Monday, 30 November 2020

Sauce Soubise

Sauce Soubise is one of those recipes that shows up very often in mid-Victorian to Edwardian cook books, at which point it seemed to go thoroughly out of fashion. Instructions to make it varied quite a bit, although the main question seemed to be whether the onion got boiled or not before the pan cooking. I chose not, and I think that was the right choice. Boiling the onions would have made them very mild, but since I am not a delicate Victorian who faints (with horror, not delight) at a whiff of allium, that was exactly what I didn't want. 

That said, it's important to choose good, tasty onions, and to cook them quite thoroughly, even though they are not to brown. Not too surprisingly for a Victorian sauce, this will be best as an accompaniment to fairly plain cooked meats, poultry, and fish. Although, we had a fair bit left over and the next day I tossed it with pasta and vegetables, very successfully. It kept very well so this is something that could be made the day ahead and reheated easily.

So will this dish come back into fashion? Likely not. It was quite tasty, but it's still basically a creamed onion sauce, and one that is fairly slow and finicky to make. It's not a surprise that it went out of style at just the time when middle-class women in large numbers started having to do their own cooking.
 
6 to 8 servings
1 hour prep time
 
Sauce Soubise - French Onion Sauce
 
450 grams (3 large or 4 medium) onions
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
a few good scrapes of nutmeg
1 tablespoon barley flour OPTIONAL
1 tablespoon sherry
1 1/3 cups whole milk OR light cream

Trim and peel the onions. Reduce them to a purée, either by grating them very finely, or processing them in a food processor. 

Heat the butter in a large, non-reactive skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, along with any juice they have exuded in the puréeing process. Simmer the mixture, stirring regularly, until the onions smell "done". This will be about 30 to 40 minutes. Reduce the heat after the first few minutes; they should cook very slowly and not turn brown at all, although by the time they are cooked the whole mixture may have darkened very slightly. While they cook, season with the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. 

If you wish to have a fairly thick sauce, sprinkle the flour over the onions at this point and mix it in well. Sprinkle over the sherry. Cook for another minute or two, then begin to add the milk or cream slowly, stirring well between each addition to ensure a smooth sauce. The onions will form a thick enough paste that flour may not be necessary; in that case just add the milk or cream in the same way as if the flour had been added. 

When the milk or cream is all in, and the sauce is smooth, transfer it to a serving dish, and serve. 




 
Last year at this time I made Poppy Seed - Bran Soda Bread.
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Friday, 27 November 2020

Baked Sweet Potato Samosas

Traditional samosas are not the worst thing I could eat, since the potatoes get cooked twice, but they aren't the best thing either. They probably still are not; oh well. I love them too much to give them up entirely. They do work deliciously well with sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes. Although, if you prefer the classic ones it's easy enough to revert to using regular potatoes. In any case, before you get started you need your potatoes of either type cooked, and the peas to have been thawed, since I assume at this time of year they will be from frozen. 

Serve them with the Apple Butter Chutney I made to go with Samosa Pie. You could replace the lime juice in the chutney with apple cider vinegar if you like; I did, since I didn't have a lime. It worked just fine. 

Note that the pastry will feel a bit too wet once the water goes in, and that's okay - it will firm up as it sits.
 
8 to 12 samosas
1 hour 20 minutes - 40 minutes prep time
NOT including time to cook potatoes OR thaw peas

Baked Sweet Potato Samosas
 
Make the Pastry:
2 cups whole spelt flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
1/2 to 2/3 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice 

Mix the flour with the baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix in the oil, until the mixture is crumbly and there is no dry flour remaining. Mix the lemon juice into a 1/2 cup of water, then stir them in to form a slightly soft dough - if it does not form a soft dough, add a tablespoon or 2 more of water until it does. Turn it out onto a clean surface and knead for a few strokes until it is quite smooth, but don't over-work it - it is pastry, after all. It should not be sticky. Return it to the bowl, cover, and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes. It will firm up a bit as it sits.

Mix the Spices:
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon coriander seed
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon amchur powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes

Grind the cumin, coriander, mustard seed, peppercorns, fenugreek, and salt until fine. Mix in the amchur powder, turmeric, ginger, and red chile flakes to taste.

Make the Filling:
1 1/2 cups (1 large) diced cooked sweet potato
1 cup thawed frozen peas
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
 
Peel and dice the baked sweet potato, and mix with the thawed frozen peas. 
 
