Vegetarian Hot Dog Pie

The Kidlet has been asking for hotdogs recently, so when I ran across this recipe I figured I might as well give it a try. I ended up making quite a few changes, but I'm happy with how it came out (even if TF finds it completely inedible).

I used veggie dogs and vegan immitation beef crumbles instead of regular hot dogs and ground beef. I also omitted the sugar and salt and added barbecue sauce and worcestershire sauce instead. I also used cheddar in place of both the Velveeta and the American cheese. Oh! And I swapped out the rolled shortcrust pastry for a heartier press-in crust. I think next time I'd be tempted to omit the ground beef entirely and add some tomatoes and corn instead.

Hot Dog Pie

Adapted from Taste of Home

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 C flour
• ½ C cold butter
• 1 tsp salt
• cold water
  

Filling

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 200g veggie beef crumbles (optional)
• 1 large tomato, cubed (optional)
• 8 veggie dogs, sliced crosswise
• 1 can baked beans¹
• 1 Tbsp. ketchup
• 1 Tbsp. worcestershire sauce²
• 1 Tbsp. barbecue sauce
• 2 Tbsp. prepared yellow mustard
• 60g cheese of your choice, cubed
• 60g cheese of your choice, grated

Directions

1. Mix together the flour, butter, and salt. Add enough water for it to come together dry but packable; 3 tbsp is a good starting point but you may need to add more.
   
2. Press the crust into a 23cm (9") square pan and blind bake it at 200°C (400°F) for ~15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
4. Heat the oil over medium heat.
5. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened.
6. Add the veggie crumbles (if using) and cook until browned.
7. Add the tomato (if using) and hotdog slices and cook until heated through.
8. Stir in the baked beans, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, and mustard and cook until heated through.
9. Stir in the cheese cubes and remove from heat.
10. Once the crust is baked, scoop the filling into the crust and top with shredded cheese.
11. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 5-10 minutes.
12. Serve with salad or a veggie platter.

---

Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

Crust

• flour
• shortening
• salt

Filling

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 200g veggie beef crumbles (optional)
• 1 large tomato, cubed (optional)
• 8 veggie dogs, sliced crosswise
• 1 can baked beans³
• 1 Tbsp. ketchup
• 1 Tbsp. vegan worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp. barbecue sauce
• 2 Tbsp. prepared yellow mustard
• 60g non-dairy cheese, cubed
• 60g non-dairy cheese, grated

---

¹ I used molassess baked beans. I think baked beans in tomato sauce would also work for this. Maple might also be interesting. ^Back
2 If you're trying to keep this vegetarian, be sure to check the ingredients on your worcestershire sauce; the regular recipe contains anchovies. ^Back
3 Check the label to make sure the baked beans don't contain pork or lard. ^Back

Mufarraket Batata (Eggs with Potatoes and Cumin)

We wanted something different for breakfast today and had a potato surplus, so we decided to try the other egg-based breakfast recipe from Our Syria. It comes together pretty quickly and very easily, and I liked it, although I think I like the tomato-based one more.

Mufarraket Batata

Our Syria p.72

Ingredients

• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 medium potatoes, diced at ½"
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 eggs
• ¼ tsp cumin, ground
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat the butter and oil in a medium-sized frying pan over medium heat.
2. Add the potatoes and fry for a few minutes.
3. Add 4 tbsp of water, cover, and simmer until fork-tender; with the lid on the potatoes should steam.
4. Remove the lid, add the garlic, and continue to cook for a few minutes.
5. Crack the eggs on top, season with cumin, salt and pepper, and stir together, breaking up the yolks in the process.
6. Serve.

Polenta con Funghi e Peperoni (Polenta with Mushrooms and Peppers)

This reminds me a lot of the rustic polenta casserole recipe in the Complete Vegetarian from America's Test Kitchen. The topping was very tasty. However, I think I probably should've cooked the polenta a bit more. It didn't set and firm up the way I would've liked. I was hungry and impatient though. The flavour's still fine as is. It's just not my preferred texture.

Polenta con Funghi e Peperoni

Slightly adapted from Cooking from an Italian Garden by Paola Scaravelli and Jon Cohen

Ingredients

• 2L water
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 c. cornmeal (preferably coarse)
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 225g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 3 bell peppers, sliced
• 1 recipe sugo finto
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 2 Tbsp. capers, chopped
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Combine water, salt, pepper, and cornmeal in a large pot and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue cooking, stirring often for at least half an hour. You may need to cook for even longer if you want your polenta to have a firm, sliceable consistency once baked.
3. Grease a 23cm by 33cm (9"x13") lasagne pan and pour the polenta into the pan. Set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
5. Melt butter over medium heat.
6. Add onion and cook until softened.
7. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
8. Add mushrooms and peppers and cook for a further 10 minutes.
9. Remove from heat and spread vegetable mixture over polenta.
10. Warm up tomato sauce and stir in parsley, basil, and capers.
11. Pour sauce over vegetable-topped polenta.
12. Sprinkle surface with Parmesan.
13. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes.

My robot brain required dessert and there was this cake recipe...

