Category: Main Dishes

Lentils with Browned Onions and Veggies

One of the reasons this recipe is so delicious is the browned onions, and a little white wine doesn’t hurt!  It can be a vegetarian main, or a side dish to just about anything.  Salmon worked really well as a pairing for this one, but chicken or just a salad would be great too.  I made this a while ago, but I’m going to make it again this week because it’s one of my new favourites.

I found the recipe on this site.  I made a few changes, such as browning the onions rather than cooking until translucent, I used white wine in place of some of the chicken stock, and I didn’t add the agave nectar that the recipe called for.  The blogger says that both salmon and lentils help de-stress and balance moods, and provides omega-3 and magnesium.  I sure felt happy after eating it, maybe just because it tasted so good.

What you need:

2 cups lentils (french if you have them; I didn’t so I just used green lentils)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large sweet onion, chopped

2 leeks, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

4 carrots, sliced

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1 cup homemade chicken stock, or vegetable stock for vegetarians (or 1 & 1/2 if you’re not using the wine)

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

salt and pepper

What you do:

1.  Put the lentils into a bowl and cover them with boiling water.  Let this sit for about 15 minutes while you prepare the onions.

2.  Heat the oil in a large frying pan or a pot, then add the onions.  Let them cook on medium low heat, stirring, until they begin to brown.

3.  Add the leeks, and thyme to the onions, cooking for about 10 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes.

4.  Drain the lentils, then add them to the onion mixture, along with the carrots, celery, soup stock, wine and tomato paste.  Cook, covered, over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.  Then add the wine vinegar, and you’re all set.

It’s also good served with a dollop of plain yogurt!

Crepes with Peach Compote (or anything else)

In the spirit of  “clean out the fridge” weekend, Sunday morning called for crepes.  We pulled all the jams, fruits, cheeses, nut butters, yogurt and syrup out of the fridge for toppings.  The only tricky part was finding the right consistency for the batter and learning how to swirl it around quickly so it covered the surface of the pan, or most of it anyways.

After we had our fill I cooked up the last of the batter, cooled the crepes, then placed them between sheets of plastic wrap, popped them into a baggie and stored them in the freezer to reheat and eat later.

I found this in Mark Bittman’s book How to Cook Everything.

What you need for the crepes:

1 cup flour

1 & 1/4 cups milk

pinch of salt

2 eggs

2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

What you need for the peach compote:

1 peach

a smidgen of brown sugar

a splash of brandy

What you do:

1.  Whisk the flour, salt and sugar together.  Whisk in the milk until there are no clumps.  Whisk in the eggs, then the cooled butter.  If you have the time, put the batter in the fridge for an hour or so.

2.  Peel, then cut the peach up. Put it in a pot with a tiny bit of water.  Cook until soft, then stir in the sugar and brandy.  Serve hot.

3.  Heat a lightweight pan or crepe pan to medium heat.  If your pan is not non-stick, add a little butter to the pan.

4.  When the pan is hot, pour in about 1/4 cup of batter, quickly turning the pan in a circular motion so the batter covers the surface of the pan.  Okay, so this might not work out as planned – so practice a little!  They still taste fine!  If the batter seems too thick, add a little more milk.

I like to serve mine fresh out of the pan, but you could put them in a low oven between clean towels.  Just about anything goes in crepes – one of the favourites this time was brie with guava jelly.  So good!

Salmon Croquettes

These are a yummy way to use up leftover salmon.  I planned ahead and made mashed potatoes with barbecued salmon so that I could try out this Mark Bittman recipe.  Shaping these into croquettes was a little finicky, so next time I might try to form them into patties instead.

I served them with honeyed-ginger carrots and lemony kale with onions, garlic and pine nuts.

What you need:

1 cup leftover salmon meat

1 cup leftover mashed potatoes

1/2 cup finely diced onion

a few chopped parsley leaves

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 egg

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

bread crumbs

olive oil

lemon wedges (optional)

What you do:

1.  Mix all the ingredients except the olive oil and lemon together, using just enough breadcrumbs to stiffen the mixture.

2.  Form into small logs or patties, then coat in bread crumbs.  Place on a rack, then refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes to dry them out a little.

3.  Heat some olive oil over medium heat, then cook the croquettes until they are browned.

Serve them with lemon wedges if you like, or a yogurt dill sauce.

Spanish Stew With Vegetables and Olives

The weather is turning a little cooler, and I always look for an excuse to put olives into a recipe.  This one has tons of flavour, and it’s got lots of veggies to keep you healthy.  This one comes from Maryana Vollstedt’s Big Book of Soups and Stews.  It’s pretty easy, just a bunch of chopping, sauteing and stewing.

What you need:

1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 & 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 3 cm-ish cubes

1 cup chopped sweet onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 red pepper and 1 yellow or orange pepper, cut into chunks of about 4cm

10-12 mushrooms, cut in half, or quarters for large ones

1 large can diced tomatoes with juice

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon fresh oregano

1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme (less of each herb if you use dried)

1 cup kalamata olives, or a mixture of olives of your choice

1 pound green beans, frenched

salt and pepper, to taste

What you do:

1.  Heat the olive oil in a large pot, then add the pork and brown it for about 5 minutes. You may want to do this in batches.

