Seasonal Ontario Food

The portions this makes are fairly small ones, as this soup is both rich and fancy enough to be part of a special meal. You could lighten it a bit, I suppose, by cutting back on the butter and using 2% milk but it was so good as it was.

I don't know that oyster mushrooms taste like oysters, particularly, but in a soup like this there is some resemblance of texture. The soup was a sweet and succulent as any seafood version of chowder I have had, but if you use vegetable stock it could be vegetarian.

And now another year is coming to an end... see you next year, and let's hope it's a better one all around!

4 servings
45 minutes prep time


1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/8 teaspoon saffron
1 medium carrot
2 medium potatoes
125 grams (1/4 pound) oyster mushrooms
125 grams (1/4 pound button mushrooms
1 clove of garlic
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon rubbed thyme
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 cups unsalted chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon corn starch or arrowroot

Measure the milk and rub the saffron between your fingers, breaking it up into it. Set it aside to soak.

Peel and grate or very finely dice the carrot. Peel and trim the potatoes, and cut them into small dice. Trim and chop both the mushrooms. Peel and mince the garlic and put it in a small bowl with the salt, pepper, and thyme.

Heat the butter in a heavy bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the potatoes and carrot when melted, and cook slowly for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the potatoes are showing slight signs of browning. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for another 5 minutes. Add the garlic and seasoning and mix in and cook for another minute.

Mix the cornstarch into the (cold) chicken stock well and add it to the soup pot. Mix  it well into the vegetables and let the soup simmer for 10 minutes until the potatoes are cooked. Stir occasionally.

Add the milk and saffron, and let the soup sit for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve the soup when it is steaming hot, but do not let it boil once the milk has been added.




Last year at this time I made Stewed Chicken with Chorizo, Beans, & Leeks.

Oh look! It's that time of the year again already. In a couple of days we'll be packing up the car to head down to Windsor for our family Christmas celebrations. That means I'll probably be back just in time to post one more thing before we head into the New Year. I hope everyone has a good holiday!

I'll leave you with this quick and easy pastry. It's essentially a flattened, unfilled cream puff with a glaze on top, made in imitation of the more complicated puff-pastry (Danish pastry; wienerbrød) kringles popular in Denmark and Norway. It's very tasty in its own right, and would make a great addition to a fancy breakfast or tray of dessert pastries. Gotta admit, we just snarfed it down.

8 to 12 servings
1 hour - 20 minutes prep time


Make the Kringle:
1 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup soft unbleached flour
4 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. 

Put the water, butter, and salt into a heavy-bottomed pot. It should be reasonably large, as the eggs and the beaters of an electric mixer are going in there. Bring to a boil and boil until the butter is melted.

When the butter is melted, add all the flour at once and stir rapidly and continuously with a large wooden spoon, until the mixture comes together in a smooth ball. Remove it from the heat at once and let it cool for 10 minutes.

Break in the eggs and beat them in until smooth, one at a time. Spread the batter out on the prepared baking tray in 2 long lines, about 2" wide. Press them down a bit and smooth them out so that they are about 1" thick, and about 3" wide now. Bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, until puffed, brown and fairly firm. Remove them from the oven and turn the oven off. Prick them all over with a fork and return them quickly to the turned-off oven for another half hour until fairly cool.

Ice the Kringle:
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 cup icing sugar
2 tablespoons light cream
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract OR rum
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and toast them, stirring frequently, until lightly browned. Turn them out onto a plate to cool.

Sift the icing sugar into a small mixing bowl. Add the cream, almond extract, vanilla extract or rum, and the lemon zest and stir to form a smooth glaze.

Drizzle the glaze evenly over the two cooled kringles, and sprinkle the almonds equally over them as well. Cut into thin strips to serve.





Last year at this time I made Clementine, Pomegranate & Red Cabbage Salad.

One of my favourite soups of any season is Curried Roasted Parsnip & Apple Soup. Here are all those same ingredients and flavours in a simple side dish.

Serve this with chicken or pork, cooked simply, and a green salad or vegetable.

Of course, I am now using my own Madras Curry Powder as I am no longer able to find a decent brand available to buy. Fortunately it is easy to make and the leftovers will store quite well for a while.

4 servings
1 hour 15 minutes - 15 minutes prep time


3 or 4 large parsnips
2 medium apples
4 to 6 shallots
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

Peel the parsnips, and cut them into 2" or slightly smaller strips. Peel and core the apples, and cut them into wedges. Peel and sliver the shallots.

Melt the butter in a shallow baking pan which will hold the above in a mostly single layer, and toss the parsnips, apples, and shallots in it. Sprinkle them with the curry powder and salt, and toss again.

Roast them for 1 hour at 375°F until tender. Serve at once. 





Last year at this time I made Brussels Sprouts "Spanako"pita.

