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Warm Peaches and Yogurt

This is a slightly fancier version of what I normally eat in the morning. My usual breakfast consists of yogurt and whatever fruit is in season, plus some homemade granola if I’m planning on cycling to work or somewhere else. I recently had a friend visiting who was allergic to fresh peaches; knowing how much she loves them, I decided to cook them a bit so she could eat them for breakfast. Adding yogurt to the warm fruit makes it seem a little like melted ice cream and fruit – pretty decadent for breakfast!

One of the great things about this recipe is that the peaches can be slightly under-ripened.

What you need:

1 peach. sliced (or substitute with a nectarine or a few apricots

1 tablespoon apricot jam

some blueberries or other fruits of your choice

plain yogurt

granola (optional)

1 teaspoon butter

What you do:

1. Heat the butter in a frying pan, then add the peach slices and jam. Cook them, flipping after a few minutes, until they are slightly tender. Stir to coat the peaches with the jam.

2. Place the peaches in bowls, then add some yogurt. Add some blueberries and granola if you’re using it, and you’re set!

Aspargus, Mushroom and Red Onion Pizza

I was lucky enough to be able to make this pizza in a brick oven that my Opa built decades ago. I made a few pizzas using this crust and sauce recipe. It’s a fabulous recipe, and the topping options are endless. Here’s a vegetarian one that was particularly delicious.

What you need:

asparagus

mushrooms sliced

red onions, thinly sliced

mozzarella cheese, grated

pizza crust (see link above, use your own recipe, or buy some pizza dough if you can find it in the freezer section)

pizza sauce (see link above)

What you do:

1. Assuming you’ve already prepared your pizza dough and sauce, preheat your oven to 500-550F. If you are using a brick oven you’ll need to start preparing it hours earlier.

2. Form your dough and place it on a well-floured baking pan. Spread some tomato sauce over the crust.

3. Scatter the mushrooms and red onions, then place the asparagus on top. Add some cheese and it’s ready to go into the oven – just don’t add too many toppings or you’ll have a soggy pizza.

4. Bake for 6-7 minutes – the cheese should be bubbling, and the crust should be crisp and golden.

Enjoy!

Brick Oven Pizza – Olive and Chorizo

This beautiful pizza was baked in the brick oven that my Opa built decades ago at the family cabin that he loved so much. It’s not a fancy place, and this oven is small, but it holds a lot of memories. I spent many summers playing hide-and-seek in the woods and cards inside in the evening, fishing, and eating what we caught alongside Oma’s amazing bread. We never made pizza in the brick oven; that’s a tradition I started a few years ago when I visited the cabin with friends. My grandparents are gone now, and my summer friends and I are all grown up and most of them have stopped going to the lake. As far as I know nobody else uses the old brick oven, but baking in it makes me think about my grandparents and all the good times we spent in this place.

This is the best pizza I’ve ever made. The crust takes a bit of planning ahead, but the sauce and toppings are easy. I found the recipe for the crust and sauce in A16 Food and Wine by Nate Appleman and Shelley Lindgren.

This recipe makes enough for about 4 medium-sized pizzas with a thin crust. I made a variety of toppings for mine.

What you need for the crust:

1/4 teaspoon yeast

1 & 1/2 cups warm water

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

4 cups “oo” flour or all-purpose (I used all-purpose)

What you need for the tomato sauce and toppings:

one 28-ounce can of tomatoes (San Marzano if you can find them)

1-2 teaspoons salt

1 link of cured chorizo sausage

small black olives

1/2 teaspoon anise seeds, bashed up a little with a mortar and pestle

about 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

What you do:

1. Begin preparing the dough a day before you want to make the pizza. You can do this by hand, but it’s just a bit more work. Pour the water into a mixer with a dough hook and then sprinkle the yeast on top. Leave it for about 10 minutes and it should become foamy – if it doesn’t your water was the wrong temperature, or the yeast is dead. Stir in the olive oil and salt. Add the flour and mix on low for 2 minutes. Knead on medium-low for about 10 minutes – it will pull away from the bowl and begin to look smoother. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it rest for 5 minutes. Knead once more on medium-low for 10 minutes – it will be smooth and quite soft. If it seems much too sticky you can add a little more flour. Coat a bowl with a little olive oil and then coat both sides of the dough with olive oil, placing the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge over night.

