for the tide to return…
Spring is here; summer`s coming. Get ready for an international street meat extravaganza here on IV!
There are a couple of reasons I am starting in Japan with Yakitori:
Montreal smoked meat, lettuce, pickle, mayo and grainy mustard on sprouted wheat bread.
I made this for Howard to take to work, who promptly forgot it. I wrapped it up anyway — it was a gorgeous sunny day, perfect for the short scooter ride to his office. Just as I was heading out the door, he called to tell me the whole office was going out to celebrate a birthday. Sandwich not needed…
When I first googled maple blossom recipes a couple of weeks ago, I found slim pickings — a couple of uninspired salads — until page 3 — where I found Danish Schnapps Recipes.
We had this smooth-yet-zesty cold noodle salad with some grilled beef and Maple Blossom-Mint Pesto the other night for dinner. There’s nothing like a sunny spring day to make you forget winter and its soups and stews and charge headlong into warm weather and lighter fare.
I like wild food. Collecting nettles, kelp, and most recently, maple blossoms, is now a daily routine. Working with these foraged treasures to create “Wow, that’s good! Is there any more of that?” Food is a passion that has taken firm root.
It’s especially easy to get passionate about something you can reach from your front deck. If only I had known they were edible before now.
Introspective…
Curious…
Content.
These are the Dooze’s new favourite treats — you see, he’s a bit of a cheese nut. Read the rest of this entry »
Have you ever had deep fried spinach? It’s really good.
Have you ever had deep fried nettles? They’re even better.
We had a little of both for dinner — my latest attempt to recreate a favourite dish from my childhood: Jade Chicken from Vong’s Kitchen on Fraser Street in Vancouver. I think I got it this time. Read the rest of this entry »
leaning Inukshuk
the Olympics are complete
we believe…rest well
My version of a Betty Crocker Fire Truck cake. Happy 2nd birthday Big Z!
In my brain, it sounded like an inspired, natural way to colour candy green. (The beets worked, after all.)
In practice, it results in Disgusto-Pops.
DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.
One of the chef tips we learned at culinary school was how to use pureed spinach as a green colour enhancer. You put some spinach in the blender with a little water, blend away, and eventually, you have a vibrant colourant that makes broccoli soup a little greener.
I got a green colourant out of the nettles, but it was more olive than vibrant. And once the heat of the molten candy got it, it was so drabbed down that I had to use A LOT to turn the lollipops green — so much that the lollipops tasted strongly of nettles, and nothing of the peppermint extract I also used.
A lollipop that tastes of nettles is not A Good Thing. You’re going to have to trust me on this.
Two out of four of the ingredients in this salad were foraged at Mile Zero — on the deck just outside our front door. But we don`t grow a lot of citrus in the Pacific Northwest, and while I have grown fennel (on our deck even!), I haven`t done it in March.
Which leaves the sorrel (sorry) and the maple blossoms.
Some may celebrate with a green macaroon or cupcake, but ’round here, we pull out the whiskey on St. Paddy’s Day.
Join us won’t you?
Ice cream is basically just a frozen custard. Once you know how to make the custard, you can flavour it anyway your inspiration takes you. This is The Lesson as taught to me by Chef P.
So let it be written. So let it be done.
I found this little gem a couple of weekends ago while channel surfing. PBS came through with an old Julia Child: Lessons with Master Chefs episode. I was actually about to move on, because it was a super complicated Viennese Cardinal Slice — not exactly my thing (to make — I’d eat it, but make it? No. Never). But then the Chef, Markus Farbinger, said something about making coffee extract. Julia was intrigued, I was intrigued. I hit record on the PVR and sat back to learn something new.
Number 6? Is it really you? Where have you been? I have been waiting…if I promise not to hurt you, will you come closer? You’re so far away… Read the rest of this entry »
Cheddar, Monteray Jack, chicken, onions, and peppers loaded on top of Que Pasa Organic Corn Chips. On the side, was a little guacamole and pico de gallo with preserved sweet lime.