2.  Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, then add the pepper and mushrooms and cook for about 5 more minutes.  Add more oil to keep the veggies from sticking, if you need to.

3.  Add the tomatoes, wine, oregano and thyme, then reduce the heat so it is just simmering, for about 30 minutes.

4.  Add the olives and green beans and cook for a few more minutes, until the beans are lightly cooked.

5.  Season with salt and pepper, remembering that the olives will add a bit of salt to the stew, so don’t use too much salt without tasting it first!

Serve it up with a nice loaf of crusty bread!

Beef Quesadilla

A great comfort food – I love fried onions and steak together, add the salsa and yogurt and it’s a dream come true!  This one is great to make if you’ve got some left over  steak from your barbecue the night before.  Another amazing addition is some slices of avocado – that puts it over the top!

I don’t eat cheese very often, so when I do but it I grate the unused part and keep it in the freezer.  Same goes for the tortilla, just pop them in the freezer to use later, maybe even in a tortilla pizza.

What you need:

1/2 onion, sliced

1 red pepper, sliced

1 beef steak

cheddar or another favourite cheese, grated

salt

olive oil

yogurt or sour cream

salsa

tortilla shells

What you do:

1.  Take the steak out of the fridge so it isn’t completely cold when you cook it.  Rub a little olive oil on each side, then liberally salt each side, then set aside.

2.  Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan.  Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the sliced red peppers and continue to cook until the onions are quite browned.  Remove from the pan and set aside.

3.  Heat the pan to medium high.  When it’s good and hot, place the steak on the pan.  Cook it for just a few minutes, depending on the thickness of the steak and your preference.  I love mine quite rare, so I don’t leave it for long, plus it continues to cook while it rests out of the pan before cutting.  Use tongs to flip the steak and cook the other side for about 2 minutes.  Remove from the pan to rest for at least 5 minutes.  Slice very thinly.

4.  Clean your pan out and place a tortilla in it, on medium-low heat.  Sprinkle a little cheese on one half, then add some onion and pepper and some slices of steak.  Add a little more cheese, then pull the other half of the tortilla over the fillings.  I like to put the cheese on the top and the bottom because I think that when it melts it helps hold all the fillings in.  Plus people love cheese, so often a little more is better.

5.  Let the quesadilla cook until that side it slightly brown and crispy, then flip it over and do the same to the other side.

6.  Serve with some salsa and yogurt or sour cream on the side.

Thanks for the great photo, Megan!

Poulet Calvados

Chef Jeremy, one of my fabulous hosts in Paris, made this amazing dinner the other night.  Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of the plated meal because it was so good that we dug in right away without pausing for the photo.  Served with a baguette and white wine, this is an impressive and not too challenging recipe.

Jeremy found this recipe online, at allrecipes.com, and feels it is a close approximation to the recipe that he lost, which used chicken stock and cider, and was flambeed with calvados.

What you need:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt or fleur de sel

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1/4 cup butter

3 cups fresh mushrooms

3 granny smith apples, peeled and sliced

1 cup apple brandy (calvados, or brandy in a pinch)

1-2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup cream

What you do:

1.  Combine the flour and salt in a bowl and the coat the chicken in it.  Heat the butter in a large pan over medium-high heat and brown the chicken on each side, about 3 minutes each side.  Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover.

2.  Put the onions, mushrooms and apples in the pan.  If the pan is too dry you can add a little olive oil.  Cook until the apples are tender, about 5 minutes, stirring from time to time.

3.  Stir in the brandy, thyme, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.  Put the chicken back in the pan and cook, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.

4.  Add the cream and simmer until thickened, for about 5 minutes.

Served with a baguette this is fabulous because you can use the bread to soak up the amazing sauce.  We had crème caramel for dessert… amazing, and hopefully a recipe that I will post soon!  Bon appetit!

 

Charcuterie dans Paris

After a visit to the Castle of Saint-Germain0en Laye, just outside of Paris, I went with my hosts Julie and Jeremy to gather supplies for our charcuterie.  We visited a fromagerie, boulangerie, cave aux vins, le marche plein air, et le Monoprix to find what we need.

Here’s what we had:

cheeses: a brie, de melun lait cru

a chèvre, cabri cendré fermier

a tantation lait cru from St. Félicen

a Tomme de Savoie from Abondance Fermiere

The meats: jambon cru fumé de la forêt noire

jambon cru Espangnol

jamón serrano

salame di milano

chorizo Espangnol

We also had: pimento olives

olives stuffed with almonds

apple , figs and melon to wrap the meat around

dried strawberries

The wine was a Chateau Chavrignac Bordeaux 2009

and a fabulous baguette from the Boulangerie au Petit Duc!