Peel and chop the onion. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the onion until softened and translucent, but not much browned. Add the spice mixture and mix in well for another minute or so, then add it all to the vegetables and mix well. 
 
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. 
 
Divide the dough into 4 or 6 even pieces. Roll each one into a ball, then roll a ball into a circle, about 1/8" thick. Dust with a little flour as you roll if necessary to keep it from sticking. Cut the circle in half. 
 
Brush the straight, cut side with a little water, then overlap one half with the other half of the wet edges, and pinch them together to form a little cup. Fill this with 1/8th or 1/12th of the prepared filling. Wet the open edges of the dough, then pinch them together to seal. Put the finished samosa onto the prepared tray. Repeat with the other half of the circle, and then with the remaining pieces of dough until all the samosas are formed. 

Bake them at 375°F for 10 minutes, then turn them over. Bake for a further 10 minutes. Let cool; serve them warm or at room temperature. 
 
 
 
 
Last year at this time I made Braised Muscovy Duck. 
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Wednesday, 25 November 2020

Squash & Brussels Sprouts Parmigiano

Almost every year I make something with squash and Brussels sprouts around now, because, well, it's squash and Brussels sprouts time. There's a certain amount of slicing and dicing going on here, but overall it's a simple and easy dish without complications, but this may be the best squash and sprouts effort yet. It's hard to argue with the Italians! When it comes to food, they know exactly what to do. I particularly like a friulano (montasio) cheese for this; it's more flavourful than the mozzarella, and probably easier to get than some of the others.  
 
4 to 6 servings 
1 hour 30 minutes - 20 minutes prep time

Squash & Brussels Sprouts Parmigiano

900 grams (2 pounds) butternut squash
450 grams (1 pound) Brussels sprouts
300 grams (10 ounces) unripened firm (not hard) cheese such as
   mozzarella, friulano, scamorza, fontina, or even cheese curds
100 grams (3 to 4 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
3 tablespoons barley flour
1 teaspoon rubbed sage OR rosemary
a little grated nutmeg (optional)
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup 10% cream

Cut the squash, de-seed it and peel it, and slice it thin, in bite-sized pieces. Trim and slice the Brussels sprouts thinly as well and place them in a colander.

Put a kettle of water on to boil and use it to blanch the Brussels sprouts. Once the boiling water has been evenly poured all over them, let them drain well. 

Slice or dice the chosen cheese, and grate the Parmesan.

 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a shallow 2 quart baking dish (9" x 13" lasagne pan).

Put the squash in the pan and drizzle the oil over it; toss gently to distribute. Sprinkle over the flour and the seasonings; toss gently to distribute them. Add the drained Brussels sprouts and the main cheese and mix gently. Spread everything out evenly, and pour the cream over it.

Bake the Parmigiano for 20 minutes at 350°F. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over the top and return to the oven for a further 40 minutes. Let the Parmigiano rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

 
 
 

Last year at this time I made Butternut Squash Roasted with Shallots & Cranberries.

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Monday, 23 November 2020

Beets au gratin

We enjoyed this one a lot! We had it with some white fish and a salad, but it would make a perfectly reasonable vegetarian main course. Once the beets are cooked, it assembles quite quickly and it really doesn't take too long to bake either.
 
I used 3 lovely Cylindra beets for this. I don't know why they aren't more popular. They are such a convenient size and shape for cooking, and they taste great and stay tender too. But you can use whatever beets you can get, of course. This would have been a good job for the mandoline but after last time, I just sliced the beets up by hand and saved myself a clean-up job. Besides, my thumbnail is still recovering.
 
Goat cheese would be good instead of the feta cheese, but in that case I would add a bit of salt to the cheese-yogurt mixture. 
 
4 to 6 servings
1 hour to pre-cook beets
1 hour - 20 minutes prep time
 
Beets au gratin
 
500 grams (3 large or 4 medium; 1 pound plus) beets
1 medium red onion
125 grams (4 ounces) feta cheese
freshly ground black pepper to taste
a few scrapes of nutmeg
1 teaspoon rubbed savory OR thyme
1 1/2 cups thick yogurt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons coarse bread crumbs
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the beets until tender; either by boiling or baking whole for 45 minutes to an hour, or in a pressure cooker, on a rack, with 1 cup water for 25 minutes. This can be done up to a day in advance; at any rate they must be done sufficiently in advance to cool enough to handle. 

