Category: Recipe

Ukrainian Instant Pot Beet Borscht, just like Grandma used to make

Ukrainian Beet Borscht

Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course, Soup

Ingredients
  

  • 1 small onion (shredded)
  • 6 small red beets (peeled and shredded)
  • 4 medium carrots (peeled and shredded)
  • 4 fingerling potatoes (roughly chopped)
  • 4 garlic cloves (peeled and minced)
  • 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • 2 Tbsps dried dill
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions
 

  • Peel and shred the veggies, either in a food processor, or using a grater.
  • Add the olive oil to the instant pot on Sauté setting. Add the onions, garlic and carrots, sautéing until the carrots start to soften. Add the rest of the ingredients, stirring well.
  • Set pot on Soup/Broth setting and cook on pressure for 10 minutes.
  • Serve with fresh dill and sour cream.
Keyword Beets, Instant Pot, Soup, Vegetables, Vegetarian

And now for the details…

My family on both sides have always had a focus around food. Since I was a little girl, I remember all getting together for big family meals, cracking out some snack or recently baked good when someone would come to visit, and most importantly to me, often cooking or baking together. I must have been so annoying to my mom, grandmas and aunties, because from a young age “I help too” was a common phrase coming out of my mouth, quickly followed by the screech of the kitchen chair legs against the floor as I insistently dragged it over to the counter to stand higher and “help”.

One of the people I would insist regularly on “helping” was my Grandma on my dad’s side. Since my Grandma was Ukrainian, this resulted in me learning to make foods like perogies, periski, holupchi, or borscht. And as the weather turns cooler and root vegetables are readily available now that it is officially fall, my craving for borscht peaks at an all-time high. Even though this classifies as a soup, I feel as though borscht should be more of a stew. Hearty, rich, and hitting the spot on a cool fall day. The addition of the potatoes gives a nice thick broth, and the deep, earthiness and sweetness of the beets gets elevated with the herbaceousness of the dill and the zing of the tomato paste. Admittedly, my Grandma’s borscht was a bit more on the “soup” side of things, but the main thing I did pick up from her, and I hold tight to, was on her being quite adamant that borscht should not contain cabbage. Cooked cabbage… is not my cup of tea. Let’s be frank people, it smells like farts. And so, zero cabbage in this recipe. Is it un-Ukrainian? Possibly. But since I learned this from my Grandma, I’m going to claim a certain level of authenticity!

For this recipe, we are making it in the Instant Pot. You can always make this exact same recipe in a regular pot, it will just need to cook on the stove on medium-low heat for much longer (about 5 times as long).

Let’s start by prepping our veggies. I used a food processor to shred all my veggies. You can always use a hand grater instead. Peel the carrots, onion, and beets first. Then shred the carrots and onion. Remove them from the processor into the pot, and do the beets next. We are doing these all separately so we can sauté the other veggies without the beets, as a sort of mirepoix, without the celery. Mince your garlic and add it to the pot as well. Add a splash of olive oil, set the pot to “Sauté” (medium high on a pot on the stove), and cook the veggies, stirring occasionally, until the carrots start to soften and the garlic and onions are fragrant.

While those veggies are cooking, peel and diced your potatoes. Once they are ready, add the potatoes and beets to the pot, and the broth (chicken for Grandma’s, vegetable if you are going vegetarian with your borscht) and stir well, mixing everything all together.

Add the last few ingredients to the pot, give it one last stir to mix everything in, especially the tomato paste, and the cover your pot and set to “Soup/Broth” setting, with pressure on. If no Instant Pot, turn the temperature down to medium-low temperature. We are going to cook here for 10 minutes in the Instant Pot, or 50-60 minutes on the stove, stirring occasionally if on the stove.

Once the cooking time is done, give the borscht one last stir, then serve in bowls. You can serve just like this, or if you’d like to go the way I had it at Grandma’s, add a dollop of sour cream and stir it in before your first big, soul-warming bite.

Happy eating.

Rainbow Vegetable Bowl with Peanut Satay Sauce

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Rainbow Veggie Bowl with Satay Sauce

Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 red cabbage (sliced thin)
  • 2 large carrots (peeled and sliced)
  • 3 kale leaves (destalked and sliced into strips)
  • 1 shallot (sliced)
  • 1 cup brussel sprouts (sliced thin)
  • 1/2 red pepper (sliced)
  • 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger (grated)
  • 2 garlic cloves (peeled and sliced)
  • 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 Tbsps peanut butter
  • 3 Tbsps sweet chilli sauce
  • 6 Tbsps coconut milk
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp sambal olek
  • 2 eggs (soft boiled)