Here’s another from my Dad’s stable of staples. We actually called them potato pancakes at home; latkes is an affectation I developed later in life. (It also made for a better sounding title). Read the rest of this entry »
My culinary school instructor, Chef P, used the following ratio to create his crème fraiche: 2 tablespoons-1/3 cup buttermilk for every 1 cup of whipping cream. I can still hear him muttering “Sour cream? What is this sour cream?” in his heavy french accent as he mixed together the cream and buttermilk.
Combine in a glass jar or bowl, cover, and let stand at room temperature for 24-36 hours, until thickened. Keep in the fridge for up to 10 days.
I’ve found that 3 tablespoons of buttermilk in 1 cup of whipping cream yields a thick, luscious, tangy cream perfect on top of berries, whipped into buttercream icing, or spiked with dill & lemon and served with potato pancakes.
I was going to make a joke about the fine looking cock in the photo above, but I think I’ll skip the silliness today and get right to the point: Read the rest of this entry »
Here are some extra photos of our walk around the Stanley Park Seawall and English Bay during the Vancouver Olympics. The Winter Olympics, that is. (Just in case there is any doubt about what month these photos were taken in.) Read the rest of this entry »
Created from a piece of beef flank (rescued from the expiring bin in the butcher’s dept.), trimmed slightly, sliced across the grain, marinated, racked, smoked and then dehydrated the rest of the way.
Howard is very, very good at drying meat. See the little nodules of fat? I’d never eat raw fat, but I’d wrestle my Grandma to the ground for the last piece of this stuff.
It’s been a long winter of short days, and the Dooze is ready for more visions of spring — like late afternoon sun.
Howard likes a good Chicken Orange. It’s a dish his Mum made for special occasions through his childhood. Most of us have at least one special dish that we grew up with. My favourite was Fondue Bourguignonne (hot oil) — a total pain to assemble, “Too many sauces, dishes and forks,” my Mom used to say when I asked for Fondue for my dinner birthday.
I don’t know who carved this piece of art and left it for all of us to enjoy at Medicine Beach, but I’d just like to say thank you.
I’ve been offline for the past few days…life has taken me into Sidney/Victoria more times than I would have liked this week, which is pretty much an all day affair each time. (Can you hear all of the violins playing the sob story of my island life?) Read the rest of this entry »
It looks like I spoke too soon with regards to cold oil french fries. After trying the method once with russets, I rejoiced to the world about HOW EASY this recipe is, and pushed aside claims from Cooks Illustrated that yukon gold potatoes yielded far superior results. Read the rest of this entry »
Howard and I journeyed into Vancouver to check out the Olympics. It’s a $2 billion Bonspiel — you better believe we’re going to enjoy the party. And you KNOW it’s a party when Captain Canada comes out to explain that it will be over an hour to get on the Aquabus from this point in the line.
Riding home from a walk on the beach at Brook’s Point, South Pender Island.
Tomato Sauce is one of the 5 Basic, or Mother, Sauces as classified by Escoffier.
A good tomato sauce is thick, rich and full of flavour. This recipe fulfills all 3 criteria in just over 30 minutes – contrary to what you may have been told, you don’t have to simmer a tomato sauce for 3 hours to get maximum taste.
(I know. I was surprised too.)
Our little island is very close to the US/Canada border. So close that, on a clear day, you can get a pretty good picture of Mount Baker in Washington.
The sun was out in all its splendour last week, so we drove down to the South Island for a leisurely walk around Brook’s Point, near the southern-most tip of the Penders.
I didn’t like ricotta cheese until I started making it myself. That stuff in the tubs? I object to being robbed blind at the cash register for a container of dry, gritty, grainy, tasteless mush.
(I know — Don’t hold back, Theresa. Let us know how you really feel.)
On that note, I’ll tell you that I absolutely love my homemade ricotta cheese. Soft, fresh, creamy and adaptable — use it in lasagne, filled pastas, salads, desserts, pastries…
If Stephen Harper can shut down Canadian parliament for 2 months, then I can have dessert for lunch.
Hopefully I haven’t completely bored you with Nettle Month yet. I slid this one in without mentioning nettles in the title — I knew it would cause a few groans and eye rolls out there (“Enough already!”)– kill me for playing the avoidance card.
