ENGLISH ONION SOUP BY JAMIE

You must think that all I do is post about Jamie Oliver, and I apologize for that, but it's his kind of cooking that really generally does inspire me; rustic, family, simple, beautiful! So I have another one to add to the books this week. When I was watching Jamie at Home during our silly spring snowstorm yesterday he was making French Onion Soup. I have never been more inspired to get off the couch, to the grocery store and then to start cooking. It's all I wanted, perfect comfort food for a blizzardy day.

A word to the wise about this soup, it is necessary to caramelize your onions, which means it will take over an HOUR at a low temperature! So for you speedy cookers, this is not the recipe for you. Luckily I wasn't going anywhere and I had plenty of time to spare. Since I made such a big batch, mine actually took about two hours! The wonders of food...

Jamie's description of the dish is quite cute and funny so I thought I would add it in too!

Jamie's English Onion Soup
Total time: about 2:30 (or less depending on your onions!)
Servings: 8 generous portions

"There's something so incredibly humble about onion soup. It's absolutely one of my favorites but unfortunately I only ever get to make it in the restaurant or for myself as the missus thinks she's allergic to onions. (She's not, because I whiz them up into loads of dishes without her knowing!)
If you have the opportunity, get hold of as many different types of onion for this soup as you can - you need about 2 pounds in total. Sweat them gently and you'll be amazed at all the flavors going on"

Ingredients:
- Good knob of butter
- Olive oil
- Handful fresh sage leaves, 8 leaves reserved for garnish ( I also added about 4 sprigs of thyme in as well, because I love the flavour and its perfect with this soup!)
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 3 large red onions (or 5 small red onions), peeled and sliced
- 3 large white onions, peeled and sliced
- 3  shallots, peeled and sliced
- 11 ounces leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced (I just did one bunch)
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 cups good-quality hot beef, chicken or vegetable stock
- 8 slices good-quality stale bread, 3/4-inch thick (I just used a white French baguette and toasted it for the stale effect)
- 7 ounces freshly grated Cheddar
- Worcestershire sauce

Directions
- Put the butter, 2 glugs of olive oil, the sage and garlic into a heavy bottomed, nonstick pan. Stir everything round and add the onions, shallots and leeks. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a lid on the pan, leaving it slightly ajar, and cook slowly for 50 minutes, without coloring the vegetables too much. Remove the lid for the last 20 minutes, the onions will become soft and golden. Stir occasionally so that nothing catches on the bottom. Having the patience to cook the onions slowly, slowly, gives you an incredible sweetness and an awesome flavor, so don't be tempted to speed this up.
- When your onions and leeks are lovely and silky, add the stock. Bring to the boil, turn the heat down and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. You can skim any fat off the surface if you like, but I prefer to leave it because it adds good flavor.

- Preheat the oven or broiler to maximum. Toast your bread on both sides. Correct the seasoning of the soup. When it's perfect, ladle it into individual heatproof serving bowls and place them on a baking sheet. Tear toasted bread over each bowl to t like a lid. Feel free to push and dunk the bread into the soup a bit. Sprinkle with some grated Cheddar and drizzle over a little Worcestershire sauce.
Dress your reserved sage leaves with some olive oil and place 1 on top of each slice of bread. Put the baking sheet into the preheated oven or under the broiler to melt the cheese until bubbling and golden. Keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't burn! When the cheese is bubbling, very carefully lift out the baking sheet and carry it to the table. Enjoy.

photo credit: my own

GARLIC SPINACH SPAGHETTI

Last week in lab our chef made garlic spinach and since then I have been craving more of it! Last night, I didn't know what to do for dinner, but I wanted to try and use spinach and a combination of ingredients in my fridge. I found pine nuts, mascarpone (which was about to go bad so I had to use it up!), spinach, garlic and spaghetti. A perfect combo for a delicious pasta! The nutmeg works really well with the spinach and garlic giving it an earthly flavour. If you happen to have ricotta on hand not mascarpone you could easily substitute one for the other.

This pasta was so simple, but with so many different flavours and textures in the dish, it made for a really exciting meal! Quick to prepare, and without having to buy really any of the ingredients as most are staples in my fridge, I think this pasta is going to become a regular! The other plus about this dish, its a one pan dinner.

