I want to take another crack at this one at some point. I didn't quite get the rise I was hoping for. It was a bit dense and didn't spring in the oven. I hadn't quite dialed in my technique yet when I tried making this one. I think I could probably get better results if I gave it another go now.

Molasses Bread

Slightly adapted from Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book

Ingredients

• 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1/2 c. warm water
• 1/4 c. light molasses
• 600mL cold water
• 900g coarse, stone-ground flour
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. cold butter

Directions

1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Dissolve the molasses in the cold water.
3. Combine flour and salt and make a well in the centre.
4. Pour yeast mixture and molasses mixture into the well.
5. Working from the centre out, combine all the ingredients to form a slightly stiff dough.
6. Turn out and knead for 20-30 minutes.
7. Smear the cold butter on the work surface and knead the dough on the buttered surface for 10-20 minutes until butter is fully incorporated, dough is silky-smooth, and gluten is well-developed.
8. Place dough in clean, ungreased bowl, cover, and set to rise (preferably at 20°C/68°F) for 10 hours.
9. Knock dough back, shape into a ball, and place in a warm spot (30°C/86°F) to rise a second time. This rise should take 1-2 hours.
10. Knock back again, divide into two equal portions, and shape each portion into a ball, stretching the gluten across the top.
11. Rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten.
12. Shape into loaves (folding and rolling as directed in A Loaf for Learning) and place into greased loaf pans.
13. Set to rise in a very warm place (30-35°C/86-95°F) for about an hour.
14. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 1 hour.

Kheema Lauki (Beef-Stuffed Bottle Gourd)

I did enjoy this curry. That said, it was both more effort and less tasty than other ground beef preparations. If I was in the mood for a ground beef curry, I'd almost certainly turn it into kheema paav rather than kheema lauki. That said, if you're looking for something a little more mellow and with some vegetables built in, you could do a lot worse than squash rings stuffed with nutty seasoned beef.

Kheema Lauki

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 (900g) bottle gourd
• 1/4 c. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 450g lean ground beef
• 1/4 c. ginger-chile paste
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. golden raisins
• 1/4 c. fried onion¹
• 1/4 c. raw pine nuts, ground
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 c. water

Directions

1. Cut off and discard the stem and heel of the squash.
2. Peel and slice crosswise into 3"-thick pieces.
3. Cut a circle from the centre of each squash slice, removing the spongy flesh and seeds.
4. Heat 2 Tbsp. of oil over medium heat.
5. Add the squash circles with the wider end down.
6. Cook, moving them around occasionally, until they are light brown (5-10 minutes). Remove squash rings and set aside.
7. Add remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil to pan.
8. Break up the ground beef and add it to the pan.
9. Add the ginger-chile paste.
10. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat browns (8-10 minutes).
11. Stir in the salt, raisins, fried onion, pine nuts, and cilantro. Remove from pan and set aside.
12. Add water to the pan and deglaze.
13. Place the squash rings in the pan and spoon the meat filling into each cavity.
14. Cover and cook over medium heat until squash is tender (20-25 minutes).
15. Serve with rice, bread, and/or a daal of your choice.

---

¹ I just buy my fried onions by the bag from the Indian grocery store in town. If you don't have an Indian or Pakistani grocery store handy, you can substitute crushed French-fried onions (although they tend to be quite a bit more expensive) or you can make your own. ^Back

Goan Gosht Curry (Goan-Style Beef Stew)

This is one of my absolute favourite beef curries. Delicious! And not too difficult to throw together either. The vinegar stops the potatoes from breaking down too fast so they hold together while the beef tenderizes.

Goan Gosht Curry

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 450g stewing beef
• 1 tsp. cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric
• 250g russet (or other floury) potatoes, cut into 1" (2.5cm) cubes
• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 4 green cardamom pods
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 (3") cinnamon sticks
• 120g shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 400mL coconut milk
• 430mL tinned diced tomatoes
• 1/4 c. malt vinegar
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Toss beef with cayenne and turmeric.
2. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours.
3. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add cardamom pods, bay leaves, and cinnamon sticks and sizzle for 10 seconds or so.
5. Add beef, shallots, and potatoes and stir-fry until beef is seared and shallots and potatoes are lightly browned (~5 minutes).
6. Add cumin and coriander and stir-fry for an additional 2 minutes.
7. Add coconut milk, tomatoes, vinegar, and salt and deglaze the pan.
8. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beef is very tender and potatoes are tender, but still firm (up to 1.5 hours).
9. Add cilantro and serve with crusty bread, naan, and/or rice.

