Gatte ki Subzi (Chickpea Flour Dumplings in a Spicy Yogurt Sauce)

This is a nice vegetarian curry. The recipe makes a double batch of dumplings and recommends adding half to the curry and freezing the other half so they're easy to hand for future meals. I think I prefer chickpea curries that use whole chickpeas in general, but this is a nice change of pace if you're looking for something a bit different.

Gatte ki Subzi

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Dumplings

• 2 c. chickpea flour (besan)
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. cayenne powder
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. Rajasthani garam masala
• 1/4 c. warm water
• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. plain yogurt
• 1 1/2 c. water
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 3 tsp. cumin seeds, divided (1 tsp. ground, 2 tsp. whole)
• 1/2 Tbsp. cayenne powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. Rajasthani garam masala
• 1/4 coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. ghee or butter
• 1/2 tsp. ground asafetida
• 3 Tbsp. ginger paste

Directions

Dumplings

1. Combine chickpea flour, coriander, cumin, cayenne, salt, and garam masala.
2. Drizzle with warm water and mix to make a sticky dough. If it's too dry, add another Tbsp. or two of warm water.
3. Add oil to dough and knead it (in the bowl) until smooth.
4. Lightly flour (with chickpea flour) your work surface and place the dough on the floured surface.
5. Press and roll it into a 12" long log.
6. Cut the log (crosswise) into four pieces.
7. Fill a pot halfway with water and bring to a rolling boil.
8. Add the dough pieces to the pot and lower heat to medium.
9. Simmer, uncovered, turning them occasionally for ~45 minutes.
10. Remove boiled dough pieces with slotted spoon and set aside.
11. Discard the cooking water and fill pot with fresh, cold water.
12. Plunge the boiled dough pieces into the cold water for a few seconds, then remove.
13. Scrape off the outer bumpy layer from the outside of the dough with a butter knife.
14. Slice each cylinder in half lengthwise and then cut each piece crosswise into 1cm (~1/2") thick pieces.
15. At this point, half of the dumplings may be frozen for future use while the rest will be used for this curry.

Sauce

1. Whisk yogurt with water.
2. Add coriander, ground cumin, cayenne, turmeric, garam masala, and salt.
3. Add dumplings to the yogurt mixture.
4. Heat the ghee over medium-high heat.
5. Add whole cumin seeds and sizzle for ~10 seconds.
6. Sprinkle in asafetida and ginger paste and cook for another minute or so.
7. Add the yogurt mixture and dumplings and bring to a boil.
8. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens (~20 minutes).

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Variants

Vegan

Ingredients

Dumplings

• 2 c. chickpea flour (besan)
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. cayenne powder
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. Rajasthani garam masala
• 1/4 c. warm water
• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. plain coconut yogurt
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 3 tsp. cumin seeds, divided (1 tsp. ground, 2 tsp. whole)
• 1/2 Tbsp. cayenne powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. Rajasthani garam masala
• 1/4 coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil or margarine
• 1/2 tsp. ground asafetida
• 3 Tbsp. ginger paste

This recipe started life as a Cook's Country quick recipe card, but we ended up changing a lot of it around to match the ingredients we had on hand. Gemelli instead of linguine, parmesan instead of romano cheese, some proportion changes...

It stayed true to the spirit of the recipe, though, and came together very quickly and with minimal effort. It's also a one-pot meal, although you'll need a bowl or something to buffer the broccoli in.

Gemelli with broccoli and tomatoes

Book's Country

Ingredients

• ~300g broccoli florets
• 15mL salt
• 450g gemelli
• 30mL olive oil
• 4 large garlic cloves, sliced thinly
• 1mL red pepper flakes
• 1 ~530mL tin of diced tomatoes
• 60mL dry white wine
• freshly ground red pepper
• ~250mL freshly grated parmesan

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot.
2. Add salt and broccoli, and cook until just starting to become tender, ~2 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon.
3. In the same water, cook the pasta al dente. Reserve 125mL of water and drain the pasta.
4. Empty any remaining water from the pot. Add the oil and heat to medium high.
5. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, ~30-60 seconds.
6. Add the tomatoes, wine, and black pepper to taste. Cook until the tomatoes thicken, ~10 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and toss with pasta, broccoli, and parmesan. Serve with more parmesan.

Another regional garam masala variant. I don't use this one as much as Punjabi or Bin Bhuna Hua Garam Masala, but it's still nice to have on hand.

Rajasthani Garam Masala

From 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp. black cumin seeds¹
• 1/4 tsp. whole cloves
• 1/4 tsp. green cardamom seeds
• 1-2 dried bay leaves or 1 Indian bay (cassia) leaf
• 2 Tbsp. dried mint leaves, crushed
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chiles²
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground mace
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Combine peppercorns, cumin, cloves, cardamom, and bay leaves in a spice grinder and finely grind.
2. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.

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¹ Black cumin seeds are best but, if you don't have them to hand, regular cumin seeds can be used instead. Toast them for a minute or so before using them. ^Back
2 If you don't have Kashmiri chiles, you can substitute a 3:1 mix of sweet paprika and cayenne powder. ^Back

TF is a big fan of ginger. So this cake seemed like a natural choice as this year's birthday cake. I would've liked to have topped it with some candied ginger, but after visiting two stores and not being able to find any, I gave up and just decided to roll with the cake and glaze, recipe-as-written.

A few slices I packed up to give away.

Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Slightly adapted from The Perfect Cake by America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

Cake

• 355g all-purpose flour¹
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp. ground ginger
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 c. sugar
• 4 tsp. grated fresh ginger
• 3/4 c. molasses
• 3/4 c. stout beer

Glaze

• 200g icing (powdered/confectioners') sugar
• 1-2 tsp. ground ginger²
• 3 Tbsp. ginger beer
• 3 Tbsp. chopped candied (crystallized) ginger (optional)

Directions

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. Melt butter over medium heat.
4. Add ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and pepper and cook for ~30 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. Beat eggs with sugar and fresh ginger until light and frothy.
6. Stir in molasses and stout.
7. Stir in butter mixture.
8. Add flour mixture to egg mixture and stir until fully combined.
9. Pour batter into a greased and floured Bundt pan.
10. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 45-50 minutes.
11. Cool in the pan for ~20 minutes.
12. Invert onto wire rack and let cool.

Glaze

1. Sift together icing sugar and ground ginger.
2. Whisk in ginger beer.
3. Once cake has cooled, pour glaze over.
4. Sprinkle with candied ginger (if using).
5. Let glaze set for ~15 minutes before slicing.
6. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

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¹ Soft (plain/cake/standard) flour should also work for this. ^Back
2 The original recipe called for 1 tsp. of ground ginger and 3 Tbsp. of ginger ale. I used 1 tsp. of ground ginger and 3 Tbsp. of ginger beer. (Ginger beer tends to have a sharper ginger flavour than ginger ale.) TF still felt that the glaze was somewhat lacking in ginger presence so I'll probably up the ground ginger to 2 tsp. next time. ^Back

Sarson "Murghi" Kebab (Grilled "Chicken" with Mustard Greens Sauce)

This recipe shows up in the appetizer section of 660 Curries, although Iyer notes that you can easily make it into a main course by doubling the chicken. (No need to double anything else.) I decided to try for a vegetarian main course and substituted tofu for the chicken. I followed the same procedure I normally use for Extra Delicious Tofu but switched up the seasonings a bit to try to bump up the umami and get it to look and taste even more like chicken. I'm quite happy with the results!

