symbol made this (they make all the bread), but asked me to do the writeup. I have strong feelings about this bread: it is delicious. It's light and fluffy and the millet makes a nice crunch in it without being overbearing. It doesn't have the firm durability of the sourdoughs but it's a delightful sandwich bread.

Also -- and I feel like I should mention this specifically -- it toasts up beautifully. The inside remains light and fluffy, the outside gets brown and crispy, and it has a pretty wide time band in which it is crispy without being burnt or overtoasted. Look at this:

Crunchy Millet Bread

Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, p.214

Ingredients

• 2 tsp (7g) active dry yeast
• ½ C (120mL) warm water
• 2 tbsp (30mL) honey
• 1 C (235mL) cottage cheese
• 1¼ C (300mL) hot water
•  ½ C (100g) millet
• 5 C (750g) whole wheat flour
• 2½ tsp (14g) salt
• 2 tbsp (28g) butter
  

Directions

1. Dissolve yeast in warm water.
2. Stir together honey, cottage cheese, and hot water.
3. Mix the millet, flour, and salt together.
4. Make a well in the middle; pour in the yeast and cottage cheese mixtures.
5. Adjust as needed to make a soft dough by adding flour or water.
6. Knead until very elastic, ~20 minutes; after ten minutes, smear the butter onto the countertop and work it into the dough.
7. Form the dough into a smooth ball, cover it, and let rise once in a warm place.
8. Divide into two balls, and let them rest, covered, until they regain their suppleness, ~15 minutes.
9. Shape the loaves carefully, dusting the counter with flour to help prevent tearing. Proof in a warm place.
   
10. Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 325°F and bake for another 35.

The recipe calls for rotini, and I've written it up accordingly; we made it with rotelle and that worked fine, and I think it would also work ok with penne, radiatori, and most other non-long pastas.

I've scaled the recipe up slightly to use up a whole package of sausages and pasta and a whole tin of beans.

Rotini with Sausage, Beans, and Greens

Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• 450g italian sausage, peeled
  
• 1 540mL tin of cannellini beans or chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 30+15mL olive oil, divided
• 120mL freshly grated parmesan
  
• 1 large bunch black kale, chopped
• 450g dry pasta
• 2.5mL red pepper flakes
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 30mL butter
• 1mL dry rosemary
  

Directions

1. Start some water boiling for the pasta. Don't start the pasta cooking yet -- the timing is dicey.
2. Heat 30mL of the oil in a dutch oven or other large, deep pot over medium-high heat.
3. Add the peeled sausages and cook, breaking them up and stirring them, until browned. Remove and buffer.
4. Reduce heat to medium low. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook until fragrant, ~30 seconds.
5. Add the chickpeas and cook, stirring often and smooshing some of them, for about five minutes. Remove half of the chickpeas and buffer with the sausage.
   
6. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until 3-4 minutes short of al dente; it will finish cooking in the sauce.
7. Transfer the pasta and 240mL of the pasta water to the pot with the chickpeas. Reserve the remaining water.
8. Add the kale, increase heat to medium, and mix pasta and kale together as the kale wilts and the pasta cooks. If the water all cooks off before the pasta is cooked through, add a bit more and continue.
9. Once the pasta is cooked, add another 60mL of pasta water and the cheese and stir vigorously until the cheese and the pasta melt together.
10. Remove from the heat and add the reserved beans and sausage.
11. Season with black pepper to taste and serve with more parmesan.

I was in a very noodle-y mood this week. In addition to making a giant double batch of Chinese "Bolognese", I also put this rice noodle dish into my meal plan for the week. It uses rice noodles rather than wheat noodles so that makes it completely different! ...Right?

The original recipe called for chicken, but I decided to do some substitutions to make it vegetarian. Tofu is normally my chicken substitute of choice, but I was already planning a bunch of tofu dishes for this week, so I opted for tempeh instead to mix things up a bit. Especially since the Kidlet is apparently off tofu now. I think seitan would also work for this, but I didn't really feel up to making seitan this week and I wasn't sure the canned stuff I've got hanging out in the pantry would be harmonious flavour-wise.

The tempeh worked out okay. I think I'd tweak the marinade a little bit next time though to compensate for the fact that it's not actually chicken. I think it'd do well with a little bit of garlic and paprika added to the marinade and maybe a bit of extra oyster sauce as well. These changes are reflected in the recipe below.

Tempeh Mei Fun

Adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

Noodles

• 200g rice vermicelli
• hot water, for soaking
• 1 tsp. oil
• 1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce

Tempeh

• 200g tempeh, cut into strips
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 2 tsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
• 2 tsp. Shaoxing wine
• 1/4 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1/8 tsp. 5-spice powder
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder

Assembly

• 2 (2mm thick) slices ginger, julienned
• 70g shallots, sliced
• 40g carrot, julienned
• 150g cabbage, shredded
• 3 scallions, halved lengthwise and cut into 5cm pieces
• 3 Tbsp. oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. water (optional)

Directions

Noodles

1. Place noodles in a bowl and pour hot water over them to cover.
2. Allow to soak until softened (2-5 minutes depending on how hot your water was).
3. Drain and toss with oil and soy sauce. Set aside.

Tempeh

1. Combine tempeh, cornstarch, water, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, pepper, 5-spice powder, garlic power, paprika, and onion powder and mix to evenly coat the tempeh.
2. Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients.

