Low-Carb Flax Seed Crackers

From La Carihuela we rented a car and drove to my dear cousin Lucy and Larry’s place in San José, about 3.5 hours from La Carihuela. We spent the next three weeks in their beautifully renovated flat overlooking the Mediterranean. They were kind enough to create a beautiful kitchen for us, including my favourite, an induction stovetop. Induction is definitely the way to go in Europe, in fact, it outnumbers gas and electric by more than 70% in the stores. It is far more efficient, and apparently not nearly as bad for the environment as gas. Have you ever cooked on Induction?

Here are a few pics of the flat:

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We were still trying to maintain a low-carb diet, during our stay in Spain in February-March, but it was a lot more difficult than at home. Ingredients that I have come to rely on like Lupin Flour, vital wheat gluten, and oat fibre were impossible to find so I had to improvise. Flax seeds were readily available so I created a flax seed cracker. It’s similar to the almond flour cracker but not nearly as heavy so you could have a few more without filling up.

A Kitcheninspirations original recipe

Makes about 2 x 20 cm x 30 cm sheet (2 x 8 inch x 12 inch sheet)

Ingredients:

• 150 g flax seeds, ground but some left whole
• 1 egg, beaten
• 5 g olive oil
• 30 g hard cheese, grated
• 2 g granulated onion, finely ground
• 2 g ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and process until thoroughly combined. 
3. Spill out the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a second piece of parchment, roll the dough out until it is approximately 20 cm x 30 cm sheet (8 inch x 12 inch sheet). Remove the top parchment and bake until it is lightly golden (the crackers will stiffen up as they cool).
4. When cool, break the crackers into bite-sized pieces.

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Fresh Mozzarella Salad

This is an update of a salad I used to enjoy at one of favourite Italian restaurants in Yorkville. Unfortunately, they took it off the menu so I had to remake it at home.

They roasted the tomato slices in their wood-fired pizza ovens because Toronto tomatoes are brutal, particularly in the winter. I don’t have a wood-fired pizza oven, so I air-fried them with my Instant Pot Air-Fryer lid. You don’t want the tomatoes completely dehydrated, just enough to condense the flavour so it actually tastes like a tomato. Top the slices with a fresh mozzarella or better yet, a burrata and dollop homemade pesto mixed with a little prosecco vinegar and sprinkle some toasted Italian (or Spanish, as I had) pinenuts over the dish. Presto, you have a memorable appetizer.

The tomatoes really pop when you remove some of the moisture, a perfect foil for the rich fresh mozzarella

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

• 4-6 tomatoes, sliced in half, deseeded and air-fried
• 1 Fresh Mozzarella or Burrata
• 60 mL Pesto
• 30 mL Prosecco vinegar
• 15 g pinenuts, toasted
• 1 lemon, zested
• Fresh basil leaves

Directions:

• With everything at room temperature, lay the dehydrated/roasted tomatoes on the plate(s) and add the sliced mozzarella on top.
• Combine the pesto with prosecco vinegar and drizzle on top of the tomatoes and mozzarella. Sprinkle the lemon zest on top and garnish with the toasted pinenut and torn fresh basil leaves.

I wanted to try the newest rage, grated frozen tomato over the fresh mozzarella and although it was enjoyable, it isn’t practical if serving more than 4 people and it’s hot outside, the frozen tomato will melt too quickly.

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Pantry Clean Out Crackers

Merry Christmas! Hope everyone is having a wonderful time.

We spent the month of November in Arizona again, although it might be our last time this time. But we say that. Every. Single. Time. We see our dear American friends and get in a load of sunshine to boot! The weather was beautiful and slightly warmer than last year, we had high twenties (celsius) most of the daytime and mid-teens at night. Perfect for leaving the windows open for sleeping.

We did a lot of walking and hiking. The National Parks have beautiful trails that are reasonably priced and there are many free parks too. We fed our resident bunny and, inadvertently fed our resident Road Runner (sadly a bird crashed into our window and he died on impact and fortunately, the road runner didn’t mind and he scooped up the bird and took him home for a late Thanksgiving Dinner!) At least, we did not have to deal with it.

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Of course, we always have a party at the end to use up pantry ingredients and this time was no different, I came up with this recipe to use flour, oil, cheese, and herbs.

The oven was gas and baked rather unevenly.

A Kitcheninspirations original recipe

This recipe makes about 2 sheets approximately 25 cm x 38 cm (10 x 15 inches)

Ingredients:

• 125 g “00” flour
• 40 g cheese, finely grated
• 30 mL olive oil
• 80 mL water
• Pinch of salt
• 3-6 g dried herbs

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Transfer to a clean surface and knead by hand until the dough becomes smooth and everything is evenly distributed. Rest the dough for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
4. Roll out the dough into a thin sheet about the size of the baking sheet. Transfer to the parchment lined baking sheet and bake for xx minutes or until lightly browned and crisp.
5. Cool and break into chip-sized fragments. Serve with your favourite dip.

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White Minestrone

White Minestrone

A Kitcheninspirations original recipe

Makes 2.4 L hearty soup

Ingredients:

• 15 mL olive oil
• 1 leek, chopped
• 1.5 L stock (see notes)
• 15 g butter
• 4 stalks celery, diced
• 2 zucchini, diced
• 6 medium cremini mushrooms, diced
• Handful of spinach, roughly chopped
• 540 mL can of white beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 g oregano
• cocktail bocconcini, chopped
• Basil, chiffonade

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a stock pot. Add the leeks and wilt. Add the vegetable stock and corn broth and cook the leeks until they are falling apart.
2. Blitz with your best blender until smooth and creamy. Push through a fine sieve into a large glass measuring cup and set aside, discard the pulp.
3. Add the butter and melt, add the celery, zucchini and mushrooms and sauté until fork tender. Add the spinach and oregano and cook until the spinach has wilted. Add the white beans
4. Serve hot in small cups garnished with a sprinkle of the bocconcini and the chiffonade of basil.

Notes:

• I used a combination of corn broth and vegetable stock which gave the soup a beautiful flavour.

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Rice Paper Nori Cups

You will recall my post about rice paper chips a few weeks ago, these rice paper nori bowls are a logical extension. I needed something to hold some poké salmon mix I was going to serve as quick little bites during cocktails and I thought of this version. The rice paper becomes crispy as does the nori but both will soften up depending on how long your filling sits inside. For simplicity, I used this for my poké filling and it worked out beautifully.

These little bite-sized are flavourful morsels.

Rice Paper Nori Cups

A Kitcheninspirations original recipe

Makes about 16 bite-sized nori cups

Ingredients:

• 1 sheet square rice paper
• 1 sheet nori

Directions:

1. Wet the nori on both sides and shake off excess water. Lay the nori onto the rice paper right to the edge (my nori was a little smaller than the rice paper, I just cut strips to fill in the edges so there is no waste). Roll the nori with a small rolling pin to make sure there are no air bubbles.
2. Lightly oil the exterior of four microwave-proof pinch bowls (these will give the nori shape). Lay them open-side-down on a microwave-proof plate.
3. Cut the nori into 16 squares. Lay one square nori-side down onto the outside of the pinch bowls and microwave for 30-40 seconds or until the rice paper has cooked and the squares are shaped like a bowl. Allow them to cool for a minute and then remove them from the bowls and set them open-side-up on a plate. Continue until you have cooked all the squares. Allow the Rice paper nori bowls to cool completely before you fill them with your favourite filling but don’t do it too soon as the moisture may soften the cups.

Notes:

• You can make them as large or as small as you wish. The only thing to keep in mind is that they will shrink about 40% of their original size.
• You can fill them with dips, cream cheese, deconstructed California rolls, and Steak Tartare, the possibilities are endless.
• There are many recipes online but they shallow fry them, I chose to microwave my cups. If you shallow fry them, you would have to figure out how to get them into a cup shape.

