This is a simple and easy side dish that turned out extremely tasty! I liked it, and symbol went absolutely feral for it.

Smothered Cabbage

From Cook's Country June/July 2017, by Alli Berkey (p. 7)

Ingredients

• 5 tbsp butter
• 1 onion, sliced thin
• 1 large green cabbage (~1350g), cored and cut into 2cm pieces
• 360mL (1½ C) unsalted chicken broth
• 280g potatoes, cut into 2cm pieces
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper, ground

Directions

1. Melt butter in a dutch oven or steep-walled skillet over medium heat.
2. Add onion and cook until softened, 4-5 minutes.
3. Add cabbage, broth, potatoes, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, until potatoes are fork-tender, ~15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Increase heat to medium-high, uncover, and cook until remaining liquid has boiled off, stirring occasionally.

English Muffins (Sourdough)

I've made English muffins before, but it doesn't look like I ended up doing a write-up for them. I probably didn't think they needed their own write-up since I just used dough from another bread recipe to make them. But I kind of wish I'd written out the instructions now. Maybe I'll try doing them that way again one day and try to actually document the process.

This batch of English muffins worked a little differently. It doesn't piggy-back on another bread recipe. It's a dedicated English muffin recipe from the King Arthur Flour website. I went with this one because it was a convenient way to use up some more sourdough discard. (It can also be made with ripe sourdough starter, but I wanted to do it with discard.)

I followed the recipe pretty closely for this round and rolled with the white flour it called for. I did end up having to add a little extra water, but it seemed to work well otherwise. Although I think I probably should've kneaded the dough for a good bit longer than I did. (I kneaded it for ~20 minutes, and I think it probably needed at least 30 or 40.)

I'd like to try making this with whole wheat flour next time, but I think I might have to scale back the amount of flour (and/or increase the amount of water) for that since the bran will make it a bit thirstier than it would otherwise be.

English Muffins

Slightly adapted from King Arthur Baking

Ingredients

• 830g all-purpose flour
• 55g skim milk powder
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. instant (rapid-rise) yeast
• 455g water
• 227g sourdough discard (100% hydration)
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• cornmeal, for dusting

Directions

1. Combine flour, milk powder, sugar, salt, and yeast and make a well in the centre.
2. Pour in water and sourdough discard.
3. Mix dry ingredients into wet, working from centre outward.
4. Once flour has been mostly incorporated, turn dough out onto work surface and knead for ~10 minutes, working more water in as needed.
5. Smear half the butter on the work surface and knead the dough on top of it to incorporate the butter.
6. Repeat with the remaining half of the butter.
7. Knead for at least another 10 minutes, working additional water in as needed to form a nice, supple dough.
8. Cover and let rise for 1-3 hours.
9. Knock back when ready and divide dough into two equal portions.
10. Round each portion, cover, and let rest for 10-20 minutes.
11. Working with one portion at a time, roll out to a thickness of 1-1.5cm.
12. Use a 7 or 8cm biscuit cutter to cut out circles and dust both sides with cornmeal.
13. Repeat with second portion of dough.
14. Combine scraps, roll out and cut and dust as above.
15. Repeat until all dough has been used.
16. Cover muffins and set aside to rise for ~60 minutes.
17. Heat a cast iron griddle/tawa over low to medium-low heat.
18. Cook the muffins on the ungreased griddle: 5 minutes, then place a cake tin or other not-too-heavy, flat object on top and cook for another 5 minutes; flip and cook for 5 minutes on the second side.
19. Place on a wire rack to cool.
20. Split, toast, and enjoy!

This recipe was meant to be made with pork tenderloin. I didn't have any pork tenderloin, but I did have a cottage roll that I'd picked up on sale a while back. I figured that maybe if I left the salt out of this recipe and boiled the roll for a while first, I could get away with using it here.

My cottage roll was a little over 1.7kg and the recipe only wanted 900g of pork, so I ended up boiling it until it was cooked through and then cutting it in half and using half for this recipe and half for a boil-up type dinner the next night.

I'm really happy with how this came out. The apples were delicious. And TF really appreciated the generous quantity of caraway. Unfortunately the Kidlet wasn't a big fan of the apples. But we all liked the pork. And it went really well with some mashed potatoes.

Caraway Pork with Sauerkraut and Apples

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country October/November 2016

Ingredients

• 2 pork tenderloins (~450g each)
• 1 Tbsp. caraway seeds
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. oil or bacon grease, divided
• 2-3 apples, halved, cored, and sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 450g sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
• 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill¹

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250°C (475°F).
2. Pat pork dry and sprinkle with caraway seeds, salt, and pepper.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add the pork and cook until browned on all sides (5-6 minutes). Transfer to a plate and set aside.
5. Add remaining oil, apples, and onion to pan and cook over medium heat for ~5 minutes.
6. Add sauerkraut and sugar.
7. Place pork on top of sauerkraut mixture.
8. Bake at 250°C (475°F) until pork reaches an internal temperature of 60°C/140°F (10-15 minutes).
9. Remove from oven, cover, and rest for 5 minutes.
10. Slice pork and sprinkle sauerkraut mixture with dill.

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¹ I didn't have any fresh dill so I subsitituted 1 tsp. of lightly bruised dill seeds. I added them in with the sauerkraut instead of waiting until the end since I felt like that would give better flavour. If using the fresh herb, I would've added it at the end like the recipe says. ^Back

A quick mashed potatoes recipe to go with some pork. Unlike some mashed potatoe recipes (written by people who are wrong), this does not call for peeling the potatoes first. The recipe as written calls for pre-melting the butter, which I did not do with no ill effects. I've also added some green onions.

Rustic Mashed Potatoes

From Cook's Country April/May 2019, by Matthew Fairman (p. 21)

Ingredients

• 2 lbs potatoes, cut into 1cm cubes
• 1 C half-and-half cream (or a 1:1 mix of heavy cream and milk)
• 10 tbsp butter, cubed
• 2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp + ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper, freshly ground

Directions

1. Put 1 tsp salt and potatoes in a large pot. Add water to cover by 2cm.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook until knife-tender, ~15-20 minutes.
3. Drain potatoes and mash vigorously.
4. Stir in butter and cream until butter is melted and mixture is smooth.
5. Stir in green onions, pepper, and remaining salt.

Turkish Flatbread (with a sourdough twist)

This is a very simple flatbread recipe that I found online. It just calls for mixing flour, water, yeast, and salt; waiting; kneading; waiting some more; and baking with a few seeds sprinkled on top. Not much to it, but I liked the sound of it and I figured it'd be nice to have a low-effort, simple bread to try out.

I was just going to do it recipe as written, but then I decided that maybe I'd try swapping in whole wheat flour for the pastry flour. (I used hard whole wheat, but my understanding is that the bran can sort of get in the way of the gluten and make it behave a little softer than white flour with the same protein content, so I figured it'd probably be fine.)

