I've really fallen off the rails with the meal plan this week. I usually end up deviating from whatever I've sketched out at some point during the week, but it doesn't typically start happening the day after I put the darn thing together!

Anyway, this week has been a bit weird and I've ended up having to make a lot of last-minute swaps. These chicken thighs were originally destined for a delicious-sounding chicken, lemon, and olive tagine, but the parsley that I'd intended to use for the marinade had gone off and by the time I was able to get home with more, there wasn't enough time left to actually marinate the meat. So I ended up seeking something that I could make more quickly with the ingredients I had on hand. And, honestly, this was a really solid choice. It turned out great! I really love the dark tanginess of the balsamic-and-citrus-based sweet and sour sauce.

Chicken Agrodolce with Delicata Squash

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/3 c. flour
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt, ground and divided
• 3/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground and divided
• 8 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 bay leaves
• 10 allspice berries
• 3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 delicata squash, seeded and cut into 2-cm cubes
• 1 large red onion, cut into 2-cm cubes
• 1/4 c. honey
• 1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 c. dry white wine
• 1/2 c. orange juice (~2 oranges)
• 1/4 c. lemon juice (~1 lemon)
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. ground cayenne
• 3-4 Tbsp. pine nuts¹, toasted

Directions

1. Combine the flour, 1/2 tsp. of the salt, and 1/4 tsp. of the pepper and dredge the chicken in it.
2. Heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the chicken, skin-side-down, along with the bay leaves and allspice berries.
4. Cook, turning once, until golden and slightly crispy (~8 minutes). Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
5. Add the garlic, squash, and red onion and cook until the vegetables begin to caramelize (~8 minutes).
6. Add the honey, vinegar, and wine and cook until liquid is reduced by half (5-6 minutes).
7. Add the remaining 1/2 tsp. each of salt and pepper along with the cayenne and stir to combine.
8. Return the chicken to the pan and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked through (20-25 minutes).
10. If sauce is still too thin for your liking, stir in a little of the leftover dredging flour and cook for another minute or two.
11. Add the pine nuts and cook until they soften slightly (2-3 minutes).

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¹ I was all out of pine nuts, so I ended up slowly toasting a few whole almonds and then chopping them into slivers and using them in place of the pine nuts. I think they made a good substitute, but I'll try it with pine nuts next time if I can. ^Back

Simmons mentions in the preamble to this recipe that she feels the leek is often neglected and overlooked as a vegetable and I am inclined to agree. Leeks are delicious, but I don't see nearly enough recipes that call for them! So, I was very keen when I ran across this one that layers them with bread, tomatoes, and brie in a savoury custard.

This is a very straight-forward dish to put together. The biggest drawback for me is the time required. You need to have the wherewithal to assemble it the night before and then it needs to bake for ~an hour before it's ready to serve. That's more advanced planning than I usually put into my mornings. That said, it was a nice breakfast treat (once the custard had finally cooked through and set). It's quite rich, so you wouldn't want to have it every day, but it could be nice as a special occasion brunch dish.

Leek, Sun-Dried Tomato, and Brie Strata

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• ~450g leeks
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 4-8 slices of bread
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground and divided
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 12 sun-dried tomato halves, chopped
• 200g brie, diced
• 5 large eggs
• 2 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 c. grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Trim the leeks and quarter them lengthwise, then soak in cold water and rinse very thoroughly, being sure to get all the grit out from between the layers. Thinly slice and set aside.
2. Melt the butter over medium-low heat.
3. Use some of the melted butter to grease a 9" (23cm) square pan or an equivalent sized casserole dish.
4. Add the leeks to the remaining butter and cook, stirring occasionally, for ~10 minutes.
5. Season with ~1/8 tsp. of pepper and 1/4 tsp. of salt and set aside.
6. Cover the bottom of the prepared baking dish with a layer of bread. Cut the bread to fit so that it completely fills the bottom in an even, single layer.
7. Spread the leeks out on top of the bread.
8. Layer the tomatoes on top of the leeks.
9. Add the diced brie on top of the tomatoes.
10. Finally, cap with another layer of bread, once again, cutting to fit as necessary.
11. Beat the eggs until foamy, then mix in the milk and the Parmesan.
12. Season the custard with the remaining salt and pepper.
13. Pour the custard over the strata.
14. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
15. In the morning, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
16. Uncover the strata and bake at 180°C (350°F) for ~1 hour. (It may need more or less time depending on the exact shape and size of the pan/dish used. Start checking at ~45 minutes.) Strata is done when custard is set and internal temperature of at least 70°C (160°F) is reached.

So, TF and I went to a protest last week. People are upset about the sex ed curriculum again. The alt-right/homophobes don't want kids to be allowed to try out different names or pronouns at school or learn that queer people exist, so they decided to have a protest about it. So, OFL and some other folks helped to organize counter-protests at the same locations. TF and I were at one of the counter-protests.

I'm glad we went. But it's also kind of depressing that it was even necessary. It's depressing that so many people are still so homophobic that they see even discussing the existance of queer people as an "adult topic" and queerness as somehow inappropriate for children.

Anyway, none of that is really relevant to cauliflower. But I needed to tell you that story to tell you this one:
While we were downtown, we spotted a sign for "Taste the 4th Sense", which TF immediately recognized as being somehow related to a business she used to frequent at the Fergus Market (nearly 20 years ago)!

We got chatting with the owners and it turns out that yes, it is the same business, just under new ownership. They still make a lot of the same products (including the garlic oil that was a staple of TF's pantry when we first met) and also have an incredible selection of locally made sauces and spice blends. And you're allowed -- encouraged, in fact -- to taste and sample everything before you buy it! It's really a wonderful shop.

We came out with three new sauces + some Christmas presents and a new cookbook.

I haven't looked through the cookbook in any detail yet, but I did notice this cauliflower and bok choy recipe near the beginning. And by sheer coincidence TM recently gave us a bunch of baby bok choy. And cauliflower was on sale at the grocery store last week. So this seemed like a natural fit as an additional vegetable side to go with our dinner last night. And, man-oh-man, it was so tasty!

I was worried that the BBQ sauce would make it too sticky and sweet, but it was just right. And despite some initial misgivings, the cauliflower and bok choy were great together! And the cashews and the mushrooms really take it over the top. It's just fantastic. Definitely a keeper.

Sheet Pan BBQ Cauliflower

Slightly adapted from Awaken Your 4th Sense: Volume 1 by the Taste Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower¹, cut into florets
• 225g mushrooms², sliced
• 2 Tbsp. garlic oil (either home-made or conveniently ready-made from Taste)
• 1/2 c. raw cashews
• 9 heads baby bok choy³
• 1/2 c. BBQ sauce (preferably Big Stooley's Smoked Jalapeño Apple BBQ Sauce), divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and line a baking sheet with a silione baking mat.
2. Toss the cauliflower and mushrooms with the garlic oil and spread, in an even layer, over the prepared baking sheet.
3. Distribute the cashews evenly over the vegetables.
4. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes, stir, then continue baking for 15 minutes longer.
5. Meanwhile, rinse the bok choy and cut into bite-sized pieces.
6. Toss the bok choy with 1/4 c. of the BBQ sauce and add this to the vegetable mixture on the baking sheet.
7. Bake for another 15 minutes or so, stirring every 5 minutes.
8. Once the bok choy stems are tender, remove from oven and drizzle the remaining 1/4 c. of BBQ sauce over the vegetables.
9. Serve as an appetizer or vegetable side dish.