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A Zucchini slice like Scarpaccia

I am always on the lookout for easy, freezable appetizer recipes and this zucchini slice hit the spot. The funny story is that the recipe came into my sight on Instagram, it was one of those reels that pop up, it’s no one I was particularly following and as quickly as it came into my sight, it disappeared even quicker! It was late at night so I completely forgot to save it. But I never thought that would be a problem because as soon as I click on something, it comes up so frequently, that I get completely tired of it and wish I had never clicked. Until I tried to find that recipe! It disappeared off the face of the earth. Completely gone. Not even a Google search led me back to it. WTF! I searched for a few days, hoping it would grace my feed but no luck. And I had several zucchinis ready to use so I improvised. This is not the real Italian version of Scarpaccia, you can find that here.

A delicious slice of baked zucchini in a thin cakey base.

Zucchini Slice

A Kitcheninspirations original recipe

Makes 35 cm x 50 cm pan

Ingredients:

• 700 g zucchini, shredded
• 3 shallots, thinly sliced
• 10 g salt
• Zucchini water and extra water as needed
• 150 g All Purpose flour, unbleached
• 40 g cornmeal
• 30 mL olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• Pepper to taste
• Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated

Directions:

1. I shredded 1/2 of the zucchini, and thinly sliced the remainder. Combine the shredded zucchini and the shallots and sprinkle with half of the salt. Sprinkle the other half of the salt over the zucchini slices. Set aside in a fine sieve over a bowl overnight. Save the liquid that the salt extracts.
2. Preheat the oven to 380° F.
3. Squeeze any remaining liquid from the shredded zucchini in cheesecloth into the zucchini liquid bowl. Combine the flour, cornmeal and olive oil in a large bowl and mix to create a relatively liquid batter, adding water as needed. Add the pepper and mix in the grated zucchini well.
4. Line a large roasting pan (about 35 cm x 50 cm) with parchment and drizzle with olive oil. Turn in the zucchini batter and press into the length and width evenly (I used another sheet of parchment and rolled the zucchini out evenly). Add the zucchini slices to the top. Drizzle with olive oil.
5. Bake the zucchini for 45 minutes, then sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese over the top and finish baking for an additional 15 minutes or until the bottom becomes crispy.

Notes:

• I found that many recipes online had egg in the batter, but just as many did not and because I wanted it crispy, I decided to try it without egg.
• My version is less cakey because it does not have egg in the batter.
• Drizzling the parchment with olive oil before pressing the zucchini batter into the pan, allows it to crisp up nicely.
• Dehydrating the zucchini overnight creates a much drier zucchini so it can crisp up nicely.
• Sprinkling with Parmesan does not seem to be original in Italian recipes.

 

 

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Rice Paper Chips

   

Talk about an easy recipe. And they satisfy the crunch aspect of snacks! Plus they’re not unhealthy! And I usually have a packet of rice paper in my pantry! All winners in my books.

I developed this “recipe” in response to an air-fryer version I saw on my Instagram feed; their version took too long to “fry” and was too fiddly. These Rice paper chips remind me of the mystery shrimp chips you get at Thai restaurants, they’re super crispy and melt-in-your-mouth, just like shrimp chips. But they are not deep-fried! They are microwaved!

Each sheet makes about 36 chips, less than .30g of carbs per chip! Easy AND Healthy? Where do I sign up?

I used square rice paper sheets that are made for Fresh Rolls. They need to be fresh and not brittle so they cut cleanly, but you could snap them into irregular shapes if they’re not fresh (I’m unsure that they’ll all microwave at the same rate though).

Using large kitchen shears, cut each sheet into six even strips, then cut each strip into six even rectangles. Place on a piece of parchment paper (no need to carefully place them, they don’t stick together) and microwave for 30-40 seconds on high. Immediately pour finished chips into a bowl and season with sea salt. Done!

Easy peasy. You can thank me later.

These melt in your mouth without sticking to your teeth (like some rice paper chips do)

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Shrimp and Pork Pan-fried Dumplings

Our dear friends, Andy and Mark invite us to Dim Sum every so often on Sundays. We really look forward to it because many of the dishes are new to us and I haven’t quite figured out how to make them…yet. This shrimp and meat dumpling is a real favourite, they are chuck full of chunky pieces of shrimp in a flavourful mixture of pork.

This is an example from the restaurant. I reheated using my Instant Pot Air Fryer.

I love that they are pan-fried and oh, so crispy on each side, tender and flavourful on the inside. These really hit the spot and freeze very well. They freeze well and it is so easy to pull out a few, steam them up and pan fry in a pinch. I love having a selection of appi’s available in my freezer for last minute additions to a dinner party.

This is an example from the restaurant.

 

Shrimp & Pork Pan-fried Dumplings

A Kitcheninspirations original recipe

Makes 18 dumplings

Ingredients for dumpling filling:

• 18 won ton wrappers
• 175 g pork, finely minced
• 175 g shrimp, peeled, deveined and roughly chopped
• 35 g green onions, coarsely chopped
• 15 g ginger, finely chopped
• 15 g roasted garlic purée
• 30 g flour
• 5 g sugar
• 15 mL sesame oil
• 15 mL soy sauce
• 25 mL egg whites
• 45 mL high flash-point oil, like peanut oil

Directions:

1. Combine the pork, shrimp and green onions and mix well.
2. Combine the ginger, roasted garlic, flour, sesame oil, soy sauce and egg whites and mix well.
3. Add the ginger mixture to the pork and shrimp and mix well.
4. Wet all four sides of the square won ton wrappers and place 15 mL of the shrimp mixture into the centre, bring each side up to the centre, and seal to each other.
5. They may be frozen at this stage.
6. When ready to serve, steam the dumplings for 7 minutes or until an internal temperature of 165 is reached. Continue until you have steamed all of the dumplings.
7. Heat the peanut oil in a frying pan and add the dumplings to sear the each side until crispy. Serve warm with the sauce below.

Ingredients for the Dipping Sauce:

• 15 mL soy sauce
• 15 mL seasoned rice vinegar
• 5 g puréed roasted garlic
• 5 g grated fresh ginger
• 5 mL toasted sesame oil
• 5 mL honey
• 1 green onions, minced

Directions for the Dipping Sauce:

• Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Serve with hot dumplings.

Notes:

• The filling for dumplings are not pre-cooked, so you really need to make sure that steaming them cooks the proteins through.
• I was pinched for time, otherwise, I would have made my own dumpling wrappers. You can find the recipe here.

 

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Un-fried Potato Chips (Crisps) revisited

We had some dear friends over for a BBQ and I thought I would like to serve potato chips knowing how much they love them but I wanted to treat them to guilt-free chips that are not fried! These little devils are cooked in the Microwave and boy are they good. The secret is to soak them in cold salted water with a little acid, I used vinegar but you could use lemon or lime juice to help prevent oxidization. The salted water actually seasons them so you needn’t add salt after they are cooked (it wouldn’t stick to the chip anyway like it does when they are hot out of the deep fryer).

Unfried Potato Chips (Crisps)

Serves about 3-6 people

Ingredients:

• 3 good size white or red skin potatoes (large diameter)
• 30 g sea salt (more if you prefer a saltier chip)
• 100 mL white vinegar (to prevent oxidation and add a little flavour)
• 2-3 L very cold water for soaking

Directions:

1. Wash the potatoes skins well.
2. Dissolve the sea salt in very cold water (I used an immersion blender to help dissolve the salt). Pour into a large bowl of very cold water, add the vinegar and stir.
3. Cut the potatoes in half diagonally; then, using a wafer-thin mandolin slicer, slice from the cut end of each potato, tossing the cut slices into the cold salt water bath and allow them to sit in the bath for 5-10 minutes.
4. Remove slices from the water and lay them in one in a single layer on a clean linen cloth (allow to sit for 15 minutes, this will help with cooking them).
5. You may spray them with some good quality EVOO or leave them plain like I did.
6. Lay a layer of clean, unprinted paper towel in the microwave and layer potato slices on the paper towel so they do not touch each other. Microwave on 100% for 2 minutes or until some get a bit of colour. Open the microwave door and allow the hot humid air to escape for at least 1-2 minutes (it will allow the machine to cool down). Then cook for an additional minute on high, if needed, watching carefully as they burn quite easily. I found the slices I placed in the centre of the turntable cooked faster than the outside slices so I moved my larger slices into the centre. The slices will continue to cook a little after you remove them so don’t worry if they are a wee bit wobbly, but they shouldn’t be overly wobbly, they will crisp up.
7. Remove the slices from the paper towel and cool completely before putting them into an air-tight container. Repeat until all of the slices are “fried”.
8. When totally cool, store chips in an air tight container.
9. Serve with your favourite homemade dip.

