I picked up a copy of Pleyn Delit a couple of years ago. It's a great book full of medieval recipes. I've been wanting to try some out for ages, but I kept just not quite getting around to it. But, with our annual Labour Day get together this year, I finally found the motivation to give it a go!

I picked out a salad, a very interesting steamed chicken dish, and a poached pear recipe. And they were all excellent! This salad was so interesting. It's basically all greens. Lots and lots of herbs in addition to what I tend to think of as salad greens.

The original recipe called for parsely, sage, "green garlic", "chibolles" (which I would have assumed were chives, but the authors of Pleyn Delit indicate were actually green onions), onions, leeks, borage, mint, "porrettes" (small leeks), fennel, watercress, rue, rosemary, and purslane. These are washed, torn, and dressed with a simple combination of oil, vinegar, and salt.

The modern interpretation recommends making it with a combination of leaf lettuce, spinach, borage or radish leaves, watercress, parsley, sage, chives, fennel, mint, green onions, sweet onions and/or leeks, and savoury and/or tarragon. This made for a lovely mix! I loved all the herbs! It was very different, but absolutely delicious!

Original Recipe

Take persel, sawge, grene garlec, chibolles, oynouns, leek, borage, myntes, porrettes, fenel, and toun cressis, rew, rosemarye, purslrye; lave and waische hem clene. Pike hem. Pluk hem small wiþ þyn honde, and myng hem wel with rawe oile; lay on vyneger and salt, and serve it forth.

Photo goes here.

Salat

Slightly adapted from Pleyn Delit: Medieval Cookery for Modern Cooks by Constance B. Hieatt, Brenda Hosington, and Sharon Butler

Ingredients

• 2 handfuls of leaf lettuce
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 1 handful borage or radish leaves
• 1 handful of watercress¹
• 1 small bulb of fennel, thinly sliced
• 1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fennel fronds or dill
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives or garlic chives
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
• 1 tsp. fresh tarragon
• 1 tsp. fresh savoury (optional)
• 3-6 green onions, sliced
• 1 small Vidalia or red onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 small leeks, very well washed and thinly sliced (optional)
• 1/3 c. olive oil
• ~1/4 c. vinegar (preferably red wine vinegar)
• ~1/2 Tbsp. salt
• freshly ground pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the lettuce, spinach, borage/radish leaves, watercress, fennel, parsley, fennel fronds/dill, chives/garlic chives, sage, mint, tarragon, savoury (if using), green onions, sweet onion, and leeks (if using).
2. Add the olive oil and toss to combine.
3. Have guests drizzle their portion of salad with a little of the vinegar and some of the salt and pepper (if using) at the table.
   

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¹ I will admit that I omitted both the borage and the watercress for my rendition. It was still delicious. But I'd love to try it with an even wider variety of greens sometime. ^Back

I've made a lot of different macs & cheeses over the years. This one was particularly nice. Probably not my all-time favourite, but it was quite good. I liked it a lot. And so did the Kidlet.

Truffled Mac & Cheese

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 450g maccaroni or similar short pasta
• 2 tsp. truffle oil¹
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon or Roman mustard
• 2 1/2 c. milk
• 1/2 c. heavy (35%) cream
• 180g gruyère, grated
• 180g Cheddar, grated
• 2 Tbsp. minced chives²
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Add the pasta and cook until molto al dente (~2 minutes less than you would normally cook it).
3. Drain and toss with the truffle oil. Set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and grease a 23x33cm (9x13") baking dish.
5. Return the empty pot to medium heat and melt the butter.
6. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until a light roux forms (~3 minutes).
7. Stir in the paprika and mustard.
8. Add the milk and cream and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes smooth and thickens slightly (~5 minutes).
9. Stir in ~2/3 of each of the cheeses³ and chives and cook until cheese melted and mixture becomes smooth.
10. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. Return the oiled pasta to the pot and stir to combine.
12. Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish.
13. Sprinkle the remaining cheeses on top.
14. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 20-25 minutes.
15. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

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¹ The recipe didn't specify whether to use black or white truffle oil. I had a small bottle of black truffle oil already open though, so I just went with that. It was good, but I'm not sure how much the truffle actually came through in the end. I do think it helped to augment the flavour of the gruyère though. So it wasn't wasted. Just a bit more subtle than I was expecting. ^Back
2 I didn't have any chives, so I stirred a generous tablespoon of dried leeks into my sauce instead. ^Back
3 Whoops! I forgot to hold back any cheese for the topping! I just put it all into the sauce. It was still delicious! No complaints. But it would probably look a little more special with some extra cheese on top. I'll try to remember to do that next time. ^Back

They had whole, gutted and gilled salmon available at the grocery store here yesterday. They looked beautiful and fresh. And, notably, were about half the price per unit mass as the salmon fillets. So, given that, I figured I might as well just get a whole salmon and figure out how to cook it for dinner.