For those of you still with me, I used the leftover Nettle Pesto I made the other night — and it was THE BEST USE OF NETTLES I’ve ever eaten. No kidding. If you’re skeptical about the culinary value of nettles, I urge you to start on the path to nettle love with this tart. Read the rest of this entry »
My culinary skills instructor, Chef P., was the son of a Parisian bakery owner — multiple bakeries, actually. He told us stories of working in the bakery as a child — how the master bakers stood outside the back door, cigarettes in hand, feeling the early morning air before returning inside to mix the day’s bread doughs according to the current temperature and humidity.
Simple goodness. A squeeze of lime, a splash of soya sauce, a few drops of sesame oil. Everything else is exactly as you see it.
We had it with a rich, yummy quiche.
Did I mention that February is Nettle Month here on IV? I’m happier than a pig in sh** — for real. What? You should see all of the deer pellets near my nettle patch… Read the rest of this entry »
Arbutus trees, to be exact. And from that smile, I’d say he’s pretty happy about it.
Red Barn bacon, Stilton cheese, oven-roasted tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro and mayo on organic sprouted sunflower seed bread. Served with over-processed yummy frozen fries and banana ketchup.
When you live in a big city, you get used to crowds. But on our little island, I often go for a long walk and don’t see a soul. When I do go into the city to do some shopping, I find the crowds a little tough to adjust to.
There’s people everywhere!
I get excited about nettles. I have a little patch, on the other side of our back fence, that I have been cultivating for the past few years. It’s far enough from my garden so that I don’t have to worry about weed containment, and far enough off the dog walker’s path to avoid contamination, if you know what I mean. Read the rest of this entry »
Before you even start with the “I don’t like eggplant,” please — just stop.
I’ve heard it before. And after I convince you to try it — “It’s fried,” I’ll say — you’ll have to eat your words, so to speak.
I have yet to meet someone I couldn’t convert to eggplant with this sandwich. Even Howard. It’s that good. Read the rest of this entry »
The Dooze and I walk through the disc park a couple of times a week. As the weather warms up and the days get longer, Howard will join us for a quick 9 holes in the late afternoon.
The Golf Island Disc Park is an amazing 27 hole course located in one of the forests of Magic Lake Estates — about a 10 minute walk from our place.
These are the easiest fries you’ve ever made at home. Three (or four) ingredients, 25 minutes and you’re done — done with frozen fries, oven fries, big-hassle/pre-blanched fries and any other homemade fries you can think of.
These are the tastiest fries you’ve ever made at home. But I know you won’t believe me until you’ve made them yourself, so do both of us a favour and go make a batch right now. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself asking: Read the rest of this entry »
Meet Pongo — our first dog — and the original Dooze.
We adopted this handsome guy from the SPCA about 2 months after we moved to Pender in 2003. He was 7 years old when he joined us, and thanks to many long walks on the beach, regular chiropractic adjustments and a positive outlook on life, he lived to the ripe age of 12½. He would have been 14 this month.
You are much missed Dr. Douglas D. Doozely — rest in peace.
Along with sushi, agedashi tofu and chicken yakitori, this tasty sesame spinach salad is always on our order when we go out for Japanese in the big city. It took 2 attempts, but I finally got the dressing right. Read the rest of this entry »
I may of made the dough, but he snuck out of bed 3 hours early to pull it out of the fridge — then snuck back out of bed to make the coffee and bake this raisin focaccia bread.
(Actually, it’s craisin, apricot, date focaccia bread because the cupboard wouldn’t cough up any raisins when I made the dough last week — but that’s a bit of a mouthful.)
Whatever you decide to put in it, just make it. I challenge you to find a tastier loaf of raisin bread ANYWHERE. Read the rest of this entry »
When you see it from the Dooze’s point of view, you can understand why he was a bit upset. We had walked down Schooner Way, past Firehall #1 and Magic Lake Park, past Privateers Road, Pirates Road, Cutlass Court and Capstan Lane on our way to the Boat Nook ocean access — only to have our plan foiled… Read the rest of this entry »
Strawberry-Beet Pops.
These are pretty in a slightly tousled, just got out of bed, kind of way — just the way everything should look on Valentines. They’re not perfect, and I’m beginning to accept that carrying through the beet lollipop idea to its ultimate end may have been going just a tad bit overboard.