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Lentil Hummus Soup

Years ago, back before the internet, I purchased an old Weight Watcher’s cookbook at a garage sale that I’ve long since divested myself of. In this cookbook was a tasty hummus soup that I made a few times at the cottage when we didn’t feel like much for dinner. This is my version of the recipe.

The soup comes together quickly, no need to soak the lentils, they cook within 10 minutes. Don’t salt the water they cook in otherwise the skin will become a bit tough. I puréed the somewhat cooled soup in my Magic Bullet and it made a lovely, velvety-smooth soup. Serve the soup drizzled with really good olive oil and Aleppo peppers.

Makes about 500 mL soup

A kitcheninspirations original recipe

Ingredients:

• 135 g red lentils, rinsed and picked through
• water (to cover lentils)
• 45 g tahini
• 35 g roasted garlic purée (or fresh garlic to taste
• 12 g cumin
• 400 mL chicken stock
• 30 mL lemon juice
• Olive oil to serve
• a sprinkle of Aleppo peppers

Directions:

1. Add the lentils to a good size soup pot and just cover with cold water. Bring to a soft boil and cook the lentils until softened thoroughly and the water is mostly absorbed.
2. Add the tahini, roasted garlic purée, and cumin and cook on low for 1 minute.
3. Add the chicken stock and water and purée until desired thickness is achieved. The lentils will get thicker as they cool, so don’t add too much stock to start because when you reheat it, it will be too runny, add stock little by little until your desired thickness is achieved

Notes:

• We use roasted garlic because it is a milder, nutty flavour than fresh garlic.
• Toppings are pretty versatile but we like olive oil with Aleppo peppers for a touch of heat.
• I would imagine this soup freezes well but it comes together so quickly, I only make enough for one meal.

 

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Spring Green Soup

The weather in Toronto was certainly not as spring-like as we had hoped when we planned to return from our stay in Europe, otherwise, we would have stayed a lot longer! We did have a week of incredible but unseasonably warm weather in early April but that didn’t last long. We are back to grey, overcast, rainy, snowy spring so on such a day, I decided to let the garden inspire me because even though we humans find this weather unacceptable, the garden is in full bloom, bursting with green and colour! I created this simple, yet tasty green soup. Use homemade or good-quality chicken stock (and my secret ingredient) to make a tasty broth and add all the green veggies you have on hand. For me, it was frozen sweet peas, frozen broccoli, leeks, frozen green beans, some shredded kale, celery and some ripe avocado. If you want it a little more filling, add rice or gnocchi or my favourite, Hungarian csipetke (which is just pasta dough, pinched into small dumplings and cooked right in the soup).

A delicious combination of green vegetables in a rich, flavourful broth.

A kitcheninspirations original recipe

Makes about 1.5 litres of soup

Ingredients:

• 15 mL garlic-infused EVOO
• Handful of each green vegetables: frozen sweet peas, frozen broccoli (separate stems), leeks, frozen green beans, some shredded kale, celery and some ripe avocado, all cut into similarly sized pieces.
• 1.5 litres chicken stock
• 15 mL white miso paste (secret ingredient)
• a splash of fresh lime juice

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot and sauté the leeks and broccoli stems until soft. Add about half of the kale and wilt. Add the stock with the miso paste and heat until the miso (secret ingredient) has melted and the kale is rather soft. Purée this into a relatively fine soup.
2. Add the remaining vegetables and heat through. I allowed the soup to steep for a couple of hours and reheated it when ready to serve.
3. Add the lime juice and stir well just before serving.
4. Allow the soup to cool completely before freezing leftovers. Do not freeze pasta or rice because it will turn to mush.

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Almond Sesame Crackers (Gluten Free)

This is my ‘”GO-TO” gluten-free cracker, not just because they are so tasty, but because they are super-easy to make and require very little equipment! This recipe is half of my usual recipe because I didn’t want leftovers but because the measurements are metric, it’s super-easy to double or triple. The only thing I would caution you about is that they burn very quickly because of the natural oils in ground almonds and the grapeseed oil but hopefully it won’t deter you from making them, they are worth it.

Almond Sesame Crackers (Gluten Free)

Makes 40 crackers but it depends on how thick you roll them and how large you cut them. This recipe was first posted in 2011 in Imperial measures.

Ingredients:

• 150 g unblanched ground almonds
• 5 g sea salt
• 60 g sesame seeds, I like black and white versions, toasted lightly.
• 1 egg
• 15 mL grapeseed oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F with the rack set in the middle.
2. Mix the first three ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk the egg with the grapeseed oil together.
3. Combine the egg mixture with the dry ingredients and stir until well coated and clearly mixed well.
4. Roll between two sheets of parchment paper to just less than 1 mm thick. Cut into 4-centimetre squares leaving the crackers on the parchment (no need to separate). 
5. Cut off the parchment that is on top and slide the cut crackers onto a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 checking often near the end as it burns quickly. Remove the baking sheet and slide the parchment off it onto a cooling rack. Cool slightly and snap the crackers apart. Cool completely to store.

These crackers have excellent flavour and texture.

Notes:

• Add various nuts (although they should be small) to the batter for a slightly different texture.
• The thicker you roll your crackers the sturdier they will be, but just less than 1 mm is sturdy enough for a good thick dip.
• These crackers are quite moreish but be careful as they are also very filling so you don’t need as many to satisfy you!
• I reduced the baking temperature to 325° F from 350° F because I burnt the first batch!

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Boursin Christmas Tree Dip Plate

I wanted to get this cute little presentation onto the blog so I don’t forget about it next year. It’s so simple, it’s not even a real recipe, but here it is. I think I saw it on my Facebook feed but it immediately disappeared and I cannot find it, sorry. We had a bunch of kids in the mix so I diluted the boursin with cream cheese, it was still plenty flavourful and the kids loved it too.

Makes 4 little Christmas trees of various sizes (about 250 g of dip)

Ingredients:

• 150 g Boursin dip (I used one package of the fine herbs and garlic), room temperature
• 125 g plain cream cheese, room temperature (half a package)
• 1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• a handful of dried cranberry, cut into small triangles
• Bread and crackers for serving

Directions:

1. Combine the Boursin and cream cheese and whip with a small hand mixer until thoroughly combined.
2. Using a small piece of plastic wrap, take some of the dip and form it into a cone shape using the plastic wrap to protect your hands, do this three more times. Varying heights will look best.
3. Combine the parsley and green onion on a plate.
4. Roll each cone into the parsley and green onion to cover the outside. Place little cranberry pieces into each tree to decorate it.
5. Serve on a large platter that can accommodate the bread and crackers.
6. If you are not serving this immediately, refrigerate covered so it doesn’t dry out. Bring to room temperature to serve.

 

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Onion Bhaji revisited

Happy New Year! Hope your holidays were lovely. We had Christmas Eve with my cousin’s family in their new home. It’s so exciting to have a new home and be able to decorate and start from scratch. The dinner was fabulous and it was a lot of fun opening presents with them.

Just before Christmas, we had another progressive dinner with our neighbours. This time, the theme was Indian and we were charged with the hors d’œuvres and appetizers. I (obviously), made onion bhaji to start and then we had a cup of Mulligatawny soup. These dinners always have too much food so I kept it small. These bhajis turned out so good, I decided I wanted to keep the recipe for the future. I served them with store-bought Date and Tamarind Chutney.