Sarson "Murghi" Kebab

Adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

"Chicken"

• 2 (350g) packages extra firm tofu
• 6 dried black mushrooms
• 1/2 c. boiling water
• 2 Tbsp. mushroom ketchup
• 2 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. ketchup
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1/8 tsp. paprika
• 10-20 grinds black pepper
• 1 tsp. nutritional yeast¹ (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. Scallion Oil
• 1 Tbsp. chickpea flour (besan)
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Sauce

• 200-250g mustard greens
• 3 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 tsp. dill seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. Punjabi Garam Masala
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne powder
• 1/2 c. chopped red onion
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 medium-sized tomato, chopped

Directions

"Chicken"

1. Freeze the tofu.
2. Thaw and drain the tofu.
3. Cut into four thin slabs. (One vertical cut, then slice each brick in half horizontally.)
4. Wrap in tea towels and press for at least half an hour.
5. Cut into bite-sized pieces and freeze.
6. Meanwhile, pour the boiling water over the mushrooms and set aside.
7. Thaw the tofu again, place on a tea towel, and press out as much additional moisture as possible. (There shouldn't be much at this point.)
8. In a small bowl, combine mushroom ketchup, soy sauce, tomato paste, ketchup, garlic, paprika, and pepper.
9. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking water.
10. Add 3 Tbsp. of the soaking water to the ketchup-soy mixture.
11. Trim the stems off the mushrooms and discard. Coarsely chop the caps and set aside.
12. Pour the ketchup-soy mixture over the tofu and toss to coat.
13. Add nutritional yeast (if using) and toss again.
14. Drizzle scallion oil over the seasoned tofu and toss to coat.
15. Sprinkle with chickpea flour and toss.
16. Sprinkle with cornstarch and toss.
17. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet.
18. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20-30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Sauce

1. If you have a food processor, use it to finely mince the mustard greens. (You will likely need to work in batches.) Otherwise, simply chop the mustard greens and finely as you can.
2. Stir in 1 Tbsp. of the oil.
3. Add ginger paste, garlic paste, ground dill seeds, salt, garam masala, and cayenne and mix well.
4. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add onion and cook until lightly browned (2-3 minutes).
6. Add mustard greens and reserved mushrooms (from preparing the "chicken") and reduce heat to medium-low.
7. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for ~10 minutes.
8. Add 1/2 c. water and the chopped tomato and bring to a boil.
9. For a smooth sauce, either transfer to a blender jar or use an immersion/stick blender to purée the mixture at this point. If you prefer a chunky sauce, you may skip this step.
10. Pour the sauce over the "chicken" and serve.

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Variants

Sarson Murghi Kebab (with actual chicken)

Ingredients

• bamboo or metal skewers
• 200-250g mustard greens
• 3 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 tsp. dill seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. Punjabi Garam Masala
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne powder
• 900g boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" strips (or 450g if dish is to be an appetizer)
• 1/2 c. chopped red onion
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 medium-sized tomato, chopped

Directions

1. If using bamboo skewers, place them in a bowl of water to soak for at least an hour or two.
2. Prepare sauce through to the end of step 3 as above.
3. Add chicken strips to the sauce and stir to coat.
4. Cover and chill for at least half an hour, but not longer than six hours.
5. Preheat grill or broiler to high.
6. Remove chicken strips from sauce and thread onto skewers in a zigzag manner.
7. Cook the sauce as above. (Steps 4-9) There will, of course, be no mushrooms to add in this version.
8. If you are grilling the chicken, lightly grease the grill and cook (with the lid closed), turning occasionally, for ~8 minutes. If you're using the broiler, position rack so that top of chicken is 5-7cm (2-3") below the element. Lightly grease rack of broiler pan and broil chicken, turning occasionally, for ~8 minutes.
9. Remove chicken from skewers.
10. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

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¹ I had intended to add a bit of nooch to my tofu. I was sure I had some in the cupboard. But, when I went to get it, it wasn't there. So I ended up just going ahead without the yeast. Still plenty tasty! ^Back

I initially overlooked this pizza. Putting the sauce on top just seemed weird and wrong to me. I wasn't on board with this whole upside down assembly. But, after thinking about it a bit more, I decided maybe it was worth a try. So glad I did! It was delicious! The crispy, cheesy edges really are great.

We opted to do a mushroom, pepperoni, and kale pizza. Cook's Country simply gave instructions for a basic cheese pizza. Feel free to treat it as you would any other pizza and put on whatever toppings in whatever combination sounds good to you! Since the toppings go under the cheese, rather than on top, many of them will need to be cooked before going on the pizza to achieve the desired result. As long as you're mindful of that, this should be a very flexible recipe that results in many delicious and satisfying pizzas.

One thing I will note: Don't be shy with the toppings! This is not your typical thin disc of cheesy bread. Heck, it's not even your typical thick-crust pizza. The crust is very soft and lovely, but it's also thick and sturdy enough to stand up to a good quantity of toppings. I topped it as if I was topping a "standard" pizza. And then I was sad that it didn't have more stuff on it. I've adjusted for this in the recipe below. It'll look like a lot to go on one pizza. Don't be alarmed. It should all balance out nicely.

Detroit-Style Pizza

Adapted from Cook's Country August/September 2017

Ingredients

• 1/2 recipe whole wheat pizza dough¹
• 1 recipe sautéed kale with crispy pepperoni and cherry peppers²
• 200-250g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. white miso paste
• 300-400g Monterey Jack or Brick cheese, shredded
• 1 recipe no-cook pizza sauce

Directions

1. Place dough in greased 23x33cm (9x13") baking pan, cover, and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
2. Press dough flat and press into corners of the pan. Try to get it as even as possible. Cover and set aside to rise.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the pepperoni and kale and set aside.
4. Heat mushrooms and water over medium heat and cook, covered for 3-4 miutes.
5. Uncover and add butter and miso paste. Cook for another 5 minutes or so.
6. Once dough is done rising (it should double or triple in size), sprinkle it with kale, pepperoni, and mushrooms.
7. Sprinkle cheese on top, covering toppings.
8. Create three lengthwise lines of sauce on top of the cheese. Use ~1/3 c. of sauce for each line.
9. Bake at 260°C (500°F) for 15-20 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 5 minutes.
11. Run a knife around the edge to release the cheese, then slide a lifter (or two) under and transfer the pizza to a cutting board.
12. Cut into 8 squares -- so each slice has some of the delicious crispy edges -- and serve.

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¹ Work in as much water as you possibly can during kneading. The dough should be very wet and soft. ^Back
2 Leave out the cherry peppers for a milder flavour. Leave out the pepperoni for a vegetarian topping. ^Back

Cook's Country recommends this as a side dish, with or without the pepperoni. We originally planned this as such, but ended up changing plans and using it as toppings for a Detroit-style pizza instead, a role at which it excelled.

For the vegan version, simply omit the pepperoni.

Sautéed Kale with Crispy Pepperoni and Cherry Peppers

Cook's Country

Ingredients

• 700g curly kale
• 60mL olive oil
• 125mL pepperoni, cut into 5mm cubes
• 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1mL red pepper flakes
• 30mL chopped cherry peppers

Directions

1. Bring 4L of water to a boil in a dutch oven.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the kale: separate the stems from the leaves, discard the thicker, tougher parts of the stems, and cut the remaining stems into 1cm lengths and the leaves into ~5cm slices.
3. Add 30mL salt to the water and drop in the kale, stirring to submerge; cook, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are tender, ~5 minutes.
4. Strain out the kale and set aside in a colander to drain.
5. Empty the pot of any remaining water, reduce heat to medium, and add the oil and pepperoni. Cook, stirring often, until the pepperoni is crisped on the outside, 5-10 minutes.
6. Remove the pepperoni with a slotted spoon and set aside.
7. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, 30-60 seconds.
8. Add the kale and cook until desired tenderness is reached, 5-10 minutes.
9. Combine with pepperoni and cherry peppers.

