summer cucumber salad

• 2 English cucumbers 
• 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• green onions OR cilantro to top
• toasted sesame seeds, optional

Grate the ginger, and mix in a bowl with the vinegar and salt. Toss cucumbers with the dressing, then add the sesame oil and toss once more. Top with green onions or cilantro.

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Smoky Summer slaw

• 1/2 head of Napa cabbage
• whole English cucumber 
• 4 carrots 
• 1 cup smoky tea-pickled onions
• 1/2 cup rice wine or smoky tea-pickle vinegar
• 1/2 light vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp soy sauce

Thin slice the cabbage, dice the cucumber and grate the carrots or slice them into matchsticks. Throw them all into a large salad bowl. Dice pickled onion and tea leaves and put them in with the other vegetables. 

Mix together smoky vinegar, oil and soy sauce. Stir together and toss with salad. If you want, take a large forkful of tea leaves and stir them into the rest of the slaw.

Top it with green onions and toasted sesame seeds or gomashio.

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QUICK-PICKLED SMOKY ONIONS WITH LAPSANG SOUCHONG

• 2 cups of white wine or rice vinegar
• 2 cups of water
• 3 onions, sliced
• 1 oz Lapsang Souchong
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp amber maple syrup

Slice onions into pieces of a uniform size and place in a clean mason jar. Bring water, vinegar, salt and syrup to a boil. Scatter tea into the pot, then pour over the pickles. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate one hour before serving. They will keep well for weeks refrigerated. 

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italian potato salad

Ingredients

• 2 lbs new potatoes
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1 cup best quality olive oil
• 2-3 cups fresh basil leaves
• Sea salt 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil with handful of kosher salt. The salt will season the potatoes as they cook. For smaller potatoes, cut them in half. For larger ones, cut them in quarters. Even proportions being the thing for even cooking. Boil them until a fork goes in easily into the middle. 

While the potatoes are cooking, peel and mince your garlic. Wash the basil—honestly, this is the longest and most tedious part—and get rid of any stems. Spin them dry in a salad spinner—you don’t want to add water to the salad. Reserve a handful for decoration and chop the rest roughly. 

When the potatoes are cooked and drained, put them in a large bowl and toss them immediately with a LOT of salt* and garlic. Slosh some olive oil—about half—over the potatoes and stir it in, then add the basil to the still hot potatoes. Stir it in until all wilted, then add the rest of the oil and more salt if desired. It doesn’t matter if the potatoes get a little crumbly or mushy around the edges. You can’t really mess up potatoes. 

Grind fresh pepper on, then top with whole leaves as garnish. Watch them be devoured! And when people ask you for the recipe, you can honestly say you just threw a few ingredients together. 

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BANANA CHAI CHEESECAKE

Ingredients

• 2 pkgs of cream cheese 
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp masala spice mix*
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 3 large eggs 
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups sour cream 
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas
• fresh bananas and whipped cream for serving

Preheat the water bath to 80°C (176° F) .

Mash two very ripe bananas until you have approximately a cup. Add in the lemon juice, vanilla, grated ginger and salt. Smush it all together and set aside.

Put the spice blend and the sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and stir together. Add in the cream cheese and beat until smooth. 

Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition. Beat in sour cream until incorporated, then the mashed banana. 

Cast the batter into mason jars—I use a ladle or a serving spoon to make sure I don’t spill on the edges of the jar. If you do, just wipe with a clean cloth—you want a good seal. Fill until just below the screw top. Put the lids on and turn them until fingertip tight.**

Using tongs, lower the jars into the water, stacking them up if need be. Cook for 90 minutes, then remove and let cool to room temperature before putting them in the fridge. Chill for 6 hours or preferably overnight. They’ll last for two weeks in this state. 

To serve, open the jars, top with slices of banana, dollops of whipped cream and a pinch of masala spice to top it off. If you like crunch, add toasted ground pistachio or cashews, or crushed cookies. Pair with masala chai made with the same spice mix, or contrast the sweetness with a fortifying Assam or Ceylon black tea.

Notes:

• If you don’t have a premade spice blend, and you don’t want to make the once I’ve suggested in this post, then I recommend ½ tsp ground cardamon, ¼ tsp cinnamon, and ¼ tsp white or black pepper, and a pinch of ground cloves. Is you don’t use the fresh ground ginger, use ½ tsp ground. 
• “Finger-tip” tight means that you screw the lid firmly, but it’s possible to open it just using your finger tips.
• The size of the jars is not a big concern. You can use 4, 6, or 8 oz.

