The August 2010 Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by LizG of Bits n’ Bites and Anula of Anula’s Kitchen. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make pierogi from scratch and an optional challenge to provide one filling that best represents their locale.

Now, as I understand the migrations of my paternal grandmother’s family (the branch most associated with the pierogi-eating parts of the world), they were German Catholics who spent some time living in Russia, elected to move to Argentina to avoid joining the Tsar’s armies, went back to Germany, and thence to the Canadian prairies (where my grandmother was born), where they were surrounded by Ukrainians. So, while it’s not entirely clear to me whether pierogis are a traditional German food, at least my family lived in pierogi-eating parts of the world for a good long time.

However, just because we’ve got some history with the pierogi doesn’t mean I felt constrained to try to recreate the Russian- or Polish-style pierogi, though I did take some inspiration from there.

I started by making (small-ish) quantities of four different fillings, to give myself some direction as well as some variety. I do really love the mashed potato fillings and so I had to try that, but I added some garlic and black pepper to the fried onion, and skipped most of the cheese – instead of an entire cup of dry cottage cheese, I went with a few tablespoons of finely grated sharp cheddar. I also made a cabbage filling, but instead of sauerkraut I used the mustardy smothered cabbage recipe from Vegan Soul Kitchen. I also made a few pierogi using the sauteed jalapeno corn from the same book. Finally, thinking of the mushroom “caviar” I’ve made once to top buckwheat pancakes, I concocted a mushroom-and-shallot filling with a slug of red wine vinegar. We ultimately fried them in a bit of butter after boiling, and ate them with some good bacon, sour cream, and chives snipped from one of my plants. Along with a gigantic spinach salad to make me feel like the meal approximated some balance.

DC pierogi – filling collage by tariqata

The best of the four fillings, by far, were the potato-onion-cheese filling, and the cabbage; the mushrooms were tasty, but had a tendency to slide out of the pierogi shell, and the flavour of the (otherwise delicious) jalapeno corn was overwhelmed. So, when I was prevailed upon to join a friend’s freezer swap, I went with the potato and cabbage pierogis – and have since concluded that, delicious though they are, folding 150-odd pierogis is just about the most time-consuming job I can imagine. I’ll definitely be making pierogis again in the future – just not as a main meal for twelve. And next time, I’ll save the jalapeno corn for a meal where it can shine, and serve the mushrooms on top of the pierogis.

DC pierogi – f ried pierogies by tariqata

Pierogi Dough

2 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 teaspoon salt
About 1 cup lukewarm water

Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, then make a well in the centre, pour in the egg and water, and knead to form a soft, elastic dough. I found it helpful to let it rest for a half hour to an hour before I tried to roll it out.

Roll out the dough thinly, and cut into circles using a glass or a 4″ biscuit cutter.

DC pierogi – rolled out dough by tariqata

Spoon in a tablespoon or so of filling, fold over the edges, and press together using the tines of a fork.

The pierogi can be frozen at this point, or they can be dropped into a large pot of boiling water. They will float to the top when they are cooked; at this point, they can be eaten as they are, or fried briefly to give a bit of crispness to the shell, or frozen.

Potato, Onion, and Cheese Filling (adapted from the posted Daring Cooks recipe)

3 medium red-skinned potatoes
1 large onion, thinly sliced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
salt and black pepper to taste
paprika
4 Tbsp grated sharp cheddar
1 egg white
2 Tbsp yoghurt (optional; I added it to get my potatoes a little creamier)
up to 2 Tbsp butter (again, to make the potatoes creamier)

Boil the potatoes in their skins until tender; drain and set aside. Meanwhile, fry the onions and garlic in a little butter or olive oil in a cast-iron skillet until the onion is caramelized.

Roughly chop the boiled potatoes (no need to peel them) and add then to the skillet with the onions. Using a wooden spoon or a spatula or a potato masher, mash the potatoes together with the onion and garlic.

Transfer to a large bowl (I found it easier to manage this way) and continue mashing to your preferred consistency (I like mine to be whipped potatoes), adding in the egg white, cheese, yoghurt, and butter as well as the seasonings.

Jalapeno Corn (adapted from Vegan Soul Kitchen)

Note: I’m sure this is sublime with fresh corn, but it works fine with frozen, too.

2 cups fresh or frozen sweet corn
1 jalapeno, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin powder
salt & pepper to taste

Saute the jalapeno, garlic, and cumin in a little olive oil. Add in the corn. Continue to saute until the corn is fully cooked; stir in a little salt and pepper, taste, and adjust the seasonings.

Mushroom, Shallot, and Red Wine Vinegar Pierogi Filling

1/2 lb cremini mushrooms, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
salt & pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan, and saute the mushrooms and shallot in the olive oil. When the mushrooms are limp and the shallot is golden, pour in the red wine vinegar.

