Polish-Style Braised Pork Shoulder Chops/Steaks

I haven't been feeling up to much cooking lately. Funny how being nauseous and exhausted 24/7 will do that! I did manage to make one dinner this week though. Reiver had found some pork shoulder chops for a good price, so I cast about for something tasty to do with them and hit upon this recipe. Served it with some roast potatoes and a beet salad and it was excellent!

The original recipe just calls for pork and onions, with optional mushrooms as an additional extra. I added the mushrooms and also threw in some carrots and peas toward the end of cooking, both to bulk it up a bit and to boost our veggie intake. So, in the end, it came out as what basically amounted to a pork stew.

We both really liked this one. Although I think I would add a bit more flour next time since, with only 1 Tbsp. of flour, the sauce didn't thicken up very much at all. Other than that, though, it was lovely!

Polish-Style Braised Pork Shoulder Chops

Slightly adapted from Everyday Healthy Recipes

Ingredients

• 700g-1kg pork shoulder chops/steaks
• 1 Tbsp. oil (optional, see below)
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 Tbsp. paprika (sweet or hot according to preference)
• 1/2 Tbsp. mixed dried herbs¹
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 allspice berries
• 3 onions, halved and sliced thick
• 3 cloves garlic, halved or chopped
• ~100g white or cremini mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 1 1/2 c. chicken or vegetable stock, divided
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon or Roman mustard
• 1 tsp. light soy sauce or Maggi sauce
• 1/2 tsp. honey (optional)
• 1-2 Tbsp. flour
• 2-3 carrots, cut into coins (optional)
• 1 c. frozen peas (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F).
2. If the pork has a fat cap, trim it off.
3. If you have trimmed fat, render out some of the lard to cook with. Otherwise, heat up 1 Tbsp. of oil in a Dutch oven.
4. Combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and herbs and use this mix to season the pork on both sides.
5. Sear the pork over medium heat for ~2 minutes on each side.
6. Add the bay leaf, allspice berries, onions, and garlic.
7. Add the mushrooms (if using).
8. Pour in ~1 c. of the stock.
9. Cover and transfer to oven for 1 hour.
10. Combine the mustard, soy sauce, honey (if using), flour, and a small amount of the remaining stock and stir to combine.
11. Add the remaining stock to the mixture to form a sauce.
12. Pour the sauce into the Dutch oven along with the meat and onions and do your best to stir it in.
13. Add the carrots and peas (if using).
14. Cover and return to oven for an additional 40 minutes.
15. Serve with potatoes or rice and/or a vegetable side of your choice.

¹ The original recipe calls for herbes de Province. I didn't have any, so I used a mix of Italian seasoning and dried tarragon. If you're making your own blend from scratch, you could consider including basil, fennel seeds, lavender (very sparingly!), marjoram, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, savoury, and/or thyme. ^Back

Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Base Stew)

I've made budae jjigae ramen before, but I'd never actually made the stew itself before. So I decided to finally give this version of it a try while I was in New Zealand.

I think, in the end, I actually preferred the budae jjigae ramen to this stew. But I'm still glad to have tried it! And, honestly budea jjigae is such a flexible recipe that there's really a lot of room for variation and adjustment. So I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to making this again with slightly different ingredients and proportions at some point.

Photo goes here.

Budae Jjigae

Slightly adapted from Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

Seasoning Paste

• 6 Tbsp. gochugaru (Korean chile flakes)
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2-3 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dasida (Korean beef stock powder)
• 1/4 c. water

Soup

• 400g cabbage
• 1 Yukon Gold potato
• 4-5 green onions
• 400g SPAM
• 6-8 sausages
• 4 slices bacon
• 400g ground beef
• 1/4 c. baked beans
• 2-3 slices American (or mild cheddar) cheese
• 3 c. Korean bone broth (sagol yuksu)
• ~3 c. water
• 1-2 cake(s) of instant ramen noodles (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the gochugaru, sugar, garlic, soy sauce, dasida, and water. Mix well and set aside.
2. Cut the cabbage into bite-sized pieces.
3. Slice the potato, green onions, SPAM, sausages, and bacon.
4. Arrange all the ingredients nicely in a pot (or divide into two smaller pots).
5. Add the seasoning paste in the middle.
6. Use the ground beef to make some tiny meatballs -- no seasoning necessary -- and arrange them around the seasoning paste.
7. Add the baked beans and place the cheese on top.
8. Pour in the bone broth and water and bring to a boil.
9. Once the rest of the ingredients are almost cooked, add in the ramen (if using) and cook until done.
10. Serve with hot rice and/or kimchi.

This was supposed to be a chickpea and turkey meatball soup. But I got mixed up about what was in the freezer and discovered that while we still had ground beef left, there was no turkey or chicken. So I ended up making it with beef instead. And it was delicious! (Possibly not quite as lean and healthy as it would've been with turkey, but very tasty nonetheless.)