Garlic Spinach Spaghetti
Serves One
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
- 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped, or use a microplane to turn it into more of a paste)
- 1 heaping spoonful mascarpone cheese
- 60mL of milk (or cream, but I was trying to be somewhat healthy)
- 2 handfuls of baby spinach
- toasted pine nuts (as many as you would like)
- salt and pepper
- nutmeg
- spaghetti (enough for one serving)
- 1 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
- Boil the pasta water, salt and cook pasta for about 12 minutes or until al dente.
- In a large saute pan toast the pine nuts of medium heat until they are golden brown. Remove and set aside.
- Place olive oil and turn to medium high heat. Add the spinach and wilt. Once wilted add in one clove of garlic and toss. Remove from pan and set aside.
- To the pan add the milk, mascarpone, another clove of garlic, salt, pepper and a touch of nutmeg. Let the sauce mix together and warm throughout.
- Once pasta is cooked move immediately to the sauce pan. Add in the spinach and pine nuts and mix thoroughly.
- Season with a bit more salt and pepper if necessary, plate and grate some fresh parmesan on top before serving.

BON APPETIT!

HOMEMADE ITALIAN PIZZAS

Homemade pizzas are so much fun to make! This weekend I made some Italian worthy pizzas with fresh tomato sauce, basil, calabrese salami, cured olives and fresh mozzarella di buffala. I had a friend coming for dinner and really wanted to try something different but fun! I also bought a pizza stone which made the experience so authentic and the pizzas even more delicious!

I like using fresh ingredients, so I decided to make my own tomato sauce. So for the sauce in a pot I put a few tablespoons of olive oil, a quart of cherry tomatoes and two large garlic cloves (very fine), sea salt, pepper and then a bit of basil near the end. I let tomatoes get all blistered and soft and then mashed them around with a fork. Near the end I added about 2 tbsp of tomato paste just to thicken it up a little. It was absolutely wonderful, and the tomatoes and garlic were so fragrant I felt like I was in Italy!

For the pizza dough, I really wanted to make home made dough but I unfortunately was time stricken by the need for a Halloween costume! Reluctantly I used pre-made dough, but next time it’s homemade for me. If you can, homemade dough is just so much better – but in a pinch store bought will do! Make sure the dough has softened, and then roll out using extra flour on the rolling pin and counter. Once you have made your dough into the right shape you can begin the layering process.

First start with your tomato sauce, then layer slices of fresh mozzarella di buffala. Next add desired toppings, olives, calabrese and fresh basil leaves to top it off.

If you are using a pizza stone – put the stone into a cold oven, and let heat up for 20 minutes at 450 degrees. Then place the pizzas on the stone and cook for about 20-30 minutes.

Italian Pizzas

Ingredients:

- 1 ball mozzarella di buffala
- 1 quart cherry tomatoes

- Olive oil

- Salt & pepper

- Basil

- Calabrese salami

- Cured olives

- Pizza dough (store bought or homemade)

photo credit: my own

FRENCH LEMON CHICKEN

I find that chicken is something you can get so bored by, so I am always on the hunt for new delicious chicken dishes and I definitley found one last night! French Lemon Chicken from an old LCBO Food & Drink Magazine. The chicken was baked, so nice and moist, and the lemon and garlic really enhance the flavours. The sauce is simple but so flavourful. The whole meal is perfect for a weeknight dish. Not too much work for a weeknight, and perfect if you are just making a meal for yourself!

The recipe is for four people, however I just cut it in half for either one or two breasts (make two and then you have leftovers for lunch!) Luckily last night I had one of my besties over to enjoy this delicious meal!

French Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:
- l lemon
- 1 head garlic
- 2 cups (500 mL) chicken stock, homemade or low sodium
- 2 tbsp (25 mL) olive oil
- 4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) fresh thyme, chopped or 1 tsp (5 mL) dried
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (125 mL) white wine
- 1/4 cup (50 mL) brandy

- 1/4 cup (50 mL) whipping cream

- 2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
- Grate enough peel from lemon to make 1 tbsp (15 mL). Remove any remaining peel and white pith from lemon and cut flesh into thin slices.
- Separate garlic into cloves, cut off root ends but do not peel. Add to chicken stock in a pot and bring to boil. Simmer three minutes. Strain stock and reserve. Peel garlic cloves. If garlic cloves are large, cut in half lengthways.

- Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Season breasts with salt, pepper and thyme, and fry skin-side-down four to five minutes or until golden brown. Turn over and fry second side for one minute. Remove breasts.