Let the pot simmer over low heat for a few minutes, until the liquid has mostly evaporated. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

DC pierogi – four fillings by tariqata

As a mostly vegetarian cook (cooking chicken or fish perhaps once or twice in a month), I don’t have to deal with squicky ingredients as a general rule. Although looking back many of the recipes I’ve featured here have involved chicken, my go-to non-Daring cooking is much, much more likely to be a variation of masur dal or chana masala. I usually work two or three rice and bean meals into my grocery lists – and I could go on for months without repeating myself. I like this style of cooking not just because it’s delicious, filling, and cheap, but because I’m a wimp. Dried chickpeas have no fat or bones or gristle or scales or shells to be trimmed away. So when the Daring Cooks came up with pâté for the June challenge, the gauntlet was really thrown down. I wasn’t inspired by the vegetarian tri-colour pâté (combining white beans, roasted red peppers, and pesto), and I was not at all sure that I could handle a liver pâté (nor was I sure that I could convince the fellow to eat it!), but the shrimp and trout pâté seemed challenging yet edible. And then someone mentioned that bánh mì are often made with pâté, and I knew how I was going to meet the challenge requirements.

Our hostesses this month, Evelyne of Cheap Ethnic Eatz, and Valerie of a The Chocolate Bunny, chose delicious pate with freshly baked bread as their June Daring Cook’s challenge! They’ve provided us with 4 different pate recipes to choose from and are allowing us to go wild with our homemade bread choice.

I decided it was time to roll up my sleeves and prove that, grossed out or not, I could peel a shrimp just as easily as I could make bread – in this case, Vietnamese-style mini-baguettes, following a recipe from HomeBaking.

And if this month’s Daring Cooks challenge taught me anything at all, it’s that shrimp have way too many legs. And removing those legs is an icky process. But hey, I can do it. (I’m not going to go this far just yet though. Somebody else deal with the heads!) In the end, I didn’t love the trout and shrimp pâté, finding it simply too rich to want to eat more than a few bites even when worked into a sandwich, but I did a) learn how to peel a shrimp, b) flambé for the first time, and c) try a recipe for a broccoli and nut terrine and make crackers as well. So thanks are due to Valerie and Evelyne!

I followed the challenge recipe for the shrimp and trout pâté fairly closely, but I did make only a half-batch (quantities follow), which was more than enough for two people.

Trout and Shrimp Pâté

1/2 tbsp butter
120 g raw black tiger shrimp, peeled and de-veined (I used about 6 shrimp)
15 ml bourbon
200 g trout filet, skinned and cut into thick chunks
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt, to taste
coarsely ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 375F – I used a toaster oven, given the small size of the pâté.

In a heavy skillet, melt the butter and sauté half of the shrimp, until pink and cooked through; these shrimp will be used to form a layer in the middle of the pâté, so if they are quite thick it might be a good idea to cut them in half. Remove the pan from the heat and pour on the alcohol, then carefully light it with a match to flambé the shrimp. Allow the flames to die on their own – but have a lid in your hand to smother them if they get out of hand (i.e., don’t be like me!).

Use a food processor to mince the remaining raw shrimp and the trout. Gradually pour in the cream until you have a spreadable, soft, but not liquid mixture.

Butter the bottom and sides of a ramekin. Spoon in half the shrimp and trout mixture, then form a layer with the sautéed shrimp, and finally top with the remaining half of the shrimp and trout mixture. Season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Bake at 375F for 35 minutes or so, until the pâté is cooked through and firm in the centre.

Vietnamese Mini-Baguettes (from HomeBaking: The Artful Mix of Flour and Tradition, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid)

1 cup rice flour
1 cup pastry flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups lukewarm water
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 Tbsp wheat malt syrup or 1 1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
~4 cups all-purpose flour

Makes 8 mini-baguettes (about 17-18 cm long)

Notes: This is a pretty straightforward bread recipe; the only unusual thing (from my perspective, at least!) was the addition of rice flour. I think – though I’m not certain – that this is the source of the bread’s elusive sweetness. I halved the recipe without incident, and got 4 rolls. It’s not anything like a classic French baguette, but it was tasty and stood up well to being covered in mayo and sriracha! I used my stand mixer, but the dough wasn’t terribly wet and could easily be made by hand. Alford and Duguid note – correctly – that these breads dry out very quickly.

Combine the rice flour and the pastry flour in a bowl and set aside.

If using a stand mixer, put the water and yeast into the bowl of the mixer and stir to dissolve the yeast (I just did this step by hand), then add the sugar (or malt syrup) and the rice flour mixture and mix on low speed until all the flour is moistened.