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¹ The original recipe calls for 450g cauliflower florets. We just used a whole head of cauliflower which worked out to ~600g of florets. ^Back
2 The original recipe calls for shiitake mushrooms, but they didn't have any at the grocery store when I went, so we just ended up doing it with cremini. (And it was delicious!) That said, I think shiitake or oyster mushrooms also would have been excellent in this. Maybe next time I'll visit the folks at Noki Farms and see what they have available. Their mushrooms are always so fresh and lovely (they grow them on-site) and I think some of their black pearl or pink oyster mushrooms would be fantastic in this dish! ^Back
3 The original recipe only called for 3 heads of baby bok choy, but we had 9 and they needed to be used, so we just put them all in and I quite like that ratio. I would do it that way again in the future. ^Back

I don't have much experience with buckwheat flour, so this bread was a bit of an adventure. To be fair, the dough was still mostly composed of wheat -- and just plain old all-purpose flour at that -- so it was fairly easy to handle and well-behaved. Still, it was a nice way to ease into buckwheat and give it a try.

The final bread came out with a nice structure that slices and toasts well. The colour is quite dark (even though only ~1/3 of the flour used was buckwheat). And the whole grain gives it a nice flavour as well. I might try using some of it to make a strata for breakfast tomorrow.

NB: This recipe produces more sponge than required to make the dough! You get ~3 c. of sponge, but the recipe only requires 2 c. Be prepared to use the rest in another recipe! Alternatively, make 50% more dough and make some rolls or an extra loaf of bread.

Clayton advises that this recipe makes ~4 lbs. of dough and suggests making four small (1-lb.) loaves in either 7x3" (18x7.5cm) loaf pans or 1-lb. coffee tins. I don't have any 1-lb. pans, so I opted for two large loaves instead and used a 9x5" (23x13cm) and a 8.5x4.5" (21.5x11.5cm) pan. This seems to have worked well and gave me nicely shaped and sized loaves, although I think two 8.5x4.5" pans would have been ideal.

Buckwheat Bread

Slightly adapted from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

Ingredients

Sponge

• 2 c. water @ 50°C (~125°F)
• 2 c. (~240g) all-purpose flour¹
• 1 Tbsp. (~17g) coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. (~13g) sugar
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast (or 1/2 Tbsp. instant yeast)

Dough

• 1 1/2 c. water @ 50°C (~125°F)
• 1/3 c. skim milk powder
• 4 Tbsp. (~50g) brown sugar
• 2 c. buckwheat flour²
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast (or 1/2 Tbsp. instant yeast)
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tsp. (~12g) coarse sea salt
• ~4 c. (~480g) all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. butter, melted
• 1-2 Tbsp. cream

Directions

1. Combine the water, flour, salt, sugar, and yeast for the sponge.
2. Mix well, cover, and let stand at room temperature overnight. Alternatively, feed up an established starter and use that once it's nice and active and bubbly.
3. The next morning, transfer 2 c. (~450g) of the sponge (or active starter) to a large mixing bowl.
4. Add the water, milk powder, sugar, and buckwheat flour and stir to combine.
5. Add the yeast and beat/mix for 25-30 strokes (or ~1 minute with the flat beater of an electric mixer).
6. Add the butter and salt and mix for ~200 strokes (or until the batter starts forming ropey strings in the bowl of an electric mixer).
7. Working with ~1/2 c. at a time, mix in ~3 c. of the flour (switching to a dough hook for mixing if using an electric mixer).
8. If mixing by hand, turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes, working in the remaining flour as you go. You may not need all of it! (If using an electric mixer, keep adding flour a little bit at a time until the dough clears the sides of the bowl and forms a smooth ball.)
9. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place it in a covered bowl to rise. Allow to rise at room temperature for ~1 hour.
10. Turn the dough out and knead for a few strokes to press out the gas bubbles.
11. Shape as desired and place into greased tins (if using).
12. Brush the tops of the loaves with the melted butter, cover, and let rise at room temperature for ~45 minutes.
13. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 30-40 minutes (the timing will vary depending on the size and shape of the loaves).
14. Brush the tops of the loaves with cream and return to oven. Bake for another 5-10 minutes.
15. Turn loaves out of pans and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

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¹ I was running low on AP flour, so I used a mix of AP and hard whole wheat flour for my sponge. I think I had a slightly scant cup of AP flour + a slightly generous cup of WW. Next time I might try using my regular WW starter and 100% WW flour in the sponge. The overnight fermentation would give the bran time to properly hydrate and it would be nice to have a higher proportion of whole grains in the bread. If that goes well, I might try replacing some of the AP flour from the main dough with WW as well. And I can experiment with changing up my mixing technique. If I'm going for something closer to 100% whole grain, then it might make sense to switch to something more closely matching the Laurel's Kitchen approach. Anyway, that's all just notes for future me and not really relevant to the present version of the recipe. ^Back
2 Sorry, I forgot to weigh the buckwheat flour! I'm guessing that it probably would've been somewhere between 250g and 300g, but I'm not entirely sure. I'll try to remember to weigh everything next time. ^Back

I haven't actually had a chance to slice into these loaves and try them yet, so I can't report on the final results. But the loaves baked up beautifully and the little piece of dough that I tasted before they went into the oven was delicious! So, given that, I have high hopes for the bread itself and am really looking forward to trying it once we've finished our current loaf of bread.

This is a pretty straight-forward "faux" sourdough with a few quick oats standing in for some of the flour. I say "faux" sourdough because, although you make an overnight sponge with sourdough starter, you also add dry yeast to the dough when mixing it up, so it rises and it handled more like a standard non-sourdough bread. That said, I'm sure you could make it as a "true" sourdough without the commercial yeast if you really wanted to. You'd just have to give it a much longer rising/fermentation time and adjust how you handled it a little bit.

Sourdough Oatmeal Bread

Slightly adapted from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

Ingredients

Sponge

• 1 c. (~225g) active (fresh/fed) sourdough starter
• 1 c. water @ 40°C (~105°F)
• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour¹

Dough

• 1 c. water @ 50°C (~125°F)
• 1/2 c. skim milk powder
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 2 tsp. active dry yeast (or 1/2 Tbsp. instant yeast)
• 1 c. quick oats
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ~4 c. all-purpose flour²

Directions

1. Combine the starter, water, and flour in a large bowl, mix well, cover, and allow to ferment for 8-10 hours. (Use cold water if you would like a longer, slower fermentation.)
2. Stir down the sponge and mix in the water, milk powder, and honey.
3. Add the yeast.
4. Add the oatmeal, sugar, salt, and baking soda and stir to combine.
5. Add theh flour, 1/4 c. at a time, until the dough comes together into a nice ball. Mixing may be done either by hand or with an electric mixer using a dough hook. (You may need more than 4 c. of flour, but don't go crazy!)
6. Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead by hand for 10-20 minutes (or ~10 minutes in an electric mixter with a dough hook).
7. Shape the dough into a ball, cover, and allow to rest for ~10 minutes.
8. Knead the dough for a few strokes, then divide into two roughly equal portions.
9. Shape each portion into a ball, cover, and rest for another 5 minutes or so.
10. Shape your loaves as desired and place in greased loaf pans³.
11. Cover and allow to rise at room temperature for ~75 minutes.
12. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
13. Slash the loaves as desired and then bake at 200°C (400°F) for ~20 minutes.
14. Reduce heat to 180°C (350°F) and bake for another 15-20 minutes.
15. If desired, brush the crust of the loaf with some melted butter. This will make the crust softer and shinier.
16. Turn loaves out of tins and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

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¹ I used AP flour here because I was trying to use up the leftover sponge from the buckwheat bread that I'd made the day previously. However, if I were to make this bread with my usual whole wheat starter, I would've used WW flour (or possibly a 1:1 mix of WW to AP). ^Back
2 Clayton calls for "approximately" 2-4 c. of flour here. I ended up using nearly 5 c. before my dough was behaving itself and didn't seem like a wet, sticky mess. Use the recipe as a guideline, but listen to the dough. ^Back
3 Clayton recommends two 8x4" loaf pans for this recipe, but since I ended up using significantly more flour than the recipe called for, I decided to make two slightly larger loaves (one 9x5" and one 8.5x4.5"). ³

Bigos is a famous and much-beloved Polish dish. It is a traditional hunter's stew and there are a dizzying variety of recipes out there for it. The foundation is always cabbage and pork, but approaches diverge from there.