Peel the beets and slice them very thinly and evenly. Peel the onion, cut it in half (for stability), and slice it thinly. Chop the slices. 

Mash the feta cheese in a small mixing bowl, then add the yogurt, nutmeg, and savory or thyme. Mix in the yogurt. 

Oil a 1.5 quart (litre) shallow baking pan (8" x 10"). Arrange 1/3 of the beet slices evenly over the bottom of the pan. Arrange 1/2 of the onion slices evenly over the beets. Dollop half the feta-yogurt mixture on, and spread it around evenly. Top with another layer of half the remaining beets, then the remaining onions and feta-yogurt mixture, and finish with the last of the beets. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix the butter, bread crumbs, and Parmesan with your fingers to make a moist, crumbly mixture, and spread it evenly over the casserole. Bake for 40 minutes and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. 




Last year at this time I made Brussels Sprouts Purée.
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Friday, 20 November 2020

Braised Daikon & Carrots

On one of our numerous trips to Mississauga to deal with Mom's ongoing eye problems, we decided to branch out from our usual shopping haunts and check out an Asian (mostly Chinese) grocery store. I was very happy to see that they are labeling the origin of their fresh vegetables clearly, and promoting local produce. Not a lot at this time of year, but I was able to get a lovely big green radish! 
 
You can use any kind of winter radish (aka lo-bak, mooli, daikon, etc) for this. This is often translated as Braised Turnips, and in fact they are similar enough that you could use turnips if that's what you can get. Likely they will need a few minutes longer simmering but otherwise the recipe would be the same. 

This is often served as a soup, and you could do that easily enough simply by putting in about 2 or 3 cups more of whatever kind of stock you use. Some of the meat that made the stock, too.
 
4 servings
30 minutes - 10 minutes prep time
 
Braised Daikon & Carrots
 
Make the Sauce:
1 teaspoon arrowroot OR corn starch
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons chicken, pork, OR vegetable stock
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 green onions
 
Mix the starch, soy sauce, stock, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Wash, trim, and chop the onions finely, and mix them in. Set aside. 

Cook the Daikon & Carrots
225 grams (1/2 pound; 1 small or 1/2 large) daikon, lo-bak, OR green radish
225 grams (1 large or 2 small) carrots
2 cloves of garlic
4 slices of fresh ginger
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil 
1 cup chicken, pork, OR vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Trim and peel the radish(es). Cut them in halves or quarters lengthwise, then into slices to make bite-sized pieces. Peel and slice the carrot. Peel and mince the garlic and ginger. 

Heat the oil in a mid-sized (2 quart) heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Cook the ginger and garlic in it for minute, then add the stock and sugar. Add the prepared radish and carrot. Simmer for about 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. 

Stir up the bowl of sauce, and mix it in until the sauce has thickened (less than a minute) then serve.



 
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Wednesday, 18 November 2020

Squash Kibbeh

Since I've discovered that bulgur is actually a pretty good carb for me to eat, I've been experimenting with making Kibbeh and things that resemble Kibbeh. When I made that first, meat-based version, I mentioned that there were vegetarian versions, and here is one of them. Squash makes an excellent "cement" to hold the bulgur "gravel" in place. Maybe not the most appetizing metaphor, but try it, you'll like it! Mr Ferdzy was much keener on this than he usually is with squash dishes, perhaps because there is lots of spice and the bulgur changes the texture. 

I am not mentioning in the instructions that you must have your squash and your chick peas cooked in advance, but you must, probably the day before. If you opt to use canned chick peas little will change, but if you opt to use canned pumpkin you should be prepared to add a little liquid to the outer shell paste. It should be soft enough to mold, but neither sloppy nor too stiff and dry. I suppose I should also mention that if your home-cooked squash is very wet, it may need to be drained! Most of the recipes I looked at called for boiling the squash. I baked mine, as I pretty much always do, and it was fine as it was. 

I should note that I have scaled back this recipe to fit a 10" pie plate. I actually ended up with about a kibbeh and a half. The portion in the photo got wrapped and left in the fridge for 2 days before I baked it, and that seemed to work just fine. Probably you could freeze it too. In either case it should be well thawed and/or taken from the fridge to warm up to room temperature before baking, and you should add an extra 10 or 15 minutes to the baking time; the 30 minute baking time assumes it goes into the oven with filling still quite hot.
 