Assembly

1. Make sure all your veggies are prepped and ready to go, this goes fast once you start cooking!
2. Heat wok over high heat.
3. Add 3 Tbsp. of oil to the wok and swirl to coat.
4. Add the ginger and tempeh and stir-fry until heated through (1-2 minutes).
5. Add the shallots and cook for 10-30 seconds.
6. Add the carrots and cabbage and stir-fry for 30-60 seconds.
7. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper and stir to combine.
8. Reduce heat to medium and stir in noodles and scallions.
9. If you'd like the noodles a bit softer, add 2 Tbsp. of water, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 1 more minute.

Everyone liked this one. And I appreciate the high ratio of sauce to pasta. It's a bit unusual, but I enjoy the soy-oyster flavour.

Chinese Spaghetti "Bolognese"

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 225g spaghetti
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 350g Beyond Meat (or veggie crumbles of your choice)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 2 c. vegetable stock
• 3 Tbsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
• 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1 c. frozen peas
• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. water

Directions

1. Cook spaghetti until just shy of al dente.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat.
3. Add Beyond Meat and cook.
4. Add onion, garlic, and wine and cook until onion is softened and translucent.
5. Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to a low and stir in oyster sauce, both soy sauces, sesame oil, and white pepper.
7. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Stir in peas and cook, uncovered, for 1 minute.
9. Combine the cornstarch and water and stir to make a slurry.
10. Pour the slurry into the sauce and increase heat to medium.
11. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce.
12. Once sauce has thickened and pasta is well-coated, remove from heat.

I wanted a vegetable side to go with the spaghetti tonight. It takes a while to roast the veggies, but there's very little active time involved. Just chop and roast with a little oil, salt, and pepper. The glaze only takes about five minutes to make and just gets toss with the veggies after roasting.

Miso-Maple Glazed Root Vegetables

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 450g carrots, cut into large chunks
• 8 medium beets, cut into thin wedges
• 2 onions, cut into wedges
• olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp. miso paste
• 2 Tbsp. mirin
• 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 scallion, sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Toss vegetables with oil, slat, and pepper.
3. Roast at 220°C for 40 minutes.
4. Melt butter over medium heat.
5. Add garlic and cook for a minute or two.
6. Stir in miso paste, mirin, maple syrup, and cinnamon and simmer for another couple minutes.
7. Toss roasted veggies with glaze and sprinkle with scallion.

My go-to oxtail recipes are normally either oxtail soup or kare-kare, but I wanted to try something a little different this time. The sauce is very tasty, but I do find the pieces of tail somewhat difficult to eat. It doesn't look as fancy, but I'd be tempted to try removing the meat from the bones at the end of the initial braising period next time (before cooking down the sauce). I think this recipe would also work well for beef short ribs.

Braised Oxtail

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1.3kg oxtail (usu. 2 tails), cut into pieces
• 4 (5mm thick) slices of fresh ginger
• 6-8 cloves garlic
• 3-4 pieces star anise
• 6 whole cloves
• 3 dried bay leaves
• 1/2 c. Shaoxing wine
• 2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 1/2 c. water

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium heat.
2. Add pieces of tail and sear on all sides.
3. Remove tail and set aside.
4. Add ginger, garlic, star anise, and bay leaves to pot and cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add wine, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, and water and stir to combine.
6. Return tail pieces to pot and bring to a boil.
7. Cover and reduce heat to low.
8. Simmer, covered, for 90 minutes.
9. If desired, remove tail pieces and allow to cool slightly. Pick meat from bones. Return meat to pot and discard bones.
10. Increase heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for another 30 minutes. Sauce should thicken and coat the meat.
11. Serve with rice.

Vegetarian Duck (素鸭)

Confession time: I messed up this recipe. I'm still happy with the flavours, but I made a lot of mistakes with the assembly. I got dried yuba sheets instead of frozen and they were rectangular instead of round. I think the different shape would've been okay if I'd handled them properly, but I didn't do great with that. I also didn't soften the sheets properly. I thought that brushing the sheets with the sauce would be enough to soften them; it wasn't. So, I ended up with really raggedy, broken up sheets, which then made rolling them up quite challenging. Because they weren't rolled very well, the fell apart a bit during cooking. Still tasty, but not as cohesive as they were meant to be.

All the problems aside, I really liked this recipe. I'd like to try it again sometime with the proper handling of the yuba. Unfortunately, the Kidlet was not a fan, so it may be a while before I get to try this one again.

Vegetarian Duck (素鸭 sù yā)

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

Filling

• 60g dried shiitake mushrooms
• 2 c. hot water
• 1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
• 120g bamboo shoots, julienned
• 120g carrots, julienned
• 1 Tbsp. finely julienned ginger
• 3 Tbsp. neutral oil

Duck

• 4 Tbsp. bean curd skins (yuba), 60cm diameter circles
• 3 Tbsp. vegetarian oyster sauce, divided
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 1/4 c. mushroom soaking water
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. neutral oil
• 1 scallion, sliced

Directions

Filling

1. Rinse mushrooms and soak in the hot water for a couple hours.
2. Reserve the water and drain and slice the mushrooms.
3. Combine Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and oyster sauce and set aside.
4. Heat wok over high heat.
5. Add the oil to the wok and swirl it around to coat.
6. Add the ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds or so.
7. Add the carrots and stir-fry for about a minute.
8. Add bamboo and mushrooms and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes.
9. Pour in the sauce and cook for another minute or two until the mixture is mostly dry.
10. Remove from heat and set aside.