But the natural beet colouring worked, the agave acted like corn syrup to prevent the boiling syrup from crystallizing, and the strawberry flavour, although not entirely natural, made them taste like Jolly Ranchers. Yum. Read the rest of this entry »
Garbage in, garbage out — in some cases, it works. Kraft Dinner, Hot Rods and Sapporo Ichiban Ramen are all examples of trashy foods that I enjoy in the weaker moments. (Shocked? No, I didn’t think so.)
Garbage in is not an option when you’re talking about consomme, though, so before we go any further, you should know that packaged stock isn’t going to cut it here. It has to be strong, rich, homemade stock, or nothing at all.
PLEASE. Do not mistake this for a casserole — you would be very, very wrong. Although loosely based on a secondhand account of an LA Times recipe for a Chile Relleno Casserole from 1990, this little beauty here is to be referred to as a strata. Layers of cheesy, chile goodness baked in the oven… Read the rest of this entry »
There’s mice under there somewhere. We can all hear them, but he is OBSESSED by them. Shed Time, as it has come to be known, is a daily ritual around here. And when I say ritual, I mean multi-step-full-on ritual. There are 4 distinct stages to Shed Time: Read the rest of this entry »
Organic Meyer lemons, sweet limes and tangerines all in our little island grocery store, and all at once! The universe was sending me a message, and it’s going to help me find a use for some of those cute jars I bought in a homemade gift container panic at London Drugs before Christmas.
And if you’re going to preserve some citrus, why not push a few boundaries and go exotic?
Preserved tangerines are not as common as lemons and limes. For that reason I’m the most curious and excited to discover what they’ll taste like. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not ambivalent about the Meyer lemons with juniper or the sweet limes with bay leaf & peppercorns by any means! I will be doing a lot of preserved citrus experimenting in the next few months… Read the rest of this entry »
Preserved lemons and limes are a common condiment in Moroccan and North African cuisine. Their use spread to France and then beyond…The flavour is mildly tart but intensely lemony and is often paired with olives, artichokes, seafood, veal, chicken and rice.
The pulp of the fruit can be used in stews and sauces, but the biggest prize is the peel… Read the rest of this entry »
Remember when I made 75 veggie sliders in 3 days? Remember how the 25 I made on day 3 went to waste Howard because the only snow we’ve had all winter came 45 minutes before the start of our Book Club’s December Potluck, making our little island’s roads impassable? NO?
My newly acquired recipe for sushi rice came through again. Two times lucky makes it a keeper for me — I’ve had some very bad past experiences, you understand. For today: Read the rest of this entry »
I’m gonna tell you what I did and how I did it, but you should know up front: I won’t do it that way again. Read the rest of this entry »
I first had the idea for raclette grilled in radicchio cups for a Sunday Lunch, and just did it on the fly, using the leftovers we had. It was tasty, cheesy and melty in an opposite-to-Taco Bell kinda way — my first raclette experience, and I was game for more… Read the rest of this entry »
After a bit of a delay, I have a couple of photos (and my first-ever video) of the Laminated Doughs course I took at NWCAV a few weekends ago. Chef Tim is an accomplished chef and a great teacher — just watch how he rolls those crescent-shaped rolls… Read the rest of this entry »
I know exactly how you feel, bud. I’m like that about my favourite wooden spoon.
Can someone please explain to me why, in 2010, it is still only the Italians who offer tomato paste in a tube?
Hunt’s, are you listening?
Is there anything better than cornbread, warm from the oven and slathered in butter?
Is there anything more disappointing than day old, nay, 6 hour old, cornbread that’s dry in your mouth even though it’s slathered in butter?
How can something that is so good the first time around be so dry and unpalatable mere hours later?
Is it possible to extend the life of cornbread? I don’t need a lot — just an extra day to finish off the other half of the loaf. (I realize that for those of you with larger families, finishing off a single loaf of cornbread isn’t really a stretch. But for those of us cooking for 2, leftovers are a daily reality — it’s not worth the hassle to split a 1 egg recipe in half.) Read the rest of this entry »
We’re not huge fans of the Olympics ’round here — especially the ones coming to Vancouver (you have to admit it’s a lot of money for a 2 week party), but now that they’re almost here, we hope they go off without a hitch — the money’s been spent, after all. We had an opportunity to visit Whistler for a couple of nights, so we figured: Why not?
