Seasonal Ontario Food

Well, I'm going to confess; I made this in the winter with frozen peas and saved it for now. In a funny sort of way there are lots of things that can be made in the winter but late spring and early summer are difficult. I'm also a little ahead of things here; the peas are starting to form but are not yet ready to pick. Soon, though! And I think things are a tad later than usual this year. 

 

Snow peas will be ready before shell peas, and they would work well in this recipe. I do see snow peas used in Turkish cooking regularly, so there's that. It's hard to come up with recipes for snow peas that are better than steaming them and serving with a dab of butter, but this is lovely and would make a nice change.

 

Serve this with rice or pita; it will also go well with any kind of simply grilled fish, chicken or meat. It would also be delicious with poached eggs. 

 

2 to 4 servings

30 minutes prep time 

NOT including shelling the peas

 

 

1 medium onion

1/4 to 1/3 orange or yellow bell pepper

1 clove of garlic 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 bay leaf

salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon rubbed mint

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or to taste)

1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes

2 cups shelled peas

Peel and finely dice the onion. Wash, trim, and dice the pepper into pieces just a little larger than the peas. Peel and mince the garlic. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and add the onion, pepper, and bay leaf. Cook gently for about 5 minutes until softened and reduced in volume. 

Add the minced garlic and remaining seasonings and mix in well. Let it cook for a minute, then mix in the crushed tomatoes. Simmer for a further 5 to 10 minutes until thickened.

Add the peas and be sure they are all down in the liquid. Simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until the peas are tender. (If using frozen peas, note that 4 minutes will likely be enough, and the same goes for snow peas.) 

Serve at once. 

Last year at this time I made Circassian Chicken.

I've found myself poking around at Portuguese recipes quite a bit the last few months. It started with a (continuing) interest in Spanish recipes, and not surprisingly there is some degree of overlap. Portuguese cuisine is a bit different though, and it has some really delicious dishes. 

 

For one thing, my impression is that Portuguese bread and pastry baking is the better of the two. This dish would usually be made with corn bread - mostly wheat, in spite of the name, but with enough corn flour in it to turn it golden and give it a marvellous flavour. Alas, while you can find it at Portuguese bakeries in larger cities there is none around here. Where you find good bread, you also find recipes to use up the stale leftover bits. 

 

This is usually made with black-eyed peas, but navy beans make a good substitute. Despite the simple technique and very short list of ingredients, we thought this was really delicious. For our bread crumbs, I used two ciabatta type rolls and they were fine, although I do regret that corn bread. 

The Spanish also make a lot of "Migas" (crumbs is what it means) dishes, but I have yet to see one with beans, and while cilantro seems to be quite common in Portuguese cuisine (which for some reason surprised me) it is rarely used by the Spanish. Likewise, Piri-Piri hot sauce is a popular Portuguese condiment but the Spanish rarely apply any kind of chile to their food beyond a little very mildly hot paprika.

 

2 to 4 servings

30 minutes prep time

NOT including cooking the beans and greens

 

 

1 cup dried navy beans OR black-eyed peas

4 cups chopped turnip or rutabaga greens, OR kale OR spinach OR rapini (raab)

200 grams (5 ounces) diced stale bread

2 or 3 cloves of garlic

1 small onion

3 tablespoons olive oil 

a little minced fresh cilantro or parsley (optional)

 

The beans should be cooked in advance in the usual way; cover in water and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat, cover, and soak for at least one hour. Drain, replace the water, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, and simmer until tender OR cook them in an Instant Pot for 5 to 7 minutes, with natural pressure release. 

 

The greens should also be cooked in advance; wash them very carefully and pick them over, then wash them again. Plunge them into boiling water or steam until just wilted, then rinse in cold water. Drain them again; in fact, squeeze them to remove excess liquid. Chop finely. 

 

It is possible and even reasonable to speed this dish up considerably by using tinned beans (one tin of the beans of your choice) and frozen greens - you will want about 300 grams or 10 ounces. This also makes it a good dish to make in the winter.

 

NOW, let's get started: peel and mince the garlic. Peel and chop the onion finely. Slice the bread, and crumble it into pieces about twice the size of a bean. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and let it soften and get fairly translucent, then add the bread crumbs and toss well. Cook gently for several minutes, turning regularly, until they are dry and toasted in spots all over. Add the garlic and mix it in well; give it a minute to cook. 

Add the drained beans and chopped greens. Mix in well, and let everything heat through. You may wish to add a little of the cooking water from the beans or the greens. The finished texture of the dish may range from fairly dry and crisp through moist, through almost soupy - it is a matter of taste. I prefer a drier texture, and my bread was not that stale to start with, so I did not add any but you must use your own judgement - it is that kind of dish and all the proportions are also somewhat up for grabs. 

Serve it as a meal by itself for 2 people, or serve it as a side dish with grilled meat, poultry or fish for up to 4 people. A poached or fried egg on top would also go very well.