Instructions
 

  • Prepare your veggies.
  • Mix together the peanut butter, chilli sauce, coconut milk and soy sauce, and set aside.
  • Add the shallots, garlic  and carrots to a large pan with the oil and sauté on medium high heat until the shallows start to brown. Add the ginger and stir, then add the cabbage and brussel sprouts, stirring while cooking until the sprout and cabbage have just started to soften. Stir in the kale and red pepper, and cook until the kale has turned bright green.
  • Separate the veggies into two bowls. Top with the satay sauce and eggs, and serve.
Keyword Cabbage, Cruciferous, Kale, Vegetables, Vegetarian

And now for the details…

Guilty admission: this recipe was created when I was trying to clean out our refrigerator. I had all these random bits of veg left over from other recipes that I had made and I needed to find something to do with them. Et voilà: a rainbow smorgasbord of sautéed veggies with a satay dressing and soft boiled eggs to top them off.

This recipe comes together fairly quickly, and so is a great option for a weekday meal. And since the main protein source is egg, it’s also appropriate for the non meat eaters out there! Have a vegan in the crowd? Swap out the eggs for pan fried tofu, and you are in business! The recipe also scales up an down quite easily, depending on the number in your crowd.

Start everything off my prepping your veggies and sauce. Once the cooking starts, this recipe comes together very quickly, so you want everything ready to go so you can just toss each element into the pan and plate immediately.

Slicing of your sprouts and cabbage could be done by hand or in a food processor, whichever is your preference. I like slicing by hand since it allows me more control and I prefer the veggies to be sliced thinner than the food processor will allow.

For the sauce, we simply whisk together the peanut butter, chilli sauce, coconut milk and soy sauce until they are fully mixed. I like using crunchy peanut butter for this so you get little bites of peanut in the dish after mixing the sauce into the veggies. I also added some sambal oelek for added spice, but if you prefer a milder flavour, you can omit it.

Next it’s on to cooking. Start with your soft boiled eggs. Bring a pot of water to a boil, carefully place the eggs inside (use a spoon or skimmer to help you do this to prevent dropping the eggs too fast and cracking the shells), then reduce the temperature to medium-low and cook the eggs for 6-7 minutes, depending on your preference of yolk smooshiness. Have an ice bath ready. While the eggs are cooking, we can start cooking the rest of the meal, but the moment the eggs are done, they should be removed from the hot water and placed in the ice bath.

Moving on to the veggies. Heat a large pan at medium-high heat with the oil, and add the ginger and garlic. Cook until just fragrant, then add your shallots and carrots. Stir, cooking until the shallots start to brown, then add the Brussel sprouts and cabbage. Stir, cooking just until the cabbage starts to soften, and add the kale and red pepper. One last stir and cook until the kale turns bright green and just starts to wilt, then remove from the heat and place into your bowls for serving.

Pour the satay sauce over the veggies, peel the eggs (yes, I definitely massacred them in this photo…), cut them in half and place on top, and you are ready to for dinner!

Happy eating.

A Killer Lemon Layer Cake with Creamy Bumbleberry Frosting

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Lemon Cake with Bumbleberry Frosting

Print Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 1 Cake (2 Layer)

Ingredients
  

Cake

  • 2 cups flour (pastry or all-purpose)
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1+1/3 cups butter
  • 1+1/3 cups sugar
  • 1+1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp lemon extract
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup whole milk

Lemon Curd

  • 5 egg yolks
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (approximately 2 lemons)
  • 2 Tbsps lemon zest
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter

Frosting

  • 5 egg whites
  • 2 cups sugar
  • large pinch salt
  • 2 cups unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • 1 cup bumbleberry purée

Instructions
 

Cake

  • Whisk or sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium sized bowl. In a stand mixer, cream the butter, then gradually add the sugar, 1/3 cup at a time, then add the vanilla. Blend the eggs into the butter mixture, one at a time. Add the dry ingredients slowly, alternating with the milk, until fully mixed. Pour the batter into greased and papered cake tin(s). Bake at 350ºF/177ºC until toothpick comes out clean (30-35min for 6" cake tins). Cool fully.

Lemon Curd

  • Add all the ingredients except the butter in a saucepan and blend together. Place over low heat and cook, stirring continuously, until thickened, remove from heat. Add the butter slowly, stirring in completely. Cool.

Frosting

  • Place the egg whites and sugar in a stand mixer metal bowl, and place over a pot of simmering water. Cook until the temperature reaches 71ºC (160ºF). Remove from the heat, place on the stand mixer with a whisk attachment and whip until stiff peaks form. Beat in the salt, then add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Fold in the bumbleberry purée.
Keyword Berries, Cake, Icing, Layer Cake, Lemon

And now for the details…

Cake is my favourite dessert. I can say that, because it’s such a wide variety of options that I get to include in this category. Ice cream cake? Of course. Coffee cake? Absolutely. Angel food cake? Yum. Layer cake? Without a doubt. Cheesecake? *drool* Pancake? You monster.