No-Cook Pizza Sauce

I posted another pizza sauce recipe not too long ago. I debated whether or not to post this one too. They're both very tasty though. And this one has the benefit of being a super quick, stir-everything-together-in-a-bowl-and-you're-done recipe!

Pizza Sauce

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country August/September 2017

Ingredients

• 1 c. canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 5 tsp. chopped fresh basil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Whole Wheat Sweet Potato Waffles

While searching for advice on how to convert white flour recipes to whole wheat, I stumbled across the Whole Grains Council website. They did have some useful advice. Not as thorough or detailed as I would've hoped, but still of some use. They also had a large recipe collection. There are quite a few that I'd like to try out. I jumped on the sweet potato waffles though because I already had a bunch of sweet potatoes that needed to be used up. Conveniently, I even already had the sour cream and other various bits on hand.

Sweet Potato Waffles

Slightly adapted from Whole Grains Council

Ingredients

• 225g whole wheat flour¹
• 1/4 c. raw (turbinado) sugar
• 1 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 c. milk
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1/2 c. mashed sweet potato
• 1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
• 3 large eggs, separated²
• maple syrup, whipped cream, and/or chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

1. Start waffle iron preheating so it's ready to go once the batter is made.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine milk, sour cream, sweet potato, butter, and egg yolks and mix well.
4. In a third bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form.
5. Whisk sweet potato mixture into dry ingredients and mix until blended.
6. Add ~1/3 of the egg whites to the batter and stir vigorously to combine.
7. Gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
8. Cook as you would normal waffles. (Amount of batter and cooking time will vary depending on your waffle maker.)
9. Served topped with maple syrup, whipped cream, and/or chopped pecans as you prefer.

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¹ I chose to use soft (plain/cake/standard) whole wheat flour. I recipe calls for white whole wheat flour (milled from white, rather than red wheat), but does not specify hard or soft. I think more-or-less any whole wheat flour would work well here. ^Back
2 I completely goofed and forgot to separate the eggs. I ended up mixing the whole eggs directly into the wet ingredients rather than beating the egg whites separately. I'm sure the waffles would've been wonderfully light had I remembered to do this. But they were still perfectly acceptable as is. ^Back

Whole Wheat Raisin-Walnut Bread

I'm really enjoying breads with inclusions these days. I've also been finding myself craving sweets quite a bit. I've been eyeing up the recipe for "health nut bread" in the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, but then TF spotted this recipe for "deluxe raisin bread" and suggested giving it a try. This is, indeed, a very nice raisin bread! I was a bit pressed for time, so I ended up cutting the kneading a little short, but I still got a lovely rise and not bad oven spring from it and the flavour is excellent so, all-in-all, I'm pretty pleased.

Deluxe Raisin Bread

Slightly adapted from Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book

Ingredients

• 1 c. raisins
• 1 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1/4 c. oil
• 1 large egg
• 790g hard (strong/bread/high grade) whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. (~10g) coarse sea salt
• 3/4 c. chopped walnuts, toasted¹
• ~1 Tbsp. butter (optional)

Directions

1. Heat raisins and water over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer² for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, add yeast to warm water and set aside for ~10 minutes.
3. Once the raisins are done simmering, drain them, reserving the liquid. Set the raisins aside.
4. Add cold water to the raisin water to bring the volume back up to 1 1/2 c.
5. Dissolve honey into the raisin water.
6. Stir in oil and -- when it is cool enough not to cook it -- the egg and mix well. If egg mixture is still very warm, transfer it to the fridge or freezer for a few minutes or set it in a bowl of ice to cool further.
7. Combine flour and salt and mix thoroughly.
8. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture and the egg mixture. (Make sure the egg mixture isn't too hot!)
9. Working from the centre outward, gradually incorporate the flour into the wet ingredients.
10. Once most of the flour has been incorporated, turn the dough out onto the work surface (along with any residual flour) and begin kneading.
11. Knead for at least 20 minutes. (I find I usually need 30-40.) Add small amounts of extra flour or water as needed to achieve a good consistency.
12. Knead raisins and walnuts into dough.
13. Form the dough into a ball and place in a covered bowl to rise. Rise is done when dough does not spring back/fill in when a wet finger is poked ~1cm deep. (Check after ~1 hour, but it could take 2 if your kitchen is on the cooler side.)
14. Knock the dough back. Knead it a few strokes if you like. Return to covered bowl to rise again. Use the same test to determine when rise is done.
15. Knock the dough back. Press out as much accumulated gas as possible. Divide into two equal portions.
16. Form each portion into a round ball and smooth the top as best you can. Cover and set aside for ~10 minutes.
17. For each ball: Flip smooth side down, press into a wide flat disc, fold the bottom edge up and the top edge down and press flat again to form a long rectangle, grab a narrow edge and roll up the rectangle to make a cylinder.
18. Place each cylinder seam side down into a greased loaf pan.
19. Cover and set aside to rise for at least half an hour. Rise is done when 1cm fingerprint fills in very slowly.
20. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 160°C (325°F) and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Loaf is done when it sounds hollow.
21. If desired, brush crust with butter while loaf is still warm.

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¹ Toasting the walnuts will make them taste "nuttier" and less bitter. It will also keep them crunchy. If you forget to toast them (like I did), not to worry! This loaf is sweet enough to balance the bitterness of untoasted walnuts. And, the while untoasted walnuts aren't as crunchy and assertive as their toasted counterparts, I still find them firm enough to add a pleasant textural contrast to the loaf. ^Back
2 I simmered my raisins covered. Next time I would simmer them uncovered to allow for more evaporation. ^Back

This is a great quick and easy one-pot meal. I find it works particularly well with whole wheat spaghetti and black kale. I'll definitely be making this one again. I wouldn't mind adding a bit more protein to it, but it's perfectly acceptable the way it is.

Spaghetti with Kale and Fontina

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2016

Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 450g cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 4 c. broth (vegetable, chicken, mushroom, or a mix)
• 1 (400mL) can crushed tomatoes
• 375g whole wheat spaghetti, broken in half
• 350g black kale, stemmed and chopped
• 1 1/2 c. shredded fontina¹ (+ extra for serving)
• pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Melt butter over medium heat.
2. Add mushrooms and salt and cook, covered, for ~5 minutes.
3. Uncover and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute or so.
5. Add broth and tomatoes and increase heat to medium-high.
6. Stir in spaghetti and cover. Once mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low.
7. Cook, covered, for ~5 minutes.
8. Toss kale into pot on top of pasta, cover, and cook for another 5-6 minutes.
9. Stir to mix kale into pasta.
10. Remove from heat and stir in fontina.
11. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
12. Serve with extra fontina.

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¹ If you can't find fontina, provolone or a mix of provolone and Parmesan would probably work well. Edam might also work as a lower fat option, although I haven't tried it. ^Back

Prosciutto Bread

I don't normally make white bread these days. When I came across this recipe for prosciutto bread in Cook's Country though, I figured I could make an exception. I made the bread exactly as recommended in the recipe: white flour, small loaves, hot oven... everything it said. And the bread was alright. TF really liked it. I tried a slice and was fairly underwhelmed.

I decided to try it again today but this time in a pan and with whole wheat flour. For me, this made all the difference. This new version is lovely! It's still not something I'd do all the time, but it's good enough that I can definitely see myself making it again at some point. (I won't be making the white flour version again.)

Sorry it's only a picture of half a loaf; it was really good bread!