Chocolate Snack Cake

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

Ingredients

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2/3 c. mayonnaise
• 1 large egg
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. cocoa powder (preferably Dutched)
• 50g dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 c. coffee, hot

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350&def;F) and grease and flour a 20cm (8") square baking pan.
2. Combine flours and sugar and sift in baking soda.
3. In a separate bowl, combine mayo, egg, and vanilla.
4. In a third bowl, combine cocoa and chocolate.
5. Pour hot coffee over chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth.
6. Gradually whisk chocolate mixture into egg mixture until fully combined.
7. Pour wet mixture into dry and stir to combine.
8. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 35-40 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and let cake cool in pan for ~1 hour.
10. If desired, dust with icing (powdered/confectioners') sugar before serving.

Pagia e Fieno ai Funghi (Fettuccine with Mushrooms, Ham, and Cream)

Rules as written this is meant to be made with ham and multicoloured fettuccine. We had neither, and made it with plain fettuccine and chicken; the result was delicious, and it's this modified version I've written up. Hazan cites the use of ham (rather than prosciutto) specifically for its mild flavour, and chicken makes a good choice there as well.

The recipe has also been scaled down significantly to match the amount of fettuccine we had.

Pagia e Fieno ai Funghi

The Classic Pasta Cookbook, p.99

Ingredients

• 250g dried fettuccini
• 45mL butter
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 100g tinned cooked chicken
• 225g cremini mushrooms, diced at 1cm
• salt and pepper
• 180mL heavy cream
• 80mL grated parmesan

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Add the onions and cook until they soften and turn golden.
3. Add the chicken and heat through, 1-2 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper (bearing in mind that the chicken may already be salted).
   
4. Raise heat to medium-high and add the mushrooms. Cook until they have released their liquid and the liquid has cooked off, ~5 minutes.
5. Add the cream and cook, stirring often, until it has reduced by half. Remove from the heat.
6. When the pasta is cooked al dente, drain, add to the skillet, and toss with the sauce and parmesan.

Sugo Finto (Fake Sauce)

I initially found the name of this tomato sauce a bit confusing. The autors just give it the English name of "Tomato Sauce II", but the Italian name translates as "fake sauce". Initially I thought that I must've gotten the translation wrong. But nope! It's really called fake sauce. Apparently "fake" refers to the fact that it's meatless. You make it pretty much the same way you'd make a nice ragu sauce, but without the meat. Based on the quick bit of research I did, it stems from the "peasant" or "poverty" cooking traditions of south-central Italy.

I quite liked this sauce. Especially after I added a few capers and some extra herbs and used it to top a delicious polenta casserole!

Sugo Finto

Slightly adapted from Cooking from an Italian Garden by Paola Scaravelli and Jon Cohen

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• pinch of dried oregano
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 (800mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. corase sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 c. dry white wine (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cook until softened (3-4 minutes).
3. Add carrot, celery, oregano, and parsley and cook until vegetables being to brown (~5 minutes).
4. Add tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, and wine (if using).
5. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30-45 minutes. Sauce should reduce and thicken somewhat during this time.
6. The authors recommend running the sauce through a food mill at this point to remove skins and achieve a smooth consistency. Personally, I didn't bother.
7. If you desire a thicker sauce, cook a little more until desired consistency is achieved.
8. Optionally, drizzle with an extra 2-3 Tbsp. of olive oil before serving (or storing) for extra richness.

Maccheroni alla Salsiccia e Ricotta (Macaroni with Sausage, Tomatoes & Ricotta)

Another sausage-based pasta dish, always welcome. The recipe as written calls for less sauce for the same amount of pasta, but we ramped up the sausage and tomatoes to even out the proportions a bit and I think that worked well, in addition to letting us use up an integer number of sausage and tomato packages. The recipe recorded here is the modified version.

The recipe recommends maccheroni, which we used, but also notes that it works well with penne, fusilli, rigatoni -- basically any relatively short, high surface area pasta.

Maccheroni alla Salsiccia e Ricotta

The Classic Pasta Cookbook, p.117

Ingredients

• 1 lb dry pasta
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 lb mild Italian sausage, peeled and crumbled
• 1 28oz tin whole peeled tomatoes, with juice, coarsely chopped
• salt and pepper
• ½ C ricotta
• 2 tbsp freshly torn basil leaves
• ¼ C freshly grated parmesan

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion and cook until it softens and turns golden.
3. Add the sausage and cook until it has browned lightly.
4. Season lightly with salt and pepper, keeping in mind that the sausage already has seasonings.
5. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking until the tomatoes have reduced and separated; reduce heat to warm.
   
6. Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente.
7. When the pasta is almost done, return the sauce to medium heat and stir in the ricotta and basil.
8. Toss with the pasta and parmesan and serve.

Shuzmuz (Cumin-Tomato Scrambled Eggs)

We're always looking for more tasty breakfast recipes and this one delivers! It's pretty easy to put together, scales up and down well, and uses up eggs, something we have a desperate need to do most of the year because the chickens will not stop laying.

The book recommends serving it with warm bread; we made garlic toast, and that worked quite well.

Shuzmuz

Our Syria, p.78

Ingredients

• 1 tsp butter
• 1 onion, diced
• ½ bell pepper, diced
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced, or 1 C tinned diced tomatoes
  
• 4 eggs, beaten
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp cumin, ground
• ground Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes to taste

Directions

1. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook until soft, ~5 minutes.
3. Add the bell pepper and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes and continue cooking until everything is soft.
5. Whisk salt and pepper into the eggs, then pour the eggs into the skillet. Cook, folding often, to scramble.
6. Stir in the cumin and hot pepper and serve.