Dhingri Gosht (Beef with Mushrooms)

This was okay, but I have to admit, there are much better beef curries in the book. Achar gosht, vindaloo, and Goan gosht curry probably top my list. But, if you're in the mood for something different, this bell pepper and mushroom dish can be a nice way to mix things up.

Dhingri Gosht

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. coconut milk
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric
• 227g stewing beef
• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 120g cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1" (2.5cm) pieces
• 1 onion, cut into 1" (2.5cm) cubes
• 12-15 fresh (or frozen) curry leaves
• 1 c. water
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne

Directions

1. Combine coconut milk and turmeric and mix well.
2. Add beef and toss to coat.
3. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours.
4. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add mustard seeds, cover, and cook until they stop popping (~30 seconds).
6. Add the mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, curry leaves, and beef mixture.
7. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until meat releases its liquid and meat and vegetables brown (~10-15 minutes).
8. Add water and deglaze pan.
9. Stir in salt and bring to a boil.
10. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender (~20 minutes).
11. Stir in cayenne and serve over rice.

Fried Onion (for Indian Cooking)

I have to admit, I almost never bother doing my own fried onion from scratch. We live right around the corner from an Indian grocery store, so it's easy enough to just get a big bag of fried onion and keep it in the fridge. They're good on pretty much everything, so we always have some on hand. Occasionally I will do a batch of Chinese-style fried onions if I need the onion-infused oil for something. But, other than that, I have to admit, I rely entirely on store-bought fried onions. If, however, you're not lucky enough to live near an Indian grocery store, here's how Iyer recommends making your own fried onions.

Fried Onion

Adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. thinly sliced onion
• 2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 c. canola (or other neutral) oil

Directions

1. Toss sliced onion with cornstarch to coat.
2. Heat canola oil over medium heat.
3. Fry onion until crisp.
4. Remove from pan and spread on paper towel-lined plate to cool.
5. Refrigerate until ready to use.

This is a quick and easy-to-make paste that adds a nice, flavourful kick to curries. If you want to make it even quicker and easier, you can do what I do and just blend a few chiles into some ready-made ginger paste.

Ginger-Chile Paste

From 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. water
• 227g fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
• 12 fresh green Thai chiles

Directions

1. Pour water into blender, followed by ginger and chiles.
2. Purée until smooth.
3. Paste can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for later use.

Achar Gosht (Beef with Pickling Spices)

Achar gosht was a favourite of ours for a while (along with beef vindaloo). We haven't made it in quite a while now, but I feel like it still deserves a write-up. We got a lot of mileage out of this recipe.

Achar Gosht

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. mustard oil
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 2 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp. mustard seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 450g stewing beef
• 1 large onion, cut into 1" (2.5cm) cubes
• 1 bell pepper, cut into 1" (2.5cm) pieces
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine mustard oil, ginger paste, garlic paste, ground mustard, cayenne, salt, and turmeric and mix well.
2. Add beef and toss to coat.
3. Cover and chill for up to 24 hours.
4. Heat a pan over medium-high heat.
5. Add beef mixture, onion, and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until beef is browned all over (~10 minutes).
6. Stir in tomato sauce and water.
7. Cover and braise over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until beef is very tender (up to 1.5 hours).
8. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with naan and/or rice.

Punjabi Rajmah (Punjabi-Style Kidney Beans)

If you're looking for a quick and easy curry to throw together, this definitely fits the bill. It's not as saucy as many curries. The sauce is thick and scoop-able rather than pour-able. Iyer recommends serving this one with naan and I agree. Especially since the thicker consistency makes it perfect for scooping up with naan rather than soaking into rice.

Punjabi Rajmah

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 onion, minced very fine
• 3-4 fresh green Thai chiles
• 2 Tbsp. garlic paste¹
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste²
• 1 Tbsp. amchoor (unripe mango powder)³
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1/2 c. plain yogurt
• 1 c. water
• 2-3 c. cooked red kidney beans
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. Punjabi garam masala

Directions

1. Combine onion, chiles, garlic, ginger, and amchoor and mix well⁴.
2. Heat the ghee over medium-high heat and add the minced blend. Stir-fry for ~5 minutes. (Make sure you have good ventilation for this as the chiles will be very hard on your lungs otherwise.)
3. Add the yogurt and cook until dry and curd-like (~10-15 minutes).
4. Add water and beans and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for an additional 10-15 minutes.
6. Stir in the cilantro and garam masala.
7. Serve with warm naan.