- Place skin-side-up in oiled ovenproof dish that fits chicken snugly. Discard fat from skillet. Scatter lemon slices and garlic cloves around chicken. Sprinkle sugar on lemon slices.
- Meanwhile, add wine to skillet, bring to boil, reduce by half. Stir in stock, brandy and grated zest. Bring to a boil, stirring. Add cream and continue to boil until slightly thickened, about five to eight minutes. Stir in parsley.
- Bake chicken for 15 to 20 minutes or until it is tender but not dry. Remove chicken and any lemon bits to serving platter. Scatter over garlic cloves. Remove any fat and pour any juices into sauce.
- To serve, pour sauce over chicken.

Serves 4

photo credit: my own

FALAFEL

Falafel is a delicious Middle Eastern dish made from ground up chickpeas or fava beans. It is a hand made patty/ball that is usually served with pita, toped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, hummus, and then drizzled with tahini.

Falafel’s are said to have been first made in Egypt, but are now widely known as a Middle Eastern dish. The Copts of Egypt claim to have first made the dish as a replacement for meat during Lent – as they are quite hearty and a good substitute. Alexandria, being a port city made it easy for the Egyptians to export the dish and the name of it to other areas in the Middle East. Falafel’s have become so popular, McDonald’s even began to serve a “McFalafel” in certain countries!

I just adore falafel’s and they are such a great alternative to meats and fish. Perfect for a vegetarian or for someone just wanting something a bit different!

Christine Cushing's Falafel
 

Ingredients:
 
Falafel

- 1 1/4 cups dried slip fava beans (250 ml)
- 1 cup dried chickpeas (185 ml)
- 1 small white onion, quartered
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 small bunch, flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt (5 ml)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (5 ml)
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds toasted, coarsely ground (5 ml)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds toasted, coarsely ground (5 ml)
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- Dash Tobasco sauce, or to taste
- Water, to adjust moisture level if too dry of a consistency
- 4 cups vegetable oil, for frying (1 litre)

Minted Tahini Sauce
- 1/2 cup tahini paste (125 ml)
- 1/2 cup water (125 ml)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (10 ml)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint (60 ml)
- 2 to 3 tbsp. lemon juice (30 to 45 ml)
- Coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Assembly
- 4 to 8 Middle Eastern pita bread, depending on size of pita and serving portion of falafel balls
- Tomatoes, sliced, for garnish

Directions:

Falafel

- Cover both fava beans and chickpeas with cold water in separate bowls. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Drain and rinse the fava beans and the chickpeas. Rinse thoroughly under cold water until water runs clear. Set aside.
- Add white onions, garlic and green onions to a food processor. Pulse until a mushy consistency. Add parsley and continue to pulse until mixture is fine in texture and green in colour. Transfer to large bowl.
- Add the chickpeas and fava beans to the food processor. (Note: you don’t have to clean the machine with the onion and parsley mixture). Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer to bowl with the onion and parsley mixture. Add baking powder, cumin and coriander. Season the mix with salt, pepper and tobasco. Stir to combine. Start adding water a little at a time until mixture becomes a dough consistency.
- Place vegetable oil into a saucepan. Heat oil to 300 degrees F. Mould the falafel mixture into 1½-inch diameter balls. Fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes for best texture. Remove the balls from the oil and drain on paper towel. Make 24 falafels. Serve with tahini sauce.

Minted Tahini Sauce
- In a bowl add the tahini paste. Slowly add the lemon juice and water – as you add the liquid – the tahini paste will cease up but as you gradually add more liquid it will become smooth. Add the parsley, mint and salt and pepper. Check seasoning, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Assembly
- Cut pita in half to make pockets and place 3 or 4 of the falafel balls into pita pocket. Top with sliced tomatoes and tahini sauce. Alternatively add the falafel balls onto the pita and top to garnishes and roll to make a sandwich. Serves 4 to 6.

photo credit: foodnetwork.ca & google images

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS & GARLIC ROASTED TOMATOES

Tired of eggs and bacon? Looking for a way to spice up your weekend breakfasts or brunch. Well do I have the recipe for you! Zucchini Fritters with Garlic Roasted Tomatoes. A late lazy breakfast is one of the best parts about the weekend - and sometimes it is so nice to just stay in your pj's and cook at home! A delicious and different breakfast is a great start to any day - but is perfect for trying out when you have loads of time of the weekend. Here is the divine recipe from none other than the LCBO's FOOD&DRINK.