2. In the morning remove the dough from the fridge and punch it down. Fold the sides of the dough under and put it back in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let it sit in a warm (not hot) place until about 2 hours before you need it.

3. Punch the dough down and divide it into 4 pieces. Form them into balls and cover them with a damp towel for about 2 hours. By this time the dough should have doubled in volume. If it starts to get a skin on it you can spray it with a little water.

4. To prepare the sauce, just put the tomatoes and juice into a bowl and squish them into little bits with your hands. Add the salt.

5. Cut the chorizo into thin slices and fry them briefly. I like to do this to get a bit of the fat out, but it isn’t a necessary step. Put the cut chorizo onto a paper towel to soak up excess fat.

6. Preheat the oven to 500-550 F.

7. To form the crusts, shape the dough into a disk with your hands. Push down in the centre with your palm and pull the dough out gently with your other hand, rotating slightly until you have a crust that is about 10-12 inches/25-30 cm in diameter with a slightly raised edge. (I cheated a little in the beginning and used a rolling-pin.) Dust your baking pan generously and place the crust on it. I don’t have a proper pizza stone or pan, but the cookie sheet I used worked just fine.

8. Spread some tomato sauce onto the crust, then sprinkle with the anise seeds. Add some chorizo and olives, then toss on a little cheese. Avoid over-topping your pizza, as it will end up soggy.

9. Bake for 6-7 minutes, until the crust is crisp and golden, and the top is bubbling. I made and baked the pizzas one at a time because the brick oven only fits one pan. This was a great way to do it, as it allowed us to sample each pizza as it came out of the oven, then tend to the next one.

Wait just a minute before eating so you don’t burn your mouth, then dig in!

Kamut and Veggie Salad

During summertime I like to have food in the fridge that I can grab as a quick healthy snack, or take out on a picnic. I love the taste of Kamut (which is a trademarked name for khorasan wheat) because it tastes buttery and nutty, and I like that it’s a sturdy grain that has a good chewy bite to it. It is high in protein, so it makes a good meal-in-a-bowl salad. It is also high in a number of nutrients, including zinc, manganese and magnesium. I’m particularly interested in the magnesium because it helps absorb calcium.

I love this dressing, from the Whitewater Cooks book. I use it often on a green salad, but it works great on this heartier salad as well.

So yes, it’s nutritious, but it also tastes great.

What you need:

about 3/4 cup Kamut (I used farro because I couldn’t find any Kamut at the stores near my place)

1/2 cup sugar snap peas, chopped into 2cm pieces

1/2 large sweet onion, chopped

1 sweet orange or red pepper

a few medium-sized tomatoes chopped, or a whole bunch of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

optional: herbs of your choice, or salad greens

optional: freshly ground black pepper

What you need to make the Whitewater Glory Salad Dressing:

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon tahini

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup vegetable oil

What you do:

1. Cook the Kamut in lots of water for at least an hour, or until the grains are tender. Drain any excess water and let the grains cool. This step can be done ahead of time.

2. Put all the dressing ingredients except the oil into a blender, or use an immersion blender, and give it a good mix. In a steady slow stream, add the oil until it is all blended in.

3. Put all the chopped veggies into a bowl along with the cooled Kamut and mix with the dressing. Add some dressing and taste to see if it needs a little more dressing, or some pepper.

4. Serve cold or room temperature, either on its own or on a bed of salad greens.

Oma’s Mennonite Bread

As I was planning a trip up to the family cabin at Mahood Lake I knew I had to make my Mennonite Oma’s Russian bread. I love taking the opportunity to bake in that oven when I go up to the lake, because it’s the only place where I have access to one. and it is so much fun. I usually just make pizza in there, but this time I wanted to branch out a little, so I thought of my Oma’s awesome dark-crusted bread. My Oma was born in the Ukraine where they made this type of bread, and then she lived in Paraguay for 15 years where she also baked it in an outdoor oven. In the early 1980’s my Opa built this great brick oven, in the style of the Paraguayan Mennonite ovens. My Oma always made this great bread – it was dark brown, almost black on the outside, with a thick crust, and tender inside. Now, I’ve got the recipe, and I made a delicious loaf of bread, although I fully admit that it is nothing like my Oma’s bread. I asked her in the past how she got that great crust on it, and she told me she just put all the ingredients together – so she had a magic touch that I can’t figure out. Oma passed away a few weeks ago, so her secret it gone too.