Duck

1. If you have frozen yuba sheets, thaw them. If you have dried sheets, briefly soak them to soften.¹ If you have dried yuba "sticks" (basically rolled up sheets), they will probably need a much longer soak to soften and become pliable.
2. Mix 2 Tbsp. of the oyster sauce with the 2 Tbsp. of water.
3. Lay out a sheet on your work surface and brush it with the oyster sauce mixture.
4. Lay a second sheet on top of the first and brush it with the sauce as well.
5. Spoon a bunch of the filling into the saucy sheets. If you're using 60cm circles, you'll want ~1/2 the filling for each stack of two sheets. If your sheets are a different size or shape, you'll need to adjust the filling accordingly.
6. Fold the bottom edge of the yuba sheets up over the filling, then fold in the sides. Roll it up like a big burrito and set, seam-side-down, on a steam-proof plate.
7. Repeat the process with the remaining yuba and filling.
8. Place the plate over some boiling water, cover, and steam for 12 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, make the sauce by combining the reserved mushroom soaking water, sugar, Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, sesame oil, and dark soy sauce. Mix until sugar has dissolved and set aside.
10. Remove the plate from the steamer and set aside.
11. Heat the wok over medium heat.
12. Add the oil and swirl to coat.
13. Carefully add the duck rolls, seam-side-down.
14. Cook for 2-3 minutes, shaking the wok periodically to avoid sticking.
15. Once the undersides of the rolls are browned, carefully flip them over and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side.
16. Pour in the braising sauce and cover the wok. Cook, covered, for 2-3 minutes.
17. Remove the lide and cook, uncovered, for another 2 minutes.
18. Carefully flip the duck rolls once more and cook, covered, for 2-3 minutes.
19. Uncover the wok and cook, uncovered, for another 2-3 minutes. The duck should be saucy, but not soupy. The sauce should be thick enough to cling to and coat the duck.
20. Carefully remove from wok, slice, sprinkle with scallion, and serve.

---

¹ Based on information I found online, I thought that brushing the sheets with a wet sauce or quickly dipping them in a tray of water would be enough. I was wrong. They didn't need to soak for long, but they did need to soak. I'd say 30-60 seconds would probably be enough. ^Back

This is a homemade rendition of the North American Chinese restaurant staple. It is very much an American "Chinese" dish rather than traditional Chinese. (As far as I know, broccoli isn't even used at all in traditional Chinese cooking.) Still tasty though!

Broccoli with Garlic Sauce

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 3/4 c. hot chicken or vegetable stock
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. water
• 2 Tbsp. neutral oil
• 500g broccoli, florettes and chopped stems
• 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp. chili oil (or a generous quantity of Laoganma)

Directions

1. Combine dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, stock, sesame oil, and white pepper. Mix well and set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the cornstarch with the water and mix to make a slurry. Set aside.
3. Heat wok over medium-high heat.
4. Add oil and swirl to coat wok.
5. Add broccoli and garlic and stir-fry for ~30 seconds. If you want to be fancy, you can keep the florettes and stems separate and put the pieces of stem in ~30 seconds ahead of everything else.
6. Drizzle the wine around the edges of the wok and stir to combine.
7. Add the sauce mixture and bring to a boil.
8. Pour in the cornstarch mixture and stir to combine.
9. Cook until the sauce thickens.
10. Serve over rice.

Stir-Fried Mustard Greens (雪里红)

I love mustard greens, so when I saw this mustard green stir-fry recipe, I was all over it! I normally associate them with curries and Indian cooking, but I know they get used in lots of other cuisines as well. Outside of curries, I'm used to seeing them pickled. This was a new preparation for me, but I figured it was a pretty safe bet: stir-frying + mustard greens + lots of garlic and some chilies? Yeah, that sounds right up my alley!

Stir-Fried Mustard Greens (雪里红 xuělǐ hóng)

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. oil
• 4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2-4 dried Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies, deseeded and coarsely chopped
• 550g fresh mustard greens (雪里红 or similar), chopped into 1cm pieces
• 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. chicken or vegetable bouillon powder

Directions

1. Heat wok over medium heat.
2. Add oil and swirl to coat wok.
3. Add garlic and chilies and cook for ~1 minute.
4. Add mustard greens, sugar, sesame oil, and bouillon powder and increase heat to maximum.
5. Cover and cook for 30-45 seconds.
6. Uncover, stir, and remove from heat.
7. Serve immediately.

Apparently these pancakes are normally made with soi guah or "water squash". These squash are not commonly available in North America, so the author suggests zucchini as a substitute. She says that relatively small zucchini, around 15cm (6") long are best.

I found the insturctions for how to cut the zucchini for this recipe a little odd: 1cm discs cut into 5mm sticks? We did it this way, but it made for very awkward, chunky pancakes. I think I'd prefer smaller pieces in the future. I think I might try 5mm by 5mm or even 3mm by 5mm sticks next time.

Squash Pancakes

Slightly adapted from Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. dry-roasted, unsalted peanuts
• 1 1/2 c. 5mm thick zucchini slices, cut into 5mm sticks
• 3 Tbsp. scallions, sliced
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp. ligh soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine
• 4 1/2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 2-4 Tbsp. oil, for frying

Directions

1. Crush or finely chop the peanuts.
2. Combine peanuts, zucchini, scallions, egg, soy sauce, wine, flour, sugar, and white pepper and mix well.
3. Heat wok over high heat for ~1 minute.
4. Add 2 Tbsp. oil and use a spatula to coat the wok with it.
5. Pour batter into the oiled wok and swirl it around to keep the pancake moving and prevent it from sticking.
6. Cook for 2-3 minutes, swirling or shaking the wok frequently to prevent sticking.
7. Slide the pancake onto a plate and then invert it onto a second plate.
8. Slide the pancake back into the wok, cooked-side-up.
9. Reduce heat to medium and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
10. Add additional oil as needed.
11. Pancake is donw when zucchini is softened and cooked through and golden-brown on both sides.
12. Cut into wedges and serve.