Uova "Il Poggio" (Eggs "Il Poggio")

This is by far the most unusual, complicated deviled egg recipe I've ever encountered. I'm not sure whether or not I like it more than regular deviled eggs, but it is quite tasty and I appreciate the fact that it's something a bit different than the usual approach. I also like that you get a bit of veg built into the dish. Means I don't feel so bad serving it as a major component of our dinner. We had it with polenta con funghi e peproni tonight and I'll probably make some sort of pasta dish to round out the leftovers for dinner tomorrow night.

Uova "Il Poggio"

Slightly adapted from Cooking from an Italian Garden by Paola Scaravelli and Jon Cohen

Ingredients

• 6 large hard-cooked eggs
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 c. ricotta
• 1/4 c. grated Parmesan
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 tsp. dry mustard
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 450g spinach (fresh or frozen)

Béchamel Sauce

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• 1 1/4 c. table (18%) cream
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Once hard-cooked eggs are cool enough to handle, peel them and halve them lengthwise. (If you plunge them into cold water immediate upon being removed from the hot/boiling water, they should not develop the greenish colour on the outside of the yolk and will also cool faster.)
2. Remove the yolks from the hard-cooked eggs. Set the whites aside.
3. In a bowl, combine the hard-cooked egg yolks, softened butter, ricotta, Parmesan, salt, pepper, mustard, and raw yolks.
4. Mix well and set aside.
5. Grease a 23cm (9") square pan and preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F).
6. Cook the spinach (without any water) and squeeze it to remove excess moisture. Chop finely and set aside.
7. Now make the béchamel sauce.
8. Once the béchamel sauce is complete, add 1/4 c. of the sauce to the egg yolk mixutre.
9. Combine the remaining sauce with the spinach.
10. Pour the spinach sauce into the prepared pan and nestle the hard-cooked egg whites into it.
11. Now beat the raw egg whites to stiff peaks.
12. Mix ~1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture to loosen it.
13. Now pour the egg yolk mixture into the bowl with the remaining whites and carefully fold them in.
14. Spoon the yolk mixture into the hard-cooked whites. You will probably have more yolk mixture than will fit into the whites. If so, just pour the extra over top.
15. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 15-25 minutes.
16. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

My sourdough starter has been looking a little sad and neglected lately. I made a batch of sourdough bread, but I've been trying to do more non-bread sourdough baking so that it doesn't languish for quite so long next time. I tried a new recipe for fluffy, slightly sweet pancakes (which the Kidlet quite liked) and TF made some of our usual savoury sourdough discard pancakes. This donut recipe was also calling to me though, so I figured I'd give it a try.

I'm really happy with how it came out! The interior structure was really nice. Very light and open. Perfect yeasted donut texture. And I think I managed to dial in the oil temperature pretty well too. They were beautifully golden without being either over- or under-cooked. Great success!

Sourdough Donuts

Slightly adapted from Baking Sense

Ingredients

• 1 c. whole milk, warmed to 40 or 50°C
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
• 225g active (fed) sourdough starter
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. cardamom seeds from green pods, ground
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 500g all-purpose flour, divided
• cinnamon sugar, for coating

Directions

1. Combine the warm milk, egg, butter, and starter and mix vigorously.
2. Add the sugar, cardamom, and salt.
3. Add ~350g of the flour a bit at a time (I added ~1/2 c. at a time) mixing thoroughly after each addition. Mix vigorously for a minute or so.
4. Mix in the remaining flour. Hold back ~1/4 c. and add it only if needed. The dough should be soft, but not sticky.
5. Knead for a few minutes -- either in the bowl or on a lightly floured work surface.
6. Shape into a ball and place smooth side up in a covered bowl.
7. Let rest at room temperature for ~1 hour, then stretch and fold the dough. (Carefully release the dough from the bowl, grab one edge and stretch it up and over the top. Rotate 90° and repeat until all four sides have been completed. Lift the dough up and flip it over.)
8. Re-cover the bowl and let rest for another hour and then repeat the stretch and fold procedure.
9. Continue to stretch and fold every hour for 3-4 hours.
10. If dough still seems sluggish after four hours, give it one more hour. (This may be necessary if your house is on the cool side.)
11. After the last stretch and fold, re-cover the bowl and tranfer it to the fridge for the night.
12. The next day, remove the dough from the fridge and transfer it to a lightly flour surface.
13. Roll it out to a tickness of 1-1.5cm.
14. Cut out your donuts! (I think the cutters I used were ~8cm and 2cm, but other shapes and sizes will also work.)
15. Place the donuts -- spaced well apart -- on greased baking sheets and lightly cover them so they don't dry out.
16. Let rest at room temperature for 60-90 minutes.
17. Pour oil to a depth 3-4cm in a wok or pot and heat over medium heat.
18. Make sure oil is well preheated before you start frying your donuts. Test it with a few dough scraps or donut holes if you're not sure.
19. Fry the donuts a few at a time, flipping halfway through to get them evenly cooked.
20. Upon removing them from the donuts, immediately toss them with the cinnamon sugar.

Mutabal Shwandar (Beet Dip)

We got a bunch of beets in order to do easter egg dying, but we ended up using all the eggs for red cabbage experiments instead and needed to do something with the beets. This dip from Our Syria turned out to be just the thing; it's especially tasty on bread or crackers.