We ended with a decadent chocolate treat called a Royale, chocolate mousse decorated with some praline and topped with chocolate ganache.

Alleosse Affineur Maitre Artisan dans rue Poncelet, Paris

Belgian Waffles, Yeast-Raised

I’ve made lots of waffles before, but I wanted to try something new for a birthday brunch.  I saw a few recipes online about yeast-raised waffles and figured I could try that out.  I balked at the amount of butter the recipes called for, so I cut back on it a little.  They are not difficult to make, but you need to plan ahead as you need to let the batter raise for about an hour before you want to use it.  This recipe is huge – I think it made more than 15 waffles.

I found this recipe on kitchen addiction.

What you need:

2 & 1/4 teaspoons yeast

3 cups lukewarm milk

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled (original recipe calls for 3/4 cup)

1/2 cup sugar

1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 cups flour

3 eggs, separated

What you do:

1.  Dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm milk and let sit for 10 minutes.  To do this, just sprinkle the yeast on top of the warm milk; if it gets foamy you know it is working.

2.  Whisk the melted and cooled butter with the 3 egg yolks and 1/4 cup lukewarm milk in a large bowl .

3.  Whisk the yeast mixture into the butter mixture along with the sugar, salt and vanilla.

4.  Next you need to add the flour, alternating with the remaining 2 & 1/2 cups of warm milk.  Add half the  flour, then half the milk, the remaining flour, and the last of the milk.

5.  Beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, then fold into the batter.

6.  Cover the bowl and put it in a warm place for about an hour, or until it has doubled in volume.

7.  Preheat your waffle iron.  Give the batter a little stir to deflate it, then add about 1/2 cup batter to the waffle iron, or more or less depending on the size of your waffle iron.  I know my waffles are almost done when I see steam escaping.

8.  Top with maple syrup and any other toppings you like.  I love some fresh fruit or a warm fruit sauce, and a dollop of yogurt.

I cooked up all the batter, then put the leftovers in the freezer to pop into the toaster another day – soooo much better than eggo!

Quick and Yummy Chicken and Veg Noodles

This is another old standby, usually with just the broccoli, but I try to add extra veg whenever I can.  It’s comfort-foody, plus it’s pretty easy.  Feel free to switch it up with your favourite veg.

I use plain yogurt in this, but you can use sour cream if you prefer.

What you need:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2-3 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 small onion, chopped

1-2 red/yellow/orange peppers

1 clove garlic, minced

3 cups chicken stock

3 cups medium egg noodles

1 large head broccoli, broken into florets

1 cup yogurt or sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

1.  In a large frying pan heat the oil, then add the onions and saute until translucent.  Add the garlic and chicken and cook for a few minutes.

2.  Add the stock into the frying pan and bring to a boil.  Add the noodles and cook for about 6 minutes, or until the noodles are almost cooked, stirring from time to time.

3.  Add the broccoli and cook for a few minutes, making sure the broccoli is still bright green when it is served.

4.  Add the yogurt/sour cream just before serving and season with salt and pepper to taste.

This recipe is from More Six O’Clock Solutions by Ruth Phelan and Brenda Thompson.

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers: Turkey and Chorizo with lots of Veggies

Stuffed peppers look so pretty, and this recipe is pretty healthy too, stuffed with lots of veggies and quinoa.  I like to make dishes that have it all – lots of healthy veg, some protein and a complex carbohydrate.  So I put together some of my favourite ingredients, and this is what I came up with.

You can prepare the filling ahead of time, even stuff the peppers and pop them in the fridge.  Throw them in the oven just before serving, make a little green salad on the side and you’re ready to go!

What you need:

sweet peppers (a dozen mini or half a dozen regular sized)

200 grams ground turkey

1 chorizo sausage, removed from casing

1/2 cup quinoa, uncooked

1 sweet onion, diced

4 mushrooms, diced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 sweet red pepper (for filling), diced

1 stalk celery, diced

2 tablespoons dried currants

salt and lots of pepper

olive oil

What you do:

1. Before cooking the quinoa rinse it, then put it in a pot with about a cup of water.  Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and put a lid on it, cooking for 15 minutes.  If the water doesn’t all get absorbed in this time, put it back on the heat for a few minutes, stirring until the liquid is gone.

2. Cook the chorizo, removed from its casing, along with the turkey meat.  Drain the fat off and set the meat aside.

3.  In a little olive oil cook the onions on medium-low heat until they start to brown. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes.  The onions will  begin to get quite brown, which is exactly what you want, because a lot of the flavour in the dish is coming from the nicely browned onions.

4.  Add the garlic and the rest of the veggies, stirring and cooking until they begin to soften.

5.  Mix the meats, quinoa, currants and veggies together, adding salt and quite a bit of pepper to taste.

6. Cut the tops off the peppers, the  fill each pepper and put the tops back on.  Preheat the oven to 350F.

7.  Arrange them in a baking dish as you fill them, then pop them in the oven for about 45 minutes!