A delicious garlicy sauce that can be drizzled over many different meats and vegetables or added to sandwiches and wraps. Very quick and easy to put together and a nice enhancement for many meals.

Tahini Sauce

Slightly adapted from Our Syria by Itab Azzam and Dina Mousawi

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c. tahini
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp. plain yogurt
• black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Combine garlic paste, salt, tahini, and lemon juice.
2. If mixture seems to thick, add a little water.
3. Stir in yogurt.
4. Season with pepper.

---

Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c. tahini
• juice of 1 lemon
• black pepper, to taste

This sauce works just fine without the yogurt. No other changes necessary.

Easy Vegetarian Pad Krapow (Thai Basil Stir-Fry)

This was another Woks of Life find and it was a good one! Extremely tasty and incredibly easy. It comes together in just a few minutes and is very flexible in what protein you use. I used some chopped up mysterious deep-fried tofu slices I found at the Asian gorcery store. The recipe author used chicken-flavoured seitan. I think shredded jackfruit would also work well texture-wise, but it is sadly lacking in the protein department. Tempeh, TVP, or mushrooms might work okay, although I don't think they'd be as good as the tofu or the seitan.

Sadly the Kidlet did not enjoy this one. She tolerated it, but only liked the soft bland tofu interior and avoided the crispy, saucy exterior bits. (Which was pretty much the opposite of what I was expecting, to be honest.) That said, TF and I both loved it! And, especially given how unbelievably easy it is, I think we'll be making this again (despite the Kidlet's objections).

Vegetarian Pad Krapow

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. vegetarian fish sauce or 1 additional tsp. light soy sauce
• 3 Tbsp. oil
• 1-3 fresh serrano or Holland chilies, sliced
• 1-2 fresh red Thai chilies, sliced
• 5-6 cloves garlic, sliced
• 3 shallots (or 1 red onion), halved and sliced
• 250g protein of choice (seitan, tofu, mushrooms, tempeh, TVP, etc.)
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 bunch holy/Thai basil, stemmed and rinsed
• juice of 1/2 a lime

Directions

1. Combine the sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and fish sauce (or additional soy sauce) and set aside.
2. Heat wok over high heat.
3. Add oil and heat for 30 seconds or so.
4. Add both kinds of chilies, garlic, and shallots and stir-fry for a minute or two.
5. Add protein and stir-fry until it's warmed up and gets a little colour on it. (Probably another minute or two.)
6. Pour in the sauce and stir/toss to combine.
7. When pan seems dry (shouldn't take long over the high heat), pour in the water and deglaze the pan.
8. Add the basil and continue to stir-fry until wilted.
9. Remove from heat and drizzle with lime juice.
10. Serve over rice.

So, full disclosure, I kind of messed this one up. I proofed it a bit too warm and then baked it much too hot, so it ended up a bit burnt on the outside. Still tasty, but not as good as it could've been. I'm definitely going to want to try this one again in the future.

Shanghai Scallion Flatbread

From Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. instant yeast
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 3/4 c. + 1-2 Tbsp. warm water
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 tsp. ground szechuan peppercorns
• 3-5 scallions, chopped
• 3 Tbsp. sesame seeds
• 3 Tbsp. oil

Directions

1. Combine flour, yeast, and sugar.
2. Pour in 3/4 c. of water and mix to form a soft dough. The recipe warns that it will be very soft and sticky but that you should try to avoid adding any extra flour. I actually found that I needed to add a bit more water to get it to come together properly. Probably not more than 1 Tbsp.
3. Cover and set aside to rise for an hour or two. Probably closer to 1 hour for a warm rise (28-32°C), 2 hours for room temperature (18-22°C).
4. Once dough is well-risen, add salt, white pepper, and szechuan peppercorns and knead for ~5 minutes. Dough should be very smooth and supple at this point.
5. Cover and set aside for another 15-30 minutes.
6. Knead the dough for another 1-2 minutes.
7. Brush your work surface lightly with oil and oil a rolling pin.
8. Roll out the dough into a large rectangle ~5mm (1/4") thick.
9. Sprinkle with scallions and then roll up lengthwise to form a long, skinny log. Try to roll it up tightly with as few air pockets as possible.
10. Roll the scallion-filled dough log back and forth a few times to work out any remaining air bubbles and make it a bit thinner and longer.
11. Coil the log into a spiral, tucking the end underneath.
12. Press and/or roll the dough into a flat disc ~25cm (10") in diameter.
13. Sprinkle half the sesame seeds over the top surface of the disc and press them in.
14. Flip the disc over and spread the remaining sesame seeds on the other side. Press them into the surface as well.
15. Add the oil to a large cast iron skillet and spread to evenly coat the pan.
16. Place the dough disc in the pan and cover.
17. Allow to sit in the covered pan WITH THE HEAT OFF for 20-25 minutes.
18. With the cover still in place, set the heat to medium or medium-low depending on your range. (Four on my stove.)
19. Cook, covered, for 12 minutes.
20. Check to see if the underside of the bread has begun to brown. If so, reduce heat to medium-low or low and flip it over. (Probably two or three on my stove, but I'll need to make it again to be sure.)
21. Cook, covered, for another 6 minutes.
22. Check to see if the underside is adequately browned.
23. Remove lid and cook for another few minutes to let the crust crisp up.
24. Bread is done when sides look dry and (ideally) slightly golden and it sounds hollow when tapped.
25. Cut into wedges and serve.