Mutabal Shwandar

Our Syria, p.19

Ingredients

• 4 medium beets
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 4 tbsp plain yogurt (at least)
  
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• juice of 1 lemon
• soft goat cheese to taste [optional]
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
   
2. Scrub the beets, trim them, and slice into wedges.
3. Toss with olive oil and salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 30-50 minutes, until soft enough that a sharp knife can easily be inserted through them. Remove and let cool.
5. Combine the beets, tahini, yogurt, garlic, and lemon juice in a food processor or blender, and blend. If using a blender you may need to add more olive oil and/or yogurt.
6. If using the goat cheese, crumble it into the dip and stir in.

Lubiyeh wa Banadoura (Green Bean and Tomato Stew with Rice)

Another hit from Our Syria! We played fast and loose with the proportions here and it still turned out delicious; I suspect it will take quite a lot of variation.

The original calls for ground beef (if you are adding meat at all), and I have reproduced it thus; we used imitation vegetarian ground beef.

Lubiyeh wa Banadoura

Our Syria, p.119

Ingredients

• 225g ground beef [optional]
  
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
• 450g green beans, trimmed
• 6 large ripe tomatoes, diced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium-low heat in a large, deep skillet.
2. Add the onion and ground beef and cook until the onion is softened and the beef browned, 5-10 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and beans and fry for another 5 minutes.
4. Add the tomatoes, bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for ten minutes.
5. Add the tomato paste, salt, and pepper, and continue to simmer for another 20-30 minutes.
6. Serve with olive oil and some sort of rice.

Koromb wa Safarjal (Baked Red Cabbage with Quince & Walnuts)

We've started making use of the Lebanese cookbook, and made this as a side dish to go with a rice and lentil main that is also due for a writeup. The recipe as written calls for quince, which we almost never have, but you can swap in apples 1:1 and get good results.

The kidlet was not a fan, unfortunately, but symbol and I both liked it.

Koromb wa Safarjal

Lebanese Food & Cooking, p. 133

Ingredients

• 1 red cabbage, quartered, cored, and chopped into bite-size pieces
• ¼+¼ C butter, melted and divided
  
• 1+1 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
  
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp pomegranate molasses
• 2 quinces, cored and sliced into wedges
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp walnuts, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Arrange cabbage in a greased lasagna dish and pour over half the butter.
3. Toss with 1 tsp cinnamon, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and pomegranate molasses.
4. Cover the dish with tinfoil and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the tinfoil (carefully) and top with quinces.
6. Sprinkle over sugar, walnuts, and remaining cinnamon.
7. Re-cover and bake for another 20 minutes.
8. Remove tinfoil and bake for 10 more minutes, until lightly browned.

I'd never made a soufflé before this. I don't think I'd ever even eaten one before. However, we finally got around to pulling the rest of our cookbooks out of storage and I've been enjoying reacquainting myself with some of them. I mostly remember the Good Egg for its spaghetti with fried eggs recipe. I don't think I ever made much else from it. But I figured maybe it was time to give it another look.

I've always been rather intimidated by soufflés. Having read over the recipe though, it didn't really seem any worse than making an angel food cake. A bit more fuss at the beginning with making the base, but nothing really difficult. And the mixing and baking isn't really any more complicated either. And, as an added bonus, soufflés are expected to fall upon being removed from the oven, so you don't have to fuss with trying to cool them upside down or anything. I think my biggest issue was not being sure when it was done. After 35 minutes it was quite dark on top but still slightly runny in the centre. Another 10 minutes in the oven solved that nicely though. All-in-all, I would say my first venture into soufflés was a success!

I forgot to create a trench around the edge to give it the traditional "top hat" shape. Oh well... it was still delicious!

Spinach and Parmesan Soufflé

Slighlty adapted from the Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• dry breadcrumbs, for coating the dish
• 275g fresh or frozen spinach
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• 1 1/4 c. milk
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 3 large eggs, separated + 1 large egg white
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan
• 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and grease a 6-cup casserole/soufflé dish and coat it with fine dry breadcrumbs. Alternatively, you may use extra grated Parmesan to coat the dish.
2. Lightly cook the spinach by your preferred method, squeeze it dry, and finely chop it. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter over low heat.
4. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes.
5. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly, and bring to a boil.
6. Cook, stirring constantly, for another 3 minutes.
7. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg and remove from heat.
8. Mix a little of the sauce (milk mixture) into the egg yolks to temper them.
9. Add the remaining sauce to the yolks and mix well.
10. Stir in the cheese and spinach.
11. Place the egg whites in a large, clean bowl.
12. Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites.
13. Beat with an electric mixer on low until soft peaks form.
14. Increase speed to high and continue beating until stiff peaks form.
15. Add ~1/3 of the beaten egg whites to the base (spinach-cheese) mixture and stir to loosen and combine.
16. Now add the lightened base mixture to the bowl with the egg whites and carefully fold them into the mixture.
17. Carefully pour the mixture into the prepared dish.
18. Smooth the top with a spatula and make a trench ~2cm deep around the outside edge with your finger or the back of a spoon. This will give your soufflé the traditional "top hat" shape.
19. Place the soufflé in the oven and reduce temperature to 190°C (375°F).
20. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 35-45 minutes depending on how firm you like your soufflé.

TF and I were craving a dessert last night so I figured now would be as good a time as any to try this beloved Edmonds recipe. It comes together very easily. The batter is quite thick, so getting it spread evenly in the bottom of the baking dish is a bit of a challenge. I think I'd be tempted to add just a touch of milk next time since the finished pudding came out a bit hard/dry/dense in places. There was plenty of sauce, but the actual cake-y bits of the pudding had a slightly brick-like quality, especially after a night in the fridge.

Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding

Slightly adapted from Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 2 c. boiling water

Base

• 100g unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 1/4 c. soft (plain/standard/cake) flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a 6-cup casserole dish.
2. Combine sugar, cocoa, and cornstarch for the sauce and set it aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in egg, vanilla, and milk.
5. Sift in flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder and muntil well-combined and no dry spots remain.
6. Scoop batter into prepared dish and spread evenly.
7. Sprinkle dry sauce mixture over the surface of the batter.
8. Hold a spoon upside down over the filled casserole and pour the boiling water over it.
9. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 35-45 minutes.

Our other recent recipe from Our Syria. We had an already-made batch of tomato sauce that just needed some extra onion and garlic (and the bell peppers, which I forgot -- brain was on short supply that evening), but for this writeup I have recreated the entire recipe.

Meatballs in Tomato and Pepper Stew

Our Syria p.164

Ingredients

• Sauce
• 1 onion, finely diced
• oil
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 500g tomatoes, diced
• 30mL tomato paste
• Meatballs
• 500g ground lamb (or beef, or ground veggie protein)
• 1 onion, very finely chopped
• ½ large bunch of parsley or cilantro, finely chopped
• 5mL 7 baharat
  
• ¼ tsp salt
  
• oil
  

Directions

1. Heat a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add a bit of oil and the onion. Cook until soft.
3. Add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the bell pepper and tomato, fry for another 2-3 minutes, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Stir in the tomato paste and continue simmering for another 30 minutes, until the tomatoes are reduced.
6. Meanwhile, combine the lamb, onion, parsley or cilantro, 7 baharat, and salt in a large bowl.
7. Form meat mix into 2-2.5cm meatballs, roll in oil, and place evenly on a large baking sheet.
8. Bake at 320°F for 10 minutes.
9. Transfer meatballs and their juices to the pot with the tomato sauce, cover, and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
10. Serve over rice.

Yesterday we cooked our first recipes from Our Syria by Itab Azzam & Dina Mousawi. This is one of them, a very simple vegetable appetizer that can be put together in minutes. I've altered it slightly here to cook the garlic a bit, rather than adding it raw at the end of cooking, since the Kidlet finds raw garlic to be "too spicy" and I usually prefer the cooked flavour, too.

The original recipe calls for chard. We're more likely to have kale (and I prefer it anyways), so that's another adjustment made.

Kale with Garlic and Lemon

Our Syria p.47

Ingredients

• olive oil
  
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 450g kale, coarsely chopped
• salt
  
• Juice of 1 lemon
  

Directions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add a bit of olive oil and the garlic and cook until fragrant, ~30 seconds.
3. Add the kale and a splash of water and cover until the kale is warmed through and wilted slightly.
4. Remove from the heat and toss with lemon juice, salt, and a bit of extra olive oil if desired.

One more Hello Fresh. This was, unsurprisingly, a hit with the Kidlet, who likes absolutely everything in it.

Cornmeal-crusted Salmon with Green Beans & Potatoes

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 720g potatoes, sliced into 5mm rounds
• 120mL cornmeal
• 30+90mL mayonnaise, divided
  
• ~500g salmon filets, boneless
• 340 green beans, trimmed
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 180mL sour cream
• 30mL white wine vinegar
• 15g dill, finely chopped
  
• 15g parsley, finely chopped
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Toss potatoes with 30mL oil. Season with salt and pepper, and bake until golden-brown, 25-30 minutes.
3. Combine cornmeal with 2.5mL salt and 5mL pepper in a shallow dish.
4. Brush salmon with mayo 30mL and then dredge in cornmeal.
5. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Add 30mL oil, 60mL water, green beans, garlic, and shallots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender-crisp, 6-7 minutes. Remove and buffer.
7. Reduce heat to medium, add another 30mL of oil, and cook salmon until golden-brown and cooked through, ~4-5 minutes/side.
8. Whisk together sour cream, vinegar, parsley, dill, and remaining mayo in a small bowl.
9. Serve with mayo on the side as dipping sauce, or drizzled over fish and potatoes.
   

We make a lot of sourdough pancakes. Usually, however, they're a simple savoury affair. Just fry up some onion (or green onion), pour a bit of discard on top and cook! Serve with a fried egg and your favourite toppings. I usually go for mayo and laoganma and maybe a bit of chopped cucumber or shredded carrot. This makes for a nice, fairly low-effort weekday breakfast. However, the Kidlet is much more fond of fluffy sweet pancakes. (Because of course she is.)

I've made fluffy sourdough pancakes before, but it doesn't look like I ever got around to doing a write-up for them. I can no longer remember which recipe I used. I think it might've been from the King Arthur Flour website. This time I grabbed a recipe from a blog post I stumbled across. It produces pleasingly fluffy pancakes with just a hint of sweetness. I made them with just a hint of whole wheat flour this time (so as not to disappoint the Kidlet), but I think I'd probably go for something closer to a 1:1 ratio next time, or even 100% whole wheat depending on which flour(s) I'm using.