Whole Wheat Prosciutto Bread

Adapted from the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book and Cook's Country February/March 2018

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 900g hard (strong/bread/high grade) whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. (~10g) coarse sea salt
• 2 1/4 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 180g prosciutto, cut into 6 or 7mm cubes
• 180g pepperoni, cut into 6 or 7mm cubes
• 180g capicola, cut into 6 or 7mm cubes
• 250g provolone, cut into 6 or 7mm cubes
• 2 tsp. black peppercorns, coarsely ground

Directions

1. Combine yeast with warm water and set aside for 10 minutes or so.
2. Combine flour and salt and mix well.
3. Mix honey with second measure of water.
4. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour the honey-water in. Add the yeast mixture as well.
5. Working from the centre outward, gradually incorporate the flour into the liquids.
6. When most of the flour has been incorporated, turn the dough out onto the work surface (with the remaining flour) and begin to knead it.
7. After kneading dough for ~10 minutes, add the oil.
8. Knead for at least another 10 minutes -- another 20 would be better -- adding a little extra flour or water as necessary.
9. Shape into a ball and place in a covered bowl to rise.
10. Rise is done when dough neither sinks back nor fills in after being poked (~1cm deep) with a wet finger¹.
11. Knock the dough back. Knead it a few strokes if you like.
12. Shape it back into a ball and set it in the covered bowl to rise again.
13. Use the same test to determine when the second rise is done.
14. Knock the dough back again and divide into two equal portions.
15. Knead the meat, cheese, and pepper into the dough a handful at a time. (Half of the inclusions should be allotted for each portion of dough.)
16. Round the dough portions as best you can and place each one under an upside-down bowl to rest for 10 minutes.
17. One at a time, flatten each round. Fold the bottom up and the top down to make a roughly rectangular shape. Grab a short side and roll up.
18. Place each shaped loaf seam side down in a greased loaf pan.
19. Cover with a shower cap, plastic wrap, or a damp tea towel and set to rise.
20. For the last rise, the hole should still be filling in slowly by the end, but not too much or too quick.
21. Bake at 220°C (425°F) for 10 minutes then reduce heat to 160°C (325°F) and continue baking for an additional 45-60 minutes.

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Variants

White Prosciutto Bread

From Cook's Country February/March 2018

Ingredients

• 3 c. bread flour
• 1/2 Tbsp. instant (rapid-rise) yeast
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 c. mild lager, room temperature
• 6 Tbsp. water, room temperature
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 85g prosciutto, sliced 6mm thick and cut into 12mm pieces
• 85g pepperoni, sliced 6mm thick and cut into 12mm pieces
• 85g capicola, sliced 6mm thick and cut into 12mm pieces
• 140g provolone, sliced 6mm thick and cut into 12mm pieces
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarsely ground pepper
• cornmeal

Directions

1. Combine bread flour, yeast, and salt and mix well.
2. Combine lager, water, and oil in a separate bowl.
3. Pour lager mixture into flour and mix to combine (~2 minutes by machine).
4. Use dough hooks in stand mixer to knead for another 8 minutes.
5. Add meat, cheese, and pepper and mix for another couple minutes.
6. Turn dough out onto work surface and work in any remaining bits of meat and cheese by hand.
7. Set in a covered, greased bowl to rise until doubled in size.
8. Knock back and divide dough into two equal portions.
9. Shape as for whole wheat version but instead of using a greased loaf pan, place both loaves on a cornmeal dusted² baking sheet.
10. Cover (as best you can) and set dough to rise. (Use the same test as with whole wheat to determine when the rise is done. Because this is the last rise, hole should fill in slowly/slightly.)
11. Bake at 230°C (450°F) for 22-25 minutes.

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¹ If the hole fills in, it needs more time to rise. If it sinks back, it's gone a bit past the ideal point so, knock it back and try to catch it a bit sooner next time. ^Back
2 Greased and cornmeal dusted if you prefer. ^Back

I'm honestly not sure why Dutch babies are commonly considered a type of pancake. You even sometimes see them referred to as "German pancakes" or "skillet pancakes". This makes no sense to me. To my mind, they bear almost no resemblance to a pancake. They are basically large, slightly sweet Yorkshire puddings. They look and taste nearly identical to a good Yorkshire pudding. And the method used to make them is also identical. The only way I can see in which they are like a pancake is that you often see them served with powdered sugar, maple syrup, and or various fruit compotes much like you would do with a pancake. In they end, whether you consider them a sweet Yorkshire pudding or a puffy pancake doesn't really matter. They're delicious either way.

I was a bit nervous about trying one of these. I've watched my dad make Yorkshire puddings for years. They're always amazingly delicious! He follows a very specific recipe and procedure for them. The ratio of wet to dry ingredients has to be just so. Everything has to be room temperature when you make the batter. (No cold eggs out of the fridge, please!) And the butter and pan has to be hot-hot. If you don't get all of these elements right, your puddings won't puff like they should. So, needless to say, I was a little nervous about trying a Dutch baby for the first time. Especially since every recipe I looked at listed different ratios of ingredients, different pan sizes, different amounts of butter, different baking times and temperatures, and different mixing procedures! In the end, I decided to go with the one that looked most Yorkshire pudding-y and hope for the best. And, all-in-all, I think it worked out pretty well!

I think I'd shorten the baking time slightly next time and maybe use a tiny bit less butter in the pan but, other than that, I'm really happy with the results! It puffed up beautifully and tasted very Yorkshire pudding-y. The bottom tasted ever so slightly burnt and there seemed to be a bit of excess butter left in the bottom of the pan after baking, but I think it won't take more than a couple very slight tweaks to deal with that. I also think it'd be interesting to try some of the variations that involve baking fruit right into the pudding. Maybe I'll give that a go next time.

Dutch Baby

Slightly adapted from NYT Cooking

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. whole milk², room temperature
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 c. flour¹
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 3-4 Tbsp. unsalted butter³

Topping Ideas

• icing (powdered/confectioners') sugar
• maple syrup
• sugar & lemon juice
• fruit syrup or compote
• jam

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Set eggs and milk on top of stove to help warm them up while the oven preheats.
2. If milk and eggs are still cool by the time the oven preheats, place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes and warm the milk in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time until both are roughly room temperature.
3. Combine flour and sugar.
4. Whisk the eggs and milk into the dry ingredients.
5. Drop the butter into a 25cm (10") oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven⁴ and place it into the preheated oven for 3-5 minutes. (Enough time for the butter to melt and get good and hot, but not so long that it burns. Keep a close eye on it.)
6. Pour the batter over the hot butter and immediately return to the oven. Bake at 220°C (425°F) for 15-20 minutes⁵.
7. Reduce temperature to 150°C (300°F) and bake for another 5 minutes.
8. Remove from oven (it will begin to deflate as soon as it comes out), cut into wedges, and serve with whatever toppings you prefer.

The Kidlet had her portion with icing sugar. TF and I opted for a blueberry topping. I'm not sure if this is technically a blueberry syrup or a compote or what. It was definitely tasty!

Blueberry Topping

Ingredients

• 1 c. frozen blueberries
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider or 1 tsp. lemon juice + 2-3 tsp. water
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions

1. Combine blueberries, sugar, cinnamon (if using), and cider/juice/water and cook over medium heat until blueberries are thawed and some liquid has been released.
2. Sprinkle in cornstarch and keep cooking until sauce reaches desired consistency.
3. Remove from heat and stir in butter.