Last year at this time I made Chicken Pozharski.

I've made Saag Paneer a few times over the years with the idea that I would post it on this blog. All my attempts have been okay, but did not leave me feeling like it was the best Saag Paneer ever. I'm not sure this is either, although we found it very satisfactory. I suspect the best Saag Paneer ever contains more in the way of butter and cream. 

 

This is a dish that also tends to contain tomato; while it's not really in season at the moment, canned crushed tomatoes would be perfectly fine. However, so many of the Indian (inspired) dishes I make have tomatoes in them that I wish to have a few in my repertoire that don't have any, just to supply a little contrast. 

 

Garden spinach should be at its peak right now, but alas - the up-and-down weather we've had all spring (and through the winter too, really) was very hard on it and the mice have found it too. This may be it for our spinach this year. 

 

4 to 6 servings

1 hour prep time

600 grams (20 ounces) blanched spinach OR other mild, tender greens

1 large onion

1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil

 

Wash the spinach or other greens very well, and chop them coarsely. Put them in a colander and pour boiling water evenly over them to wilt them thoroughly. Rinse them in cold water, drain them well and squeeze them dry. Chop them finely and set them aside. 

 

Rinse and drain the paneer, and cut it into small cubes or lozenges (small bite-sized). Heat a skillet over medium heat with the oil - just enough to put a film over it - and cook the cheese on both sides until golden brown. Transfer to a dish and set aside.

 

Peel and chop the onion. Heat the oil in the skillet, and cook the onion gently over medium heat until softened and translucent. Add it to the prepared greens. 

 

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cumin seed

2 teaspoons coriander seed

1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon hot chile powder

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

3 or 4 cloves of garlic 

Grind the cumin and coriander with the salt, then mix them with the remaining spices in a small bowl. Peel and grate the ginger and garlic and add them. Set aside.

 

2 teaspoons mild vegetable oil

2/3 to 3/4 cup thick yogurt  

1/2 lemon, cut in wedges (optional)

Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the bowl of spices, and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Add the blanched spinach and onion and mix in well.  Begin working in the yogurt, a scoop at a time until the mixture has reached a level of creaminess that seems right to you. Once it is hot through, add the cheese and continue to simmer until it too is hot through. Serve at once, although this re-heats quite well so it could be made in advance.

Last year at this time I made Barley with Sorrel.

As an obsessive lover of potato chips, and as a lover of parsnips, you can bet I thought these were fabulous. You need to be picky about slicing them - getting them sliced evenly but thinly is the key to having this work.

 

I did 3 very large parsnips, and that's all of them on the plate. They really shrink down a lot in cooking so that's something to keep in mind. Next time I might decide it is worth breaking out the mandolin to slice them, and do twice as many. At least.

The line between "perfectly golden-brown and crisp" and "burnt and nasty" is probably about 15 seconds, so you must also really hover at the oven door for the last 5 minutes or so of cooking.

 

per serving

40 minutes - 15 minutes prep time

 

1 large parsnip

1 to 2 teaspoons mild vegetable oil

salt & freshly ground pepper OR other seasonings to taste

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. 

Peel the parsnips and discard the skins. Using the peeler, cut the parsnips into thin but even shreds. It helps to have a good sharp vegetable peeler here. You will probably get down to a point where what is left is very hard to peel into strips; give up and keep these pieces for another dish. Alternatively, and probably better; cut the parsnips into thin but even pieces using a mandolin. I wasn't going to break out the mandolin for 3 parsnips, though. 

 

Toss the parsnip slices with just enough oil to coat them evenly, then season them to your taste and toss them again. Spread them out as evenly as possible, ideally in a single layer.

 

Roast the parsnips for 20 to 25 minutes, checking them and turning them every 5 minutes. Make sure they are spread out evenly each time. Towards the end, most likely some will be done before others; pick them out and put them on their serving plate then return the rest for more roasting. Keep a really sharp eye on them for the last few minutes of cooking - they will burn very quickly once they are done.

They will cool off fast, which is fine - these are kind of like roasted potato chips, only parsnips. However, they won't keep crisp well and should be eaten promptly. 

Last year at this time I made Pulled Pork Caribbean Style.

Our spring leeks have re-appeared, albeit they still look a bit tatty. This winter was very hard on them, what with the constant freezing and thawing, but they are at least usable. They are classic with mushrooms and both of them go really well with the rough, nutty flavour of buckwheat. The result is not a complicated dish, but it's best served with simply-cooked chicken or fish, and a green vegetable. 

 

If I wanted to have this as a vegetarian dish, I would nestle some fried tofu puffs (cut in half) into it as the liquid goes in. I can see that being really good. 