4 to 6 servings
1 hour 15 minutes - 40 minutes prep time 
NOT including cooking the chick peas OR squash
 
 
Mix the Spices:
1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon allspice berries
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

Grind the pepper, salt, cumin, coriander, and allspice together until finely ground. Mix with the Aleppo pepper, cinnamon, and turmeric and set aside.
 
Make the Outer Shell Paste:
2 cups cooked mashed butternut squash
1 1/2 cups fine bulgur
1 small red onion
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
 
Mash the butternut squash very thoroughly, measure it, and mix it with the bulgur in a mixing bowl. Peel and mince the onion, and cook it in the oil over medium heat until softened and translucent - don't let it brown. Mix in the spices and cook for a minute longer, then mix it in with the squash and bulgur. 
 
Make the Filling & Finish:
1 small red onion
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
2 cups chopped Swiss chard, kale, OR spinach
1 teaspoon sumac
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup cooked chickpeas 
2 tablespoons roasted pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons sunflower seeds 
2 tablespoons olive oil

Peel and chop the onion, and prepare the chard or other greens. Heat the oil (you can use the skillet you used to cook the first round of onion) and cook the onion until softened and translucent. Mix in the well-drained, chopped chard and cook, stirring frequently, until well wilted down. Season with the sumac, molasses, salt, and pepper. 

Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

Lightly oil a 10" pie pan or similar shallow baking tray. Press about 40% of the pumpkin-bulgur mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Spread the chick pea and chard filling evenly over it. Spread the remainder of the filling evenly over that - it is easiest to divide it into 3 or 4 sections and flatten it in your hands as much as you can, before placing it and working it together with the other sections. Pat the assembled kibbeh out to be perfectly flat, and score it with a knife into diamonds. Brush the olive oil over it, and bake at 375°F for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown and firm. 





Last year at this time I made Pear & Endive (or Arugula) Salad with Lemon-Cardamom Dressing.
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Monday, 16 November 2020

Brussels Sprouts Jackie Lau

I have generally shied away from vegetable dishes smothered in cheese and bacon. Of course it would be tasty! But the goal has always been healthy tasty vegetable dishes. 
 
Well, the world has changed and now cheese and bacon are health foods*, and it's sugar that gets the bad rap, as it should. (Mind you, I've always tried to avoid too much sugar in veggie dishes too). Then when I was reading "Her Big City Neighbour" by Jackie Lau - one of my favourite romance authors - and the main character went to a bar and ate Brussels sprouts smothered in cheese and bacon, I knew I would have to break down and make them.

Jackie Lau's books are a lot of fun, by the way. They are set in Toronto and around southern Ontario, so I get to see places I know moderately to very well through someone else's eyes. The stories have some real depth of emotion without ridiculous over-the-top angst, which is apparently a hard balance to achieve, while still being the light and fluffy escapism that I require so desperately these days in order to keep myself sane and functioning. 

Oh, the Brussels sprouts? As anticipated, very yum indeed. There's a bit of initial prep work, but then they are quickly enough assembled that they could easily be served as bar food.
 
4 servings
45 minutes prep time
 
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon & Cheese
 
500 grams (1 pound) Brussels sprouts
4 shallots
4 cloves of garlic
4 to 8 slices of bacon
1/4 cup light cream or stock
a little pepper and/or flaked red chile
1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
 
Put a kettle of water on to boil. Wash, trim, and slice or roughly chop the Brussels sprouts. Peel and sliver the shallots. Peel and mince the garlic. Cut the bacon into 1/2" pieces. Put the sprouts in a strainer in the sink, and pour the boiling water all over them. Drain well.
 
Cook the bacon over medium heat in an oven-proof skillet or stove-top safe casserole, until crisp. Remove it with a slotted spoon and keep it aside until wanted. 
 
If there is too much fat in the pan to cook the shallots and Brussels sprouts, pour it off, leaving about 2 tablespoons. Add the shallots and drained Brussels sprouts, and cook, stirring regularly, until done to your liking, a certain amount of browning being quite desirable. While they cook, put the broiler on to heat. 

When the sprouts are ready, mix in the garlic and seasoning well. Pour the cream or stock over them, then mix in the bacon. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over them. Put them under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned. Serve at once.




*Tongue, cheek; cheek, tongue.
Last year at this time I made Russian "Lazy" Egg & Cabbage Pie.
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Friday, 13 November 2020

"Gingerbread" Poached Pears

Fruit cooked with just a little sweetener makes an excellent dessert, and we really enjoyed these. Having said that, they would be even better with custard, whipped cream, pudding, or ice cream. 
 
