Cabbage Rolls
0Sunday, 10 March 2013
One of my friends, François, brought a variation of cabbage rolls into the office one day and I made it my mission to try and make them.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
1 lbs ground pork1 lbs ground beef
2 carrots, shredded
2 parnsips, shredded
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup cooked rice
1 egg
tbsp dried thyme
tsp smoked paprika
pinch of salt and pepper
2 cups prepared tomato sauce
1/2 cup beef broth
1 medium-sized head of green cabbage
Directions
1. Preheat
the oven to 350 degrees. Also, boil a large pot of
water.
2. Using
a a knife, cut in a circle all around the stem of the
cabbage and remove the core.
Place the head of cabbage
in the pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes. Remove
from water and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
Peel the
outer
leaves, without ripping. If this cannot be done easily,
place the cabbage back in the pot for a few
more
minutes. Repeat until you have about 10
leaves.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine meat, onions,
garlic,
carrots, parsnips celery, parsley, rice,
egg, spice and
tablespoon of tomato sauce.
4. Place 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce
in a medium-sized pyrex
dish and distribute evenly.
5. Remove the thickest part of the
vein from each cabbage by
cutting out a thin
triangle from the bottom. With the
bottom of the leaf facing you, place
about 4-5 tablespoons
of filling in the middle of the leaf.
Fold over the bottom edge
and then fold the left and then right
sides. Tuck in all
corners. Place cabbage rolls seam
side down in the pyrex.
6. Pour the remaining tomato sauce and
beef broth over the
rolls and cover with foil. Bake
for 1 hour.
7. Garnish with Greek yogurt and
chopped parsley.
8. Savour it!
Braised lamb chops with stewed okra
0Monday, 11 February 2013
Lamb shoulder slices were on sale so I decided to give them a try. I wanted to go to yoga before dinner so I started them off in the slow-cooker and finished them in the oven. For complete oven cooking see the note below.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 3 hours (2.5 in oven alone)
Serves: 2
Ingredients
2 lamb shoulder chops
1 carrot, thickly sliced
1 celery rib, thickly sliced
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup beef stock
4 cloves garlic, pressed
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tbsp flour
pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Stewed okra
2 cups of okra
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 can tomato paste
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tbsp olive oil
Directions
1. Grind rosemary and thyme with a mortar and pestle. Add to a small
bowl with garlic, lemon zest, half the lemon juice and half the oil. Add
salt and pepper and mix well. Rub the mixture on both sides of the
lamb chops.
meat, about 5-7 minutes per side, until a slight crust forms. Set chops
aside.
3. Turn down the heat to medium and add onions. Sauté until
translucent, about 4 minutes. Add stock to the skillet and scrape off
brown bits.
4. Add meat, onion mixture, remaining lemon juice, carrots and celery to
the slow-cooker, over high heat. Cook for 2 hours.
5. Meanwhile, cut off the tops of the okra and slice lengthwise. Soak in
cold water for 10 minutes.
6. Sauté onions and garlic with 1/2 tsp of olive oil over medium heat for 5
minutes. Add cumin and cinnamon. Add drained okra and cook for 10
minutes, stirring frequently.
7. Add tomato paste and 1/2 cup of water and simmer over medium-low
for 15 minutes. Add additional water if necessary.
8. Remove lamb from the slow-cooker and place in a small pyrex dish with
1/2 of the liquid. Bake at 300 °F for 1 hour.
9. To make gravy, add the remaining liquid and vegetables from the slow
cooker to a skillet over medium-high heat. Add balsamic vinegar and
allow the liquid to reduce for 10 minutes. Add flour and whisk until
smooth. Cook for an additional 5 minutes until sauce thickens.
10. Remove lamb from oven and plate with gravy and okra.
11. Savour it!
Note: If you only want to use the oven, place chops, onion mixture and stock to a roasting pan and bake with a lid on for 2 hours at 300 °F. Increase heat to 350 °F, remove the lid and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
Asian Salmon Tartare
0Monday, 4 February 2013
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I`ve always wanted to try and make this dish. Salmon was on sale at the grocery store so I gave it a shot. It turned out great!
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Chill time: 2 hours
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 8-oz boneless salmon fillet, skin removed
1/4 cup cucumber, finely diced
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1/2 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
2 green onions, finely diced
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sesame oil
Juice of 1 lime
Zest of 1 lime
pinch of red chili flakes
pinch of salt and black pepper
Tortilla chips
Directions
1. Place salmon in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
2. Thinly slice salmon into small cubes. Place in a medium-sized bowl
with remaining ingredients. Toss to combine.
3. Refrigerate the mixture for 1-2 hours before serving.
4. Savour it!
Category fish
Sweet Potato, Roasted Garlic and Leek Ravioli
0Wednesday, 14 November 2012
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients
For Ravioli
1 large leak, sliced4 cloves roasted garlic
2 sweet potatoes, diced
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/2 cup Parmesan/Romano cheese
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
2 tsp Italian parsley (optional)
1 package wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten
For Sauce
2 cups quick and easy tomato sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream or 3 tbsp goat cheese
Directions
1. Roast potatoes in the oven at 350°F for 20-30 minutes, until tender.
Allow potatoes to cool for 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, sauté leeks with thyme, oregano, sage, salt and pepper for
6-8 minutes, until fragrant and translucent.
3. Add potatoes, garlic, parsley (optional), leek mixture, and Parmesan or
Romano cheese to the food processor and blend until smooth.