Chickpea and Meatball Soup

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 450g ground turkey or extra lean beef
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. panko breadcrumbs
• 2-3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground

Soup

• 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 c. cooked chickpeas
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1L chicken stock
• 1 bunch kale or mustard greens, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat.
2. Combine the mince, garlic, panko, Parmesan, egg, tomato paste, oregano, salt, and pepper and mix well.
3. Using very small amounts of the meat mixture, form tiny meatballs (~1.5cm across).
4. Place the meatballs in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
6. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened and beginning to brown (5-10 minutes).
7. Add the tomato paste and chickpeas and cook for a minute or two.
8. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the chicken stock.
9. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
10. Purée half the soup and return it to the pot (or use an immersion blender).
11. Add the meatballs and greens and stir to combine.
12. Cook until greens are wilted and everything is heated through (~5 minutes longer).

Grilled Chicken and Zucchini

So... I messed this one up a little bit. It was supposed to be grilled chicken and corn. And I even got the corn for it. But then I took a little too long getting to it and the corn had gone off by the time I was making this. Okay, that sucks. But, no worries, I'll just ask TF to run out and get some more. Except apparently no, no I won't. Because she hit up just about every grocery store in town and they were all out of corn. After making five unsuccessful attempts to purchase corn, I told her to just get me any grillable vegetable. So, in the end, we ended up having grilled zucchini, not corn with our chicken. It was still pretty good. But definitely not nearly as good as the corn would have been.

Also, I only belatedly realized that I completely forgot to add the lime zest and thyme after everything was cooked. Whoops!

Grilled Chicken and Zucchini (or Corn)

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds¹, ground
• 3 Tbsp. lime juice
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 4-6 zucchini, halved lengthwise or ears of corn, husked
• 680g skinless boneless chicken breast
• 1 Tbsp. lime zest
• 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme

Directions

1. Set up a grill for direct heat cooking and allow to preheat.
2. Combine the paprika and cumin and stir to combine.
3. Mix in the lime juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
4. Brush the vegetables all over with the paprika mixture.
5. Toss the chicken with the remaining paprika mixture.
6. Add the vegetables to the grill and allow to partially cook (5-10) minutes.
7. Add the chicken and grill until cooked through (3-5 minutes per side).
8. Remove from heat and sprinkle everything with lime zest and thyme.

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¹ The recipe called for cumin. And that's what I used this time. But I think it might actually be quite good with dhania-jeera masala either instead or as well. I think I'd be tempted to try using 1/2 Tbsp. of masala + 1/2 Tbsp. of ground cumin next time. ^Back

Basic Waffles (with Variations)

I've been meaning to make waffles for breakfast all week. But I kept sleeping in and not quite getting to it. Today I finally managed to rouse myself early enough to get them done before the Kidlet went to school.

I was going to just make plain waffles. But then I saw that it had a bunch of suggested variations down at the bottom: chocolate, cheese, poppy seed, and nut. I briefly contemplated doing cheese waffles. But TF said that something sweet might be better since we don't really have much to put on savoury waffles right now. So, in the end, I went with the chocolate version.

They were perfectly serviceable waffles with a nice (if not particularly intense) chocolate flavour. They got a bit of crisp to the exterior and weren't too sweet either. I think I'd probably mix in some chopped dark chocolate next time. Just to punch up the flavour a little bit. But all-in-all this made for a perfectly acceptable quick breakfast. (Not the most nutritionally complete, to be sure, but okay as an occasional thing.)

Basic Waffles

Slightly adapted from The Big Book of Breakfasts by Maryana Vollstedt

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 c. milk
• 1/2 butter, melted
• 250g flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 tsp. baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat your waffle iron.
2. Beat the eggs with the milk and butter.
3. Add the flour and sugar and sift in the baking powder.
4. Stir until just mixed.
5. Pour a portion of batter into the preheated waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer's directions. Repeat with remaining batter.
6. Serve with fruit, syrup, whipped cream, and/or other toppings of your choice.

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Variations

Chocolate Waffles

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 c. milk
• 1/2 butter, melted
• 250g flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 30g cocoa powder, sifted
• 60g dark chocolate, chopped

Cheese Waffles

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 2 c. milk
• 1/4 butter, melted
• 250g flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 c. grated Cheddar

Poppyseed Waffles

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 c. milk
• 1/2 butter, melted
• 250g flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 2 Tbsp. poppyseeds

Nutty Waffles

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 c. milk
• 1/2 butter, melted
• 250g flour
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 c. chopped toasted walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts

Waffles with Ham

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 c. milk
• 1/4 butter, melted
• 1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 250g flour
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 c. diced cooked ham

Macaroni Cheese (Edmonds)

Last Tuesday was my last Te Reo class. (I can't believe how fast the term went!) And, since it was our last day, we had it as more of a social, take-a-plate event. I really wanted to make butter tarts for everyone, but the instructor had said "no chips, no sweets, no lollies", so I was worried that it was meant to be all savoury, dinner-type stuff. In the end, I decided to make the butter tarts anyway, since they're such a Canadian thing. But I opted to throw together a quick mac & cheese as well, so that I'd have something savoury to contribute to the table. Just in case.

