Carrot & Dill Soup

This was part of last week's cooking rampage and I was expecting cold weather would accompany the soup and stew I made. No such luck; we had some of the mildest temperatures on record. Didn't stop me from gobbling up the soup. 




Adapted From: http://www.canadianliving.com

Ingredients

• 2 T butter
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/2 t pepper
• 5 cups chopped carrots
• 8 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
  
  3/4 cup of buttermilk

In a large heavy saucepan, heat butter over medium heat; cook celery, onions, garlic, salt and pepper, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add carrots; cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add stock and bring to boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer until carrots are tender, about 35 minutes.

In food processor or blender, puree soup in batches. If you've got a hand mixer, pat yourself on the back for your swift decision and use that bad boy! Add in the dill mixing will and serve.

Baked Pumpkin & Sour Cream Pudding

I really am trying to deviate from Deb Perelman's food blog, but her photography and recipes beg to be made. This recipe is no exception. Between this post, and tonight's mix of lamb-stuffed eggplants, carrot soup and fennel salad I realize that I may need to pick a direction for future meals. This menu is all over the place. No regrets tonight though as far as I'm concerned. Somehow all of these flavours haven't detracted from each other.

From: http://smittenkitchen.com

Makes approximately 8, 1/2 cup servings

Pudding
1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree (unsweetened; not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup  granulated sugar
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t table salt
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t ground cloves
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs, lightly beaten

Topping
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F.

The quickest method: In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the pudding ingredients.

For creamier, silkier puddings: Combine pumpkin, sugar, salt and spices in a food processor and blend for 30 seconds. Transfer to a saucepan and heat over medium-high. Once simmering in the pot, cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. The mixture will thicken and get a bit darker. Reduce heat slightly and whisk in milk and cream. Off the heat, slowly whisk in eggs.

Both methods: Divide between 7 to 8 ovenproof 5-ounce pudding cups or ramekins on a baking sheet. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until puddings barely jiggle when shimmied and/or a knife tip inserted into the center of puddings comes out clean. Try not to overbake.

While they bake, combine topping ingredients in a small bowl. When the puddings are cooked through, transfer to a cooling rack on the counter and leave oven on. Spoon 2 tablespoons of sour cream mixture onto first pudding and use a small offset spatula, butter knife or spoon to quickly (it will get melty fast) spread it over the top of the first pudding. Repeat with remaining puddings.

Return puddings to oven for 5 more minutes, then cool completely at room temperature, about 1 to 2 hours. Chill until ready to serve. 

Strawberry Shortcake

Confessions of a Bisquick user. Yes, that's right, this recipe came from the back of a box Bisquick-brand biscuit mix. You know, I'm not sure I'd bother buying it again, but I was keen to see whether it made my life a littler easier...guess it did. Anyways, this recipe is basically just biscuits with strawberries and whipped cream layered onto them. Nothing fancy going on here, so enjoy the pride that comes with making something delicious, in as little time as possible. I will be trying these again with a biscuit from scratch so I can compare the two. 

From http://www.bettycrocker.com

Ingredients

• 4 cups strawberries, sliced

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/3 cups Bisquick mix
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 3 T sugar
• 3 T butter, melted
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 4 cups strawberries, sliced
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 1/3 cups Original Bisquick® mix
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
• 1/2 cup whipping cream

Heat oven to 425 F. In a large bowl, mix strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar; set aside. In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix, milk, 3 tablespoons sugar and the butter until soft dough forms. On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by 6 spoonfuls.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, in small bowl, beat whipping cream with electric mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Split warm shortcakes; fill and top with strawberries and whipped cream.

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Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Coleslaw & Carnitas

  I've made pulled pork in a crockpot earlier this year, but was keen to try baking it in the oven in order to get that crispy surface area that makes pulled pork so noteworthy. Even with a dry rub, the pork retained quite a bit of moisture. It looks like a lump a charred turd once cooked, but should fall apart easily with a little prodding from your fork and knife and I can assure you, this will be the best turd you've ever prepared! Our first meal with it was a simple sandwich with plum chutney as a sauce. If you have soft buns (lunges will help!) and barbecue sauce, I can only assume you would moan at the pulled pork sandwich combo Paula Deen puts together on her recipe available through the coleslaw link below.

Pulled Pork: http://thewholekitchen.blogspot.com

Serves 8

Ingredients

•  3.5 lbs. pork shoulder (bone in)

• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup kosher salt
• 
1 T chili powder

• 1 T cumin

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1/4 tsp. cayenne
• 1 T smoked paprika

1. To make the rub, thoroughly mix together the brown sugar, salt, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, red pepper flakes and cayenne.
2. Pat dry the pork shoulder and then liberally apply the rub to all sides. Place in a leak-proof container. Cover and refrigerate for as long as 24 hours, or as little as overnight. It will give up a cup or more of liquid so make sure your container is big enough to prevent spillage.
3. Remove the shoulder from refrigerator, brush off any excess or caked on rub. Move to a clean roasting pan with the fat side up.
4. Heat the oven to 275F. Place in the oven and let roast for 9 hours. Yes, I’m serious about it taking that long. After about 3 hours, there will be enough fat rendered to allow you to baste the shoulder every 1 to 2 hours. With a large spoon simply pour the rendered fat over the shoulder.
5. You will know it’s ready because the outside of the shoulder is extremely dark, nearly burned looking. The pork should pull easily from the bone and the fat/skin on the top should be nearly crispy.
6. Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 30 min. Using a pair of forks or very clean hands pull the pork away from the bone. This should be very easy to do.
7. Serve on a bun with bbq sauce, on tortillas..this list goes on!

