Any "like to cook" foodies here?

[robkelk]

Last week's radio recipe is Corn and tofu fritters with autumn vegetables and cilantro-red onion relish. Contains zucchini, so let me know whether it's any good, please.

(If you're in Ottawa on Monday, you can try it as part of a fundraiser for a charity that helps get homeless youths off the streets. Details at the same link.)

[robkelk]

Are you entertaining and want to set out a selection of food for your guests without serving a meal? Here's how to build a charcuterie board like a pro. The page has a 24-minute video.

Perhaps the most useful piece of advice in the article:

Do NOT overcrowd the board. It's important to leave enough room for cutting and signage.

Want some vegetarian options for the board? Vegan Vibes board with Cashew Ricotta Cheese

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A few more recipes, in no particular order (except that the sweets are at the end):

• Socca with Walnut Pesto and Arugula
  
• Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza (vegetarian-friendly)
  
• French Onion Tart
  
• East Coast style Donair (I'm not used to seeing some of those spices in a Halifax Donair, but it looks like one of those)
  
• Potato Peel Nachos (uses potato skin peels instead of tortilla chips)
  
• Hollandaise Sauce - includes the classic variants for Bernaise Sauce or Sauce Choron
  
• Seafood pot pie (or skip the pastry and put the filling into a stewpot)
  
• Chicken Pot Pie
  
• Argentinian Chili
  
• A Canadian take on Jamaican Beef Patties (munchies for your IST Kingston sessions Bob, leave out the scotch bonnet peppers.)
  
• Blue Cheese-Encrusted Steak Sandwich with Whisky-Glazed Onions
  
• Vegan "Philly Cheesesteak"
  
• Anthony Bourdain’s Clams with Chorizo, Leeks, Tomato and White Wine
  
• Perfect Pan Fried Fish (maybe... I've had some excellent pan-fried fish that didn't call for the "Citrus and Herb Compound Butter" in this recipe)
  
• Veggie "Tourtiere" with Tomato Maple Chutney
  
• Blood Orange Tart with mint
  
• Blood Orange Pound Cake
  
• Pavlova with rhubarb and meyer lemon
  
• Japanese Cheesecake
  
• Banana Cream Pie - prepared in a muffin pan as individual pies
  
• Sticky Toffee Pudding with Rum Caramel Sauce
  

[robkelk]

I don't know why I didn't think of looking at the local farmers' market website before now. A localvore can eat quite well in Ottawa.

Buried in their blog:

• Blue Cabbage and Espresso/Soy Marinated Elk Wraps - includes a recipe for pickling radishes
  
• Corn Flour Biscuits and Maple Butter - two recipes
  
• Hiyak Chili (No, I hadn't heard of Hiyak, either; apparently, it's a cattle/yak cross) - claims it's Texas-style, but it has tomatoes and black beans.
  
• Mini Cheese Soufflés - baked in individual ramekins; serves two; serve immediately with a salad
  
• Ramp, Green Garlic & Asparagus Frittata with Mennonite Sausage
  

And 56 more recipes on their main Recipe page, including:

• Kale & Egg Breakfast Skillet
  
• Beer Gazpacho (the recipe calls for a blonde ale... and jalapenos)
  
• Lamb Shish Kebab with Basil Mint Pesto
  
• Roasted Asparagus, garlic and spinach puree on garlic crostini
  
• Strawberry Ginger Rhubarb Mini Cakes
  

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I also don't know why I didn't think of looking at the cooking school's website - especially considering it's a branch of Le Cordon Bleu school. They like sharing recipes for sweets, but it isn't just desserts.

Selections from their recipe list:

• Grilled scallops, fennel, avocado and pomegranate salad, passion fruit dressing, sesame tuile
  
• Lobster trio and tapioca pearls
  
• Bastille Day recipe: Vanilla chantilly and fresh fruit mille-feuilles
  
• Black Cherry Bûche de Noël (translated: "Black Cherry Yule Log")
  
• Dashi poached mackerel, soy infused shiitake and tofu gyoza, Granny Smith apple
  
• Savoury choux, three ways - separate recipes for salmon, mushroom/truffle, and chicken/curry choux
  
• Rolled Steamed Herbal Pla Nil served with Tomato Sauce and Seasonal Vegetables
  
• Norwegian cod with cabbage, lingonberries and dill pickled cucumbers
  
• Heritage tomato, honey and mustard onion polenta tart
  
• Artichokes à la Barigoule - vegetarian if you use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock
  
• Truffle glazed langoustines, spelt and horn of plenty mushroom ‘risotto’ (their quotation marks)
  
• Crab and orzo pasta, crab sauce, confit tomato and sea vegetables
  
• Beetroot, onion and goat’s cheese tart, walnut dressing and frosted walnuts
  
• Loin of venison, with cranberry Madeleines, creamed Savoy cabbage, roast onions and butternut squash, red wine jus
  

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Still waiting for last week's radio recipe...

