My Grandma’s Paska (Ukrainian Easter Sweet Bread)

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Paska (Ukrainian Easter Bread)

Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 hours
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 45 minutes
Course Bread, Breakfast
Servings 6 loaves

Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup sugar (plus 1 tsp)
  • 1 cup water (lukewarm)
  • 1 package instant yeast (approx. 2 + 1/4 tsps)
  • 3 cups scalded whole milk
  • 13-15 cups flour
  • 6 eggs (beaten)
  • 1/2 cup butter (melted, plus 2 Tbsps)
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 2 cups raisins (sultanas recommended)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF/175ºC. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of sugar in water, sprinkle yeast over top and let stand for 10 minutes. Combine bloomed yeast with milk and 5 cups flour. Beat well until smooth. Cover and let rise in warm place until light and bubbly (~5 minutes). Add eggs, sugar, 1/2 cup butter, and salt. Mix thoroughly. Stir in enough flour to make a dough that is neither too soft or too stiff. Let rise for 60 minutes. Turn on to a floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, mixing the raisins into the dough. Place back in bowl and let rise for 1 hour, until doubled in bulk. Divide and shape into loaves. Place in greased loaf pans, let rise for 1 hour until doubles in bulk. Bake 30-45 minutes until golden brown. Serve.
Keyword Bread, Raisins, Ukrainian Food

And now for the details…

This recipe is directly out of my grandma’s recipe box. Every year around Easter, she would make multiple loaves, and send several home with each of us. Easter weekend just doesn’t seem quite the same without toasted paska slices, smeared with lots of butter, served with some slices of old cheddar. Seriously, it makes me drool just thinking about it.

What is paska, you may ask? It’s a sweet bread, typical of many Eastern European countries, served on Easter Day, often after is has been blessed at church. Different folks will do different things with the paska dough. And this isn’t even different countries, but different families may have traditions that alter from family to family. Some will braid it or form it into ornaments, and some may add things like custards, sprinkled sugar, seeds, or raisins. For us? There was never any braiding, it was always simple loaves, and it was always with raisins.

Most paskas have their primary ingredients as milk, eggs, flour and butter. Because of the added fat in the dough from the milk, butter and egg yolks, the texture of the bread is fluffier and more “crumby” than a typical white bread, as the fats inhibit the formation of gluten chains. And with the addition of slightly more sugar than a typical bread dough, paska is fairly sweet, but not cake sweet. It is similar in flavour and texture to brioche or challah.

Let get to cooking. I was a bit worried about this batch… because of COVID, apparently lots of people are baking bread right now, and there was zero yeast left at all three stores I either visited or called. The only yeast I had in the house was stuffed at the back of the pantry and had an expiry date of 2016. Yikes. But… it’s all I had, so away we went.

Mix the 1 tsp of sugar into the lukewarm water and stir to dissolve. Sprinkle the yeast overtop, and let the yeast sit, to allow it to bloom, for about 10 minutes.

While you are waiting for the yeast, scald the milk and let it cool to lukewarm. What does scalding the milk mean? Place it in a pot and heat it up until it just starts to bubble and let off steam (it will get that “milk scum” formation on top). Why scald the milk? I have no idea. I’m venturing to guess that this is recipe that has been passed down a few hands/generations, and scalding the milk was needed because milk was not necessarily pasteurized when this recipe was first created… but… it’s the recipe, so I’m following it as taught by Grandma.

Once the milk has cooled to lukewarm, and the yeast has bloomed, add the milk and yeast mixture to 5 cups of flour. Mix thoroughly.

The dough at this point will be very soft and sticky. Let it rest in a warm place for about 5 minutes, until light and bubbly.

Next, add the beaten eggs, the rest of the sugar, 1/2 cup of melted butter, and salt. Mix thoroughly. The dough will be almost liquidy at this point, more like a batter than a dough.

To get it looking more like a dough, now is when we start to mix the rest of the flour in. Mix it in 1-2 cups at a time, fully mixing the flour into the dough between each additions. After the first few additions, the dough will become too thick to mix with the spoon, start kneading the flour in with your hands at this point. Stir in enough flour to make a dough that is neither too soft or too stiff. It should be a bit tacky, but doesn’t stick to your hands when you pull away.

Cover the dough with a tea towel and set it in a warm place to rise for an hour.

After the dough has risen, turn it out onto a floured surface, and knead the dough for 5-10 minutes until it is smooth and satiny (grandma’s word, seriously, it was on the recipe that I copied from her), and knead the raisins into the dough.

Place the dough back into the bowl, cover, and let it rise again for another hour or until the dough has doubled in bulk.

Divide the dough and shape it into loaves. Place the loaves into greased loaf pans, and let them rise another hour, until they have doubled again.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF/175ºC. Once the dough has risen in the pans, brush the tops with the remaining melted butter, and place them into the preheated oven for 30-45 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown.