Falafel Wraps

This was a bit of an emergeny last minute meal. I realized at the eleventh hour that I hadn't planned enough food for dinner and frantically flipped through the cookbook to look for something else that we could make to complement the too-sparse meal. This was what we came up with. It was tasty, but I had to make a few changes to the recipe to get it done in time. Technically you're supposed to use soaked but uncooked chickpeas. I didn't have time for that, so I just used cooked ones. This resulted in a much softer, wetter mix than soaked chickpeas would've given. Adding some flour helped hold it together and the wraps were still quite tasty, but I think they would've been even better had I had time to follow the recipe properly.

Falafel Wrap

Slightly adapted from Our Syria by Itab Azzam and Dina Mousawi

Ingredients

Falafels

• 250g dried chickpeas
• 1.5L hot water
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 Tbsp. dhania-jeera masala
• oil, for frying

Wrap

• flatbreads (such as sourdough pitas)
• chopped tomatoes
• pickled turnips
• pickled cucumbers (or dill pickles)
• tahini sauce
• fresh mint and/or fresh parsley

Directions

Falafels

1. Pour hot water over chickpeas and set aside to soak for 24 hours.
2. Blend onion in food processor. (I used the "food chop" setting on my blender.)
3. Add chickpeas, garlic, parsley, and cilantro and process/blend until very finely chopped.
4. Transfer to a bowl.
5. Add the salt, baking soda, and dhania-jeera masala and mix well.
6. Shape the mixture into small balls. If the mixture is too loose or wet, add a little all-purpose flour to help bring it together.
7. Heat up about 5cm (2") of oil in a pan or wok.
8. Once the oil is very hot, begin cooking the falafels, a few at a time.
9. Cook until very dark and crispy on the outside. The inside should still be soft and green (5-10 minutes).
10. Remove cooked falafels from oil and allow to drain.

Wrap

1. Squash a few falafel balls onto a flatbread.
2. Add chopped tomatoes and pickles.
3. Drizzle with tahini sauce and sprinkle with mint and/or parsley.
4. Roll into a wrap and enjoy!

Once you have the pitas, these come together in just a few minutes, and while they're not substantial enough to be a meal in themselves they make an excellent side or appetizer.

While the recipe calls for (and is delicious with) mint, I think pesto would also work excellently with these.

Grilled Halloumi Pitas

Slightly modified from Our Syria, p.88

Ingredients

• 4 sourdough pitas
• ½ lb haloumi, sliced and lightly grilled 
• fresh mint, chopped, to taste (about 1-2 tbsp per pita)
  
• olive oil

Directions

1. Heat a cast iron pan or griddle, and a griddle press (or, if you don't have one, a smaller cast iron pan) over medium heat.
   
2. Arrange a layer of halloumi to cover half of each pita.
3. Sprinkle the mint over the halloumi, then fold the pita over to cover.
4. Brush the exterior of the pitas (both sides) very generously with olive oil.
5. Cook in the pan until browned, 3-4 minutes, with the hot press on top squishing it down; we found that 2 pitas fit comfortably in this arrangement.
6. If the press isn't hot enough, you may need to flip the pitas over and keep cooking, using the press for weight alone rather than heat.

A quick and easy version of the American-Chinese restaurant classic.

Lazy General Tso's Chicken

From The Woks of Life

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1/2 c. vegetable broth
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 2 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. Shaoxing wine
• 3 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. white peppercorns, ground

Everything Else

• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 500g vegan chicken nuggets
• 2 c. broccoli florets
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 3-5 dried chilies
• 3-5 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

1. Combine all the sauce ingredients and set aside.
2. Combine the cornstarch and water to make a slurry.
3. Cook chicken nuggets according to package directions.
4. Steam broccoli florets for a minute or two and set aside.
5. Heat oil over high heat.
6. Add chilies and garlic and cook for a minute or so.
7. Add the sauce and bring to a boil.
8. Add the cornstarch slurry and cook until the sauce thickens.
9. Stir in the chicken and broccoli.
10. Serve over rice.

Shanghai bok choy is preferably for this recipe, but it can be made with any variety of bok choy. The best texture and flavour, the bok choy should be quickly blanched in water with a little salt, baking soda, and ginger first. I omitted this step, but if you want to get the absolute best out of your bok choy, it's probably worth doing it. For 1kg of bok choy, you'll need ~1.5L of water, 2 tsp. of salt, 3/4 tsp. of baking soda, and ~3cm piece of ginger. Bring the water to a boil, add the bok choy, and, as soon as the water returns to the boil, drain it.

Stir-Fried Bok Choy

Slightly adapted from Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1/2 c. vegetable stock
• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce¹
• 2 tsp. Shaoxing wine
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp. rice vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch (cornflour)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. white peppercorns, ground

Bok Choy

• 1kg bok choy (preferably Shanghai bok choy)
• 3 Tbsp. onion oil²

Directions

1. Combine all sauce ingredients and set aside.
2. Quarter bok choy heads and rinse very thoroughly.
3. Blanch the bok choy if desired.
4. Heat wok over high heat.
5. Add oil and heat for 30 seconds or so.
6. Add bok choy and stir-fry for 4 minutes.
7. Pour in sauce and cook for another 3-4 minutes. (The sauce should thicken somewhat during this time.)

---

¹ To make this dish vegetarian, simply use vegetarian oyster sauce. For a vegan version, double-check to make sure your sugar is vegan or substitute 3/4 tsp. agave syrup instead. ^Back
2 We didn't have any onion oil on hand, but we did have both scallion oil and garlic oil. I used a mix of both for this. I think they all make a good match for the bok choy. Pick your favourite! ^Back

Pork Belly Stir-Fry with Leek

The last time I was at the Asian grocery, I picked up a slab of Chinese cured pork belly. I wasn't sure what to do with it, but it looked tasty and had an extremely long self life, so I figured I'd grab it and figure out what to do with it later. It took me a while, but I found some excellent recipes. Apparently one of the best things to do with cured pork belly is to simply toss it in your rice cooker with some rice. I'll probably try that at some point, but for now, I wanted to give this stir-fry a go.