That was going to be my only change. Until I looked in the fridge and saw how hungry my poor starter was looking...

I didn't really want to try to convert it to a purely sourdough recipe. So instead I figured I'd try leaving out 50g each of flour and water and adding in 100g of sourdough discard. I figured, given that the gluten has mostly been broken down in a hungry starter, that would further "soften" the flour content to make up for not using any actual soft wheat. I also reduced the yeast called for by just a tiny bit. Not much since I figured the discard wouldn't have much leavening power, but it made the measuring easier and I figured it wouldn't hurt to nudge it down a hair.

It seems to have worked quite well. Although I probably cut the proofing a bit shorter than was ideal, but I was in a hurry. Next time I'll try to be a bit more patient with it.

Thinking about it, I might also be tempted to add in a little oil next time as well. I'm not sure about that choice, but I feel like a touch of oil in the dough would go well.

Turkish Flatbread

Adapted from The Fresh Loaf

Ingredients

• 250g hard (strong/high grade/bread) white flour
• 150g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. instant (rapid-rise) yeast
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 100g sourdough discard
• 250g water + extra for kneading
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil (optional)
• 2-3 tsp. sesame and/or nigella seeds

Directions

1. Combine flours, yeast, and salt. Mix and make a well in the centre.
2. Add sourdough discard, water, and oil (if using).
3. Mix dry ingredients into wet, working from centre outward.
4. Once flour has been incorporated, cover and set aside for 30 minutes.
5. Sprinkle a bit of the extra water on your work surface and turn the dough out onto it.
6. Begin kneading, working in a bit of exra water as you go. (Maybe 2 Tbsp. water total.)
7. Once dough is smooth and supple, shape into a ball and place in a covered bowl to rise for 30-45 minutes.
8. Divide into two equal portions, round each portion, cover, and let rest for 10-20 minutes.
9. Flatten each portion into a circle or square and place on a greased baking sheet.
10. Sprinkle breads with seeds, cover, and proof for 30-45 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 230°C (450°F).
12. Place bread in oven and reduce temperature to 220°C (425°F)¹ and bake for ~15 minutes.

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¹ I forgot to reduce the oven temperature. Still turned out okay, but I'll try to remember for next time. ^Back

I've been wanting to try this cake for ages. I loved the idea of peaches and cornmeal. I was wary of the caramel -- not because I don't like caramel, but because I never seem to have good luck with making it -- but I was willing to give it a go.

In the end, I think I was more excited by the making of the cake than the eating of it. TF loved it though, so that was gratifying.

Peach Cornmeal Upside-Down Cake

From Cook's Country August/September 2016

Ingredients

Caramel

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt

Cake

• 1/2 c. cornmeal
• 340g frozen sliced peaches (or 450g fresh peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into wedges)
• 140g all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/8 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. whole (3.25%) milk
• 2 tsp. grated orange zest
• 1/4 c. orange juice
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Lightly toast the cornmeal in a 25cm (10") skillet, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
3. Wipe out the skillet with a paper towel and melt the butter for the caramel over medium heat.
4. Add the sugar for the caramel along with the salt and cook, whisking constantly, until sugar is melted and smooth (3-5 minutes).¹
5. Remove from heat and carefully add the peach slices. Try to make a pinwheel pattern along the outside edge and then fill in the middle as you're able.
6. Whisk the flour into the cornmeal and sift in the baking powder and baking soda. Mix in the salt as well.
7. In a separate bowl, combine milk, orange jest, orange juice, egg, egg yolk, sugar, and melted butter and whisk until smooth.
8. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until just combined.
9. Pour batter over peaches and spread into an even layer.
10. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30-35 minutes.
11. Transfer entire skillet to wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.
12. After 15 minutes, place a serving platter over the skillet and, using potholders, invert the cake onto the serving platter.
13. Let cool for ~1 hour before serving.
14. Serve as is or topped with whipped cream.

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¹ It will go through a phase where it looks dry and crumbly and seems like something's gone horribly wrong; just keep going! Keep cooking and whisking and it'll eventually melt into a nice brown caramel. ^Back

Just a quick write-up because today sucks and I'm not feeling great.

Pasta with Chicken Sausage, Kale, and Cannellini Beans

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country October/November 2016

Ingredients

• 250g fettuccini
• 300g frozen kale
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 450g chicken sausage (or store-bought)
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 (540mL) tin cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
• 1/2 c. chicken stock
• 1 c. grated Pecorino Romano
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pasta. (Add a little salt to the water too if you like.)
2. Cook pasta until al dente. Add kale for last minute or two of cooking. Drain.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium heat.
4. Add sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-8 minutes.
5. Add garlic and pepper and cook for another minute or so.
6. Add cannellini beans with their liquid.
7. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.
8. Add 1/2 c. of the cheese, lemon juice, and bean mixture to the drained pasta and kale and stir to combine.
9. Serve topped with remaining cheese.

I really liked these beans. And they were easy to make. And they seemed to adapt well to using frozen beans and tinned tomatoes, so that makes it convenient as an unplanned, thorw-together, last-minute addition to a meal. Perfect! I'm terrible at predicting what fresh produce I need to get and when and then using it in a timely fashion, so the more fresh, frozen, dried, or otherwise shelf-stable or long-lasting ingredients I can use the better!

Green Beans with Tomatoes and Olives

Adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2018

Ingredients

• 100g diced tomatoes
• 15 kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 4 tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/4 red onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. lemon juice or red wine vinegar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 500g frozen green beans
• 1 Tbsp. minced fresh basil

Directions

1. Combine tomatoes, olives, 2 tsp. of the olive oil, onion, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and set aside.
2. Heat remaining 2 tsp. of oil over medium-high heat.
3. Add beans and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-9 minutes.
4. Reduce temperature to medium-low.
5. Add tomato mixture and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and stir in basil.

Just a quick vegetable side. Not too much to say about it one way or the other. It was easy. The anchovies and garlic added some nice salty and savoury notes. It didn't bowl me over, but it wasn't bad either.

Broccoli w/ Anchovies & Garlic

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country December/January 2016

Ingredients

• 340g broccoli
• 1 whole anchovy with chilies¹
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Directions

1. Cut broccoli into 2cm florets. Trim off and discard the bottom 2-3cm of the stalk. Peel the outer layer off the remaining stalk and cut onto 1cm chunks.
2. Place anchovy and broccoli in a bowl and microwave, covered, for 6-8 minutes.
4. Drain broccoli and toss with oil, garlic, and pepper.
5. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper.