Remove the loaves from the pans to allow them to cool. Or! Even better, cut into the bread while it’s still warm, slather with butter, and enjoy!

Happy eating.

One Pan Wonder: Roast Chicken with Veggies, Potatoes and Gravy

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Roast Chicken with Veggies, Potatoes and Gravy

Don't be scared by the list of ingredients, this is an easy, no-fuss dinner that spends most of it's time in the oven so you are free to do other things around the house!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1-2 kg whole chicken (2-4.5 lbs)
  • 3-5 garlic cloves (peeled, cut in half)
  • 10 cm piece of fresh ginger (4", peeled, cut in large chunks)
  • 2 Tbsps dried makrut lime leaves (optional)
  • 1 small onion (peeled, cut in large slices)
  • 2 Tbsps butter (melted)
  • 1 Tbsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine (plus more if needed)
  • 4 medium carrots (peeled, cut in large pieces)
  • 15 baby potatoes (halved, tossed in olive oil)
  • 1 fennel bulb (cored and cut in 8)
  • 1 + 1/2 cups asparagus pieces (tossed in olive oil)
  • 2 Tbsps flour
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425ºF/220ºC. Ensure bird's cavity is empty. Stuff cavity with garlic, ginger, and lime leaves. Place onion pieces on the bottom of the roasting pan.  Place chicken on top of onions. Brush chicken with melted butter. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Pour white wine into base of pan. Place in oven for 15 minutes.
  • Reduce oven temperature to 350ºF/175ºC and place carrots, fennel, and baby potatoes. Lightly sprinkle veggies with salt. Cook the vegetables and chicken until the chicken breast meat registers at 165ºF/75ºC, about 20 minutes/lb. If the liquid evaporates off, add a bit more white wine.
  • 10 minutes before the chicken is done, add the asparagus pieces.
  • Once done, removes chicken and veggies from the pan to a serving dish. Set the pan with the juices on the stovetop at medium-high heat (if minimal juices, top up slightly with more chicken broth). While waiting for the juices to start boiling, whisk together the flour and broth until smooth. Once the juices start to boil, slowly add the flour mixture, stirring continuously, until desired thickness for gravy is achieved. Remove from heat. Serve.
Keyword Chicken, Dinner, One Pan, Roasted, Vegetables

And now for the details…

Roasting a chicken was one of the first recipes I remember learning and being able to do on my own when I was younger. Roasted chicken is a surprisingly easy dinner to cook. And it displays nicely enough to look like it took a lot of effort to put together.

And you may ask, am I going to be a weirdo and name the bird like I did during Mo’s adventure? You know the answer. This little guy’s name is Fisher. He’s named after a recent song we did in RPM class, called “You Little Beauty”, and the artist’s name is Fisher. The moment I pulled the wee, three pound Fisher out of the fridge, I knew he was going to be a little beauty at the end, so the name only seemed right.

I am stuffing the chicken with some added flavour elements, but to be honest, you can do this recipe with nothing stuffed inside, and just some salt and pepper on the bird, and it turns out great! You may need to modify the cooking time a little bit, though, an unstuffed bird cooks in less time.

Let’s get to cooking, shall we?

Before we start prepping Fisher, preheat the oven to 425ºF/220ºC. We start at such a high heat to kinda sear Fisher’s outsides at the beginning to help lock in his juices.

Before stuffing, tie Fisher’s legs together so he can’t run away. Just kidding. Fisher is a dead chicken. He can’t run. But, we do want to tie his legs together to keep them in so they don’t splay out while he’s cooking and get all dried up. Unsure how to truss a chicken? This post provides a great step-by-step instruction to help you out!

Like I said earlier, you can get away with not stuffing Fisher, and just cooking him as is, with a little salt and pepper. But I like the added flavour Fisher will get from adding a few things into his cavity while he cooks. A lot of recipes will call for stuffing the bird with lemons or oranges… Citrus and chicken do go pretty well together. But to be honest, I’m not the hugest fan of the flavour of a roasted bird with lemon… Cooked lemon has a tendency to get bitter, and I don’t love the flavour it passes over to the poultry. I find it almost takes away some of the umami-ness of the meat. And so I’m going off-script with this one, and stuffing the bird with garlic, ginger, and lime leaves. No lime leaves? No worries. Omit them. I added them to play around and see what they added, and to be honest, the flavour addition was marginal…

Stuff Fisher with the chunks of ginger and garlic and leaves, alternating between them so they are spread out throughout the cavity. Before placing Fisher in the roasting pan, lay out the thick cut onion pieces on the bottom of the pan. We lay Fisher on top of the onions. These are going to lift Fisher up slightly so he doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan, or sit in his own juices while he cooks. Next, brush Fisher with the melted butter, making sure to get any exposed bits and pieces of him nicely covered. Sprinkle Fisher with kosher salt and pepper, then pour the white wine in the base of the pan.