I did a mash-up of two different recipes for it. For cooking instructions, I followed a Jamie Oliver recipe that I found online. But I used the seasoning and side veggies from one of the Dish of the Day recipes. That one called for braising salmon fillets in a mixture of white wine and vegetable stock and then serving it with sautéed asparagus, leeks, and peas. For mine, I baked the salmon (and potatoes) as per Jamie Oliver, but stuffed it with leeks and lemon and then more-or-less braised the veggies to serve with it. It worked out quite well and we were all very happy with the results and looking forward to the leftovers tonight!

Roasted Whole Salmon with Potatoes and Spring Vegetables

Adapted from Jamie Oliver and Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 whole gutted and gilled salmon (~2kg)
• 1-2kg potatoes, sliced ~5mm thick
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 2 leeks, divided
• 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives (or 1 Tbsp. dried), divided
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon (or 1/2 Tbsp. dried), divided
• 2-3 Tbsp. oil, divided
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 500g asparagus, trimmed
• 1/4 c. white wine
• 1/4 c. vegetable stock
• 2 c. fresh or frozen green peas

Directions

1. If the salmon still has its scales, you will want to descale it. This is a messy process. Put down some towels or paper and be prepared for scales to go flying everywhere. Drag the back of a knife from tail to head at a 45° angle. Repeat all over the fish until you've removed as many scales as possible. Rinse the fish and your knife and do another pass or two until it feels like all of the scales have been removed.
2. Rinse the fish again, then dry thoroughly with a towel. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 250°C (475°F) and oil a large roasting pan.
4. Add the potatoes and onion to the pan, drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of the oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Rub the fish all over with the remaining oil and place it on top of the potatoes.
6. Trim the leeks, halve lengthwise, wash very well, and slice.
7. Zest the lemon.
8. Combine the lemon zest with half of the leeks, 4-5 tsp. of the chives, 2 tsp. of the tarragon, and a bit of salt and pepper and toss to combine.
9. Stuff as much of the leek mixture as possible into the salmon. Allow any excess stuffing to spill out onto the potatoes.
10. Slice the lemon and stuff some of the slices into the fish.
11. Make a few gashes in the skin of the fish.
12. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over it, making sure to get some into the gashes.
13. Place any remaining slices of lemon on top of the salmon (preferably over the gashes if possible).
14. Bake at 250°C (475°F) for 15 minutes.
15. Reduce temperature to 180°C (350°F) and bake for another 30 minutes.
16. Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat.
17. Add the remaining leeks and sauté until softened (3-5 minutes).
18. Add the asparagus and cook for another minute or so.
19. Add the wine, stock, remaining tarragon, remaining chives, and salt and pepper to taste; cover; and cook for 2-3 minutes.
20. Add the peas and cook until vegetables are heated through and just tender (another 2-3 minutes).
21. Serve the salmon and potatoes with the vegetables on the side.

I've been meaning to try this recipe for ages. I keep telling myself that I'm going to do it and then bailing and making something else instead. For whatever reason, I just find it difficult to motivate myself to cook a steak first thing in the morning. Even though it's not really any more difficult or time-consuming than a lot of the other breakfast stuff that I've made. Not sure why. It just doesn't seem to jive with my brain.

I finally sucked it up and did it though! And, I gotta say, it was pretty tasty. I mean, I don't think it's going to become my new favourite breakfast or anything, but it was good! And TF enjoyed it too. (The Kidlet didn't really like the steak and just ate the eggs and toast, but still... two out of three ain't bad!)