It usually involves a mix of sauerkraut and fresh cabbage, although some recipes may use only sauerkraut and you can also find instructions for making it with only fresh cabbage. As far as I've seen, it always involves some sort of bacon or salt pork and some may also add fresh pork and/or ham. Most recipes call for kielbasa and/or dried Polish sausage as well. Venison is a very popular inclusion, although some recipes call for beef and/or veal either instead of or as well as the venison. A few recipes suggest incorporating chicken and/or duck, while others say that bigos must never contain poultry. And, as a hunter's stew, mushrooms are also a popular ingredient, either fresh or dried.

Onion, garlic, bay leaves, allspice, salt, and pepper seem to be the popular choice for seasonings. Although some recipes rely on Maggi sauce for whatever flavour is needed above and beyond that coming from the cabbage and meat. Most -- but not all -- of the recipes I looked at included a sweet element. For many, that simply meant adding a bit of sugar, but one actually suggested chopped pitted prunes to add a bit of sweetness. (A suggestion that I chose to follow in my rendition of this delicious stew!)

So, as you can see, there's quite a bit of variety in how this one-pot meal can be put together. The recipe that follows is based on combining elements of several different recipes, both from published cookbooks and personal family recipes that were sent to me by a friend. The resulting stew was fantastic! (Although I do think it probably would have been even better with some venison added to the pot, but I didn't have any venison and I did have a lot of beef, so that's what I used.)

This makes for a wonderful, satisfying dinner. Especially with a slice or two of fresh, home-made bread! And I'm looking forward to enjoying some of the leftovers with perogies tonight as well.

Bigos

Adapted from Applebaum, two different Polish Cookery recipes, and two family recipes

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. bacon grease (or lard), divided
• 400g back bacon, diced
• 450g stewing beef
• 300g kielbasa, diced
• 2 onions, chopped
• 6-7 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 c. white wine
• 1 1/2 c. water (or as needed), divided
• 2 bay leaves
• 12 allspice berries
• 1 cinnamon stick¹ (optional)
• 2 carrots, julienned or minced
• 20g dried procini mushrooms
• 1 cabbage, thinly sliced and chopped
• 900g sauerkraut, drained
• 1 c. pitted prunes, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground, divided

Directions

1. Melt 1 Tbsp. of the bacon grease over medium-high heat.
2. Add the bacon, beef, and keilbasa and cook, stirring as needed, to sear the outside.
3. Once the meat has some colour on all (or at least most) sides, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
4. Reduce heat to medium and add the remaining bacon grease.
5. Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened, stirring frequently (~10 minutes).
6. Add flour and cook, stirring frequently, until flour is no longer raw (~3 minutes).
7. Stir in wine, mix well, then add 1/2 c. of the water and stir to combine.
8. Add the bay leaves, allspice, and cinnamon (if using).
9. Add the carrots, mushrooms, another 1/2 c. of water, and as much of the cabbage as you can fit² and still have room for the meat.
10. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
11. Add the sauerkraut and prunes and return the meat to the pot.
12. Season with ~1/2 the pepper and (carefully) stir to combine. Add another 1/2 c. of water if it seems to need it, but be aware that the meat and cabbage will release some liquid as they cook.
13. Cover and simmer for ~1 hour, stirring occasionally.
14. If you couldn't fit all of the cabbage into the pot before, add the rest now if there's room.
15. Add more liquid if necessary (depending on whether you like a thick or brothy stew).
16. Cover and simmer for another hour (or longer if you have time), stirring occasionally and adding more water as necessary.
17. Add the remaining 1/4 tsp. of pepper and stir to combine. You may want to taste the broth at this point. Adjust the seasonings as necessary.
18. Serve with buttered bread.

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¹ None of the recipes called for any cinnamon and I didn't use any when I made my bigos. But after tasting it, I do think that a hint of cinnamon would go nicely with the other flavours, so I might try it out next time. ^Back
2 I could only fit ~1/2 the cabbage into the pot at this point, but I was able to add the rest later one the stew had cooked down a bit. Just be patient and let it simmer. ^Back

This is a nice tasty breakfast omelette. It's fairly hefty and symbol and I ended up splitting one omelette between us. I think with a larger skillet and more eggs you could easily scale it up to feed more (or hungrier) people. You could also cook in a larger skillet and the same number of eggs to get a thinner egg layer and higher filling to egg ratio, if desired.

The amount of avocado has been dialed back, since the recipe as written calls for twice as much and we could not physically fit that into the omelette.

Bacon, Avocado, and Brie Omelette

The Good Egg by Marie Simmons (p. 51)

Ingredients

• 2-3 large eggs
• 2 tbsp cold water
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp parsley, tarragon, chives, or similar (optional)
• 1-2 slices of bacon
• ¼ C avocado cut into 5mm cubes
• ¼ C brie cut into 5mm cubes

Directions

1. Whisk together eggs, water, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
2. Cook bacon in large skillet until crisp; remove, drain, and break up.
3. Pour off bacon grease from skillet, but do not wipe down, leaving a layer of bacon residue.
4. Return skillet to medium-low heat and add eggs.
5. Cook at low to medium-low heat until eggs are set on the bottom and just liquid at the top.
6. Add bacon, brie, and avocado (and herbs if using) to half the omelette. Cover and cook until toppings are heated though.
7. Fold over omelette to make a half circle, re-cover, and cook for a bit longer.
8. Flip omelette over and cook until eggs are fully set, then serve.

Blueberry-Bran Panakes

I ended up making a fair few changes to this recipe, so I just want to write down what I did before I forget.

The original recipe called for 3/4 c. of bran flakes cereal, but I only had OG all bran -- the one that comes as little bran sticks -- so I swapped that in, but used a bit less since I figured it probably had a higher packing fraction than the flakes did.

The original also called for two eggs whites and 2 tsp. of canola oil. I decided to just use one whole large egg instead. I figured that the original was probably written that way because 2 tsp. of oil came out to less points than an egg yolk did under the old points system. But now eggs (not just egg whites) are "free" and I liked the idea of egg in the batter better than oil. So I just rolled with that and left out the oil.

For the sugar, I decided to toss in 1/2 Tbsp. of the Splenda brown sugar blend that I got a while back rather than the 1 Tbsp. of granulated sugar called for.

And I opted to use a mix of different berries rather than just blueberries. Mostly because I had a bag of mixed berries in the freezer and I didn't particularly feel like trying to pick through it to get enough blueberries to make my pancakes. So most of them actually ended up being blackberry-bran pancakes. But I did end up doing a few blueberry- and mixed-berry-bran ones as well.

I also greased my pan with butter rather than using cooking spray. I didn't use much. I figure there was probably only ~1/2-3/4 of a tsp. used for the whole batch of pancakes.

Oh, and I guess the last little change I made was to top them with a "no sugar added" syrup in place of the icing sugar-- And, as I type that, I am reminded that I acutally meant to top them with fat-free cottage cheese and no sugar added syrup! Whoops! That probably would've solved the these-are-tasty-but-not-really-very-filling issue. Because I just ended up eating half a banana afterward to try to fill myself up a bit more since I was still pretty hungry even after 3 pancakes. Maybe next time I should top them with banana slices and cottage cheese and syrup...