 

4 servings

1 hour prep time

 

 

3/4 cup buckwheat groats

1 large leek

300 grams (10 ounces) button mushrooms 

up to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, oil, OR chicken or bacon fat

1/2 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper 

1/2 teaspoon rubbed savory OR thyme

2 cups boiling chicken OR vegetable broth

Toast the buckwheat groats in a dry skillet - one that has a lid - until slightly darker in colour, with a toasty smell. Immediately tip them out onto a plate to cool and set them aside. 

Wash and trim the leek, and slice it into rounds. Clean and trim the mushrooms and slice them. 

Heat 1 tablespoon of your chosen fat in the skillet over medium heat, and gently cook the leeks until softened and reduced in volume, but don't let them get brown. When they are ready, lift them out of the pan to another plate, pressing them against the side of the pan to squeeze out as much fat as you can before transferring them. 

Add a bit more fat, enough for the mushrooms, and add them. Mix well then let them brown on both sides, stirring occasionally. Season them with the salt and pepper, and a bit of herb. Return the leeks and mix them in, then mix in the toasted buckwheat. 

Have the chicken stock at least steaming hot if not simmering, and slowly pour it into the pan of buckwheat, etc. Mix well. Leave the pan to simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes, until much of the liquid has been absorbed. Cover the skillet with the lid and reduce the heat; continue cooking for about another 10 minutes until it is completely absorbed and the buckwheat is done. Remove the skillet from the stove, leaving the lid on, and let it rest 5 minutes before serving. 

Last year at this time I made Yellow Split Peas Loaf.

We really enjoyed these but as with a lot of dishes that include a carb, protein, and vegetables and yet don't seem quite sufficient to be the entire meal, I am at a bit of a loss as to how to classify them, and what to serve them with. They might make a nice appetizer, or if you want to serve them as a main course I think a bit of salad might be a good choice to accompany them; maybe this cold spinach salad. If you are serving a crowd, they could also just be one of an ensemble of other Korean dishes.

 

12 small omelettes - 4 to 6 servings

30 minutes prep time

2 bundles (100 grams) bean thread (cellophane) noodles

2 to 4 green onions

1 small carrot

2-3 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon sugar

5 large eggs

mild vegetable oil to fry

parsley to garnish

chile-garlic sauce to taste

 

Put a small pot of water on to boil, then boil the noodles for 5 minutes. Drain them well and snip or cut them into short segments. 

 

Meanwhile, wash, trim, and finely chop the green onions. Peel and grate the carrot. Mix these in a mixing bowl withe the drained noodles, and season with the soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper and sugar.  

Break in the eggs and whisk until well blended. Heat a griddle or frying pan with enough oil to cover the bottom. Ladle in the egg mixture to form small omelettes. Once the bottoms of the omelettes are set, fold them in half, and cook until done, turning them over as required. Once they are set and very lightly browned transfer them to a serving plate, and continue cooking more omelettes until they are all done. Add more oil as required. 

I put the parsley on just to give a touch of colour, but it went really well with them. Maybe next time I will put some right in. Chile-garlic sauce provided the finishing touch.

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Pizza Strata.

What is there to say? It's curried and roasted parsnips and sweet potatoes; a little sweet, a little spicy. Root vegetables are amazing for carrying on all winter and into the spring. 

 

4 servings

1 hour 15 minutes - 30 minutes prep time

 

300 grams (10 ounces; 3 medium) parsnips

300 grams (10 ounces; 2 medium) sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil

salt and pepper

 

Preheat the oven to 400°F. 

Peel the parsnips, and cut them into large bite-sized pieces. Wash, trim, and cut the sweet potatoes into similar chunks. Toss them with the oil in a shallow baking pan, in which they can be spread snugly but in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes. Stir them and roast for a further 15 minutes. This 15 minutes is the time to prepare the spices.

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

2 or 3 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons chick pea flour

1/8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

1/4 teaspoon allspice berries

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

a good grate of nutmeg 

2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil

1/2 cup thick yogurt

Measure the cumin, coriander, and fennel, and set them aside in a small bowl. 

Peel and grate the ginger and garlic, and put them in smallish mixing bowl. Add the chick pea flour. Grind the fenugreek, peppercorns, and allspice with the salt, and add them. Add the turmeric and cinnamon. Grate in some nutmeg. 

Heat the oil in not-too-large skillet over medium heat. Add the bowl of whole spices, and cook, stirring, for a minute or two until they toast slightly and become fragrant. Add the other bowl and seasonings and mix in well. Cook for another minute or so, until it is a bit dry and pasty. Turn it back into the mixing bowl and mix in the yogurt. 

When the vegetables have roasted for the 15 minutes, take them out and stir the spiced yogurt into them until they are all evenly coated in it. Return them to the oven and bake for a final 15 minutes. Serve at once.

Last year at this time I made Baked Penne or Ziti.

Does this look like a make-do dish of forlorn frozen veg? No, no it doesn't. I've made essentially this before, when all the vegetables were in season, and it is extra-delightful then; no question. But frozen beans and canned tomatoes are perfectly fine, teamed with winter potatoes and alliums and gently stewed. This version was seasoned with more of a Greek twist (cinnamon) versus my original more Italian take, to which you should revert if you prefer it. 