We posed for the obligatory logo pictures: Read the rest of this entry »
My Dad and I first made baked beans together when I was about 12 or 13. I think he probably saw the Frugal Gourmet demonstrate Boston Baked Beans on PBS (the only channel to have food shows as regular programming in the early 80′s) and developed a hankering to try some for himself.
The first go was with the recipe as read directly off the package of navy beans. But my Dad was a tweaker… Read the rest of this entry »
So I’m now pretty sure that some of you out there think I’m just a little off my rocker after this post…but I live on the west coast — actually, an island off the west coast — doesn’t that give me license for a little eccentricity to begin with?
Anyway — some of you already think I’m a little batty. Now I’m about to tell you about how I used some leftover glace de viande to turn a middle-eastern cracker recipe into the tastiest dog treats around. (I know — I snacked on a couple hot out of the oven.) I understand that this is only going to make the bad impression worse — trust me, I’ve lived in a small community for 7 years — I know what happens when the rumours start… Read the rest of this entry »
For a dog who avoids puddles like the plague, he sure likes the beach…
Caesar salad has nothing to do with Julius Caesar, Italy, or, for that matter, Europe at large. There are a number of different stories about its “invention,” almost all of which take place in California. Its first recorded appearance is on a LA restaurant menu from 1946.
Which is why I was a bit surprised to see it on our French Culinary School curriculum, Week 1. But by the time we were back at our desks, chomping on the most substantial food we had made as of yet, I had made a few key discoveries related to Caesar salad:
Our first stop is the resting place of Luke’s X-Wing. I am, of course, talking about the swamp-planet of Dagobah, where Luke fled in search of the Jedi Master-of-Masters, Yoda.
Next up we have:
This one got a little out of control…what started with the idea of using up some leftovers ended up with an internationally inspired feast featuring some A++ local ingredients: grilled radicchio with Qualicum Cheeseworks Raclette, caesar salad, Thetis Queen smoked tuna, moroccan olives and homemade foccacia. Read the rest of this entry »
We opened a can of this luscious smoked tuna as part of the largest lunch know to man — we’ve tried it in tuna salad, we’ve tried it in a niçoise-salad-inspired pasta and on a seafood pizza — but really, the best way to eat Thetis Queen Smoked BC Albacore Tuna is straight from the can…
Try this once, or their non-smoked variety, and you won’t want to go back to the mushy mass-produced stuff. I’ve started a tuna cache in our basement… Read the rest of this entry »
I’m back on the resolution bandwagon after falling off for a couple of days. It must have been the butter-induced stupor caused by the Laminated Doughs Workshop I took in Vancouver over the weekend. Think hand-rolled croissants, poppy-seed bear claws and apricot & pastry cream danishes. Think 144 layers of butter stacked with 145 layers of dough – no hydrogenated fats, no glucose-fructose, no stabilizers – just 200 years of viennoiserie tradition.
Warning: this method may upset some sauce purists. But this is the way I learned it, and a subsequent taste testing with a classically prepared version decided what I thought instinctively when I saw the classic method as laid out by the master, Escoffier: Read the rest of this entry »
But just between you and me, his claims to have broken through The Dirty-Rascal Ceiling are greatly exaggerated.
This post is all about giving credit to a new online friend from Japan. Robert-Gilles at Shizuoka Gourmet is originally from France, but has been living in Shizuoka, Japan for 30 years. He has some real insight into Japanese food, especially from a western perspective, and goes to great lengths to describe even the most esoteric of Japanese dishes. Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s downtown Vancouver as it looked from my hotel room at 8:15 this morning. Not bad for the 2nd floor, eh? (It could have been worse — I could be in the room right next to the lobby.) That said, something tells me this is a seasonal view… Read the rest of this entry »
Be they vegetable or veal, brown or white, all stocks share four common indicators of quality. They are:
Body
Body is created when the collagen in the connective tissue of the bones dissolves and converts to gelatin during the cooking process. Vegetable stocks have less body than protein-based stocks. To increase the body of a vegetable stock, add umami-rich vegetables like shiitake mushrooms, seaweed and tomatoes. (Be aware that tomatoes will also darken the stock.)