 

Pork Belly Stir-Fry with Leek

Slightly adapted from The Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. Shaoxing wine
• 1/4 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 150g Chinese cured pork belly, sliced thin
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 300g leeks, washed and cut into 3cm pieces

Directions

1. Combine wine, white pepper, sesame oil, and sugar to make the sauce and set aside.
2. Heat oil over low heat.
4. Add pork in a single layer and cook, stirring/tossing occasionally, just until the fat turns transluscent.
5. Increase heat to medium, add bell pepper, and cook for ~1 minute.
6. Increase heat to high and add leeks and sauce.
7. Cook, stirring frequently, until leeks are wilted.
8. Serve with rice.

There's not much to this dish, it's pretty much exactly what it says in the title. Just some scrambled eggs with chives. But they are seasoned so perfectly! It really is worth making the next time you find yourself with some Chinese (garlic) chives on hand.

Stir-Fried Chives with Scrambled Eggs

From Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Ingredients

• 6 extra-large eggs
• 6 or 7 white peppercorns, ground
• 3 Tbsp. peanut (or other neutral) oil, divided
• 
  
• 3/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 2 1/2 c. chopped Chinese (garlic) chives

Directions

1. Beat eggs with the white pepper, 1 Tbsp. of the oil, and 1/4 tsp. of the salt and set aside.
2. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil over high heat.
3. Add chives and cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes.
4. Pour in eggs and cook to desired doneness.
5. Serve with rice.

Crème Caramel (Flan)

The Kidlet's most recent birthday cake used six egg whites. This left me with half a dozen egg yolks that needed eating. I considered making crème brûlée again, but I wanted ot try something new. Flan has always made me a bit nervous. I'm not good at caramel and I've always been worried that it wouldn't set or unmold properly.

I think I did take the caramel off the heat a bit too soon. It was very pale. But, other than that, I'm really happy with how this came out! The consistency was excellent. It unmolded beautifully. And the flavour was just right.

I did end up removing it from the bain marie during the last few minutes of baking. After 40 minutes it still wasn't set, but the top was starting to brown, so I put it in for another 10 minutes without the bain marie. I was a little worried that this had turned it into scrambled eggs, but the texture was beautiful! Not curdled or eggy at all! Abandon the water bath at your own risk, of course, but it worked well for me.

Crème Caramel

Slightly adapted from Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. sugar, divided
• 1/2 c. water
• 4 large eggs or 6 large egg yolks¹
• 1 c. whole (3.25%) milk
• 1 c. table (18%) cream
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F) and get a large dish or pan ready for your bain marie.
2. Gently heat 3/4 c. of the sugar with the water, stirring until the sugar has dissolved completely.
3. Once the sugar has dissolved, stop stirring, but continue to heat, shaking the pan occasionally.
4. Cook the sugar mixture until it becomes a rich, dark caramel. Be careful not to burn it!
6. Pour the caramel into a large casserole dish (or several small ramekins). Be sure the caramel coats the entire bottom of the dish(es).
7. Whisk the remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar into the eggs (or egg yolks).
8. Whisk in the milk, cream, and vanilla.
9. Pour the custard mixture into the casserole dish with the caramel.
10. Place the casserole dish in the larger dish or pan.
11. Pour hot water into the outer dish/pan until it comes halfway up the side of the casserole dish.
12. Bake at 160°C (325°F) for 30-40 minutes.
13. Custard should be just set but still jiggly. If it's not set at the end of 40 minutes, you may need to remove it from the bain marie and bake it for another few minutes until set.
14. Remove from oven, remove the casserole from the bain marie, and place it on a wire rack to cool for an hour or two.
15. Once cooled, transfer to the fridge overnight.
16. The next day, run a blade or spatula around the edge of the casserole dish to losen it, then invert the casserole onto a plate.
17. Carefully remove the casserole to reveal your caramel-topped custard.

---

¹ I was worried about the custard not setting and holding together properly without the egg whites, so I used 6 egg yolks + 1 whole egg. I think my eggs were slightly smaller than typical large/size 6 eggs though, so it may not have worked out to as much extra egg as it looks like on paper. ^Back

This was a Hello Fresh recipe and came with a salad; I've included the instructions for the salad as well, but you can easily swap it out for something else or omit it entirely. Symbol and I both liked this, and the Kidlet wanted me to put it on the "super favourite" list.

As an added bonus, between frozen naan and pesto in a jar, we often have all of the ingredients needed for this on hand except the bocconcini.

Pesto Bocconcini Pizza Naan

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 4 naan
• 120mL + 10mL  basil pesto, divided
• 15mL white wine vinegar
• 15mL olive oil
• 132g cucumber, cut into half moons
  
• 225g cherry tomatoes, halved
  
• 113g spring mix greens
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 400g bocconcini, sliced
  
• cooking oil
  

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Arrange the naan in a single layer and bake until golden brown; time could be anywhere between 2-7 minutes depending on oven and whether the naan is frozen or not. Remove the naan and set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, 10mL pesto, and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl as the salad dressing.
4. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, and greens and toss to combine.
5. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add a splash of oil and the bell peppers and cook, stirring often, until tender.
6. Spread the remaining pesto over the now-cool naan. Evenly divide bocconcini slices and bell pepper between them.
7. Return the naan to the oven and cook until melty, ~5 minutes.