 

I've been cooking more with whole cinnamon lately. It's definitely a little more luxurious, but it does provide different results from using the powdered. Don't forget to pick it, and the bay leaves, out before serving. Unless, as in this household, they are redeemable for prizes (generally a kiss from the cook).

 

2 to 4 servings

 

 

3 medium (450 grams; 1 pound) potatoes

1 large onion

2 or 3 cloves of garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil

1" piece of cinnamon

1 or 2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 cups crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup water

2 to 3 cups frozen green beans, thawed

the juice of 1/4 lemon, optional

Wash and trim the potatoes, and cut them into chunks. Cover them with water and boil for 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, peel and dice the onion a little coarsely. Peel and mince the garlic. 

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot, over medium-high heat, and cook the onion until softened and reduced. Add the cinnamon - split in half if you can -, bay leaves, salt and pepper, and garlic. Mix in and cook for another minute or so. 

When the potatoes are done, drain off all but about 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then add them with it. Add the tomatoes and simmer the stew gently until the potatoes are nearly done. Add the chopped, thawed beans and simmer until they are done to your liking (for me, that's about 5 minutes). Add the lemon juice in the last few minutes of cooking.

 

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Red River Rye Bread. 

Mujadarra is usually made with rice, not bulgur, but bulgur works very well too, and is a better choice for me nowadays. 

 

Mr. Ferdzy and I both grew up eating brown rice and lentils as it was a popular food with the hippie-health food crowds in which we both ran. It was healthy and very cheap and filling - still is. It wasn't until much later I discovered that the best part of the combination was the caramelized onions. Of course, unlike the base they take a fair bit of time and attention, generally lacking on the part of frazzled parents. I find I can get a lot of other things done in the kitchen while they cook, though; emptying or loading the dishwasher, wiping the counters, checking the fridge for science experiments, or if all else fails I sit at the table with a book in between the stirrings of the onions.

 

4 servings

1 hour prep time

 

 

2/3 cup green or brown lentils

2/3 cup coarse bulgur

1 or 2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups water

 

Rinse the lentils and bulgur; drain well. Put them in a rice cooker with the bay leaves, salt, and water. Turn on and let them cook until done. If done before the onions, keep them warm. 

3 medium-large onions

3 tablespoons mild vegetable oil

a little salt

freshly ground black pepper

1/4 to 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

a little parsley to garnish 

Peel the onions and cut them in half from pole to pole. Cut them in half again, if the onions are large, then slice them into half or quarter moon pieces, thin but not in shavings. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring regularly, until the onions soften and reduce in volume, and take on a golden colour. This cannot be hurried, and will take 30 to 40 minutes, more likely 40 minutes. If they are browning too quickly, reduce the heat. Season with a little salt early in the process to help draw out the liquid from them. Add the other seasonings close to the end. 

When the onions are ready, remove about 1/3 or 1/2 of them to a small plate. Mix the cooked lentils and bulgur into the remaining onions in the pan, and let it all heat through and get well amalgamated. Serve with the remaining onions spread over the top, and a sprinkling of chopped parsley. 

Last year at this time I made Green Beans in Savory Sauce.

There are a lot of Spanish potato dishes made with this technique but somewhat varying seasonings, with a wide variety of names, often reflecting the locale where the variant is typical. The technique in question is to fry the potatoes first, then stew them in a sauce. The sauce will almost always contain paprika, and I have yet to see a version without garlic, so I am calling this Potatoes in Garlic Sauce. 

 

I put some chorizo in this, because the first version I saw had it, and I got a little fixated on it. Many recipes don't call for it, and I don't think it is at all required, especially since good chorizo can be hard to find. (I got President's Choice, because it was all I could get, but I'm here to tell you that it is best described as bad chorizo.) 

 

Tasty food is described in Spanish as "rico", that is to say; rich. High calorie foods, preferably in the form of meat, have traditionally been regarded as what food should be; perhaps not surprising in an impoverished place with more grazing than arable land, and a lot of labour to be done. In reality though, a dish like this would have been vegetarian much more often than not. The oil and potatoes still keep it plenty "rico". 

I've seen this technique in Hungarian dishes as well; if you want to go in that direction, omit the saffron, go a little lighter on the garlic, and use Hungarian paprika. If you want to put in sausage, use a dry smoked Hungarian sausage instead of the chorizo, and there you are. 

To my amusement, this reminds me of a favourite dish from my high school days, when I would order French fries with gravy from the school cafeteria, then douse them generously with vinegar and ketchup. I haven't seen leftover French fries in, uh, two years at least, but should such a thing ever reappear, I think toasting them up in a skillet and finishing them in a sauce like this would be a very reasonable way to have them.

 

I forgot to toast my flour; it should be done before you get started. I don't think it was a dire omission. 