[robkelk]

I have lost track of how many culinary awards Joe Thottungal has won. Now, he's opening his second restaurant in Ottawa - one where the food is served in a traditional Indian style called "Thali" that I wasn't aware of. (That's also the name of the restaurant.) Basically, you eat what's put in front of you; the platter contains portions of all seven of the day's recipes. No menus here - your choice is whether you walk in the door or not.

Speaking of recipes, Mr. Thottungal has shared two of his for last week's radio recipes: Chicken pepper roast and High range vegetable curry

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7 Canadian snacks you can't get in the U.S. and the backstory on why:

• Ketchup-flavour potato chips
  
• Smarties (the USA has M&Ms instead, but they aren't quite the same)
  
• Jos Louis (almost a red velvet snack cake - older than the American "Ding Dong")
  
• Coffee Crisp (think a coffee-flavoured Kit Kat that you can't snap apart)
  
• Big Turk (kinda-sorta a Turkish Delight, the way a Big Mac is kinda-sorta a steak)
  
• Pink cream soda
  
• Nanaimo Bars (predates the New York Bar and the London Fog) - and here's a recipe for them on the City of Nanaimo website
  

Oh, and Kinder Surprise chocolates, which are European but available in Canada. You'd think the country that invented the "toy surprise in every pack" Cracker Jack wouldn't have a problem with toy surprises in junk food, but that's the reason why you can't get Kinder Surprise in the USA.

[ECSNorway]

Cracker Jack doesn't put the toy inside the bit you eat, though. You're not going to bite down and find yourself crunching on plastic.

[robkelk]

They used to...

[Inquisitive Raven]

The toys in Cracker Jack may be mixed in with the popcorn and peanuts, but they're not physically in any of the clusters. You can stick your hand in the box, and identify the toy by touch. In fact, when I was a kid, I used to do that regularly and was often disgruntled by how close to the bottom of the box they ended up.

[robkelk]

How to make your food last longer and better in the fridge

And one tip that isn't in that article: Don't put chocolate in the fridge at all. (Chilling it too much separates the cocao fats, giving the chocolate those white streaks.)

[robkelk]

Last week's radio recipe is for one of the basics: bread. Specifically, focaccia.

[robkelk]

Just in time for the Grey Cup: Buffalo Cauliflower with Blue Cheese Dip

Vegetarian but not vegan. The blue cheese dip includes yogurt.

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Pigs in a Blanket

Not vegetarian by any stretch of the definition.

[Inquisitive Raven]

Never mind the yogurt, the blue cheese makes it obviously not vegan.

[robkelk]

Should have mentioned that there were two dip recipes included - both with yogurt, only one with blue cheese.

[robkelk]

Your meals are speeding up climate change, but there's a way to eat sustainably - five ways to reduce your dietary carbon footprint that don't involve going vegan.

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Last week's radio recipe did go vegan: Vegan gingerbread cookies make the holidays festive — and inclusive (The ingredient list mentions "aquafaba (chickpea water)" - that's the liquid that canned chickpeas are packed in.)

[robkelk]

Last week's recipe is very sweet: Old-style apple pie with new-style sauce

Egg-washed crust with lard, cinnamon and nutmeg in the filling, and salted caramel sauce.

One tip in the radio broadcast: keep very close track of the temperature and the amount of stirring you give the sauce. If you don't, you might end up with salted caramel candy.

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Since it's mid-December: 15 books for the foodie on your list

[classicdrogn]

Happy birthday to me! Here's the small-batch recipe I use for birthday cupcakes, since I can hardly send everyone some myself.

Equipment: six-cup baking pan, 2 cup measuring cup, cupcake liners, teaspoon, tablespoon, cooling rack, frosting knife
Optional: rubber spatula to scrape out batter, something to melt margarine in

Preheat oven to 250 F

In the measuring cup:

3/4 cup of mixed brown and white sugar
1 cup flour - I use King Arthur brand "all purpose" white flour
1/2 tsp baking powder - probably 1/4 will do if it's fresh
3 tbsp cocoa powder
pinch of salt

Mix dry ingredients before adding:

~1/3 stick of margarine, melted, or a good splash of vegetable oil
1 "large" egg, or half if you can manage it without waste
dribble of vanilla
Enough milk for the batter to pour easily

Mix until smooth, then pour into the cupcake pan with paper liners. Bake until it smells done and a fork comes out clean - an hour-ish? Smells very little until it's getting close.