Sprinkle on the salt and 3 1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour, and knead for 3 minutes on low speed. At this point, I found the dough to be a bit stiff and added about 2 Tbsp of water, and then continued to knead for another minute or so. You could also turn it out and knead by hand for another minute.

Turn the dough out into a clean bowl and let it rise for 1 1/2 hours or until more than doubled in volume.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 8 pieces; roll each piece into a ball and then flatten slightly. Cover the dough balls and leave it for 10 minutes.

Shape the rolls into a tapered cylinder, each about 17-18 cm long; I did this by flattening the dough pieces into ovals and then rolling them up.

Begin preheating the oven to 425F. Place the rolls on a parchment-covered baking sheet and let rise for 30 minutes.

Bake the breads for about 20 minutes. If you have a water-sprayer (which I don’t), mist the breads with water 3 or 4 times in the first 10 minutes of baking – but if you don’t, they’ll still taste good.

This month’s Daring Cooks challenge – stacked green chile and chicken enchiladas (though I’ve always called this a tortilla strata and saved the term “enchiladas” for tortillas rolled around the filling and baked) was an excellent opportunity to revisit the dish and strive for authenticity.

Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.

I decided to finally take my grandmother up on her offer to let me borrow her tortilla press (I think it may be a permanent loan!) and make my own corn tortillas. My first attempt at this, a few years ago, was a miserable failure, but I was ready to try again. I visited the Perola Supermarket in Kensington for masa harina, fresh tomatillos, and poblano chilies. If anyone found Anaheim chilies in Toronto, I’d love to know where!

I also made a second batch for the fellow’s family, using chicken chorizo, potatoes, and mushrooms for the filling, with a spicy tomato-based sauce. I have no pictures, but I’ll have to sit down and figure out exactly what I put into it, because it was really good too.

I served both versions of the enchiladas with the Mexican red rice from Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid’s Seductions of Rice – at some point soon I’ll write that up as a post in itself, because it’s a book that deserves some dedicated attention.

Barbara and Bunnee, thanks for another wonderful challenge!

I stuck very close to the challenge recipe for my green chile enchiladas, but did make a few adjustments based on my preferences and the ingredients I could find:

Stacked Green Chile and Chicken Enchiladas

1½ pounds fresh poblano chiles (about eight 6 to 8 inch chiles) roasted and peeled and chopped coarsely.
7-8 ounces tomatillos (about 4-5 medium)
4 cups chicken broth
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped coarsely
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons cornstarch (dissolve in 2 tablespoons water, for thickening)
4 boneless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons olive oil
12 small corn tortillas (I actually used 18, though)
1 cup (or so) grated queso fresco and cheddar
Cilantro for garnish, chopped and sprinkled

Notes: I marinated my chicken in a mix of buttermilk, garlic, and chilies for most of a day, then grilled it. I’m not sure how much this added flavour-wise or tenderness wise, but the chicken was fairly good, and shredded easily enough. I also didn’t bother to peel my tomatillos or de-seed my chilies – this last might have made more of a difference with spicier chilies, I’m not sure. As it was, my sauce was tasty but (in my opinion) not spicy in the least. I was serving it to relatives less spice-fanatic than I, so I was very conservative, but next time I make this, I’ll certainly add a few hot chilies or some hot sauce.

I used Rick Bayless’ recipe for the corn tortillas, quite successfully, though I only had one frying pan.

For the chicken breasts:

As noted, marinate if you choose. I grilled the chicken breasts just before I was ready to put the enchiladas together, until they were just cooked through, then shredded them up.

For the sauce:

Step one is to roast the peppers: place an oven rack fairly close to the top of the oven, and pre-heat to 450F. Brush the peppers all over with olive oil and place them on a cookie sheet (lined with foil or parchment for ease in moving the peppers around). Place the cookie sheet in the oven and roast the peppers until they are blackened on all sides. I checked mine every ten minutes or so, and when one side was blackened, turned them over. Set them aside, covered with a cloth, to cool for at least 10 minutes. Remove the skins and stems and chop the peppers coarsely.

While the peppers are roasting, bring a pot of water to boil. Remove any papery skins from the tomatillos, and then boil the tomatillos for 8 minutes or so, until tender.

In a saucepan, combine the chicken broth, garlic, chopped chilies, tomatillos, onion, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. I used an immersion blender to puree the mixture. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the cornstarch, mixed with a bit of water; stir well and continue to simmer until the sauce is thickened and reduced to 4 to 5 cups.

For the stacked enchiladas:

Spread a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Top with a single layer of tortillas, followed by a layer of chicken, followed by sauce, followed by cheese, and then repeat beginning with another layer of tortillas. I always try to end with a layer of tortillas, then sauce, then cheese.