A strawberry cake that gets its flavour from a mix of fresh and frozen strawberries rather than relying on strawberry flavoured Jello. Using only strawberry juice in the batter prevents it from getting weighed down and keeps the crumb light and tender. The fresh strawberry slices between the layers gives it a nice extra hit of strawberry flavour. The cream cheese icing is pleasantly creamy and a little bit tangy and gives the cake a nice strawberries-and-cream vibe. I also appreciate that it's not overly sweet. I added a bit of red food colouring to make it extra pink for the Kidlet, but it doesn't need it as long as you're okay with a much more subtle pink colour.

Strawberry Birthday Cake

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

Ingredients

Cake

• 300g frozen strawberries¹
• 3/4 c. whole (3.25%) milk
• 6 large egg whites
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 6 drops red food colouring (optional)
• 255g soft (cake/plain/standard) flour
• 1 3/4 c. sugar
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 12 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into 1 Tbsp. pieces and softened

Icing

• 10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 255g icing (powdered/confectioners') sugar
• 340g cream cheese, cut into 12 pieces and softened
• reserved strawberry solids
• 3 drops red food colouring (optional)

Assembly

• 450g fresh strawberries, sliced

Directions

Cake

1. Microwave the frozen strawberries until softened and very juicy (4-5 minutes).
2. Meanwhile, grease and flour two 23cm (9") round cake pans and preheat oven to 180°C (350°C).
3. Transfer to a fine mesh strainer and press firmly to extract as much juice as possible.
4. Bring the juice to a boil over medium heat and reserve the solids for the icing.
5. Boil strawberry juice until reduced to ~1/4 c. (6-8 minutes).
6. Remove from heat and whisk in milk.
7. Whisk in egg whites, vanilla, and food colouring (if using) and set aside.
8. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
9. Add butter, one piece at a time, and mix until well-combined and no large pieces remain (not unlike making pastry).
10. Add half of the milk mixture and beat until light and fluffy (~1 minute on medium-high with an electric mixer).
11. Reduce speed to medium-low and addremaining milk mixture.
12. Beat for another 30 seconds or so before giving final mix by hand.
13. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.
14. Smooth the tops. (I find it helpful to spin the pan somewhat forcefully to cause a slight well in the centre of the pan.)
15. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20-30 minutes.
16. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn out and let cool completely on wire rack.

Icing

1. Beat butter and sugar at low speed until combined.
2. Increase speed to medium-high an dbean until pale and fluffy (~2 minutes).
3. Add cream cheese, one piece at a time, and beat until thoroughly mixed.
4. Add reserved strawberry solids and food colouring (if using) and mix until combined.
5. Refridgerate until ready to use.

Assembly

1. Place first cake layer on a platter or cake stand. (Place a few strips of parchment paper down first if neat edges are important.)
2. Put about 3/4 c. of icing on top of the cake layer and spread to evenly coat the top.
3. Place a layer of fresh strawberry slices on top of the icing.
4. At this point it may be helpful to refrigerate the partially-assembled cake for an hour or so to let the icing firm up a bit².
5. Put another cup or so of icing on top of the strawberry slices and spread it right out to the edges of the cake.
6. Place the second cake layer on top of this assembly.
7. Use the rest of the icing to coat the top and sides.
8. Decorate with remaining strawberry slices.
9. Assembled cake may be refridgerated until ready to serve.

---

¹ I would be tempted to try this with 400g frozen strawberries next time. The cake was good, but I feel like a lot of the strawberry flavour ended up coming from the fresh strawberries used to decorate it. I would've appreciated even more strawberry flavour in the batter and icing. ^Back
2 This instruction was not in the recipe and I didn't do it, but I wish I had. The icing was still freshly mixed and at room temperature and it was extremely soft. When I tried to spread more icing on top, the strawberry slices slid all over the place and would not stay put very well. I think chilling the cake to firm up the icing would have helped with this. ^Back

I wanted something to round out our meal and we had a bunch of mushrooms and hot peppers that needed used, so this recipe seemed like a good fit. I cut back on the peppers a bit due to the Kidlet still being very intolerant of spicy food. The serrano peppers weren't really spicy at all, especially with all their seeds and pith scraped out. There was still a little bit of heat from the spicy bean paste, but it came out as more "flavourful" than "spicy" to my palate. If you want it proper spicy, use the full number of chilies, don't deseed them, and use a hotter variety. It could also be made with bell peppers for a sweeter alternative.

Photo goes here.

King Oyster Mushroom Stir-Fry

Slightly adapted from Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 450-500g king oyster (chicken leg/king trumpet) mushrooms
• 5 Tbsp. neutral oil, divided
• 6 (3mm thick) slices of fresh ginger
• 8-10 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. Szechuan spicy bean paste
• 3-5 hot peppers¹, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sugar

Directions

1. Cut each mushroom in half lengthwise. Place each mushroom half cut-side down and make several lengthwise scores/slices almost, but not quite all the way, through. Now make similar scores crosswise (perpendicular to the original score lines), but cut all the way through on every third one.
2. Heat wok over high heat.
3. Add 1/4 c. oil to wok and swirl to coat.
4. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry until slightly golden and cooked down.²
5. Remove the mushrooms from the wok and set aside.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low and add remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil to the wok and swirl to coat.
7. Add the ginger slices and cook for 1 minute.
8. Add the garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds.
9. Add the spicy bean paste and cook for another 30-60 seconds.
10. Add peppers and cook for another 30-60 seconds.
11. Return the mushrooms to the wok and add the soy sauce and sugar.
12. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
13. Enjoy over rice or noodles.