This isn't my favourite mac & cheese. But it's a good, solid stand-by. And it is easy to throw together on short notice. And you could certainly gussy it up with some extra inclusions. Edmonds suggests bacon as an option. (Although I didn't end up adding any since I knew that there were at least a couple of people in the class who couldn't eat pork.) I think a bit of Worcestershire sauce and/or a few veggies (maybe some carrots or peas) wouldn't go amiss either. Just a little something to amp up the flavour a bit and give it a little more variation in each bite. Still, this version was completely fine and a nice, safe, reliable option. And the Kidlet loved it! I'm pretty sure she managed to cram about half the tray into a single bowl and wolf it down all in one sitting. So, definitely no complaints from her!

Photo goes here.

Macaroni Cheese

Slightly adapted from Edmonds

Ingredients

• 2-3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
• 2 c. milk
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne (optional)
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. sweet paprika (optional)
• 2 c. grated cheese¹, divided
• 1 c. frozen peas (optional)
• 1 c. diced carrots (optional)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 300-500g macaroni², cooked
• 2 Tbsp. dry breadcrumbs
• 2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsely (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F) and lightly grease a 23x23cm (9x9") pan.
2. Melt the butter over medium heat.
3. Reduce heat, add the onion, and cook until softened (5-10 minutes).
4. Add the flour and cook until foaming, but not yet browning (2-3 minutes).
5. Add the mustard, sizzle for a few seconds.
6. Whisk in the milk and continue stirring until mixture becomes smooth.
7. Mix in the Worcestershire suace, cayenne, and paprika (if using).
8. Stir in half of the cheese (~1 c.).
9. Add the peas and carrots (if using).
10. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens.
12. Stir pasta into sauce and mix well.
13. Pour pasta mixture into prepared baking dish.
14. Combine breadcrumbs and parsley (if using) with remaining 1 c. of cheese.
15. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the pasta.
16. Bake at 190°C (375°F) until top is nicely crispy and pasta is heated through (15-20 minutes).

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¹ Edmonds calls for "tasty cheese", which, as far as I can tell, is New Zealish for "old Cheddar". That said, I think mild Cheddar or even a mix of Cheddar and mozzarella would also work reasonably well here. ^Back
2 Edmonds called for 2 c. of cooked macaroni. I cooked a whole box of noodles (I forget whether it was 400 or 500g) and then, once they were cooked, measured out 2 c. of the cooked pasta and stirred it into the sauce. It was nowhere near enough! I tried adding more pasta, a little at a time, until it looked about right. But, by then, I'd added nearly all of what I'd cooked. So, at that point, I figured I might as well add the whole box! That said, if you're planning to add lots of veggies, I'd probably skip (or at least scale down) the amout of pasta being mixed into the sauce. Maybe just 300g + a bunch of veggies; just to keep the ratio of sauce to everything else nice. ^Back

Definitely not for the faint of heart when it comes to sweets! These are sugar bombs. No doubt about it. But they are also a Canadian classic. I like them with pecans in as I find the nuts attenuate the sweetness somewhat. Or, for a less traditional (but no less delicious) option, try adding a little dessicated coconut!

Maple Butter Tarts

Slightly adapted from Fed by Sab

Ingredients

• 1 recipe sourdough pastry
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/4 c. maple syrup
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• inclusions: pecans, dessicated coconut, dried apple, raisins, etc. (optional)

Directions

1. Make your pastry, wrap, and chill for 20-30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
3. Remove the pastry from the fridge and allow to rest at room temperature while you prepare the filling.
4. Melt the butter over medium-low heat.
5. Remove from heat and add the maple syrup and the brown sugar.
6. Add the eggs and mix very well.
7. Roll out the pastry and cut circles to fit the wells of a muffin tin.
8. Press the pastry rounds into the wells of the muffin tin.
9. If you are adding inclusions, place them in the tart shells now.
10. Spoon a little filling into each tart shell. Be careful not to overfill! Half-full is plenty. The pastry will likely subside slightly and the filling will bubble up as it cooks. If it overflows, it will be very difficult to get the tarts out of the tin.
11. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20-25 minutes.

Spaghetti Bolognese (Edmonds)

I've made a few different versions of spaghetti with meat sauce, but it turs out that I'd never made the Edmonds version. And Reiver quite likes it. And we had a busy weekend and were in need of some good, hearty comfort food, so I figured a nice pot of spag-bol wouldn't go amiss. And I was right! We actually ended up all having seconds and demolishing the whole pot in one night!

Recipe as written, Edmonds recommends this amount of sauce for 250g of spaghetti. I started with that amount, but then ended up cooking up some more noodles to go with the left over sauce before the end of the night. I think you could probably manage to stretch it to work with 500g of noodles. Especially if you added some veg and a little pasta water to the sauce.