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Variations

Broccoli w/ Lemon & Oregano

Ingredients

• 340g broccoli
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/4 tsp. grated lemon zest
• 1 tsp. minced fresh oregano

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¹ If you don't have whole anchovies, then two anchovy fillets + a pinch of chile flakes should do the job. Although, in this case, you should mince the fillets and mix them in at the same time as the garlic and olive oil. ^Back

I needed some chicken sausage for a recipe. I didn't have any chicken sausage, but I did have ground chicken. In the past, when making pork of beef sausage, I've been fine just winging it, but I decided that I wanted some guidance for this one, so I Googled around and picked something that looked appealing.

I deviated from the recipe a fair bit, but that's okay -- I just wanted inspiration, not specific instructions.

Chicken Sausage

Adapted from Old World Garden Farms

Ingredients

• 450g ground chicken
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. dried minced onion
• 1-2 tsp. chili powder
• 2-3 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well (preferably by hand).
2. Cover and chill until ready to use.
3. May need to add a little water if stuffing into sausage casings. I've never tried that, so I can't offer advice.

So, we were all very happy with this hash in the end. The Kidlet, in particular, loved it. But I do have some serious questions about the recommended portion sizes.

The recipe as written claims to serve 4. It calls for 680g of potatoes, 450g of kielbasa, and 8 eggs! We did a half batch. And we had three very generous portions from it since we were having it in place of breakfast and lunch. And we still have just a bit under half left. So, I'd say that a half batch results in at least 5 generous portions. You could probably get 8 more modest portions out of it. Especially if you were willing to still cook the full 8 eggs -- one for each portion. So, given that, I'd say the full recipe would serve at least 10! (Possibly with the addition of 2 more eggs so that everyone could get a whole egg.)

Also, even if the portion sizes weren't insane, I don't know how we could've fit a whole batch in our pan! I was already using the huge sauté pan for this. And it was pretty full. There's no way I would've had room to put twice as much hash in the pan. So, I have no idea what they were cooking this in. They say a 12" skillet. But I was using a 12" sauté pan and that was barely enough for half that amount of potatoes and kielbasa!

Also, they only call for 1 Tbsp. of butter for cooking all that. And, I dunno, maybe that would've been fine. But I'm a firm believer in the liberal use of fats when making hash. I had a jar of bacon grease in the fridge, so I added a bit of that during cooking just to give it a bit of a boost. But feel free to leave this out and see how it cooks up without it.

Kielbasa Hash with Fried Eggs

Adapted from Cook's Country August/September 2019

Ingredients

• 1-4 Tbsp. butter or bacon grease, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic¹, minced (optional)
• 340g potatoes, grated
• 225g kielbasa (or other precooked sausage), cut into 1cm cubes
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt², ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried sage³, plus more to serve
• 4-10 eggs⁴

Directions

1. Melt 2-3 tsp. of your fat in the pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for ~4 minutes.
3. Add the garlic (if using) and cook for another minute or two.
4. Add potatoes, kielbasa, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring and/or flipping occasionally, for ~10 minutes. (I found that I needed to reduce the cooking temperature slightly at this point, but use your judgement.)
5. If you're using more than the minimum amount of fat, now is a good time to add it. Clear a spot on the pan and add another Tbsp. or so of fat. Let it melt and get under the potatoes. Then spread them back out and continue cooking.
6. Add the sage and continue cooking, with occasional flipping, for another 10 minutes or so, adding more fat as deemed appropriate.
7. If the potatoes aren't browned enough yet, give them another 5 minutes or so. Be sure not to flip too often so that they have a chance to crisp up.
8. Transfer hash to serving dish/platter.
9. Melt 1-2 tsp. of fat in the pan over medium heat.
10. Crack up to 4 eggs into the pan and season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes.
12. If you need more than 4 eggs, melt a little more fat into the pan and repeat the egg-cooking process until you have enough.
13. Dish up hash and top with eggs.
14. Garnish with a bit more sage.

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¹ The recipe didn't call for any garlic and I didn't add any. And it was delicious without it. That said, I certainly don't think adding a bit of garlic would hurt anything. ^Back
2 The original recipe only called for 1/4 tsp. of pepper for a "full" batch (twice the amount of potatoes and kielbasa listed here). I put in 1/4 tsp. for the half batch. And it was fine. But I honestly feel like it could've used even more pepper. I'll probably go for 1/2 tsp. next time and see how it goes. ^Back
3 Fresh sage would be better if you have it. I don't normally have it, so I've written the recipe up to use dried. If you do end up using fresh sage, mince it and use double the amount called for here. ^Back
4 Scale the number of eggs depending on how many people you're feeding and whether they want one or two eggs. I figure this amount of hash could produce 8 modest portions with one egg per person or 4 or 5 hearty portions with one or two eggs per person. The eggs are best fresh, so if you're not planning on eating all of the hash in one go, just cook as many eggs as you need for the amount of hash you intend to eat. The rest of the hash can be saved in the fridge and you can fry more eggs while you're heating up the leftovers. ^Back

I didn't find this coleslaw particularly spicy, but then, I was eating it quite soon after making it. The recipe notes that the flavours will intensify as the salad sits. And, even without much of a spicy kick, it does have a pleasant nose-tingling pungency from the horseradish and mustard. And the microwave steaming seems to work well to give the cabbage just the right amount of bite.

Spicy Barbecue Coleslaw

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country August/September 2016

Ingredients

• ~600g shredded cabbage
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. vinegar
• 1/2 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. ground mustard
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne or Kashmiri chilies
• 1 carrot

Directions

1. Toss cabbage with sugar and salt.
2. Cover and microwave on high for ~3 minutes.
3. Uncover and set aside to cool for ~5 minutes.
4. Dump cabbage out onto a clean dish towel, wrap to cover, and twist to squeeze out excess moisture.
5. Transfer cabbage to clean bowl.
6. Whisk mayonnaise with vinegar, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, garlic, mustard, and cayenne.
7. Grate carrot on small holes of box grater.
8. Add carrot and cabbage to dressing and toss to coat.
9. Cover and chill for 1-48 hours.

Our leftovers didn't take us quite as far as I'd hoped this week and I ended up having to come up with something for dinner on short notice. We still have a lot of ground beef in the freezer, so a quick chili was an easy option. But it was a little short on vegetables. I would've liked to have done a coleslaw to go with it, but we were all out of cabbage and I didn't have time to run out and pick any up. In the end, I opted for some sweet potato wedges. Not the most vegetably of vegetables, but they at least pack some fibre and nutrition. And, with any luck, I can get the coleslaw made tomorrow to have with the leftovers.

Sadly the Kidlet wasn't a big fan of these wedges. But I liked them. I mean, they're not a religious experience or anything, but they made for a tasty enough side dish. And they're very easy to make, so that's always a plus in my book!

I made the cumin and chili flavour this time because I thought that would complement the chili nicely. I'd love to try the cinnamon-sugar flavour sometime though. I'm not sure I'd prefer it, but it'd be interesting to try. (And I bet the Kidlet would like that flavour!)

Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country February/March 2017

Ingredients

• 900g sweet potatoes (preferably small ones)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 220°C (450°F) and line a baiking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
2. Cut sweet potatoes into wedges ~3.5-4cm wide. (Leave the skin on.)
3. Toss wedges with oil, salt, and pepper.
4. Place wedges skin-side-down on prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake at 220°C (450°F) for 30 minutes.

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Variations

Cumin and Chili Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges

Ingredients

• 900g sweet potatoes (preferably small ones)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 Tbsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 2 tsp. chili powder (or 1 tsp. chili powder + 1 tsp. sweet paprika for milder wedges)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder

Cinnamon-Sugar Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges

Ingredients

• 900g sweet potatoes (preferably small ones)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Curry Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges

Ingredients

• 900g sweet potatoes (preferably small ones)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 4 tsp. Madras curry powder

Spicy BBQ Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges

Ingredients

• 900g sweet potatoes (preferably small ones)
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne

So, full disclosure: I didn't find this particularly either sweet or spicy. It wasn't my favourite chili overall, but it did come together very quickly and TF and the Kidlet both liked it and I was able to use it to do a bit of fridge clean-out, so I'm still counting it as a win.

If I were making this again, I think I'd want more beans, more tomatoes, and more chilies. But, again, as a very quick and easy throw-together dinner, it works pretty well. If you can knock together a salad or some other vegetable side, then you've got a decent meal for not too much effort.

Sweet-and-Spicy Beef Chili

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country August/September 2016

Ingredients

• 450g ground beef¹
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. minced chipotles in adobo
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. chili powder (optional)
• 1 (475mL) can baked beans in molasses
• 1 c. cooked kidney or pinto beans (optional)
• 1 (828mL) can diced tomatoes³ (preferably fire-roasted)
• 1 c. frozen corn⁴
• ~1 c. grated Cheddar cheese, to serve
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro, to serve (optional)

Directions

1. Cook the beef, onion, salt, and pepper together over medium heat until meat is no longer pink (~8 minutes).
2. Add the chipotles, garlic, cumin, and chili powerd (if using) and cook for 30-60 seconds.
3. Add the beans, tomatoes, and corn and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~15 minutes.
5. Serve topped with cheese and cilantro (if using).

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¹ The original recipe calls for 567g of 85% lean² ground beef. That is an awkward amount. All our ground beef is packaged in 450g bags and I didn't want to get into trying to use 1/4 of a package of mince and then trying to figure out what to do with the remaining portion. Even with that, I actually found this chili very heavy on the beef. I would've preferred to have had proportionally more beans and veggies, honestly. So I'm extra glad I didn't put the full amount of beef in. ^Back
2 I'm pretty sure our beef is leaner than that, so I added a little bacon grease in with the beef to compensate for the lower fat content and to give the onion something to fry in. ^Back
3 The original recipe only calls for 428mL of diced tomatoes, but I didn't find this to be nearly enough! Luckily I had some tomato salsa and a bit of salsa verde left over in the fridge, so I was able to toss them in to balance things out a bit. Yay for fridge clean-out! ^Back
4 I got mixed up and accidentally added twice as much corn as I was supposed to. Whoops! ^Back

I've made 牛奶面包 (milk bread) before, but never with the 湯種 (water roux). This version of milk bread is interesting because it is a whole wheat sourdough version. And to make it even more unusual, it uses milk, not water, in its 湯種/tangzhong.

I think it's probably a bit too much effort for me to do on a regular basis, but I'm glad I tried it. And the resulting bread is delicious! Although I still haven't figured out how to prevent egg-washed breads from sticking to the pan; it was a pain to turn out. No matter what I do, some of the egg always seems to run down the sides and cause the loaf to weld itself to the pan.

Whole Wheat Milk Bread

Slightly adapted from The Fresh Loaf

Ingredients

Sweet Stiff Starter

• 53g hard whole wheat flour
• 24g water
• 18g brown sugar
• 18g ripe/active sourdough starter (100% hydration)

Tangzhong

• 89g milk
• 18g hard whole wheat flour

Dough

• 424g hard whole wheat flour
• 9g gluten flour
• 54g sugar
• 7g salt
• 180g milk
• 1 large egg
• 60g unsalted butter, softened

Glazes

• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp. milk
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions

1. Feed your starter and make sure it's nice and active.
2. Mix the flour, water, sugar, and starter together to make your stiff, sweet starter. It will be like a stiff dough.
3. Shape the stiff starter into a ball and place in a covered bowl to ferment. It should double or even triple in size. This will likely take anywhere from 8 to 24 hours.
4. In a small pot, combine the flour and milk for the tangzhong and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
5. Combine the flours, sugar, and salt for the dough and make a well in the centre.
6. Pour milk and egg into the well in the dry ingredients.
7. Once the tangzhong has cooled down sufficiently, add it as well.
8. Break the stiff starter into several pieces and add it to the wet ingredients in the bowl.
9. Begin incorporating the wet ingredients into the dry, working from the centre outward.
10. Cover and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.
11. Knead the dough in the bowl for a minute or two.
12. Put the softened butter on your work surface and place the dough on top of it.
13. Kead the dough, working the butter in as you do.
14. Knead for 20 minutes longer. Dough should go from sticky to supple as the gluten develops. A very small amount of water on the work surface can be helpful in keeping the dough from sticking.
15. Shape into a ball and place in a covered bowl to ferment at room temperature. This may take anywhere from 6-18 hours depending on the room.
16. Grease your pan¹ very well (or line with parchment paper).
17. On a slightly wet work surface, divide dough into four equal portions and shape each one into a smooth ball. Cover and rest for ~10 minutes.
18. Working with one ball at a time, flatten it quite thoroughly and then do a letter fold. Starting from one of the narrow ends, roll the rectangle of dough up jelly-roll style and place it in the prepared pan. Alternate the direction of the spiral for each piece of dough placed in the pan.
19. Cover and let rise at room temperature for a few hours (could be anywhere from 2-5).
20. Beat the egg with the milk for the glaze and brush the top of the loaf with it.
21. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
22. Once oven is preheated, brush the top of the loaf with the egg wash one more time.
23. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 45-50 minutes.
24. The original recipe calls for removing the bread from the pan at this point and then turning the oven down to 160°C (325°F) and returning it to the oven, pan-less, for an additional 10 minutes. I skipped this step and I'm happy with my results, but feel free to try it if you like.
25. Remove from oven and brush top crust with remaining Tbsp. of butter.
26. Set on wire rack to cool.

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¹ The original recipe calls for a 9"x4"x4" Pullman pan. I don't have one of those, so I used my 8.5"x4.5" loaf pan. It seems to have worked well. Although I probably will try lining it with parchment paper next time though, just to see if that helps with the whole welded egg issue. ^Back

I made a different sourdough apple cake a while back. I remember it being pretty good. But I wanted to give this crumble cake a try.