---

¹ Or, alternatively, 4 large cloves of garlic, crushed. ^Back
2 Fresh ginger also works here, I just find ginger paste more convenient. ^Back
3 If mango powder is unavailable, use lime juice instead. ^Back
4 If you have a food processor, you can skip mincing the onion and crushing the garlic and whatnot and just bung everything in and pulse until minced. If you go the food processor route, hold the amchoor back until everything else is minced and then sprinkle the powder in and mix it through at the end. Trying to add it at the beginning with everything else will result in clogs and chunks. ^Back

Spiced Honey Lemon Beef Tagine

This tagine sounded really promising. The onions were excellent. But, overall, I found the dish a little bland. A generous dollop of harissa on top perked it up nicely though.

Honey Lemon Beef Tagine

Slightly adapted from 150 Best Tagine Recipes by Pat Crocker

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. pomegranate molasses
• 4 tsp. garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp. ras el hanout
• 450g stewing beef
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, cut into eighths
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 c. beef broth
• juice of 1 lemon
• flesh and rind of 1 very small preserved lemon (or 1/2 large preserved lemon), chopped
• 1 very large (or 3 small) parsnips, chopped
• Harissa, to serve

Directions

1. Combine honey, sesame oil, pomegranate molasses, garlic paste, and ras el hanout to make a marinade.
2. Toss beef with marinade, cover, and chill for up to 24 hours.
3. After meat has had at least half and hour to marinate, heat oil over medium heat and add onion and bell pepper. Cook for 5 minutes.
4. Add broth, lemon juice, and preserved lemon and bring to a boil.
5. Stir in parsnips, beef, and marinade.
6. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour.
7. Serve over couscous with harissa.

I've always been hesitant to get into sourdoughs because I worry I won't make them enough to make keeping the starter around worthwhile. The Laurel's Kitchen approach to sourdoughs though seems to be a sort of hybrid method. They use a rye sour to achieve the distinctive sourdough flavour (and to help "condition" the dough), but the actual leavening power still comes from active dry yeast.

The fact that the sour isn't expected to provide any of the leavening and is simply there to help flavour the dough makes it a bit more forgiving than what I tend to think of as your "typical" sourdough starter. It can sit neglected in the fridge for months on end and still be good to go when you finally get around to making sourdough again. Thus, it doesn't come with quite such a high level of commitment to these tangy baked goods as a more all-in-one starter might.

Manuel's Rye Sour

Slightly adapted from Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book

Ingredients

• 1 c. rye berries, milled into flour
• 250mL water
• 1/2 tsp. milk
• 1 grain/granule active dry yeast

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
2. Keep in a covered non-metal container at room temperature -- ideally between 20 and 25°C (68 and 77°F) for 3-5 days, stirring twice a day.
3. Mixture should smell pungent and sour, but not unpleasant. If it smells bad, it has likely gotten too warm and should be discarded.
4. Store in an airtight, non-metal container in the fridge.
5. Let mixture come to room temperature before using.
6. Whenever you want to use your sour, simply take out as much as you need and replace it with equal quantities of fresh rye flour and water. (eg. If you use 3/4 c. of sour, replace it with 3/4 c. rye flour and 3/4 c. water.)

This bread did come out with a mild, but detectable sourdough tang. The loaves were a little smaller and flatter than I would've liked though. The recipe calls for only 525g of flour (plus 175mL rye sour) rather than the usual 900g of flour called for in the rest of the 2-loaf Laurel's Kitchen recipes that I've made so far. I'd be inclined to increase the amount of flour and water next time to produce the usual amount of dough.