Photo goes here.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Slightly adapted from Edmonds

Ingredients

• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 100-200g mushrooms, sliced (optional)
• 1 bay leaf
• 500g ground beef (preferably extra lean)
• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• 400g diced tomatoes
• Parmesan rind (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 c. chicken or beef stock
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. tomato sauce or ketchup (optional)
• 1-2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (optional)
• 100-200g baby spinach (optional)
• 400-500g spaghetti, cooked
• 1 c. reserved pasta water
• grated Parmesan, to serve
• extra basil, to serve

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
3. Add the mushrooms (if using) and cook until mushrooms release their juices (~10 minutes).
4. Add bay leaf and ground beef and cook until meat is no longer pink (5-10 minutes longer).
5. Add the tomato paste, tomatoes, Parmesan rind (if using), basil, oregano, chicken stock, and pepper.
6. Bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes, then taste and add cayenne, tomato sauce/ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and/or more salt and pepper as desired.
7. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 45-60 minutes.
8. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and cook your spaghetti according to package directions.
9. Reserving ~1 c. of the pasta cooking water, drain the noodles.
10. Add the reserved pasta water and the spinach (if using) to the sauce, give a good stir, and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
11. Add the pasta to the sauce, give it another good stir, and toss to combine.
12. Serve topped with grated Parmesan and fresh basil.

Skirlie is a simple dish of suet-fried onions and oats. It's somewhat similar to white pudding (without the casing), but has proportionally more oats and less suet. I'm also used to white/mealie pudding being quite heavily spiced. And, while skirlie can be spiced, it isn't necessarily prepared that way. For this version, I kept it very simple and only added salt and pepper.

Skirlie

Slightly adapted from Scottish Scran

Ingredients

• 120g suet, grated/shredded or 60g suet + 60g butter
• 2 onions, chopped
• 340g steel-cut (pinhead) oats
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat the suet (or suet and butter) over medium heat.
2. Add the onions, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until onions are soft and beginning to brown (~10 minutes).
3. Add the oats, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring frequently until oats have darkened and softened slightly (~20 minutes).
4. Serve with whiskey sauce and/or mashed potatoes.

In theory this was meant to be an udon dish, but I'm not crazy about udon, so I decided to try making it with fettuccine instead. I also added a whole bunch of extra veggies to the sauce, both because we had them and they needed to be used up and because I figured it would make it both tastier and healthier.

Photo goes here.

Korean-Style Curry Noodles

Adapted from Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 200-250g beef, cut into bite-sized pieces or sliced thin
• 1 carrot, halved and sliced
• 1-2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 tsp. gochugaru (Korean chile flakes)
• 55-65g S&B Golden Curry mix
• 1 c. milk
• 250g dry fettuccine (or other pasta)
• 200g broccoli florettes
• 200g cauliflower florettes
• 1 c. pasta cooking water
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Heat the oil over medium-low heat.
2. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion has softened and is just beginning to brown (~10 minutes).
3. Increase heat to medium, add the beef, and sear on all sides.
4. Add the carrot and butter and cook for another minute or two.
5. Add the gochugaru, curry mix, and milk.
6. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, while pasta boils.
7. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and add the fettuccine.
8. Cook the pasta for 3-4 minutes, then add the broccoli and cauliflower and continue cooking until vegetables are tender and pasta is al dente.
9. Reserve 1 c. of the pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta and veggies.
10. Add the noodles, veggies, and reserved pasta cooking water to the sauce and stir vigorously for a few seconds.
11. Once sauce thickens, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

I adjusted the ratios somewhat for this one. We had twice as much chicken as the recipe called for, so I doubled the marinade and bumped up the rice slightly¹. However, we were a bit light on mushrooms, so they were scaled back a bit. And we'd just harvested a bunch of silverbeet (chard) out of the garden a couple of days ago, so I didn't want to try to take any more yet. This left me trying to swap in frozen chopped spinach. Which was fine, but I didn't want to overdo it, so I just put in a relatively small amount.

The final result was tasty, but I do think that it would have been better with more mushrooms and greens (and a bit more salt). All of these changes are reflected in the write-up below.

Ginger Rice with Chicken and Mushrooms

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 4 skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 2 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce²
• 2 Tbsp. Shaoxing wine (绍兴酒)
• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
• 1 Tbsp. oil (optional)
• 1 onion, chopped (optional)
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
• 2 c. jasmine rice
• 4 c. water
• 400-500g Swiss chard (silverbeet) and/or kale, chopped
• 250g mushrooms (preferably a mix of shiitake and cremini), sliced
• 2-3 green onions, sliced

Directions

1. Combine chicken, ginger, oyster sauce, soy sauce, wine, sesame oil, and five-spice powder and mix well. Set aside for 10-20 minutes.
2. If using onion and garlic, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté until softened (3-5 minutes).³
3. Add the rice, water, greens, mushrooms, and chicken (along with all of its marinade) to the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until rice is tender (15-20 minutes).
5. Remove from heat, fluff rice, and allow to stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with green onions and serve.