Steak and Eggs

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 1 large (~700g) T-bone or porterhouse steak
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground and divided
• 280g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp. dried)
• 8 large eggs
• 4 slices bread, toasted and buttered

Directions

1. Melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter over medium heat.
2. Season the steak with 3/4 tsp. of the salt and 3/8 tsp. of the pepper.
3. Sear the steak on both sides until it develops a nice colour (3-5 minutes per side).
4. If you like your steak more rare, remove from heat and set aside until ready to serve.
   If you like your steak more well-done, then transfer to oven and bake at 180°C (350°F) while you prepare the sauce and cook the eggs.
5. Melt 1 Tbsp. of the remaining butter in the now-empty pan.
6. Add the tomatoes and season with remaining 1/4 tsp. of salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper.
7. Cook until tomatoes soften and being to break down.
8. Stir in chives and thyme and remove from heat.
9. Melt 1/2 Tbsp. of the remaining butter in a separate pan.
10. Crack in four of the eggs and season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. Cover and cook until whites are set (~3 minutes).
12. If you prefer set yolks, flip the eggs and continue cooking for another couple of minutes.
13. Transfer eggs to plates, add the remaining 1/2 Tbsp. butter to the pan, and cook the remaining eggs the same way.
14. Place 2 eggs and 1 slice of buttered toast on each plate.
15. Slice the steak and place ~1/4 of it on each plate.
16. Top the steak with the tomatoes and serve.

I have very fond memories of my mom's chicken stew with dumplings, but it's been a long time since I've had it. I don't really tend to make chicken stew. If I'm making stew, it's usually beef. And for chicken, I'm much more likely to do soup than stew these days.

This isn't my mom's recipe. But it still filled me with nostalgia. And I do really enjoy a good stew with dumplings.

Chicken Stew with Buttermilk-Chive Dumplings

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Stew

• 1 chicken (~1kg), skinned and broken down into parts
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 peppercorns
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 c. unsalted butter
• 2 leeks, halved and chopped (white parts only)
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 3 ribs celery, sliced
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 4 c. chicken stock
• 1 russet (or other floury) potato, cut into 1cm cubes
• 2 Tbsp. heavy (35%) cream

Dumplings

• 200g all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/2 c. buttermilk

Directions

1. Put chicken pieces in a pot with bay leaf, peppercorns, and 1/4 tsp. of salt and add enough water to cover by a couple of cm.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.
3. Simmer until chicken is cooked through (~20 minutes).
4. Remove chicken, shred meat. Reserve 2 c. of poaching liquid. Set aside.
5. Melt butter over medium-high heat.
6. Add leeks, carrots, and celery and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
7. Add the flour and cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes.
8. Add the chicken stock and reserved poaching liquid and bring to a boil.
9. Add potato, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the potato begins to soften (~10 minutes).
10. Add the chicken and cream and cook until broth thickens and potatoes are tender (~5 minutes).
11. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
12. Meanwhile, sift together the flour and baking soda.
13. Add the salt, chives, and cayenne and cut in the butter.
14. Add the buttermilk and stir to combine.
15. Shape the dough into small dumplings and drop them into the soup.
16. Cover and steam for 20 minutes.

I find frittatas tend to make a fairly decent low-effort-but-nutritious breakfast/brunch option. You get protein from the eggs and it's relatively easy to work in at least some veg. They're very flexible. And one frittata will feed all three of us for two meals, which is handy.

This frittata recipe comes courtesy of The Breakfast Bible (which I'm still working my way through). It's meant to be made with parsley, basil, mint, chives, cherry tomatoes, and gruyère. We were all out of fresh basil, so I ended up substituting dried. And our chives had gone off, so I tossed in a small green onion instead. For the cherry tomatoes, I ended up using up some leftover diced tomatoes we had sitting in the fridge. And I ended up going for grated cheddar rather than gruyère because that's what we had on hand. (Although TF and I both think that mozzarella would've also worked really well.) For the topping, I ended up using some baby spinach rather than the arugula, but they're both good options. I know that's a lot of changes, but it still worked out well and gave us a tasty breakfast (and used up some leftovers from the fridge), so I have no complaints!

Frittata with Herbs and Tomatoes

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 10 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil (or 1/2 Tbsp. dried)
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh mint
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh chives (or 1 small green onion, chopped)
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1/4 c. grated gruyère (or mozzarella or cheddar)
• 1/2 c. halved cherry tomatoes (or diced tomatoes)
• 3 c. arugula (rocket)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil (optional)
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Beat the eggs with the milk.
3. Mix in the parsley, basil, mint, chives, salt, and pepper.
4. Melt the butter over medium heat.
5. Pour in the egg mixture and sprinkle with cheese and tomatoes.
6. Cook, without stirring, for 2 minutes.
7. Transfer to oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.
8. If frittata is still undercooked in the centre or insufficiently browned on top, place under broiler for 1-2 minutes to set.
9. Meanwhile, toss arugula with olive oil and lemon juice (if using) and season with a little extra salt and pepper.
10. Once frittata is cooked, top with arugula, cut into wedges, and serve.