 

2 to 4 servings

1 hour - all working time

 

600 grams (3 or 4 large) potatoes

2 to 6 cloves of garlic 

1 medium onion

125 grams (1/4 pound) good dry chorizo

1/4 to 1/3 cup mild vegetable OR olive oil 

Wash and trim the potatoes; peel them if you like. Cut them into thick (1/4"/1/2 cm) slices, placing them in a large bowl of cold water as you work. Let them stay there until you are ready to start cooking. 

Peel and trim the garlic, and cut each clove into 3 slices. Peel and chop the onion - set it aside. If using chorizo, chop it into medium dice. 

Heat the oil - enough to cover the bottom of the pan by the thickness of the potatoes - in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic cloves and let them fry until a pale straw gold, stirring to keep them cooking evenly. This won't take more than a minute or two. Remove them with a slotted spoon to a food processor or (more traditionally) a mortar. 

Lift the amount of potatoes you can fry at once from the water, and pat them dry. Fry them in the oil until a good golden brown on both sides; turn them as needed. Transfer them with the spoon to a plate as they cook, adding more dried potato slices to take their place, until they are all done. This is a slow process; allow 30 to 40 minutes depending on the size of your skillet and how brown you want them. Even if you like them fairly pale, they do need to come out of this process about half cooked so don't rush them - turn down the heat instead.

 

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

1/4 to 3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Spanish paprika (de la Vera)

1/4 teaspoon saffron threads

1 teaspoon toasted barley OR wheat flour

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar OR white wine vinegar

1/2 cup water OR broth

1 tablespoon chopped parsley, again

 

While the potatoes fry, chip away at making the sauce. To the garlic add the washed, dried, and roughly chopped parsley, the salt, paprika, and saffron. Grind to a relatively smooth paste. Then add the flour, mix, and stir in the vinegar. 

 

Once all the potatoes are cooked and removed to a plate, drain the oil out of the pan. Don't wash it; in fact leave just enough oil to now put in the onion and cook it until softened and lightly browned. Add the seasoning purée to the pan. Use the water to swish out whatever utensil you made the paste in, and add that to the pan as well. Gently return the potatoes to the pan. Simmer for a further 15 or 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened to coat the potatoes. Serve at once, with the remaining chopped parsley sprinkled over the top. 

Last year at this time I made Balsamic Carrots.

Potato pancakes are popular all through Eastern Europe. This version is from Bulgaria, and it's pretty similar to most, although the addition of cheese is a little different. Normally, it would be sirene cheese but good luck finding that around here - feta is pretty close. The result is quite substantial, and we made it our lunch with a salad on the side. If you want to serve it with more dishes, you might want to cut back on the feta.

Feta is quite salty so be careful with adding more salt. It will need a little, but only a little. If you decide to omit the cheese you should add about 3/4 of a teaspoon of salt. You could replace the mint with basil in a pinch, but dried mint is actually an underused herb, in my opinion. It's worth getting it and seeing what you think of it. It's good with cheese dishes generally.

As with any dish made with grated raw potatoes, the difference between complete success and a soggy yet crumbly mess is *squeezing* those potatoes to remove as much liquid as possible. It makes all the difference. 

I actually broiled my Patatnik for 6 minutes at the end, and it looked like it. As a lover of dark crunchy potatoes I regret nothing; but I am recommending a somewhat shorter time.

 

4 servings

1 hour 20 minutes - 20 minutes prep time

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

600 grams (1 1/4 pounds) baking potatoes

2 tablespoons potato starch

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (consult the feta)

freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon rubbed savory

1 to 2 teaspoons rubbed dried mint

1/2 to 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

1/2 cup feta or sirene cheese, crumbled

1 large OR 2 small eggs

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, again

Generously butter a 9" pie plate or similar shallow baking pan. Preheat the oven to 400°F. 

Wash, trim, and grate the potatoes coarsely. Squeeze them hard over the sink by handfuls, to remove as much water from them as you possibly can. Put the handfuls of dried potato shreds into a mixing bowl. When the potatoes are all squeezed, add the potato starch and seasonings. Toss well to combine. 

Crumble in the feta cheese and mix. Break in the egg(s) and mix thoroughly. The potatoes should be coated enough to stick together, but not noticeably eggy. Scrape them into the prepared pan, and press them gently but evenly into a layer. Dot with the remaining butter. 

Bake the Patatnik for 45 to 50 minutes, until golden brown. If you feel it is done, but not quite as brown as you would like, put it under the broiler for 3 or 4 minutes. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. 

This can be cooked on a griddle as pancakes as well; oil it well then ladle in thin pancakes. Cook until well-browned on both sides, adding more oil as needed. Expect to get 6 to 8 fair sized pancakes. I have not tried this as I tend to think that the oven is both easier and not much slower given that you are unlikely to be able to cook all your pancakes at once, but I'm putting it out there.

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Almost Whole Stuffed Cabbage. 