Here's a lovely salad that can be made all winter and is very quick and simple. It is also tasty and colourful enough for a special occasion. Of course it contains my favourite fruit, nuts, and cheese salad combo, but it is nevertheless a side salad rather than the main event.  

4 servings
15 minutes prep time


Make the Dressing:
the juice of 1/2 lemon
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons walnut oil

Whisk or shake all in a small bowl or jam jar.

Make the Salad:
1 head hydroponic Boston lettuce
1 head Belgian endive
1 large leaf red cabbage
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup dried cranberries
60 grams (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese

Separate and tear up the lettuce. Trim and slice the endive. Trim and shred the lettuce. Give them all a good rinse and dry them in a salad spinner. Arrange them in a salad bowl and sprinkle the walnuts, cranberries, and crumbled blue cheese over them. Drizzle on the salad dressing and serve.





Last year at this time I made Chocolate Pretzel Cookies. 

The vegetables in this Turkish dish are nearly identical to the ones in Winter Hodge Podge, but the effect is surprisingly different as they are presented in a tart and zingy sauce. And of course that combination of vegetables is still very delicious. I didn't have a red pepper but a number of the versions I saw of this did put one in so it is up to you.

It is important to watch the veggies carefully during the last few minutes of cooking, as the liquid should be mostly gone but not so mostly gone that the vegetables scorch. Unlike most Turkish vegetable dishes this one seems to be served hot.

4 servings
30 minutes prep time


250 grams (1/2 pound) Brussels sprouts
1 medium carrot
1 to 1 1/2 cups water
2 medium potatoes
1/4 of a greenhouse red pepper OPTIONAL
6 to 8 shallots
4 to 5 cloves of garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste OR 1/4 cup tomato sauce
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground Aleppo pepper OR similar
1 teaspoon sugar
the juice of 1/2 medium lemon

Wash and trim the Brussels sprouts, and cut an "X" in the bottom of each one, unless they are large in which case cut them in half. Peel and slice the carrot into companionably sized pieces.

Put a pot of water on to boil with one cup of water in it. When it boils, add the carrots and continue adding vegetables as they are prepared - not the sprouts; they go in last.

Peel the potatoes and cut in slightly larger pieces than the carrots; into the pot they go. I put the time on for 10 minutes at this point. Cut the pepper into strips; ditto (if using). Peel and quarter the shallots, and add them. Peel and mince the garlic. Add the garlic and the olive oil to the pan.

If there is not enough liquid at this point to steam the Brussels sprouts, add a little more then add the Brussels sprouts when the timer goes off. Add the tomato paste and the remainder of the seasonings, and mix well. Cook for another 6 or 7 minutes until everything is tender. Mix in the lemon juice during the last minute or two of cooking.





Last year at this time I made Curry Roasted Squash.

This is a very classic chocolate chip cookie recipe, with a few minor changes. The addition of matcha green tea is the most obvious one, and matcha goes particularly well with white chocolate. As usual I have reduced the amount of sugar normally called for, with the result that they are slightly cakier and also slightly less obnoxiously over-sweet than most chocolate chip cookies. The matcha adds a certain astringency as well, which I think it best not to overwhelm with too much sugar.

I see so many photos of baked goods with matcha in bright, glowing green. My experience is that however lovely a shade of green the raw powder is, by the time it has been baked in you can expect it to be khaki. I am forced to conclude that bright green matcha baked goods include food colouring, if not some fiddling with the colour of the photos. You can certainly add a little green food colouring if you are so inclined, but reality is not subject to photoshopping. My own personal opinion is that khaki is a perfectly cromulent colour, even in a cookie, and especially ones that taste as good as these.

Given the price of vanilla these days, I omitted it, and since I think the absence of it kept the matcha flavour pure and clean, I am doubly sure it was a good idea.

48 cookies
1 hour prep time


2 cups soft unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons fine powdered matcha
1 cup butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
8 ounces white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375°F and line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper. 

Measure the flour and mix in the salt, baking soda, and matcha.

Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl, and beat in the sugar. Beat in the egg. Mix in the flour to form a smooth dough. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spoon the dough out by tablespoons onto the prepared trays and bake at 375°F for 9 to 11 minutes, until just showing signs of browning at the the edges. I find that if the cookies are put sufficiently apart to not run into each other, then you will need 3 trays to bake them; but the first one can be recycled while the second tray is in the oven. Do let it cool slightly before dishing out that batch of cookies.





Last year at this time I made Fruitcake Cookies. Yes, it's Christmas baking time!

Here it is, the time of year when I start thinking of something vegetarian for Christmas. This year I am following up on last years' Vegetarian Sausage with a vegetarian "turkey" roast, also based on gluten flour and legumes. (Or it's a "chicken" roast, if you want to think of it that way.) I'm planning to use this mixture to make "chicken" nuggets; when and if I get to it I will post on how that works.