Blueberry-Bran Pancakes

Adapted from Weight Watchers

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. All-Bran cereal
• 1 1/4 c. buttermilk
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1/2 Tbsp. Splenda brown sugar blend (or 1 Tbsp. brown sugar)
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• ~1/2 tsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2-3/4 c. frozen berries (preferably blueberries)
• 2 bananas, sliced
• 1/2 c. (fat-free) cottage cheese
• 2-3 Tbsp. "no sugar added" syrup (or maple syrup)

Directions

1. Combine the cereal, buttermilk, egg, and sugar and let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Sift in the flour, baking powder, and baking soda, then whisk to combine.
3. Heat a pan over medium-low heat.
4. Very lightly grease the pan with some of the butter.
5. Scoop a scant 1/4 c. of batter into the pan and press a few berries into it. Repeat to form as many pancakes as will comfortably fit in the pan.
6. Cook until the undersides are golden-brown and the top starts to look less wet.
7. Flip and cook on the other side until golden-brown.
8. Transfer cooked pancakes to a plate and repeat cooking process until you run out of batter. (Should make 10-12 pancakes.)
9. Top pancakes with banana slices, cottage cheese, and syrup and serve.

Kashmiri Shaami Kebab (Raisin-Stuffed Lamb Patties)

I picked up a pound of ground lamb on sale a few weeks back and it's been sitting in the freezer waiting for me to come up with something to do with it. This saucy stuffed lamb patty curry sounded delicious and was actually much easier to put together than I'd feared. A few of the patties came open during cooking, but most of them held their shape well and kept the filling neatly encased.

Kashmiri Shaami Kebab

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Patties

• 1/2 c. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 3 c. water
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 c. golden raisins
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2-3 fresh green Thai, serrano, or finger chilies
• 450g ground lamb
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. Kashmiri garam masala
• 1 Tbsp. oil

Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. mustard oil
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 c. golden raisins
• 400mL diced tomatoes¹
• 1 tsp. fennel seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

Patties

1. Rinse the peas very well, then add the water and bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat.
2. Skim off and discard any foam, then stir in the turmeric and reduce the heat to medium-low.
3. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until tender (~30 minutes).
4. Reserve 1 c. of cooking water from the peas.
5. Drain the peas and transfer them to a food processor² and pulse to mince.
6. Transfer the peas to a bowl and add the raisins, cilantro, and chilies to the food processor (or blender) and pulse to mince.³
7. Transfer the raisin mixture to a separate bowl.
8. Add the ground lamb to the bowl with the peas and mix in the salt and garam masala.
9. Take ~2 Tbsp. of the meat mixture and shape it into a flat disc. Place ~1 tsp. of the raisin mixture in the centre of the disc and fold it up over the filling to completely encase it. Shape into a ball and then flatten slightly into a small patty.
10. Repeat the above process with the remaining meat and filling.
11. heat the oil over medium heat.
12. Add a few of the patties and cook for ~5 minutes, flip, and cook for 5 minutes on the other side.
13. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining patties.

Sauce

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the garlic and raisins and stir-fry until the garlic browns a little and the raisins swell (2-4 minutes).
3. Add the tomato, fennel, ginger, chilies, and salt and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally for ~5 minutes.
4. Pour in the reserved cooking water from the split peas and bring to a boil.
5. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens (~5 minutes).
6. Transfer to a blender and purée.
7. Serve the lamb topped with sauce over a substrate of your choice.

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¹ The original recipe called for 1 large tomato. Even a very large tomato is probably going to produce significantly less than 400mL once it's cored and chopped, but I liked the idea of going a bit heavy on the tomatoes and having some extra sauce so I just used the whole tin. ^Back
2 I don't have a food processor, so I just used the "food chop" setting on my blender. The peas were soft enought that they ended up more puréed than minced, but it still seemed to work out fine. ^Back
3 I saved a bit of extra cooking water from the peas and added this as well since the blender was struggling to chop the ingredients without it. ^Back

These bran muffins were fantastic! I'm used to bran muffins being full of tonnes of oil and sugar, but these were pleasingly lean while still being moist. The high oven temperature worried me a bit, but I followed the recipe and they came out great! (I did add a few raisins to my muffins and swap out the white sugar for brown, but I didn't make any changes to the proportions or baking time or temperature.) I might consider adding a pinch of cinnamon next time, but they're honestly great just the way they are.

Bran Muffins

Slightly adapted form Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

• 1 c. soft (plain/standard/pastry) flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 1/2 c. wheat bran
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)
• 1/2-1 c. raisins (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter¹
• 1 Tbsp. golden syrup
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 c. milk
• 1 large egg

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) and grease a muffin tin (or line with papers).
2. Sift together the flour and baking powder.
3. Mix in the salt and the wheat bran.
4. Mix in the cinnamon and raisins (if using).
5. Melt the butter with the golden syrup and stir in the brown sugar.
6. In a separate container, mix the baking soda into the milk.
7. Pour the butter mixture, milk mixture, and egg into the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
8. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin.
9. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
10. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

---

¹ The original recipe presumably used salted butter since it doesn't specify what type and my understanding is that salted butter is always the default in NZ. I don't generally keep salted butter on hand though, so I just used unsalted and didn't bother reducing the salt called for in the recipe like I normally would. ^Back

I grabbed this recipe off the Weight Watchers website. I wanted something easy and relatively healthy as a little treat for dessert. Although next time I might try adding a banana either instead of or as well as the sweetener.

Cottage Cheese Chocolate Pudding

Slightly adapted from Weight Watchers

Ingredients

• 500mL fat-free cottage cheese
• 3 Tbsp. Splenda brown sugar blend
• 8 tsp. Dutched cocoa
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 banana (optional)
• 1/2-3/4 c. raspberries

Directions

1. Add cottage cheese, sweetener, cocoa, vanilla, and banana (if using) and purée until smooth.
2. Top with raspberries and serve.

I've been continuing to work my way through the Good Egg for breakfasts. This simple fried egg dish was delicious. We were all out of bread, so I served the eggs on toasted English muffin halves, which worked wonderfully. I did bump up the quantity of capers called for slightly and I fried the eggs in slightly less butter than called for since I knew I'd be adding lots of butter to make the sauce anyway. But I followed the recipe otherwise.

Eggs with Beurre Noir, Capers, and Parsley

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 3-4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 4 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 2-3 tsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1-2 Tbsp. capers¹
• 2-4 slices bread, toasted²

Directions

1. Warm two plates gently in the oven.
2. Melt 1/2-1 Tbsp. of the butter in a pan over medium-low heat.
3. When the butter sizzles, add the eggs one at a time. (Break into a cup first and then pour into the pan for best results.)
4. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes.
5. Once eggs reach desired doneness, transfer to warm plates and set aside.
6. Add the remaining 2-3 Tbsp. of butter to the pan and increase heat to medium.
7. Cook until butter browns (2-3 minutes).
8. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.
9. Pour the sauce over the eggs and garnish with parsley and capers.
10. Serve with toast.

---

¹ The original recipe calls for "small capes, rinsed and drained". My capers weren't particularly small, so I elected to chop them. I also didn't bother rinsing. I like the briny-ness! ^Back
2 You may opt to butter your toast if you like (as suggested in the original recipe), but I found that there was enough butter in the sauce and didn't feel that the bread required any additional butter. ^Back

I haven't been great at keeping up with posting recipes lately. Heck! I haven't been great at cooking recipes lately! It's been busy and the days have kind of gotten away from me. So, on the one hand, my recipe backlog isn't as long as you might expect considering how many days it's been since the last write-up. But, on the other hand, there've been a lot of last-minute scrambles and emergency fast food dinners lately. (And no bread in the house!) I'm going to try to get back on track, but I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment. But, in the meantime, I figured I could at least catch up on this frittata recipe that I tried out a few days ago.

This is yet another recipe courtesy of The Good Egg. And it made for an excellent way to use up some of our overgrown mint and the zucchinis that I bought during the last grocery shop and whose original purpose I can no longer remember. Great!

Unfortunately, I wasn't that big a fan of the actual frittata. It wasn't terrible, it just wasn't great. And there are a lot of great frittata recipes in this book. So I was a bit disappointed that this one fell a bit flat. But at least it bought us a few days of not having to worry about breakfast!