Onion Bhaji Revisited

Makes about 20 bhajis, depending on size. For the original recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:

• 2 sweet onions, finely sliced

• 100 g gram flour (chickpea flour)

• 5 g baking powder

• 4 g Aleppo chilli flakes

• 4 g turmeric

• 100 mL water
• 1 L vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

1. Soak the sliced onions in cold water while you make the batter.
2. Preheat the oil to 350° F.
3. Add the gram flour, baking powder, Aleppo flakes and turmeric to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly add 90 mL of the water to form a batter and mix well. Strain the onions and add them to the batter, adding about 10 mL of water, if necessary. Mix to coat the onions.
4. When the oil is 350° F, scoop a generous tablespoon of the bhaji mixture into the hot oil and fry until golden and the internal temperature is 200° F. Remove the bhaji from the oil onto a paper-lined tray and allow to drain the oil. Continue until you’ve fried all of the bhaji batter.
5. To serve, reheat the bhaji on a sheetpan in a 275° F oven for 12 minutes or until the internal temperature is 125° F.

These were gobbled up in nothing flat. I froze an additional batch I made and they are still fabulous reheated!

 

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Mussels Escabeche

In early October, JT and a friend went to Buffalo to see a hockey game (hockey is absurdly expensive in Toronto and it was a nice male bonding trip). I had a friend over for dinner and I served mussels. I had about 12 left over and thought I’d like to try this Spanish recipe to preserve mussels. They turned out quite delicious so next time I’m at the Fish Monger, I will get a bag to make a batch of these tasty treats.

While the cooked mussels have a soft and spongy texture, the preserved mussels are much meatier to the bite, which makes them a bit more filling and not unpleasant at all.

Interestingly enough, I did not see these on any menu while we were in Spain, or maybe I didn’t notice them. When we are in Spain again, I will definitely search them out because they are tasty.

I may have tasted one to be sure they were worth blogging about.

For the original recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:

• 50 g mussels, cooked (shells reserved)
• 30 mL high-quality extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 g roasted garlic puree
• pinch of rosemary
• pinch of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cinnamon stick
• 2 or 3 whole black peppercorns
• Peeled zest of 1/4 a lemon, cut into thin strips
• 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 30 mL white wine vinegar
• pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Clean and dry the shells and set them aside.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, cinnamon, black pepper, and lemon peel and heat gently to a very low boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the paprika, vinegar, and salt and stir well.
3. Put the mussels into a clean glass jar and top with the warm liquid with all of the spices. Stir well. Put a lid on the jar and set it in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
4. To serve, remove the mussels from the marinade making sure there are no little bits sticking to them.
5. Strain the marinade. Add one mussel to a half shell and drizzle with a little of the oil mixture. Serve cool.

Notes:

• My summer herb garden finally gave into winter so I’m using dried herbs for this recipe. The slow cooking will bring their flavour out into the marinade but fresh is preferred.
• I reduced this recipe to cover the few leftover mussels I had.
• I garnished my mussels with sliced scallions and diced pickled hot peppers.

 

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“Chinese Scallion” Pancakes

The weather is still lovely in the big smoke so we continue entertaining on our back deck. I’m always looking for something a little different and these scallion pancakes truly fit the bill. I first saw the recipe on Mi Mi’s blog and was immediately intrigued. Mi Mi’s pancakes were more of a thicker bread and she admitted she had forgotten a final step, so I scoured the internet for “my” recipe. The one I posted below is a compilation of several recipes that I read through. The pancake itself is a very thin, but super flavourful. Crispy, chewy and full of flavour a veritable trifecta! We just had them with a simple dipping sauce and they were absolutely delicious. Thank you Mi Mi for drawing my attention to this tasty treat.

These pancakes are crispy and chewy at the same time.

Makes 4 pancakes appetizer-sized portions. Don’t kid yourself, you’ll probable eat two.

Ingredients:

• 150 g AP flour
• 3 g salt
• 93 g cold water
• 6 scallions, green parts only, finely sliced
• Olive oil (enough to coat the pan about 0.5 cm deep)

Directions:

1. Combine the flour and the salt and mix well. Add the water into the centre of the flour mixture and mix until the water is absorbed into the flour. Knead the dough with your hands for 5-7 minutes or until quite elastic. Cover lightly with olive oil and allow to rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
2. Divide the dough into two or four equal portions and roll out using the KitchenAid pasta maker to the finest thickness. The dough will be very sticky so flour or grease your surface to prevent sticking.
3. Sprinkle the sliced scallions (and whatever additional spice, if using) over the rectangle and roll up from the long side. Then, roll the log onto itself like a scroll. Roll the scroll out to about 20 cm diameter. Cook on medium heat until the pancake is golden on both sides. Cut into wedges to serve. Serve with the dipping sauce below.

Dipping sauce ingredients:

• 15 mL soy sauce
• 15 mL sesame oil
• 15 mL Mirin or sweet rice wine
• Sesame seeds

Dipping sauce directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together and serve with the cooked pancakes.

Notes:

• You can add a variety of other spices like Chinese Five-spice, Aleppo pepper flakes, or mint to name a few.
• I used cold water because from what I’ve read, it will make the dough chewy, hot or boiling water will apparently make it crispier. I wanted chewy and figured it would be crispy from the pan frying and I was correct.
• The green part of the scallion is apparently softer so it won’t poke through the dough but mine did anyway and it did not alter the flavour or texture.
• Use either flour or oil to prevent this very sticky dough from sticking everywhere. I used flour on this one.
• To make the rolled dough more manageable, you can roll two smaller lengths and stick them together because when they scroll and you roll them out, you won’t notice a difference.
• Most recipes call to roll the dough into a circle at first but I wanted a very thin dough so I just made sheets using my KitchenAid pasta machine and it worked out fantastic.

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Savoury Cheese Tuille

Upon our return from Spain, I was missing being there so I made the Almond Tuiles of Sevilla (Tejas Dulces de Sevilla). They are delicious but it got me thinking about a savoury version. We had brought home some wonderful cheese called Old Amsterdam and I thought it would make a delicious snack. They are light and airy and crisp. They are strong enough for dip, but tasty on their own. I love how rustic they look from just breaking them apart.

Savoury Cheese Tuiles

Makes about 20 cm x 30 cm sheet

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 30 g cheese (I used Old Amsterdam)
• 1 g salt
• 1 g smoked paprika 
• 50 g flour 

Directions:

1. Beat the egg until it reaches the ribbon stage (about 5 minutes), add the salt and smoked paprika and mix well, then fold in the flour.
2. Spread evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle the cheese over it evenly and bake at 275° F for 20-35 minutes or until it has totally dried out and developed a golden colour.
3. Cool entirely and once cool break into shards. Serve at room temperature.

 

 

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Atascaburras a Delicious Salt Cod and Potato dish

One of our most memorable meals in Spain was at the beautiful One Star Michelin restaurant in Retama Restaurant within La Caminera Hotel. We should have stayed at the hotel, but we had already booked something in Valdepeñas, a short drive away. We chose The Traditional menu, without wine pairings (I react poorly to some heavier reds and whites aged in oak casks).

As part of a course, we were served a wonderful little bite of Atascaburras, a typical dish of the La Mancha Region. The story goes that two shepherds and their donkeys were isolated after a big snowfall, with only salt cod, potatoes, garlic, and olive oil at hand, and in their desperation, they created this dish to feed themselves and their donkeys over several days until they were rescued. This dish is often eaten during a snowfall and it is said that the water to boil the potatoes and cod in should be freshly fallen snow. Obviously, there was no snow in sight but the story and delicious flavour of these little cod fritters were definitely calling to me. They called them fritters in the restaurant but they were not deep-fried, I suspect the chef used a Takoyaki pan to sear the small balls. We were served one each. Traditionally, this dish is usually served on a platter with bread or crackers. Since I don’t have a Takoyaki pan, I chose to serve it as a dip. In modern times, a boiled egg is used to garnish the dip but it was not traditional. I chose to use a hard-boiled egg yolk, grated on top of the dish as a garnish.