(Admission time: I hate pancakes. Yes, I am weird, I get it, what kind of person doesn’t like pancakes? Maybe I’m the monster here. And no, I’m sorry, the “but these pancakes” that you will want me to try, because they are “different” and I will “definitely like them”, will not make me change my mind. Are they moist, slightly soggy flaps of cooked batter meant to be drenched in butter and syrup? *shudder* nope, mind is made up here.)

Of all these different cake types, though, if I had to choose, a good layer cake is probably my most preferred type of cake. I am terrible at decorating them, but as long as the result is tasty cake, I’m will to look past the lopsided-ness or borderline looks-like-it-belongs-on-a-“cake fail”-post, and just enjoy the sweet, sweet tastiness.

The first part of a great cake is, of course, the cake itself. This cake is a butter cake, scented with a bit of lemon extract to amp up the lemony-ness. We start out by creaming our butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Then add your eggs one-by-one, allowing the first one to completed mix in before adding the next. Then add in your vanilla and lemon extract.

Next step is to either whisk or sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together. Whisking or sifting will help to break apart chunks in the powder, getting a better mix when we add the dry ingredient to our wet ingredients.

Speaking of, let’s add our dry ingredients. We do this in steps, so add about 1/3 of the dry ingredient, then 1/3 of the milk. Continue alternating until you have added everything to the bowl.

Only mix until everything is mixed in, then STOP! Mixing for too long starts activating the gluten in our flour, and can result in a “chewy” or “rubbery” cake. We do have a heck of a lot of butter in our cake, which does help hinder the gluten formation, but mixing for too long will affect your final texture. You can also use cake or pastry flour to help keep a nice crumby texture to your cake, but I find I do not bake often enough to keep multiple flours in my pantry and I rely on good ol’ all-purpose.

The cake batter is now going to go into some prepared pans. Do this however you feel is best. The way I learned from my mom is to butter the pan first, paying particular attention to the sides of the pan, then cut some parchment or waxed paper to the size of the bottom of the pan, and line the bottom with the paper. For this recipe, the batter will fit nicely into two 9″ round pans.

Add the batter to the pans, splitting it somewhat evenly between the two prepared pans. This batter is fairly thick, so you will need to spread it out in the pan and smooth out the top.

Then place in the oven for 30-35 minutes, or until the cake springs back up from pushing lightly in the middle.

Coming up next is the lemon curd and bumbleberry purée. For the lemon curd, separate 5 eggs, setting the whites aside into a metal bowl to make the butter cream later. In a saucepan, whisk the yolks together with the sugar until pale yellow, then add the lemon juice and zest, mixing in completely. Place on LOW heat and stir for about 15-20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened fairly significantly, and coats the back of a wooden spoon. The low heat is very important, otherwise you may end up with scrambled eggs instead of lemon. Patience is key. (It’s worth it!!) Stay with the curd, and stir is continuously while it is on the heat. Next, add the butter about a tablespoon at a time, allowing it to melt and mix into the curd completely before adding the next amount. As you add the butter, the curd will thicken.

The curd after cooking, before adding the butter.

While the curd is cooking, you can be getting the bumbleberry purée ready at the same time. Are bumbleberries a real berry? Ummmm… well, I would love to believe this website because they sound like a magical berry from Utah! But.. bumbleberry is basically a mix of numerous different kinds of berries. In my mix, we are using blackberries, raspberries and blueberries (about 3 cups all together). Mix them together in a saucepan and add them at medium heat until they cook down and get jammy-looking. From here, you can strain them using a regular strainer, but I find a food mill is a great way to get rid of the pips and be left with a nice, non-grainy purée.

Last, but definitely not least, is our icing. I used a Swiss meringue buttercream for this recipe, but feel free to use the buttercream of your choice. I am still learning about buttercreams, and this website provides a fantastic comparison of buttercreams, and provides links to recipes for each. Does this recipe look familiar? It should!! Big thanks to Baker Bettie for providing such amazing information for us amateur bakers!

Start by mixing your egg whites with your sugar, and placing them over a water bath (remember that metal bowl we discussed for the egg whites? Place it on a pot filled with simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water, and you’ve got your water bath!) Heat until they have reached a temperature of 71ºC (160ºF), then remove from the heat. Place them in your stand mixer, and using the whisk attachment, whisk until fluffy and they form stiff peaks.

