In mid-July, we were one of five couples invited to a socially responsible BBQ at a friend’s house. They put three tables together outside giving us ample space to distance ourselves. Each couple was asked to bring something and this marvellously flavourful side was one of the dishes someone brought. Everyone asked for the recipe, including me! I chose to make it as a dip for a summer evening cocktail party, socially responsibly distanced, of course. Each couple had their own plate!
The beans and lentils are packed with flavour, the salsa and lime yoghurt just up the ante.
Baja Mexican Beans and Lentil Dip with Lime Sauce and Salsa
From Bowls of Goodness: Vibrant Vegetarian Recipes Full of Nourishment By Nina Olsson
Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate until needed
Ingredients for the Beans:
Olive oil
2 shallots, diced
200 g dried navy beans (400 g cooked)
100 g dried lentils du puy (200 g cooked)
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 avocado, finely diced
1 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
3/4 tsp salt
Directions:
Cook the beans and lentil until softened, rinse.
Heat oil in a frying pan and add the shallots until caramelized, add the garlic and cooked beans and cook until they can easily be mashed about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 2 minutes.
Serve in a bowl or on a plate drizzled with the Baja Sauce and Salsa with baked tortilla chips
I chose blue tortilla chips because they were gluten-free and organic.
We enjoyed a lot of seafood in Spain. But this recipe did not come from our time there, it graced our cocktail table soon after we moved back into our newly renovated bedroom. We were watching a little Jamie Oliver before turning out the lights and the recipe that night was this gem: Crispy Squid and Smashed Avocado. It was a hit the first time I made it, and soon after, I was getting requests to make it again. It is a deep-fried recipe, and you all know how much I love deep-frying, but it is quickly fried and on my first measure of the oil used, I was able to get most of it back after it cooled which means the calamari did not absorb much. Cutting the calamari length-wise instead of in rounds will allow the calamari to curl up like a spring which looks super cool. I paired this tapa with Romesco Sauce and Avocado Cream, and they were both awesome!
Our little village in Spain has an awesome Indian restaurant at the far end. We ate there once and even though everything was great (food, service), we decided that going forward it’s a better take-out place because it just didn’t have a cool vibe (overly lit); and a bonus is that it’s far better value as take away, if you don’t order way too much rice, like I inadvertently did!
Even though the rice wasn’t expensive, I really hate throwing away good food so I kept it for something in the future. The future arrived in the form of a tapa! I made a spin on the famous Spanish Tortilla de Patatas but used rice, cauliflower purée and cheese instead of potatoes. It made a very tasty tapa which we later used as breakfast.
The measurements are approximate because I used leftovers.
Tortilla de Arroz, Coliflor y Queso
Makes 1 omelette about 20 cm in diameter (serves 4-6 people)
Ingredients:
2 large eggs
250 g cooked rice
125 mL cauliflower purée
125 mL milk
50 g cheese, finely grated
30 mL pesto
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients and whisk until smooth. Set aside for 20-30 minutes at room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
Heat a small 20 cm frying pan on the stove on medium heat and brush generously with olive oil.
Pour the contents of the omelette into the hot frying pan and press evenly in the pan.
Cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes.
Place pan into the oven and finish cooking until a toothpick tester come out clean.
During our time in Spain, we ate a lot of delicious tapas. One such tapa was the Ensalada de Aguacate y Atún, a simple yet spell-binding combination of tuna, avocado, lemon juice and olive oil. Using the very best of all four ingredients allows each one to shine individually and together they melt into the most magical concerto. We just couldn’t get enough of it. It was, however, not easy to find in our little town so I decided to make it part of our weekly meal plan. I made this one for our Valentine’s Day lunch.
Ensalada de Aguacate y Atún
Serves 2
Ingredients:
150 g canned tuna in oil
200 g ripe avocado, cubed
Juice of one lemon
A good drizzle of olive oil
Arugula
Directions:
Drain the tuna and combine it with the cubed avocado and lemon juice.
Spoon evenly onto a bed of arugula. Drizzle generously with olive oil.
Notes:
For presentation purposes, I layered the ingredients over the arugula. In reality, it is served well combined.
The arugula was my addition, the true dish is served on its own.
I have wanted a Tamagoyaki pan for the longest time. There are several cheap and cheerful ones on the market but they are all non-stick and to be honest, I just don’t care for the non-stick coating. This past Christmas, JT got me a cast iron Tamagoyaki pan and I love it! Tamagoyaki is described as a sweet yet savoury rolled omelette and it is ever-so moreish! I’ve made quite a few since the day I received this lovely gift and they have all been well received. I used Nami’s recipe over at Just One Cookbook and it’s a keeper. I generally make them for hors d’œuvres but you can easily make a lunch out of them. For Hors D’œuvres, estimate 2-3 pieces per person or about one half of a roll.
Tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelette)
Makes one rolled omelette about 5 cm in diameter and 20 cm long (or the width of your pan).
Ingredients:
3 large eggs
30 mL neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc)
45 mL dashi
5 mL soy sauce
1 tsp sugar (optional)
5 mL mirin
slice of cheese
Directions:
Combine the eggs, dashi, sugar (if using) soy sauce and mirin and whisk well.
Bring the Tamagoyaki pan to medium heat. Brush the entire surface with oil. Pour about 30 mLs of the egg mixture into the pan and tilt to spread the egg mixture evenly. Lay a single slice of cheese onto the omelette allow it to melt.
Using a heat resistant spatula, begin rolling the thin layer of egg starting from the sloped end of the Tamagoyaki pan and move it back to the sloped end. Brush the entire Tamagoyaki surface with oil again and repeat pouring and rolling until all of the egg mixture has been used.
Roll the Tamagoyaki in a parchment-line bamboo or plastic sushi mat and hold with elastics for about 5 minutes. Slice into six even slices. Serve warm.