The atascaburras was served as a round ‘fritter’

Atascaburras

Makes about 500 mL dip

Ingredients:

• 300 g potato (I used Yukon Gold)
• 300 g salt cod, soaked and rinsed several times over 48 hours
• 130 mL olive oil
• 1/2 clove of garlic, finely minced
• Salt to taste
• 1 egg yolk, hard-boiled
• Red pepper oil

Directions:

1. Cook the cleaned but unpeeled potato in water for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add the prepared salt cod and cook an additional 10 minutes. Reserve the water.
2. Add both the cod, potato and garlic to a blender (I used a magic bullet because it really emulsifies beautifully). Add the olive oil and emulsify, adding a little of the reserved water to make a smooth, creamy dip. Taste and salt if necessary.
3. Place in an oven for 15-20 minutes on 250° F to just warm up. Serve in a low-sided dish with grated egg yolk as garnish and sprinkled with a little red pepper oil.

No, that is not cheese, it’s grated hard-boiled egg yolk.

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Sautéed Peppers with Pine Nuts

Sometimes it’s just the simplest things that are the best. While we were in Spain, we had a lot of tapas, they serve tapas every time you order a glass of vino. Sometimes it is as simple as delicious olives, or sometimes it’s a little ham sandwich. While we were in Granada, we slipped into this adorable little bar and ordered a couple of glasses of vino with some tapas. Before we even had our first sip, they brought out a good quantity of homemade potato chips and these little round sandwiches (about 7-10 cm in diameter). If we hadn’t already ordered a selection of cheeses and charcuterie, we would have been done! And they would not have been offended. This is Spain, where a glass of good quality wine is €3.50 (less than $5) AND it comes with food! And there is no expectation of tipping, most restaurants add a small service fee per person so you needn’t worry about it.

We were sitting at home one evening when we decided to have a glass of vino and JT asks what we were having for hors d’œuvres! I had to scramble a bit because I hadn’t pre-made anything for the freezer but I did have some incredible peppers (did I mention how wonderful vegetables taste in Spain?) so I sliced them thinly and sautéed them and presented them with some toasted Spanish pine nuts. They were fantastic! So simple. If you’re serving a crowd, you might want to add a splash of red wine and some sliced chorizo, served with crusty bread of course. This is definitely going into my repertoire because I always have peppers at home.

I haven’t stipulated quantities because it’s what you have on hand. I used about a half of pepper each of the red and yellow and about 1/4 of an onion.

These are some of the sweetest peppers we’ve ever tasted.

Sautéed Peppers with Pine Nuts

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

 Ingredients:

• Red peppers, deveined and seeded, cut into strips
• Yellow peppers, deveined and seeded, cut into strips
• Onion, thinly sliced
• Splash of olive oil
• Pine Nuts, toasted
• Salt and pepper to taste

 Ingredients:

1. Sauté the onions and peppers in a splash of olive oil. Add the chorizo and red wine, if using
2. Sprinkle with pine nuts, salt and pepper and serve with crusty bread.

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Fried Cheese Tortellini

I always create a menu plan for every week and when we arrived in Spain, it was no different. I like to schedule meals out in a restaurant but if they don’t work out, I also like to have something easy to fix on hand, dried cheese tortellini was one of these things. We had been out for lunch at one of our favourite Italian places and the couple at the table next to us ordered the fried cheese tortellini and I was inspired, they looked so delicious. I have made fried pasta before but used North American dried pasta and it wasn’t good, they were too thick and ended up really hard and difficult to eat so I didn’t bother posting about them. These little gems are different, they are crispy, chewy little parcels filled with cheese! They are wonderful. I tested up a batch of 18 and found them quite successful so I fried up the entire package! I froze them for when we reunite with our dear friends Paul and T from Arizona, they came for a visit in early May. Just pop them onto a parchment-lined baking pan and bake at 350° F for about 10-12 minutes. Serve with salsa, romesco sauce or any one of your favourites. Make sure you make a bunch because they are addictive.

They are crispy and chewy little parcels of deliciousness.

Crispy Fried Cheese Tortellini

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes as many tortellini as your package has.

Ingredients:

• 1 package dry cheese-filled tortellini, cooked through
• 500 mL high flash-point oil
• dipping sauce, your choice

Directions:

1. Heat the oil to 350° F
2. Fry only 5-6 at a time until golden, place on an absorbant cloth to soak up any excess oil.
3. Serve warm with your favourite dipping sauce.

Notes:

• Cook your pasta to slightly overdone, this will provide the best crunch.
• Cook your pasta in advance so that you can totally drain them and allow them to slightly dry out on a paper towel or parchment (this will prevent the oil from splashing when the water hits it).

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Retro Olive Balls

You may have noticed from my other socials that we have escaped Toronto and finally headed to Spain. Our first trip in February was cancelled by you know what. We are here for 51 days. The sun and relative warmth have been life-altering. I wake up just to see the sunrise on the Mediterranean (it’s not that bad, 7:30-ish during our stay).

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Our kitchen in the flat (my cousin’s flat) is challenging from a size point. I have fitted it with most of my favourite tools so I can do most things but finding a place to do them can be a challenge. Most people who rent do take away or go out to one of the many restaurants in this little village. The Spaniards like to eat late (9pm would be considered an early dinner) but I find it difficult to eat that late, so we end up going out for lunch and having a light dinner around 7pm. Although the first few attempts to lunch were failures as many places don’t open until at least 1:30 (we don’t eat breakfast) and they close between 2-5pm for Siesta. Don’t get me started on Siesta, it is a beloved ritual in the smaller centres. This little recipe was developed to take us through cocktails one evening. 

Retro Olive Balls

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes 8 pastry-wrapped olives

Ingredients:

• 15 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 60 g cheese, we used manchego
• 60 g flour
• 15 g roasted garlic purée
• Salt, pepper to taste
• water to bind
• 8 olives

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Combine everything but the olives in the small bowl of a food processor and process until combined. If the dough still doesn’t come together, add a few drops of water and pulse until it comes together.
3. Divide the dough into eight equal portions. Roll each portion into a small circle and wrap around each olive, rolling in your hand until it is smooth. Repeat until all of the olives are wrapped.
4. Bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet until golden, serve warm.

A delicious buttery pastry enveloping a Manzanilla Olive.

Notes:

• I used unpitted Spanish Manzanilla Olives because it is what I had at home, black olives or even pimento-stuffed olives would be lovely with this recipe. Make sure you mention to your guests that the olives are with pitts.
• Double or triple this recipe for more tasty little balls.

 

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Celery, Zucchini and Avocado Cream Soup

My brother loaned us his cottage for the last week of January. Yes, it is a lot colder up there but it is extremely beautiful with the pristine, sparkling snow and the occasional visit from wildlife. I needed to clean out the fridge before we left and created this tasty and satisfying soup. Pair it with a scone or grilled cheese and you have the perfect winter-time lunch. The measurements are not important here because I was just using up some less-than-perfect produce, it’s just an inspiration for future soups.

JT bought me the KitchenAid Vegetable Sheet Cutter to help me cut down our carbs so I had a lot of zucchini cores leftover which played right into this delicately flavoured soup. I was going to add cream but then I had a very ripe avocado that would meld perfectly into this winter meal.

Celery, Zucchini, and Avocado Cream Soup

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes 1.45 L soup

Ingredients:

• 15 mL EVOO
• ~ 1/2 a bunch of celery, roughly chopped
• ~ 1 zucchini, roughly chopped
• ~ 1 small Vidalia onion, roughly chopped
• 5-10 sprigs of parsley
• 1 L chicken stock
• 1 small Avocado, peeled and pitted
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot, heat the EVOO, add the celery, zucchini, onion, and parsley, and cook until softened. Add the stock and simmer for 30 minutes or until all of the vegetables are very soft. Add the avocado.
2. Blitz with your immersion blender or allow to cool and purée with a Nutri Bullet or VitaMix for a smooth and creamy soup. Strain through a fine sieve to remove the celery ‘hairs’.
3. Serve hot.