Great! Ready for the butter? I am! It needs to be fully room temperature, but not too warm. Add the butter about 1-2 tablespoons at a time, allowing the previous addition to mix completely into the icing before adding the next bit. Then, add 1 cup of your purée to the mix (save the rest for decorating the cake later) and mix in thoroughly.

And finally? Assemble your cake! We are going to cut each layer in half, and in the middle of each cut half, place your lemon curd. The buttercream goes between the two layers. If you are able to do this while maintaining a nice, even set of layering, good for you! I am jealous! But most importantly, enjoy the berrylicious, tart, sweet, creamy, crumby, deliciousness!

Happy eating.

Savoury Steak Bites with Sriracha Mayonnaise

Savoury Steak Bites with Sriracha Mayo

Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course

Ingredients
  

  • .2-.25 kg beef steak (7-9oz; tenderloin, striploin, ribeye or sirloin)
  • 2 Tbsps chilli powder
  • 1 tsp chipotle powder
  • 1 Tbsp cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 Tbsps sriracha sauce (or hot sauce, masala chilli, or similar)

Instructions
 

  • Mix the spices and cornstarch together. Toss the steak pieces in the powder mixture until fully coated.
  • Heat the oil in medium-high heat pan until hot, add the steak bites. Turn regularly until desired level of doneness and outsides are browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  • Mix together the hot sauce and mayonnaise.  Serve the steak bites with the hot mayonnaise.
Keyword Spices, Steak

And now for the details…

I must admit, I do not think I could become a vegetarian. Meat is just too delicious. I joke around that I am a protein-aholic. And yes, I realize I can find protein sources outside of meats and fish, but when really craving a filling, umami-rich, toothy bite, what could provide this better than a bite of savoury steak? The outside crisp, salty and spicy, the inside soft and juicy. I’m salivating just typing about it, and it’s 8am on a Saturday morning…

These steak bites come together quite quickly, and are great for either entertaining, or as a quick meat option for your evening meal. The best part is that because they are already cut down into smaller bites, they seem to go a longer way. With some veggies on the side, one steak was more than enough for both me and the hubby for dinner, which is usually our largest meal of the day.

To get started, let’s cut the steak into bite-sized chunks, about 1 to 2″ big. Mix all the spices and cornstarch together. I do this in a ziplock bag, in preparation of the next step. Next, add your precut steak pieces into the bag, close it up, and shake until all the steak bites are evenly coated with the powder mixture.

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Wait until the oil has gotten hot enough. You can test this by adding a couple of drops of water to the pan. When the water pops, the pan is ready for you steak bites. Add them to the pan in one layer, leaving a bit of spacing between the pieces. We are doing this so that we get a nice crispy outside on the bites, otherwise, they may start to steam instead, leaving us with a soggy, moist (yeah, I said it) outside. Turn the pieces regularly, until the insides are to your desired level of doneness (here is a handy guide for the temperatures to aim for), and the outsides are looking crisp and browned.

Remove the bites from the pan and let them sit to the side for a moment or two.

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise and sriracha (or hot sauce of choice) until fully mixed. Serve the steak bites with the spicy mayonnaise for dipping.

Happy eating.

Chicken Vino Bianco (Olive Garden-ish)

Chicken Vino Bianco

A copycat recipe of the Olive Garden Chicken Vino Bianco
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Main Course

Ingredients
  

  • 2 chicken breasts (butterflied and cut into medallions)
  • 2 roma tomatoes (seeded and diced)
  • 2 shallots (diced)
  • 3 cups mushrooms (oyster or cremini, diced)
  • 1/4 cup flour (all-purpose)
  • salt and pepper (to taste)
  • 3 Tbsps olive oil
  • 1/4 cups butter (plus 2 Tbsps)
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 250 g pasta (cooked al dente)

Instructions
 

  • Season the chicken fillets with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with flour.
  • Add 2 Tbsps of the olive oil and 1 Tbsp of the butter to a pan on medium-high heat until the butter is melted.
  • Place the chicken breasts in the pan and cook until golden brown and turn. Add another 1 Tbsp of butter to the pan and cook the medallions until the inside temperature reaches 75ºC (165ºF).
  • Remove chicken from the pan, and set aside. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil to the pan, add the shallots and sauté, add the mushrooms and sauté until soft. Add the tomatoes, then add the chicken broth and white wine. Cook down until the liquid is reduced significantly. Add 1/4 cup of butter and melt, stirring into the sauce.
  • Add the chicken back into the pan, turning to coat. Place the pasta in a large shallow dish, then top with sauce and chicken. Serve.
Keyword Chicken, Mushrooms, Pasta, Tomatoes, Wine

And now for the details…

I had a period of time in my early twenties when I was borderline obsessed with the Olive Garden. Raised eyebrows and cringes, I’m sure, from the foodies out there. But I have to admit, I still enjoy visiting, particularly for the lunch of endless soup, salad and breadsticks. Their Zuppa Toscana? Delicious. Yep. I’m losing creditability from the foodie hipsters as I type. I recognize your need to shudder and turn away, but am not changing my mind on this one. Sorry folks, I love food. All food. In my mind, food sources do not need to be subversive, exclusive, or cutting edge to be delicious.