Buttermilk Coleslaw Recipe: http://www.pauladeen.com

Serves 6

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1½ T Dijon mustard
• 2 T light brown sugar
• 2 T apple cider vinegar
• 2 T buttermilk
• ½ t celery salt
• 1 t kosher salt
• 1 t freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups finely shredded green cabbage (about ½ head)
• 4 cups finely shredded purple cabbage (about ½ head)
• 2 large carrots, grated

Whisk together the mayo, mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, buttermilk, celery salt, kosher salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the cabbages and carrots and toss to combine. Cover and chill until serving time.

 The following night, we made carnitas with the pork. I opted for tortillas from the Argyll Foods on 63 Avenue. Their little corn tortillas are made with masa flour and make all the difference as far as flavour is concerned. With tomatillo salsa, avocado slices, cilantro and a little sour cream, these were delicious little meals. 

Tomatillo Salsa


Ingredients

• 4 tomatillos, finely chopped
• Juice of one lime
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 large red onion, diced
• 2 T chopped cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Simply combine the ingredients and serve. Tomatillos are firm in texture and not as juicy as a tomato, so don't be surprised when you slice them open. I remove the seeds from one half of the pepper and leave the seeds from the other half in. This gives me a medium salsa.




Carnitas


As far as the carnitas are concerned, heat your tortilla shells in a dry frying pan on high heat for a minute on each side. Pile as much sour cream, avocado, pork, salsa and other treats that you can handle on top and eat carefully: These babies are messy.

Cheese

I have mentioned before that I have a love for beef. I am Canadian and better yet an Albertan so meat often comes with the territory. At a young age I became aware that the cow was not so much a friend, but an entree. These days I enjoy meatless dishes and other meats as well, but I will always be partial to steak.

Okay, okay I got a little off track there. This post is actually about cheese. It ranks second among my favorite foods. I like 'em stinky, ripe, soft and/or hard...still talking about cheese here. After purchasing a crossbow (lord, that's another story), we ventured further west to a new cheese shop called Everything Cheese to pick up a few samples. In the center we have a little Roquefort Blue, one the far left some Tomme de Savoie, Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar and Bothee on the right. Anchovy-stuffed olives and some spicy and mild salami round out this plate. Apparently we get a kick out of abusing our digestive tracks as there are no fresh vegetables in sight. 

Pear Cranberry and Gingersnap Crumble

Why don't you hop on the dessert train like I did? I'll tell you why might want to rethink this little engine that could: my pants are getting irritatingly tight. I have one more dessert post for the month and then I'm going to cool it for a little. I guess the problem isn't that I make these desserts, it's that I eat them...and the leftovers...again and again. Dear lord, where did I put my restraint? Perhaps in my tight pants.


This recipe is a winner and I couldn't say no to the use of gingersnaps. I had some leftover from my cheesecake recipe. I used the same excuse for my strawberry shortcake recipe which you will see shortly (get it?!). I bought instant biscuit mix the other day and had quite a bit left over. Don't bother buying instant biscuit mix, by the way. I can't imagine it would save you any time. Unfortunately for me, the back of the box included a number of gut-busting recipes and I just couldn't help myself. 


Oh right, we're here to talk about ginger, pear and something crumble.  Here's the scoop:


From: http://smittenkitchen.com


Crumble

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 T (37 grams) packed dark or light brown sugar
1 cup gingersnap crumbs (about 16 store bought cookies)
1/8 t ground ginger
1/8 t table salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Filling
4 to 5 large ripe pears (I used Anjou, suggested in the original recipe) peeled, halved, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t finely grated lemon zest
1/2 t vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 T cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Stir together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, gingersnap crumbs, ginger and salt. Stir in the melted butter until large crumbs form.

In a 9 inch baking dish, mix the pears, cranberries, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. In a small bowl, whisk the sugar and cornstarch together then toss it with the fruit mixture in the pan. 

Sprinkle the gingersnap crumble over the fruit. Set the crumble on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake it for about 45 minutes, until the crumble is a shade darker and you see juices bubbling through the crumbs. Serve with whipping or ice cream. 

Basil, Goat Cheese, Tuna, Red Pepper, Spinach and Mozzarella Orzo

I might obsess about food a little...


Mmm, maybe a lot. I don't know of too many individuals that mull over their meal plans as much as I do, although I know my female colleagues definitely talk about what they should have for dinner near the end of the day. If I don't have a stocked fridge, I feel naked in the food department. At times like this you may here remarks such as:
"Well, I guess I should just raid the vending machine, because that's as good as it gets tonight for this cook".


The reality is usually quite different, although I didn't feel that way when I got home last night. We had goat cheese, mozzarella, rice, orzo, old spinach, two red peppers, half an old shallot, some fresh basil I had forgotten about and many other ingredients. I had been dying to do something with a can of tuna we bought for a backcountry hike and never used, so this recipe took shape pretty quickly. 


My new cast iron skillet (perfect murder weapon, by the way) was coated with olive oil so that the garlic and shallots could saute themselves silly. While this was happening, I let the red pepper roast face down on a cookie sheet in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Once the garlic and shallots were sauteed, I added the goat cheese and chicken stock to the pan. Once the cheese had melted the orzo went in and was tossed to mix with the cheese sauce. The spinach, chopped roasted red pepper and tuna followed about 2 minutes later to mix with the other flavours. I topped this off with some grated mozzarella and basil and mixed them in well. Salt and pepper was added to taste. Call it a modern day tuna casserole.


Serves 4-6


Ingredients

• 2 T olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 150g of goat cheese
• 3/4 cup chicken stock
• 1 1/2 cups orzo cooked
• 1 red pepper
• 2 cups baby spinach, packed
• 1/2 cup grated mozzarella
• 3 T basil, chopped
• 1 can of tuna
• salt and pepper