Bake the casserole at 375F for about 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling. Let it rest for 10 minutes or so, then serve.

The 2010 April Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Wolf of Wolf’s Den. She chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make Brunswick Stew. Wolf chose recipes for her challenge from The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook by Matt Lee and Ted Lee, and from the Callaway, Virginia Ruritan Club. It was great fun, too; thanks, Wolf!

Now, being Canadian, the first thing that sprang to my mind when I read the name “Brunswick Stew” was, naturally, New Brunswick, which called to mind visions of seafood, which scares me a little. Because I’m a snobby Torontonian, the second was the Brunny, more properly known as The Brunswick House, a notoriously icky pub. Now, I’ve never actually been there, because the fellow in my life is a wee bit older than me and he has, and we started dating a few months before I was legally old enough to drink, so I sort of skipped the phase in my life where I might have found a grungy, filthy bar the perfect place to be. (And I miss the Queen’s Head/Pimblett’s, the pub we did frequent, and its awesomely bizarre British decorating scheme, comfy couches, board games, and aging drag queens, whenever I go out anywhere else.) So, anyway, seafood or grungy bar stew – my first thoughts weren’t so promising.

However, as it turns out, the “Brunswick” in Brunswick stew actually is a reference to either Brunswick, Georgia or Brunswick, Virginia (which one appears to be a matter of controversy) and it’s a slow-cooked mess of various meats, beans, and corn (and perhaps other vegetables, depending on whose rules you’re following). This is a meal that I can totally get behind, even if my version probably offends the standards of authenticity. Salty-sweet-smoky-spicy is perhaps my favourite flavour combination in the world and oh, does this ever deliver.

Making it definitely presented some challenges, though.

The first difficulty I had is that, while we’re not exactly vegetarians in my family, we don’t eat a lot of meat, and the challenge recipe called for chicken, rabbit, and bacon. I generally avoid red meat entirely, and my brother won’t eat it at all (he’s a picky one), so the bacon was right out. Rabbit is pretty expensive, and the nearest hunters I know are some American relatives who live out West, so the meat was going to have to be some variety of domestic poultry. I ended up using about 2 pounds of chicken thighs because we had them on hand, and a smoked turkey leg as a smoky and salty alternative to bacon. I think a vegetarian version using lentils and mushrooms would be excellent too, and maybe someday I’ll try it with a whole chicken, but I did really enjoy the stew with the smoked turkey.

Second, my mom has a serious Thing about lima beans, and I couldn’t find butter beans. In fact, aside from the Fresh & Wild I lived near last year, which sold them in tiny and expensive little packets, I’ve never found them anywhere. I used navy beans instead, which we buy dried, cook in large batches, and freeze. It seemed like a good compromise.

Brunswick Stew, with a few adaptations (but here’s the original challenge recipe)

1 smoked turkey leg
2-3 lbs deboned chicken thighs, sprinkled with sea salt and pepper
3 dried morita peppers
8 cups stock; I used half chicken and half vegetable stock
2 Bay leaves
2 large celery stalks, roughly chopped
4 large potatoes, roughly chopped
5 small carrots, peeled and chopped
3 large onions, sliced
8 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 fresh green chilies, minced
2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 cups cooked navy beans
1 28 oz can whole tomatoes
fresh lemon juice and a splash of red wine vinegar, to taste
Tabasco sauce to taste
sea salt, to taste

Note: I would dearly have loved to make this with fresh corn – and in five or six months, I absolutely will – but I refuse to buy imported corn on the cob, so I made do with frozen kernels.

Start by heating a bit of oil in a big stockpot, toast the dried peppers until they are lightly fragrant; transfer to a large bowl. Next, brown the chicken thighs on either side, then transfer them to the bowl with the toasted peppers; don’t crowd the chicken in the pot.

Pour a cup or so of stock into the pot to deglaze it. Bring it up to a boil to let the stock reduce by half; it will darken and smell delicious. At this point, add the remaining stock, and the celery, potatoes, bay leaves, chicken and chilies (and any liquid from the bowl they were resting in), and the turkey leg. You want the turkey leg and chicken to be covered by the stock. Bring the whole thing back up to a boil, then reduce the heat. Let it simmer for an hour to an hour and a half, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, fry up the onions and garlic and chilies in a cast-iron skillet until the onions are nicely soft and caramelized, but not burned.
I fried the onions up with some chilies and garlic before adding them to the stew because onions are so much tastier carmelized, and chilies and garlic make just about any savoury food better.