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¹ Not double. I just nudged the rice up by 1/3. But, honestly, for the amount of everything else that I had in the pot, it might've been better not to scale the rice up after all. It was tasty this way, but definitely could've used more mushrooms and greens. Which the recipe write-up reflects. ^Back
2 I used light soy here because the recipe didn't specify and it was what I had easily to hand but, having tasted it, I think that dark soy (or a blend of dark and light) would work better than light alone. ^Back
3 The original recipe didn't call for any onion or garlic and I didn't use any this time. But, having tasted it, I think some more aromatics would go nicely, so I've added them to the recipe as an optional extra. ^Back

I was going to make miche as my next sourdough recipe. But then I saw that this new sourdough naan recipe had been posted. And it looked nice and easy to put together. And I figured that it would complement the dal I had planned for dinner well. So I figured why not?!

I've made sourdough naan before. And it was pretty good. But I'm always game for trying new recipes. And this one was a bit different, since it's meant to use sourdough discard (mostly for a bit of flavour) and then adds a generous quantity of commercial yeast to do the actual leavening. (Hence my categorization of it as a "faux sourdough".)

I liked how this naan came out in the end. Although I did have to adjust the recipe fairly significantly. I don't know if it was written for a much higher hydration starter or if there was just a typo in the quantities or what... (A pox on sourdough recipes that don't specify the hydration of the starter!) But, whatever the underlying issue, the dough was way too dry when made according to the recipe. I ended up working in an extra 120g of starter and still needed to add a few extra teaspoons of water to get it to come together into something workable. And, honestly, I think the overall hydration was still a bit on the low side. Next time I might try working even more water into it. I was just trying not to go too crazy with it this time.

Faux Sourdough Naan

Slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

• 420g hard (strong/high grade/bread) flour
• 120g plain yogurt
• 240g sourdough discard @ 100% hydration
• 120-150g water
• 2 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. ghee
• extra ghee, sea salt, and/or spices (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the flour, yogurt, discard, 120g of the water, yeast, salt, and sugar and mix until the dough comes together.
2. Turn out and knead for 1-2 minutes.
3. Work in the ghee 1 Tbsp. at a time.
4. If the dough seems too stiff, wet your hands and continue kneading. Repeat until enough moisture has been added.
5. Place in covered bowl to rise for 1-2 hours.
6. Knock back and divide into 100g portions.
7. Round each portion, cover, and proof at room temperature for ~30 minutes.
8. Heat a tawa or cast iron pan over medium heat.
9. Working with one portion of dough at a time, flatten into a round.
10. Wet one side thoroughly and place the naan, wet-side-down, onto the tawa. Sprinkle with desired toppings, cover, and cook for 1-2 minutes.
11. Flip and cook, uncovered, for another 1-2 minutes.
12. Brush with ghee and wrap in a clean tea towel while the remaining naan are cooked in the same fashion. (Shape each one while the previous one cooks.)
13. Serve immediately.

This recipe claimed to be for stew, but it's definitely more of a soup. I even cut the broth by 1/3 and it was still more of a soup than a stew. A delicious soup, to be sure, but still a soup.

I ended up using chicken sausage instead of the turkey called for because I found some on sale and used spinach instead of kale (which I doubled, since the 125g called for didn't seem like nearly enough). I also went with a mix of pot barley and pearled wheat because I got wheat instead of barley by accident when I was at the grocery store restocking. Whoops! That said, both grains seemed to work just fine, so I wouldn't hesitate to use either (or both) again in the future.

It was interesting that the recipe called for cooking the barley separately and then adding it to the soup later. I'm used to just adding the uncooked grains to the soup and letting them cook in the broth. I think I'd be tempted to try it that way next time, just to see if doing it that way makes a noticeable difference.

Spinach, Chicken Sausage, and Barley Soup

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 c. water
• 1 c. pearl barley (and/or pearled wheat)
• 500g chicken (or turkey) sausage
• up to 4 c. chicken stock
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small (~400mL) can diced tomatoes
• 250g frozen chopped spinach (or kale)
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Add the barley and cook until tender¹.
3. Drain the barley and set aside. (I reserved the cooking liquid and used it to poach the sausages rather than pan-frying them.)
4. Either pan-fry the sausages in a little oil until well-browned on all sides or poach them in some water (or the residual barley cooking liquid until cooked through. Set aside.
5. Measure out the residual cooking liquid (if you reserved it) and add enough stock to bring the total volume up to 4 c. Set aside.
6. Heat the oil over medium heat.
7. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened (4-5 minutes).
8. Slice the sausages and return to pot. Cook for another 5 minutes.
9. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to a boil.
10. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
11. Add the barley and spinach and cook until heated through (4-5 minutes).
12. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

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¹ This took ~25 minutes for my mix of pot barley and pearled wheat. Pearl barley may cook somewhat faster, I'm not sure. ^Back

I really liked these noodles. The marinated eggplant was delicious! And instead of using plain tofu (as called for in the recipe), I opted to swap it out for a mix of smoked tofu and marinated black bean tofu. And I think both went very well with the overall dish.