There isn't a lot to say about this; it's a nice tart and sprightly but not particularly hot dish of curried turnips. (I saved the blast of heat for this weeks final dish.) You could use rutabaga if you prefer, but in that case I suspect it would be a good idea to boil it for 20 minutes before you add it to the pan with the spices to finish cooking, as it takes so much longer to cook through. 

 

4 serving

45 minutes - 25 minutes prep time

3 cups diced (3 medium) white turnips

2 pods of green cardamom

1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon red chile powder

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

a good grind of black pepper

1 good grate of nutmeg

 

Peel and dice the turnips. 

 

Crush the cardamom pods and remove and discard the green papery husk. Grind the seeds with the fennel seeds and salt. Mix them with the remaining spices in a small bowl. Peel and mince the ginger and garlic, and add them to the bowl.

1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 cup of water

the juice of 1/2 lemon

Heat the oil in a good-sized shallow saucepan or a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin and coriander seeds, and cook for a few minutes until they begin to sizzle and pop. Add the bowl of seasonings and mix in well, cooking for another minute or so. 

Add the turnips and the water, mixing well. Cover and cook until the turnips are tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the lemon juice for the last few minutes of cooking. 

Last year at this time I made Chicken, Leek & Mushroom Pie.

Stewed cabbage; with potatoes if you like. I made Sweet Potato Roti and another dish with turnips, so I left them out. This is a simple but lively Indian-style dish, which I made as part of a meal that I will be posting about all week. It goes together very quickly, once the measuring and chopping have been done. It's amazing too, what a little spicing will do to give a new look to good old winter stand-bys.

 

4 servings

45 minutes prep time

 

 

4 cups chopped cabbage 

1 medium onion

1/4 teaspoon salt 

2 medium potatoes, optional

Chop cabbage and onion, mix by hand with salt and drain for 15 minutes. Rinse and drain them very well. Dice the potatoes into 1" chunks.

 

1" piece of ginger

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes (to taste)

1/4 teaspoon ground fenugreek seeds

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 

1/4 teaspoon salt

Peel and mince ginger and garlic. Mix everything in a small bowl. 

 

Cabbage rolls are a bit fiddly to put together, but there is something delightful about receiving your food in a neat little package. It's a present! Usually they are the main course, and contain meat or at least some kind of substantial protein or grain, but I thought I would do something a little different, and make them a vegetable side-dish. I have to say, I really loved them! 

 

The fiddly-ness is mostly chopping vegetables, and once you've made enough cabbage rolls to have the stem-shaving down, they are really quite quick and straightforward to put together. All the work also happens at the front end, so you have lots of time to work on the rest of dinner while these are in the oven. Mind you, I think something relatively simple is a good plan for serving with these - chops, steak, plain baked chicken (thighs could go in at the same time as the cabbage rolls), broiled fish, grilled tofu - they are going to be agreeable with a lot of different things. 

The dill pickle brine and paprika make these piquant, and I have to say the sour cream or yogurt really finished them - I don't know that I would describe it as optional. I didn't actually use a turnip, as I had a kohlrabi in the fridge that won't last as long. You could use some rutabaga or celery instead if you preferred. You could make them more substantial with about a cup of cooked rice, quinoa, or other grain added, but in that case you will need a few more cabbage leaves and should be prepared to apply the pickle brine and tomato sauce with a slightly heavier hand.

 

3 to 4 servings

1 hour 45 minutes - 45 minutes prep time

 

6 to 8 large whole Savoy cabbage leaves

1 medium carrot

1 medium-small turnip (or similar)

1 medium onion

1 cup chopped mushrooms

2 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil

freshly ground black pepper to taste, possibly salt

1 teaspoon rubbed savory

1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika

1/2 cup dill pickle brine

3/4 to 1 cup tomato sauce

thick yogurt OR sour cream to serve

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Carefully remove outer leaves in good condition from a large cabbage. Shave the stems down to as close to the thickness of the rest of the leaf as you can. Once the water boils and you have your leaves ready, blanch them in batches until just softened, then rinse them in cold water to stop them cooking any further. Drain well. This can be done up to a day ahead. 

Peel and grate the carrot. Peel and grate the turnip. Peel and chop the onion. Clean and chop the mushrooms. Peel and mince the garlic. Other than the garlic, this too can be done up to a day ahead. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a shallow baking (lasagne) pan which will hold the cabbage rolls snugly. (Should be 1.5 litre/quart, or 8" x 10"). 

Put the oil in a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Add the prepared vegetables and cook until softened and reduced in volume by half. Stir frequently. Season with pepper, savory, and paprika when close to done. You may wish to add a little salt, but it will depend on how salty the dill pickle brine is. 

Remove the vegetables from the heat, and allow them to cool enough to handle. Divide them amongst the prepared cabbage leaves, rolling them up and placing them in the oiled pan. Pour the dill pickle brine and tomato sauce over them evenly, and bake for 1 hour. Check them half way through the cooking time, and if they look like they are drying out, cover them with some foil. 