The top didn't brown up as much as I would've liked, but it was nice otherwise. Although I'd be tempted to add some rolled oats into the crumble mixture next time. I might also increase the quantity of spices called for and/or add a little cinnamon to the crumble. Overall it was a nice cake though. It rose well and was easy to put together.

Sourdough Apple Crumble Cake

Slightly adapted from the Fresh Loaf

Ingredients

Crumble

• 75g soft (plain/standard/cake) flour
• 75g sugar
• 75g unsalted butter

Batter

• 275g soft (plain/standard/cake) flour
• 20g baking powder
• 5g coarse sea salt, ground
• 150g sugar
• 1-2 tsp. mixed spice
• 125g unsalted butter
• 275mL milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 100g sourdough discard (100% hydration)
• 300g peeled, cored, and cubed apples¹

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and flour a 23cm (9") springform pan.
2. Combine flour and sugar for the crumble topping and cut in the butter until clumps are between rice- and pea-sized. Set aside.
3. Sift together flour and baking powder.
4. Mix in salt, sugar, and mixed spice.
5. Cut in butter until well-combined and no large clumps remain.
6. In a large measuring cup, whisk together milk, vanilla, eggs, and sourdough discard.
7. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until just mixed.
8. Stir in apple cubes.
9. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle crumble on top.
10. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for ~45 minutes.

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¹ You will need significantly more than 300g of apples. This is the required weight of apple cubes (after peeling and coring). ^Back

I can never seem to get the hang of rye breads. No matter what I do, the dough always seems to end up sticky and sludgy with little to no gluten development. I like a good dense rye every now and again, but I wish I could get the hang of making lighter rye breads. The example photos for this bread show nice little bubbles in the crumb. It looks dense, but not brick-like. Mine came out as a brick.

I think, what I probably need, is to have someone who is very comfortable working with rye to show me how to work it and what to do. Either that, or to try turning it over to a good stand mixer with a dough hook and see if that produces any better results than my hand kneading.

In the meantime, here's a rye bread recipe. Maybe you'll have better luck with it than I did.

100% Rye Sourdough

Slightly adapted from The Fresh Loaf

Ingredients

• 400g (wholemeal) rye flour¹
• 300g water
• 200g ripe/active sourdough starter (100% hydration)
• 100g rye berries², cooked
• 40g honey
• 10g salt

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
2. Knead for 20-30 minutes.³
3. Cover and rest for ~12 hours.
4. Grease a 20cm by 10cm (8"x4") loaf pan.
5. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface, press flat, letterfold, roll up, and place, seam-side-down, in prepared pan.
6. Gently wet the surface (preferably by spritzing with a spray bottle), cover, and proof at room temperature for 3-6 hours.
7. Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F) and boil some water.
8. Pour a few cups of boiling water into a large pan and place it on the bottom rack of the oven.
9. Bake the bread on the middle rack (over the pan of boiling water) for 20 minutes.
10. Remove pan of boiling water and reduce oven temperature to 200°C (400°F). Cover bread with foil and bake for another 20 minutes.
11. Remove bread from pan and turn off oven.
12. Place bread on middle rack in hot (but turned off) oven for another 10 minutes.
13. Remove from oven brush all over with either butter or sunflower oil.
14. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
15. Wrap bread in a tea towel and rest at room temperature for 24 hours.
16. Place wrapped loaf in a plastic bag and chill in the fridge overnight.
17. Slice with a sharp, non-serrated knife. Store in the fridge.

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¹ I can be difficult to find rye flour that hasn't been sifted or otherwise processed to remove bran or other bits of the grain. Also, rye flour has a fairly short shelf life. I generally find it easiest to just get rye berries and grind my own flour as needed. That said, it might be interesting to try this with commercial rye flour sometime and see how that affects the final results. ^Back
2 I used up all of my rye berries to make the flour for this recipe, so I opted to cook 100g of hard wheat berries instead. I just boiled them in a bit of water until they seemed molto al dente, then drained them and let them cool a bit before adding them to the dough. ^Back
3 The original recipe suggests that the gluten should be "well-develped" by this point. It was most definitely not behaving like dough with well-developed gluten for me. Maybe this means that I should've kept kneading it, but I was tired and the dough was really not well-behaved and I found it very difficult to handle so, after 30 minutes, I gave up and just left it to its own devices. ^Back

I haven't been writing up a lot of the Hello Fresh recipes, largely because most of them are repeats of recipes we already have with minor variations. This one was new, though, and also a huge hit with everyone, and a nice dinner (or brunch!) on a cold winter day.

We had some extra coconut milk in the fridge, so we replaced some of the water in the recipe with additional coconut milk, making it a roughly 1:1 ratio for the same total volume. I've written it up without this modification.

Salmon Coconut Soup

Hello Fresh

Ingredients

• 340g carrots, peeled, bisected lengthwise, and cut into 5mm half-moons
• 340g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 10cm cubes
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 C "red curry base"¹
• 1-2 red Thai chilis, finely chopped
• 500g salmon filets, skin on
• 200mL coconut milk
• 750mL water
• ½ tsp salt
• 450g bok choi, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Add carrots, sweet potatoes, and oil to a large pot.
2. Cook over medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften, 5-10 minutes.
3. Add curry base and chilis. Cook, stirring, until coated and fragrant, ~30 seconds.
4. Add coconut milk, water, and salt. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.
5. Add salmon. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, covered, until salmon is cooked through, ~5 minutes.
6. Stir in bok choi and cook until wilted.

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¹ This is not the same as red curry paste; symbol suspects it to be red curry paste diluted with fish sauce and possibly other liquids and aromatics. This is sometimes sold as "red curry paste" in grocery stores, but has a lighter colour and consistency and is meant to be used by the cup rather than the teaspoon. ^Back

Symbol picked up a duck breast for our miniversary and after some research we settled on this recipe for it, cobbled together from two online recipes. It took a while to make but was delicious. The sauce was great and the potatoes had that perfect crispy on the outside, soft on the inside texture. The duck didn't release enough fat for the potatoes on its own, but we had a leftover jar of chicken fat from earlier cooking projects and used that to bulk it up.