Another one of symbol's savoury cottage cheese bowls! This one used salmon that they got for me which I then forgot to eat. symbol attests that it was tasty, but not as good as the chicken and olive version.

Smoked Salmon Cottage Cheese Bowl

Ingredients

• ½ C cottage cheese
• ¼ C diced cucumber
• 3 Tbsp diced tomato
• 2 slices smoked salmon, chopped
• 1 Tbsp capers
• 1 Tbsp chopped chives or green onions
• 1 tsp chopped fresh dill (or ½ tsp dried)
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• ½ tsp dried garlic
• ½ tsp dried onion
• ½ tsp poppyseeds (optional)
• ½ tsp furikake (optional)
• ¼ tsp black pepper, ground

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients, in listed order, in a bowl.
2. Eat.

Dhingri Josh (Mushroom Curry)

Mushrooms were on sale this week, so I decided to give this delicious-sounding mushroom curry a try. It looked and smelled absolutely delicious as it was cooking. TF and I were both stoked to try it.

Sadly, I think the black cumin and black cardamom were a bit overpowering for us. It was still a good curry, but it came out much more dark and bitter than I ideally would have liked. Drizzling a bit of sonth on top did help balance out the flavours, but I think I'd like it better with a bit less of the dark stuff in next time. The recipe below reflects this.

Dhingri Josh

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. mustard oil
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. black cumin seeds
• 2 black cardamom pods
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 cinnamon sticks (~7cm long)
• 2 dried red Thai, arbol, or cayenne chilies
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 1 small (~400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 1 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 c. water, divided
• 225g cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 1/2 tsp. Punjabi garam masala
• 1 c. chopped fresh chives

Directoins

1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the cumin, black cumin, cardamom, bay leaves, cinnamon, and whole dried chilies and sizzle for 15-30 seconds.
3. Add the onion and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
4. Add the ginger paste and garlic paste and stir-fry for another 30-60 seconds.
5. Add the tomatoes, ground chilies, and salt.
6. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has been cooked off (~10 minutes).
7. Add 1/2 c. of the water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been absorbed/cooked off again (~10 more minutes).
8. Add the mushrooms and the remaining 1/2 c. water and cover, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender (~10 minutes again).
9. Remove from heat and stir in the garam masala and chives.

We're all out of cottage cheese and I haven't had a chance to make any more bread yet, so I was at a bit of a loss as to what to make for breakfast.

Luckily we still had some sour cream left in the fridge and I'd gotten a small package of smoked salmon on sale last week. And with the dried chives in the pantry and the neverending supply of eggs from the chickens, that gave me everything I needed to make these simple but special-feeling scrambled eggs.

Smoked Salmon Scrambled Eggs

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 8 large eggs
• 2-4 Tbsp. milk
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 150g smoked salmon, chopped
• 2-3 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• 1/2 c. sour cream or crème fra&icric;che
• 1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest

Directions

1. Melt the butter over medium-low heat.
2. Beat the eggs with the milk and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and allow to cook for a minute or two without stirring.
4. Gently stir the eggs and allow to cook until nearly set (another 2-4 minutes).
5. Stir in the smoked salmon and chives and cook for a minute or so longer.
6. Serve topped with sour cream/crème fra&icric;che and lemon zest.

I was not overly impressed with this salad/side. It sounded interesting, but it just didn't deliver. It wasn't awful, it just wasn't very appealing. It was one of those only-if-there's-nothing-else-to-eat sort of dishes. So, not one I'm likely to revisit. But at least now I know.

Celery Root Rémoulade

From Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 (~680g) celery root (celeriac)
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c. Dijon or Roman mustard
• 3 Tbsp. boiling water
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
• 3-4 Tbsp. minced fresh chives

Directions

1. Trim the ends of the celery root, peel it, use a mandoline to cut into thin slices and then cut the slices into matchsticks (julienne).
2. Toss the celery root with the lemon juice and salt. Let stand for ~30 minutes.
3. Rinse the celery root, drain, and pat dry.
4. Use some hot water to warm a heatproof bowl, then empty it and dry it off.
5. Put the mustard in the warm bowl and slowly drizzle in the boiling water while whisking.
6. Whisking vigorously, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.
7. Whisk in the vinegar.
8. Add the celery root and toss to coat.
9. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours.
10. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

Soufflé Omelette (Breakfast Bible Version)

I've made soufflé omelettes before. This one takes a slightly simpler approach than the previous one that I tried. For this one, you simply separate your eggs, add a little salt and pepper to the yolks, beat the whites, and then fold them into the yolks. The omelette is topped with soft goat cheese and fresh chives and baked. It doesn't get folded or filled with anything more than that.