Whole Wheat Sourdough

Adapted from Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book

Ingredients

Starter

• 175mL sourdough starter or rye sour
• 225g whole wheat flour
• 175mL water

Dough

• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 120mL warm water
• 500g whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 250mL water

Directions

1. Combine all starter ingredients (sourdough starter, flour, and water), cover, and set aside at room temperature for 12-18 hours.
2. The next day, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Set aside for 10 minutes.
3. Combine the flour and salt and mix well.
4. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the starter mixture as well as the additional 250mL of water.
5. Mix the flour into the liquid working from the centre outward.
6. Once mixture comes together into a loose dough, turn it out and begin kneading¹. Knead for 20-40 minutes².
7. If, after 10 minutes of kneading, dough seems too loose, add a little more flour. (Be very sparing with the flour!) If dough is too tight, add more water. Knead a few more strokes and continue to adjust as necessary.
8. Once dough is supple and elastic and gluten is well-developed (usually ~40 minutes for me), form into a ball and place dough in a bowl to rise at room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap, a shower cap, or a damp cloth. Check proof after ~1 hour: Poke a damp finger ~1cm into the dough. If the hole fills in fairly rapidly, the dough is still under-proved and needs to rise for a bit longer. If the hole stays or only fills in a tiny amount/very slowly, it's ready to be knocked back. (If the dough sighs and/or sinks back around the hole, it's over-proved and should've been knocked back a bit earlier.)
9. Knock the dough back. (Sometimes I like to knead it a little bit at this point to help press out the bubbles and move the yeast around.)
10. Set to rise again³.
11. Knock dough back again, pressing out as many bubbles as possible.
12. Divide into two equal portions and shape each one into a ball, stretching and smoothing the gluten across the top. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow gluten to relax.
13. Shape into loaves as desired. (I prefer to bake mine in loaf tins. The recipe recommends making hearth loaves.)
14. Set to rise one final time. This time you're looking for a fingerprint that does fill in, but only slowly.
15. Steam at 450°F (230°C) for 10-15 minutes⁴.
16. Reduce heat to 325°F (160°C) and continue baking for ~40 minutes.

---

¹ I actually find it easiest to turn the dough out before all the flour has been completely incorporated. It will be wet and sticky. It likely won't hold together very well. But if you turn it out and start working it, it will take up the rest of the flour as you do and gradually get less sticky and crumbly. I strongly advise against adding any more flour until the dough has had at least 10 minutes of kneading. And, even then, do so with extreme caution. Don't be afraid of dough that's a little wet and loose. In my experience that's probably going to be better than dough that's too tight and dry. ^Back
2 Exact timing will depend on your technique and speed. Aim for 600-1000 strokes. It's nearly impossible to overwork dough when kneading by hand, so err on the side of more rather than less. If kneading by machine, you may need much less time. Check gluten development after 10 minutes. ^Back
3 The recipe advises that the second rise should take about half as long as the first, but mine always seems to take about the same amount of time. Start checking around the 30-45 minute mark, but don't be alarmed if it takes an hour or more. ^Back
4 Steaming can be done a bunch of different ways. I prefer either baking the bread in a covered dish with a few tablespoons of water poured over the top crust before the lid is added or placing a pan of hot water on the rack directly below the baking bread (no lid for this method). ^Back

Zunka (Toasted Chickpea Flour Curry)

This curry is meant to be served with bhaakar, but I also enjoy it on its own. Especially when topped with fried onion. This also makes a great "everything-free" sort of meal. It's vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free. I believe the lack of meat and dairy also make it halal and kosher-friendly (although I'm not as familiar with these diets, so check before you serve if this is important). The only dietary restriction that it doesn't really play nice with is low-FODMAP. The chickpea base means it's not really compatible with a low-FODMAP diet, so that might be a situation where you give it a miss. Other than FODMAP or maybe an onion allergy though, this curry should be fine for pretty much anyone. It's not fancy, but it's quick, easy, tasty, and satisfying. Definitely something worth having in the repertoire.

Zunka

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. Toasted chickpea flour
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric
• 3 c. water¹
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 (red) onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 4 fresh green Thai chiles, thinly sliced
• 1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 c. fried onions (optional)

Directions

1. Combine toasted flour, salt, turmeric, and water. Set aside.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
3. Add the mustard seeds and cover the skillet while they pop.
4. Once mustard seeds have stopped popping (~30 seconds) add the cumin seeds and sizzle for a few seconds.
5. Immediately add the onion and chiles and fry until onion is brown around the edges (~5 minutes).
6. Add the flour mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
7. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with bhaakar (or flatbread of choice). Sprinkle with fried onions if desired.