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¹ I used all-purpose flour, but I think soft (plain/pastry/standard) flour would also work here. ^Back
2 I used whole (3.25%) milk, but I suspect other fat percentages would also work. I may try it with 1% next time and see how it turns out. ^Back
3 Most of the recipes I looked at seemed to call for 2 Tbsp. of butter for (approximately) the same amount of batter. The NYT recipe called for 4 Tbsp. I used the full 4 Tbsp. this time, but I think it probably could've done with a bit less. I'll try 3 next time and see how it goes. (Unless I decide to do one of the fruit-y variants, in which case I'll probably stick with the larger amount of butter and just cook the fruit down in the butter with a little sugar.) ^Back
4 Most of the recipes I came across called for a 10" cast iron skillet. One called for an 8" skillet (for approximately the same quantity of batter). I used my Dutch oven, which is probably about 10" in diameter with a slightly rounded bottom. I'd be curious to try it in an 8" (20cm) pan though and see what difference it makes to the final result. ^Back
5 The original recipe calls for baking it at 425°F for 20 minutes. I felt that it was slightly overdone. I think I'll try 15 minutes at 425°F next time and see what sort of results that yields. ^Back

This is basically a cottage pie, but with white sauce instead of gravy and "tater tots" in place of the mashed potato. It works quite well and is reasonably easy to throw together. Being able to skip making up a batch of mashed potatoes and still have a tasty potato layer on top is a nice convenience. I don't foresee myself making this one super frequently, but I'm glad I tried it and it's a nice option to have if I ever find myself craving cottage pie.

Tater Tot Hotdish

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country October/November 2017

Ingredients

• 900g lean ground beef¹
• 450g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 Tbsp. black pepper, ground
• 3 Tbsp. flour²
• 1 1/2 c. whole milk
• 1 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 1 1/2 c. grated Parmesan
• 1 c. frozen peas
• 1 c. frozen corn
• 1 (800g) bag frozen tater tots (Tasti Taters

Directions

1. Combine beef, mushrooms, onion, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-high heat until most of the liquid has evaporated (~25 minutes).
2. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position³ and preheat oven to 230°C (450°F).
3. Stir flour into beef mixture and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add milk and broth and bring to a simmer.
5. Cook until thickened (3-5 minutes).
6. Stir in Parmesan.
7. Pour mixture into 23x33cm (9x13") baking dish.
8. Sprinkle frozen peas and corn over top.
9. Arrange tater tots in a single layer on top. Do not press into mixture. You may have a couple extra tater tots left over.
10. Bake at 230°C (450°F) for 35 minutes.
11. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
12. Serve with ketchup/tomato sauce.

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¹ The original recipe called for 680g 85% lean ground beef. Our beef comes frozen in 450g packages so, rather than try to split a package and then try to figure out what to do with the extra half package, we just put in two full packages and rolled with it. I also think our beef is more than 85% lean, so I added a Tbsp. of unsalted butter to compensate. ^Back
2 The original specifically calls for all-purpose flour. That said, I think any (wheat) flour would be fine for this application. ^Back
3 The rack must be in the upper portion of the oven as the heat reflecting off the top of the oven is needed to crisp the tater tots. ^Back

Apple Cider Cake

This is a good cake. I'm glad I tried it. The apple cider reduction is absolutely delicious. Especially when used as a glaze. (And in the icing.) I'm happy with how it came out.

All that being said... I think I actually prefer the apple cake recipe Deb posted on her Smitten Kitchen blog. Both recipes avoid mixing chunks of apple into the cake batter itself; that way disaster (or at least soggy cake) lies. But I think I prefer the layers of cinnamon-y apple chunks used in Deb's recipe over the grated apples mixed into the batter of the Cook's Illustrated recipe. They're both good. My preference just lies with the other method.

One thing that I would like to try with this recipe is converting it to whole wheat. It's good as is, but I think the flavour and texture of whole wheat would actually complement the apple and hints of cinnamon and allspice quite well. Because of the nature of the recipe and the fact that it gets mixed very little, I think any whole wheat flour would be acceptable. My preference, however, would be for a flour milled from soft white wheat. White wheat has a paler colour and milder flavour than red wheat. I think either red or white, hard or soft could be used here though.

Apple Bundt Cake

Slightly adapted from Cook's Illustrated September/October 2017

Ingredients

• 4 c. apple cider
• 530g all-purpose flour¹
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 1/2 baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 85g icing (powdered/confectioners') sugar
• 1 c. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 680g Granny Smith apples, peeled and shredded

Directions

1. Bring the cider to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until reduced to exactly 1 c. (~20 minutes).
2. Grease and flour a bundt pan and preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
3. Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and allspice and mix well.
4. Sift icing sugar into a small bowl and set aside.
5. Once cider has finished reducing, add 2 Tbsp. of cider reduction to icing sugar and whisk to form a smooth icing. Cover and set aside.
6. Combine 1/2 c. of cider reduction with melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until smooth and homogeneous. Reserve the remaining 6 Tbsp. of cider reduction.
7. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well.
8. Stir in shredded apples.
9. Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth the top.
10. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 55-65 minutes.
11. Remove from oven and brush top with ~1 Tbsp. of reserved cider reduction. Let rest for 10 minutes.
12. Place a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet and invert cake onto rack. Remove bundt pan.
13. Brush remaining 5 Tbsp. of cider reduction onto cake. Let rest for 20 minutes.
14. Uncover icing, whisk, and drizzle over cake.
15. Let rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing.

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¹ I think pretty much any flour could be used here. I actually ended up using a mix of all-purpose (medium-hard) and pastry (soft) flour because I ran out of AP. ^Back

I've been wanting to give this recipe a try for over three years now. I've kept it in the back of my mind, but I just never quite got around to actually making it. Until today.

This was really, really good. I enjoyed the spicy, garlicky sauce. And it was nice to have something a little different (and more interesting) than plain eggs on toast. I have a tendency to get into breakfast ruts, so this was a nice way to mix things up a bit.

Eggs in Purgatory

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2016

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4-6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/4 c. grated onion
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 1/4 tsp. red chile flakes
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 c. fresh basil leaves
• 1 (828mL) can crushed tomatoes¹
• 8 large eggs²
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium heat. (Be sure to use an oven-safe pan or pot³ as the whole thing will be going in the oven at the end.)
2. Add garlic and cook for ~2 minutes.
3. Add onion, tomato paste, chile flakes, salt, and oregano and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 4 minutes or so.
4. Add basil leaves and cook until wilted (~30 seconds).
5. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
6. Add crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~15 minutes.
8. Remove from heat an allow to cool for 2-3 minutes.
9. Crack an egg into a small bowl.
10. Make a 5cm (2") diameter well in the sauce all the way down to the bottom of the pan. Use the spatula to hold the well open and pour the egg into the well.
11. Repeat with remaining eggs.
12. Season each egg with a little salt and pepper.
13. Cover and cook over medium heat for ~3 minutes.
14. Uncover and transfer to oven. Bake for 4-6 minutes. (4 Minutes for runny yolks, 6 minutes for set but soft.)
15. Sprinkle with Parmesan and chopped basil.
16. Serve with toast.

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¹ I didn't have any crushed tomatoes handy, so I just took a potato masher to a can of whole tomatoes. I'm happy with how it came out. ^Back
2 Since it was just TF and I, I only ended up doing 4 eggs. The leftover sauce can be reheated and used to cook more eggs the next morning or saved and used as pizza sauce. TF actually ended up spreading some of it on toast and melting cheese on top for a quick lunch. ^Back
3 Cast iron would typically be my go-to oven-safe cooking vessel. That said, I don't recommend cast iron here as the acidity of the tomatoes can both damage the seasoning on the pan and cause excessive amounts of iron to leach into the sauce. Something like enameled cast iron or steel-clad aluminum probably works better here. ^Back

Whole Wheat French Bread

I've been nervously eyeing and subsequently avoiding the French bread recipe for nearly a year now. It takes only four ingredients: flour, water, salt, and yeast. It's "simple". But the simplicity of the ingredient list also makes it less forgiving than other breads. It requires thorough kneading. It must have a long, slow rise. Several, in fact. It must be baked with steam. And it should be shaped to maximize surface area and crust. You can't just drop it in a loaf pan and trust the pan to support it and give it the right shape. There are so many little details that have to be just so to get a good end result. And I didn't feel entirely comfortable diving into something like that.