Fluffy Sourdough Pancakes

Slightly adapted from Taste of Lizzy T

Ingredients

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 225g sourdough discard (unfed starter)
• 1 1/2 c. milk
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp. oil

Directions

1. Combine flours and sift in baking powder and baking soda.
2. Mix in sugar.
3. Add the starter, milk, egg, and oil.
4. Mix until just combined. A few small lumps are okay.
5. Heat a griddle or cast iron pan and grease if necessary.
6. Pour desired amount of batter into the pan. I normally like to use 3-4 Tbsp. of batter per pancake as this keeps the size manageable and easy to flip.
7. Once bubbles begin to form and pancake starts to look dry around the edges, flip it.
8. Once pancake is browned on both sides and cooked through, remove from pan.
9. You may keep the pancakes warm by placing them in a 95°C (200°F) oven until ready to eat.
10. Serve with butter, jam, maple syrup, fresh fruit, whipped cream, and/or other toppings of your choice.

As is often the case with Hello Fresh's vegetarian dishes, this is tasty but not well balanced -- it's best served with a salad and some kind of protein.

It's quite similar to the pasta with cheesy cauliflower sauce I was fond of as a kid, though.

Pasta with Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 570g cauliflower florets, cut into bite-sized pieces
  
• 15+15mL garlic salt, divided
  
• 30mL oil
• 340g dry rigatoni
• 30mL butter
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 30mL flour
• 240mL milk
• 113g baby spinach
• 180mL sour cream
• 240mL grated cheddar
• 1 bunch chives, finely chopped
  
• chili flakes for serving

Directions

1. Toss cauliflower with oil, garlic salt, and black pepper.
   
2. Bake at 425°F until golden-brown, 14-16 minutes.
3. While cauliflower bakes, cook rigatoni al dente. Drain, reserving 240mL of pasta water.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add butter and onions. Cook, stirring often, until softened, 3-4 minutes.
   
5. Add flour and remaining garlic salt. Stir until the flour forms a roux coating the onion, 1-2 minutes.
   
6. Add milk and cook, stirring often, until thickened.
7. Reduce heat to low. Add spinach and cover until wilted, then stir in.
8. Add sour cream, cheddar, chives, and cauliflower. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Add pasta water as needed to adjust thickness.
10. Toss with pasta and serve with chili flakes.

I could not get over how incredibly odd this recipe sounded. The authors swore it was delicious and an especially big hit with kids. I wasn't entirely sold, but I was curious.

The peanuts and the corn both came through nicely. I don't think they really complement each other, but they don't clash either. I feel like maybe they need another element to tie them together. I think adding a few blueberries might make the peanuts feel a little more harmonious and like they're actually meant to be there. Overall, I can't say that I think this will become a new favourite, but the muffins were tasty enough. I might try them again sometime. Especially if I have blueberries to use up.

Peanut-Corn Muffins

Slightly adapted from the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 3/4 c. cornmeal
• 1/4 c. roasted, unsalted peanuts, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1/4 c. natural (no salt or sugar added) peanut butter
• 2-3 Tbsp. honey
• 1 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 c. blueberries, tossed in 1-2 tsp. of additional flour (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a muffin tin.
2. Sift baking powder into flour.
3. Add salt, cornmeal, and peanuts.
4. Whisk oil and honey into the peanut butter.
5. Add buttermilk and egg and mix thoroughly.
6. Add the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
7. Stir in blueberries (if using).
8. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tin.
9. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 18-20 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and let cool in tin for 5-10 minutes.
11. Turn muffins out onto wire rack to finish cooling.

This Hello Fresh box comes together pretty nicely and is really tasty, although I upped the garlic in the salad dressing to a whole clove and the Kidlet declared that to be too many garlic even for her -- taking that into account I've written it up here with the smaller quantity of garlic requested in the original recipe.

Cheesy Italian Burgers with Garlic Salad

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• ½ tsp minced garlic
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• ½ tsp + 2 tbsp italian seasoning, divided
• salt and pepper
  
• 2 mini cucumbers, sliced into 5mm rounds
  
• 225g cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
  
• 113g spinach-arugula or similar green mix
• 4 burger buns
• 360mL shredded mozzarella
• 4 beef or beyond meat burger patties
• 1 C marinara sauce
• oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together garlic, mayo, vinegar, and ½ tsp italian seasoning to form salad dressing; add salt and pepper to taste.
   
3. Toss with cucumbers, tomatoes, and greens.
   
4. Split buns. Coat top and bottom with mozzarella. Bake in oven until cheese has melted and started to brown, 5-6 minutes.
5. Season both sides of each patty with remaining italian seasoning.
6. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sear patties, 3-4 minutes per side.
7. Transfer patties to baking sheet and top them with the marinara sauce.
8. Bake until cooked through, 6-8 minutes.
9. Serve in buns.
   

 

 

 

I don't really feel like doing a write-up today, but I haven't been keeping up with the blog recently and this recipe is at least quick and easy. It's based on a recipe from Cookie & Kate which is, in turn, based off of a recipe from Smitten Kitchen which was, itself, based off of a recipe from Marcella Hazan's famous cookbook. It's basically a modified burro e pomodoro sauce. It has olive oil instead of butter and a few added seasonings.

Marinara Sauce

From Cookie & Kate

Ingredients

• 1 (825mL) can of whole tomatoes
• 1 yellow onion, halved
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. red chili flakes

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
3. Crush the tomatoes and cook for another 30 minutes.
4. Squish the garlic against the side of the pot and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. Remove the onion halves and serve over pasta, polenta, or other substrate of choice.