Zucchini and Red Onion Frittata with Goat Cheese and Mint

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 450g zucchini¹
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
• 1/3 c. chopped fresh mint
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 8 large eggs
• 1/4 c. milk
• 1/2 c. fresh goat cheese²

Directions

1. Trim each zucchini and quarter them lengthwise, then cut into 1cm slices.
2. Heat oil over medium heat.
3. Add the zucchini and onions and cook until zucchini is tender, but not mushy (5-6 minutes).
4. Add the mint and garlic (if using) and cook for another minute or two.
5. Add 1/4 tsp. of the salt and ~1/2 the pepper.
6. Beat the eggs with the milk and remaining salt and pepper.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour the egg mixture into the pan.
8. Cook for 4-5 minutes, then gently lift one edge of the frittata to let the raw egg flow under. Repeat at several points around the edge of the pan.
9. Reduce heat slightly, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
10. Sprinkle with crumbled cheese.
11. Transfer to broiler and cook, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes.

---

¹ The original recipe calls for 3-4 "medium" zucchini, but also says that they should come to ~1lb. total. I only had two zucchini -- both of which I would have considered medium-sized -- and they came to just over 1lb. So, I guess, go for smallish zucchini if you can find them, but otherwise just use what you have. Simmons suggests using a variety of colours and I just happened to have one green and one yellow, so that worked out well but, again, use what you have. ^Back
2 Simmons suggests ricotta salata or a mild feta as possible substitutes here. I used a mix of soft goat cheese and pressed cottage cheese. ^Back

Brussery (Sweet Potato and Plantain Curry in Coconut Sauce)

This is a nice vegetable side dish with a thick sauce, and goes well with both rice and flatbread.

Brussery

660 Curries by Raghavan Ayer (pp. 615-616)

Ingredients

• 1 (~225g) very firm large plantain, halved lengthwise, peeled, and cut into 2cm cubes
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
• ¼ C shredded dried coconut, reconsistuted¹
• ¼ C shredded dried coconut, as is
• 3 fresh green Thai chilis, stemmed
• 1 dry cayenne chili, stemmed
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp urad dal (skinned split black lentils)
• 12-15 fresh curry leaves
• salt for serving

Directions

1. Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Stir in the salt, turmeric, sweet potato, and plantain. Cover and return to a boil.
3. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until tender but still firm, 8-10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, scoop out ½ C of cooking water and combine, in a blender, with reconstituted coconut and both kinds of chilis. Purée.
5. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and cook until popped, ~30 seconds.
7. Uncover, add lentils, and stir-fry until they turn golden brown, 15-20 seconds.
8. Remove lentils and mustard seeds with a slotted spoon and stir them into the coconut-chili sauce.
9. Add remaining (dry) coconut and curry leaves to the remaining oil. Cook, stirring frequently, until curry leaves are dry and coconut browned, 3-5 minutes. Stir this too (including the oil) into the coconut-chili sauce.
10. When potato and plantain are cooked, drain reserving ½ C cooking water and return to the same pot. Add coconut-chili sauce and reserved cooking water and stir to combine. Finish with ¼-½ tsp salt, or top with salt at the table.

---

¹If you have fresh coconut, replace each ¼ C of dried coconut with ½ C shredded fresh coconut. ^Back
2 I like to use lots of footnotes. Sometimes I'll even add a footnote³ to a footnote. ^Back
3 I don't do this often. ^Back

Baati (crunchy steamed buns)

These were very confusing to me. I'm used to steamed buns being soft and fluffy, but these are steamed and then baked, leaving them dry and crunchy. They're meant to be used as a curry substrate in place of something like rice, broken up into crouton-sized chunks and then absolutely drenched in warm ghee.

Baati

660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer (pp. 739-740)

Ingredients

• 1 C roti flour (atta)
• 2 tbsp chickpea flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• ¼ C warm water

Directions

1. Mix together both flours, salt, sugar, baking soda, and cumin in a medium bowl.
2. Drizzle in oil and mix evenly with your hands.
3. Slowly mix in the water until the dough comes together to form a ball.
4. Knead the ball until it is smooth and stiff. Work in a bit more flour if it's too wet.
5. Roll it into a 12-inch log and cut into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, roughly the size of a lime.
6. Make an indentation in the top of each ball with your finger, cover with plastic wrap or a damp cloth, and let stand 30 minutes.
7. Arrange in a steamer and steam until they are opaque and spring back when poked, 15-20 minutes.
8. Remove from the steamer and bake at 350°F until dark brown and crusty, 30-40 minutes.
9. Serve broken into pieces, drenched with ghee, and topped with curry.

I got a new bread book!

We went to the Friends of the Guelph Public Library Annual Book Sale on Friday and came home with a whole bunch of new books. I got mostly cookbooks -- including my very own copy of Pleyn Delit and this gigantic and excellent-looking bread tome by Bernard Clayton. It looks like it came out around the same time as the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, but has a much broader focus. While Laurel's Kitchen focuses exclusively on whole grains, Clayton's book seems to have a bit of everything in it: white, whole wheat, barley, rye, corn, buckwheat, oat, potato... there's even a whole chapter just on croissants and brioche! And another (quite substantial) chapter dedicated exclusively to French and Italian breads.

The recipes are fairly Eurocentric (and American), with lots of focus in the British Isles, France, Italy, Germany, etc. and only a handful of recipes from the Middle East and India and none whatsoever from Africa or Oceania. (I was very hopeful that I might have lucked into a clear r&emacron;wena bug care guide when I saw there were instructions for two different potato starters in the book, but neither of them look quite right to be r&emacron;wena.) Still, I've been enjoying leafing through the book a great deal and I appreicate the variety of different breads included -- even if it isn't a comprehensive tour of the world of bread.

I ended up making this unusual batter bread almost immediately after bringing the book home. It is a yeasted batter, made with 100% whole wheat flour, that only needs to rise for 30 minutes before baking. Which makes this an incredibly quick recipe to throw together (by bread standards) and allowed me to have bread on the table for dinner, despite not starting it until ~90 minutes before we were sitting down to eat!

This makes a fairly soft, moist bread with a moderately thick crust. The flavour is not outstanding, but it's a perfectly good, uncomplicated whole wheat loaf that makes a pleasant backdrop or accompaniment for soups and stews and holds up well enough to sop up broth and tasty morsels. And the Kidlet reports that it holds up well in sandwiches too!

Batter Whole Wheat Bread

Slightly adapted Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads

Ingredients

• 750g hard (strong/high grade/bread) whole wheat flour
• 50g sugar
• 1 Tbsp. (~17g) coarse sea salt
• 4 tsp. active dry yeast (or 3 tsp. instant yeast)
• 3 1/2 c. water @ 50°C (~125°F)

Directions

1. Grease two loaf pans¹.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast and mix well.
3. Pour in the water and mix well, stirring ~50 strokes to combine into a soft batter.
4. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, press it into the corners, and smooth it out. (Wet your fingers and use them to direct the batter if necessary.)
5. Cover and ferment at room temperature for ~30 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
7. Once the batter has risen (it should double in size), uncover and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 15 minutes.
8. Reduce heat to 180°C (350°F), rotate the pans, and continue baking for another 35-45 minutes.
9. Remove from pans and transfer to a wire rack to cool.

---

¹ The original recipe called for two 8x4" (20x10cm) loaf pans. I used 1 8x4" pan and one 8.5x4.5" pan. The smaller of the two overflowed and the larger one nearly did. I think I'll use one 8.5x4.5" and one 9x5" next time. ^Back

This is the cake that TF wanted for her birthday last year. It's an unusual cake that gets cooked in a large rimmed baking sheet rather than a cake pan and iced while it's still hot out of the oven. Unfortunately, our baking sheets were both a bit too small and I didn't want to go out and get a new one just for this, so I chickend out and asked her to pick something else instead. I was feeling a little braver this year though, so I decided to give it a go!

I actually managed to fit all of the batter into one of our 11x17" baking sheets and it cooked beautifully with no overflow or spilling at all. I couldn't quite fit all of the icing on top afterward, but it was fine otherwise.