Notes:
Nami has a great video to show how to accomplish this task; it’s not difficult at all and it doesn’t take long to become quite expert at achieving the perfect Tamagoyaki!
Nami adds about 2 teaspoons of sugar to her recipe but I reduced it to one, then one time, I totally forgot and didn’t miss it. The mirin is sweet enough.
To get the cool texture, roll the Tamagoyaki in a bamboo or plastic sushi mat and allow to sit for 5 minutes. I line my bamboo sushi mat with parchment to protect it.
Serve with finely shredded daikon radish seasoned with a little rice vinegar.
I am always inspired by my favourite blogs, and this recipe is no different. My gourmet chef blogger-friend Stefan, made this wonderful hors d ‘œuvres a few weeks ago and I just had to try them. I made only eight halves because it was just the two of us, so I adjusted the recipe while maintaining the proportions he suggested. I also changed up the bread crumbs with whole wheat panko because that is what I have at home. They were delicious and quite impressive looking! Definitely will make them again soon. They are so easy to make for a large group because you can stuff the shells and hold them in the refrigerator and bake them when required. Thank you Stefan for another tasty treat!
These are tasty, bite-sized morsels.
Stuffed Clams
Makes 8 halves. Please click here for the original recipe.
Ingredients:
8 large clams (about 60 g clam meat)
100 mL dry white wine
10 g butter
splash of garlic oil
50 g green bell pepper, finely diced
25 g minced onion
40 g dry chorizo, finely diced
20 g whole wheat panko
minced fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
grated cheese
Directions:
Place the cleaned clams in a large pan with a lid and pour the wine over them. Heat covered, until boiling and cook the clams until they have all opened. Remove the clams as they open and set aside. Pour off the liquid and reserve.
Remove the clams from the shells (reserve the shells) and chop finely.
Add the butter and splash of garlic oil and sauté the bell pepper and onion. Add the chorizo and cook for a minute or until the chorizo renders and colours the onion.
Add the panko and the parsley and stir well. Add a little of the reserved wine and clam juice liquid until the mixture is slightly damp but not soaking wet. Add the clams.
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Stuff each shell with the clam mixture and top with grated cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Serve immediately with slices of lemon and a sprinkle of parsley.
These worked very well with our favourite Italian Pinot Grigio.
Over the summer we don’t watch a lot of television, instead, we enjoy sitting outdoors on our patio and chatting about the day’s events. But since the renovation has finished, we cannot help but want to retire early to our fancy room and enjoy a television show or two before bed. On such an occasion, we were watching America’s Test Kitchen and they made this wonderful dish. Both JT and I were drooling by the end of the show and if it weren’t 10pm, we would have jumped out of bed to make the dish right away. The very next day, I shopped for the ingredients and made a large batch. This makes a lovely light meal or a slightly heavier appetizer or hors d’œuvres. It brings all of the usual flavours of Vietnamese cuisine and it’s so satisfying. The raw patties freeze well and can be grilled frozen because they are small, just make sure the internal temperature reads 155° F (Canada) 160° F (US). Don’t skip marinating the grilled burgers in the sauce, it adds a rich meaty flavour to the sauce and the sauce flavours the meat beautifully.
Vietnamese Grilled Pork Patties
Makes about 20 small slider-sized patties
Ingredients for the sauce:
10 mL chili paste
10 mL roasted garlic purée
10 g sugar
15 mL fish sauce (see notes)
45 mL freshly squeezed lime juice
175 mL hot water
Ingredients for the pork patties:
1 large shallot, minced
15 mL fish sauce (see notes)
2.5 mL baking soda
2.5 mL white pepper
454 g pound ground pork
Ingredients for the salad for 2-4 people:
250 g rice vermicelli
1 head Boston lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces
1 English cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, seeded, and cut into chunks
a generous handful of fresh cilantro leaves and stems, cut thinly
a generous handful of fresh mint leaves, cut thinly
a handful of peanuts, sesame seeds or finely sliced green onions for garnish
Directions:
Make the sauce first because it is best if it stands for a few hours. Add all of the ingredients to a heatproof container and combine well until the sugar has entirely dissolved. Set aside in the refrigerator.
Combine the ground pork with all of the ingredients and mix well. Measure out small portions (we wanted them for hors d’œuvres and appetizers, so we did slider-sized patties) and form into firm patties.
Grill each patty on a hot grill until sides have caramelized and the centre is 155° F (Canada) or 160° F (US). Directly from the grill, add the patties to the sauce and allow to sit in the sauce for 5-10 minutes turning a few times if they are not entirely immersed.
Meanwhile, boil enough water to cover the rice vermicelli and allow to soften to al dente! Strain.
To serve, lay the torn Boston lettuce on each plate or a serving platter, scatter the cucumber, cilantro and mint over the leaves. Top the greens with the softened noodles and add the pork patties. Garnish with peanuts, sesame seeds or finely sliced green onions or all of the above! Drizzle with the sauce and serve remaining sauce on the table.
One of the last meals we had outdoors before September kicked in.
Notes:
The sauce needs to mellow because it is very limey at the beginning. The meat juices help the sauce mellow out.
We have reduced the sugar in this recipe by eliminating it from the patties, we found it balanced enough.
Check the saltiness of your fish sauce, you may need to reduce the quantity so the patties aren’t too salty.
I remember seeing these tasty morsels a few years ago and was intrigued by the tapioca flour ingredient but I soon forgot about them. Recently, we were watching America’s Test Kitchen and by fluke, they were making a batch which reminded me how much I had wanted to make them. These days, more and more of our friends have become gluten intolerant or simply wish to reduce their gluten intake so this recipe comes at the right time. Plus the weather is perfect for cocktails on the back deck while the sun moves across the sky for its exit. I’ve made a few adjustments to the original recipe and have converted it to metric weight measures because that is my preference for baking.
We loved these little cheesy dough balls and you can bet that I will make them again and again. I hope you try them too.
Makes 50-60 little balls. For the original recipe, please click here.