When the hour and a half is up, remove any big chicken pieces and the turkey leg from the pot; the chicken thighs I used pretty much shredded themselves without any help from me, but you’ll need to remove the turkey meat from the bone and shred it, and if you do have chunks of chicken remaining, you’ll want to shred them up too. Return the meat to the pot and add in the carrots. Let everything return to a simmer and stir occasionally. Cook for 25 minutes or so, until the carrots are tender.

Stir in the onions, garlic, and chilies, the navy beans, the corn, and the canned tomatoes. Crush up the tomatoes a bit. Let everything simmer together for half an hour or so. At the end of that time, add in the lemon juice, a splash of vinegar, and salt to taste; taste and adjust as necessary. It’ll be so thick that a spoon will stand up straight:

If you’re making dumplings to go along, now’s the time to make up the batter. After you’ve stirred in the vinegar and lemon juice, drop teaspoons of the batter in, cover the pot, and let the dumplings steam for 15 minutes or so; next time I do this, however, I’m going to transfer some of the stew to a casserole dish and steam the dumplings in the oven, because it took quite a while longer for them to cook on the stovetop.

Serve the stew with two or three dumplings, tabasco sauce, and a scoop of smothered cabbage on the side.

This is funny because this aversion goes back to daycare, where apparently they fed him dumplings that were so awful, the automatic aversion has persisted into his twenties. Personally, I don’t remember anything about daycare that well. It’s pretty amazing.

And I, unlike him, love dumplings. My mom used to make them when I was a kid – I think she called them “pound dogs”, or at least that’s how I remember things – and ever since I re-discovered them a few years ago, I’ve had an urge to make them every time I make soup or stew. (Okay, it’s always a toss-up between dumplings and biscuits and bread. But I always at least think about making dumplings.) I haven’t made Deb’s strawberries and dumplings yet, but I’m totally going to this summer, and I’m not sure I can wait.

In the meantime, it’s all about the cornmeal dumplings. These were the first ones I made – to go with an awesome (though insanely hot, if you use the full three quarters of a cup of chopped jalapenos) squash and tomato stew from Anna Thomas’ The Vegetarian Epicure Book Two. They’re still my favourites; they may look ugly here, but hey, it’s the flavour that counts.

Cornmeal Dumplings from The Vegetarian Epicure Book Two

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup half & half or light cream or milk or buttermilk (or a mix of yoghurt and milk)
1 1/2 Tbsp melted butter

Sift together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. I often add some herbs or a few grinds of black pepper at this point; I used minced fresh chives in the last batch of dumplings I made.

Beat the egg and the cream together, then stir this into the dry ingredients; add the melted butter and continue stirring until the batter is smooth.

Drop the batter by the teaspoonfuls into simmering liquid, whether that be a soup or stew or heavily salted water. Cover and simmer for 14-15 minutes – though sometimes I find these need a bit longer to cook fully (probably ’cause I make ‘em too big), and if I’m using a pot that can go in the oven I like to steam them as per the recipe, then let them crisp up a bit on top under the broiler.

Yeah, this month’s Daring Cooks challenge was straight up my alley. Risotto. Mmm.

I make risotto a lot, but I took the opportunity to play around and try a few new things: a roasted vegetable stock, a different play of flavours in the risotto itself, arancini, and an Indian-inspired “sweet risotto” (yes, it’s rice pudding in my lexicon – but made using the general risotto method).

The 2010 March Daring Cooks challenge was hosted by Eleanor of MelbournefoodGeek and Jess of Jessthebaker. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make risotto. The various components of their challenge recipe are based on input from the Australian Masterchef cookbook and the cookbook Moorish by Greg Malouf.

Chicken Roasted Vegetable Stock

This was where I took liberties with the challenge. Since I’ve made chicken stock before (though never with a whole chicken; I can’t really stand the idea of the waste of that), but generally prefer to use vegetable stock, I decided to try something new with the veggie stock instead of making something I don’t enjoy eating.

2 onions, roughly diced
1 medium leek – white part only, roughly diced – I always use the green part for stock
2 sticks celery, roughly diced
2 8 cloves garlic
3 carrots
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp. white peppercorns ( Any type of whole peppercorn will do; I used black)
2 bay leaves (fresh or dried, it doesn’t matter.)
peel of 1/2 lemon
1/4 tsp. allspice
2 dried morita peppers
1 Tbsp soy sauce (you could use miso, too)
1 Tbsp red wine, balsamic, or cider vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.

2. Toss the chopped carrots, celery, onions, and garlic with the olive oil in a shallow roasting pan. Bake at 400F until the vegetables are tender and caramelized, about 30 minutes. Give the vegetables a stir about half-way through.

3. Meanwhile, combine the other ingredients in a big stockpot or slow cooker (my personal preference is the slow cooker).