Place Fisher in the oven and cook him for 15 minutes. While he is doing his first stint in the oven, get the veggies ready to go. Cut the stalks off the fennel, then quarter and core it, then slice the quarters in half. Peel the carrots, and cut into large pieces. Cut the baby potatoes in half, and toss them with a little bit of olive oil.

Remove Fisher from the oven, and turn the oven down to 350ºF/175ºC. We’ve got the original “sear” on Fisher and now we reduce the heat to roast him all the way through. The lower temp is also going to allow us to cook the veggies in the pan with Fisher, without burning or drying them out too much. Add the fennel and carrots first, stirring them a bit to coat them with whatever juices have collected in the bottom of the pan. Then we add the potatoes to the pan. I like separating the carrots/fennel from the potatoes to give the taters some space to crisp up a bit more. Sprinkle all the veggies with a little bit of salt.

If there was little to no juices in the bottom of the pan, add a little bit of white wine or chicken broth to the pan. Place the pan back in the oven. Now we simply wait. Fisher is going to cook for about 20 minutes/pound. The most important consideration is to make sure that the meat registers at 165ºF/75ºC when measured at the thickest part of the breast, not touching bone. If you do not have a meat thermometer, you can cut into a deep part of the thigh. If the juices run clear, then Fisher is done. If there is still some pink in the juices, Fisher needs a little more time in the oven.

Just before Fisher is done cooking, by about 10 minutes (when the meat is around 10ºF/5ºC under it’s final temperature), add the asparagus into the pan. Again, we are going to check the juices at the bottom. If they are low, top up with a bit of wine or broth.

Put the pan back in the oven and cook for the final 10 minutes, until the chicken reaches the correct temperature. Remove the pan from the oven when everything is done. Move the chicken and veggies from the pan onto a serving platter.

Place the pan, with the juices, onto the stovetop and set the burner to medium-high heat. You might need to tip the pan so the juices tilt to one end of the long pan. Let the juices heat up to start boiling. Yet again… if minimal juices, top up with a little bit of broth.

In a small bowl, place 1/4 cup of the broth, and whisk 2 tablespoons of bisquick (remember the leftover flour mixture we had from the Kraft box? Now’s the time to use some of it! Otherwise, plain flour works just fine) into the broth until smooth with no lumps are left. Once the meat juices start to boil, turn the temperate down to medium, and slowly add the flour liquid, a bit at a time, stirring continuously, until the gravy has thickened.

Remove the gravy to a gravy boat, and serve!

Happy eating.

And now… BONUS TIME!!!

My RPM members groan when I introduce a bonus, since it usually means a “surprise” extra 15-30 seconds of effort after everyone thought the heavy effort was over. Well… at least they used to groan when I was still teaching (waiting for COVID isolation to end so we can make it back to the gym!) Soon… *tapping fingers* soon…

In this case, the bonus is making chicken broth from the leftover carcass after you have devoured the meat of of Fisher’s body. I made the broth using my Instant Pot, but you can easily do this on a pot on the stove, you’ll just need to cook it for about double the time, topping up the liquid if it boils off.

After getting most of the meat off Fisher, remove the ginger, garlic, and lime leaves from inside his cavity. You can leave them there if you would like, but you will end up with a very gingery-flavoured broth. Place Fisher’s carcass into the pot, and fill it with water until the carcass is covered, or you’ve almost reached the “MAX” line on the Instant Pot. Add some onion, carrot, and celery to the pot.

Cover and seal the pot, cooking on the “soup/broth” setting for 1.5 hours. If you are cooking on the stove, heat the liquid up until it starts to simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 3 hours. Once done, let the seal release if in the Instant Pot, then strain the solids out of the broth. I would suggest using a cheesecloth to getting the little uckies out of there and you’ll have a nice, clear broth. Place the broth into freezable containers and place in your freezer for future use! The broth should keep in your freezer for several months.

Prawn Pasta in a Brandy Cream Sauce

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Prawn Pasta in a Brandy Cream Sauce

Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 onion (peeled, chopped fine)
  • 2 garlic cloves (peeled, chopped fine)
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 8 giant prawns
  • 1 cup seafood broth (can use chicken or vegetable broth instead)
  • 1/2 cup brandy
  • 85 g cream cheese (6 Tbsps)
  • 1/2 medium tomato (cut in small pieces)
  • 250 g dry pasta (9 oz)