I think the only changes that I'd make next time would be to cook the eggplant for slightly longer. And to use slightly more soy sauce and less oil in the dressing for the noodles. Oh, and I might try adding a grated carrot or two next time. It was very good as is, but I think it would be even better with a few more veggies. And grated carrot is very quick and easy to add and something that I generally have on hand.

Soba Noodle Salad with Marinated Eggplant and Tofu

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Eggplant

• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar¹
• 2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce²
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Asian eggplants, halved and sliced 1cm thick

Noodles

• 1 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
• 2 tsp. light soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 275g soba noodles

Assembly

• 2 Tbsp. corn or peanut oil
• 375g firm, smoked, and/or dry marinated tofu (五香豆干), cut into 1cm cubes
• 1 carrot, grated (optional)
• 5 green onions, sliced
• 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Directions

1. Combine the sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, pepper, and garlic for the marinade and stir to mix.
2. Add the eggplant, toss to coat, and set aside for 1 hour.
3. Combine the sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and ginger paste for the dressing and stir to mix.
4. Cook the soba according to package diretions³, rinse under cold water, and drain.
5. Toss the noodles with the dressing and set aside.
6. Heat a wok over medium-high heat.
7. Drizzle in the oil and swirl to coat.
8. Add the marinated eggplant and stir-fry for 5-6 minutes.
9. Add eggplant to bowl with noodles and return wok to heat.
10. Add tofu to wok (along with a little more oil if necessary) and stir-fry until crispy (~5 minutes).
11. Add tofu to bowl with noodles.
12. Add carrot (if using) and green onions and toss to combine.
13. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

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¹ I didn't have any sherry vinegar, so I substituted cane vinegar. I think apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar would also work well though. ^Back
2 The recipe didn't specify whether to use dark or light soy sauce, so I used a mix. I think I'd just use straight dark soy for the marinade next time though. That said, I think either would be fine in a pinch. ^Back
3 The recipe called for boiling the soba for 6 minutes in salted water, but the package instructions specifically called for unsalted water and only 4 minutes of cooking. We opted to trust the package over the cookbook. I would recommend doing the same for whatever noodles you end up using. Six minutes definitely would have been way too much. ^Back

We got some surprise Brussels sprouts in our produce basket this week. And while I have a bunch of sprout recipes still waiting to be tried, this one looked particularly well-suited to breakfast. And since that's the meal that I tend to have the most trouble planning for, I figured this would be the best way to use them up.

The original recipe just called for onion, Brussels sprouts, and potato. I only had about half the quantity of sprouts called for though, so I upped the amount of potato somewhat and added a carrot to balance things out. I think next time I'd add a bell pepper as well. But it was still very good as-is.

Brussels Sprouts and Potato Hash

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 450g potatoes, diced
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 250g Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced
• 1-2 carrots, grated
• 3/4 tsp. dried thyme (or 2 tsp. fresh)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 c. chicken or vegetable stock
• 4-6 large eggs

Directions

1. Melt the butter with the oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and cook until softened (4-5 minutes).
3. Add the potato and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown (~15 minutes).
4. Add Brussels sprouts, carrots, and thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables caramelize (~15 minutes longer).
6. Add stock and cook until liquid is absorbed and vegetables are tender (~5 minutes).
7. Meanwhile, fry eggs in a little butter until desired doneness is reached and season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Serve hash topped with eggs.

This is pretty similar to the savoury sourdough discard we already make, but it incorporates a chemical leavener to yield a slightly fluffier finished pancake. The "batter" is just sourdough discard thinned with a little water, seasoned with a pinch of salt, and given a bit of baking powder for leavening. Chopped scallions and herbs get stirred into the batter as well. I think cilantro and/or parsley work particularly well. But you could experiment with a variety of different herbs.

The recipe suggests serving these with a dumpling dipping sauce. The Kidlet had hers with ketchup. TF went for some Sichuan peppercorn pickles. And I had mine with Laoganma and a little soy sauce. (Although next time I think I'd swap out the soy sauce for a bit of black vinegar instead.)

Much like with the other savoury pancakes, I think these go well with fried eggs. The eggs add a little protein and make the meal a bit more substantial.

Sourdough Herb and Scallion Pancakes

Slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients

• 170g sourdough discard @ 100% hydration
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1/4-1/3 c. fresh herbs, chopped
• fried eggs, to serve
• condiments (soy sauce, Laoganma, pickles, ketchup, mayo, vinegar, etc.), to serve

Directions

1. Combine the sourdough discard, water, salt, and baking soda and mix well.
2. Mix in the green onions and herbs.
3. Heat a tawa or griddle over medium heat.
4. Oil or grease the griddle if necessary.
5. Drop a scoop of batter (~1/4 c.) onto the hot griddle and cook until bubbles form and edges look dry.
6. Flip and cook until browned on both sides and pancake is cooked through.
7. Repeat with remaining batter, cooking 2-3 pancakes at a time.
8. Serve pancakes topped with fried eggs and/or conidements of your choice.