ZUCCHINI FRITTERS (roasted tomato recipe below)

Ingredients:
- 1 and 1/2 c flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1 and 1/2 c shredded zucchini, approx. one zucchini
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh herbs - basil, tarragon or parsley (we used basil and parsley)
- vegetable oil

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 300 F - to keep fritters warm as you make them in batches
- Combine four, baking soda, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, using a fork, whisk together eggs and yogurt. Stir in zucchini and herbs.
- Pour the wet mixture over the flour mixture and combine with a fork just until evenly moistened.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour in a thin layer of oil. Drop a heaping TBSP of batter for each fritter into pan (be careful not to crowd the pan) and flatten slightly.
- Cook for about 3 minutes or until dry around the edges and bottoms are browned. Flip over and cook for about 3 minutes until browned and cooked through.
- Transfer to plate in the oven. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil between batches if necessary.
Top hot fritters with roasted tomatoes*.

* ROASTED GARLIC TOMATOES

 

Ingredients:

- 8 deep red tomatoes

- 16 garlic cloves, unpeeled

- 1/4 cup olive oil (more if necessary)

- salt and pepper

Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 425 F

- Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise and arrange, cut-side up, in a single layer in a large, ovenproof dish. Place a clove of garlic on each tomato.

- Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the tomatoes are softened and beginning to char slightly around the edges. (I usually do 30 minutes and then check on them)

- Remove and serve hot or warm. Squeeze the garlic out of its paper casing - and voila!

photo credit: my own

GNOCCHI WIH RAPINI, PANCETTA & TOMATOES

The second part of our fabulous LCBO Food&Drink meal was gnocchi with rapini, pancetta and grape tomatoes. This pasta was equally as good as any gnocchi you would find at the Italian restaurants. It's such an impressive dish - perfect for entertaining or a date!

GNOCCHI WITH RAPINI, PANCETTA & TOMATOES

Ingredients:
- 1 bunch rapini (you can pretty much find this in any supermarket now!)
- 2 oz thinly sliced pancetta (mild or spicy Italian bacon would work as well)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (maybe 5 tbsp if you would like it to be a bit more saucy)
- 1/4 tsp hot chili flakes
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic gloves, minced
- generous pinch of salt
- 1 pkg store-bought potato gnocchi
- grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

Directions:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Trim and discard tough ends from rapini. Add rapini to boiling water and cook until tender - about 5 minutes -- Don't drain water.
- Remove rapini using tongs and place in a sieve. Press the rapini with the back of a large spoon to remove as much water as possible. Cut into thirds.
- Thinly slice pancetta into matchstick-size pieces.
- In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium heat.
- Add pancetta and chili flakes.
- Cook just until pancetta starts to crisp, about 3 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium high and add tomatoes, green onions, garlic and salt.
- Cook stirring, until the tomatoes begin to blister and burst - about 3 minutes.
- Add rapini to pan and stir.
- Keep warm while cooking gnocchi.
- If no longer boiling, bring rapini water to a boil. Add gnocchi and cook according to package directions.
- Remove about 1/4 cup rapini/gnocchi water before draining and set aside. Then drain gnocchi.
- Add gnocchi to rapini mixture in the pan, stirring all ingredients together.
- If it sticks, stir in some of the reserved rapini/gnocchi water.
- Serve with grated cheese.

Serve 3-4.

BON APPETIT!


photo credit: my own

ARUGULA

Eruc sativa or as we know rocket/arugula/rugula/rucola is an edible plant used in daily in cooking around the world today! Arugula is a lovely leafy vegetable mainly used for making salads. Arugula has been grown in the Mediterranean area since Roman times and is actually considered an aphrodisiac (oh la la!). It grown across the world especially in Veneto, Italy. Arugula is a delicious leaf with a rich and peppery taste. Quite strong flavouring for a leafy green. Arugula is mainly used in salads but can be cooked as a vegetable, used in pasta, pizza or meat dishes and turned into a yummy pesto. Arugula is low in calories (woohoo!) and high in vitamin A and C.

Let me share a few recipes with you highlighting all that arugula has too offer! Try mixing up your typical salad greens and throw a handful of arugula in for some contrast and flavour!

My personal favourite way to enjoy arugula - is a simple "rocket" (as the brits say) salad! I first fell in love with this salad years ago while in London, England visiting family. This was the salad at the local pub. I had never tried arugula before, but after tasting the peppery arugula I was hooked. This is truly the best way to eat arugula. Simple, fresh, delicious.