Best served with a dollop of thick yogurt or sour cream. 

Last year at this time I made Buck-"Meat" Balls (or Patties).

I served these as a side dish with steak, but they would make an interesting starter course. Mine were also filled with creamed spinach, but they are quite fine on their own. They might make a good way to serve potatoes if you are serving from a buffet.  You could make them small enough to be manageable as finger food, although in that case I suspect you should bake them for a slightly shorter time. 

It has to be admitted this is a bit of a gimmick, but it's one that is both do-able and eat-able (with pleasure), which is more than can be said of a lot of foody gimmicks.

 

4 to 6 servings

8 to 16 cream puffs

40 minutes - 10 minutes prep time

NOT including baking the potatoes

 

1 cup very smooth mashed potato (2 medium)

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup potato starch

other seasonings to taste, such as pepper, nutmeg, or chives

2 large eggs

 

Bake the potatoes until tender then cool them, and run them through food mill. This can be done up to 24 hours in advance.

 

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

 

Melt the butter in large heavy bottomed pot with the salt; mix in the finely mashed potato. Mix in the potato starch and seasonings - you want at least a little pepper, but season them to taste - until it comes together to form a ball. Remove the pot from the heat. 

 

In a few minutes when the mixture is sufficiently cool not to set them, beat in the eggs one at a time with an electric mixer. Beat for 2 minutes. Form the mixture into little buns spread out on the parchment paper, and bake them for 15 minutes. Reset the heat to 325°F and bake for 15 minutes more. Serve at once.  

Last year at this time I made Beet Mousse. Yeah, yeah: mid December is when I tend to have fits of playing with my food.

Well, you know; it's another scalloped root vegetable dish, and very good too. Are there any root vegetables - and a good few others - that are not improved by creamy sauce and buttery, cheesy bread crumbs? None that I know of. Go for it!

 

4 to 6 servings

1 hour 40 minutes - 40 minutes prep time

2 cups sliced parsnips

2 cups sliced carrots

1 small onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup milk or 10% cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

a good grind of nutmeg

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan or other sharp cheese

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Put a pot of water on to boil for the vegetables. Peel and trim the parsnips and carrots, and cut them into thin slices. Boil them for 6 to 8 minutes, until tender. Drain them well. Peel the onions and garlic. Slice the onion and mince the garlic.

While the parsnips and carrots cook, preheat the oven to 350°F. Use the butter to grease a 2-quart (8" x 10") shallow baking (lasagne) pan. 

Mix the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the cream. 

When the vegetables are tender, drain them well. Spread about 1/3 of them in the prepared pan, then spread 1/2 of the onion and garlic over them. Top with 1/2 of the remaining parsnips and carrots, then the remaining onions and garlic, and finally the remaining parsnip and carrots. Pour the cream evenly over them. 

Mix the bread crumbs, cheese, and butter together until well combined and none of the crumbs seem dry. Sprinkle this mixture over the prepared vegetables. Bake at 350°F for about 1 hour until browned and bubbling.

When it comes to simple but rich vegetable presentations, the traditional Canadian cook turned to white or cream sauce - potentially very boring. Maybe that's why it's taken me this long to make creamed Brussels sprouts - and I am so sorry about it now. These are truly delicious! Why haven't I been making them for decades?!

 

Of course, like creamed anything, they are pretty rich - best served with plain roasted meat - poultry or fish in particular - although I had this with my old stand-by Lentil Loaf with Carrots, and thought they went really well together. I think a little dusting of good strong cheese finished them off very well, but it isn't required. 

 

Nutmeg is often the secret ingredient in cream sauces, as it is here. And do let the sprouts brown a bit in the butter before making the sauce - that really added to the flavour. 

 

4 servings

20 minutes prep time

500 grams (1 pound) Brussels sprouts

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

a few scrapes of nutmeg

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups 5% or 10% cream

a few tablespoons grated Parmesan, optional

 

Wash and trim the Brussels sprouts, and cut them in 3 or 4 slices, according to size. Put about an inch of water in a skillet that has a lid, bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, mix the flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and set it aside.

 

Add the Brussels sprouts to the boiling water. Boil for 4 minutes. Drain well, but keep them in the pan. Add the butter and return them to the heat. Cook for about another 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts have browned a bit all over. 

Sprinkle the flour, etc, over the sprouts and mix in. Cook and mix until there are no white flecks of flour left. Reduce the heat to low and pour in the cream. Mix constantly, scraping up the bits on the bottom of the pan, until the sprouts are in a smooth, thick sauce. Transfer to a serving dish and serve at once. Sprinkle with a little grated cheese first, if desired.

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Lemon-Mustard Brussels Sprouts.

Here's an easy squash dish with a Middle-Eastern twist. It would be a delightful accompaniment to a Tray Kebob, or Lamb Kofta. 