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Kartofdzhyn (Cheese and Potato Stuffed Bread)

I started watching a couple of Ontario-guys on Facebook who try to prove or disprove crazy videos they’ve seen, mostly of food but it can also be science or cleaning and such. They are a bit goofy which makes them rather charming. Their girlfriends sometimes participate in these videos by making some outlandish foods. This traditional Georgian potato, cheese-stuffed bread was one of them. The recipe looked so good, I had to do a little research and make my own. Their recipe was fairly straight forward using baking powder and not yeast bread dough, but the research showed that most of the recipes were yeasted bread dough, so I went with that. Then I found a few that had egg in them which gives the bread a wonderful, chewy texture. Then there is the mashed potato and cheese stuffed inside. OMG, so good. My recipe makes four disks about 20 cm in diametre, cut into eight portions.  The bread freezes very well. Remember to put it in the refrigerator overnight to defrost, then allow it to come to room temperature before baking. We went through two bad boys in two days and I sent a third one to a friend who was going to visit her parents! The fourth one is under lock and key in the freezer, I’m saving it for a special time! I will definitely be making this recipe again and again!

Soft, pillowy mashed potatoes with the sharp feta (or goat) and gooey mozzarella makes for a more-ish starter.

Kartofdzhyn (Cheese and Potato Stuffed Bread)

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes 4 stuffed bread rounds about 20 cm (8 inches) each

Ingredients for the Bread:

• 6 g quick yeast
• 8 g granulated sugar
• 120 mL milk, at 110F
• 460 g bread flour
• 6 g salt
• 215 g Greek yogurt
• 2 eggs
• Olive oil for the dough
• 1 egg yolk, whisked for brushing the dough

Directions:

1. Combine the yeast and sugar with the warm milk and allow to proof for about 10 minutes (it should froth up)
2. Add the flour and salt to the large bowl of your stand mixer and mix lightly.
3. Combine the Greek yogurt and eggs with the frothy yeast mixture and whisk until well combined.
4. Add the liquid ingredients to the flour and knead with the hook for 10 minutes. Stop the mixer and allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes, then resume kneading for about 15 minutes or until the dough comes away from the bowl.
5. Coat the dough with olive oil and allow to proof for about an hour, or until doubled in size.

Ingredients for the Filling:

• 2 medium yellow potatoes (about 230 g), boiled
• 30 g butter
• 30 g roasted garlic purée
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 100 g feta cheese or goats cheese
• 230 g mozzarella
• 6 g salt

Directions:

1. Mash the potatoes with butter and roasted garlic, then beat with a whisk beater until light and fluffy. Fold in the scallions, cheeses, and salt and set aside.

Directions for the dough disks:

1. Divide the dough into four equal portions. Roll out each portion evenly to a circle about 25 cm (10 inches). 
2. Add one-quarter of the filling to the centre of each round and pull in each side to form a sealed disk. Flip over and gently roll out to about 20 cm (8 inches). Pierce the top of the disk with a fork and brush each dough disk with the egg yolk. Set aside while the oven preheats or freeze on a baking sheet and transfer to a plastic zip-lock bag for the future.
3. If baking at the moment, put a cast-iron pan into the oven and pre-heat the oven to 400° F. Add one disk to the hot pan and bake for 20 minutes. When done, remove from the heat and brush the top with some more olive oil. Serve warm.

 

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Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

It’s been wickedly cold here, and by wickedly cold, I’m talking -21° C or -5.8° F! I have only been able to think about soup. I love brothy soups but JT is not as much of a fan, he prefers creamed soups so I like to mix it up. I had purchased too much broccoli for Christmas day dinner so I had a small crown leftover along with a not-so-perfect-looking romaine, so this recipe was a result of these two leftovers.

Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes just over a litre of soup

Ingredients:

• 1/4 Vidalia onion, roughly chopped
• 15 mL EVOO
• 1 fist-sized head of broccoli, roughly chopped
• 1/2 romaine lettuce, shredded
• 1 L chicken stock
• 5 cm x 5 cm Parmigiana rind, cut into smaller pieces
• 30 g of cheddar, shredded
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. In a hot pan, cook the onion in the olive oil until translucent, add the broccoli and romaine lettuce and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and the Parmigiana rind and simmer for about an hour or until everything has softened.
2. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth. If using a traditional blender, allow to cool a bit so the steam doesn’t blow off the lid.
3. Serve with some shredded cheddar sprinkled on top.

Notes:

• The romaine didn’t end up adding much flavour but it did help with thickening.
• Use vegetable stock if making vegetarian.
• The Parmigiana also helps to thicken the soup.
• I used both orange and white cheddar because that is what I had.

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Thai-inspired Pumpkin Soup

Let me begin by saying that this is not an authentic Thai pumpkin soup but it is a sophisticated blend of Thai flavours that make a super creamy and flavourful dish. I used a small white pumpkin which makes this beautiful lightly pumpkin flavoured, pale celery coloured soup. I garnished it with lightly toasted pumpkin seeds but lightly toasted coconut shavings would be gorgeous as well.

We recently had friends over for brunch and I had expected that it would be cold out and that soup would be a well-received course. We lucked out and had an exceptional November day so we sat outside for hors d’oeuvres and then retreated inside for the main course and back outside for dessert. Even though it wasn’t cold at all, particularly on our heated patio, the soup was very well received. This recipe is a keeper.

Thai-inspired Pumpkin Soup

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 1.5 L of soup

Ingredients:

• 430 g pumpkin, roasted and cubed
• 15 mL roasted garlic purée
• 1 kaffir lime leaf
• 5 mL galangal, finely grated
• 5 cm lemongrass, sliced lengthwise and pounded to release flavours
• 1 L chicken stock
• 30 g coconut milk powder
• 50 g creamed coconut
• toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish

Directions:

1. Combine the roasted pumpkin, garlic purée, kaffir lime leaf, galangal and lemongrass and sauté on medium-low until you can smell the gorgeous aromas. Add the chicken stock and bring to a rolling, gentle boil for about 45 minutes; you are trying to infuse the stock with the Thai aromatics. Taste and continue to boil if necessary to infuse more flavours.
2. Once the chicken stock has been infused, remove from the heat and blitz the stock with a stick blender until all of the flavourings are puréed. Allow to cool on the counter for 1-2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Strain the soup through a fine sieve, pressing the pulp until you get most of the liquid out, discard the pulp. 
4. Return the highly aromatic stock to a pot and reheat gently. Add the coconut milk powder and blitz with a stick blender until smooth. Continue to heat without bringing it to a boil. Add the creamed coconut and blend well.
5. Serve with toasted pumpkin seeds as garnish.

Notes:

• You may substitute a can of coconut milk including the cream instead of the coconut milk powder and creamed coconut, I forgot to buy it and resorted to things I had in my pantry.
• Blitzing the aromatics with the stock is unconventional but it really does impart a sophisticated blend of Thai flavours that is a little more forward than just simmering the flavourings in the stock. 
• To make this totally vegetarian, substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock.
• As you know, Thai food is a carefully weighted combination of salty, sweet, sour and bitter and this recipe incorporates all of those flavours and imparts a significant amount of umami. Personally, I find coconut milk sweet enough so my recipe does not include sugar but it would be entirely up to you; if you use sugar, I would use cane sugar.

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Plums with Honey infused Goats Cheese wrapped in Serrano Jamon

I had a few plums leftover from the plum cake recipe and I decided to make a tasty hors d’oeuvres for cocktails the following evening. They come together quickly and are very tasty. The amount of honey needed will depend on how tart the plums are. The sweet, honey-infused goats cheese with the tart plums and salty Serrano Ham are a perfect taste sensation.

Soft, sweet goats cheese pairs very well with the tart plums and salty Serrano Jamon.

Makes 6 pieces (2 servings)

Ingredients:

• 3 plums (should be bite-sized)
• 15-20 mL Manuka Honey
• 50 g goats cheese, at room temperature
• 3 slices Serrano Jamon

Directions:

1. Cut plums in half, remove stone.
2. Combine the honey with the goats cheese and mix well.
3. Mound the cut sides with the honey and goats cheese combo and wrap with half a slice of Serrano Jamon, spear with a skewer.
4. Serve at room temperature.

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Warm Salmon Dip

This post was inadvertantly published on the same day as another, so we apologise if you’ve already seen/been here. Also, this post was written during our first foray out of lockdown.

We have continued to entertain one couple at a time outdoors, keeping well below the allowed maximum of five (outdoors only). Our space allows for four people socially distanced, any more, we’re less than two metres (six feet) apart and we are not comfortable with that.