There isn't as much sugar in the poaching liquid as is usual in recipes for poached fruit, so although I boiled it down to thicken it a bit, it did not get particularly syrupy. I can see these sliced over sponge cake to sop up the juices, and topped with cream and custard as a kind of trifle. We just slurped them up though, and were perfectly happy.
 
4 servings
40 minutes - 20 minutes prep time
 
 
Gingerbread Poached Pears
 
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon molasses
2" stick of cinnamon OR 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
4 whole cloves OR 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves  
a pinch of salt
4 quarter-sized slices of fresh ginger
1 1/3 cups water OR apple cider or juice
4 large ripe but firm Bosc or Bartlett pears
2 tablespoons rum OR sherry, OPTIONAL

Measure the honey and molasses into a pot which will hold the pears snugly, but which can be covered firmly as they cook. Mix in the spices and salt. Wash and slice the ginger, and add it, and slowly stir in the water or juice until the honey and molasses are mostly dissolved. Put a rack or something to keep the pears off the bottom of the pan into it; I used a trio of canning jar rims which worked fine. 
 
Peel the pears, and core them as much as possible from the bottom, leaving them whole. 

Bring the poaching liquid to a boil. Arrange the prepared pears onto the rack, which is there to keep them from sticking to the bottom and scorching. Cover the pot and cook the pears - they will not be covered by the liquid and will mostly steam - for 12 to 20 minutes, until just tender. Exact time will depend on the size and the ripeness of the pears. 

When the pears are done, remove them to a serving dish or storage container. Strain the cooking liquid, pressing to extract all the liquid, and discard the solids, including the rack (into the sink for washing, presumably). Return the liquid to the pot and boil it until reduced by one-third. Pour it over the pears and chill them until serving time. 
 
 
 

Last year at this time I made Brussels Sprouts Hash.
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Thursday, 12 November 2020

Polish Seasoning Blend

I've posted this before, but as part of another recipe. However, I find myself reaching for it frequently, and so it merits its own post. It's based on a commercial mix I found in a Polish grocery store, and it is extremely useful: good in beef and pork dishes, and it really shines with poultry and fish. It's just very versatile, and I recommend it highly. I usually make a double recipe. You can also expect me to post more recipes calling for it. 
 
10 minutes prep time 


1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon coriander seed
4 teaspoons caraway seed
4 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon rubbed thyme OR savory
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo or similar not-too-hot chile/paprika

Grind the mustard, coriander, and caraway seeds. Sift them and regrind anything that didn't go through. When all is ground finely, mix with the remaining spices. Keep sealed in a jar in a cool, dark spot until needed.
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Wednesday, 11 November 2020

Quinoa Salad with Hazelnuts, Red Cabbage & Parsley

A little fruit; a few nuts; it's a typical salad around here. This is the last of the parsley I'm sure; it's good right up until snow comes, but, uh, yeah. This is already not that local. Still, this was very good, and the leftovers kept quite well. If you think you are going to have leftovers, apply some nuts to the portion you expect to eat and keep the rest dry and crunchy for the next meal, if it's possible. You don't always know, though.  
 
6 to 8 servings
30 minutes prep time
NOT including cooking the quinoa

Quinoa Salad with Hazelnuts, Red Cabbage & Parsley with an Orange Dressing
 
Make the Dressing:
finely grated zest of 1/2 a large orange
juice of 1/2 a large orange
1 tablespoon apple butter
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup hazelnut OR almond oil

Mix or shake all together in a small bowl or jam jar and set aside.

Make the Salad:
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup (1 medium) grated carrot
1 cup grated red cabbage
1 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 of a large orange
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts

Cook 1 cup of raw quinoa in the rice cooker with 1 2/3 cups water and 1/4 teaspoon salt; use HALF of it for this salad and save half for another purpose. This should be done at least a couple of hours to a day ahead. 

Peel and grate the carrot. Grate the red cabbage. Wash, dry, and mince the parsley. Since you now have half of a large orange left over from the dressing, you might as well peel it, section it, and cut the sections in small pieces. Mix all these in a salad bowl. 

Toast the hazelnuts in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. As soon as they are toasted, tip them out onto a clean tea towel. Rub them to remove most of the skin. Crush or chop the hazelnuts and mix them into the salad. Toss with the dressing, and serve.