4. When the roasted vegetables are ready, scoop them into the stockpot or slow cooker. Pour in 10 cups of water. If you’re using the slow cooker, set it to low and cook for 6 – 8 hours; if using a stockpot, bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer for 2 to 3 hours.

5. Put a colander in a big bowl; pour the contents of your stockpot or slow cooker into the colander to strain out the vegetables. When the stock is cool, transfer to containers for storage. It freezes quite well, or keeps in the fridge for about a week.

Risotto with Olives, Leeks, Mushrooms and Kale

My usual risotto is flavoured with lemon, leek, and mushroom, or spinach, mushroom, and feta. I may have had more going on than necessary in this risotto, but it was very tasty, with nicely balanced flavours and the occasional hit of saltiness or bitterness from the olives and kale – and I had a hideous cold when I made it, so the robust flavours were key.

3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp butter
1 small onion, sliced
2 cups risotto rice (I use Arborio but Vialone Nano and Carnaroli are also suggested)
1/2 white wine
4 – 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock , simmering
1/2 cup black olives, pitted and chopped
2 cups slice mushrooms
3 leeks, white part only, sliced finely
1 bunch kale, finely chopped
juice and zest of 1 lemon
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish

1.In a small saucepan, heat the stock to a simmer.

2. In a skillet or sauté pan, heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil. Sauté the leeks for a few minutes; add the sliced mushrooms and continue to cook until the mushrooms are tender. Add the chopped kale and continue to toss everything together until the kale is tender and slightly wilted but still bright green.

3. In a large pot, heat the remaining olive oil and butter on medium-low heat. Add in the sliced onions and toss until the onions are lightly caramelized (about 10 minutes). Pour in the risotto rice and toss until the rice grains are all coated with oil.

4. Add the wine and toss; once the wine is absorbed, begin adding the stock, a ladleful at a time; after each addition, stir in the liquid and wait until it is mostly absorbed before adding more. You don’t have to stir constantly, but do keep a close eye on the pot, adjust the heat down if necessary, and stir frequently to keep it from sticking. Bite into a grain of rice occasionally to check whether it is done; you may need to add more stock.

5. When you add the last ladle of stock, also add the lemon zest and juice and the sautéed kale, leeks, and mushrooms. When the liquid is absorbed and the risotto is creamy but the rice still has a bit of “chew”, remove the pot from the heat and add the chopped olives and grated parmesan; stir to combine. Taste and add salt and pepper accordingly. (I don’t find that it needs much more than a pinch of salt due to the cheese, but I like my risotto with a bit of peppery bite.) Serve with a big green salad and a garnish of more grated parmesan.

Arancini

I’ve never tried this before, and my deep-frying technique leaves something to be desired, but these were nonetheless pretty tasty. I’m apparently a bit of an odd duck in that I don’t mind re-heated risotto, but this does add a little something extra.

2 cups left-over risotto
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
a few slices of a hard cheese, cut into cubes – I used kasseri
vegetable oil

1. Combine the risotto with the egg yolk.

2. Using your hands, form the risotto into small balls (about 3 cm in diameter) and stuff a cube of cheese into the centre of each ball.

3. Roll the balls in the breadcrumbs to coat well.

4. In a deep pot or wok, heat a few cm of the oil. Fry the crumb-coated balls of risotto for a few minutes on each side, until they are a deep golden brown. Drain the arancini on paper towel and eat hot.

Sweet “Risotto” With Coconut Milk and Spices

I hadn’t actually intended to try this, but I’m so glad that I did. I’d made the vanilla-almond rice pudding from Smitten Kitchen back in January, and I’d been meaning to try this spiced-up version from Sassy Radish, and the substitution of coconut milk for some of the milk seemed so obvious.

1 can coconut milk
enough skim or whole milk to make 4 cups of liquid in total (about 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup arborio rice
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup demerrera or turbinado sugar (I used the turbinado)
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
2 cinnamon sticks
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp whole peppercorns
1/2 tsp whole cloves
1/2 tsp allspice cloves
2-3 cracked cardamom pods
zest and juice of 1 orange
1/2 tsp almond extract

1. Heat the coconut milk and milk to a simmer in a small saucepan.

2. Gather the peppercorns, allspice cloves, whole cloves, and cardamom pods in a small cheesecloth bag. (You can skip this if you want; I just really hate biting down on cardamom pods.)

3. In a medium or large saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat, then briefly fry the rice grains to coat them evenly with the butter. Add a ladle of liquid, then add the raisins and spices.

4. Following the method for risotto, keep a close watch on the pudding; as each ladleful of liquid is absorbed, add another, stirring frequently to prevent sticking and adjusting the heat if necessary. Test the rice for doneness after you’ve added the first few ladles of liquid.