Our butternut squash did much better than they did last year, but last year we got 2. Two entire squashes. That was because they were in our worst bed AND it was not a good year for squash. While we have more this year, I am not finding them the greatest - a little too moist and bland thanks to coolish temperature through late summer and fall, and lots - lots - of rain. If you feel that is a problem for yours too, it can be improved by drying the cooked, mashed flesh in a frying pan until reduced in volume and very slightly caramelized. And of course, all the flavours of this recipe will do slightly sub-par squash nothing but good. Hopefully, though, yours are fine.

 

4 servings

1 hour 30 minutes - 15 minutes prep time

 

2 tablespoons tahini

the juice of 1/2 lemon 

1 or 2 tablespoons of water

 

Put the tahini in a small bowl, and mix in the lemon juice a little at a time to make a smooth paste. Thin it with a little water to make it the consistency of slightly runny mayonnaise. This can be done while the squash roasts. 

1 kilo (2 1/4 pounds) butternut squash

a little mild vegetable oil

2 tablespoons butter

salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 or 2 teaspoons chile-garlic sauce

1 tablespoon (more or less) za'atar 

 

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy pulp. Rub the cut surfaces with a little oil, and lay them face-down on a shallow roasting pan or baking tray. Roast until tender, about an hour to an hour and a quarter. 

 

When the squash is done, scoop the flesh into a shallow bowl and mash it well with the butter, salt, pepper, and chile-garlic sauce. Put it in a serving dish and smooth it out. Sprinkle the za'atar over it evenly, then drizzle on the tahini sauce. Serve at once. 

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Baked Sweet Potato Samosas. 

Apparently, it's not just salads that I think are improved by fruit and nuts. (Look, ma! No cheese!) I realized last spring just how good turnips are with nuts, and the sweetness of a little fruit also balances out their zingy sharpness very well. At this time of year Mr. Ferdzy generally has a box of clementines on the go, so one of them went in too. I have to admit it got a little lost; if you don't have one put in 1/4 cup apple juice or water. 

 

4 to 6 servings

1 hour 30 minutes - 20 minutes prep time

6 to 8 small (500 grams; 1 pound)  turnips

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large apple

1 large pear

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

the juice of 1 clementine

salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Put the butter into a shallow 2-quart/litre baking pan, and put it in the oven to melt. Wash, trim, and peel the turnips, and cut them into wedges. Toss them into the melted butter and roast them for 30 minutes, until beginning to be easily pierced with a fork. (Give them a little longer if necessary.) Ideally, they will fit the pan snugly but in a single layer. (Yes, mine were a bit too crowded.)

 

Peel and core the apple and pear, and cut them into similar to slightly larger wedges than the turnips. Toss them in with the turnips with the chopped walnuts. Squeeze the juice from the clementine, and pour it over them. Season with salt and pepper. Give everything another toss to blend well, and return to the oven for another 20 to 30 minutes, until everything (well, not the walnuts) is soft and perhaps browning slightly at the edges. Serve at once.

 

 

 

 

Last year at this time I made Squash & Brussels Sprouts Parmigiano. 

Yes, I'm having a fennel obsession at the moment. What about it? It could be worse! I've also been making things a bit in advance because I am going to have my long-awaited (20 years!) cataract operation at the end of this week, and don't want to be distracting myself with cooking. No interruptions to the anxious obsessing! But I think it is, in fact, now a bit late to find local fennel.

 

I've done a lot of delicious things with fennel recently, but this may be the absolute best of the bunch. Of course, it's got mushrooms, and it's got cheese, so no surprise there. I love those things even more as much as fennel. Add some crunchy bread crumbs, and YUM. I think the touch of fenugreek is what really makes this, so don't leave it out!

Serve this with some fairly plain chicken or fish, or as part of a vegetarian ensemble.

 

4 servings

45 minutes - 15 minutes prep time

 

1/2 cup coarse bread crumbs 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 cup grated Gouda or Emmentaler type cheese

 

Rub the butter into the crumbs, and mix in the grated cheese. Set aside until needed. 

2 medium bulbs of fennel

125 grams oyster mushrooms

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/8 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon flour

1/2 cup 10% cream

 

Preheat the oven to 375°F. 

 

Wash and trim the fennel bulb, discarding the tough upper stems and core. Slice it fairly thinly. Clean and trim the mushrooms, discarding any tough stems and damaged bits. Chop them coarsely. Arrange the fennel and mushrooms in a shallow baking dish that will hold them to a layer of about an inch deep. Intersperse them with small cubes of the butter.

Grind the fenugreek, cumin, and black pepper with the salt, and put the spices in a small bowl with the flour. Slowly mix in the cream to make a smooth paste. Drizzle this over the prepared vegetables. Sprinkle the crumb and cheese topping evenly over them. 

Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes until the topping is browned and crisp and the fennel is tender. 

Last year at this time I made Squash Kibbeh.