Add frosting with a generous dribble of peppermint oil and pink food coloring when cool.

For non-birthday cupcakes, one tablespoon of cocoa powder can be switched with cinnamon for a spicier taste that goes well with vanilla or lemon frosting.

It is possible (and much faster) to cook this in a microwave, though the result will probably be a little rubbery, and using a (microwave-safe, obviously) wide, flat bowl is recommended over the measuring cup. It will probably be necessary to flip the partly-cooked mini-cake over (or into a second bowl) and continue in order to get it all cooked without overdoing the edges, and to soak the bowl(s) afterwards to get them clean without too much scrubbing. The measuring cup should be easy to clean with a rinse or two before using the wash cloth.

[robkelk]

No radio recipe last week - they sold a cookbook to raise funds for charity instead.

In its place, here's a recipe for chocolate bark

[robkelk]

"British Indian Restaurant" style curry

I’ll admit that this is a simplified version of a recipe that will horrify fans of Indian food. It may even horrify “BIR" purists who already know this method. But Lester’s rules must be observed: this must be completed quickly when not entirely sober.

This requires very hot oil and very intense heat, so don’t be stupid and scar yourself for life. And if you do, we don’t want pictures.

You don’t have to be drunk to cook this (although it helps).

[robkelk]

A quick "technique" tutorial: Art of the heart: Barista Brian shows us how to pour the perfect latte

[robkelk]

Some goodies from this documentary (that's available from that page in Canada only):

• A meal for two: lentils and salmon
  
• Veggie burger patties, based on beets and quinoa
  
• a "glory bowl" - a relatively-high-calcium vegetarian meal for one (contains walnuts)
  
• Food guru Tim Spector's top ten tips for a healthier diet
  

[robkelk]

Merry Christmas! Here's a recipe for that traditional Christmas staple, injera.

How to make the Ethiopian flatbread injera

[robkelk]

Last week's radio recipe is for egg bread.

Apparently, the bakery is having trouble finding bakers with skills more advanced than "thaw the dough, put it in a pan, and bake it".

[robkelk]

Cocktails "for the Ladies from the National Women's Show in Ottawa" from a reasonably-local craft distilery that I just discovered. (Their "moonshine" is unaged rum; in Ontario, sugarcane liquor has to be aged at least one year before it can be sold as "rum".)

[robkelk]

Last week's radio recipe is winter roasted radicchio and roquefort panzanella salad.

Includes recipes for brown butter vinaigrette and croutons.

[robkelk]

If you want this cheese, you're just going to have to come to Ottawa to buy it. (Apologies for the slightly-fuzzy photo.)


  Ottawa cheese.jpg (Size: 43.97 KB / Downloads: 58)

[DHBirr]

People who've read the Sten series by Allan Cole and Chris Bunch may recall that they sometimes devoted passages to the description of various recipes.  This one was called "Angelo Stew," the Eternal Emperor saying he'd learned it from an "old Mex pirate."  He claimed it would sober up two very drunk men (Sten and himself).  I haven't tried to prepare it myself; just reading the description burned my tongue.  

I'm sorry, but no more precise measurements or specifications of time or temperature were given:

Sautée thinly sliced chorizo and a heaping handful of garlic in Thai-pepper-marinated olive oil.
Quarter four or five onions and about the same number of tomatoes.  Heat some more Thai-pepper-marinated olive oil with a little sage, savory, thyme, and rosemary; glaze the tomatoes and onions in this.  Shut off the heat under the chorizo at about this time.
Chunk about a pound of bleeding red beef.  Roll the chunks first in flour, then in hot-pepper seeds.  Start heating the chorizo again.  Dump in the beef chunks; stir around until the beef gets a nice brown crust.
Dump the beef and chorizo into a larger pan.  Add the onions and tomatoes.  Throw in a handful of superhot red peppers, a glug or three of rough red wine, many glugs of beef stock, and a big clump of cilantro.  Put the lid on the pan and turn the heat on high.  As soon as it comes to a boil, turn it down and let it simmer for a while.

The Emperor served it with fresh-baked sourdough bread and newly-churned white butter.

Sten swallowed. The Angelo stew savored his tongue, and then gobbled down his throat to his stomach. A small nuclear flame bloomed, and his eyes teared and his nose wept and his ears turned bright red. The [extraterrestrial booze] in his bloodstream fled before a horde of hot-pepper molecules.
— The Court of a Thousand Suns, Chapter Four

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I finally quit drinking for good.  Now I drink for EVIL!