5. Add the orange juice and zest, the almond extract, and the toasted almonds with the final ladle of liquid. This pudding will stiffen up a lot once it’s cooled, so it’s all right if there’s a bit of unabsorbed liquid.

* * *

Back in December, I had a fantastic meal with the Fellow at a Lebanese restaurant in Dublin. (We also ate Hungarian takes on Italian, Thai, and Mexican food in Budapest. We approve of checking out regional twists on the cuisines of others. The Lebanese food was, however, reasonably authentic. As far as I know.) The only problem was the number of possibilities; we had grilled halloumi, tabouleh, hummus, something that involved merguez sausage, and three or four other dishes, but I could easily have ordered a dozen.

Just from the vegetarian section.

It was good stuff. I want to go back. Unfortunately, it may be a while before that happens, but the Daring Cooks gave me an excuse to do it for myself this month.

I’ve been known to make a meal out of small plates before, though the last time I did, I made way too many, and I’ve made this months requirements, pitas and hummus, many times. However, it was fun to try again to play with the flavours of the hummus, try out a few new things, and try to put together a reasonably well-constructed menu. (I’m afraid that I could have incorporated more vegetables.)

My menu consisted of: the requisite pitas, hummus with homemade harissa, baba ghanouj, beet and carrot salad, felafel, grilled halloumi, spiced olives, and pickled turnips.

Recipes:

Pita Bread (adapted from Flatbreads and Flavors by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid):

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2.5 cups lukewarm water
5-6 cups all-purpose flour (or like I did, use half whole wheat and half all-purpose)
1 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

Method:

1. These are the original instructions: In a large bread bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Stir to dissolve. Stir in 3 cups flour, a cup at a time, and then stir 100 times, about 1 minute, in the same direction to activate the gluten. Let this sponge rest for at least 10 minutes, or as long as 2 hours. I actually used instant yeast, mixed it with the flour, and then used my stand mixer to combine with the water to make a sponge. However, as my pitas failed to puff, this might not have been the best idea.

2. Sprinkle the salt over the sponge and stir in the olive oil. Mix well. Add more flour, a cup at a time, until the dough is too stiff to stir. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes (or in a stand mixer for about 8 minutes), until smooth and elastic. Rinse out the bowl, dry, and lightly oil. Return the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until at least doubled in size, approximately 1 1/2 hours.

3. Place a pizza stone, or two small baking sheets, on the bottom rack of your oven, leaving a 1-inch gap all around between the stone or sheets and the oven walls to allow heat to circulate. Preheat the oven to 450F (230C).

4. Gently punch down the dough. Divide the dough in half, and then set half aside, covered, while you work with the rest. Divide the other half into 8 equal pieces and flatten each piece with lightly floured hands. Roll out each piece to a circle 8 to 9 inches in diameter and less than 1/4 inch thick. Keep the rolled-out breads covered until ready to bake, but do not stack. (Really. I stacked my pitas and they were very hard to separate.)

5. Place 2 breads, or more if your oven is large enough, on the stone or baking sheets, and bake for 2 to 3 minutes, or until each bread has gone into a full balloon. If for some reason your bread doesn’t puff up, don’t worry it should still taste delicious. Wrap the baked breads together in a large kitchen towel to keep them warm and soft while you bake the remaining rolled-out breads. Then repeat with the rest of the dough.

Hummus (adapted from The New Book of Middle Eastern Food by Claudia Roden):

1 1/2 cups dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight (or substitute well drained canned chickpeas and omit the cooking)
2 to 2 1/2 lemons, juiced
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
a big pinch of salt
4 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
4 Tbsp harissa, or more to taste

Method:

1. If cooking the chickpeas, drain the soaking water. Place the chickpeas in a large saucepan and fill with water; the chickpeas should be covered by at least 4 cm of water. Bring the water to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 1 1/2 hours or until the chickpeas are tender. Drain, reserving a half cup or so of the cooking liquid.

2. In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, salt, and harissa. Blend. Add a little of the cooking water, as needed, to get the hummus to your desired consistency.

Harissa (my not-very-authentic version of this spice paste):

5-6 dried chile peppers, soaked in hot water for half an hour (I used guajillo chiles because I had them on hand; I’ve also used fresh chiles in the past, but this is much spicier.)
4 – 5 garlic cloves
2 – 3 Tbsp minced chipotle in adobo (yes, not very authentic, but I love the sweet smoky flavour and they mix in nicely)
2 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp coriander seed
2 – 3 Tbsp sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (if desired)
big pinch salt
olive oil

Method:

1. In a hot dry skillet, toast the cumin and coriander seed over medium-low heat until fragrant. Drain the dried chiles and remove any tops and seeds.