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CUSTOM MASALA SPICE MIX

Use any blend of:

• green cardamom
• whole cloves
• freshly grated cinnamon
• black peppercorns
• coriander seeds
• fennel seed
• star anise
• allspice
• nutmeg
• plus fresh ginger

Put your preferred whole spices (except for the fresh ginger) in a pan and toast 5 minutes until slightly browned and smelly toasty. Put the cardamom pods, the cloves, peppercorns, and any other dried spices into a dedicated coffee grinder. Pulse until you’ve got a fine powder with only a few bits of shell from the cardamom pods. Hand grate the cinnamon and nutmeg, and add it to the grinder. Blitz a couple of times, smelling and tasting your way to your perfect mix. Sift out any bits of shells, and you’re good to go. 

To make tea, add a mixture of milk and water, or just all milk, to a pan with a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger and teaspoon of the spice blend per two cups of liquid, along with two bags of black tea. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 2-5 minutes. Sweeten to taste. 

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Photo by Ryan Szulz, from the Pimentos and Piri Piri (Whitecap Books).

This recipe is slightly more involved than the simple clam dish Carla showed me on the video, but she was teaching me the very basics. For those of you ready for something more interesting, this dish promises a hearty meal, and a more unusual one. To be served with Portuguese cornbread, of course. (Recipe follows.)

Clams in Cataplana with Pork, White Wine, and Coriander

A cataplana, a hinged clam-shaped cooking vessel, is so popular in the Algarve beach resorts that dozens of dishes have been named after it. If you do not have a cataplana, use a wok or a large pot with a tight-fitting lid and carefully cover the lid with a kitchen towel; do not uncover the pot while cooking.

Ingredients

• 2 lb (1 kg) Manila clams

• ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

• 4 oz (120 g) pork tenderloin,
 cubed

• 1 onion, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 ½ cups (375 ml) peeled, 
seeded, and chopped tomatoes

• ½  red bell pepper, seeded,
 cored, and diced

• 4 oz (120 g) chouriço, sliced
 into ½ -inch (1 cm) pieces

• 1 bay leaf

• ½  tsp (2 ml) fine salt

• ¼ tsp (1 ml) coarsely 
ground black pepper

• ½ tsp (2 ml) dried oregano

• ½ tsp (1 ml) piri-piri sauce
 or Tabasco sauce

• ½ cup (125 ml) dry white
 wine

• ¼ cup (60 ml) chopped
 fresh coriander

• 2 slices prosciutto, chopped

1. Using a stiff brush, scrub the clams under cold running water to remove any surface sand and grit. Discard any clams that are not tightly closed. Set aside.

2. In a large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat; cook the pork for 2 to 3 minutes, until browned, and transfer to a dish; reserve. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes, until softened. Add the tomatoes, red pepper, chouriço, bay leaf, salt, pepper, oregano, and piri-piri sauce; simmer for 7 to 10 minutes, until slightly thickened.

3. Transfer half of the tomato mixture to bottom of cataplana. Arrange the clams overtop and cover with the remaining tomato mixture. Tightly secure the cataplana lid and simmer over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Flip the cataplana over and unlatch it; add the reserved pork and the wine and sprinkle with the coriander and prosciutto. Tightly secure the cataplana lid and cook until the shells open and the pork juices run clear when pierced with fork, 5 to 8 minutes (check for doneness after 5 minutes of cooking and continue cooking if meat is still pink). Discard any clams that have not opened. Serve.

Recipe excerpted from Pimentos and Piri Piri (Whitecap Books) by Carla Azevedo.

Next is Carla’s recipe for cornbread. Cornbread is essential to Portuguese cuisine, but it’s also essential to soak up the broth from the clams.

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My bread-making skills were a little rusty, so I approached this recipe much more methodically than I would normally. I needn’t have been nervous. It was easy as could be, and my family declared it the best bread I’d ever made. Of course, if you don’t want to make it yourself, you can easily get cornbread at a Portuguese bakery.

I couldn’t find corn flour, so I put some cornmeal in the food processor and that worked just fine. And since it’s only for the outside, cornmeal will do, too.

Cornbread (Pāo de Milho)

Ingredients

1¼ cups (310 mL) fine white or yellow cornmeal

3 tsp (15mL) fine salt

1¼ cups (310 mL) boiling water

2 tsp (10 mL) granulated sugar

1 cup (250 mL) lukewater water

2 packages active dry yeast (2 Tbsp/30mL)

3¼ cups (810 mL) all-purpose flour

½ cup (125 mL) white or yellow corn flour (approx.)

In a large bowl, blend the cornmeal and salt. Add the boiling water and stir until smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes until lukewarm.

Meanwhile, in a measuring cup, dissolve the sugar in lukewarm water. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand for about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir the yeast mixture vigorously with a fork and stir into the cornmeal mixture. Gradually mix in the all-purpose mixture, until well combined. Turn out onto a well-surfaced surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Gather the dough into a ball, place in a lightly greased ball, and turn to grease all over. Cover and let rise in a draft-free place for about 1½ hours or until doubled in bulk.

Punch down the dough. Shape into a round loaf or two small ones. Roll the dough in the corn flour until well covered. Place the loaf on a well-greased baking sheet or 8-inch (20 cm) cake pan. Cover and let rise in a draft-free place for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Sprinkle with additional corn flour just before baking.