I'm not sure this tastes convincingly of turkey or chicken - and my vegetarian guest may actually prefer that - but it makes a nice sturdy, chewy protein dish that looks very impressive and I think will hit the spot nicely. Especially with some gravy, and Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy should go with this really well.

If you had a stand mixer or a bread machine, this might be a good item to be kneaded mechanically; however be sure not to over-do it. Chewy is one thing, tough is something else.

I'll note that while this is really very easy to make, you need to have your poultry seasoning, mock chicken stock, and beans ready to go in advance. In the instructions I go straight from steaming to baking the roast, but there could very reasonably be quite a gap there. If it is refrigerated before baking, bring it up to room temperature before it goes in the oven. You may need to add a little time, but be sure not to let it dry out too much.

Leftover slices reheated in a lightly oiled pan very nicely, although they browned a little which made them look less realistic. They also made a fine "turkey" sandwich. It's probably a good idea to plan for leftovers, is what I'm saying.

6 to 8 servings
2 hours - 1/2 hour prep time
PLUS time for advance preparations


Get Started:
1 small onion OR 2 medium shallots
1 medium carrot
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
2 to 3 teaspoons Poultry Seasoning
1 cup well-mashed cooked white beans

Note that in advance you should make the mock chicken stock, mix the poultry seasoning, and drain and mash the beans. It does not hurt to do these a day ahead. If you are cooking your own beans, they definitely should be cooked a full day in advance.

Peel and mince the onion or shallots. Peel and very finely grate the carrot.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion/shallots and carrot, stirring frequently, until softened and reduced in volume. Mix in the poultry seasoning for the last minute or so of cooking. Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the mashed beans. Set aside to cool.

Mix, Knead, & Cook:
1 1/2 cups Mock "Chicken" Stock
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups gluten flour
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons mild vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika

Measure the mock "chicken" stock and mix in the soy sauce and vegetable oil. In a mixing bowl, measure the gluten flour and nutritional yeast.

Mix the liquid into the dry ingredients until completely blended. Turn the mixture out onto a clean counter or board and knead for 2 or 3 minutes. Begin mixing in the cooled beans and veggies, about 1/3 at a time. Add each new batch after kneading/working the mixture for about a minute. Overall, by the time you are done, the mixture should have been kneaded for 5 or 6 minutes.

Use 1 teaspoon of oil to oil a sheet of parchment paper. Form the mixture into a neat, flattish loaf on it and wrap it up. Put it in the upper part of a steamer over boiling water, and steam for 1 hour. It is a good idea to check it half way through the cooking time to ensure the water is sufficient; if you think it is not add some more boiling water to top it up.

Ten minutes before it is done, preheat the oven to 350°F. Oil a baking tray with the last teaspoon of oil. Unwrap the "roast" and put it in the baking dish. Sift the paprika over the top and bake it for 30 minutes. Slice and serve, quite possible with Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy.





Last year at this time I made Sweet Potato Rotis.

I couldn't think of anything else I wanted to put into this soup, but I was afraid it would be plain and dull. NO! It was delicious and indeed it didn't need anything more. Well, Mr. Ferdzy lobbied for sour cream, but he is also Mr. Fat-Tooth so there is that. I thought it was excellent without it.

Note that when I say "450 grams; 1 pound" of celeriac, that is for after it has been peeled, and 4 cups chopped is accurate enough for this kind of work. Celeriac has a lot of trimming to be done on it, I'm afraid, with that thick, grubby, and gnarly hide that it has. Given the price you can pay for celeriac, this is especially annoying. If you are buying it by weight I think you had better get one that weighs a kilo/2 pounds. Still this is a lovely soup with a really luxurious flavour. Well, lovely. I have to admit the colour falls somewhere between military and muck. Don't let that put you off - this is good.

Finally, this is a very thick and substantial soup. Add a couple more cups of stock, and it would make a good starter soup for 6 to 8 people. 

4 to 8 servings
1 hour prep time


4 cups (450 grams; 1 pound) diced peeled celeriac
3 large leeks
1 medium carrot
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
2 or 3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 cups unsalted chicken OR vegetable stock
sour cream to serve, if desired

Wash, peel and dice the celeriac. Note that the weight measurements are for AFTER the celeriac has been peeled. Wash, trim, and chop the leeks. Rinse them and drain them well. Peel and chop or grate the carrot.

Heat the butter over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed soup pot. When it is melted add the vegetables and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring regularly. The butter should sizzle, but the vegetables - watch the leeks in particular should NOT brown. Adjust the heat accordingly.

Peel and mince the garlic. 

When the vegetables are well softened with just a couple of minutes left to cook, add the garlic and mix in well. Add the bay leaves, the salt, and the pepper. Add the chicken stock and simmer steadily for about 20 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and purée the soup. Reheat before serving it. Mr. Ferdzy suggested a dollop of sour cream would be nice and so it would, if you are so inclined.