I was born and raised in Vancouver. And, although I may be partial, I truly believe it is one of the most beautiful cities in the world — certainly of the candidates I have seen. In my humble opinion, only Cape Town rivals Vancouver’s in terms of sheer natural beauty.
Without telling any of my friends or family, I made a secret trip into Vancouver today (for a weekend Laminated Dough course), without telling anyone — except Howard — who only knows because I needed a ride to the ferry.
It’s a secret because I wanted some time on my own. That’s not so bad, is it? Especially just after the holidays? I know someone is going to be peeved with me because of it…but it’s not personal…I just wanted to enjoy a bit of “old” Vancouver on my own, before the Olympics… Read the rest of this entry »
So after that big discussion over beef vs veal bones for stock, for me it all comes down to one simple truth. There are no veal bones — free-range or not — available on this Island.
I guess that means I’m going with beef.
May Chef P forgive me…
We never made beef stock in culinary school. Not once. Instead, we made veal stock. A lot of it, almost everyday.
Prior to that, veal wasn’t on my culinary radar. As a born and bred west coaster, I simply saw too many animal cruelty videos in my pasty-faced-I’m-a-vegetarian-anti-Gordon-Gecko teenage years. (In the 80′s — very short lived.)
When I asked Chef P, my culinary skills instructor, if one could use beef stock in place of veal, I got a very French Chef answer: “Non.” No elaboration, no nothing. Not for a couple of minutes, anyway. Chef P never said anything before its time.
“Why can’t you use veal? Are you scared for the little baby cows?”
That’s Chef P. Let’s just say animal cruelty concerns are not on his culinary radar. Read the rest of this entry »
Get you mind out the gutter — NOW.
We ARE, of course, talking about bacon lardons. Very good bacon, cut into small strips about 3/8″ wide, then blanched or fried.
Howard insisted that I show you these particular lardons, which he fried the other night as a component of our dinner using smoked tuna, spaghettini, shallots, cream and parmesan. Very yummy. So good that I didn’t pause to take a picture of the finished dish. So you’re stuck graced with these, entitled “Series: Lardons“ Think of them as an LPT, or Lardon Photo Tutorial:
Don`t let his cheeky grin fool you — lock away your birds, hamsters and butterflies (“Very tasty,” says the Dooze). He even took a long, appraising look at a fully grown buck yesterday — before I told him to get real.
We’ve used the same veggie burger recipe around here for years. When I say we’ve, I actually mean I’ve, because although Howard is happy to grate cheese for nachos, or nuke the peas for dinner (gasp — it’s true), it is unlikely that he will ever assemble any recipe comprised solely of vegetables and grains, never mind a momentous undertaking like the making of GOOD homemade veggie burgers…
Notice how it doesn’t say Eat NO meat? That kind of resolution would be completely undoable in this house. Trust me. Even our veggie burgers have bacon on them — 1 (very moderate) piece each. I’ll go one step better worse: We fry the veggie patties in the bacon fat. YUM.
A couple of lines into my post about eating less meat and I’m gleefully talking about frying veggie burgers in bacon. Not much of a Gulf Islander, many would say. However, in my defense, you should know that it’s not just any bacon… Read the rest of this entry »
I made this soup for the first time a few days ago, after I came home from a particularly wet early morning walk with Koda. It started, as many of my dishes do, as a classic — french onion soup.
After a quick check of the pantry and fridge, I began the adaptations ( I dislike the word substitutions — it sounds more reactive than proactive…) No beef/veal stock on hand, but I did have a lovely homemade brown chicken stock. Also missing was some white bread and melting cheese — instead, the only cheese in the house was a soft blue, and the only bread a dense, European-style rye — ideas were already froming when I noticed the fennel — plan complete.
Onion & Fennel Soup, MBM Light Seedy Rye, Moonstruck Baby Blue Cheese from Saltspring Island, and (unseen) the very last carrot from our garden.