---

¹ Choose the number and variety of peppers according to your tastes. More and hotter peppers for a very spicy stir-fry, fewer and milder peppers for a less spicy option. For extra mild, remove the seeds and pith/veins from the chilies. For slightly sweet, substitute 1 bell pepper instead. ^Back
2 The original recipe has you carefully laying out mushroom slices, browning them on one side and then flipping them over to brown the other side. Go ahead and do that if you want. I couldn't be arsed, so I just gave them a quick stir-fry in the oil and took them out when they started looking somewhat cooked. ^Back

This was pretty tasty, and while it took a while to prep it wasn't very difficult. The Kidlet was initially lukewarm on it, then decided that she likes mushrooms now and got a lot more enthusiastic about it.

Ravioli in Coconut Cream Sauce

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 700g ravioli or other stuffed pasta
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 60mL butter
  
• 500g mushrooms, sliced
• 330mL full fat coconut milk
• 30mL soy sauce
• 125g baby spinach
• 15 g basil, coarsely chopped
• chili flakes to taste

Directions

1. Cook pasta. Drain, reserving 120mL water, and set aside; you may wish to toss with a small amount of oil to keep it from sticking together while you cook the sauce.
2. Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid and cook down, 4-5 minutes.
4. Season with salt and pepper (remembering that the soy sauce will be quite salty), add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, ~30s.
5. Add the coconut milk, soy sauce, and reserved pasta. Cook, stirring often, until it thickens, anywhere from 2 to 10 minutes depending on how thick you want it.
6. Add the spinach and stir in until just wilted.
7. Toss with the ravioli and basil and serve.
   

This is done basically like a Filipino-style chicken adobo, but with plant protein instead of chicken. I made it with seasoned tofu, but it would work great with seitan or tempeh as well. I think mushrooms and/or jackfruit would also work pretty well. Pick your protein and have at it!

Photo goes here.

Vegetarian Adobo

Slightly adapted from The Woks of Life

Ingredients

• 400mL full-fat coconut milk
• 3 Tbsp. cane vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 dried arbol, Thai, or cayenne chilies
• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, halved and sliced
• 350g protein of your choice
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine coconut milk, vinegar, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, pepper, bay leaf, and chilies and set aside.
2. Heat oil over medium heat.
3. Add garlic and cook until golden-brown.
4. Add onion and cook until softened.
5. Pour in coconut milk mixture and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
7. Stir in protein and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
8. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve over rice.

Mixed results with this Hello Fresh recipe; symbol and I both loved it, the Kidlet -- who apparently doesn't like mozzarella-type cheeses anymore -- spurned it. I would definitely make it again, though! Maybe in a year or two she'll be back on board with soft cheeses...

Gnocchi with Bocconcini and Oregano

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 700g gnocchi
• 200g bocconcini, drained and quartered
• 113g baby spinach
• 120mL feta cheese, crumbled
• 225g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 60mL white wine vinegar
• 5g fresh oregano leaves, chopped
  
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 60g assorted olives, chopped
• 60mL butter
• 60mL oil
• 5mL sugar
  
• salt and pepper

Directions

1. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, and sugar in a large bowl (large enough to hold all the other ingredients; if you don't have a bowl large enough, prepare the gnocchi in a large pot and add the vegetables to it at the end, rather than vice versa).
2. Stir in the feta, olives, bocconcini, and tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
   
3. Heat a large pan over medium heat.
4. Melt the butter, then add the gnocchi. Pan-fry, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 6-10 minutes.
5. Add the garlic, onions, and oregano. Continue cooking until the onions begin to soften, 2-4 minutes.
6.  Add the spinach to the pan and cover just long enough for it to start to wilt.
7. Add the contents of the pan to the bowl and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

I've been itching to try making a queen of puddings for a couple years now. Ideally I'd been hoping to wait 'til I had some cake crumbs to use for it. I still didn't have cake crumbs for this baking, but I did have some frozen waffles and muffins! I still think cake crumbs would probably be better, but the muffins and waffles worked just fine.

Overall, this was a nice pudding, but quite bland. The custard itself didn't seem nearly sweet enough, especially next to the extremely sweet meringue. I suspect this is less of an issue when you use cake crumbs for the custard layer. Having a flavourful cake in the base would also likely give it a fuller flavour. If I were to do it with breadcrumbs again, I'd probably add more sugar and a bit of vanilla. I also think it could've used a lot more jam. The orginal recipe called for 3 Tbsp. of jam, I used 1/4 c. and that definitely seemed skimpy. I'd up it to 1/3 c. next time.

Queen of Puddings

Slightly adapted from Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

• 2 c. milk
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 c. soft/fresh breadcrumbs or cake crumbs
• 2 large eggs, separated
• 6-8 Tbsp. sugar, divided
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 c. raspberry jam

Directions

1. Heat milk and butter until nearly boiling, then remove from heat.
2. Pour hot milk mixture over crumbs and set aside for 10 minutes.
3. Grease a 6-cup casserole dish and preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
4. Add egg yolks to crumb mixture.
5. Add up to 1/4 c. of sugar depending on how sweet your crumbs are and how sweet you'd like your custard.
6. Pour custard mixture into prepared dish and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 25-30 minutes. (Custard should be just set.)
7. Heat the jam until runny and easy to spread.
8. Carefully spread the jam over the custard. Be careful not to break the skin.
9. Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
10. Beat in 1/4 c. of sugar 1 Tbsp. at a time. Beat until stiff peaks form.
11. Spread meringue on top of the jam. (Pipe it on if you want to be fancy.)
12. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 10-15 minutes.
13. Serve hot.