Last year at this time I made Spiced Roasted Apple & Acorn Squash Soup.
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Monday, 9 November 2020

Acorn Squash Soup

This is as simple a little soup as can be made; but serving it in the squash shell makes it look much fancier. I am ridiculously attracted to twee little presentation tricks, but have long since realized that while most of them look good in a photograph, they tend to interfere annoyingly with the actual eating. I'm happy to report that this is an exception. They must be handled carefully while being put in individual bowls, but even if the bowl does not fit the squash super snugly, they don't move around as I was afraid they might while they are eaten. Still, if you have a fairly snug fitting bowl, it will be better. When you are slicing the squash, be sure you are doing it at an angle which will allow the pieces to sit well and be stable.
 
It is important to use a good quality, home-made stock for this soup, given how simple it is, and there is no reason not to add more seasoning than I did. My home-made stock had enough good flavours in it that I didn't want to add more, but you must assess your situation. In spite of the smallish quantities involved you will likely have a little more soup than will fit in the squash shells; but leftover soup is not exactly bad news. 
 
2 servings
1 hour 30 minutes - 20 minutes prep time
 
Acorn Squash Soup served in the shell
 
1 450 gram (1 pound; medium) acorn squash
1 small stalk celery
1 small carrot
1 shallot
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
2 cups chicken OR other stock
 
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, and scoop out and discard the seeds and loose pulp. Rub the cut edges with a little oil, and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes until tender but not mushy. 

Meanwhile, wash, trim, and finely chop the celery and carrot. Peel and chop the shallot. Peel and mince the garlic. 

When the squash has about 30 minutes left to cook, heat the oil in  heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Cook the celery, carrot, and shallot for 5 to 10 minutes in it, stirring regularly, until softened and reduced in volume but not browned. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, then add the stock. Simmer gently until the squash is cooked. 

Scoop out the flesh from the cooked squash, leaving about 1/4" left on the shells, and being careful to keep the shells whole. Dice the flesh and add it to the soup. Let is simmer for just a minute or two, then ladle the soup into the shells and serve. If not serving the soup right away, return the squash shell to the oven to keep warm.





Last year at this time I made Braised Pork Ribs & Squash.
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Friday, 6 November 2020

Duck Pasties

If you thought cabbage rolls stretched a little bit of duck pretty far, how about these pasties? Again, if you are shy on the amount of duck meat needed, you can fry up a few slices of bacon with the onion. However, you should also be sure not to make too much filling - don't go over the quantities listed - as this amount will make 6 very stuffed pasties. Each one is a meal with just a bit of salad to keep it company. We ate some of the leftovers cold and re-heated some in a hot oven; they were delicious both ways. Just don't microwave them, as the pastry will go soggy, as it always does.

This is a real left-over busting meal. Or to put it another way, you need to cook your potatoes and rutabaga in advance. It's all in the perspective, I suppose. If you have a little good thick gravy left over a spoonful will help keep them moist, but it's not traditional to add it, as far as I know, and if you have any holes in the finished pasties, it will leak out. 

I actually used the buttermilk instead of cream to thin my egg yolk, since it was already out. It seemed to work just fine. We thought these were delightful, and I will likely make them again with leftover turkey, because I can see that working really well too. Or the traditional roast or braised beef, for that matter.

In the end, that one 6 pound duck fed the 3 of us as a roast dinner, followed by 2 meals of cabbage rolls for 2 of us, the 3 of for lunch, and it looks like Mr. Ferdzy and I will have one more round of pasties. I did throw in about a quarter pound of bacon to make it stretch, but still, FIVE* meals (12 servings), plus there is still a fair bit of duck stock in the fridge. I'd say we squeezed our money's worth out of that bird.

6 pasties
1 hour 15 minutes - 40 minutes prep time 
NOT including time to cool
 
 
Make the Pastry:
2 1/4 cups whole spelt flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup mild vegetable oil
1/4 cup buttermilk
the white of 1 large egg
 
Measure the flour and salt into a mixing bowl and mix. Grate in the butter, turning it to coat it in the flour. Add the oil, buttermilk, and egg white, and mix everything well, cutting it together with a pastry cutter or the side of a spoon. Once it is well blended but still with lumps of butter, pull it together to form a ball (by hand). Let rest for 20 minutes while you make the filling. 