Duck and Crispy Potatoes with Orange Sauce

Adapted from Tasty and Serious Eats

Ingredients

• 1 lb duck breasts
• coarse salt
• 1 lb potatoes, cut into 8ths
• Chicken or bacon fat
• ½ C white wine
• 1 C chicken stock
• 1 tsp orange zest
• juice of 1 orange
• 4 tbsp butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until al dente, ~10 minutes. Drain.
3. Score skin side of duck in a cross-hatch pattern. Salt skin heavily and flesh lightly.
4. Place duck, skin side down, in a cold oven-safe skillet. Set heat to medium low.
5. Cook duck until fat has rendered off and skin is crispy. Adjust heat as needed to keep fat bubbling but not spitting; pour off duck fat into a large, deep skillet as needed to keep the duck from deep-frying.
6. Flip duck over and cook flesh side for a few minutes to sear it.
7. Flip duck skin side down again and transfer to oven. Cook until cooked through, ~150°F on the meat thermometer. Remove and let rest for 10 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, add chicken or bacon fat to the large skillet (if needed) and bring to medium high heat. Add potatoes and cook until crispy golden-brown on all sides, turning as needed. Season with salt and pepper.
9. Meanwhile, deglaze chicken pan with white wine. Cook until fully reduced.
10. Add stock and continue cooking until thickened.
11. Add orange zest and orange juice and cook until thickened again.
12. Remove from heat and stir in butter.

Pardesi Hari Phool Gobhi aur Gajar ki Subzi (Foreign Green Cauliflower and Carrot Curry)

I picked up some "foreign green cauliflower" (aka broccoli) on sale at the grocery store a few days ago. I figured I'd give it a try in this curry. It looked like it'd make a nice accompaniment to the rest of our dinner. And it did!

Pardesi Hari Phool Gobhi aur Kajar ki Subzi

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil¹
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 Tbsp. skinned split black lentils (mapte beans/urad dal)
• 450g broccoli, cut into florets
• 1 large carrot, cut into planks (1cm x 2cm x 0.5cm)
• 2 tsp. sambhar masala
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 430mL diced tomatoes
• 1/2 c. water
• 15 fresh (or frozen) curry leaves

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and cook until seeds stop popping (30-60 seconds).
3. Add the lentils and stir-fry for ~20 seconds.
4. Add the broccoli, carrots, sambhar masala, and salt and stir-fry for 1 minute.
5. Add the tomatoes, water, and curry leaves and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are fork tender (~15 minutes).

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¹ Iyer calls for neutral canola oil here. And that works fine. But I think I'd be tempted to double down on the mustard angle and pop the mustard seeds in pungent mustard oil the next time I make this. I think it would really complement the broccoli. ^Back

Rice Pilaf (with Variations)

I needed some rice to go with tonight's dinner. Normally I'd either do plain rice or grab something out of 660 Curries. But I decided to try out something from Cook's Country instead. Rice cooked with "curry powder", apples, and raisins was... if not a staple of my childhood, at least common enough to be familiar. The Cook's Country version leaves out the raisins, but the other elements are similar: onion, garlic, curry powder, apples, toast the rice first...

I think, if I were doing it again, I'd include the raisins. The apple alone doesn't feel like quite enough. I'd also rearrange the ordering of the ingredeints. I added the curry powder with the onions like it said, but that really limits how much you can toast the rice without risking burning the spices. Nex time I'd add the garlic with the rice (not after like the recipe says) and only add the curry powder after the rice is toasted. I figure the raisins can go in at that point too.

NB: I've adapted this recipe for the brown rice and cooking in the InstantPot. If you're using different rice or cooking on the stovetop, your cooking time and the amount of liquid required will be completely different. Adjust as necessary to match what and how you're cooking.

Curried Rice Pilaf

Slighlty adapted from Cook's Country June/July 2016

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 c. long-grain brown rice
• 1/4 c. golden raisins
• 1 Tbsp. Madras curry powder
• 1 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 apple¹, chopped
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Melt butter over medium-high heat. (Sauté "high" for InstantPot.)
2. Add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add garlic and rice and cook for ~2 minutes longer.
4. Add raisins and curry powder and cook for another 30 seconds or so.
5. Add stock.
6. Cover InstantPot and set to pressure cook on "high" for 20 minutes.
7. Allow for a 10-minute natural release, then release any remaining pressure and fluff the rice.
8. Mix in apple and cilantro and serve.

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Variations

Basic Rice Pilaf with Thyme

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 c. long-grain brown rice
• 1 tsp. minced fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme)
• 1 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable stock

Cilantro-Jalapeño Rice Pilaf

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 fresh jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1 1/2 c. long-grain brown rice
• 1 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 tsp. lime zest
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Herbed Rice Pilaf with Almonds

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 c. long-grain brown rice
• 1 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 tsp. lemon zest
• 1/4 c. almonds, toasted and chopped
• 1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon

Rice Pilaf with Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 60g cremini mushrooms, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 c. long-grain brown rice
• 1 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 1 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Vegan Version

• 2 Tbsp. coconut oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 c. long-grain brown rice
• 1/4 c. golden raisins
• 1 Tbsp. Madras curry powder
• 1 1/2 c. vegetable stock
• 1 apple¹, chopped
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

I've called for coconut oil here because I thought it would go nicely with the fruit and "curry" vibe. I think canola, corn, or some other neutral oil would probably be a good choice for the rest. Or even margerine or vegan butter. Pick your favourite fat!

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¹ I'd use a Granny Smith (or other tart variety) for preference, but pretty much any apple will do. ^Back

I don't tend to use poultry seasoning very much. In fact, it looks like, up until today, the only recipe on here that actually used it was my Christmas stuffing. Unfortunately the formula I have for it there is a little wonky. Poultry seasoning is normally a dry, powdery affair, so normally all the herbs going into it should be dried. I guess I must've only had fresh sage on hand at the time though, so I wrote up the recipe using that. Also, my nutmeg proportions seem way off. So, let me take another crack at this. Hopefully with somewhat more sensible proportions.

Poultry Seasoning

Ingredients

• 8 parts dried parsley
• 8 parts dried sage
• 4 parts dried thyme
• 4 parts dried marjoram
• 4 parts dried rosemary
• 2 parts black peppercorns, ground
• 1 part ground nutmeg (optional)

Directions

1. Combine everything.
2. If you need a powdered blend, drop it into a spice grinder and give it a whiz. If not, it's fine to use as is.

Bhaja Moong Palak (Toasted Mung Beans with Spinach)

I've been making a lot of curries recently, but they were all a bit short on vegetables. This one doesn't have that much in the way of vegetables either¹, but it at least has a bit of spinach. I figured it looked easy to make and would at least give us something. And, as much as mung beans are more of a protein than a vegetable, they at least feel like a somewhat healthful protein option.

Iyer notes that toasting the beans before cooking prevents them from breaking down. Normally skinned split mung beans will cook and break down relatively quickly. These ones will hold their shape, even through much longer cooking.

Bhaja Moong Palak

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 c. skinned split mung beans ("green lentils"/moong dal)
• 3 c. water
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 250g spinach
• 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp. whole cloves
• 1-4 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. ghee

Directions

1. Heat pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add lentils and cook, stirring constantly, until they are nicely browned but not burnt (5-8 minutes).
3. Add the water and stir to break up any lumps that form.
4. Add the turmeric and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for ~20 minutes.
6. Add the spinach, cover, and cook until wilted (~5 minutes).
7. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
8. Add the fennel, cloves, and chilies and sizzle for 10-20 seconds. Remove from heat and set aside.
9. Once the spinach is wilted, add the spices and oil to the pan.
10. Stir in the salt and sugar and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for ~5 minutes.
11. Stir in the ghee just before servind.