Instructions
 

  • Set a large pan on a stove at medium-high heat. Place the olive oil, onion, and garlic in the pan. Cook, stirring regularly until the onions have started brown slightly. Add the prawns, cooking for several minutes, then flip, and cook for several minutes on the other side. Remove the prawns to a dish and set aside. Add the brandy to the pan. Cook down until reduced by half. Add the broth. Turn temperature down to medium. Cook down for five minutes. Add the cream cheese in small pieces. Stir and cook until the cheese has melted into the sauce. Add the tomatoes Cook the pasta according to package directions. Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the sauce. Add the prawns back to the sauce. Stir to full coat the prawns. Drain the pasta. Add to the pan with the prawns and sauce, mix fully. Serve.
Keyword Cream Sauce, Pasta, Prawns, Sauce, Seafood, Shrimp

And now for the details…

Here we are people, the final day of my personal daily recipe post challenge! Quarantine is officially done after today, and my plan for tomorrow afternoon is to go grocery shopping! Yeah, maybe not very exciting to some, but when you’ve been in a house and haven’t been able to leave in two weeks, it’s pretty exciting. I’m also going to be going shopping for another friend who is presently in isolation and can’t leave their house (if you can’t pay it forward, at least pay it back!)

Today’s recipe is yet again thanks to the frozen fish we bought out of a random man’s truck. This time, I am using the giant prawns we bought. If you don’t have giant prawns, regular prawns will do just fine, but use a few more.

Start by heating the oil in a large pan on medium-high heat, and add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions have started to brown. Add the prawns to the pan. Cook until the prawns turn pink and brown slightly. Turn the prawns, and cook on the other side.

Remove the prawns to a dish on the side, and add the brandy. Cook down until reduced by half, then add the broth. If you can’t find seafood broth (I have only been able to find it very recently), use chicken broth, which is neutral enough that it won’t affect the taste of the sauce too much. Turn the temperature down to medium.

Cook the sauce for 3-5 minutes. Add the cream cheese to the pan, dropping it into the pan in small pieces, which will help the cheese melt easier into the sauce. Cook the sauce, stirring regularly, until the cheese has melted completely. Add the tomatoes.

While the sauce is cooking, cook the pasta in heavily salted water according to directions. Once the pasta is almost done, add 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the sauce, then drain the pasta. Add the prawns back to the sauce and cooking, stirring, to coat the prawns with the sauce. Add salt and pepper the sauce to taste.

Add the pasta into the pan with the sauce, and stir until the pasta is completely coated with sauce. Serve immediately.

Happy eating.

Sesame Crusted Tuna Salad with Ginger-Soy Dressing

Sesame Crusted Tuna Salad with Ginger-Soy Dressing

Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish

Ingredients
  

Dressing

  • 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder (e.g. OXO brand)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp wasabi paste
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger (peeled and shredded)

Tuna

  • 450 g ahi tuna (1 lb, sushi grade)
  • 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp wasabi paste
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger (peeled and shredded)
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds

Salad

  • 2 large carrots (peeled and shredded)
  • 8 cup romaine lettuce (torn to bite-sized pieces, can use any lettuce)

Instructions
 

Dressing

  • Whisk together 2 Tbsps rice wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, chicken stock powder, 2 Tbsps olive oil, sesame oil, 1 tsp ginger and garlic.

Tuna

  • Whisk together 2 Tbsps olive oil, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp wasabi paste, 1 tsp rice wine vinegar, and 1 tsp shredded ginger. Dip the tuna piece into the olive oil mix, turning to coat on all sides, then coat with the sesame seeds. Set a dry pan on the stove to medium-high heat. Turn, searing on all sides. Remove tuna and slice.

Salad Assembly

  • Toss the lettuce with the dressing. Place the carrots over the lettuce. Place the tuna pieces over the salad. Mix the 1 tsp wasabi paste, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, and 1 tsp ginger. Drizzle the soy mixture over the tuna. Serve.
Keyword Ginger, Salad, Salad Dressing, Sesame, Soy Sauce, Tuna

And now for the details…

There is something so right about tuna, sesame, ginger and soy. These flavours just seemed to be made for each other. Add in the slightly spicy kick of wasabi, and it is a match made in heaven.

The best part of this recipe? It can come together fairly quickly, too, so a great option for a weekday evening.

Mix together the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon wasabi paste, and 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar. Dip the tuna into the olive oil mix, coating the tuna on all sides.

Next we will be mixing together the salad dressing. We are going to whisk the 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1/2 tsp powdered chicken stock, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1 grated garlic clove, and some fresh ground pepper. I added some sesame seeds to the dressing as well for added texture.

Sprinkle sesame seeds over all the sides of the tuna. Place the tuna on a pan heated to medium-high heat, and turn the piece of tuna every couple minutes, searing the tuna on all sides. Remove the tuna and slice the tuna into pieces.

Toss the lettuce with the salad dressing in a large serving platter. Place the carrots over the lettuce. Top with the tuna pieces.

Finally, whisk together the 1 teaspoon wasabi paste, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon grated ginger, and drizzle over the tuna. Serve immediately.