Also, it's important to note that not only can you ice this cake hot, you must ice it hot! I was a bit off in my timings and too slow to get the icing on the cake after it came out of the oven, so it ended up just settling on top of the cake rather than soaking in like the recipe said it should. It was still delicious, just not quite as dense and brownie-like as promised.

Photo goes here.

Texas Sheet Cake

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

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 c. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 3 large eggs¹
• 1/4 c. sour cream²
• 1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 225g dark chocolate, chopped
• 1/2 c. oil³
• 3/4 c. water
• 1/2 c. Dutched (alkalized) cocoa powder
• 1/4 c. unsalted butter

Icing

• 1/2 c. unsalted butter
• 1/2 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 1/2 c. Dutched (alkalized) cocoa powder
• 1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
• 340g icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 1 c. pecans, toasted and chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease an 18x13" (46x33cm) rimmed baking sheet.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, applesauce, and vanilla.
4. Heat the chocolate, oil, water, cocoa, and butter over medium heat, stirring ocasionally, until melted and smooth (3-5 minutes).
5. Pour the chocolate mixture into the flour mixture and whisk to combine.
6. Add the egg mixture and whisk to combine.
7. Pour into the prepared baking sheet and bake until cake tests done (~18 minutes).
8. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
9. While the cake is baking: Heat the butter, cream, cocoa, and corn syrup for the icing over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth.
10. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar⁴ and vanilla.
11. Make sure you have the icing ready to go as soon as the cake comes out of the oven (but don't get it ready so early that it has time to cool before the cake is done). Check the cake for doneness and as soon as it's ready pour the icing over it and spread in an even layer.
12. Sprinkle with the chopped toasted pecans and allow to cool on a wire rack for ~1 hour.
13. Transfer cooled cake to fridge for an hour or so before slicing to ensure that the icing is fully set.

---

¹ The original recipe called for 2 large eggs + 2 yolks, but we're actually running a bit low on eggs now that the chickens are slowing down for the fall/winter and I also didn't really want to faff around with separating eggs and storing the leftover whites and whatnot, so I just used 3 whole eggs instead. ^Back
2 I forgot to get sour cream, so I just swapped in 1/4 c. of Greek yogurt instead. The flavour is a bit different than sour cream, but it's still an acidic cultured dairy product, so it gets the job done. And the flavour difference isn't really noticeable in a cake like this anyway. It worked out fine. And, if you're watching your weight, swapping in FF Greek yogurt can be a good way to cut a few calories! ^Back
3 The original recipe calls for 3/4 c. vegetable oil. That sounded like A LOT of oil to me, so cut it back to just 1/2 c. of oil and made up the difference with 1/4 c. of applesauce stirred into the egg mixture. Next time I might even try swapping the proportions (1/4 c. of oil + 1/2 c. of applesauce). Obviously that won't exactly turn this cake into health food, but it should at least make it marginally less unhealthy. ^Back
4 I sifted the icing sugar into the hot mixture because I didn't want to it be lumpy, but I think this allowed it to cool too much. Next time I'd either dispense with the sifting or sift it in advance and have it all ready to go once the rest of the icing ingredients are hot. ^Back

This write-up is long overdue. I baked this cake for TM back in July 2020! I kept telling myself that I'd get around to doing the write-up "soon". And we all know how that goes! So here we are 3+ years later, and I still haven't managed to get this recipe posted yet. Time to fix that!

So, I have to admit, it's been too long for me to remember a lot of the specifics of making this cake. I remember it going over well; everyone seemed to like it. And I don't remember having any particular difficulties with it. But that's about all I can tell you. (And this is why I should do recipe write-ups right away and not try to post them years later. Oh well...)

Wellesley Fudge Cake

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

Ingredients

Cake

• 2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 3/4 c. hot water
• 1/2 c. natural cocoa powder
• 1 c. unsalted butter, cut into 1-Tbsp. pieces
• 2 c. sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

Icing

• 1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 c. evaporated milk, divided
• 1/2 c. unsalted butter, cut into 1-Tbsp. pieces and softened and divided
• 225g dark chocolate, chopped
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 340g icing (confectioners'/powdered) sugar, sifted

Directions

Cake

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease and flour two 8" (20cm) square pans.
2. Sift the baking soda and baking powder into the flour and mix in the salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the cocoa into the hot water until smooth.
4. Cream the butter with the sugar until pale and fluffy (~3 minutes with an electric mixer).
5. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
6. Mix in ~1/3 of the flour mixture followed by ~1/2 of the buttermilk. Repeat with 1/2 the remaining flour followed by all of the remaining buttermilk.
7. Mix in the last portion of flour.
8. Slowly add the cocoa mixture followed by the vanilla.
9. If you've been using an electric mixer up to this point, give the batter a final stir by hand and make sure there are no pockets of flour or uneven mixing.
10. Pour the batter into the prepared pans.
11. Bake at 180°C (350°F) until akes test done (25-30 minutes).
12. Remove from oven and transfer to wire racks to cool for 15 minutes.
13. After 15 minutes remove the cakes from their pans and allow to cool on wire racks for another 2 hours.

Icing

1. Heat the brown sugar over medium heat with the salt, 1/2 c. of the milk, and 1/4 c. of the butter until small bubbles being to appear (4-8 minutes).
2. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until large bubbles form and mixture thickens (~6 minutes).
3. Transfer to a bowl and stir in remaining 1/2 c. of evaporated milk and 1/4 c. of butter.
4. Stir in chocolate and vanilla and mix until smooth.
5. Mix in icing sugar.
6. Let cool, stirring occasionally, for ~1 hour.

Assembly

1. Place one of the ake layers on a platter and spread ~1 c. of icing evenly over the top.
2. Place the second layer on top and press gently to stick them together.
3. Scoop the remaining icing onto the cake and spread it evenly over the top and sides.
4. Transfer to the fridge and chill until icing is set (~1 hour).

Confession time: I was doing this in a hurry and I kind of messed up. The cream sauce for the carrots is meant to be thickened with a slurry of milk and flour. I meant to whisk 1/2 Tbsp. to a Tbsp. of flour into 2-3 Tbsp. of milk, but I had a brain fart and went and used 2 Tbsp. of flour instead. This resulted in a very thick, somewhat stodgy sauce. It's not awful, but it's not great either. So, note-to-self: make sure to use way less flour next time!

Photo goes here.

STEWED CARROTS
Cut the carrots lengthwise and boil till tender in salted water. Drain. Make sauce with 2 tablespoons butter in saucepan, 1 cup sweet cream, salt and pepper to taste, pour over the carrots, stirring gently once or twice. Mix a little flour with cold milk and add to hot cream to thicken--Mrs. R. Sommerville.

Stewed Carrots

Adapted from The Cook Book; recipe by Mrs. R. Sommerville

Ingredients

• 6-8 carrots, peeled and cut into coins¹
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt²
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 c. half-and-half (10%) or table (18%) cream
• salt³ and pepper, to taste
• 1/16 tsp. ground nutmeg (optional)
• 2-3 Tbsp. milk
• 1/2 Tbsp. flour

Directions

1. Put the carrots and salt in a small pot and add enough water to completely cover the carrots.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
3. Reduce heat to medium and cook until carrots are tender.
4. Drain carrots and set aside.
5. Add the butter to the now empty pot and melt over medium heat.
6. Add the cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add a small pinch of nutmeg if desired.
7. Whisk the flour into the milk. Once the cream is hot and steaming (but not boiling) pour in the milk slurry and cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens.
8. Return the carrots to the pot and stir to coat.
9. Continue cooking until everything is well-mixed and heated through.