A favourite dish, which unfortunately I have not seen on their menu for well over a decade, was Chicken Vino Bianco. Through some trial and error, I think I have come pretty close to recreating it, and now am sharing with all of you! Pair this with a salad with Olive Garden salad dressing from Costco, and we are bringing the restaurant home!

We start by butterflying the chicken breasts and then cutting them into medallions. This pink cutting board? It is specific for my meat prep! To avoid cross-contamination, I have this separate board that I use strictly for raw meats, fish, and poultry. Safety first people! Now, salt and pepper each side of the medallions, and then dust them with flour. Shake off any excess flour and we are ready to start sautéing!

Heat up some olive oil at medium-high heat and melt the two tablespoons of butter into the oil. Once the butter is completely melted and starts bubbling slightly, add the chicken in a single layer, and cook until browned on both sides and completely cooked through the middle.

Set the chicken aside, but keep the pan hot. Add the shallots and a bit more olive oil if there is little of the oil left in the pan after cooking the chicken. Sauté the shallot until fragrant, then add the mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms have just begun to turn soft. Next, we add the wine and cook down until the wine has almost completed reduced, there should be little liquid left in the pan.

(Now is also a good time to boil your water for your pasta.)

This is just after adding the wine, lots of liquid to lose yet!

We add our tomatoes next, and allow them to cook down for just a short bit of time, releasing some of their liquid, and softening slightly. Cooking for too long will lose our nice bright colour from the tomatoes, and cause them to smoosh in with the other ingredients, getting lost in the mix.

(Have you added pasta to your water yet? Get that going so you have pasta and sauce at the same time!)

Our last step is to melt in the 1/4 cup of butter, which is going to bring the liquid element back in, creating a nice sauce, and then bring the chicken back into the pan. Spoon sauce over the chicken, getting everything nice and saucy. Do a quick taste test here to see if you need any additional salt or fresh ground pepper. Add more S&P to taste.

Place your pasta in a large dish, then top with the chicken and sauce. If you would like, you can garnish with some fresh parsley and parmesan cheese.

Happy eating.

The Simple Side Dish: Easy Creamy Buttermilk Coleslaw

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Creamy Buttermilk Coleslaw

Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Course Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 1 small cabbage (sliced thinly)
  • 2 large carrots (peeled and shredded)
  • 1/2 onion (shredded)
  • 2 garlic cloves (shredded)
  • 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • fresh ground pepper (to taste)

Instructions
 

  • Mix together the cabbage and carrots. Whisk together the rest of the ingredients in the dressing, then pour over the vegetables and toss until evenly coated.
Keyword Cabbage, Coleslaw, Salad, Vegetables, Vegetarian

And now for the details…

Well, this recipe is not terrible pretty, but it sure is yummy. I feel as though the Netflix show ‘Ugly Delicious’ could take its title and attach it to this side. Cole slaw’s are not usually overly pretty and do not offer the same presentation possibilities as many other dishes, but are tasty and very versatile in their use. I mean, really, what other salad do you know that you can put together completely, dress, and have it not only taste great the next day, but often even better than it did the first!

And man, does this salad have lasting power. I will make it at the beginning of the week, and we often have it multiple times throughout the week, minimizing the evening meal prep, and it holds well when taking it to work as a side.

Prep on this salad is relatively easy, but is definitely easier with the use of a very sharp knife. I use my Japanese knife to cut the cabbage quite fine, since this is my preference. If a super sharp knife is not available to you, feel free to use a food processor to shred your cabbage, carrots, and onions. They will not be as fine, but will still be fresh and crunchy and will soak up the dressing.

A quick note on cabbage: I have used green cabbage, pretty standard, in this recipe. You can use Napa or savoy instead, but the salad will not last quite as long. My grandma used to grow cabbage that would form earlier than the green cabbage. It was sweeter and more tender than its later-blooming cousin, but either work well for cole slaws.

After your veggies have been shredded and mixed, whisk together the dressing ingredients. To get a better consistency to the mix, stir the garlic and onions in with the dressing ingredients, not with the veggies.

Finally, pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss vigorously, until everything has mixed well together. Serve the cole slaw on its own as a side, or as a topping (hint: it goes really well on tacos… future post? Highly likely.)

Happy eating.