Happy eating.

Super Simple Side of Roasted Butternut Squash

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Roasted Butternut Squash

Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 1 medium sized butternut squash (peeled, cored and cut into chunks)
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp cane sugar (can use regular sugar)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425ºF/220ºC. Place the squash pieces into a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle the spices over the squash. Toss the squash pieces to even cover the pieces with oil and spices. Lay out onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet in a single layer. Place in oven for 10 minutes. Take out of oven, flip the pieces and place back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.
Keyword Baked, Butternut Squash, Vegetables, Vegetarian

And now for the details…

Always wanted to try making butternut squash, but not sure what to do with it? There are a number different options for butternut squash, you can mash it, turn it into soup, stuff it into ravioli… but one of my favourite ways to eat this squash is just by simply oven roasting it with some spices.

I haven’t had butternut squash in the house for quite awhile… the last time I made it, I dropped one of the raw pieces on the ground before they made it into the oven. And our dog swooped in and grabbed it, and ran off. Pretty normal for him, he loves vegetables (kale stalks are his favourite). But he also normally CHEWS before he swallows. Not so this time. Which resulted in a a sleepover for him at the animal hospital, and a very expensive vet bill for us… Thankfully, everyone’s okay, and needless to say, I was extremely careful to make sure none of the pieces fell on the floor this time.

Preheat your oven to 425ºF/220ºC.

We start by cutting the squash in half and scooping the seeds and guts out. Next, peel the skin off the squash. I find it is easier to do this by cutting the squash into quarters. If you find it really difficult, you can throw the squash pieces into the microwave for a minute or two to start the cooking process, which will really soften the flesh and make it easier to peel the skin off. Oh man… I just spent the day binge watching Criminal Minds, and that last sentence creeped me out a little bit…

Once the squash is peeled, cut it into cubes, about 1″ in size. Place those cubes in a medium sized mixing bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil. Then sprinkle the squash pieces with the spices, salt, and sugar. Mix well until the pieces have been thoroughly coated with oil and spices.

Next, lay parchment paper down on a large cookie sheet. Then lay the squash pieces in a single layer on the sheet. Place the squash in the oven for 10 minutes.

Take the squash out of the oven and turn the pieces over, then place back in the oven for another 10 minutes, or until the squash is tender and has caramelized/browned slightly.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Happy eating.

Browned Butter Ravioli with Blanched Broccoli

Browned Butter Ravioli with Broccoli

A complete and easy dinner that comes together quickly!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 500 g ravioli
  • 2 garlic cloves (peeled and minced)
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 dash tarragon
  • salt and pepper (to taste)
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup pasta water
  • 1/4 cup pecan pieces (toasted)
  • 2 Tbsps parmesan cheese (grated)
  • 3 cups broccoli florets

Instructions
 

  • Set a pot of heavily salted water to boiling. Cook the ravioli according to instructions.
  • At the same time, place the butter in a large pan. Allow to melt and heat until it starts to foam. Add the garlic and cook until butter and garlic has started to brown. Add the broth and allow to cook down. Just before the ravioli is done cooking, add 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the pan, allow to reduce.
  • Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli from the water to the pan. Cook until the liquid is completely reduced and the ravioli just starts to brown in the pan.
  • While the ravioli is cooking, place the broccoli in the pasta water and blanch until just cooked. Remove everything from the stove, sprinkle the toasted pecans and the parmesan cheese over the ravioli. Serve.
Keyword Broccoli, Butter, Dinner, Pasta

And now for the details…

Here we are at day 11 of 14 of the daily post during my personal quarantine challenge. Today’s post is fairly simple, and will rely heavily on another’s production. In this case… I am relying on the fabulous production of Let’s Pasta. It seemed only appropriate that I go with an Alberta producer. We are probably going to be relying heavily on items produced closer to home in the next little while, so I used pasta obtained from a local company, and paired it with a beer that is also locally obtained, from the Establishment. In this case, the pairing I chose was with the Sky Rocket, version V. It was the perfect pairing with this brown butter sauced Lobster, Shrimp & Lemon ravioli from Let’s Pasta. The richness and potency of flavour of the pasta and sauce paired beautifully with the citrusy, fresh, and slightly bitter flavour of the NEIPA.

Let’s get to cooking, shall we? I may or may not strongly suggest the influence of the beer while you are cooking *raised eyebrows*

We start everything off by boiling a pot of water. This water is going to be for your pasta. While that pot is starting to boil, heat the butter in a large pan.

Heat the butter until it starts to foam. What does this mean exactly? Hopefully the next photo will help bring some clarity to what the butter looks like as it foams.