I finally took the plunge though. And, all-in-all, it came out okay. I think it could've done with a little more kneading. And the room ended up being a bit too warm for the slow rise prescribed by the recipe. I did at least manage to get the steam and the crust right. And, while I'm sure there's still plenty of room for improvement, I'm pretty happy with my first attempt. It was tasty and crusty and lovely.

I forgot to snap a photo of my first French loaves, so here's a photo of one I did much, much later.

French Bread

From the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1/2 c. warm water
• 600g hard (strong/bread/high grade) whole wheat flour
• 225g soft (plain/pastry/standard) whole wheat flour¹
• 2 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 1/2 c. cold water²
• at least 1/2 c. additional water, for kneading

Directions

1. Add the yeast to the warm water and set aside for 10 minutes.
2. Combine flour(s) and salt and mix well.
3. Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture and the cold water.
4. Working from the centre outward, gradually mix the flour into the liquids.
5. Turn the dough out onto your work surface and begin kneading. Wet your hands as you go, gradually incorporating more water into the dough. You want to work in at least an additional 1/2 c. of (cold) water.
6. If you are a very efficient kneader 20 minutes might be enough. Personally I would recommend at least 40 minutes of kneading (if you're doing it by hand). The dough will be relatively stiff when you start kneading it, but should be soft and silky by the time you finish.
7. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a covered bowl to rise. It is very important to let this dough rise in a COOL place! Do not try to warm it up or speed it up. The temperature should be 20°C (68°F) or less. Absolutely do not let the dough warm above 21°C (70°F)!
8. The first rise should take 2-3 hours. (Slower is better.) When it's done a hole made by a wet finger should stay, not fill in, not sink back. If it immediately begins to fill in, it needs more time to rise. If it sighs and sinks back, it's a sign that it's slightly overproofed³.
9. Knock the dough back. Press out as much gas as possible and maybe knead it a few strokes.
10. Shape it into a ball again and put it back in its covered bowl to rise again. The second rise should take ~2 hours at 20°C (68°F). Check when the rise is done as before, with a wet finger pressed ~1cm into the dough.
11. After the second rise, the dough is ready to shape. If you will be making batards, divide the dough into two equal portions. For baguettes, four equal portions⁴.
12. Shape each portion into a smooth ball, pulling the gluten taut across the surface. Cover lightly and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. (20 if the dough seems at all sticky.)
13. Working with one ball of dough at a time, press into an oblong ~2/3 as long as you'd like the final loaf to be.
14. Grab each of the short ends and fold them in to meet in the middle. Press or roll to return the dough to the same thickness as the original oblong (~2.5cm/1" for a batard).
15. Fold the dough in half lengthwise and seal the edges.
16. Roll the dough back and forth, applying gentle pressure, to slowly work it out to the desired length.
17. Repeat with remaining balls of dough⁵.
18. Once the loaves are shaped, I like to transfer them to a cornmeal dusted baking sheet⁶ for their final rise.
19. Set in a cool place to rise, UNCOVERED. Unlike most breads, French bread does not want a humid environment for its final rise.
20. Place an empty pan (one that you don't mind potentially warping or rusting) on the bottom rack of the oven. Set the second rack above the empty pan.
21. Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F).
22. Spritz risen loaves generously with water.
23. Slash the loaves. Be sure to cut long, nearly horizontal slashes. Do not cut down into the loaf⁷.
24. Quickly and carefully pour 1-2 c. of boiling water into the empty pan in the bottom of them oven.
25. Place the bread (on its cornmeal dusted pan) on the top rack above the pan of boiling water.
26. Bake in a hot, steamy oven for 10-20 minutes.
27. Once the crust begins to colour, remove the pan of water and reduce heat to 180°C (350°F) and continue baking for another 10-20 minutes. (More time for batards, less time for baguettes.)

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¹ I opted to use 825g of hard whole wheat flour instead of the mix of hard and soft. ^Back
2 If you use a machine to do your kneading, be sure to use ice water here, otherwise the dough will get too warm. ^Back
3 If your dough ends up over proofed, continue with the recipe as written but try to cool it down a bit for subsequent rises and do your best to catch it before it hits this point on the next rise. ^Back
4 Other shapes are also possible. I'm just sticking with a couple classics for simplicity. Feel free to experiment. Shapes that maximize crust/surface area tend to work best for French bread. ^Back
5 Batards and baguettes use the same shaping. Baguettes simply use half as much dough for a loaf of the same length so they end up much skinnier. ^Back
6 Cornmeal on its own is sufficient. I usually grease the pans first however as I find the grease helps hold the cornmeal in place and ensure a thin, even layer. ^Back
7 A vertical slash will cause the dough to fall open and spread sideways during baking. A (nearly) horizontal cut will encourage it to spring upward rather than outward. ^Back

Cinnamon Rolls

Who doesn't love a good cinnamon roll?

When I came across the page in the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book that suggested Featherpuff bread as the ideal base for cinnamon rolls... how could I resist? I already love Featherpuff bread. Now you want me to make delicious cinnamon rolls out of it?! Sign me up!

I kept things pretty basic and classic this time, but I think there's room for some pretty interesting variations. (I'll include a few ideas below. Although, please note that they are, as of yet, untested.)

Featherpuff Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. raisins
• 1/4 c. hot water
• 1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 batch Featherpuff bread dough¹
• 1 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Icing (optional)

• 1 c. icing (confectioner's/powdered) sugar
• 1 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 4-5 tsp. hot water
• 1/8 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. While the dough is having its 10-minute rest, prep the filling.
2. Pour hot water over raisins and set aside.
3. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon and mix well.
4. Once the dough has rested, roll it out into a large rectangle².
5. Brush the dough with the melted butter, leaving the last 2-3cm of one long edge clear.
6. Sprinkle evenly with sugar mixture.
7. Drain the raisins.
8. Scatter the raisins and nuts over the sugar and press them in lightly.
9. Taking a long edge, roll into a long cylinder.
10. Use a piece of thread or dental floss to cut discs 5-7cm (2-3") thick (depending on how many and how large you want your cinnamon rolls).
11. Place rolls into a greased pan³.
12. Cover with a shower cap or damp cloth and set aside to rise. (Check after ~30 minutes.)
13. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20-30 minutes.

Icing (optional)

1. Sift icing sugar into a bowl.
2. Mix in butter.
3. Stir in ~1 Tbsp. of the hot water.
4. Add the vanilla.
5. Add more hot water as needed to achieve the desired consistency.

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Variations

Cranberry-Orange Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. dried cranberries
• 1/4 c. hot water
• 1/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 batch Featherpuff bread dough
• 1 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1/4 c. candied orange peel, chopped

Icing

• 1 c. icing (confectioner's/powdered) sugar
• 1 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 4-5 tsp. orange juice
• 1/8 tsp. orange extract

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¹ Prepare the bread through to the second rise. This recipe picks up after the 10-minute rest (between the second and third rise). ^Back
2 I didn't measure my rectangle. I'd guess it was probably around 20x30cm (8x12")... maybe a tiny bit bigger. ^Back
3 I used a 23cm (9") round springform pan for mine. In retrospect, the 25cm (10") round pan would've been a better fit. I think a 23cm (9") square pan would also work reasonably well. ^Back

These were a big hit with everyone. A little labour-intensive, but not too bad. I found the shells a little tricky to fill completely without breaking. The good news is that they're just as delicious with the filling piled on top as stuffed inside.