Ingredients:
390 g tapioca flour (starch)
2 g baking powder
10 g plus 2 g salt, divided
2 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks, divided
200 mL lactose-free milk
25 g unsalted butter
115 mL grapeseed oil (any vegetable oil)
212 g sheep’s milk semi-firm cheese
Directions:
Combine tapioca flour, baking powder and salt and mix well in the large bowl of your stand mixer.
In a small saucepan, heat until just boiling the milk, butter and grapeseed oil.
While mixing the flour on low spead, add the hot milk solution and beat well for about 3 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time and beat for about 8 minutes or until dough is shiny and smooth.
Add the cheese and mix for about 1 minute.
Preheat the oven to 450° F. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with damp parchment paper. Put the baking sheet on top of another baking sheet (these little breads tend to burn on the bottom so insulating the bottom will help them bake more evenly).
Scoop out 15 mL spoonfuls the prepared baking sheet. It’s easier if you dip your scoop into water each time. Shape into little balls.
Combine the egg yolk with the 2 g salt and mix well.
Brush the egg yolk mixture on top of each dough ball and bake until tops are golden and crusty 18-20 minutes. Turn the pan around for the last 5 minutes of baking.
Refrigerate the dough while baking the first batch. Repeat making little balls of dough until finished.
Cool for 10 minutes and serve.
Notes:
Check the saltiness of the cheese you use, and adjust the salt measurement accordingly. I found America’s Test Kitchen recipe was a little saltier than I like.
I used Starkey and Hitch goat’s milk gouda in this recipe.
America’s Test Kitchen found the dough too sticky to work with so they rested the dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours before baking. I did not find the dough too sticky so I skipped that step (it’s about the same as choux pastry) .
The recipe is as easy as making choux pastry but the texture is quite bready.
Freeze in a zip-lock baggy. To reheat frozen balls, bake them at around 275° F until defrosted and warm.
You may have noticed that I missed a post last week, I am sorry but things came to a head as the renovation is slowly completing. We have moved in but there are still a few minor things that need finishing and our Contractor is doing relatively well to get them done, at a snail’s pace! Of course, everyone will say that but we are tired. I’d like to get all my clothes into the new closet and wall units. Get’er done, as they say!
Light, cheesy, delicious with a touch of sweet corn.
I saw this awesome recipe in the LCBO’s latest Food and Drink and I really wanted to make it. We invited my SIL over for lunch to show her the reno and what perfect opportunity to make a fancy Al Fresco lunch. I already had everything in my pantry, even the BBQ’d corn kernels (they were in the freezer) and it was so easy. This one was actually my test run and it turned out very well. I think the only thing I’d change is to add a little crispy bacon because who doesn’t love bacon!
Makes 500 mL of soufflé batter, I used 2x 250 mL ramekins for this shot.
Ingredients:
15 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing ramekins
4 g Parmesan, finely grated
60 g cooked sweet corn kernels
60 g bacon, crispy
30 g Gruyère, grated
6 g finely chopped chives (about 1 bunch)
6 g flour
95 mL milk
2 large eggs, separated
pinch salt (I forgot this and JT wasn’t the wiser, cheese has a lot of salt and so does Dijon, so be careful)
30 g Dijon mustard
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400° F. Butter the ramekins and sprinkle the parmesan into it to coat the sides and bottom, knock out excess (save to sprinkle on top). Set aside.
Combine the corn, gruyère and chives and mix well. Set aside.
Melt the butter over low heat and add the flour, whisking until it is lightly toasted. Drizzle in the milk while whisking and cook for 2 minutes to create a smooth sauce. Add the salt.
Remove from the heat and add the egg yolks and Dijon mustard and whisk until smooth.
Pour the hot liquid into the corn mixture and mix well.
Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold about 1/3 into the corn mixture to loosen. Fold in the remainder evenly.
Pour into the prepared ramekins and smooth out the top with an offset spatula (I did not do the latter on first try). Bake in a hot oven for 30-35 minutes or until nicely risen and golden. Serve immediately.
Renovations have begun so we have had to move out of our bedroom and bathroom upstairs. The guys have hoarded off the affected areas but construction dust is relentless. We moved into the basement guest suite, it feels like we are staying in a hotel, sort of, except for the dust. The majority of the mess has been limited to the second floor but soon the electricians will descend and all hell will break loose. We have decided to update our electrical so the entire house will finally be up-to-date. Fortunately, these renos have not affected the kitchen, so I’m still able to play!
This is a creamy, intensely flavoured soup. If you are a fence-sitter about mushrooms, this soup is not for you. But if you like the earthy goodness of mushrooms, then run to the kitchen and make this soup, it’s that good. By the way, it’s still soup-weather in these parts.
We are getting early afternoon sun in the kitchen these days, it’s so nice to be out of that winter light!
Dry-Seared Mushroom Soup
A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe
Makes about 1 L soup
Ingredients:
500 g variety of dark mushrooms (I used portabello, cremini and shiitake)
40 g sweet onion, sliced thinly
15 g unsalted butter
500 mL beef stock, or more to taste
15 mL dark soy sauce
15 mL puréed roasted garlic
30 g almond flour
Pinch of tarragon, to taste
Pinch of smoked paprika
15 mL white truffle olive oil
Directions:
Clean the mushrooms and slice about 2mm thick. Heat a non-stick, cast iron or ceramic pan until it is very hot (no oil, cooking spray or anything). Place sliced mushrooms in the pan, making sure not to overlap or crowd them. Sear each side until golden, remove and set aside and repeat until all of the mushrooms have been seared.
In a medium Dutch oven, melt the butter and sauté the onions until caramelized.
Add the almond flour and toast lightly.
Add the beef stock, dark soy sauce, roasted garlic and about 3/4 of the mushrooms (I reserve about 1/4 for texture for the soup), cook for about 45 minutes or until the stock is richly mushroom flavoured and the mushrooms are soft enough to purée.