I try to make meals that are hearty and warm. This is one such dip I made as an hors d’œuveres for friends who came for lunch (the main was JT’s Bœuff Bourguignon). That day in February was 6° C (43° F) outside but our heater warmed our little area to 15° C (59° F) which made it very comfortable with light coats on (in fact, my friend came seriously over dressed and had to peel layers off to be comfortable).

It’s quite romantic eating outside in the winter, and even my naysayer hubby is loving it. In fact, most of the negativeness has come from the men, the women are all over being outside but once the guys experience our little cozy nook, they are sold. Just like this dip, one taste and you’re sold. I make a similar dip using canned crabmeat but I must tell you that this salmon dip is so much more flavourful.

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 375 mL dip

Ingredients:

• 250 g Cream Cheese, room temperature
• 1 tsp dill (dried is fine)
• 2 tsp horseradish (the original recipe called for horseradish cream, but I never had horseradish cream on hand)
• 20 g red onion or shallot, finely minced
• salt & pepper to taste
• 25 g celery, finely minced
• 150 g canned salmon, without skin or bones. It’s about 1/2 cup, or one can give or take.

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients and mix well (a light-duty hand mixer is perfect for this).
2. Season with salt and pepper.
3. If you are making this for the future, line three 125 mL or half-cup ramekins with plastic wrap.
4. Divide the mixed dip into the three ramekins pressing into the ramekin so it will retain the shape. Try not to have too many folds so that the plastic comes off easily. Carefully twist the plastic wrap to seal. Place the ramekins in the freezer. Once the dip has frozen to the ramekin shape, remove the frozen dip and label it and return the shaped dip to the freezer until needed. Put your ramekins away.
5. About 30-40 minutes before serving, pre-heat the oven to 375° F. Remove plastic wrap from the frozen dip and pop the shaped-frozen dip into the original ramekin you used to freeze it. Place on a cookie sheet (it may boil over depending on how full your ramekin was) and bake for 30-40 minutes or until dip is bubbling in the centre.
6. Remove the baked dip, garnish with a smoked salmon rose and serve with papadams, crostini, crackers or even sliced cucumbers.

A warm, boldly flavoured salmon dip that is perfect for outdoor entertaining.

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Baked Pork Samosas

Way back in April we had an outdoor Indian evening with a single neighbour and for hors d’œuvres I served Pork Samosas. They were delicious and so moreish. They are not the traditional deep-fried samosa, but they are baked phyllo pastry versions. I can tell you that they didn’t last long.

A delicously flavourful, crispy triangle.

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 16 two-bite samosas

Ingredients:

• 15 mL vegetable oil
• 1/2 shallot, finely chopped
• 200 g ground pork
• 5 g garam masala
• 5 g curry powder
• 10 g cumin
• 5 g grated ginger
• 10 g roasted puréed garlic 
• 200 g mix vegetables
• 50 g frozen peas, thawed
• 10 g cilantro leaves, chopped, plus extra for garnish
• 1/2 pack phyllo pastry
• 150 g unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan and sweat the shallot until translucent.
2. Add the pork and cook until no longer pink, mix in the ginger and garlic and stir well.
3. Sprinkle the garam masala, curry powder and cumin over the cooked pork and stir until fragrant. Remove from heat and mix in the vegetables and cilantro. Allow to cool completely.
4. Cut each phyllo sheet into 5 cm widths and brush with melted butter.
5. Starting at one end, dollop a tablespoon of the pork mixture and begin folding in a triangle pattern like illustrated below.
   
6. Brush the tops with more melted butter. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden and heated through. Serve with peach chutney.

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Warm Spanakopita Dip

Warm Spanakopita Dip

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 250 mL dip

Ingredients:

• 15 mL garlic-infused EVOO
• 30 g shallots, small dice
• 160 g zucchini, grated
• 70 g spinach, finely chopped
• 0.5 g dill weed
• 50 g cream cheese
• 70 g Greek feta, crumbled, divided
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium-sized pan and sweat the shallots until translucent. Add the zucchini and cook until softened. Add the spinach and wilt completely. Season with the dill and stir well.
2. Add the cream cheese and stir until it has melted into the vegetables.
3. Add about three-quarters of the feta and stir well into the warm dip. Reserve one-quarter of the feta for garnish.
4. Reheat the dip and serve with pita bread.

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Cream of Celery Soup

Spring came early to Toronto, with warm, sunny days as early as the first week of April! Buds burst on trees and shrubs and we waited with bated breath for the blooms in hopes that we wouldn’t get a spring frost. A good spring always has rain and we’re OK with that as long as we get some sunny days interspersed to keep our mood elevated and this spring was perfect. The rainy days were a touch cooler (still above freezing) but cool enough to crave soup. JT has been a real trouper this winter, eating without complaint, my favourite brothy soups but his true love are creamed soups so I thought I’d create this creamy, tasty soup on a rainy mid-April day. I served this with Cheesy Onion Scones!

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 400 mL soup

Ingredients:

• 15 mL EVOO
• 50 g sweet onion
• 300 g celery hearts, tender leaves included, roughly chopped
• 50 g cauliflower florets (as a thickener)
• 400 mL vegetable stock
• 7.5 mL lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• 30 mL table cream

Directions:

1. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a soup pan and sweat out the onions until translucent, add the celery and cook on medium/low for about 3 minutes.
2. Add the cauliflower florets and vegetable stock and simmer until all of the vegetables are soft.
3. Purée until smooth and taste for acidity and salt, add as required. Keep warm until ready to serve.
4. Just prior to serving, add 30 millilitres of table cream, stir well.

Celery in North America doesn’t have a strong anise flavour, it’s very mild.

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Polenta Bites with Mediterranean Tapenade inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi

I am constantly on the lookout for new hors d’oeuvres/finger food that I can insert into my cocktail repertoire. I came across this tasty recipe in early April when I was looking around for something to make with polenta. I loved the crackers because I’ve already made Polenta Fries, Polenta Crisps, and Polenta Choux Pastry. Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe includes a beautiful tapenade but I didn’t have parsley and I wasn’t going to go out for just one ingredient as we had just stepped into our THIRD State of Emergency Lockdown, so I improvised with baby arugula, and I must say, it’s darn tasty, I may even substitute the parsley with arugula going forward.

Don’t let the dark edges fool you, they are the best part!!!

Polenta Bites with Mediterranean Tapenade

Recipe inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi

Makes about 35 little crackers and enough tapenade for about 6 or 8 crackers.

Ingredients for the Polenta Bites:

• 350 mL chicken stock
• 15 mL roasted garlic purée
• 15  EVOO
• 2.5 g sea salt
• 75 g fine cornmeal
• 40 g finely grated parmesan
• 5 g chopped chives

Directions for the Polenta Bites:

1. Prepare a large sheet of parchment paper by spraying it with non-stick spray. Set aside.
2. Heat the chicken stock with the roasted garlic purée, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt until a slow boil.
3. Slowly pour in the cornmeal and stir vigorously until all has been incorporated into the water and it is beginning to thicken, add the grated parmesan and chives and cook, stirring constantly until very thick.
4. Pour the hot mixture onto one half of the prepared parchment and fold the other half over it. Using a rolling pin, roll out to about 2mm thick. Even out the edges (cooks treat) and cut into 3 cm squares. Allow to cool completely.
5. Preheat the oven to 425° F (I used convection) and bake the polenta bites for 20 minutes. Remove the sheet from the oven and flip the crackers over so that the top is the bottom and the bottom is the top and try to separate the crackers and move them around on the parchment so they bake evenly. Bake for an additional 20 minutes. Cool completely.

Green olives, kalamata olives, artichoke hearts and peppery arugula make a very tasty tapenade.

Ingredients for the Mediterranean Tapenade:

• 5 Green olives (with pimento)
• 6 Kalamata olives, pitted
• 4 quarters Marinated Artichoke Hearts
• 2 small handfuls of baby arugula
• 1 green onion about 15 cm long, roughly chopped
• 30 mL EVOO
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions for the Mediterranean Tapenade:

1. Add everything into a small food processor and process until you have achieved the desired consistency.
2. Serve as a dip or portioned onto each cracker like a canape.