This was one of those last-minute dinner scrambles. It worked out pretty well though! We didn't have any tempeh on hand, but there was a bunch of Beyond Meat in the freezer, so I just made it with that and left out the water called for. I also decided to bake the meatballs rather than trying to brown them in a pan. I alway find browning meatballs in a pan super annoying. Using the oven is much easier. And it also allows for the sauce to be started on the stovetop while the meatballs are still cooking in the oven. That said, either method will work, so use whichever you prefer.

Vegetarian Swedish Meatballs

Slightly adapted from Rabbit & Wolves

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 400g Beyond Meat
• 1-2 eggs
• 1/2 c. breadcrumbs
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. allspice berries, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• drizzle of oil, for cooking

Sauce

• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 c. vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. dijon (or Roman) mustard
• 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). If you have a convection/fan oven, use the convection mode at a slightly lower temperature: 190°C (375°F).
2. Combine Beyond Meat, egg(s), breadcrumbs, panko, parsley, garlic powder, nutmeg, allspice, and pepper and mix thoroughly.
3. Drizzle a baking sheet with oil. (Line with parchemnt paper or a silicone mate first if you like.)
4. Form the "meat" mixture into balls and place them on the baking sheet. Roll the balls around a little to coat them in oil.
5. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for ~10 minutes. Or 190°C (375°F) for convection/fanbake.
6. Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat.
7. Add the flour, mix, and cook to make a roux.
8. Pour in the broth, soy sauce, coconut milk, mustard, and vinegar and whisk to combine.
9. Simmer until sauce has thickened.
10. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. Add meatballs to sauce and stir to coat.
12. Serve over starch of your choice: rice, potatoes, or noodles.

Variations

Tempeh Version

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 225g tempeh
• 1-2 eggs
• 1/2 c. breadcrumbs
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. allspice berries, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• drizzle of oil, for cooking

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until relatively uniform.

Proceed with recipe as above. Sauce is the same.

Vegan Version

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 400g Beyond Meat
• 1-2 flax eggs
• 1/2 c. breadcrumbs (make sure they're vegan)
• 1/2 c. panko breadcrumbs (also check for vegan-ness)
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. allspice berries, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• drizzle of oil, for cooking

Sauce

• 1/4 c. vegan butter
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 c. vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 c. coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp. dijon (or Roman) mustard
• 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper, to taste

7 Baharat (Syrian 7-Spice Blend)

This simple spice blend requires no toasting, just grinding, so it comes together very quickly.

7 Baharat

Our Syria, p.244

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp ground cardamom
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 1 tbsp ground black pepper
• ½ tbsp ground cloves
• ½ tbsp ground nutmeg

Directions

1. Combine all spices and store in an airtight container.

I made this mallum to go with a Sri Lankan curry a while ago. I forget exactly which curry now as I waited too long to write up the recipes, but the mallum deserves to be remembered. It was a bit spicy, a bit salty, and a bit sour and absolutely delicious! I quite liked the coconut in it as well. I would definitely make it again.

Cabbage Mallum

From Sri Lankan Flavours by Channa Dassanayaka

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1-3 salted chilies, broken
• 1/2 onion, sliced thin
• 3 c. thinly sliced cabbage (or other vegetable of your choice¹)
• 1 c. chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro)
• 1/4 c. unsweetened dried shredded coconut
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. mustard seeds, ground
• 1 fresh green Thai chili, sliced
• juice of 1/2 a lime

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add broken salted chilies and cook until they lose their colour (2-3 minutes).
3. Add onion, cabbage, parsley, coconut, salt, mustard, and fresh chili and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and add lime juice.

---

¹ Most non-salad type greens will work. Dassanayaka suggests red cabbage, napa cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, or Swiss chard/silverbeet. I suspect beet greens, kale, or mustard greens would also work quite well. ^Back

Apparently salted chilies are an indespensible Sri Lankan kitchen staple. They're especially useful for adding a flavour boost to vegetarian dishes, but can be broken up and stirred into other curries as well.

Salted Chilies

Slightly adapted from Sri Lankan Flavours by Channa Dassanayaka

Ingredients

• 10-15 dried red Thai, arbol, or cayenne chilies
• 500mL boiling water¹
• 1/4 c. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Dissolve the salt in the water.
2. Add the chilies and allow them to soak for at least an hour before using.

---

¹ The original recipe did not specify that the water be boiling, but I found that the salt did not dissolve well in cold (or even tepid) water. In the future I'd dissolve the salt in boiling water to make the brine and go from there. ^Back

Chicken Biriyani (Sri Lankan)

I'm always a sucker for a good biriyani and, let me tell you, this one was amazing! Honestly, the rice alone was a delight and already incredible. The chicken curry, onion mixture, and boiled eggs just made it even more over-the-top delicious.

One small note: Do not do as I did and make this in a 6-cup casserole dish. It's not nearly big enough! Next time I'd make this in a 9"x13" (23x33cm) lasagne pan or something of similar volume.

Chicken Biriyani

Slightly adapted from Sri Lankan Flavours by Channa Dassanayaka

Ingredients

Chicken Curry

• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 2 green cardamom pods
• 1 Indian bay leaf
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 tsp. ginger paste
• 2 tsp. garlic paste
• 500g skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2cm cubes
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. roasted curry powder
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika, hot paprika, or chili powder (according to your taste)
• 1 c. chopped fresh or canned tomatoes
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 c. plain yogurt
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Onion Mixture

• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 onion, halved and sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 10-12 fresh curry leaves

Assembly

• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 tsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. rosewater (optional)
• 1 recipe yellow rice
• 4 large eggs, hard-boiled and halved
• fresh cilantro (optional), to garnish

Directions

Note: Before you launch into the other steps, boil your eggs and prepare the yellow rice as directed and set it aside until you're ready to start assembling the biriyani.