---

¹ Iyer has you add the water to the pan first and then whisk in the dry flour mixture just after the water comes to a simmer, whisking vigorously to avoid lumps. I thought this sounded suspiciously similar to the "common wisdom" method of cooking polenta. So I decided to adapt it to my favourite method of preparing polenta. Which involves adding the dry ingredients to the water while it's still cold and stirring only occasionally. This seemed to work quite well, so I'll be sticking with my method in the future. Feel free to try Iyer's method if that's more appealing though. ^Back

Bhaakar (Sorghum/Millet Flatbread)

The recipe for this flatbread is actually very similar to a basic shortcrust recipe: cut fat into flour then add water a little bit at a time until the dough comes together. The main difference, of course, is that you're not using wheat flour.

Bhaakar will never replace naan as my favourite flatbread, but I did quite enjoy them. And I think they'd take additional spices and flavouring very well. I'd love to try adding things like cumin, fennel seed, or fresh cilantro sometime.

Bhaakar

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 c. sorghum or millet, milled into flour¹
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3 Tbsp. ghee or unsalted butter
• ~3/4 c. cold water

Directions

1. Combine flour and salt.
2. Cut in ghee/butter.
3. Add water a tablespoon or two at a time until mixture comes together into a ball and forms a stiff dough.
4. Knead for a minute or two.
5. Divide into 8 portions.
6. Place a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper on your work surface.
7. Place one of the portions of dough on the paper and press it flat. Make a 4-6" (10-15cm) round ~1/8" (3mm) thick.
8. Peel the round off the paper and cook over medium heat for a minute or two.
9. Flip and cook the other side.
10. Brush with butter or ghee and cook both sides again.

---

Variations

Vegan

Ingredients

• 2 c. sorghum or millet, milled into flour¹
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable ghee or shortening
• ~3/4 c. cold water

Use vegetable ghee or margarine in place of the butter brushed on the bhaakar during cooking.

---

¹ The original recipe calls for 2 c. sorghum or millet flour. I didn't have any flour on had, but I did have some millet. Milling 2 c. of millet yielded slightly more than the required 2 c. of flour, so I just added an extra tablespoon of butter and called it a day. ^Back

Potato, Spinach, and Raisin Tart (Quiche)

Wow! This one was good! I have to admit, I was dubious of the raisins in this combo, but it really worked. Only thing I'd do differently next time is to be a bit more diligent about pressing excess liquid out of the various components before they go into the pie shell. The end result was slightly soupy (although still totally delicious).

Potato, Spinach, and Raisin Tart

Slightly adapted from the Book of Old Tarts by Elizabeth Hodder

Ingredients

• 225g shortcrust pastry (homemade or store-bought)
• 25g salted butter
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil¹ (optional)
• 2 leeks (white part only) or 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 tsp. garlic paste (or 3 cloves garlic, crushed)
• 3 medium-sized potatoes, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper
• 220g spinach, rinsed and trimmed²
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 55g raisins
• 140g grated Cheddar cheese
• 4 eggs
• 200mL table (18%) cream³

Directions

1. Line a 9" deep dish pie plate with the pastry and blind bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes.
2. Remove the pie weights and parchment paper and return the pie shell to the over for 5 minutes.
3. Melt the butter over medium heat (with oil, if using)
4. Add the onions or leeks and cook until softened.
5. Add the garlic and cook until just starting to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Bring some water to a boil and add the potatoes.
7. Season water with a bit of salt and boil for 5 minutes.
8. Remove potatoes from water with slotted spoon, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
9. Add the spinach to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute.
10. Remove spinach from water and drain, squeezing out a much liquid as possible.
11. Sprinkle spinach with the nutmeg and set aside.
12. Add the raisins to the hot water and let them soak for a few minutes.
13. Drain the raisins, dry off, and set aside.
14. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
15. Sprinkle ~60g of the cheese over the base of the baked pie shell.
16. Spread half the potatoes over this.
17. Spread half the spinach over the potatoes.
18. Sprinkle half the raisins over the spinach.
19. Repeat the layers once more.
20. Top with the sautéed onion and garlic mixutre.
21. Whisk the eggs with the cream and season with salt and pepper.
22. Slowly and carefully pour the the egg mixture into the pie, giving it time to percolate down through the various layers.
23. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
24. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 40 minutes.