Since I made my first post on this blog almost a month-and-a-half ago, I have collected some beautiful pictures. This coming from someone who, before then, didn’t really pick up a camera unless on a particularly exoctic vacation or momentous event.
But now that I’m looking, I see shots everywhere — everywhere in our kitchen, in our yard, and on our little 60 km² (23 mi²) island…here’s a shot I took on my way to work the other morning:
As you can see from the next ones, getting a focused picture of the Dooze is proving tricky… Read the rest of this entry »
man food
Before we begin, I must confess that this is really more a method than a recipe. You’ll find I do that sometimes…
These are really, really tasty — meaty, low-fat, (pretty high in salt), protein-rich snacks that dedicated carnivores grudgingly admit are “pretty good.” I started making them at the market after a co-worker told me about the tofu snacks she made at a previous job. I made a soya sauce-based marinade that was similar to many I have made throughout my life to flavour meats, jerky and stir-fries. I made a few changes to the recipe:
So…we’ve arrived at New Year’s resolution #3: make your diet a healthier one. That can mean a lot of things of course: less fat, less salt, less meat, less sugar, less food…period.
What do bay leaves have to do with eating healthy? I have no idea, but they're green, local and home-dried. So there.
Experience has taught me that extreme changes don’t last. Small changes are more likely to — it’s easy to tweak most of your favourite recipes to reduce fat, salt, etc. Slightly smaller portions are a totally legitimate way to make a positive change. Try a healthy, protein-rich snack.
One easy thing you can do it start reading. Scrutinize the ingredient list and nutritional data found on packaged foods — especially at processed foods — junk food is $%&! — something that resembles, but does not quite meet, my criteria to be labeled real food. Read the rest of this entry »
Wanna see where I work? Here’s the front…
Funky & Earthy — just what you’d expect from a Gulf Island’s corner store. Here’s the view from the back door:
Yup, seriously. But wait, it gets better… Read the rest of this entry »
Do you like my new bowl? It’s pre-owned. I scavenged it on our last trip to the island’s recycling depot. I even met the generous fellow who had just dropped it into the old clawfoot tub full of scrap metal. He pointed out the pin-sized hole about halfway up its side when he saw my interest.
I’ve been looking for a big SS bowl for rising double-batches of Pender Island Sourdough, and this thing measures 16″ across. Was a little hole going to stop me from claiming this bowl as my own?
Never. After all, with a little duct tape, you’re golden.
Or should that be stainless?
PS: If you like a good scrounge/thrift shop, just wait until I show you the Nu-To-Yu…
Yup, he’s the dooze alright — drying off by the fire after a wet walk up to Buck Lake in the rain.
Another realistic, food-oriented resolution to start off 2010 — and what better to follow Eat Breakfast Everyday than Take Lunch to Work?
I’m not talking about everyday — I’m just not that absolute of a person. What fun is life if you don’t indulge in some fast pseudo-food once in awhile? But it’s totally doable to take your lunch 2 or 3 days a week, right? Save money, eat real food, and most likely lose a little weight, or at least slow down the clogging of your arteries. Read the rest of this entry »
In the past, I have eschewed red lentil soup, primarily because of the grittiness of the final product. Red lentils break down, but not all the way. And then there’s yam soup — smooth and silky — a little too silky, and sweet, if you ask me. It while I was making soup at work that the light bulb went off. Surely a combination of the two would result in a perfectly balanced soup?
The resulting thick, silky-smooth soup was exactly the texture I’ve been wanting. The spices add a warm, comforting earthiness without . Enjoy — take the leftovers to work – and as always, please use the comments to let me know what you think.