Garlicky Chimichurri Sauce for Grilled Meats, Tofu and Halloumi

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Green and Garlicky Chimichurri

Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Course Side Dish
Servings 1 cup sauce

Ingredients
  

  • 7 cloves garlic (chopped)
  • 1 shallot (chopped)
  • 3 cups Italian parsley (chopped)
  • 1/2 lime (juiced)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano

Instructions
 

  • In a small food processor, place the garlic and shallot and pulse until quite fine. Add the parsley, red wine vinegar, lime juice, and spices, and pulse until fairly fine. Add the olive oil and purée until desired texture.
Keyword Chimichurri, Garlic, Parsley, Sauce

And now for the details…

I am a big fan of sauces in general, and one favourite in our household is chimichurri sauce. And how could it not be? It’s savoury and salty, with a bit of tang. I’m drooling right now just thinking about it. It makes for a great companion with steak or other grilled meats, which is its typical use in its country of origin, Argentina. But I have also really enjoyed chimichurri on halloumi cheese, or as a sauce in tacos.

I think the other reason I am so enthralled with this sauce is that the predominant ingredient is parsley. For me, parsley is an herb that often seems to fall by the wayside of its stronger-flavoured peers like basil, cilantro, or mint. In fact, for a long time, I thought parsley had little to no flavour and was just a garnish to add a green splash of colour to a recipe. But as recipes like chimichurri and tabbouleh entered my life, I started to see parsley take centre stage, and realized the fresh herbaceousness that parsley can bring to the table.

For my recipe, I am calling for Italian parsley, which is flat-leafed, and I find is “wetter” than it’s cousin, curly parsley. You could absolutely use curly parsley instead, but I prefer the texture I get out of Italian parsley.

We will start by loosely chopping the shallots and garlic, and adding them to the food processor. I am going fairly heavy-handed with the garlic in this recipe. If you are wanting a less garlicky experience, feel free to cut down the amount of garlic cloves you add. Pulse the shallots and garlic until they are fairly finely minced.

Next, loosely chop your parsley, removing any large stems, and add it to your food processor with the red wine vinegar, lime juice, and spices.

Pulse all the ingredients together until it has formed a bit of a paste, and the parsley is mostly broken down. Then add your olive oil and blitz the mixture until you have your desired texture.

Pour out into a small bowl and serve with your meal of choice!

Happy eating.

Grilled Apricot Salad with Radicchio and Mint

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Grilled Apricot Salad

Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 4 apricots (washed, halved and pitted)
  • 1 head radicchio (cored and sliced)
  • 1/2 cup fresh mint (washed and chopped)
  • 1/2 bulb fresh fennel (cored and sliced thin)
  • 2 Tbsps bleu cheese (crumbled)
  • 4 Tbsps pecans (toasted and chopped)
  • 2 Tbsps dijon mustard
  • 2 Tbsps white wine vinegar
  • 2+4 Tbsps olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Cut apricots in half and remove pits. Coat with 2 Tbsp olive oil. Place on a bbq at medium-high heat, turning halfway through until cooked through (about 4-5 minutes total). Remove from grill and set aside. Place radicchio and fennel on a plate. Whisk together the mustard, vinegar and 4 Tbsp oil until emulsified. Pour over the vegetables. Top with apricots. Sprinkle with mint, cheese and pecans, and serve.
Keyword Apricot, BBQ, Bleu Cheese, Grill, Mint, Salad, Salad Dressing

And now for the details…

I have a radicculous love for radicchio (oh yes, I went that cheesy). As I get older, I have come to enjoy more and more the bitter element that many foods provide that I could not appreciate when I was younger. Coffee, strong tea, dark chocolate, grapefruit, red wine and, of course: radicchio. There is something about bringing the bitterness together with sweet, sour, and creamy that amps all those flavours up a notch and creates a taste explosion.

A favourite salad we had in France was incredibly simple: endive, crumbled bleu cheese and mustard dressing. This recipe is taking that super simple salad and giving it a tiny bump up. We are adding in the sweet and sour of the grilled apricots, not to mention the earthiness that comes out of those grill marks. We are pulling in the freshness and sweetness of the mint and fennel. And we are adding a bit of crunch with the toasted pecans. Plus, the slight bitter note of the pecan skins matches so wonderfully with the bitterness of the radicchio. And the creamy, salty bleu cheese? Yes, thank you.

So with that: let’s get to making this salad a reality.

Start by prepping your veggies. Wash and dry the radicchio. Cut it into halves, and core the hard centre out before slicing the rest of it into strips.

Next, wash and core your fennel, and slice it into very thin strips. Raw fennel is quite crunchy, so you want those nice thin pieces to bring forward the juiciness and sweetness of the fennel while not being the focus of the bite when you are trying to chew. Add the fennel to the radicchio in your plate and toss to mix the two.