---

Variants

Lighter Version

Ingredients

• 15g salted butter
• 2 leeks (white part only) or 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 4 tsp. garlic paste (or 3 cloves garlic, crushed)
• 3 medium-sized potatoes, thinly sliced
• salt and pepper
• 250g spinach, rinsed and trimmed
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 55g raisins
• 100g grated (low-fat) Cheddar cheese
• 1 egg
• 4 egg whites
• 200mL milk
• 2 Tbsp. flour

Directions

1. Cook and prepare fillings as above.
2. Grease a 9" deep dish pie plate.
3. Sprinkle 40g of cheese in the bottom of the pie plate.
4. Spread half the potatoes over this.
5. Spread half the spinach over the potatoes.
6. Sprinkle half the raisins over the spinach.
7. Repeat the layers.
8. Spread the onion mixture over top.
9. Whisk together egg, egg whites, milk, and flour.
10. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
11. Slowly pour the egg mixture over the fillings, giving it time to seep in.
12. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 40 minutes.

---

¹ I actually completely forgot the oil. I don't think it really missed the extra fat though. I probably won't bother with the oil next time either. ^Back
2 The original recipe calls for 450g of spinach, but I only had 220g and I found that to be enough. I think more would've been fine, but it definitely would've required a larger pie plate. ^Back
3 The original calls for 225mL of cream, but I couldn't quite fit all of the egg-cream mixture into the filled pie, so I'd try it with slightly less cream next time. ^Back

I went to search the cookbook shelf for dinner inspiration yesterday and ended up doing an organizational overhaul. This lead to reorganizing the shelf, pruning a bunch of books that we don't really use, and rediscovering some others that I probably should be! Among this last category was The Book of Old Tarts. It's a great little book featuring both sweet and savoury tarts/pies from as recently as the 1960s and as far back as Roman times. It is very much up my alley!

I ended up starting with a 20th century recipe because it was one of the few for which I actually had all the ingredients on hand. (And because it sounded tasty!)

TF and I both really enjoyed this pie. The crisp oatmeal and breadcrumb topping reminds me of an apple crumble or a Dutch apple pie which is definitely a favourite with both of us. I found it slightly on the sweet side, but not unbearably so. And the pie was excellent served with a bit of heavy/whipping cream. I think it'd be even better served with some vanilla ice cream or maybe a fool, but the cream was lovely all the same. The only really problem was with structural integrity. Despite pre-baking for 20 minutes and brushing with egg white, it still ended up with a soggy bottom. Next time I think I'd pre-bake it for slightly longer and pour the apple poaching liquid over after all the other ingredients have been added (rather than just after the apples go in). That might not be enough to save it from having a soggy bottom, but hopefully it'll at least help a little.

Oatmeal, Apple, and Syrup Tart

Slightly adapted from the Old Book of Tarts by Elizabeth Hodder

Ingredients

• 1/2 recipe sweet shortcrust pastry
• 55g rolled oats
• 1 egg white
• 450g apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 300mL water
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 25g butter, cut into small pieces
• 50g brown sugar
• 25g fresh breadcrumbs
• 55g sultanas
• 3 Tbsp. golden syrup¹

Directions

1. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface sprinkled with 25g of the rolled oats to a thickness of 3mm and use it to line a 9" deep dish pie plate.
2. Prick all over with a fork.
3. Brush with egg white.
4. Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C).
5. Chill the lined tin for at least 10 minutes.
6. Place the empty pie shell on the preheated baking sheet and bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20-25 minutes.
7. Remove baked shell from oven (leaving the baking sheet in).
8. Combine the apples, water, cloves, and cinnamon and bring to a boil over medium heat.
9. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes until apples are tender, but not mushy.
10. Remove apples with slotted spoon and set aside.
11. Add sultanas and golden syrup to apple poaching liquid and continue to cook, uncovered for another 10 minutes.
12. Place the apples in the bottom of the baked pie shell.
13. Scatter the pieces of butter on top of the apples.
14. Sprinkle the brown sugar over this in an even layer.
15. Combine the remaining oats with the breadcrumbs and sprinkle these over the sugar.
16. Pour the syrup-sultana mixture over everything.²
17. Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 25 minutes (you may need to cover the exposed crust with foil to stop it from burning).
18. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