---

¹ Yes, the original recipe says to cut them lengthwise, but I like coins better, so I did them that way. ^Back
2 I think I used ~3/4 tsp. salt in the water for my carrots and that seemed like it may have been a bit too much, so I've cut it back to 1/2 tsp. here. Adjust according to your own tastes. ^Back
3 Since I already had a packet of onion soup mix open for my spaghetti and hamburger steak I just used a bit of that in place of the salt here. I think I put in a slightly generous 1/2 tsp. for the sauce. ^Back

The Kidlet and I visited a museum in South Baymouth while we were waiting for the ferry a few months ago. They had a whole bunch of books for sale, including several cookbooks. Two of the cookbooks were modern recipe collections compiled from locals. Flipping through was pretty nostalgic for me as a lot of the recipes looked like things that I remembered my mother and grandmother cooking when I was a kid. The third cookbook was a bit different. It was also a collection of write-in recipes, but they were all much older and interspersed with general cooking and diet advice as well as ads from various Manitoulin Island businesses -- all from the turn of the (20th) century. As best I can tell, the whole cookbook is a reprint of some earlier cookbook. The little info page that has been added in the front just informs me that my purchase goes to fund the ongoing research of the Michael's Bay Historical Society and that it is "a historical cook book of 1920's".

So, while I'm not sure of the exact dates and provenance of the recipes, it is a lovely snapshot of early 20th c. ads, businesses, and attitudes. It's not as nostalgic for me as the more modern recipes, but that's part of why I got it! I already know how to make a lot of those recipes from my childhood and, for the ones I don't, I can ask my mom. The recipes in "The Cook Book" are much more unfamiliar to me. So, if I was only going to get one book, this pretty much had to be it.

Now, in a lot of cases the recipes are pretty sparse on details. They leave out things like quantities or cooking instructions or simply tell you to "bake in a slow oven", etc. But that's okay. That's honestly part of the fun of working with older recipes. The other problem, of course, is that some of the recipes sound truly vile¹. And many of the ones that don't just sound a bit bland. But I'd still like to try out at least some of them! And this relatively inoffensive spaghetti recipe seemed like a decent place to start.

Because this is a historical recipe that requires some degree of interpretation, I've included a transcript of the the original text below and then my rendition of the recipe below that.

SPAGHETTI AND HAMBURGER STEAK
1 pkg. of spaghetti, 1/2 lb. of Hamburger steak, 1/2 can of tomatoes, 1/2 onion chopped fine, 1/4 lb. of grated cheese, 1/2 Tbsp. of butter. Boil spaghetti till tender. Let Hamburger steak, tomatoes and onion simmer together for 30 minutes, then add cheese and butter and simmer 15 minutes longer. Make a nest of the spaghetti on platter and pour meat mixture into it. Mushrooms added at the same time as cheese improve flavour.--Mrs. K. R. Montizambert.

Spaghetti and Hamburger Steak

Adapted from The Cook Book; recipe by Mrs. K. R. Montizambert

Ingredients

• 450g extra-lean ground beef²
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 4 tsp. onion soup mix
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 100g mushrooms³, chopped (optional)
• 1 (800mL) can diced tomatoes
• 150mL tomato paste⁴
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 225g mild cheddar, grated
• ~400g spaghetti, spaghettini, or capellini
• chile flakes, to serve (optional)

Directions

1. Cook the beef over medium-low heat for 5-6 minutes.
2. Increase the heat to medium, add the onion, and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
3. Add the pepper, soup mix, garlic, and mushrooms (if using), and cook for 10 minutes more.
4. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, uncovered, for 30-60 minutes.
5. Stir in the butter, then add the cheese and cook for another 15-20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, cook the pasta.
7. Drain the pasta and transfer to a serving platter, making a nest into which to pour the sauce.
8. Pour the sauce into the pasta nest.
9. Top with chile flakes (if desired) and serve.

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¹ Banana and celery salad, anyone? ^Back
2 Based on this recipe's presence in the "Luncheon Dishes" chapter of the cookbook, I suspect that this sauce is meant to be made with leftover hamburger steaks from dinner the night before. I didn't want to have to make hamburger steaks just to make this though, so I started with a pound of raw ground beef and just added a bit of garlic, black pepper, and onion soup mix to approximate hamburger steak. ^Back
3 I didn't end up using any mushrooms in mine, but I do think it would be tasty with some fungus in. I'd probably go for either cremini, oyster, or shiitake although white/button mushrooms would also be fine and probably more in line with what the recipe author was expecting when she suggested "mushrooms". ^Back
4 According to the original recipe, this was just meant to be done with a tin of tomatoes, hamburger steak, and an onion. No tomato paste. But I wanted to add a little more richness and body to the sauce, so I decided to toss in a tin of tomato paste that I had sitting in the pantry. I like the effect that this had on the sauce, but feel free to try it without the tomato paste if you'd like to stay truer to the original recipe or just prefer a somewhat thinner, lighter sauce. ^Back

I desperately need to do a grocery shop but, in the meantime, I've been going through the egg book and the curry book looking for relatively low-effort things that I can make with pantry items. This preparation of hard-boiled eggs caught my eye. Unlike most of the others in the book -- which either require stuffing the eggs or turning them into some sort of egg salad that needs to be served on bread (which we don't have right now) -- this one just has you halve the boiled eggs and then simmer them in a bit of oil and vinegar before topping them with seasoned breadcrumbs. And that is exactly the kind of quick and easy recipe that I've been looking for!

Sardinian-Style Hard-Boiled Eggs

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 2-4 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar¹
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 6 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
• 2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp. dried)
• 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary (or 1/4 tsp. dried)
• 1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning (optional)
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. panko breadcrumbs²
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Combine the oil, vinegar, and salt in a pan over medium-low heat.
2. Add the egg halves and cook gently, carefully turning every so often, until the vinegar has evaporated.
3. Remove the eggs from the pan, leaving as much of the oil as possible.
4. Add the parsley, thyme, rosemary, Italian seasoning (if using), and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the breadcrumbs and cook, stirring occasionally, until the breadcrumbs are golden (3-4 minutes).
6. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the eggs and season to taste with salt and pepper.

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¹ The original recipe called for 1/4 c. of olive oil and 4 tsp. of vinegar. I decided to decrease the oil to 2 Tbsp. because I'm trying to watch my weight, but I also bumped the vinegar up to 2 Tbsp. because I really like vinegar. I'm happy with the results, so I'll probably continue to do it this way in the future. ^Back
2 Simmons calls for 1/3 c. fresh breadcrumbs here, but notes that she has increased the quantity of breadcrumbs from what was given in the recipe she was referencing. I used 1/3 c. panko for my version and it was great, but I think 1/4 c. would've been plenty. ^Back

I was looking for something to make for dessert tonight and decided to give the brownie recipe from Edmonds a try. I haven't tasted it yet, but TF and the Kidlet both report that it's very good.

When I was mixing it up, the batter seemed a bit stiffer than I tought was ideal, but the results seem fine, so maybe this is just an unusually thick batter. That said, some of my eggs were a bit on the small side, so it's also possible that that shifted the proportions a bit as well. I might try adding either an extra egg or just a splash of milk or something next time (unless I'm dealing with larger eggs, of course). Either way, the final product seemed rich and dark and chocolatey, so I'm happy overall.

Chocolate Brownie

Slightly adapted from Edmonds Cookery Book

Ingredients

• 150g butter¹, melted
• 1 c. cocoa
• 4 large eggs
• 2 c. sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 3/4 c. soft (plain/standard/pastry) flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 250g dark chocolate, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F) and grease a 23x33cm (9x13") pan².
2. Stir the cocoa into the melted butter.
3. Beat the eggs in, one at a time.
4. Mix in the sugar and the vanilla.
5. Sift in the flour and the baking powder.
6. Stir in the chocolate.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer.
8. Bake at 160°C (325°F) for 35-40 minutes.
9. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting or removing from tin.