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¹ I don't count legumes. Dried beans and lentils and the like are more in the protein and starch category as far as I'm concerned. ^Back

I used to make Dutch crunch bread a fair bit as a teen. There was a recipe in the Pillsbury cookbook that we had at home. The Dutch crunch and monkey bread recipes in there along with a few others are what got me started with bread baking. So this recipe in Cook's Country looked pleasingly nostalgic.

I was tempted to make an pan loaf, just to stick even closer to my childhood experience. But, in the end, I figured it'd probably introduce fewer complications if I just made rolls like the recipe said. That way I wouldn't have to adjust the amount of topping or baking time or anything.

I found the inclusion of yeast in the rice flour topping interesting. I don't recall the Pillsbury version using yeast there; only the main dough was yeasted. Everything else was very familiar though. Although the topping did turn out somewhat runnier than I remember. That said, it seemed to be runnier than the recipe authors were expecting as well. I didn't need to brush it to spread it out, it just dripped and ran on its own. Possibly this was due to using brown, rather than white, rice flour. Given how runny it was, I think I'd probably reduce the water called for slightly next time. The original recipe called for "1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp." I'll try leaving out the 2 Tbsp. next time and see how it goes.

Dutch Crunch Rolls

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country April/May 2016

Ingredients

Dough

• 495g all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 1/4 tsp. instant (rapid-rise) yeast
• 1 1/4 c. warm water
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Topping

• 114g brown rice flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 1/4 tsp. instant (rapid-rise) yeast
• 1/2 c. warm water
• 2 Tbsp. oil

Directions

1. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and yeast for the dough.
2. Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the water and melted butter.
3. Gradually incorporate dry ingredients into wet, mixing from the centre outward.
4. Cover and let rest for ~5 minutes.
5. Turn out onto very lightly flour surface and knead for 5-10 minutes.
6. Cover and let rest for 5 more minutes.
7. Knead a for a few more minutes, until dough is smooth and stretchy.
8. Shape into a ball and place in a covered bowl to rise for ~45 minutes.
9. Dough is ready to knock back when it does not return a wet fingerprint. (Press wet finger ~1cm into dough and see if it springs back/fills in.)
10. Knock dough back and knead a few strokes.
11. Divide into 8 equal portions.
12. Round each portion, cover, and rest for 5-10 minutes.
13. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
14. Working with one portion at a time, flip smooth-side-down and press flat. Then fold top edge down to middle and press. Fold bottom edge up to middle and press.¹ Now bring the new top and bottom edges up to meet in the middle and pinch together. Flip seam-side-down and place on prepared baking sheet.
15. Cover and let rise for ~20 minutes.
16. After 20 minutes of rising, prepare the topping by whisking all of the topping ingredients together in a bowl.
17. Cover the topping and let rise for ~20 minutes.
18. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
19. Spoon 2 Tbsp. of topping onto each bun. Use a pastry brush if necessary to spread the topping evenly over the bun.
20. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through baking.
21. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

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¹ Top edge and bottom edge should meet in the middle, but not overlap. This is not a "letter fold". ^Back

Murghi Vindaloo (Chicken Vindaloo)

Recipe as written, this vindaloo calls for 1 whole chicken, skinned and cut into parts. I didn't have a whole chicken. What I did have was a bunch of skinless boneless chicken thighs.

On the one hand, using bone-in chicken pieces probably would've imparted some extra succulence and flavour. On the other hand, boneless chicken cooks faster and is easier to eat. Take your pick on which qualities are most important to you.

Murghi Vindaloo

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1 chicken (~1.4kg), skinned and cut into parts
• 1/4 c. vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika¹
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 c. coconut milk

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, for ~5 minutes.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add the chicken pieces (meat-side-down). Cook 2-3 minutes on each side.
4. Remove chicken and onions from pan and set aside.
5. Return pan to medium heat and add the vinegar, garlic paste, coriander, cumin, Kashimiri chilies, paprika (or cayenne), salt, and turmeric.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~5 minutes.
7. Stir in the coconut milk.
8. Return the chicken and onion to the pan and cook, stirring and basting occasionally, until cooked through (~20 minutes for bone-in pieces, ~10 for boneless).
9. Increase heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for ~5 minutes.

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¹ The original recipe calls for 1 tsp. ground cayenne, but I wanted the Kidlet to be able to actually eat this so I swapped out the cayenne for sweet paprika. ^Back

Chana Rajmah (Chickpeas and Kidney Beans)

An easy legume curry with a thick, spiced, tomato sauce. Iyer suggests that it's good -- if non-traditional -- with cornbread instead of or as well as rice.

Chana Rajmah

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. dried chickpeas
• 1/2 c. dried kidney beans
• 4 1/2 c. water, divided
• 2 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 tsp. panch phoron
• 1/4 c. fried onion paste
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies¹
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. jaggery
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Rinse the chickpeas and kidney beans and place them in a pressure cooker/InstantPot with 4 c. of water.
2. Pressure cook (high) for 75 minutes followed by a 15-minute natural release.
3. Meanwhile, melt the ghee over medium-high heat.
4. Add the panch phoron and sizzle for 15-20 seconds.
5. Add the onion paste, ginger paste, and garlic paste, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~5 minutes.
6. Add the coriander, salt, Kashmiri chilies, and turmeric and cook for ~1 minute. Be careful not to burn the spices.
7. Add the tomato paste and sugar and cook for another minute.
8. Add the remaining 1/2 c. water and scrape to deglaze the pan.
9. Cook for a minute or two, then set aside until beans are ready.
10. Once beans are cooked, add the sauce to the pressure cooker and stir to combine.
11. Simmer, uncovered, over medium heat for 10-15 minutes.
12. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. dried chickpeas
• 1/2 c. dried kidney beans
• 4 1/2 c. water, divided
• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. panch phoron
• 1/4 c. fried onion paste
• 2 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies¹
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. jaggery
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

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¹ The original recipe calls for 1 tsp. ground Deggi chilies or 1/2 tsp. ground cayenne + 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika. I didn't have any Deggi chilies, so I decided to swap in and equal amount of ground Kashmiri chilies instead of using the cayenne-paprika substitute. ^Back

Buttermilk-Sour Cream Pancakes

I have several good pancake recipes already, but the completionist in me wants to check off more recipes from our magazines and cookbooks, so I decided to try a new one today. I was intrigued by the use of both buttermilk and sour cream in the batter. Buttermilk is familiar, but the sour cream was a bit surprising.