Gorditas

From Cook's Country August/September 2019

Ingredients

Filling

• 450g lean ground beef
• 1 russet (or other floury) potato, cut into 0.5cm pieces
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp. cumin, ground
• 2 tsp. flour
• 3/4 c. water

Dough

• 5 c. masa harina
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3 1/2 c. water (room temperature)
• 3/4 c. grated Colby Jack or Cheddar cheese
• corn oil, for frying

Toppings (optional)

• shredded lettuce
• diced tomatoes
• hot sauce
• guacamole
• extra cheese
• ketchup
• salsa
• sour cream

Directions

Filling

1. Combine beef, potato, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-high heat for ~8 minutes.
2. Add onion and tomato and cook another 5 minutes or so.
3. Add garlic and cumin and cook for 30 seconds.
4. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute more.
5. Stir in water and bring to a boil.
6. Cook for another minute.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Remove from heat and set aside.

Dough

1. Combine masa harina with salt.
2. Add room temperature water and cheese and knead until fully combined. (Dough should be about the same consistency as Play-Doh.)
3. Roll a 1/2 c. portion of dough into a ball.
4. Place ball between two pieces of plastic wrap (or inside a Ziploc bag that's been cut open at the sides).
5. Use a pie plate or similar flat-bottomed dish to press the ball into a 10cm round.
6. At this point you can either hand the disc of dough off to someone else to fry while you shape the next disc (assembly line style) or you can transfer the disc to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and covered with a damp dish towel to await frying.

Assembly

1. Pour oil to a depth of ~2cm in a pan or dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat (to ~190°C/375°F).
2. Fry dough rounds until golden brown on both sides (~5 minutes per side).
3. Transfer fried discs to a wire rack to drain. Let cool for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, reheat filling.
5. Using a paring knife, split each round ~halfway horizontally, forming a pocket.
6. Stuff each round with ~1/3 c. of filling and top as desired.

Well, I still can't find the recipe I was actually looking for, but I did come across this quick and easy steak recipe during my search. It's not quite a complete meal on its own, but it at least gives you a good start. A nice salad and maybe some mashed potatoes would round it out nicely.

Strip Steaks with Sautéed Onion and Mushrooms

From Cook's Country April/May 2015

Ingredients

• 2 strip or rib-eye steaks¹ (~3cm thick and 450g each)
• salt
• pepper
• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 250g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions

1. Season steaks with salt and pepper.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat.
3. Cook steaks until well-browned (~5 minutes per side). Remove from pan and set aside.
4. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add mushrooms, onion, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper.
6. Cook until well-browned (~5 minutes).
7. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or so.
8. Stir in vinegar as well as any meat juices from steaks and simmer, scraping bottom of pan for a minute or so.
9. Remove from heat and stir in 2 Tbsp. of chives.
10. Add butter.
11. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
12. Slice steaks and transfer to platter.
13. Top with sauce and sprinkle with remaining chives.

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¹ I believe rib-eye steaks are known as scotch fillets in other parts of the world. I'm not sure if strip steaks have an alternate name. ^Back

Cajun Halloumi Burgers

This is based on a Hello Fresh recipe we made a while ago, which made whole burgers and relied entirely on the halloumi as the burger "meat"; we ended up augmenting it with vegetarian burger patties but making no other changes.

This time around, we had a smaller piece of halloumi and a bunch of freshly baked featherpuff buns, as well as a bunch of leftovers to use up. So rather than cooking full-size burgers, we decided to cook a bunch of sliders, and supplement with leftovers if those turned out to insufficient. The end result was quite tasty and very easy to put together!

Cajun Halloumi Sliders

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 250g halloumi
• 30mL cajun spice mix
• 30mL corn oil
• 3 black bean "burger" patties (or similar)
• 9 slider buns or small featherpuff buns
• garlic butter
• 1 tomato
• spinach, arugula, or other greens
• mayo, ketchup, or other condiments to taste

Directions

1. Slice the halloumi into nine equal discs.
2. Whisk together the spice mix and the oil. Toss the halloumi with it in a bowl and leave to marinate.
3. Cook the burger patties (for the Morningstar Farms ones we used, ~5 minutes/side in a bit of oil at medium heat worked well). Remove to a plate and cut into thirds.
4. In the same pan, cook the halloumi slices until golden-crispy, ~5 minutes/side.
5. While the halloumi is cooking, halve the buns, spread with garlic butter, and toast.
6. Combine each bun with condiments, greens, a slice of tomato, a slice of halloumi, and ⅓ of a burger patty.

Halloumi was on sale this week so TF and I decided to try to recreate one of our past HelloFresh meals: Cajun Halloumi Burgers. The recipe is pretty simple, but it does, unsurprisingly, require Cajun seasoning. A quick Google search gave me a plausible-looking recipe and the results were quite tasty.

Cajun Seasoning

Slightly adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Ingredients

• 6 parts sweet paprika
• 4 parts garlic powder
• 2 parts black pepper
• 2 parts white pepper
• 2 parts onion powder
• 2 parts dried oregano
• 2 parts cayenne
• 1 part dried thyme

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
2. Store in an airtight container.

I love this bread! I swear that almost every time I try a new recipe from the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book I decide that it's my new favourite. First it was the Loaf for Learning (aka yogurt bread), then it was buttermilk bread, and then fresh milk bread. Each time I thought I must've found THE best whole wheat bread recipe and then somehow the next one would come along and be even better! So, maybe in a few months I'll be back saying that I've found some new favourite. But I have trouble imagining something that could top Featherpuff.

It's not that there isn't a place for a variety of breads. There is. Sometimes you want a hearty crusty loaf. Sometimes you want a dense, chewey pumpernickel. Sometimes you want a tangy sourdough rye. Variety is great! But, for my I-just-want-a-slice-of-bread bread, my I-want-a-tasty-sandwich bread, my this-needs-to-go-in-a-small-child's-lunch bread... Featherpuff is a beautiful fit. And it packs a pretty good nutritional punch too!

Like all of the Laurel's Kitchen recipes, it's 100% whole grain. This gives it a healthy dose of fiber and a bit of extra protein (relative to white bread/flour) to boot. The addition of milk, eggs, and cottage cheese boosts the protein even more. It's still bread. It's still largely starch. But this is probably one of the more nutritionally complete breads you're likely to find. And it's light and fluffy and tender and delicious.

It's so light and fluffy, in fact, that this is one bread that you can't enjoy warm. If you try to slice it before it's completely cooled, it will just squish. It's worth the wait though. It's wonderfully light and tender and also relatively sweet. Even people who don't normally like wholegrain bread will likely find this one appealing.

I foresee myself coming back to this recipe a lot.

Featherpuff dinner rolls.