Spiced Red Lentil Soup
Yield: 8 servings
| Leek, medium dice | 1 C | 150 g |
| Celery, med dice | ½ C | 75 g |
| Carrot, med dice | ½ C | 75 g |
| Yam, med dice | 3/4 C | 125 g |
| Olive Oil | 1 T | 12 g |
| Sunflower Oil | 1 T | 12 g |
| Garlic, minced | 1 clove | |
| Red Lentils | 1 C | 220 g |
| Cumin | 1 t | |
| Coriander | 1 t | |
| Paprika, smoked or sweet | ½ t | |
| Cayenne Pepper | ¼ t | |
| Turmeric | ¼ t | |
| Cinnamon | ¼ t | |
| Bay Leaves | 2 | |
| Vegetable Stock | 6 C | 1.5 L |
| S+P | TT |
C=Cup t=teaspoon L=litre
T=Tablespoon TT=to taste g=grams
In a medium saucepan, heat the oils over medium heat until shimmering. Sweat the leek, celery, carrot and yam until translucent, about 5 min. Add the garlic, lentils, spices, bay leaves and s+p. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add vegetable stock, increase heat to med-high, and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and the lentils are breaking apart.
Remove from the heat, remove the bay leaves and use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. Or, process (in batches) in a food processor. Reheat gently, season with s+p, garnish and serve.
Tips:
Medicine Beach Market Organic Ciabatta, Comox Camembert, BC Ambrosia Apple and my friend Jane’s Fig Conserve with Walnuts and Brandy.
And then a trip to Medicine Beach with the Dooze to walk off 28% Milk Fat, amongst other holiday indulgences…
lighting the sun
We are lucky enough to live about 200 yards down the road from the site of a fantastic, magical community celebration — the Pender Island Magic Lake Lantern Festival. Giant Puppets, Stilt Walkers, Fire Dancers, Shadow Puppets, Community Lantern Parade and a Kayak Ballet, all put to music. It truly is a pagan spectacle!
Whether you admit it or not, everyone makes some sort of New Year’s resolution — it may be a quiet, unspoken promise to be more kind to yourself, or, in an effort to make yourself more accountable, you may choose to declare your intention to the world to finally stop smoking — once and for all.
Most resolutions fail fall by the wayside as the “new start” feeling of the new year fades by mid-January.
I thought it would be fun to focus on a few food oriented resolutions for the WHOLE month of January, exploring new recipes and information to keep motivated on the path to permanent change. (Ideally — reading it back to myself, I realize that it sounds a little altruistic — but throw me a bone here, I’m looking for a theme to kick off the new year…)
In keeping with my “moderation rules” approach to life, I’ve skipped over the more challenging resolves, like “Eat Healthier/Lose Weight” and “Spend Less on Take Out,” for a nice, easy start: Eat Breakfast Everyday.
Bacon and eggs are good as a weekend thing, but not exactly heart-healthy everyday. Store bought cereal? Yummy, but expensive. I am also increasingly resistant to any grocery store product that contains more than 5 ingredients. It’s a flexible guideline, but the more I learn about mass-produced food, the more weary I become. Besides, I make everything else…
Try my best-ever granola recipe. I’d love to know what you think, and what resolutions you are making for the next year, decade, and beyond.
In our house, cereal is a snack — sometimes, but not always, consumed in the early morning. And ever since I came across the original recipe in Cook’s Illustrated, this has been our house cereal. The nuts and dried fruit may change, but the crunchy, sweet-earthiness is constant. It has replaced the store-bought cereals that we used to buy, but now avoid — due to the insane price and questionable additives.
Try this recipe. I always double it, otherwise, I would be making it weekly. My use of Sucanat is relatively new — it began in an effort to make the recipe vegan, and resulted in a superior, not-so-sweet granola. If you take this recipe as a framework, then change things up within it, you’ll always have a tasty start (or end) to the day. And yes, granola is a perfectly acceptable ice-cream topping, thank you very much.
into the oven she goes
Best-Ever Granola Recipe
(adapted from Cook’s Illustrated)
| Pecan Pieces | 1 C | 160 g |
| Rolled Oats | 3 C | 300 g |
| Unsweetened Shredded Coconut | ½ C | 50 g |
| Blanched Slivered Almonds | ½ C | 50 g |
| Sesame Seeds | ¼ C | 40 g |
| Sunflower or Pumpkin Seeds | ¼ C | 40 g |
| Maple Syrup | ¼ C | 65 g |
| Sucanat | ¼ C | 40 g |
| Sunflower Oil | 1/3 C | 65 g |
| Dried Fruit (cranberries, blueberries, apricot pieces, raisins, etc.) | 1 C | 150 g |
C=cup g=gram
**Tips