4. Prepare the sauce by heating the tomato sauce and adding heavy
cream or goat cheese. Make sure the sauce does not boil once dairy is
added.
For directions on preparing the ravioli please see post entitled Pear,
Pumpkin and Ricotta Ravioli with Walnut Brown Butter Sauce
5. Savour it!
Category pasta, vegetarian
Pear, Pumpkin and Ricotta Ravioli
0
My friend Leah was in town and we decided to take a food adventure. Neither of us had made ravioli before so it was quite the treat. I remember stopping at a little pasta store in Rome with Matt to buy delicious pumpkin ravioli. It's only taken me 4 years to try making it myself!
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients
For Ravioli
2 ripe Barlett pears, diced
1/2 Spanish onion, chopped
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1 & 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan/Romano cheese
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
1 package of wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten
For sauce
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
5 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
Directions
1. Sauté onions in butter until golden brown, ~4-5 minutes. Add pears,
cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves to the skillet and cook for an additional
3-5 minutes, until pears start to break down but are not mushy.
Remove skillet from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
2. Add pear mixture, pumpkin purée, ricotta cheese, Parmesan or Romano
cheese, and brown sugar to a food processor and blend until smooth.
3. On a clean surface lay out wonton wrappers and brush all edges with
egg. Place mound of filling (~1 tbsp) in the centre of the wrapper.
Top with another wrapper and seal edges with a fork. Repeat with
remaining wrappers. Place on parchment paper so that ravioli don't
touch each other.
4. Make sauce by adding butter and oil to a small saucepan over medium
low heat. Add walnuts and sauté until fragrant, ~ 3 minutes. Add sage
and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes, until butter turns a light
brown colour.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Working in batches (about
5-6 ravioli at a time), add ravioli and cook until tender, ~2-3 minutes.
Strain gently with a large slotted spoon. Transfer to a bowl and top
with brown butter sauce.
6. Savour it!
TIP: If you have left over filling, make gnocchi!! Add the filling to a food processor with 1 egg and enough flour to form a dough (so that it's not too sticky). Roll the dough out into a 1-inch thick rope and cut it into bite-sized pieces (~1/2 inch). Cook in boiling water for 10 minutes and top with your favourite sauce. These little guys freeze great too!
Category pasta, vegetarian
Chicken and Dumplings
1Sunday, 11 November 2012
I've always wanted to try this dish but never got the chance. It's great for cold weather. A comfort food at heart. I modified this recipe from Simply Recipes. It was a big hit with Matt.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Serves: 6
Ingredients
Stew
2 chicken thighs/legs, bone-in
2 chicken breasts, bone-in
1 tbsp olive oil
1 carton chicken stock
2 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 Spanish onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp 2% milk
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves
pinch salt
pinch black pepper
Dumplings
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter, melted
1 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup minced fresh herb leaves (I used dill)
pinch black pepper
Directions
brown on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove chicken pieces
and set aside on a dish.
2. Add onion, garlic, celery, carrot, and thyme and sauté until soft, about
5 minutes (use remaining oil if necessary). Make sure to scrape the
brown bits of chicken from the bottom of the skillet. Remove skillet
from the heat and add the flour. Stir until the mixture is a paste.
3. Add paste to a large pot, over medium heat. Add the stock and whisk
until there are no lumps. Add chicken pieces back to the pot and poach
for about 20 minutes. Remove chicken pieces from the stock and set
aside to cool. When the chicken is cool to the touch, pull the meat off
the bones in large chunks and add them back to the stock with salt and
pepper. (Tip: put the bones in a freezer bag to make stock later). Let
the stew simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile prepare dumpling batter. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl
(flour, baking powder, salt and fresh herbs) and mix well. Add melted
butter, oil and milk to the dry ingredients. Mix gently with a wooden
spoon until the mixture just comes together (Note: do not overmix!!
The dumplings will become hard).
5. Drop the dumplings on top of the stew in tablespoon sized balls.
Cover the pot and let simmer for 15 minutes without lifting the lid.
6. Stir in milk, peas, and parsley.
7. Savour it!
Stuffed Acorn Squash
0Monday, 5 November 2012
This is a great Fall recipe. It keeps well so you can even make it the day before and warm it up. Next time I think I'll add pinto beans for some extra protein. Instead of rice bread could be used for the stuffing.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Serves: 2
Ingredients
1 small acorn squash
1 cup red or wild rice
2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 carrots, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 Spanish onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup of raspberries
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp red chili flakes
pinch salt
pinch pepper
4 sliced of gouda cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
Directions
1. Add rinsed rice to a small pot with 2 cups of stock. Bring to a boil thenreduce heat and let simmer for 40 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the squash in half. Brush cut
side with about 1 tbsp of olive oil, and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
Place on a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes.
3. While squash is baking, make the stuffing by sautéing onions and garlic
in a skillet with remaining oil for ~ 2 minutes. Add spices and cook for
an additional 30 seconds. Add carrots, celery, apples and raspberries.
Mix in 1/2 cup of stock and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until
vegetables are tender. When rice is tender add it to the skillet and
stir.
4. Remove squash from the oven and puncture with a fork. The flesh
should not be too hard. If it is still tough then put the squash back in
the oven for another 10 minutes. Place 2 slices of gouda in the centre
of each squash. Add stuffing on top so that it forms a mound. Return
the stuffed squash to the oven and bake for 10 -15 minutes.
pumpkin seeds and nuts. Serve with roasted vegetables like
asparagus (shown below).
6. Savour it!
Category rice, vegetarian