Yakgochujang (Fried Gochujang)

Gochujang is already delicious, but when Aaron suggested trying out this "upgraded" gochujang, I couldn't resist.

Yakgohujang

From Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. oil
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 3-4 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 250g ground beef, pork, or chicken¹
• 1 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. dasida (Korean beef stock powder)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 c. gochujang
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil

Directions

1. Heat wok over medium-high heat.
2. Drizzle in oil and swirl to coat pan.
3. Add onion, green onion, and garlic and stir-fry for a minute or two.
4. Add beef (or protein of choice) and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes.
5. Add soy sauce, dasida, and sugar and stir-fry for one more minute.
6. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the gochujang, and cook for another minute or two.
7. Stir in the water and continue cooking for another five minutes or so.
8. Add sesame oil and cook until sauce just beings to bubble.
9. Remove from heat and allow to cool, stiring a few times while it cools.
10. Transfer to a jar and store in the fridge for up to a month.
11. Serve over rice or noodles. Also great on eggs or as a dipping sauce.

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¹ Aaron also suggests tuna or chopped shiitake mushrooms as potential protein/umami sources. ^Back

Aehobak Jeon (Korean Zucchini Pancakes)

I wanted a vegetable side to go with my tteobokki and Korean sausage and zucchini pancakes sounded really appealing today. They're very simple. Just slice up some zucchini, dredge it in flour, coat it in egg and fry it up. Ideally with some chile slices for additional colour and flavour, but they're also delicious without them.

You can take the same approach with tofu, SPAM, shiitake mushrooms, eggplant, and a plethora of other things depending on what you have on hand and what sort of flavour you're going for. I was quite fond of how the zucchini ones came out. And it turns out that the Kidlet loves them too!

Aehobak Jeon

From Aaron & Claire

Ingredients

• 2-3 zucchinis
• salt
• 1-2 Tbsp. oil
• 1/4 c. flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1-2 red chilies, sliced thin

Directions

1. Trim the ends off the zucchinis and slice them ~1cm thick.
2. Sprinkle both sides with salt and set aside for 5 minutes.
3. Heat a wok or frying pan over medium heat and drizzle in a little oil.
4. Pat dry and dredge in flour.
5. Dip in beaten egg to coat completely.
6. Fry over medium heat until underside is beginning to brown.
7. Press a slice of chile into the top of each pancake.
8. Flip and cook until other side begins to brown.
9. Serve immediately.

Sacheon Jjajang (Spicy Jjajangmyeon)

Jjajangmyeon is a popular Korean noodle dish typically made with Chinese-style noodles and a fried black bean sauce. It is closely related to the Chinese 炸酱面 (zhá jiàng miàn). This variant does not involve any black bean paste. It is a somewhat spicier "Sichuan" version that incorporates spicy Sichuan bean paste (辣豆瓣酱 - là dòu bàn jiàng) into the sauce instead.

I still have yet to try the traditional jjajangmyeon, but this Sacheon/Sichuan version was definitely a big hit! TF and the Kidlet are currently threatening to duel for the leftovers, so I'll take that as a compliment and call it a success.

Aaron recommends making this with pork belly, but advises that other (preferably fatty) cuts of meat are also acceptable. I ended up using extra lean ground beef. (Not fatty, I know, but I'm still trying to watch my weight, so I compromised a bit.) I think shiitake mushrooms would also work well in the sauce if you wanted to go for a vegetarian option. Beyond Meat or even firm tofu might also be viable options.

We didn't have any of the recommended zhungwhamyeon or udon noodles on hand, so we ended up going with an Italian-style wheat noodle instead. We had an unusual, long rigatoni in the cupboard, so I decided to give that a try and I think it worked well here. That said, I think cavitapi or buccatini would also be good choices if you didn't have any of the preferred noodle types on hand. Aaron even suggests serving the sauce with rice if you run out of pasta. So really, the sky's the limit and you have lots of options!