Chicken Curry

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Bruise the cardamom pods and add them to the pan along with the bay leaf, onion, cloves, garlic, ginger, and chicken.
3. Cook for ~5 minutes.
4. Add turmeric, curry powder, paprika (or chili powder), and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes and mix well.
6. Add salt and pepper and cook for another 5-7 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and stir in yogurt and cilantro.

Onion Mixutre

1. Melt butter over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cinnamon stick and cook for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add curry leaves and cook for another minute or so.

Assembly

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Add the water, oil, and rosewater (if using) to your baking dish.
3. Spread ~1/3 of the rice into the bottom of the dish.
4. Spread ~1/2 the curry on top of the rice.
5. Spread another 1/3 of the rice over the curry.
6. Now add ~1/2 the onion mixture on top of the rice.
7. Spread the remaining curry over the onions.
8. Top with the remaining rice.
9. Use a chopstick or the handle of a spoon to make a few holes down to the bottom of your biriyani so that steam can escape during baking.
10. Cover the dish. If you do not have an oven-safe lid for it, you may cover it with aluminum foil instead.
11. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes.
12. Remove from oven and garnish with remaining onion mixture, halved eggs, and cilantro.

Qatayef (Syrian Stuffed Pancakes)

I was going to make cookies today, but then I saw this stuffed pancake recipe and adjusted my plans!

Qatayef

Slightly adapted from Our Syria by Itab Azzam and Dina Mousawi

Ingredients

• 200g all-purpose flour¹
• 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 1/2 c. warm water
• 1 c. chopped walnuts
• 3-4 Tbsp. sugar syrup², divided
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 c. ricotta
• 1 Tbsp. pistachios, chopped
• oil for frying

Directions

1. Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and baking powder and mix well.
2. Whisk in the warm water. Make sure it's warm enough to activate the yeast but not so hot that it kills it.
3. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
4. After 30 minutes, whisk the batter again to deflate it.
5. Heat a pan or griddle over medium heat.
6. Add a little butter to the pan if it needs to be greased.
7. Pour ~1/4 c. of batter into the pan.
8. The batter will bubble as it cooks. Once it stops bubbling and looks dry on top, it's done. DO NOT FLIP IT OVER! Simply remove it from the pan and allow it to cool.
9. Repeat cooking steps with remaining batter. DO NOT STACK THE PANCAKES! They must be placed in a single layer or they will stick together.
10. While the pancakes are cooling, combine the walnuts, 1 Tbsp. of the syrup, cinnamon, and ricotta.
11. Place a spoonful of filling on each pancake and fold them over to form well-stuffed semi-cricles. Press the edges firmly to seal. If you're having trouble getting a good seal, use some of the remaining syrup to glue them shut.
12. Pour oil into a wok or pot to a depth of at least 3cm and heat it over medium-high heat.
13. Deep-fry the stuffed pancakes (in batches) until they're golden brown and slightly crisp on all sides.
14. Allow to drain on a wire rack (or paper towels) for a few minutes.
15. Transfer to a plate and drizzle with the remaining syrup.
16. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios and serve!

---

¹ I was running low on all-purpose flour, so I used ~100g of whole wheat flour + 100g of all-purpose. I was very happy with how this worked out. ^Back
2 Make the syrup by combining equal parts sugar and water. Add a touch of lemon juice as well if you like. Boil until slightly thickened. (It should be about the consistency of maple syrup.) Set aside to cool. ^Back

Yellow Rice (Sri Lankan)

This makes absolutely amazing rice! It's pretty and yellow (even if you make it with brown rice the turmeric does a nice job of colouring it). It's full of delicious toasted cashews and raisins. It's infused with the aroma of wonderfully flavourful spices. And it includes a generous quantity of ghee. What's not to like?!

Yellow Rice

Slightly adapted from Sri Lankan Flavours by Channa Dassanayaka

Ingredients

• 2 c. long-grain brown rice
• 2 c. water
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 whole cloves
• 3 green cardamom pods, crushed
• 6-7 fresh curry leaves
• 1 (7-8cm) cinnamon stick
• 6 black peppercorns
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 50g raw cashews
• 50g sultanas
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. plain yogurt (optional)

Directions

1. Combine rice, water, turmeric, salt, cloves, cardamom, curry leaves, cinnamon stick, and peppercorns in the InstantPot and give it a brief stir to make sure everything is well-mixed.
2. Seal InstantPot and set to pressure cook on "high" for 18 minutes and allow for a 10-minute natural release.
3. Meanwhile, heat ghee over medium heat.
4. Add cashews and sultanas and toast until cashews are golden-brown and fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside until rice is ready.
5. Once rice is cooked (including 10-minute natural release), release any remaining pressure, remove the lid, and fluff the rice.
6. Stir in the cashews and sultanas.
7. If desired, stir in the cilantro and yogurt as well.

---

Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 2 c. long-grain brown rice
• 2 c. water
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 whole cloves
• 3 green cardamom pods, crushed
• 6-7 fresh curry leaves
• 1 (7-8cm) cinnamon stick
• 6 black peppercorns
• 2 vegan butter
• 50g raw cashews
• 50g sultanas
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. plain coconut yogurt (optional)