Featherpuff Bread

From Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 c. cottage cheese
• 1/4 c. honey
• 1/2 c. water
• 2 eggs
• 750g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 60g powdered milk
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold
• 1 Tbsp. butter¹, softened (optional)

Directions

1. Add yeast to warm water and set aside.
2. Combine cottage cheese, honey, and water and warm gently (to 40 or 50°C).
3. Remove from heat, stir in eggs, and mix well².
4. Combine flour, powdered milk, and salt and mix thoroughly.
5. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the yeast mixture followed by the cheese mixture.
6. Working from the centre outward, gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet.
7. When most of the flour has been incorporated, turn the dough out onto your work surface and begin kneading.
8. After 10-15 minutes, all the remaining flour should be incorporated and the dough should be becoming more supple and silky. Smear the butter on your work surface and continue kneading for another 10-15 minutes until all the butter has been taken up. Adjust the dough as necessary during kneading, adding flour if it's too loose or water if it's too tight³.
9. Form the dough into a ball and place it, smooth side up, into a bowl to rise. Cover the bowl with a shower cap or damp tea towel to stop the dough from drying out.
10. Rising time will vary depending on the temperature of the room. Start checking around the 1 hour mark. Wet a finger and poke it 1cm or so into the dough. If it sighs and sinks back or doesn't fill in at all, it's ready to be knocked back. If it immediately starts to fill in, it needs a bit more time.
11. Once risen, turn the dough out onto your work surface. I like to knock it back by kneading it just a few strokes.
12. Shape it back into a ball and return it to its bowl to rise again. This rise should take a bit less time than the first⁴.
13. Knock the dough back again and divide it into two equal portions.
14. Shape each portion into a ball, pulling the gluten into a tight, smooth sheet across the top. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
15. Shape each ball into a loaf⁵.
16. Cover and set aside to rise again. Be careful not to overproof. For the last rise, you still want to hole to be filling in a bit.
17. If the loaves have risen very well, slash the tops to give them room to spring in the oven.
18. Bake at 160°C (325°F) for 45-60 minutes⁶.
19. If desired, brush the top of each loaf with a bit of butter for a nice gloss.
20. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

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¹ Either salted or unsalted is fine. Unsalted will give the crust a shine without noticeably affecting the flavour. Salted will add a subtle hit of salt along with the gloss. ^Back
2 Mixture should be warm, but not so hot it cooks the eggs. ^Back
3 Err on the side of too loose over too tight. Featherpuff is meant to be a relatively soft dough anyway. ^Back
4 Laurel's Kitchen says the second rise should take about half the time of the first. I usually find it's closer to three quarters. Start checking at half, but be prepared for it to take up to as long as the first rise. It generally shouldn't go past that though unless the room has somehow gotten dramatically colder between rises. ^Back
5 For a standard rectangular pan loaf first flip the ball smooth side down. Press into a flat round. Fold the round into thirds to make a rectangle. Grab one of the short sides of the rectangle and roll it up like a jelly roll to form a cylinder. Place seam side down into a greased loaf pan. ^Back
6 A very light, well-kneaded, and well-risen bread will bake up faster. If the yeast seems a little sluggish and the rise not quite so high, it will likely need the full hour. ^Back

Another one of this week's Hello Fresh dishes! I wasn't super optimistic about the kidlet liking this one, since she's usually lukewarm at best on tomatoes, but she loved it, finally running out steam halfway through the third bowl. The garlic-toasted baguette rounds didn't hurt, either.

Spicy Shakshuka with Chickpeas, Bell Pepper and Bocconcini

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 bell peppers, cored, sliced, and chopped into ~1cm pieces
• 4 large garlic cloves
• 30mL Shakshuka spice blend
• 800mL tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 740mL crushed tomatoes
• 10mL chili garlic sauce
• 14g parsley, coarsely chopped
• 200g bocconcini
• 4 demibaguettes or similar breadthings

Directions

1. In a large, deep pan, sautée the onions and peppers over medium heat until tender-crisp.
2. Add the garlic and spice blend. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, ~1 minute.
3. Add chickpeas, crushed tomatoes, chili garlic sauce, and 125mL water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until sauce thickens slightly, ~10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, slice the demibaguettes into bread rounds, spread with garlic butter, and toast until golden brown.
5. Stir in half the parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Top with bocconcini. Cover until the bocconcini melts.
7. Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve with bread rounds.

Creamy Gnocchi with Mushrooms

I would've preferred to have done this with homemade gnocchi, but we were short on time and energy, so I just grabbed a packet of gnocchi from the grocery store. The authors note that refrigerated or frozen gnocchi can be used here, but the shelf-stable vacuum-packed stuff tends to work best for this recipe.

Creamy Gnocchi with Mushrooms and Kale

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country October/November 2016

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 c. vegetable (or mushroom) broth
• 55g Parmesan, grated
• 1/4 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 450g vacuum-packed gnocchi
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 450g cremini mushrooms
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• ~12 black kale leaves, chopped
• 1/4 c. fresh basil, torn

Directions

1. Whisk broth, Parmesan, cream, nutmeg, and pepper together in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter over medium-high heat.
3. Add gnocchi and cook until lightly browned (~5 minutes). Transfer to a plate and set aside.
4. Melt remaining 1 Tbsp. butter in same skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Add mushrooms and salt and cook until golden brown (~10 minutes).
6. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant (~30 seconds).
7. Add kale, broth mixture, and gnocchi and bring to a simmer.
8. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened and kale is wilted (~7 minutes).
9. Sprinkle with basil (and extra Parmesan, if desired) and serve.

Peaches and Cream Steel-Cut Oatmeal

Oatmeal is really flexible. You can take your base of oat porridge and add just about any flavours you want to it. I like to use the Steel-Cut Oatmeal recipe from Cook's Country. (Although sometimes I'll swap out my steel-cut oats for rolled oats if I want something super quick.) They posted this peaches and "cream" variant with the original recipe and, now that I've had a chance to try it, I figured I'd do a write-up.

Peaches and Cream Oatmeal

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country December/January 2016

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 c. steel-cut oats
• 3 c. water
• 1/2 c. whole (3.25%) milk
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. thawed frozen peaches
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 c. light (5%) cream (optional)

Directions

1. Melt butter over medium heat.
2. Add oats and toast, stirring, for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add water and milk and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~20 minutes.
5. Stir in salt, peaches, honey, and vanilla.
6. Serve immediately, with ~1 Tbsp. of cream added to each bowl, if desired.

Creamy Basil Pesto Cheese Tortellini Pasta with Crispy Bacon & Corn

This Hello Fresh recipe, while tasty, could use some work. The original recipe — the one we followed — calls for shallots and bell peppers. The bell peppers, however, don't integrate well; they remain crunchy, and defy the fork while contributing little to the dish overall.

The recipe recorded here is a proposed modified version which swaps out the peppers for mushrooms and peas. Asparagus might also make a tasty additive.

Creamy Basil Pesto Tortellini Pasta with Crispy Bacon & Corn

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 500g tortellini
• 200g bacon, sliced into ~2cm strips
• 450g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 80mL basil pesto
• 115g corn kernels
• 125mL? cooked frozen peas
• 60g freshly grated parmesan (plus more for topping)
• 150mL sour cream

Directions

1. Cook the bacon over medium-high heat until just crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon. Drain the pan, reserving ~30mL of the bacon grease.
2. Add the shallots and mushrooms to the pan. Sautée over medium heat until the mushrooms have released their moisture and softened and the shallots are soft and translucent.
3. Meanwhile, cook the tortellini and drain, reserving 125mL of the cooking water.
4. Reduce heat to low. Add the peas, corn, pesto, sour cream, parmesan, and reserved cooking water. Stir together and simmer gently until all ingredients are warmed through.
5. Add the bacon and tortellini to the sauce, toss to combine, and serve.

I was flipping through some old issues of Cook's Country and came across a recipe that I'd made, but never got around to doing a write-up for. It's been a while, but I seem to recall it went over fairly well. We to it to a friend's house for dinner if I remember right.

Spinach Salad with Gorgonzola and Pear

From Cook's Country October/November 2015

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. walnuts
• 1 ripe Anjou pear
• 3 Tbsp. red whine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. minced shallot
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 c. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 250g baby spinach
• 85g Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 c. pomegranate arils

Directions

1. Toast and chop the walnuts. Set aside.
2. Core and halve the pear.
3. Purée one half of the pear with vinegar, shallot, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper.
4. With blender or food processor running, slowly add oil in a thin stream.
5. Thinly slice other half of pear, toss with lemon juice, and set aside.
6. Toss spinach with 1/2 c. dressing.
7. Top with Gorgonzola, walnuts, pomegranate arils, and pear slices.
8. Drizzle with remaining dressing.