Purée the soup until creamy and smooth with a high-speed immersion blender. Add the smoked paprika and white truffle oil and purée again. Press through a fine sieve to get a super creamy soup.
Notes:
In trying to eat fewer carbs, I have used ground almonds as a thickener in this soup. Feel free to use your own thickener for preference but the almonds really create a creamy mouthfeel and add a lovely nuttiness to the soup.
I specifically avoided white mushrooms because they don’t have the strong earthy flavour I was after.
If you don’t like truffles, omit the white truffle oil.
I used some interesting wild mushrooms as the garnish for the photo.
If you have access to Mycroyo, you may wish to coat the mushrooms with it for the perfect sear.
A similar, unbelievably moreish dish was the first course that Dave (Fine Dining at Home) served us at his beautiful home in Manchester. It was creamy, full of flavour, and so delicious that my mouth is watering as I think of his dish. You can see his version here.
I really didn’t have a high-brow enough opportunity to serve this dish before our reno started, so I made a version that I used as a dip for a more casual starter. This was the basis of my recipe. Dave generously gifted me with several truffle-y food items and one was a beautiful bottle of truffled olive oil. I used his olive oil for the dip. If you are not a fan of truffle flavour, simply use a good quality olive oil instead.
Deliciously light and dreamy.
Truffled Parmesan Mousse
Makes about 125 mL mousse
Ingredients:
20 g unsalted butter
25 g sweet onion, finely minced
30 mL cognac
125 mL whipping cream
125 g parmesan rinds
pinch of rosemary
15 mL white truffle olive oil
sea salt to taste
Directions:
Melt the butter in a small saucepan and sweat the onion until translucent. Add the cognac and cook until it has almost evaporated.
To the onion, add the whipping cream, parmesan rinds and rosemary and bring to a slow simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes stirring often.
Taste and season with salt.
Strain to remove the rinds, onions and rosemary. Allow the liquid to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight.
Add the white truffle olive oil and mix well. Whip with a hand mixer until it is somewhere between soft and stiff peaks. Refrigerate until needed.
Notes:
This is a very rich dish, so if you serve this as individual appetizers, I would choose smaller glass vessels. Garnish as Dave did with a demiglace and steamed asparagus spears with a parmesan tuile.
We are heading into another renovation. Why, you might ask? Well, it’s been 12 years since the last one and things need to get done. Obviously, we’ve chosen another contractor, with whom we shall have a better relationship, hopefully. It really doesn’t take much: honesty and communication. That’s all we ask. Don’t leave us hanging and for damn sure, don’t lie to us. We have been hung out and lied to and to be honest, it’s difficult to get over. But I’m going in with a positive attitude.
We are adding a master ensuite and walk in closet to our bedroom, and we are updating the main bathroom. We will move into the basement guest suite to remain in the house while the work is getting done. The dreaded demolition starts April 9.
I tell you this because we have been entertaining like mad, knowing that the next few months will be chaos and dust. So I’ve been cooking like crazy and gearing up blog posts so I don’t skip a beat. My best friend and her picky-eater- hubby came by for brunch so I made these tasty crackers. Needless to say, hubby passed on them.
Gluten-free, Low Carb, Herbed, Olive Oil Crackers
Makes about 33 crackers
Ingredients:
100 g almond flour
20 g coconut flour
20 g psyllium husk
5 g salt
30 mL Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 egg
A good pinch of thyme leaves
A good pinch of rosemary
A good pinch of dehydrated onion and garlic, ground into a powder
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 350°F (175° C).
Using the metal blades in your food processor, add all the ingredients and pulse until entirely combined and resemble small peas.
Pour onto a large sheet of parchment paper and push toward the centre. Lay another piece of parchment on top. Roll out between two pieces of parchment to about 0.5 mm (1/16″) thick.
Cut into shapes using a pizza wheel and a kitchen ruler. (I cut small triangles that were about the size of chips).
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they begin to get a golden tone. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. They will firm up as they cool.
As you can imagine, I had hoped that winter would be on its way out by our return from Europe last week. Sadly, it wasn’t so. Temperatures, although slightly warmer were still not showing signs of spring. And Facebook was of no help, throwing into my face, a year that the crocus’ were out and the lily of the valley was growing in thickly. No, spring has not sprung — that damn groundhog lied, again.
During these colder days, I like to eat soup so I’ve been creating new flavours since our return. I cobbled together a version of this recipe just before we left and JT liked it so much he asked for it upon our return so I got out my measuring tools and recreated this tasty dish for posterity. To me, lentils have always been paired with warm South Asian spices, more like curries, which we adore but I wanted something different. This soup comes together quickly and is thick and luscious enough to make a meal on its own. It has some nice comforting flavours of roasted garlic and cumin with a beautiful fresh hint of kaffir lime leaves and coconut. I didn’t have time to source fresh Kaffir lime leaves so I used the dry stuff, if you use fresh, you may wish to cut it back a bit, they are meant to be a background note. The lentils purée up creamy and smooth and make a gorgeous luxurious soup. I will serve this at an upcoming dinner party, I know it will be a hit.
Some crispy rice crackers would have made a nice side for this dish.
Thai Inspired Lentil Coconut Soup
A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe
Makes about 1.25 L soup
Ingredients:
15 mL coconut oil
130 g sweet onion, chopped
15 mL puréed, roasted garlic
5 mL cumin
8 kaffir lime leaves (mine were dried)
300 g red lentils, rinsed and picked through
1 L chicken stock, or vegetable stock
250 mL coconut milk
salt, to taste
Directions:
Heat the coconut oil in a Medium Dutch oven. Sauté the onions until translucent. Add the roasted garlic and stir until fragrant.
Add the lentils and stir to coat. Dust with the cumin and cook until fragrant.
Add the kaffir lime leaves and the chicken stock and cook until lentils are soft. Remove the kaffir lime leaves.