 

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Cheese Crisps

These are super quick and easy to make. They don’t keep well, particularly if your house is a bit humid so plan to bake them just before you want to eat them or if they get a bit soggy, just pop them into the oven to dry them out a bit.

Deliciously crunchy and cheesy crisps.

A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe

Makes about 12-15 crisps

Ingredients:

• 400 g old cheddar cheese, grated

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone matt.
2. Spread the cheese out on the matt as thinly as possible so that the grated pieces are interlaced.
3. Bake for 4-6 minutes or until the cheese has entirely rendered and is starting to become golden but not burned.
4. Carefully remove from the oven and pull the parchment onto a cutting board. With a pizza cutter, cut into wedges. Allow to cool completely. Serve immediately.

Notes:

• I use a rimmed baking sheet because the oils from the cheese may slide onto the oven and burn.
• Parchment may burn so a silicon matt is preferred.

 

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Sourdough Cheese Sticks

 

Over the holidays, I received some lovely sourdough starter and I made sourdough bread (as though we needed it!). I’m always a little distraught discarding some of it so I adapted an old recipe I brought back from Hungary to utilize the discard and a little of the fed starter, it worked out very well. I’ll definitely keep this in mind for future baking.

Makes 1 30 cm x 42 cm sheet, cut to whatever size you desire.

For the original recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:

• 300 g all-purpose flour
• 150 g unsalted butter, room temperature
• 100 g discard sourdough starter plus 30 g fed starter
• 125 g Greek Yogurt
• 100 g shredded cheese (sharp cheddar works well, freshly grated Parmesan is best)
• 5 g Salt
• 20g shredded cheese

Directions:

1. In the large mixing bowl of your stand mixer with the scraper attachment, blend flour, butter, starters, 100 g cheese and salt until incorporated, then switch to a dough hook and add the Greek yogurt and knead until smooth ball forms.
2. Allow to rest in a warm dark place for 1 hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 375° F
4. On a piece of parchment paper, roll out dough to about 1/2 cm thickness.
5. Cut into 7-10 cm x 2 cm sticks.
6. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
7. Slide cheese sticks on the parchment paper onto a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is golden and melted.
8. Re-cut sticks, if necessary, while still warm. Serve warm or at room temperature.

These are very tasty served warm.

Notes:

• Use a flavourful, hard cheese (like cheddar, gruyere or Jarlsberg) is best for this treat.
• I use a pizza cutter with a kitchen ruler to cut the sticks, it makes it very easy. If you cut the sticks after you sprinkle with cheese, your cutter will take up most of the cheese!
• In the original recipe, there is an egg wash on the top, I omitted this time because I figured the cheese would stick regardless, but it does add a lovely sheen which I will not omit next time.
• These cheese sticks freeze well. To reheat, spread in a single layer, cheese side up on a baking sheet and bake at a low 200° F for 10-15 minutes or until defrosted and slightly warm.

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Fruit and Seed Crackers (subheading: Not this Year)

It’s definitely going to be a very different holiday season this year. We usually escape the drudgery of November by renting a house in a friends’ community in Arizona but, not this year. I’m already dreading February when we usually escape to Spain, thank you COVID19, not this year.

I usually look forward to all the holiday parties, both throwing and going to them, but not this year.

Over the last few years, I’ve slowly stopped baking my Christmas goodies to give to friends, but not this year. We deserve a treat. So friends, drop the diet and enjoy!

We usually entertain friends and family this time of year around our wood-burning fireplace in our living room, but not this year. However, we’ve adapted our outdoor space to include a natural gas heater, and equipped the sectional and chairs with electric blankets, trying to extend our entertaining capacity during these trying times. It’s been very successful at 10° C (50° F) but who knows how cosy it will be when temperatures plummet to -10° C (14° F) in January and February. I’m taking full advantage while I can.

This recipe was developed for an evening when we socially-distance-entertained friends under the warm heat trapped under the awning and cosy electric blankets.

These crackers are like biscotti because they are twice-baked. Using an electric slicer gives you excellent control and wonderfully thin slices.

Fruit and Seed Crackers

Makes 75 thinly sliced crackers

For the original recipe, please click here.

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, lightly whisked
• 300 mL milk
• 15 mL honey or agave syrup
• 5 g salt
• 125 g spelt or whole wheat flour
• 200 g AP unbleached flour
• 60 g dried cranberries
• 70 g raw pumpkin seeds
• 50 g sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Prepare a small terrine pan (like this one) by lining it with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Combine the eggs, milk and honey and mix well.
3. Sift the salt and flours together to combine. Stir in the fruit, nuts and seeds. Make a well in the centre and pour the egg mixture into the dried ingredients, stir to combine.
4. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Reduce the oven temperature to 300° F.
5. Tip the loaf out to cool completely and then slice as thinly as possible (I found the electric slicer did a beautiful job). Bake cracker slices until toasty and crisp, about 20-30 minutes, flip if necessary. Cool completely to store.

Notes:

• I adapted this recipe from Chef Mimi’s blog. I used the seeds and fruit I had on hand, it’s quite versatile, so use what you have on hand.
• I made these again in August 2021 and did not have whole wheat or spelt flour so I substituted almond flour and they turned out lovely.

 

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Baja Mexican Spicy Beans with Lime Sauce and Salsa

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

For the original recipe please click here

Ingredients for the Salsa:

• Home grown vine ripened tomatoes, chopped
• 1 green onion, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime

Directions:

1. Combine all of the ingredients and set aside.

Ingredients for the Baja Sauce:

• 150 mL sour cream or yoghurt
• Juice of 1 lime
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. 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:

1. Cook the beans and lentil until softened, rinse.
2. 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.
3. 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.

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Calamares Fritos

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!

To see the original recipe, please click here.

Serves 1-2 people

Ingredients:

• 1 calamari tube, cleaned and sliced lengthwise to open up
• 65 g all-purpose flour
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 L vegetable oil

Ingredients for the Avocado Cream:

• 1 Avocado
• pinch of cumin
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 lime, juiced

Ingredients for Serving:

• Romesco Sauce
• 1/4 Lemon cut into wedges

Directions:

1. Cut the calamari into strips lengthwise (not rings). Add the flour and sea salt to a bowl and toss the calamari strips until well coated.
2. Heat the vegetable oil to 375° F. Fry the calamari strips 5 at a time until golden. Drain excess oil on kitchen paper.
3. Meanwhile, mash or cream the avocado with cumin, sea salt and lime juice.
4. Serve calamari hot with the sauces.

Notes:

• Cut the calamari into thin strips length-wise so that it will curl into a spring shape as it fries. Shorter ones will curl less.
• This dish is equally as good with either sauce so if you don’t want two sauces, just go with one.
• To scale up the dish, just add another calamari tube for each additional person. More than 4 people, double the avocado cream recipe.

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Tortilla de Arroz, Coliflor y Queso

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:

1. Combine all of the ingredients and whisk until smooth. Set aside for 20-30 minutes at room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F.
3. Heat a small 20 cm frying pan on the stove on medium heat and brush generously with olive oil.
4. Pour the contents of the omelette into the hot frying pan and press evenly in the pan.
5. Cook uncovered for 10-15 minutes.
6. Place pan into the oven and finish cooking until a toothpick tester come out clean.
7. Serve warm with a roasted garlic aioli.

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Ensalada de Aguacate y Atún (Spanish Tuna Salad)

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:

1. Drain the tuna and combine it with the cubed avocado and lemon juice.
2. 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.

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Tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelette)

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:

1. Combine the eggs, dashi, sugar (if using) soy sauce and mirin and whisk well.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

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Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Canadian Thanksgiving was at my SIL’s place in Peterborough. She asked that we bring hors d’œuvres so I made three dips. This one was blog-worthy.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Makes about 250 mL dip

Ingredients:

• 160 g roasted red peppers, skin and seeds removed
• 15 g roasted garlic purée
• 1 g salt
• 10 mL red wine vinegar
• 20 g almond flour

Directions:

1. Combine everything in your food processor and process until smooth.

1. Serve at room temperature with crackers or bread.

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