Make the Filling & Finish:
1 small onion
1 teaspoon duck fat or other oil
1 1/2 cups diced cooked duck meat
3/4 cup diced cooked potato
3/4 cup diced cooked rutabaga
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
extra whole spelt flour for rolling
up to 6 tablespoons leftover duck gravy OPTIONAL
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons light cream

Peel and dice the onion, and cook it in the fat or oil over medium heat until softened and translucent. Put it into a mixing bowl with the diced cooked duck, potato, and rutabaga. Season carefully with salt and generously with pepper. 

Preheat the oven to 400°F. 

Divide the dough evenly into 6 pieces. Dust a sheet of parchment paper with a little flour, and roll the first piece of dough out into a circle. Be sure that it is large enough to hold the filling. Put 1/6th of the filling on it, along with up to a tablespoon of leftover gravy, if you have it, and fold it over to close. Press sealed along the edges, then roll the edge up and press again to be sure to have a good seal. Lift the pasty onto a baking tray lined with another piece of parchment paper, leaving space for the rest.

Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough and filling. 

Bake the pasties for 15 minutes. Whisk the egg yolk and cream together. Brush the pasties with this mixture, then return them to the oven for a further 15 minutes of baking. Serve warm or at room temperature. If kept in the refrigerator, bring them out 20 minutes before serving to take the chill off them. They will also reheat well in the oven. 





*The mathematically astute will conclude, correctly, that Mr. Ferdzy and I were piggies with the pasties.
Last year at this time I made the tasty but perplexing Turkish Lentil & Potato Salad.
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Wednesday, 4 November 2020

Duck Red Cabbage Rolls

 Cabbage rolls are excellent for stretching a little meat a long way. I had a large cabbage, and so made 4 large cabbage rolls, but red cabbages are often fairly small and you may need to make more but smaller rolls. 
 
It's a bit tricky removing the leaves from a raw cabbage, but I prefer to do that if it's possible, as it leaves (ha ha) the remaining cabbage in the best condition for using in other dishes. If you are desperate, though, you can put the head of cabbage into a pot of boiling water for a few minutes, then lift it out, rinse it in cold water, remove a leaf or two, and repeat as necessary. This will also take the place of the par-boiling; you just need to shave down the stem and you are ready to go. 

Everything should be quite finely chopped in order to make a cohesive mixture. I think next time I might actually do the chopping and mixing in a food processor, to make it a little smoother. They were delicious in any case, and the creamy mustard sauce added just the right finishing touch. Wild rice cooked 3 cups of salted water to 1 cup of  wild rice - in the rice cooker, of course - made the ideal accompaniment. It really needs a little bit of greenery by way of a parsley garnish to look really finished. 

If you are just a shade short of the required amount of duck, it could be stretched with a few slices of bacon, chopped and fried with the vegetables.
 
4 servings
1 hour 20 minutes - 40 minutes prep time
 
Duck Red Cabbage Rolls
 
Make the Cabbage Rolls:
4 to 8 outer red cabbage leaves
2 shallots
1 small stalk of celery
1 small carrot
1 tablespoon duck fat
2 cups diced cooked duck meat
2-3 slices (90g or 3 oz) dark rye bread
1 large egg
2 tablespoons rye flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Polish seasoning
1/4 cup duck stock
1/2 cup duck stock 

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Carefully remove the leaves from the cabbage, being sure not to tear them (much). It may help to slice each one at the base to remove it from the cabbage as you work. Shave the thick stems down to a similar thickness to the rest of the leaf. Drop the cabbage leaves into the boiling water and boil for 4 minutes until softened. Rinse in cold water and drain well. 
 
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a shallow baking pan that will hold the finished cabbage rolls snugly - probably 1.5 to 2 quarts. 
 
Peel the shallots and chop them very finely. Wash, trim and chop the celery finely.  Peel and grate the carrot. Heat the duck fat in a small skillet over medium heat and cook the vegetables until softened and reduced in volume; about 5 minutes. 

Meanwhile, chop the duck meat very finely. You can use some of the skin; up to about 10%. Put it in a mixing bowl with the rye bread, also chopped or crumbled finely. Break in the egg. Add the flour and seasoning, and mix in. Mix in 1/4 cup duck stock.

When the vegetables are ready, let them cool for a few minutes then mix them into the filling. It should be thoroughly combined, malleable and cohesive. 