Next, cut the apricots into halves and pull them off their pits. Add the olive oil and toss to coat the apricots lightly with some olive oil so they do not stick to the grill. Place them on a medium-high grill, allowing them to brown slightly on the one side before turning and browning on the other side. Remove them from the grill and set them to the side while you prep the rest of the salad.

Mix the vinegar and the mustard together. Slowly add the oil, whisking the entire time, so that the mixture emulsifies.

Emulsify: what does this mean? It is mixing liquids together (e.g. oil and vinegar), which normally separate, but mixing them with another ingredient so they mix together and stay fairly stable as a homogeneous mix, instead of separating the moment after you have swished them together. In other words, the emulsifier is your facilitator to make sure the vinegar and oil continue to get along. In this case, mustard is our emulsifier. We mix the mustard and vinegar together first, to allow the mustard and vinegar to get to know each other and build a relationship. Then, we add the oil while whisking, and the whole blend comes together beautifully, while remaining a stable mix. Y’see, mustard introduces itself to oil all slick-like, and mustard pulls in vinegar and makes sure oil and vinegar get to be best friends too, without wanting to be apart from each other the moment they come together. Oh wow. Mustard is basically the world’s best wing (wo)man. Yes this sounds hokey. And of course there is a scientific explanation. In fact this article speaks much more to the emulsifying qualities of mustard.

Finally, we can finish off our salad. Place the apricots over the radicchio and fennel. Sprinkle the mint overtop and crumble the bleu cheese over the salad. The easiest method for crumbling the bleu cheese? Fingies. Make sure you take the cheese out straight out of the fridge, which will make it a bit easier to crumble, then squish the sh*t out of it between your fingers as you sprinkle it over your salad. Finish the salad off with some toasted pecans and drizzle with your dressing, then serve.

Happy eating.

How to Have Dessert for Breakfast: Passionfruit Chia Pudding with Berry Jam

Passionfruit Chia Pudding with Berry Jam

Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Resting Time (minimum) 1 hour
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Servings 5 Servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup fresh strawberries (cored and cut into small pieces)
  • 1/2 cup fresh raspberries
  • 1 Tbsp honey
  • 1+1 tsps vanilla extract
  • 800 ml coconut milk (27 oz)
  • 1/3 cup passionfruit purée
  • 2 Tbsps turbinado sugar
  • 1/2 cup white chia seeds
  • 4 Tbsps shaved coconut (toasted, for garnish)

Instructions
 

  • Wash and cut strawberries into small chunks. Wash raspberries and add both to pot. Cook on low-medium heat, until cooked down (~10 minutes). Add 1 tsp vanilla and honey, cook until honey is dissolved. Cool and place in five sealable containers.
  • Mix together milk, passionfruit purée, 1 tsp vanilla and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add the chia seeds until just mixed, and pour over the compote. Seal the containers and let set in the fridge for a minimum of 60 minutes, or overnight.
  • When ready to eat, top with coconut and serve.
Keyword Berries, Chia, Coconut Milk, Compote, Passionfruit, Pudding

And now for the details…

I’ve been needing a good breakfast option lately, and have gotten into the bad habit of buying it at my coffee shop on the way to work. The option I have been purchasing frequently? Chia pudding with a fruit compote, similar to a jam. And every time I buy it, I question why I buy instead of make. It is relatively easy to make and WAAAAAAY cheaper for me to make it at home and take it to work instead of purchasing. Not to mention, I would be producing way less waste by making it in a reusable container instead of throwing the bought plastic into the recycling bin every day.

And so… I made some! In this recipe, I chose to amp up the pudding with some passionfruit purée, and made the compote from strawberries and raspberries that I had in the fridge, which were starting to look a little rough.

We start with our compote. Wash and trim the strawberries and cut into small chunks. These strawberries had seen better days and I needed to trim around the brown spots as well.

Place the strawberries into a medium sized pot and set them on the stove at medium-low heat. Wash the raspberries and add them to the pot with the strawberries.

Let the berries cook, stirring regularly to avoid the fruit from burning on the bottom of your pot, until they have softened and are breaking down into an almost jammy consistency. Add the honey and 1 tsp of vanilla, stirring until completely mixed in. Then allow to cool completely.

Next we will mix our pudding. Start by mixing the coconut milk and passionfruit purée together. The passionfruit is going to balance the creaminess of your coconut milk by adding a tart, fruity, and slightly floral flavour to your pudding. Passionfruit purée… where do I find it, you may ask? There are a few options. You could buy fresh passionfruit from a grocer who offers them, hope you have waited the right amount of time for them to ripen enough (unripe passionfruit are quite tasteless, make sure the fruit skin is super wrinkly), scoop the pulp to a blender, add a bit of water, purée, then strain and separate the liquid form the seeds. You could do that. Or… you can find it at your local latin market in the freezer section! You might be able to tell which option I prefer…

Add your sugar and vanilla, and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. Finally, add your chia and stir until completely blended. Try to avoid stirring too much, which can make the pudding “tough”.