It was nice. I appreciate the ease of preparation. And the flavour was fine. Personally, I think it could've done with a bit more cheese. And I do think some mushrooms or other toppings would have been nice. It doesn't need them, but I do think they would have added to the experience. Still, this is nice if you just want a quick and simple fluffy omelette.

Soufflé Omelette

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs, separated
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 60-70g fresh goat cheese (chère), crumbled
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease an oven-proof frying pan.
2. Combine the egg yolks, salt, and pepper and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.
4. Mix ~1/4 of the egg whites into the yolks to loosen them.
5. Add the remaining egg whites and fold in until just combined.
6. Pour the eggs into the prepared pan.
7. Sprinkle with goat cheese and chives and bake until just set (10-15 minutes).

I'm into the savoury waffle chapter in the book now. I have been going along more-or-less in order, but I did have to skip over the first one as it called for mini salt & pepper waffles to be served with clam dip. Given that we haven't entirely sorted out the Kidlet's potential shellfish allergy yet, I figured that the bivalves might be better saved for another occasion.

These cheese-and-herb waffles were the next up after that and they were great! The combination works really well. I decided to serve up my waffle with some scrambled eggs. And the Kidlet had hers with some chicken and cheddar. But they're honestly really delicious just plain as well.

I think bacon would have been the ideal accompaniment. The recipe author actually suggests bacon and soft poached eggs, which sounds divine! Really though, there's a lot that you can do with these crisp, cheesey, delights. They seem like they could provide a good starchy-savoury base for a lot of things.

Unfortunately I couldn't find any chervil for my waffles. Nor could I get my hands on any fresh tarragon. So I had to make do with chives, parsley, and dried tarragon. And since I didn't have any chervil, I just doubled up on the tarragon. Not the same, I know, but I'm still happy with the results.

Emmental and Fines Herbes Waffles

Slightly adapted from Waffles: Sweet, Savory, Simple by Dawn Yanagihara

Ingredients

• 240g all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 150g Emmental cheese, grated
• 2 c. milk
• 2 large eggs
• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh tarragon (or 3/4 tsp. dried)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chervil (or tarragon)

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron.
2. Sift the baking powder into the flour.
3. Mix in the sugar, pepper, and salt.
4. Add the cheese and mix well, breaking up any clumps.
5. In a large measuring cup, beat the eggs into the milk.
6. Slowly drizzle in the butter, whisking to combine.
7. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk to combine.
8. Fold in the chives, parsley, tarragon, and chervil.
9. Pour one portion of batter into the waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer's directions. Repeat until all batter has been used.
10. Serve plain or with bacon, eggs, sautéed mushrooms, and/or additional accompaniments of your choice.

This simple salad was alright. It wasn't great, but it used up the rest of the celery root I had sitting in the fridge and it was decent enough as a side dish. I probably won't make it again, but it was interesting to try.

Photo goes here.

Celery Root Rémoulade

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 680g celery root (celeriac)
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3 Tbsp. Roman mustard¹
• 1/4 c. boiling water
• 1/4 c. olive oil²
• 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar³
• 3-4 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

Directions

1. Peel the celery root and cut it into thin matchsticks.
2. Sprinkle with lemon juice and sea salt and toss to combine.
3. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
4. After standing for 30 minutes, rinse the celery root, drain, and pat dry.
5. Warm a heatproof bowl and place the mustard in it.
6. Drizzle the boiling water into the mustard, whisking constantly.
7. Slowly drizzle in the oil, continuing to whisk while doing so.
8. Whisk in the vinegar.
9. Add the celery root and toss to combine.
10. Cover and cill for 3-24 hours.
11. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

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¹ The original recipe calls for 1/4 c. of Dijon mustard. I reduced this to 3 Tbsp. since I generally find our homemade Roman mustard quite strong. You may want to bump it up slightly if you're using a milder mustard. ^Back
2 The original recipe calls for 1/3-1/2 c. of olive oil, but only 3 Tbsp. of water and 2 Tbsp. of vinegar. I usually like my salad dressings to have a bit less oil and more vinegar, so I reduced the oil and increased the water and vinegar somewhat. ^Back
3 The original recipe calls for either white wine or champagne vinegar. I didn't want to go out and get a whole new bottle of vinegar just for this one recipe, so I just used the red wine vinegar that I already had on hand. ^Back