Now I jumped the gun just a little bit here; I added by garlic a little early. Wait until your butter starts to foam, then add your garlic. Next, cook the garlic and butter until they brown. Add the dash of tarragon. As soon as the butter and garlic brown, add the broth, and 1/2 cup of the pasta water, and allow this liquid to boil down to at least half.

Next, add the pasta to the pan. Use a wire strainer to pull the ravioli out of the water and drain before placing in the pan. Then, stir the pasta into the sauce until coated well, and cook down until almost no liquid remains and the ravioli starts to brown slightly.

Add he broccoli to the already simmering pasta water in order to blanch/steam the broccoli.

Sprinkle the chopped, toasted pecans over the pasta, as well as the shredded parmesan cheese.

Finally, plate the pasta and the broccoli, serve with the deliciously paired SRV 🙂

Happy eating.

Easy Dinner: Portobello Mushroom Stuffed with Merguez Lamb

Merguez Lamb Stuffed Portobello Caps

Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 500 g ground lamb (18 oz)
  • 1 tsp ground fennel
  • 2 Tbsps paprika
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 dash allspice
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 4 portobello mushrooms caps
  • 2 Tbsps olive oil
  • 1 large bocconcini (or 24 mini; sliced)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425ºF/220ºC. Place parchment paper on a small cookie sheet. Mix together the spices until completely blended. Brush the outside of the mushroom caps with the olive oil. Mix the meat, spices and eggs together. Lay the pieces of cheese out onto the mushroom caps. Place the meat over the cheese. Cook the mushrooms caps for 18-20 minutes, or until the lamb is cooked to 165ºF/75ºC. Serve.
Keyword Cheese, Lamb, Meat, Mushrooms

And now for the details…

Double digits in the quarantine challenge! I am now at day 10 of 14 of the daily recipe challenge.

Today’s recipe was brought to you by the same friends who I cooked yesterday’s meal with. They added a few “mystery ingredients” to the groceries they delivered to the house. One of those ingredients were portobello mushrooms. I happened to have some ground lamb in the freezer, and I thought that a Merguez flavoured stuffing for portobello mushrooms would be an awfully delicious option!

Let’s get to cooking.

Start by preheating your oven to 425ºF/220ºC.

Next, we move on to mixing the spices. I had whole fennel seeds, so I needed to grind them down. I used a mortar and pestle, and ground them until they were almost a powder. Mix this powder with the rest of the spices, salt, and pepper, until they are mixed together thoroughly.

Next, we will get the mushroom caps ready to go. Wash the outsides of the caps, and remove the stem, if there is one. Brush to outside of the cap with olive oil. We do this to help prevent the mushroom from drying out too much when they are baking. Lay the mushroom caps onto a small baking sheet, lined with parchment paper.

Next, we prepare the filling. Sprinkle the spice mix over the ground lamb, and add the egg. Mix these all together very well. I find using my hands works best for this. Get right in there and squish everything all together.

Next, lay the pieces of bocconcini into the mushroom caps in a single layer. If you have larger bocconcini, feel free to use that. But again… quarantine.

Next, split the meat into four equal parts, and press the meat into the mushrooms caps. Once you have pressed the meat in, use the back end of a knife, and push a little cross into the meat. This helps to make the sections of meat smaller, which is going to help even out the cooking when it goes into the oven.

Place the tray into the oven and cook for 20 minutes, or until the meat registers at 165ºF or 75ºC.

Remove from the oven, serve immediately.

Happy eating.

One Pan Dinner – Pecan Crusted Fish with Roasted Vegetables and Potatoes

One Pan Fish Dinner

A complete meal, all on one pan for a minimal fuss and muss dinner!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 2 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large piece white fish (approximately 8 oz, mahi-mahi, cod, halibut, etc.)
  • 4 Tbsps olive oil
  • 6 shallots (peeled and sliced to 1 cm pieces)
  • 4 medium carrots (cut into large pieces)
  • 1 fennel bulb (trimmed and cut into eight)
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • 12 baby potatoes (halved)
  • 3 garlic cloves (shredded)
  • 2 Tbsps mayonnaise
  • 2 tsps dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup pecans (roasted and cut into small pieces)
  • salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425ºF/220ºC. Place parchment paper on a large cookie sheet. Place potatoes in one corner of cookie sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Place carrots and shallots in another corner of cookie sheet, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme. Place pan in oven for 5 minutes. Remove, stir, place back in oven for 5 minutes. Remove, stir (potatoes and vegetables separate), place back in oven for 5 minutes. Place fish on cookie sheet. Mix together mayonnaise, dijon, and garlic cloves. Spread over fish. Sprinkle nuts over the fish. Stir fennel in with shallots and carrots. Place back in oven for 5 minutes. Remove, stir (potatoes and vegetables separate), place back in oven for 5 minutes. Check that fish is cooked to 145ºF/65ºC.
Keyword Carrot, Dinner, Fish, Potatoes, Shallots

Now for the details…

Day 9 of 14. Today’s daily recipe was inspired by friends of ours, who actually were the patrons of our most recent batch of groceries (in other words, they went out and got us groceries and dropped them off for us on our doorstep. We waved at them through the window!) Well before all this whole isolation-stay-at-home-to-flatten-the-curve had started, we had been talking about doing a cooking class to go through some basics. The first “theme” that my friend Andrea had suggested was “stuff you roast in the oven and learn to do other stuff with the oven real good too”. Fair. Being a Zoolander fan, this theme truly spoke to me.