You can run an immersion blender through the soup, leaving a few chunks for texture or entirely creamy or you may leave it soupy.
Garnish with toasted coconut.
Notes:
I usually remove 250-500 mL of the chunky soup and purée the remainder until smooth and creamy and then I add back the chunky bits for texture.
Lentils generally thicken as they sit so you may wish to add a bit more stock or coconut milk depending on your preference for the thickness and how long it sits before serving.
America’s Test Kitchen recently mentioned that a sprinkle of baking soda on onions as you sauté them will reduce their acidity and make them caramelize quicker. I have been using this technique since I saw it.
When I prepped for Anjum Anand, she had me toast the cumin quite a bit, but for me, toasting until fragrant is enough.
You may recall that I made a version of this recipe in November 2012 but had an unfortunate accident when the entire omelette slid out of the pan and onto the floor! No “three-second rule”, that baby was toast!
Preparing for a recent trip to Spain, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to repost the recipe in its full glory. These creamy little potatoes are the perfect ingredient for this simple but tasty dish. And it’s perfect if you have leftover potatoes. But don’t stop there, even though the potatoes and onion are the traditional tapa, the flavour combos are endless. In fact, I cheated and added a little crispy pancetta for additional flavour.
Spanish Potato Omelette
A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe
Makes one loaf pan, about 10 cm x 21 cm (4″ x 8.25″), 16 slices
Ingredients:
4 large eggs
200 g potatoes
60 g onion, finely sliced
30 mL roasted garlic
30 g pancetta, finely diced
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease a loaf pan, set aside.
Boil the potatoes until soft. Strain and layout on a cool baking sheet and smash with a fork. Allow to cool completely.
In a small frying pan, over medium heat, sauté the pancetta until crispy, remove and set aside.
Whisk the eggs together, add the roasted garlic and whisk well. Mix in the smashed potatoes, pancetta and raw onions.
Pour into the prepared loaf pan, making sure the inclusions are evenly distributed.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until egg is completely set. Cool slightly, run a sharp knife around the perimeter and turn out of the pan. Flip over and slice into even, bite-sized rectangles.
You may serve immediately or cool completely, refrigerate and gently reheat the prior to serving.
Notes:
I did not bother to peel the potatoes, I just smashed the little buggers skin and all after boiling.
The original Spanish recipe called for the onions to be sweated out beforehand, you can do this, but I found no alteration in the flavour of the omelette so why waste the extra time?
You may also serve these with a dollop of sriracha mayo.
We had a little break from the Christmas rush on boxing day and we made our pilgrimage to Niagara-on-the-Lake. We love to stay at Harbour House because the rooms are nice, the people are wonderful and they have a few perks that we like to take advantage of: a lovely breakfast spread in the morning room, wine and cheese in the lobby between 4-5 every night, free shuttle service to any restaurant within NOTL! During our last night, we dined at The Cannery and I noticed they had a twice-baked soufflé on the menu so I immediately amended our NYE menu to include a twice-baked soufflé.
We had some friends over for New Year’s Eve and I decided to make a tapas evening. We had six courses but were too full so we only had five of them. I spread the evening out as much as possible so we ate from 7:30-10:30. The courses were:
Cheese Course (this is the one we saved for the following day).
It was a nice way to spend the evening, just noshing and chatting away. We hadn’t seen these friends since mid-November so we had a lot to catch up on. But there wasn’t a lot of talking during this course. Just eating!
15 g butter, plus additional for buttering ramekins
15 g plain all purpose flour
80 g shiitake mushrooms, sliced medium thickly
40 g chestnuts, roasted and roughly chopped
10 mL roasted garlic purée
125 mL milk, heated
1 egg, separated
40 g goats cheese, crumbled
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C).
Butter the ramekins well, all the way up the sides. Boil some water.
Dry roast the mushroom slices in a non-stick pan so that they colour a little on both sides and much of their moisture has evaporated. Set aside.
Melt the remaining butter in the pan and add the flour all at once. Cook the flour for a minute without burning it. Add the milk and whisk until smooth, it will be very thick.
Chop the slightly cooled mushrooms and add them with the roasted, chopped chestnuts and roasted garlic purée to the roux and whisk well.
Add the egg yolk and stir well to combine. Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, beat the egg white until stiff but not dry. Take about 1/4 of the beaten egg whites and stir it into the roux mixture to loosen. Fold in the remaining egg whites until well incorporated but not deflated.
Divide the mixture into the prepared ramekins and bake in a bain-marie (this is why you were boiling the water) for 35-40 minutes or until tops are lightly golden (remember, they will be baked again).
Allow to cool in the ramekins for about 5 minutes (they will deflate a bit), then gently loosen sides with a sharp knife and turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool until room temperature.
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator until needed. If you are not going to use it for a few days, wrap each soufflé individually in plastic wrap and then bag in a large ziplock freezer bag. Freeze until required.
To defrost, remove from the freezer the night before it is required and defrost in the refrigerator. The microwave is not suitable for this step.
Lay the soufflés into individual ovenproof dishes and prepare the béchamel finishing sauce.
Ingredients for Béchamel Finishing Sauce:
5 g unsalted butter
15 g all-purpose flour
250 mL milk
Pinch of thyme leaves
pinch of nutmeg
season to taste.
Directions for Béchamel Finishing Sauce:
Melt butter in a small saucepan, add the flour and cook the roux without burning for about 1 minute.
Slowly add the milk while whisking to create a smooth sauce, cook until thickened.
Flavour with the thyme leaves and nutmeg.
Pour over the defrosted soufflés in an oven-proof bakeware and bake about 25 minutes in a preheated 350° F (180° C), to heat it through.
Happy New Year! These shrimp cakes are chuck-full of shrimp, in fact, they are more shrimp than cake! And they are packed with the fresh flavours of ginger, cilantro and green onions which work incredibly well with the sweet succulent shrimp! I had intended on freezing them, but they disappeared too quickly so unfortunately I have no idea how they would perform after being frozen. They really don’t take long to put together and they pan fry so quickly, you could make them up in the morning and hold them in the refrigerator until needed, then reheat them at 250F for about 30 minutes. These luscious babies are definitely going on my New Years Eve tapas menu.