Last year at this time I made Creamy Turkey Soup with Wild Rice & Mushrooms. Yes, it's definitely soup season!

Hodge Podge is a traditional dish from the Maritimes made with early summer vegetables, but here are the same principles applied to early winter vegetables, and very good too.

I have been making this quite often, and it never fails to make me happy. A simple protein dish will be all that is required to finish the meal. 

6 to 8 servings
30 minutes prep time

450 grams(1 pound) potatoes
2 or 3 medium carrots
2 or 3 medium onions
2 cups unsalted chicken OR vegetable stock
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
450 grams (1 pound) Brussels sprouts

Wash and trim the potatoes, and cut them in largish bite-sized pieces. Put them in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Wash, peel and chop the carrots into pieces about half the size of the potatoes. Add them to the pot. Peel the onions and cut them in bite-sized chunks. Add them to the pot.

Add the chicken stock, salt, and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil and boil gently but steadily, uncovered, for about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, wash and trim the Brussels sprouts. Cut them in halves or quarters, depending on size. When the timer goes, add the butter and Brussels sprouts to the pot.

Cover the pot and reduce the heat (but it should continue to boil gently) for a further 6 to 8 minutes until the sprouts are cooked and the stock is absorbed - why yes, that means you will need to watch very carefully at the end. The butter is important to ensure that if cooking continues after the stock is gone, things will brown gently rather than burn. Up to a point; so do watch it. Serve at once.





Last year at this time I made Pistachio-Coconut Macaroons, with an Almond-Poppyseed Variation. 

Well, this was my very first attempt at Fondant Potatoes, and I can't say I did a lovely job. I know exactly what happened - wrong potatoes, unclarified butter, and did not cook long enough - and let those things happen anyway. They were delicious anyway, so no few regrets.

First off I didn't use waxy potatoes - I used German Butterballs -  and rather than get brown they wanted to let off a lot of starch which welded itself to the pan and did the getting of the brown. I also could not be arsed to clarify the butter and knew from the start that that would mean I should be prepared to pull them off the stove earlier than I would otherwise to avoid burnt butter flavour. I pulled them off when  the smell was so delectable I could wait no longer and also everything else had been sitting and waiting for 5 minutes already. 

Before I made these I carefully read through Felicity Cloake's article How to make the perfect fondant potatoes, from the Guardian, and followed her directions insofar as I am capable of following anyone's directions. (Floury potatoes, unclarified butter; see.) Since under-cooking seems to be a hazard of this dish I did not hesitate to cook them in a more generous amount of water for a few minutes before draining much of it off and proceeding in the more usual way.

If you are cooking both potatoes and turnips, you will need fewer of each, obviously, and there is also a definite upper limit to the amount you can get in the pan. It will be so much easier to turn the pieces when the time comes if they are not jammed in like bus riders in rush-hour.  If you want to serve more than 3 or 4 people you will need to break out a second pan.

In spite of all the flaws with this attempt, the resulting potatoes were delicious and distinctive. I will definitely want to work on making these a part of my potato (and turnip) repertoire.

In fact, after I had made these and written up the post, I found a small stash of Pink Fir Apple potatoes and tried them again. I had expected them to be better, but in some ways they were worse. The results were still very tasty, but really more like plain old fried potatoes. I am inclined to suspect that success here rests very much on having the right potato, and that I don't have it. If anyone else has made these - with potatoes available in Ontario - I'd love to hear how it worked out for you and what kind of potatoes you used.

4 servings
1 hour prep time


4 to 6 smallish (2"diameter) waxy potatoes
AND/OR 6 to 12 very small (1 1/2" diameter) Goldana turnips
2 cups (about) water
3 tablespoons clarified butter OR unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon rubbed thyme or savory
1 large clove of garlic
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Peel the potatoes and/or turnips and cut each one in half, aiming for as flat a profile as possible.

Put the pieces in a single layer into a sufficiently large skillet with the rounded sides down. Add the water - enough to just come up to the tops - and bring them to a boil. Boil them for 5 to 10 minutes; 5 minutes for potatoes and 10 minutes for turnips. If using both, start the turnips then add the potatoes when the turnips have boiled for 5 minutes.

Ladle off much of the water, leaving about enough to fill the pan to 1/4". Add the butter, salt, and thyme and let the vegetables boil gently until the water is evaporated; about 10 or 15 minutes. Peel and mince the garlic while they cook. Add it to the pan as the water goes.

Continue cooking the potatoes and/or turnips for another 20 to 30 minutes until they have browned nicely on the underside. You can turn them and cook them some more on the top as well if you are that dedicated to hanging over a hot pan. They were quite lovely one-sided.





Last year at this time I made Brussels Sprouts with Sour Cream & Horseradish.