So, as I've probably stated before, I'm not generally a huge fan of fennel. But every once in a while I'll give it a go, just to see if this recipe pulls it off in a way that I actually enjoy. Usually I find that I still don't care for it. But every once in a while I'll fin a recipe that really nails it! I feel like this recipe falls into that latter camp. I don't think I'd call it a "favourite", but it was pretty good. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and I wouldn't hesitate to make it again, especially if I needed a way to use up some fennel.

Fennel-Crusted Chicken with Fennel Salad

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/2 Tbsp. fennel seeds
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1/2 fennel bulb, shaved/thinly sliced
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fennel fronds
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• 2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 c. dry rosé wine¹
• 1/4 c. chicken stock
• 1 tsp. cornstarch (cornflour)

Directions

1. Combine the fennel, pepper, salt, and chile flakes and coarsely grind.
2. Either pound the chicken breasts flat to form two wide flat pieces or bisect them horizontally to form four smaller thin pieces.
3. Warm 2 tsp. of the oil over medium-high heat.
4. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with the ground fennel mixture.
5. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and cooked through (~4 minutes per side).
6. Combine the shaved fennel, chives, parsley, lemon juice, and remaining 1 tsp. of oil in a large bowl and toss to combine.
7. Season the fennel mixture to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
8. Transfer the chicken to a plate and keep warm.
9. Meanwhile, combine the wine, chicken stock, and cornstarch and pour into the pan.
10. Cook, scraping the bottom of the pan, until reduced by half and slightly thickened (1-2 minutes).
11. Pour the pan juices over the chicken and top with the fennel salad and serve.

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¹ I didn't have any rosé, so I just used a dry white here. ^Back

I had a bunch of extra basil to use up and this frittata has been on my short list for a while, so it seemed like a good fit. It's very simple, but it was tasty nonetheless. There are also several variations provided. The asparagus-ham version sounds particularly appealing...

Parmesan and Basil Frittata

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country August/September 2015

Ingredients

• 12 large eggs¹
• 3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 c. whole milk²
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 230°C (350°F).
2. Whisk the eggs with the Parmesan, basil, milk, salt, and pepper.
3. Heat the oil over medium heat.
4. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring with a spatula, until large curds form and the spatula leaves a wake in the pan. (Egss should be clumpy, but still very wet.)
5. Shake the pan to even out the eggs and cook, without stirring, for ~30 seconds.
6. Transfer to oven and bake until puffy (~5 minutes).
7. If you would like the top more browned, turn on the broiler and cook for 1 more minute.
8. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
9. Use the spatula to loosen the frittata and slide it onto a plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

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Variants

Asparagus, Ham, and Gruyère Frittata

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 250g asparagus, trimmed and cut into 5mm pieces
• 100g deli ham, cut into 1cm pieces
• 1 shallot, minced
• 12 large eggs¹
• 3/4 c. shredded Gruyère
• 1/4 c. whole milk²
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 230°C (350°F).
2. Heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the asparagus and cook until lightly browned (~3 minutes).
4. Add the ham and shallot and cook until softened (2-3 minutes).
5. Meanwhile whisk the eggs with the gruyère, milk, salt, and pepper.
6. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring with a spatula, until large curds form and the spatula leaves a wake in the pan. (Egss should be clumpy, but still very wet.)
7. Shake the pan to even out the eggs and cook, without stirring, for ~30 seconds.
8. Transfer to oven and bake until puffy (~5 minutes).
9. If you would like the top more browned, turn on the broiler and cook for 1 more minute.
10. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
11. Use the spatula to loosen the frittata and slide it onto a plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

Leek, Prosciutto, and Goat Cheese Frittata

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 leeks
• 85g thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 1cm pieces
• 12 large eggs¹
• 1 c. crumbled goat cheese
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 c. whole milk²
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 230°C (350°F).
2. Trim and halve the leeks lengthwise, wash them very thoroughly, and slice thinly.
3. Heat the oil over medium heat.
4. Add the leeks and cook, covered, until softened (6-8 minutes).
5. Meanwhile whisk the eggs with the goat cheese, basil, milk, salt, and pepper.
6. Add the proscuitto and the egg mixture and cook, stirring with a spatula, until large curds form and the spatula leaves a wake in the pan. (Egss should be clumpy, but still very wet.)
7. Shake the pan to even out the eggs and cook, without stirring, for ~30 seconds.
8. Transfer to oven and bake until puffy (~5 minutes).
9. If you would like the top more browned, turn on the broiler and cook for 1 more minute.
10. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
11. Use the spatula to loosen the frittata and slide it onto a plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

