Category: Gratitude

This Pepperoni Tastes Like…Wood?

This stew originated as a recipe from www.cookinglight.com, but has been adapted over time and made our own. Although we frequently can get great chorizo from our friends at Ratinaud, we love the taste that Chris Brothers’ pepperoni adds to the soup. Naturally-smoked, it actually makes us feel like our stew has been cooked over a real wood fire.

For the original, search Chickpea-Kale Stew with Chorizo at www.cookinglight.com

For our version, here’s how we changed it:

15ml/1 T olive oil
3 large onions, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2oz/60g Chris Brothers pepperoni, diced
Stems of one large bunch of kale, reserve and chop the leaves

Cook these ingredients til soft.

Then add

3c/750 ml cooked chickpeas with liquid (we precook without salt and freeze in tubs)
3c/750ml unsalted turkey broth (again, we make homemade and freeze whenever we roast…anything)
Kale leaves
1t/10ml oregano

Bring to simmer, cover, and stir occasionally for 30 minutes.

Delicious!

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What Can You Put in a Pancake?

Well, we managed to get shoveled out after a huge winter storm (thanks Paul, for the plow!) and over to the Parents’ house yesterday to deliver…the Internet! Mom and Dad are easing into the digital age.

This morning all is right with the world – no quakes or anything. So we are continuing on our journey of “use up stuff left in the cupboards and freezer from the holidays”. This morning’s version: Mincemeat Pancakes. We’ve put all sorts of things in pancakes – apple chunks, blueberries, shredded carrots… We’re not talking about things wrapped in pancakes, or piled on top of pancakes (sorry, crèpes and blinis), but actually incorporated into the pancakes. These turned out deliciously cakey and spicy, perfect with just a little maple syrup.

For 6 pancakes…

In a medium bowl combine 3/4 c or 185 ml whole wheat flour with 1T or 15 ml baking powder. Make a well in the centre. Into this put 1 egg, 3/4 c or 185 ml leftover mincemeat, 2 T or 30ml canola oil or melted butter, and 1 c or 250 ml milk.

Cook on a buttered griddle or frypan at 350F, turning as the edges dry and bubbles begin to appear.

Serve with maple syrup and watch others wonder what the secret ingredient could be.

Live gratefully!

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Pizza a la Parisienne???

On our first family trip to Paris, we discovered the delight of pizza topped with egg. To be fair, the first time it was probably a novelty order. But since then, we’ve tried to recreate this many times. It’s hard to do it properly without a pizza oven – the egg over cooks or doesn’t cook quickly enough. Today’s solution: leftover whole wheat pepper and mushroom pesto pizza, topped with a perfectly poached egg. A great start to the day.

Mindful that there are others who do not have enough to eat, please join us by donating to your local food bank or Philippine relief.

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50 Ways to Eat Your Apples

It all started with a trip to the Valley. Two beautiful 20-pound bags of apples – Cortlands, and the apples I have longed for over my long absence from Nova Scotia: Gravensteins. Of course, combine this with a busy life, a business trip, and a couple of days off sick, and I have had to start coming up with apple ideas.

There are the usual, of course, like pies, or just eating these delicious orbs as is. (And on that note, I challenge anyone to claim they really find Red Delicious apples to be anything close to delicious!) We’re poring over recipes for mincemeat, chutney, and more. Yesterday we canned a supply of applesauce to last over the winter. But this morning, a simple solution: whole wheat cinnamon apple pancakes. Warm and tasty after a night of howling wind and rain, they will sustain us through what promises to be a dreary day. For that we’re grateful.

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Shank You for a Delicious Meal!

We made a lovely road trip with the parents on Saturday, including a visit to Grammy, now aged 100. Side stopovers included Oulton’s meats, where we watched the talented team of butchers make short work of preparing a variety of delicious meats. In our case, we bought half a lamb, which included these two tasty shanks. We expect to be featuring all sorts of fall lamb recipes over the next weeks.