Sacheon Jjajang

Slightly adapted from Aaron & Claire

ingredients

Sauce

• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. gochugaru
• 1 Tbsp. dasida (Korean beef stock powder)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. 辣豆瓣酱 (spicy Sichuan bean paste)
• 2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. mirin

Everything Else

• 2 Tbsp. chili oil
• 450g ground beef (or sliced pork belly)
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 150g cabbage, chopped
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 tsp. Sichuan peppercorn oil
• 450g udon or noodles of your choice
• 1/2 cucumber, julienned
• 1 c. green peas¹ (optional)
• danmuji, chopped
• 6 large eggs, fried (preferably sunny-side up)

Directions

1. Combine all sauce ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
2. Heat a wok over medium-high heat.
3. Drizzle in the chili oil.
4. Add the beef and cook, breaking up chunks, until no longer pink (1-2 minutes).
5. Add green onions, garlic, and ginger and stiry-fry for another 2 minutes.
6. Add onion and cabbage and stir-fry until softened (~2 minutes longer).
7. Pour in sauce and stir-fry for another minute or so.
8. Mix cornstarch with water to make a slurry.
9. Pour the slurry into the wok and stir-fry until thickened.
10. Boil and drain the pasta.
11. Toss the pasta with the sauce.
12. Mix in the Sichuan peppercorn oil.
13. Divide the noodles into bowls.
14. Top each portion with a fried egg, some cucumber, and some danmuji.
15. Mix well before eating.

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Variants

Vegetarian Version

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. gochugaru
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable stock powder or concentrate
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. 辣豆瓣酱 (spicy Sichuan bean paste)
• 2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. vegetarian oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp. mirin

Everything Else

• 2 Tbsp. chili oil
• 450g shiitake mushrooms, chopped
• 4 green onions, sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. ginger paste
• 1 onion, chopped
• 150g cabbage, chopped
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/4 c. water
• 1 tsp. Sichuan peppercorn oil
• 450g udon or noodles of your choice
• 1/2 cucumber, julienned
• 1 c. green peas¹ (optional)
• danmuji, chopped
• 6 large eggs, fried (preferably sunny-side up)

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¹ Aaron recommends serving the noodles topped with julienned cucumber, but does suggest green peas as a possible alternative. I was thinking that it might be interesting to try both next time. ^Back

So, full disclosure: I was in a bit of a hurry and kind of messed up this pudding. It still turned out reasonably tasty. It was just very lumpy. Since I just dumped the chia into the milk the night before and didn't both to mix it properly. Not the end of the world. Just not ideal either. So, I guess I should let that be a lesson to me to make sure to mix everything very well before I leave it to soak overnight if I'm ever making this again.

You can mix up the fruit to go with this. The original recipe calls for kiwi, blackberries, fresh apricots, pomegranate, and toasted coconut chips. I think I ended up using kiwi, blackberries, nectarines, raspberries, and toasted coconut. But you could try all sorts of things! I've included some ideas in the variations below.

Chia Pudding with Fresh Fruit

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 c. oat milk
• 1/4 c. chia seeds
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 150g blackberries
• 2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
• 4 apricots, sliced
• 75g pomegranate arils
• 20g toasted coconut chips

Directions

1. Combine oat milk, chia seeds, maple syrup, and vanilla and mix well.
2. Cover and chill for 4-24 hours.
3. Divide into four bowls, top each with 1/4 of the fresh fruit and coconut chips, and serve.

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Variants

Strawberry-Banana

Ingredients

• 1 c. oat milk
• 2 Tbsp. peanut butter
• 1/4 c. chia seeds
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 150g strawberries
• 2 bananas, peeled and sliced
• 20g dark chocolate shavings

Kiwi-Mango

Ingredients

• 1 c. coconut milk
• 1/4 c. chia seeds
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
• 2 mangoes, sliced
• 2 passionfruit
• 20g toasted coconut chips
• 20g macadamia nuts, chopped

Lemon-Blueberry

Ingredients

• 1 c. almond milk
• 1/4 c. chia seeds
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. culinary lavender
• 150g blueberries
• 1/2 c. lemon curd
• 20g slivered almonds, toasted

Blackberry-Melon

Ingredients

• 1 c. coconut milk
• 1/4 c. chia seeds
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. lime zest
• 150g blackberries
• 1/4 cantaloupe, diced
• 1/4 honeydew melon, diced
• 20g pine nuts, toasted

Kiwi-Lychee

Ingredients

• 1 c. coconut milk
• 1/4 c. chia seeds
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. rosewater
• 150g blackberries
• ~20 lycheefruit, peeled and halved
• 2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
• 20g slivered almonds, toasted

Cranberry-Quince

Ingredients

• 1 c. oat milk
• 1/4 c. chia seeds
• 2 Tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 quince, peeled and diced
• 1 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 c. apple juice
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 250g fresh cranberries
• 1/4 c. raisins
• 20g walnuts, toasted and chopped

Directions

1. Combine the oat milk, chia seeds, maple syrup, and vanilla extract as directed above, mixing, covering, and chilling for at least 4 hours.
2. Meanwhile, combine the quince, star anise, cinnamon stick, apple juice, and sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for ~20 minutes.
4. Add the cranberries and raisins and simmer for another 20 minutes.
5. Divide pudding among four bowls, top with compote and walnuts and serve.

Chocolate-Cherry

Ingredients

• 1 c. almond milk
• 1/4 c. chia seeds
• 1 Tbsp. Dutched (alkalized) cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 400g fresh cherries, pitted and halved
• 20g slivered almonds, toasted
• 20g dark chocolate shavings