---

¹ I ended up using corn syrup in place of the golden syrup. Maple syrup or pancake syrup would also make reasonable substitutes. ^Back
2 The original recipe calls for mixing the (dry) sultanas with the oats and breadcrumbs and pouring the poaching liquid (without the syrup) over the apples before adding the butter, sugar, or oat mixture. Then the syrup gets drizzled over on its own after everything else has been added. My hope is that by holding all the liquids back 'til just before the pie goes in the oven, it won't develop quite such a soggy bottom. Although this theory remains untested at this point. ^Back

Fettuccine alle Erbe e Panna Rosa (Fettuccine with Herbed Rosé Sauce)

Hazan warns that this recipe requires the freshest, best-quality herbs and tomatoes possible. I didn't have fresh tomatoes nor all of the herbs on hand, so I decided to risk trying it with tinned tomatoes and dried herbs. It was delicious!

Fettuccine alle Erbe e Panna Rosa

Slightly adapted from the Classic Pasta Cookbook by Giuliano Hazan

Ingredients

• 450g fettuccine
• 1/4 c. unsalted butter
• 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary)
• 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh sage (or 1/2 tsp. dried summer savoury)
• 1/2 beef bouillon cube
• 900g fresh ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4" dice (or 900g tinned diced tomatoes)
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 c. heavy (35%) cream

Directions

1. Get the water boiling for your pasta.
2. Melt the butter over medium heat.
3. Add the herbs and bouillon cube and stir until cube has completely dissolved.
4. Add the tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-10 minutes.
5. Increase heat to medium-high and pour in the cream.
6. Cook, stirring often, until reduced by half. Remove from heat and set aside.
7. Salt the boiling pasta water, add the fettuccine, and cook until al dente.
8. Drain pasta and toss with sauce.
9. Serve as is or sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

---

Variations

Vegetarian

Ingredients

• 450g fettuccine
• 1/4 c. unsalted butter
• 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh basil
• 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary)
• 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh sage (or 1/2 tsp. dried summer savoury)
• 1/2 vegetable bouillon cube
• 900g fresh ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4" dice (or 900g tinned diced tomatoes)
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 c. heavy (35%) cream

Spaghetti al Sugo di Cipolle Varie (Spaghetti with Mixed Onion Sauce)

This recipe calls for shallots, red onions, and leeks. I decided to fake it with yellow onions, garlic, and leeks. I sautéed half an onion with a bit of garlic to try to approximate the shallots. Used yellow onions in place of red. And came up slightly short on shallots. I also ended up using rotini rather than spaghetti. TF quite liked to rotini, but I definitely prefer spaghetti or spaghettini with this one.

The flavour of the sauce was great, but I found it somewhat lacking in... substance. It was all starch and oil with no protein. I have another cookbook, The Good Egg, that features a very similar recipe featuring eggs fried on top of sautéed onions and garlic. When you toss the pasta with the egg-onion concoction, the whites break up and mix through the noodles and the soft yolks coat the noodles and form a sort of sauce (similar to how carbonara works). I decided to add a few eggs to the pasta to make it a little more filling. I think the eggs did improve matters, but I still feel like it was missing something. I might try adding some scallions or a pinch of red chile flakes next time. Having the full measure of leeks would probably also help.

Spaghetti al Sugo di Cipolle Varie

The Classic Pasta Cookbook by Giuliano Hazan

Ingredients

• 450g spaghetti
• 1/2 c. olive oil
• 1/4 c. thinly sliced shallots
• 2 c. thinly sliced red onions¹
• 350g leeks, white parts only, cut into thin strips 2" long
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 c. dry white wine
• 2 Tbsp. fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 4 eggs (optional)
• 1/3 c. grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Combine olive oil and shallots over medium heat and cook until lightly coloured.
2. Add onions and leeks and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Add 1/4 c. water, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until very soft and tender.
4. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil for the pasta.
5. Uncover the sauce and raise the heat to medium-high.
6. Cook, stirring occasionally until the liquid has evaporated and the leeks and onions begin to brown.
7. Salt the boiling water, add the pasta, and cook until al dente.
8. Add the wine and parsley to the sauce and cook until wine has almost completely evaporated.
9. If using eggs, add them at this point, frying until whites are set but yolks are still very soft.
10. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce.
11. Add the Parmesan and toss again.

---

¹ These quantities were fine, but I don't think I'd be worried about going up to 3 or 4 c. for the onions next time. ^Back