In another bowl, combine baking powder, coconut flour and sea salt and mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix into a paste.
Add the remaining ingredients (cilantro, green onions, celeriac and chopped shrimp and mix well.
Heat grape seed oil in pan (about 1 cm deep). Using a 4 cm cookie scoop, scoop spoonfuls into the hot oil and press down to flatten a bit. Fry each side until golden.
Serve warm with a spicy mayo dipping sauce (125 mL (1/2 cup) mayo with 15 mL (1 tbsp) sriracha sauce).
Notes:
You may use a blended gluten-free flour mix instead of just plain coconut flour, but I found the coconut flour flavour works really well here.
We are knee-deep in entertaining season so I thought I’d share some easy recipes for entertaining. Homemade dips are simple to make and are a million-times better than store-bought dips. I’ve suggested grilling the eggplant for a smoky flavour in my recipe but if your grill is tucked away for the long winter, you can broil them for a similar effect.
Speaking of entertaining, do you own a wood-burning fireplace or know someone who does? Do you struggle to bring wood in from your wood pile when you have friends over? The sawdust and bits of wood alway stick to your clothes and the number of trips in and out is tiring! I have a solution! I’ve created a handy log carrier, hand made by yours truly in Canada! This is the perfect gift for the wood burning fireplace owner! Made of heavy duty denim, with a copper handles, these carriers can hold 12-14 kg (25-30 lbs) of wood, the perfect amount for a roaring fire without breaking your back! They are $60 (Canadian) each or two for $100 (Canadian). Shipping within Canada and to the US is available but you’ll need to contact me before November 23 to make sure you get it by Christmas. Now let’s get busy and make some baba!
Late in the summer, I got together with a dear friend whom I haven’t seen in quite some time. We had a long lunch chatting about what’s going on in each of our lives and ended up reminiscing about wonderful vacations we have each had in Spain. Of course, my head goes directly to food and I had couldn’t stop thinking about a spectacular dish we had during one of our first meals in Almaria: a scallop wrapped in Iberian bacon bathed in a corn emulsion! It was out of this world. The delicate flavours worked so well together. I thought this dish could make a lovely starter or a beautiful amuse bouche, appetizer or light main course for the holidays; of course, I put my own little spin on it and it is equally as compelling. In the Notes area, I have made suggestions on how to make this dish vegetarian or vegan.
This scallop wrapped in Iberian bacon bathed in a corn emulsion is the artistic creation of Joseba Anorga Taberna, a contemporary restaurant rated as one of the top ten in Almeria.
Seared Scallops in Creamy Grilled Corn Velouté
A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe
Serves 4 as an appetizer or 2 as a main
Ingredients:
300 g grilled corn (or frozen corn)
~200 mL chicken stock
20 g roasted almonds (with or without skins)
sea salt to taste
20 g pancetta, cut into small bits
15 mL grapeseed oil
4-6 large scallops
butter
45 mL white wine vinegar
Splash of water
Directions:
Rince frozen corn, if using, to defrost. Purée the corn with almonds and the chicken stock until desired consistency is achieved (I used 200 mL for a thicker velouté). Press through a fine sieve to catch all of the corn skins, discard skins. Reserve the creamed corn at room temperature until required.
In a small pan, fry the pancetta in the grapeseed oil until crisp; set on paper towel to remove excess oil. Reserve the pancetta fat (there isn’t much).
Add the butter and reserved pancetta fat to a large cast iron frying pan. Dry the scallops well. When the oil is smoking hot, add the scallops and sear each side without turning or moving. The scallops will release from the pan when they are ready. Flip each scallop only once.
Remove the scallops and cover to keep warm.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine vinegar and splash of water, if using and reserve for drizzle (I did not need to add water).
To serve, spoon the corn velouté into shallow bowls (I like a rimmed soup bowl for a main or a small shell dish as an appetizer. Add the hot scallops, sprinkle on the crispy pancetta and drizzle with the deglazing liquid. Serve immediately garnished with shallot curls.
The subtly sweet corn compliments the delicate sweetness of the scallop, and then there is the salty bacon and the acidity of the pan juices. Heaven!
Notes:
This dish can easily be made into a vegetarian or vegan by using King Mushrooms instead of scallops as I have done here (they have a similar texture to scallops and will sear just like scallops). Substitute a robust olive oil for the butter and vegetable stock for chicken stock. Obviously, omit the pancetta but sprinkle the finished dish generously with sea salt for balance.
Searing is possible only when the scallop or King Mushrooms are perfectly dry, so pat them dry before you cook them.
If you are using frozen corn, add a pinch of sweet smoked paprika to emulate the smokey flavour of grilled corn.
This was our actual dinner, it was very tasty indeed.
I’ve been following “Memorie di Angelina“, an Italian blog by Frank. I like this blog because (like my other favourite Italian blog “from the Bartolini kitchens“), Frank documents authentic Italian recipes with easy instructions and mouthwatering photos. I have been drooling over his recipes all year and during this last summer, I was overwhelmingly inspired to recreate his Frittelle di pasta cresciuta con zucchine (Zucchini Fritters)! Those of you who have been following me for years know that I am not a fan of deep fried food, but once in a while a recipe calls out to me and I am compelled to make it: this is one of them.
These fritters are unlike any fritter that I’ve had; they are soft, pillowy, and slightly chewy, yeasted bread dough balls with delicate shavings of zucchini and thinly sliced shallots (I added the shallots, they were not in the original recipe). They are fried at a slightly lower temperature so they don’t brown quickly and get dark and crusty. The trick is to fry them through without getting them golden like most deep-fried fritters would be. The flavour is a little taste of heaven and if you feel decadent, serve them with a romesco sauce or an aioli (as Frank kindly suggested). I made the recipe as Frank outlined on his beautiful blog and yielded about 41 (may have been 42 — quality control, of course 😉) tasty morsels. I served them 4 per person but you may want to serve the entire batch if your crowd is hungry enough. They freeze beautifully and reheat in a 300° F oven in less than 10 minutes.