Mushroom and Chive Frittata

Leek, Prosciutto, and Goat Cheese Frittata

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 280g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 170g shiitake mushooms, stemmed and sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 12 large eggs¹
• 3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh chives
• 1/4 c. whole milk²
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 230°C (350°F).
2. Heat the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the both kinds of mushrooms and the onion and cook until dry and lightly browned (~15 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with the Parmesan, chives, milk, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
5. Add the garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds.
6. Add the egg mixture and cook, stirring with a spatula, until large curds form and the spatula leaves a wake in the pan. (Egss should be clumpy, but still very wet.)
7. Shake the pan to even out the eggs and cook, without stirring, for ~30 seconds.
8. Transfer to oven and bake until puffy (~5 minutes).
9. If you would like the top more browned, turn on the broiler and cook for 1 more minute.
10. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
11. Use the spatula to loosen the frittata and slide it onto a plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

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¹ I had some excess egg whites to use up, so I actually made this frittata with 10 eggs + 3 egg whites. ^Back
2 The original recipe calls for 3 Tbsp. of half-and-half (10% MF). I happened to have some half-and-half in the fridge this time, so I did actually use that, but normally I would just put in a bit of milk instead, so that's the way I've written it up here. ^Back

I decided at the last minute that I wanted to make an extra dish to share on Boxing Day. I debated between a few different possibilities, but ultimately settled on these very simple galettes. They were easy to make and used up the last few potatoes from the pantry. Plus, I already had a small package of smoked salmon in the fridge that I'd picked up on sale a few days ago. And it really doesn't need much beyond salmon and potatoes.

Potato Galettes with Smoked Salmon

From Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 russet potatoes (~350g)
• 2 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
• 90g smoked salmon, thinly sliced and cut into ~5cm squares
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives¹
• 2 Tbsp. sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Peel and grate the potato.
2. Squeeze the potato, one handful at a time, in paper towels to remove as much of the moisture as possible.
3. Heat 1-2 tsp. of oil over medium-high heat.
4. Drop ~1 Tbsp. of grated potato into the pan and press it flat.
5. Make several more galettes, leaving enough space between them that they do not touch while cooking.
6. Cook until top is transluscent and underside is golden (3-4 minutes).
7. Flip and cook until the other side is well-browned (~3 minutes longer).
8. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
9. Transfer to a plate and top each galette with a piece of salmon.
10. Garnish with chives.
11. Top each galette with a little sour cream (if desired).

¹ I didn't have any fresh chives handy, so I just used a few freeze-dried chives. Fresh definitely would have been preferred though. ^Back

We made a half batch of this on account of not having enough mushrooms, but it was delicious and I would be in favour of making it again with the normal amount (which I've written here) or even more, maybe with some of the nice mushrooms from the local mushroom farm.

Mushrooms with Garlic Butter and Pine Nuts

Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 500g assorted delicious mushrooms, stems trimmed
• 4 tbsp butter, softened
• 3 large cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp white wine
• ⅓ C pine nuts
• 2 tbsp chopped chives (fresh preferred, freeze-dried acceptable)

Directions

1. Cut the larger mushrooms into quarters so that all the mushrooms are roughly the same size.
2. Arrange mushrooms in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3. In a bowl, mix together the butter and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pour or dollop the butter mixture over the mushrooms.
5. Bake at 450°F until they sizzle and brown, about 15 minutes.
6. Turn, sprinkle with pine nuts, and bake for another 8-10 minutes, until pine nuts are browned.
7. Remove from the oven, stir in chives, and serve.

I was going to make the Carolina red slaw recipe from Cook's Country to go with our pulled pork. However, it turns out that the slaw recipes for that issue were only actually part of the digital edition and are no longer available unless you're a paid subscriber. Bummer.

I thought about looking for "red slaw" recipes elsewhere. There are definitely lots online. But, given how many cookbooks we have (and how much of a completionist I am), I figured that maybe it made more sense to seek out a coleslaw recipe in one of the many cookbooks we own instead.