And so, for our first ever (though virtual, cause we need to social distance y’all!) cooking class today, we did a one pan meal of pecan-crusted fish, roasted potatoes, and vegetables.

Let’s get started, shall we?

We start by preheating the oven to 425ºF/220ºC. When the oven is preheated, place the pecans in a pan in the oven and cook for 3-5 minutes or until the pecans are toasted, but not burnt. Set aside and let the pecans cool.

Next, we move on to prepping our vegetables. We will keep our potatoes separate from the rest of the veggies. We do this in order to allow the potatoes to dry out slightly and get nice and brown and crispy. Cut the baby potatoes in half. Place them in one corner of a parchment-lined cookie sheet, then drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir a bit to coat all that potatoey-goodness with oil, then sprinkle with salt.

Next, peel your carrots and cut into large chunks, about 1 1/2″ or 3 cm. Peel the shallots and cut into large slices. In another corner of your cookie sheet, place the carrots and shallots. Drizzle with the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and stir. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and the dried thyme. Place the cookie sheet in the oven for 5 minutes.

This will get the cooking started. But after 5 minutes, take the cookie sheet out of the oven, and stir (potatoes and veggies separate!) then place back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir again, then place back into the oven for another 5 minutes.

Remove from the oven, and stir the fennel into the veggies. Then place the fish onto an open space on the cookie sheet. I used mahi-mahi (again, we had some in the freezer that we bought out of the back of some dude’s truck), but any fillet of white fish should work.

We are going to dress our fish before placing back in the oven. Mix together the shredded garlic, mayo and mustard. Spread the sauce over the fish and smooth evenly over the fillets.

Next, chop the pecans and sprinkle them over the fish. Place the cookie sheet back into the oven and cook for 5 minutes. Remove one last time, stirring the potatoes, and the vegetables. If the vegetables seem a bit dry , drizzle a bit more olive oil over top. Place back in the oven for 5 more minutes, or until the fish registers at 145ºF/65ºC.

Remove, and plate. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Happy eating.

Gorgeous and Green Citrus Cucumber Salad

Cucumber Salad

Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Course Salad, Side Dish

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large english cucumber (sliced thin)
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
  • 1 small shallot (sliced thin)
  • 1 avocado (peeled, pitted and cut into pieces)
  • 1 orange (juiced)
  • 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • salt and fresh ground pepper (to taste)

Instructions
 

  • Slice the cucumber and shallots very thin. Place in a bowl, and mix in the parsley, shallots, and avocados. Add the orange juice, vinegar, and oil. Mix well, then stay and pepper to taste. Serve.
Keyword Avocado, Cucumber, Orange, Salad, Salad Dressing

And now for the details…

Well folks, we are over halfway through the quarantine 14 day challenge, coming into day 8.

Today’s recipe is nice and simple. And since spring is attempting to be upon us, and warmer weather is around the corner, I figured it was appropriate to share a recipe that really could be likened to summer in a bowl. It’s nice and fresh, with a citrus kick from the orange juice, and richness provided from the avocado.

I use my Japanese knife for slicing the vegetables super thin. A quick sidebar for how much I love my Japanese knife… I really love this knife. And it’s not just because it was a gift from my grandma (a gift given with a coin, so as not to sever our relationship). Well maybe it’s partially because it was a gift from my grandma. But also… because the knife is beautiful. And works so well. I have only sharpened it once in the almost six years of owning it, and it is incredibly sharp (as the ends of fingers I have almost sliced off can attest). The knife is from a line called Kumo, for cloud, which is what the pattern on the knife seems to exhibit. Japanese knives have a different angle than traditional western blades, and are sharper than western blades, which makes them great for slicing things very thinly. It’s an awesome knife.

If you don’t have a super sharp Japanese blade? Well, a mandolin could also work. Or as sharp a knife as you may have. Maybe you just have better knife skills than I do. Possible. My knife skills could use work (as the ends of fingers I have almost sliced off can attest).

Cut the cucumber as thin as you can. Same with the shallot. Add them and the parsley to a bowl.

Toss the vegetables together, and add the avocado.

Squeeze the orange juice in, add the vinegar and oil, then add the salt and pepper to your flavour preference, and serve. It is that easy.

Happy eating.