The pancakes were good. The fluffiness was on par with my fluffy sourdough pancakes, but less fluffy than my default plain pancakes. Really I have no complaints with the recipe. But I probably won't be revisiting it for the simple fact that I can get similar results from my sourdough pancakes and I always have sourdough starter on hand whereas I rarely have sour cream (or buttermilk) in the fridge. That said, the recipe did come with several flavour variations and those I will revisit. I'll just use them with the sourdough batter rather than the sour cream one.

Blueberry Pancakes

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country April/May 2017

Ingredients

• 280g all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 c. buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 c. blueberries

Directions

1. Combine flour, sugar, and salt.
2. Sift in baking powder and baking soda.
3. In a large measuring cup, combine buttermilk, eggs, sour cream, and butter.
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.
5. Mix briefly. There should still be some lumps. Set aside for 10 minutes.
6. Heat a pan or tawa over medium-low heat.
7. Add a very small amount of butter or oil to the pan/tawa.
8. Use 1/4 c. measure to scoop out some batter into the pan. Make 2 or 3 pancakes at once.
9. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add ~1 Tbsp. of blueberries to each pancake.
10. Flip pancakes and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
11. Repeat cooking process until all batter has been used up. Add more butter/oil to the pan as needed.
12. Serve with butter, syrup, nut butter, or preserves of your choice.

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Variations

Apple-Cinnamon Pancakes

Ingredients

• 280g all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 c. buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 2 apples, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Banana-Walnut Pancakes

• 280g all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 c. buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 2 bananas, quartered lengthwise and sliced thin
• 1/2 c. chopped walnuts, toasted

Cocolate-Coconut Pancakes

• 280g all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 c. buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 c. semisweet chocolate chips (or chopped dark chocolate)
• 1/2 c. sweetened shredded coconut

Strawberry-Vanilla Pancakes

• 280g all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 c. buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 c. sour cream
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 280g strawberries, hulled and chopped
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Palak Gosht (Lamb with Spinach)

I don't buy lamb often. It's just too damn expensive. But I saw some that was very slighlty discounted the other day and decided that that was enough excuse to get a kilo of stewing lamb.

We still haven't made most of the lamb recipes in the book, so I just picked two and rolled with it. This one today and I'll probably do the other one tomorrow. I had hoped to do a vegetable side to go with it, but I ran out of time. At least there's some spinach in it. But I know it would've been better to have more vegetables with the meal. Oh well...

Palak Gosht

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 550g stewing lamb
• 2 Tbsp. plain yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 (5cm x 2cm x 3mm) slices fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2 tsp. bin bhuna hua garam masala
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 c. water, divided
• 500g spinach, chopped
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Add the yogurt to the lamb and stir to combine. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.
2. Heat oil over medium heat and add onion, garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, for ~10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add the garam masala and the turmeric. Stir and let it sizzle for a few seconds.
4. Transfer contents of pan to a blender and add tomato paste and 1/3 c. of the water. Purée and set aside.
5. Return pan (now empty) to medium-high heat and add the yogurt-coated lamb. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes.
6. Add spinach one handful at a time.
7. Once spinach has wilted, add the contents of the blender.
8. Pour the remaining 2/3 c. water into the blender and swish it around to rinse it out. Add this to the pan as well.
9. Stir in salt and reduce heat to medium-low.
10. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
11. Serve over rice with some flatbreads along side.

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Variations

Vegetarian Version

Ingredients

• 550g paneer, cubed and fried
• 2 Tbsp. plain yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 (5cm x 2cm x 3mm) slices fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2 tsp. bin bhuna hua garam masala
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 c. water, divided
• 500g spinach, chopped
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Karuvapillai Shaadum (Rice with Curry Leaves)

Based on the name, I was expecting this dish to involve whole, fresh curry leaves. It does not. Instead it relies on karuvapillai podi (curry leaf powder) for its unique flavour. Unique and incredibly delicious, by the way! And also very easy to make. Definitely a keeper.

Karuvapillai Shaadum

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. mustard oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 c. long-grain brown rice
• 2 Tbsp. karuvapillai podi
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 c. water

Directions

1. Set InstantPot to sauté medium and add oil (or heat pot over medium-high heat on stovetop).
2. Add mustard seeds, cover, and cook until they've stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
3. Add rice and stir to coat.
4. Add karuvapillai podi, salt, and water.
5. Stir to combine and seal the InstantPot.
6. Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes.
7. Remove lid and fluff rice with a fork or rice paddle.
8. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

This started out as "pan-fry a bit of sourdough discard to use it up and get a tasty flatbread to eat", and gradually evolved into a full-on breakfast. It's reasonably easy to make and we pretty much always have the materials for it, so it's a good way to use up some sourdough and get a filling breakfast out of it.

Sourdough Discard Savoury Pancakes

Original

Ingredients

• oil
• 1 green onion, sliced
• large scoop sourdough discard
• 1 large egg
• laoganma
• mayo
• cucumber and/or carrot, julienned

Directions

1. In a nonstick skillet, heat some oil to medium-high heat.
2. Add green onions and fry briefly, <1 minute.
3. Pour sourdough discard overtop. Cook until golden brown on both sides, flipping once the first side is done.
4. Remove from pan and use the remaining oil to fry an egg.
5. Top with laoganma, mayo, julienned vegetables, and egg.

Farasvi chi Bhajee (Stir-Fried Green Beans)

I needed a vegetable side. There are lots of great vegetable curries in the book. Unfortunately we're running pretty low on veggies right now, so I couldn't make most of them. I did, however, have a bag of green beans in the freezer though, so I was able to pull this simple curry together without having to go shopping. (Win!)

Farasvi chi Bhajee

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. rock salt or coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom seeds (from green pods)
• 1-3 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chilies, stems removed
• 1/4. fresh cilantro
• 1/2 c. shredded fresh coconut¹
• 2 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 15 fresh curry leaves
• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 450g green beans²
• 1/2 c. water

Directions

1. Combine the salt, mustard seeds, cardamom seeds, and chilies in a molcajete (or large mortar) and grind.
2. Add the cilantro and mash until pulpy.
3. Add the coconut and continue grinding and mashing.
4. Fold in the lime juice, sugar, turmeric, and curry leaves. Set aside.
5. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
6. Add cumin seeds and sizzle for a few seconds.
7. Add beans and stir-fry for ~5 minutes.
8. Add water.
9. If using fresh beans, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for a few minutes. If using frozen beans, proceed directly to the next step and skip the simmering.
10. Add the coconut mixture and cook over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes.

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¹ Or reconstitute some unsweetened dried coconut. Pour 1/4 c. of boiling water over 1/4 c. of dried coconut. Allow to rest for 15 minutes, then drain. ^Back
2 I was a bit shy on beans, so I ended up tossing in a few green chickpeas to make up the difference. We all quite enjoyed it, so I'd happily do that variation again in the future. ^Back