A quick search of Dish of the Day turned up this buttermilk slaw recipe. I didn't have the red cabbage for it, but I did still have a truly terrifying amount of green cabbage, so I decided to just make it with all green cabbage. Not as pretty, for sure, but it was still nice. Although I think we ended up going a bit heavy on the pepper and light on the salt. I've corrected that in the recipe below.

Buttermilk Coleslaw with Carrots and Raisins

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. golden raisins
• 3/4 c. mayonnaise
• 1/2 c. buttermilk¹
• 1/4 c. sour cream²
• ~1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
• ~1/4 c. chopped fresh chives
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 2 carrots, peeled and grated
• 2-3 shallots, halved and sliced
• 3 Tbsp. cider vinegar
• ~1kg cabbage, thinly sliced (preferably a mix of red and green)

Directions

1. Soak the raisins in warm water for 20-30 minutes, then drain.
2. Combine the mayo, buttermilk, sour cream, parsley, chives, salt, and pepper and mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the carrots, shallots and vinegar, mix well, and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage and raisins.
5. Add the dressing and carrot mixture and mix very well.
6. Garnish with additional parsley and chives and serve.

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¹ I was all out of buttermilk, but I remembered that I had some buttermilk powder in the pantry, so I just used 2 Tbsp. of that + 1/2 c. of water for the buttermilk component of my dressing. ^Back
2 This dressing would absolutely be best made with full fat sour cream. I chose to swap in fat-free Greek yogurt for my dressing both to reduce the calorie count and to avoid having to go out to the shops for any more ingredients. ^Back

TF recently did a write-up for a different Cook's Country hamburger steak recipe that we tried a while back. After doing that one though, she commented that she'd be on board with doing hamburger steaks more often, so I figured I might as well give this recipe a try.

As with yesterday's salad recipe, I tried to make a few tweaks to this one to reduce the "Points" cost. Unlike with yesterday's salad recipe, those tweaks paid off in a big way this time. They made the difference between 8 Points per serving and 18! So, in this case, even though the final result isn't quite as rich and unctious as it would've been with more butter and fattier beef, I'd say the modifications were definitely worthwhile.

Hamburger Steak with Onion Gravy

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country April/May 2019

Ingredients

• 900g extra-lean (95%) ground beef
• 5/8 c. panko breadcrumbs
• 1 packet onion soup mix
• 3/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 4 tsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 2 onions, halved and sliced
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 c. beef or vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp. minced fresh chives

Directions

1. Combine beef, breadcrumbs, soup mix, and pepper and mix well.
2. Divide into 6 equal portions and shape each portion into a flat patty.
3. Melt 1 tsp. of butter over medium heat.
4. Add as many patties as will fit in the pan and cook, covered, for ~5 minutes.
5. Flip and cook, covered, for another 5 minutes.
6. Remove from pan and tent with foil.
7. Cook any remaining patties the same way and add to foil tent when done.
8. Add onions to pan. If pan seems very dry, add a little of the broth as well.
9. Cook, covered, for 5 minutes.
10. If pan seems dry, add a little (more) broth. (You don't want it to be wet, just slightly moist.)
11. Add flour and cook for a minute or two.
12. Whisk in broth and bring to a boil.
13. Cook, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes.
14. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 Tbsp. of butter.
15. Top patties with sauce, sprinkle with chives, and serve.

Stroganoff is always a hit and this version is almost a one-pot meal and comes together pretty easily.

Ground Beef Stroganoff

Cook's Country December/January 2018, by Ashley Moore (p. 13)

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp oil
• 225g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 450g lean ground beef
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1L chicken or vegetable broth
• 60mL (¼ C) white wine
• 240mL (1 C) frozen green peas
• 450g dry egg noodles
• 120mL (½ C) sour cream
• 2 tbsp minced chives

Directions

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a deep-walled skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat.
2. Add mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid and begun to brown, 5-7 minutes.
3. Remove mushrooms and buffer.
4. Add remaining oil and return to medium-high heat.
5. Add onion, garlic, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens.
6. Add beef and another ½ tsp pepper and continue cooking until no longer pink.
7. Add flour and stir until well-coated.
8. Add broth and wine and bring to a simmer, deglazing. Cook until slightly thickened, ~3 minutes.
9. Once simmering, stir in peas and noodles.
10. Cook until noodles reach desired tenderness. Depending on their packing fraction you may need to cover the pot for a time and/or stir often to make sure they all get a turn in the broth.
11. Remove from heat. Stir in sour cream, mushrooms, and chives.