You don’t need the brick oven to make this bread, it’ll work fine in a conventional oven. I used a machine with a dough hook, but you could do it by hand if you’re feeling energetic. This recipe makes 3-4 loaves.

If you’re using a brick oven you need to get a really good fire going so it’s smoking hot in there. I pushed some of the coals to the back of the oven so it would retain heat for a full hour.

What you need:

1 medium-sized potato, scrubbed

2 cups buttermilk

1 tablespoon yeast

1 tablespoon salt

1 cup rye flour

1 cup bran

6 & 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (approximately)

What you do:

1. Boil the potato in about 3 cups of water until it is soft. Place the potato, saving the liquid, in a 2 cup measuring cup. Smash the potato up with the back of a fork, then add enough of the potato water to fill the measuring cup to 2 cups. Allow this to come to room temperature.

2. In a large mixer bowl add about 2 tablespoons of warm water and sprinkle the yeast top. Wait until the yeast begins to bubble and is all dissolved (if it doesn’t your yeast may be dead).

3. Add the potato water and buttermilk to the yeast mixture. With the machine running and using a dough hook, gradually add the flours, bran and salt. Mix until you have a moist dough, using more or less flour to get this consistency. Keep mixing until the dough begins to form a bit of a ball.

4. Remove the bowl from the mixer and cover it with a clean damp tea towel. Let it rise to about double in volume; this will take about 1- 2 hours, depending on how warm your kitchen is.

5. Punch the dough down, then turn it out onto a floured surface. Give it a few kneads, then cut into 3-4 equal pieces. Form a loaf with the seam in the bottom and place in loaf pans. Cover with the damp tea towel and let it rise, again to about double, which should take slightly less time than the first.

6. Heat the oven to 400F. When the loaves have doubled in size, and they hold an indentation when you poke the dough lightly, they are ready to go in the oven. If you want to get more of a crust on your bread, you can spray the inside of the oven with water just before the bread goes in. Just try not to spray the light bulb, as it might shatter. Place the bread in the oven and bake for about 1 hour.

7. You will know the loaves are ready when you tap on the bottom of the pan and it sounds hollow, so keep an eye on it in the last 10 minutes or so of baking to see if it’s looking done, and test it using this method.

8. Remove the bread from the pans and let it cool on wire racks. Once it is mostly cool you can slice it up and then slather on some butter, but we just broke of satisfying chunks and ate some with butter, and on some we added apricot jam. Not quite like Oma made it, but delicious nonetheless.

Mom’s Rhubarb-Apricot Platz

This is a recipe I grew up eating: my Mennonite Mom’s platz. It is a thin coffee cake with fruit and streusel on top. Sometimes on the second day the cake layer would get a bit dried out, but I didn’t mind too much because the fruit and streusel were so yummy. For this recipe I used a combination of rhubarb and apricots, but plums are another favourite.

Even though the photos show a thick round cake, I grew up with it baked thinly in rectangular form, which was cut into squares.

What you need for the cake:

1/2 cup butter (the original recipe called for crisco or margarine)

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

about 1/2 cup milk

2-3 cups chopped fruit of your choice

What you need for the streusel:

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup flour

pinch salt

splash of vanilla

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 35oF.

2. To make the cake, cream the 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup sugar well.

3. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt.

4. Crack the egg into a measuring cup and mix it up a little with a fork. Add enough milk to the measuring cup so it reaches the 2/3 cup mark.

5. Mix in some of the liquid and alternate with the dry ingredients. Spread this mixture in the bottom of a buttered 9 x 13 inch pan.

6. Spread the fruit on top of the batter.

7. To make the streusel topping just combine all the ingredients; my mom says to do it with a whisk, but I just used a fork and then mixed it with my hands, and then sprinkled it on the cake with my hands.

8. Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Apricot Almond Cake

A big bowl of apricots was sitting in my kitchen ripening, and it was crying out to be made into a cake. I searched around quite a bit fora recipe that looked more interesting than the usual, and found this gorgeous one on hungryrabbitnyc.com. What I love so much about this recipe is the addition of ground almonds and almond extract in the cake, and the use of rum and apricot jam to bring out the flavour in the apricots. It tasted amazing when it was still slightly warm, and surprisingly good the next day. I can imagine it would also be really good with plums or nectarines on the top instead of apricots.

What you need:

2 tablespoons apricot preserve

3 tablespoons dark rum

1 pound apricots, halved and pitted

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup ground almonds

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons/3 ounces unsalted butter , cut into 6 pieces, slightly softened

1 large egg , room temperature

1 large egg yolk , room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

icing sugar for serving (optional – I forgot to sprinkle it on)

What you do:

1. Heat the apricot preserve and the rum in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the apricots, cut side down, and cook without touching them for 5-7 minutes, or until they begin to release their juices. Put these aside while you prepare the cake batter.

2. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by greasing and flouring it. Heat the oven to 350F, with the rack in the middle of the oven.

3. Combine the sugar, ground almonds, flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor. (I did this by hand because I was at a cabin without all the gadgets, and it worked fine that way.) Add the butter and combine until it is the texture of coarse sand. Add the egg and extra yolk, along with the vanilla and almond extracts, and mix just until combined.

4. Spread the batter into the prepared pan, using a spatula to even out the surface. Carefully stir the apricot mixture to coat the fruit with the rum glaze, then arrange the fruit on top of the batter. In the original recipe it looks like they are arranged cut side up, but I put mine on cut side down because I wanted to show off the bit or redness in the apricot skins.

5. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs attached but is not doughy. Run a sharp knife around the edge of the cake, then allow it to sit for half and hour before releasing it from the pan.

Sprinkle the icing sugar on top if you wish, then serve delicious wedges of cake.

Pad Thai with Shrimp and Tofu

Having tried several pad thai recipes, and not finding them to my liking, I assumed all my pad thai eating would be from a restaurant. Or in Thailand, where I’d love to take cooking classes one day…

This recipe, from Cook’s Illustrated April 2013, is definitely a winner. The other recipes I’ve tried were bland or ketchuppy, while this one had lots of flavour, and no ketchup. Real pad thai doesn’t contain ketchup, so don’t be tempted to substitute, no matter how many recipes you see online for pad thai with ketchup. The real ingredient is tamarind paste or concentrate; I got mine in Mexico, but I’ve seen it in Vancouver in Filipino shops. If you’re in Vancouver I’ve heard you can also get it at T&T and Famous Foods.

What you need for the sauce:

1 tablespoon (I added extra) tamarind concentrate mixed with 2/3 cup boiling water, or 2 tablespoons tamarind paste with 3/4 cup boiling water

3 tablespoons fish sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the noodles, shrimp and tofu:

8 ounces/225 grams of 1/4 inch wide rice noodles

12 ounces/ 340 grams medium shrimp

4 ounces/120 grams extra-firm tofu, cut into 1/4 inch cubes or thinner, longer strips like I did

salt and pepper

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, minced

2 large eggs, slightly beaten

6 ounces/ 170 grams/ 3 cups bean sprouts

1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts plus extra for garnishing

3 scallions, sliced thin on bias

1/4 cup cilantro

lime wedges

What you do to make the sauce:

1. If you are using the tamarind PASTE you need to let it soak for about 10 minutes, then run it through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the fibres. I used the CONCENTRATE, so it was easier; I just had to add the boiling water. Stir in the rest of the sauce ingredients and set aside.

What you do to make the noodles, shrimp and tofu:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove it from the heat and let the noodles sit in the hot water for about 10 minutes, until softened but not mushy. Drain the noodles and set them aside.

2. Toss the shrimp with 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper, and a pinch of sugar. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook without stirring for about a minute, then flip them over and cook for about another 30 seconds. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl with a cover and set aside.

3. Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan along with the garlic, shallot, and 1/8 teaspoon of salt, and cook on medium heat until they are golden brown. Add the eggs and cook while stirring constantly for about 20 seconds, and the eggs are barely moist.

4. Toss in the drained noodles, then add the sauce. Increase the heat to high and cook while tossing the noodles constantly for about one minute, until the noodles are evenly coated. Add the bean sprouts, peanuts, and all but 1/4 cup of scallions. Continue to cook, tossing constantly for about 2 minutes, or until the noodles are tender.

5. Add the shrimp and tofu to the pan and cook until heated through, about 30 seconds.

To serve, put the noodles on a large platter and garnish with the remaining scallions, peanuts and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Pollo Asado al Carbon – Barbecue Chicken Mexican Style

On my recent holiday in Mexico I saw and smelled this awesome barbecued chicken at roadside stands, but whenever we happened to be near one, it was around breakfast time and I really wasn’t in the mood for chicken. One day, shortly before we came home, I found this place called Polleria Alba just down the road from our apartment in Tulum. They’ve got a barbecue outside and then some tables inside and outside of a garage. I ordered chicken for one, and out came this huge portion – a whole chicken on one plate, and a platter of rice, pasta and salad on another, and some fresh tortillas. It was amazing, so I promised myself I’d learn to make it at home. I found a recipe on this site. It’s pretty easy to make, and surprisingly moist, even the breast. I served it with Mexican rice and beans, with various sauces. And Mexican beer, Negra Modelo, my fave.

What you need:

1 roasting chicken

1 & 1/2 tablespoons ground ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (I didn’t use these because I didn’t have any)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 garlic cloves, peeled & minced
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp. salt

What you do:

1. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade.

2. Start the barbecue.

2. Rinse and then pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Turn the chicken so it is breast-side down. Cut through the middles of the back, then turn the chicken breast-side up. Give it a bang with your fist so it lies flat. You are going to barbecue the chicken whole. (see terrible picture below)

3. Spread some of the marinade all over the chicken and let it sit until the barbecue is smoking hot. Place it breast-side up on the barbecue. Let it roast for about 45 minutes with the lid down. Baste with the marinade every 10 minutes. It’s really important to leave the chicken alone, other than the basting, so don’t go flipping it or anything. When it is done,you can turn it breast-side down for a few minutes to get some colour if you want, but I found it was nicely browned from facing up the whole time.

4. To make sure it’s done, pierce the thigh with a fork and check if the juices are clear; if not, leave it on for a little longer. Remove the chicken from the barbecue to a serving plate and cover with foil for 10-15 minutes so the juices can settle back into the chicken, then carve it up!

Inside the chicken restaurant in Tulum, Mexico

Cauliflower and Roasted Fennel Soup

Well, I will definitely be making this soup again! The roasted fennel gives it some depth of flavour without tasting overly like anise. It is smooth and creamy without any dairy or dairy substitutes. You have the option of making it vegan, as the original recipe was, but I used chicken stock instead of vegetable.

The recipe is from Brian L. Patton’s Sexy Vegan Cookbook. I’m always happy to add healthy and delicious soups to my repertoire!

What you need:

1 fennel bulb

2 teaspoons olive oil + a little for roasting the fennel

1 cup chopped sweet onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1 russet potato, peeled and cut into chunks of about 2 cm

3 cups vegetable or chicken stock (I needed more than this so I added some water bouillon)

salt and pepper

What you do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Cut the stalks off the fennel and set them aside. Chop the fennel bulb in half and rub it with a little olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then place cut-side down on a baking tray. Roast the fennel for 30-40 minutes, or until browned and tender. Remove from the oven and cut into large chunks.

2. While the fennel is roasting begin making the rest of the soup. Heat a large pot on medium heat and add about 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Add the onion, sliced fennel stalks and a pinch of salt. Cook for 4-6 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another 4 minutes. Add the potato, cauliflower and enough stock to cover the vegetables, and bring to a simmer. When the fennel is roasted, add it as well. Cook until the cauliflower and potatoes are very tender.

3. Puree the soup (I used an immersion blender, but a food processor or blender work as well) until very smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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