2. In a food processor, combine the dried chiles, cumin and coriander, garlic, salt, chipotles, and sun-dried tomatoes. Grind to a paste. Spoon the paste into a small jar and pour in enough olive oil to cover the paste. Store in the refrigerator.

Felafels (Recipe from Joan Nathan and Epicurious.com):

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight OR use well canned drained chickpeas
1/2 large onion (roughly chopped, about 1 cup)
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp sea salt (I somehow managed not to add the salt – and regretted it; my felafels were on the bland side.)
1 tsp red chile flakes
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp baking powder
4 Tbsp all-purpose flour (you may need a bit extra)
vegetable oil for frying (or canola, peanut, soybean, etc.); you will need enough so that the oil is three inches deep in whatever pan you are using for frying

Method:

1. Put the chickpeas in a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight, and then drain. Or use canned chickpeas, drained.

2. Place the drained, uncooked chickpeas and the onions in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the parsley, cilantro, salt, hot pepper, garlic, and cumin. Process until blended but not pureed. If you don’t have a food processor, then feel free to mash this up as smooth as possible by hand. (I found this very hard, and I did try; I ended up using my mini-food processor and making the dough in batches.)

3. Sprinkle in the baking powder and 4 tablespoons of the flour, and pulse. You want to add enough flour so that the dough forms a small ball and no longer sticks to your hands. Turn into a bowl and refrigerate, covered, for several hours.

4. Form the chickpea mixture into balls about the size of walnuts.

5. Heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees (190C) in a deep pot or wok and fry 1 ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. Then fry about 6 balls at once for a few minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. (Following an alternative set of directions, I baked mine at 325F for about 20 minutes, but I think they’re better fried.)

Baba Ghanouj (from The New Book of Middle-Eastern Food by Claudia Roden)

Ingredients:

2 lbs eggplant
2 – 3 garlic cloves, crushed
4 Tbsp tahini (or a bit less)
juice of 2 lemons, or more to taste

sea salt, to taste

Method:

1. Broil or roast the eggplant until it is very soft inside. Peel and let the flesh fall into a colander; use a fork to mash the flesh. (Surprisingly, you will not lose it, which I was half-expecting.)

2. Transfer the eggplant to a bowl and add the garlic, a little salt, lemon juice, and tahini. Mash with a fork until the consistency is fairly smooth and the eggplant is mixed in well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Quick Pickled Turnips (adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters)

Note: These are not at all authentic, and I’m not sure that you can get a properly crisp turnip pickle with this method, but it is fast and the pickles taste pretty good.

Ingredients:

2 white turnips, cut into matchsticks
a few pieces of red beet (optional; these add colour only)
1 1/2 cups white wine or cider vinegar
1 3/4 cups water
1 Tbsp sugar
big pinch salt

Method:

1. In a large saucepan, combine the water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil. Add the turnips and beets and allow to cook for about 5 minutes.

2. Transfer the turnips to 2 500 mL mason jars. Pour the vinegar-water mixture over, cover tightly, and store in the refrigerator. These should keep for at least a week (and I have eaten these pickles up to a month after making them without ill effects).

Carrot and Beet Salad (from Sarah Brown’s World Vegetarian):

Ingredients:

2 beets
5 carrots
2 tsp cumin seed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Place the beets, unpeeled, in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for about 20 minutes or until the beets are tender. Set aside to cool, then peel and cut into chunks.

2. Peel the carrots and place them in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and cook until the carrots are tender, 10 – 15 minutes or so. Drain the carrots, set aside to cool, and cut into chunks.

3. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the cumin seed and cook until it begins to pop, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute briefly, then add the carrots and beets and saute for about two minutes more. Remove from heat. This salad can be served warm or cold.

Spiced Olives (adapted from David Tanis’ A Platter of Figs)

1 cup mixed green olives and sun-dried black olives
1/2 lemon, cut into thin slices
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 Tbsp olive oil

Method:

1. Toast the coriander and cumin in a dry skillet. Transfer to a spice grinder, add the paprika and cayenne, and grind the mixture to a fine powder.

2. Toss the olives with the olive oil, spices, and lemon slices.

Grilled Halloumi

Ingredients:

1 block of halloumi cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp mixed dried herbs (I used thyme)
dash of cider vinegar
black pepper, to taste

Method:

1. Cut the cheese into thick slices and lay in a flat baking dish.

2. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar and spices. Brush this mixture onto the cheese slices. Let marinate for about half an hour in the refrigerator, then turn the slices to ensure that the marinade touches top and bottom and allow to sit for another half hour.

3. Broil in your oven until the top is golden brown and bubbly; ovens vary, so check after about 5 minutes. Flip the cheese slices and return to the oven to broil the other side for another 5 minutes or so.