The dough is rather shaggy when raw, but using two spoons to portion the little balls (one to portion, the other to push off into the oil), it’s easy and not as messy as I had envisioned. I was quite surprised that I yielded back almost the same amount of oil as before frying, which means the little balls did not soak up much at all — it makes total sense as they didn’t taste oily or deep fried. Each ball swells as it fries and turns into about 1-manly bite or two-lady-like bites, perfect for cocktails. It’ll be some time ’till we drag out the outdoor cushions again but I thought I’d share the recipe for the Holiday season.
In a medium bowl, combine the yeast with the water and mix well. Add the yeast mixture to the flour and stir until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and cover, set aside for 2-4 hours.
Meanwhile, mix the shredded zucchini with a generous amount of salt and set aside for the duration of the proofing of the dough.
Scrape out the zucchini into a fine sieve and rinse with cold water. Place the rinsed zucchini into a clean piece of cheesecloth and squeeze as much of the water from it as possible. Sprinkle into the prooved dough and mix well. Add the salt and the shallots and mix well.
Preheat oil to 350° F.
Using two spoons, scoop out a small amount (about a generous teaspoon) and gently push the dough into hot oil, being careful not to splash. Add only a few at a time so the oil doesn’t lose its temperature. Lay the fried balls onto a clean paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Serve immediately or set aside/freeze and reheat at 300° F for 4-8 minutes.
These are light and flavourful Italian fritters. Do you like my new outdoor cushions and pillows? I made them using my new heavy duty sewing machine!
We remade the coffee table too but I forgot to take a photo!
We are fast approaching the holiday entertaining season and what better way to kick-start the party-fun than with some tasty cornmeal tuiles! I first saw these beauties on lovely Lorraine’s beautiful blog in early spring, and I knew at first sight that they would be making an appearance on my blog. The yield is amazing, I got about 50 tuiles from one batch! Now that is economical. And they are tasty too. I will definitely make these tuiles again, thank you dear Lorraine.
It’s best not to make these in the middle of the summer heat, like I did. What was I thinking?!?!?!?
This recipe makes 50 chips about 9 cm x 7 cm (3 1/2″ x 2 3/8″)
Ingredients:
215 g plain fine cornmeal, not flour
40 g gruyère, finely grated
5 g salt
30 g unsalted butter, cubed and softened
250-500 mL water, boiling
2 g Herbs en Provence
oil or non-stick spray for brushing baking sheets
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 375° F (190° C). Put a Silpat mat on the baking sheet. Add the tuile template, if using. Brush or spray the Silpat liberally with a high flash point oil, like grapeseed.
Combine the cornmeal, gruyère, salt and butter, mix well. Pour the boiling water into the cornmeal mixture and mix to a cream of wheat consistency. See notes.
Spoon 8 mL (a heaped teaspoon) into the centre of each tuile template and spread out to the edges using an offset spatula. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then carefully flip over and continue to bake for an additional 8-10 minutes until edges have gently browned and they are crisp.
Notes:
Lorraine specifically indicates not to put them on a parchment-lined sheet because that is what the original author suggested, but I like to live dangerously and tried it anyway—it didn’t worked out; I found that crisping took a lot longer because the parchment held onto the moisture. I found a happy medium by baking them on a Silpat matt brushed or sprayed with oil.
I mixed everything together with my immersion blender because I wanted a slightly finer texture to the cornmeal and I wanted to break up the herbs a bit more.
Confession: My chips were not curling beautifully so when I flipped them, I snuck a cannoli roll underneath each chip to give it curl.
An Australian cup is slightly less than a North American cup, but I found the recipe worked out anyway. for the pictured recipe, I used 400 mL water.
I reduced the salt by half and it was salty enough, but keep in mind that Gruyère is also very salty.
Consider adding some other flavourings, such as granulated garlic or onion powder. I would add 5 g at a time and taste to make sure it’s not overpowering.
I found that my tuiles shrank about 30% while baking so I increased the spoon drop to 8 mL (a heaped teaspoon) from 5 mL (a level teaspoon).
I tried to make lovely, even ovals but was not able to get it right no matter how hard I tried, so I created a tuile template using a silicon matt (that I bought at the Dollar Store for $4) and an Exacto-knife and oval cookie cutter. It literally took me 10 minutes! Or you may buy a tuile template here. Make the template about 20-30% larger than you want your chip to be because they shrink that much!
These make lovely little snacks when serving cocktails. These chips are deceptively sturdy and will hold up to any dip.
This is not your ordinary pancake. The mung beans add a certain richness and denseness to the pancake. It’s almost like an overmixed North American pancake! Having said that, it still has nice fresh flavour and can be quite addictive. Some recipes have you remove the skins and split the mung beans, I had neither the patience nor the time, so this recipe is a little green/greyer than most. I figured the skins had vitamins or at the very least, fibre. Use whatever veggies make you happy. Next time, I’ll add green onions because the chives had very little flavour.
Korean-Style Mung Bean Pancakes
This recipe makes about 20 appetizer portion pancakes.
95 g mung beans, soaked in warm water for at least 2 hours
250 mL water
15 mL miso paste
10 g coconut sugar
65 g rice flour
5 g ginger, grated
45 g coconut, soaked in water then drained
60 g each, frozen peas and corn
a handful of pea shoots
Chives
Cilantro
Directions:
Combine everything but the peas, corn, pea shoots and herbs in the jar of a blender and blend until very smooth.