Rocket Salad

Ingredients: For Two

- 2 large handfuls arugula
- Freshly shaved Parmesan cheese
- Salt and Pepper
- Good quality extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
Simply toss arugula in a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Season with some salt and pepper and top with shaved Parmesan!

Chuck Hughes' Arugula Pesto

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 big handfuls of packed arugula leaves
- a drizzle of olive oil
- salt and pepper

Directions:

- Grate your cheese.
- Pop all ingredients in a food processor or blender and while it’s running drizzle in about ½ cup good olive oil. This will be used to garnish your Chorizo pieces. Season to taste with S&P. If too thick you can thin out with a bit of water.

Chuck's arugula pesto tops off a piece of fried chorizo sausage!

photo credit: google images & foodnetwork.ca

GARLIC

There is rarely a day that goes by where I don't eat something with garlic in it or use garlic in my cooking. I am obsessed with it and use it every possible way.

Garlic is a part of the onion family has been used through history for culinary and medicinal purposes. Garlic originated in the wild of Central Asia and has more than 5000 years of history as an important crop. There are many different types of garlic, and three major varieties available in North America. First off there is the white-skinned strongly flavoured American garlic, Mexican and Italian garlic (mauve skin and milder flavour) and the white-skinned, mild flavoured elephant garlic (relative of the leek). Green garlic is young garlic before it forms its cloves, which looks like a baby leek with a long green top and a white bulb.

Garlic is available all year round - lucky for me! When choosing garlic make sure the bulbs are firm with dry skin. Make sure to avoid bulbs that are soft or shriveled. Store garlic in an open container in a cool, dark place. Unbroken bulbs usually have about an 8 week shell life, but once broken the cloves stay fresh for about 3-10 days. Raw garlic has a much stronger flavour than garlic that has been cooked. So if the strong garlic taste is too much for you, try roasting it for a milder or sweeter flavour. Roasted garlic is delicious spread onto some nice crusty Italian bread - dipped into a little extra virgin olive oil

Here are a few recipes showcasing the main ingredient - GARLIC!

Garlic Vinaigrette (by GarlicFarm.com)

Perfect for salads or even on top of vegetables.

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup pure apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup olive oil or sunflower seed oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- one or more cloves of garlic, crushed, chopped or sliced

Directions:

- Shake the first four ingredients together and taste. There should be a nice balance with no one ingredient dominating. Adjust if necessary, and then add the garlic.
- Choose a garlic that you like the taste of raw. Spanish Roja is one of my favourites; it is milder and more subtle than many of the others. For some people the hotter the better. For them I might choose Leningrad, which is very pungent. When I have time to let the dressing sit for an hour or so I slice the garlic thinly and let it marinate. The flavour of this dressing changes over time and so I prefer to make it up fresh every day.
- When I was testing the recipe for exact quantities I used extra virgin olive oil. I used my garlic press for instant flavour and squished in one large clove of Puslinch. The vinaigrette was so delicious that my husband and I sat down and demolished a plain bowl of iceberg lettuce with this dressing.

Garlic Sauteed Spinach (by Ina Garten - Barefoot Contessa)

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 pounds baby spinach leaves
- 2 tbsp good olive oil
- 2 tbsp chopped garlic (6 cloves)
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- Lemon
- Sea Salt (optional)

Directions:
- Rinse the spinach well in cold water to make sure it's very clean. Spin it dry in a salad spinner, leaving just a little water clinging to the leaves.
- In a very large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic over medium heat for about 1 minute, but not until it's browned.
- Add all the spinach, the salt, and pepper to the pot, toss it with the garlic and oil, cover the pot, and cook it for 2 minutes.
- Uncover the pot, turn the heat on high, and cook the spinach for another minute, stirring with a wooden spoon, until all the spinach is wilted.
- Using a slotted spoon, lift the spinach to a serving bowl and top with the butter, a squeeze of lemon, and a sprinkling of sea or kosher salt.
- Serve hot.

Roasted Garlic (what I do to roast garlic)

Ingredients:

- 2 bulbs of garlic
- extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

- Place bulbs on a cooking sheet
- Cut off the tops of the bulb to expose part of the individual bulbs
- Drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil
- Bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Like I said earlier this recipe is great with bread, but is equally delicious mixed with some roasted potatoes as a side to chicken or meat.

Garlic is such a great ingredient and so easy to use! Mix extra virgin olive oil with some pressed garlic for a delicious garlic oil for pastas or for shrimps. Get creative and enjoy all the garlic has to offer!

photo credit: google images