Oven Fried Chicken and Tomato Pasta (AKA reinventing the Kraft Pizza Box)

3 Comments

Oven Fried Chicken and Tomato Pasta

Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Kraft Pizza Kit
  • 10 chicken drumsticks
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 garlic cloves (peeled and chopped)
  • 7 large mushrooms (chopped)
  • 1/4 cup butter (plus 2 Tbsps, melted)
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 14 cherry tomatoes (cut in pieces)
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 2 Tbsps red wine
  • 150 g dried pasta (5.5oz)
  • salt and pepper (to taste)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425ºF/220ºC. Place 1/4 cup of butter in large glass baking dish and place in the oven until its melted. Remove from oven. Remove items from kit. Remove 1.5 cups from pizza dough mix, place the rest of the mix in a bowl. Add herb packet and cheese packet,  garlic powder and salt, mixing well. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, with 1 tablespoon of water. Dip the drumsticks one at a time, from the egg wash, to powder mix, back to eggs, back to powder, then place in the melted butter in the baking dish. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons butter over chicken in dish. Bake in oven for 35 minutes, then remove and turn carefully. Put back in the oven for 15 more minutes, or until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165ºF/75ºC. Sauté garlic in a pan in the olive oil until fragrant. Add the mushrooms and cook. Add tomatoes, sauce from the can in the kit, oregano, basil and wine, and cook down. Cook pasta in a pot of boiling water. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water and add to the sauce, allow it to cook down further. Drain pasta. Mix the pasta with the sauce. Serve.
Keyword Chicken, Dinner, Pasta, Sauce

And now for the details…

We are at day 7 of 14 in isolation, and I am at day 7 of my quarantine challenge to post a new recipe every day. In the last post, I had talked about the Kraft Pizza Kit I received as a gag gift from a friend of ours while we are in isolation. The kit is something we both remember eating when we were young, and I think he was basically implying that since I am in isolation, I must be desperate enough to use the kit. And so this… this post is for you Marcus. I have reimagined the Kraft pizza box into oven fried chicken and pasta.

Let’s get right into it.

Start by preheating the oven to 425ºF/200ºC.

Let’s take a look at the contents of our pizza box: the dough mix, the herb packet, the cheese packet, and the sauce can.

Start by removing 1.5 cups out of the dough mix from the package and set it aside. Aside for what? No idea. From what I can see from the ingredients, the dough mix is pretty much Bisquick. So I guess use it as a replacement for that? Or………? *blank stare* The rest of the package goes into a bowl, along with the herb packet, the cheese packet, garlic powder, and salt. Mix these together well with a fork or whisk until they are mixed fully.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs with one tablespoon of water to make an egg wash for the chicken.

Before moving on, melt 1/4 cup of the butter in a large glass baking dish in the oven. Once melted, take it out, and set it to the side to start placing the chicken in.

We will be double dipping the chicken to get a nice crust for the oven fry. Dip one of the drumsticks in the egg wash, coating completely. Then place it in in the powder mix, turning to coat. Place it back in the egg wash, coat, and then back again into the powder mix, coat. Place the drumstick in the baking dish. Repeat this procedure with all the chicken pieces until they have all been coated.

Once all the drumsticks have been coated and placed in the dish, melt another 2 tablespoons of butter in a small dish, and drizzle it over the drumsticks. Place the drumsticks in the oven for 35 minutes.

After 35 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven, and carefully turn the drumsticks over, trying to gingerly make the flip without tearing the skin or crust on the chicken. I didn’t have success with all the pieces, but 80% is still a passing grade, right?

Place back in the oven and cook for another 15 minutes, or until the inside of the chicken registers at 165ºF/75ºC, making sure to not touch the bone with the thermometer.

In the last 15 minutes, we will cook our pasta and sauce. Sauté the garlic in the olive oil in a large pan until the garlic is fragrant, then add the mushrooms. Usually this is where I would suggest adding salt to help the mushrooms release their liquid, but the sauce in the kit is plenty salty, so we will not be adding any additional salt. If the pan gets too dry before the mushrooms start releasing liquid, add a splash of broth or water to keep the mushrooms and garlic from burning. Once the mushrooms are cooked, add the tomatoes, and stir.

Finally, add the sauce from the can, the oregano and basil, and red wine, using your spoon to stir up any caramelization that formed in the bottom of the pan to absorb back into the sauce.

While the sauce is cooking, cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Just before removing the pasta from the stove, add 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the sauce, mixing it in. Then, drain the pasta, and add it to the pan with the sauce, stirring well. Let the pasta and sauce cook for a short while more until thick.

When the chicken is done, remove it from the oven. Plate your chicken and pasta. I also cooked some broccoli in a separate dish while my chicken was cooking for some added greenery (just for you Mark, I knew you’d like that).

Serve and enjoy.

Happy eating.