To get the pudding ready to serve, start by pouring your compote into your containers. I used a pastry bag made from parchment paper (a trick I learned by binging on Anna Olson shows) to help me avoid slopping up the sides of the container while I was pouring.

Next, pour in your chia pudding. Be careful to do this gently so it does not end up mixing into the compote and all ending up as one big blended mess!

And now? Put a lid on it! Bahahaha I’m so funny. But seriously. Cap your puddings and put them in the fridge to set. The chia seeds will soak up the liquid from the coconut milk and passionfruit purée and turn into more of a pudding texture. Once you are ready to eat (leave it at least overnight), top your pudding with some toasted coconut for texture (bake your coconut on a cookie tray at 350ºF until they are golden brown and cool), and eat!

Happy eating.

Quick, Easy Zucchini and Enoki Mushrooms with Caramelized Shallots

Zucchini and Enoki Mushrooms

Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 1 medium zucchini sliced
  • 1 package enoki mushrooms
  • 1.5 Tbsp mirin
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp fish sauce
  • 1 shallot (thinly sliced)
  • 2 garlic cloves (minced)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Slice the shallots thin and dry on paper towels. Heat oil in a wok on medium to high heat and add the shallots. Cook, stirring regularly, until the shallots have caramelized. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels.
  • Mix together the mirin, soy and fish sauce and set aside. Drain most of the oil except for a small coating in the bottom of the wok. Add the garlic, stir frying until fragrant. Add the zucchini and cook until browned slightly, then add the enoki mushrooms. Stir until the mushroom have just started to soften, then add the sauce. Cook until the sauce is almost completely reduced.
  • Top with the shallots and serve.
Keyword Enoki Mushrooms, Mushrooms, Zucchini

And now for the details…

I love mushrooms. No seriously, I do. All kinds of mushrooms. I love cremini mushrooms. Oyster mushrooms. Matsutake’s. Shimeji’s. Portobello’s… *drool* Deeeeelicious. I love them so much so that a friend of mine suggested that “Mushrooms for Emily” sounds like it would be a great band name. The hilarious part of this is that when I was younger, I hated mushrooms. It wasn’t until my late teens/early twenties (*ahem* which aren’t THAT far behind me…) that I started to appreciate them. And that appreciation grew at logarithmic levels. Yep. Nerd joke. My love for mushroom was fast and hard, so much so that I really don’t think it can increase much more over time.

Enoki mushroom (full name enokitake, and also known as straw or golden needle mushrooms) are such a fun mushroom option. Long and thin, but with that slightly springy, spongy texture, they are almost like a noodle replacement, but way better.

Fun fact, a study done in Japan demonstrated that regular consumption of enoki mushroom resulted in reduced cancer death rates. So eating enoki mushrooms isn’t only delicious, it’s good for your health! 😛

We are going to cook this dish in a wok. Because we are going to be cooking at high heat, mix the sauce together in advance, because once cooking starts, things are going to move quite quickly.

Prepare your veggies by slicing the zucchini, and slicing off the base of your mushrooms. once the base is cut, the mushrooms should separate quite easily.

Heat the oil in your wok on a heat just below high, until a drop of water sizzles. Okay, so maybe my job has infiltrated my home life, but safety first here. Any time I am cooking with a mass of hot oil, I make sure I am wearing my glasses and not my contacts. Safety first, and PPE (personal protective equipment) where possible!

Add your shallots, and cook, stirring regularly, until they have turned a nice golden brown. Remove the shallots with a slotted spoon to a dish lined with paper towels to allow the shallots to cool. Drain the oil into a container, you can reserve this for future cooking where you need a savoury, shallot-y flavour, it keeps very well in the fridge. There should be a bit of oil left in the pan for the next part.

Are those giant chopsticks for stir frying? You bet they are.

Keeping the temperature high, add the garlic, and stir until fragrant. Immediately add the zucchini and cook until the zucchini pieces have started to soften, and have a glassy surface (2-3 minutes).

Add your mushrooms and continue to stir, with a bit of a light touch at first to avoid breaking the mushrooms into pieces. As they cook and soften, they will become more malleable and will not break as easily.

Once the mushrooms have become soft, add your sauce and stir, allowing the sauce to cook down. This should not take very long at high heat, likely less than 60 seconds.

Turn out onto your serving platter and top with the shallots. Serve and enjoy!

Happy eating.