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¹ My understanding is that when Edmonds just says "butter" without specifying whether it should be salted or unsalted, it should be understood as salted butter. However, my default butter these days is unsalted butter, so I just used that. I probably should've added a pinch of salt in to compensate for the unsalted butter, but I forgot. ^Back
2 The original recipe called for an 18x27cm tin, but I don't have any tins that size and, as far as I know, that isn't a standard size here. (At least, I've certainlly never heard of that size before now.) So, my options were: 20cm (8") square tins, a 23x33cm (9x13") tin, or one or more of my various round tins. If you end up going with a different tin, you may find that you need to adjust your baking times somewhat. Check often and be careful not to overbake! ^Back

Vendakkai Kozhumbu (Okra Sambhar)

Today got off to a bit of a late start and I was left scrambling to put together a meal plan and assemble a dinner for tonight. As I often do when I'm in a bind for dinner plans, I picked a couple simple curries that I could make with ingredients on hand and decided to give 'em a whirl!

I've had sambhars once or twice before, but not often. I've found that they can be a little hit-or-miss for me, so I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. Doubly so since its main ingredients is okra which isn't something I have a lot of experience with. It was actually pretty good though! It wasn't as good as the other curry we made tonight, but it was solid. And now that I've had a chance to sit down and think about the flavours a bit, it occurs to me that adding some hot pickles probably would've helped fill in some of the missing notes for me since I did feel like it needed slightly more heat and acidity.

Vendakkai Kozhumbu

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. skinned split pigeon peas (toovar dal)
• 5 c. water, divided
• 350-450g okra¹
• 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. tamarind concentrate
• 1 Tbsp. sambhar masala
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. ground asafetida
• 15 fresh or frozen curry leaves
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Thoroughly rinse the pigeon peas, then cover with 2 c. of the water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Skim off any foam, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for ~20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, if using fresh okra, rinse and thoroughly dry the pods, then carefully cut the caps off (without cutting into the pods), and then cut each pod into 2-3cm pieces.
4. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add the mustard seeds to the oil, cover, and cook until they've stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
6. Add the okra and stir-fry for ~5 minutes.
7. Add the onion and stir-fry for another 5 minutes or so.
8. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two.
9. Stir the tamarind, sambhar masala, salt, turmeric, asafetida, and curry leaves into the remaining water and add this mixture to the pan.
10. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for ~8 minutes.
11. Once the pigeon peas are cooked, transfer the legumes and their cooking water to a blender and purée.
12. Pour the pigeon pea slurry into the pan with the okra, stir in the cilantro, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
13. Serve over rice with pickles and/or flatbreads of your choice. Drizzle with ghee if desired.

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¹ Iyer calls for 450g of whole fresh okra which you then wash, trim, and cut into pieces before cooking. I had a 350g bag of okra pieces in the freezer, so I just used that. ^Back

I enjoyed these eggs, but I'd like to give the recipe another try at some point. They were good, but not as good as they could've been. I was juggling too many things at once and I ended up reducing the vinegar a bit too much so it didn't make as smooth as sauce as it was supposed to and the eggs ended up a bit overcooked because they were being kept warm in the oven while I tried to get the toast ready. Still good, just not optimal.

Fried Eggs with Malt Vinegar and Butter Sauce

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 3-5 Tbsp. unsalted butter¹, cut into 1/2 Tbsp. pieces
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 c. malt vinegar
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 slices toast

Directions

1. Warm a large plate (or 2-4 smaller plates) in the oven.
2. Meanwhile, melt some butter (see footnote 1) over medium-low heat.
3. When the butter sizzles, carefully crack an egg into a cup and pour into the pan. Repeat with remaining 3 eggs.
4. Reduce heat to low and fry for 1 minute.
5. Cover and cook until yolks are desired doneness (3-5 minutes).
6. Transfer eggs to warm plate(s).
7. Add the vinegar to the now empty pan and increase heat to high.
8. Boil until reduced to 2-3 Tbsp. (1-2 minutes).
9. Remove from heat and add butter, one piece at a time, swirling to melt between additions.
10. Drizzle the sauce over the eggs, season with salt and pepper, and serve with toast.

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¹ The original recipe calls for cooking the eggs in 2 Tbsp. of butter and then using an additional 3 Tbsp. to make the saue. I ended up cooking the eggs in just 1/2 a Tbsp. of butter and then using the full 3 Tbsp. for the sauce. I'd be tempted to try reducing the butter in the sauce a little bit next time too though. Especially if I actually managed to get the vinegar reduction right. I figure I could try it with 3 Tbsp. overall: 1/2-1 Tbsp. for cooking the eggs and then the remaining 2-2 1/2 for the sauce. ^Back

Eggs in Purgatory (from The Good Egg)

I've made eggs in purgatory before. For that one, I followed the America's Test Kitchen recipe. And it was delicious! But, because I can be a bit of a completionist sometimes, I wanted to try the eggs in purgatory recipe that shows up in The Good Egg. It uses a lot less garlic and pepper flakes and more tomato, but no tomato paste. I think I prefer the ATK version overall; Simmons rendition is much milder and not as punchy. They both make for a nice breakfast though. And I appreciated her suggestion to add a bit of sausage to the mix. If you like more subtle flavours, then this might be the recipe for you. Otherwise, I recommend going with the ATK version and just adding a bit of sausage to it if that moves you.

Eggs in Purgatory

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg

Ingredients

• 2 (800mL) cans of tomatoes (whole or diced)
• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (~1/2 c.)
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 250g Italian sausage, casings removed (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. (or more) red pepper flakes¹
• 2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 8 large eggs²
• 8 slices toast (preferrably made with Italian bread)
• grated romano, to serve

Directions

1. Pass the tomatoes (and their juices) through a food mill and discard the solids.³
2. Heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and pepper flakes and cook for another minute or so.
5. Add the sausage (if using) and cook for 4-5 minutes, breaking it up as it cooks.
6. Add the tomatoes, parsley, basil, and oregano and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat slightly and simmer, uncovered, until thickened (40-50 minutes).
8. Stir in the salt and pepper and adjust seasonings to taste.
9. Make a well in the sauce, break and egg into a cup, and then carefully pour the egg into the sauce well.
10. Repeat with 3 more eggs.
11. Cover and cook until eggs reach desired doneness (4-6 minutes).
12. Place a slice of toast on a soup plate or shallow bowl, place an egg on top, surround with extra sauce, and top with cheese.
13. Repeat the cooking and serving process with the remaining 4 eggs or save the remaining sauce and cook more eggs fresh the next day.

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¹ The original recipe only calls for 1/4 tsp. of pepper flakes, but I found that left the sauce with only the tiniest hint of detectable heat, so I doubled the quantity. Even with 1/2 tsp. it was still very mild with only a gentle bit of spice, but it was enough to at least register as having spice. She suggests passing pepper flakes at the table for people who want more heat, but I would be inclined to add even more chile flakes to the sauce itself next time. Follow your heart. ^Back
2 Apparently this amount of sauce is meant to be for only 4 eggs, but it makes a HUGE quantity -- especially if you add the sausage! -- so I've suggested more eggs to balance things out. I get the impression that Simmons' version is meant to be almost like a tomato soup with some egg and toast in rather than eggs on toast with a bit of sauce. That said, I did skip the food mill step. I know that discarding the tomato solids would have cut down on the sauce volume, but I still think that there would've been enough sauce for at least six or eight eggs! ^Back
3 Full disclosure: I totally skipped this step. I just used two cans of diced tomatoes and mashed them up a bit as they cooked because a) I don't have a food mill and b) I hate to throw away the solids. I know it changes the texture of the sauce and the proprotions of the ingredients a bit, but I didn't mind the chunky sauce and seasonings can always be adjusted. Feel free to swap in crushed tomatoes instead of whole or diced if you want a smoother sauce, but also don't want to both with a food mill. You can also use an immersion blender to puree the tomatoes right in the can. I probably should've done that for mine, but I forgot it was an option until just now. Whoops! ^Back