Lay out each cabbage leaf and put an even portion of the filling in the lower centre. Fold up the bottom of the leaf to cover, then fold in the sides and roll up. Put each finished cabbage roll into the prepared pan. When they are all in, pour the remaining 1/2 cup stock over them. Cover the pan with foil (if it doesn't have its own lid) and bake for 40 minutes.

Make the Sauce:
1 tablespoon duck fat
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup duck stock
1/4 cup light cream
parsley to garnish
 
When the cabbage rolls have about 10 minutes left to bake, start the sauce. Heat the duck fat and flour in a small skillet over medium heat. When they are sizzling, mix in the mustard and add salt and pepper to taste. Be mindful that there is a certain amount of salt in mustard, and the stock and duck fat may also be somewhat salty. Mix in the duck stock a little at a time to make a smooth sauce, then stir in the cream. When the mixture is thickened, and steaming hot, it can be served over the baked cabbage rolls. Don't forget the parsley!




Last year at this time I made Leeks Stuffed with Ham, Cheese, & Mushrooms.
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Monday, 2 November 2020

Slow Roasted Duck with Gravy

It seems that once a year or so, it's duck week. Here we are! As usual, I am going to try to make a 6 pound duck last for three meals, with my Mom joining us for some of them. I definitely want to get every bit of goodness out of a duck. On that note, I'm putting a reminder at the end of the recipe to be sure to use the carcass to make stock, because that's definitely part of the deal. I'm going to use some of the stock for the next recipe, but at some point we'll also just have duck soup with noodles - not even counted as one of our three duck meals. 

I'm being vague about the seasonings, but I've been using the Polish seasoning found at the beginning of this recipe a lot, and that's what I used here. You can season it however you like, though. I kept it pretty simple because I mostly wanted to see how duck did cooked low and slow like pulled pork. I have to say, it stayed firmer than I expected, but it worked well enough. Also, people always seem to want to put all kinds of sticky sauces on duck, when it is perfectly lovely served quite plain.
 
6 servings
8 hours, yes I said 8 hours - 20 minutes prep time
NOT including time to thaw out duck 

Slow Roasted Duck
 
a 2.75 kg (6 pound) duck
salt, pepper, other seasonings
2 cups chicken stock 
2 tablespoons soft unbleached flour
1 cup chicken stock

If your duck is frozen, you must allow 2 full days in the refrigerator to thaw it out. 

Remove the duck from the packaging and pat it dry. Remove anything in the cavity (likely just the neck) and save it for making broth later. Sprinkle the duck with salt and rub it in, then let it sit for about 1 hour. 

Preheat the oven to 225°F. Put the duck on a rack in a roasting pan. Season it with pepper and any other seasonings you like - I used a Polish seasoning. Pour in the chicken stock, without getting the duck wet. 

Put the duck in the oven and roast for about 6 hours, until it is well done and the leg wiggles a bit. If the skin is not as dark and crispy as you would like, turn the heat up to 400°F and roast for a further 15 to 20 minutes until it is coloured and crisped to your liking. Remove it from the oven, transfer to a platter, and cover it loosely for 10 minutes. Carve and serve. 
 
Meanwhile, make the gravy. Scrape the contents of the pan into a gravy separator, and drain the juices back into a saucepan over medium heat. Keep the fat! It is a culinary treasure. Whisk the flour into 1 cup of cold chicken stock until smooth, and slowly whisk it into the saucepan, to get as smooth a gravy as possible. When it thickens and bubbles around the edges, transfer it to a gravy boat.  

Once the meal is done, pull all the remaining meat from the bones. Keep the meat for other dishes and make broth with the bones. Break them up and put them in a pot - I prefer making broth in the Instant Pot these days, but a good heavy-bottomed soup pot is still as good as ever. Add some onion, celery and carrot scraps if you have them, and a bay leaf or two. Go light with the bay leaf if using an Instant Pot; I find it a little too efficient at extracting all the flavour from it, including bitterness. I threw in a few juniper berries and a dozen black peppercorns. Add 2 quarts of water and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Don't forget to add the neck, if you have it. I gave it 2 hours in the Instant Pot, then leave it for natural release/ If you decide to simmer it on the stove-top it will take about the same amount of time (which is to say about three hours) ; you will just need to check it from time to time, and maybe add a little more liquid.
 
Strain the stock and chill it overnight. Remove any fat from the top and add it to your stash. 
 
 
 
 
Last year at this time I made Brussels Sprouts with Buttered Mushrooms. 
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