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We wanted to take advantage of local produce as well, including the delicious apples we picked up on our last trip to the Valley, and some potatoes we grew in our own plot. Here’s how we did it, for 2:

2 (12-ounce) lamb shanks, trimmed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/8 cup alcoholic sparkling cider
2 large diced apples
A good handful of fresh basil, thyme and oregano, minced
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley for topping

1. Heat oven to 300F. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle lamb with freshly ground black pepper. Add lamb to pan, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan. Add garlic to pan; sauté 15 seconds. Add cider; cook 2 minutes, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in apples and herbs; cook 2 minutes. Return lamb to pan. Cover with apples, cover pan and bake 1 hour. Turn lamb over; cook 1 hour more or until meat is done and very tender. Remove lid and cook until thickened if necessary. Serve sprinkled w parsley, and mashed potatoes on the side.

Get your Fill(ing)!

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Hand-rolled pasta may sound like a Herculean task for a weeknight, but last Thursday we made these ravioli to take advantage of some leftover spicy roast squash. (Other leftover mashed vegetables will work equally well). Check the recipe pages for the hand-rolled pasta. We rolled it out and used a small biscuit cutter to cut rounds – as many as we could get from the batch of dough. On each round, we placed about 10ml/2tsp of filling, then wet the circle, topped with another round of dough, and crimped the edges carefully (so as not to pierce) with a fork.

We cooked the pasta for about 10 minutes, and in the meantime made sauce:

Heat 30ml/2T butter w 15ml/1T flour. Stir in 125ml/1/2 c 1% milk and continue stirring until thick. Grate in 30-60ml 1-2 oz smoked Gouda and add a dash of nutmeg. Serve over ravioli and enjoy!

Start to finish, including making the pasta from scratch, about 45 minutes.

A Fresh Start

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Hurricane season is underway and here in Nova Scotia we spend a lot of time with our eyes cast skyward. Today we’re expecting a bit of weather…no hurricane, but definitely some serious wind and rain. On a day like that, a serious breakfast is called for. So we rolled out some green tomato bennies to get us started off on the right foot.

Top a toasted English muffin with sliced tomato and a little prosciutto, then a poached egg. For the blender hollandaise, blend an egg yolk, a small squeeze of lime juice, a little hot sauce and a dash of dry mustard. Blend, and meanwhile heat an ounce of butter in the microwave til boiling. Keep the blender running and pour the butter into the egg in a thin stream – it will cook while you do this.

Serve and enjoy.

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So…much…produce!

Wow! We are surrounded by a bountiful harvest.

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The consequence, of course, is that we have to find ways to use it all…and preserve what’s left for future use. So tonight’s adventure included a zucchini-orzo-pepper-goat cheese dish…after we finished putting two batches of roasted beets (golden and red), two batches of beet greens, and a couple of jars of pesto away for chillier days. Fortunately the orzo was quite a reward – reminding us why all our hard work has been worth it!

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Spice Up Your Salad!

La princessa and her parents left this morning and now the house is eerily quiet. We’re so grateful to have had them with us for a few days, and glad they enjoyed our city by the sea.

Today is also the day we get our diet and exercise routine back on track – so here’s an easy meal to kick things off, for two:

Leftover grilled steak, about 250ml/1c, sliced thin

In a medium nonstick skillet, heat 5 ml each butter and olive oil, and cook, covered, just til tender:

1 sliced onion
2 sliced mushrooms
1 sliced green pepper

Add steak slices and a sprinkling of chipotle powder or a minced Jalapeño.

Serve over 500ml/2c mixed greens.

We’re fortunate to have greens from our own garden, but use a variety to make it more interesting.

Enjoy!

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Pancakes Gone Wild

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We have almost completed our first year in our home near the ocean, and we continue to have new food discoveries every day. Our woods are full of blueberries – can you imagine picking fresh berries for breakfast, just outside your door? We can’t help but feel grateful.

The recipe for these under the recipe tab – Tuesday (or any day) Pancakes. Just add some fresh berries to the batter after mixing! We served ours with wild blueberry syrup.