Heat a non-stick pan and spray lightly with oil. Drop 15 to 30 mL batter onto the pan a good distance apart from each other (so you can easily flip them) and top with a sprinkling of the peas and corn, pea shoots and herbs. Cook until golden on one side, then flip and finish cooking for a very short time so that the herbs don’t burn.
Serve warm with dipping sauce (recipe below).
Ingredients for the dipping sauce:
30 mL rice vinegar
5 mL soy sauce
2.5 mL sesame oil
pinch of coconut sugar
pinch of toasted sesame seeds
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Serve with mung bean pancakes.
One of the main differences between blog food and food styled food is that blog food is edible. You wouldn’t want to eat food styled food because it’s likely sat on set for hours and at the least been handled to death or at the very worst, there have been additions which make the food last longer on set! Meat is regularly oiled up to look juicy, sauces and stews get a dash of white corn syrup to look glossy and delicious, etc. The gummy-bear pancakes on my website were generously coated with silicon spray so they wouldn’t absorb the syrup too readily! Wraps are most often superglued together, and their stuffing is generally only 1/3 deep (the rest is crumpled up paper towel!). Coffee, tea or bevy’s in general are usually not even real, kitchen bouquet parades as a variety of liquids! So there is a HUGE difference between blog food (which we usually eat, moments after it’s shot) and food styled food! But you needn’t worry about these gyozas, not only are they pretty enough to eat, they were eagerly consumed directly after the shoot, and they were so yummy!
Turkey Gyoza
For original gyoza wrapper recipe, please click here.
Makes 24 gyoza
Ingredients:
120 g AP unbleached flour
67 mL water, boiling
pinch of salt
cornstarch for dusting
150 g lean ground turkey
5 mL sesame oil
40 g shallots (1 large)
3 g garlic scapes, finely minced
10 g ginger, finely grated
15 g carrot, finely grated
15 mL soy sauce
3 g coconut sugar
Butter or grapeseed oil to brown gyoza
Directions:
Combine flour and salt in a bowl. Add boiling water to the flour and salt mixture slowly to make a dough, turn out to a surface and knead for about 10 minutes until smooth. Cut dough into two and roll into a sausage-like roll. Wrap in plastic and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Heat the sesame oil in a pan and sweat out the onions, add the scapes and cook for a minute. Add the ground turkey and cook through. Stir in the ginger, carrot, soy sauce and coconut sugar and cook for a minute. Remove from heat and allow to cool thoroughly.
To make the wrappers, roll each sausage out to a manageable thickness and run it through the KitchenAid pasta roller from #1 to #5.
Cut into 7.5 cm (3 inch) rounds. Wet the edges of each round, spoon 5 mL (1 tsp) of meat filling into the centre and fold in half and seal the edges. I used a handy pleater like this one to get perfect pleats.
Steam each one for 3-5 minutes. When cooked, melt butter or grapeseed oil in a cast iron pan. Pan fry each one on one side only so it is golden and crispy. Serve with your choice of dipping sauce.
Freeze uncooked gyoza on a piece of parchment and once frozen add to a ziplock bag for future use. Frozen gyoza will cook in 3-5 minutes!
One side is crunchy while the other side is soft. They are sooo good!
I have been thinking about hacking a spring roll recipe to avoid deep frying and I believe I have found the answer. If you like crispy spring rolls with a flavourful filling and a delicious peanut dipping sauce, then you will like this recipe. JT is all about the deep fried spring roll and I adore fresh rolls (rice paper rolls that are not cooked). It’s easy to accommodate when we go out because we order what we want (and usually have leftovers for another day!) but at home, I prefer not to make two separate dishes so poor JT has to endure the fresh rolls (I also don’t like deep frying). It was the middle of the night when I came up with this idea: to use phyllo pastry as the roll paper! The idea festered in my brain for some time, I even bought the phyllo pastry and had it in the fridge for a week before I carved out some time to make them. To be honest, the first attempt was a bit soggy, the phyllo absorbed all of the liquid from the filling and didn’t crisp up and that’s when I put my thinking cap on and came up with this winner! The first set was made with half a phyllo sheet, this time, I used an entire sheet for one roll. I also brushed each sheet with sesame oil and sprinkled coconut flour over each sheet (coconut flour absorbs liquid quite effectively without much taste). The result was outstanding, JT approved with gusto. I will definitely make these again.
So crispy, you will never guess that they were not deep fried!
Heat 15 mL sesame oil in a small frying pan, add the garlic and shallot and cook until softened. Add the protein and cook through. Season with soy sauce and hoisin sauce. Cool completely.
Combine the remaining 15 mL sesame oil and grape seed oil in a small container.
Take one phyllo sheet and brush with combined oils. Sprinkle a small amount of coconut flour on the oiled sheet (I find using a small sieve makes this very easy).
In the centre of one short end, spread some grated carrot, sliced cucumber and glass noodles. Add about 1 tbsp meat mixture and spread. Fold the bottom and top sides into the roll (about 1/3:1/3:1/3) and brush with a little of the oil mixture, sprinkle with coconut flour and begin rolling tightly from the filled end. The first layer of the pastry will crack, but don’t worry, it will be covered with several layers. Repeat until you have 6 finished rolls.
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Brush the finished roll with the remaining oil mixture and lay on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden, turning occasionally. Serve with peanut dipping sauce, recipe below.
Ingredients for the peanut dipping sauce:
60 mL chunky peanut butter
45 mL rice vinegar
5 mL soy sauce
dash of honey
lime juice
Directions for the peanut dipping sauce:
Combine all of the ingredients and whisk until well combined. Taste, adding sweetness or salt as needed.
May I offer you a couple of these tasty spring rolls?
Notes:
Protein choices: ground beef, pork or chicken. For vegetarian, try crumbled tofu or even tempeh.
The pastry thickness is essential to make a crispy spring roll, otherwise, the filling moisture overwhelms the pastry and it becomes soggy.
Deliciously light and dreamy.
Feel free to flavour with your favourite herbs or spices.