Recipe excerpted from Pimentos & Piri Piri (Whitecap Books) by Carla Azevedo.

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Lentil and Date Soup

Lemtil Soup with a hint of fruit. How very Middle Eastern.

1 Tbsp (15 mL) butter or dairy-free nonhydrogenated margarine

1 large cooking onion

4 large garlic cloves

6 cups (1.5 L) vegetable stock

1 ½ cups (375 mL) dried red lentils, washed

4 dried dates, pitted and chopped

½ tsp (2 mL) ground cumin

sae salt and pepper

In a soup pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter and sauté the onion, stirring, for about 20 minutes. Add the garlic, then the stock, lentils, dates, cumin, and sea salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. You may need to add more water. This is also good puréed.

Excerpt from The All-New Vegetarian Passport (Whitecap Books) by Linda Woolven.

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My Healthy Valentine

I didn’t think I’d love this recipe, since I rarely sugar strawberries, and I rarely drink port. I’ve marinated strawberries in Cointreau, Amaretto, Limoncello, and rum in the past. All were met with the complaint that the fruit essence and sometimes the alcohol content were overpowering. This recipe surprised me with it’s harmonious melding of flavours. The port drew out the strawberry aroma without drawing attention to itself.

There is just a little port used in this. The taste is mostly the strawberry juice, and even using the full amount of sugar, the strawberries were not too sweet. You might try less or more, according to your taste. And the flavour of the port was nicer than any other liquor I’ve tried.

I didn’t reduce it, but instead poured it onto vanilla ice-cream for the kids, and sponge cake for the adults. Okay, fine. Sponge cake AND ice-cream.

If you select a nice port, you can keep it a few weeks rather than needing to drink it right away.

Photo by Ryan Szulz, from the Pimentos and Piri Piri (Whitecap Books).

Strawberries Marinated in Port

MAKES ABOUT 6 SERVINGS

• 5 cups (1.25 L) hulled and thickly sliced strawberries
• 3 Tbsp (45 mL) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (60 mL) port and additional port for serving
• 6 fresh mint leaves

It is well worth waiting the required 24 hours for the strawberries in this dessert to take on the delicate, not-too-sweet finish of the port marinade. Served over ice cream or with sweetened whipped cream or mascarpone, they are fit for any special occasion.

In a large decorative serving bowl, place about 1½ cups (375 mL) of the strawberries in an even layer. (NOTE: I just covered the bottom of the bowl until there were no gaps – Mama T) Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp (15 mL) of sugar. Repeat the layers until all of the strawberries have been used up.  Pour the ¼ cup (60mL) port over the strawberries (the port will not cover the strawberries; the strawberries will extract during the marinating). Cover and set aside for 24 hours. Do not disturb the layered strawberry dish.

To serve, spoon the fruit into dessert cups and drizzle with some of the sauce. Garnish each serving with a mint leaf.

To make a thicker port sauce, strain the strawberries and port and set the strawberries aside. Place the marinating liquids in a small saucepan over medium heat and boil for 3 to 5 minutes, until reduced by about one-third or it reaches the desired consistency. Set aside to cool. Pour the sauce over the strawberries and serve immediately.

Recipe excerpted from Pimentos and Piri Piri by Carla Azevedo (Whitecap Books).

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Photo by Michelle Furbacher, from the The All-New Vegetarian Passport (Whitecap Books)

Moroccan Black Bean Casserole

Excerpt from The All-New Vegetarian Passport by Linda Woolven (Whitecap Books).

1 can (19 oz/540 mL) black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup (250 mL) dried red lentils, washed

1/4 cup cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 medium-size cooking onions, quartered and thinly sliced

1 can (28 oz/796 mL) diced tomatoes, with juice

1 ½ cups (375 mL) button mushrooms, sliced

1 cup pickled artichokes, quartered

1/3 cup (80 mL) first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

12 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

2 tsp (10 mL) dried oregano

1 tsp (5 ml) dried basil

sea salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

Place everything in a clay overproof dish that holds at least 12 cups (3L). Add enough water to cover the ingredients by 2 to 3 inches (5-8 cm). You will need about 5 cups (1.25 L) of water. Cover and bake for about 3 hours and 15 minutes until everything is tender.

One last comment: While you do need to be home for this, it fills the air with a lovely scent while it cooks. Dinner and potpourri all in one. If you don’t happen to have 3 hours to hang about while your food cooks, you could put it in a slow cooker on low, but I find they often go to an overly high heat at the end and erode the flavours by boiling them away.

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IPA Guacamole

Excerpt from The Canadian Craft Beer Cookbook (Whitecap Books) by David Ort

Mashed avocado has a silky texture and rich flavour that go well with the punch of a hoppy India pale ale. Tomatoes add some sweetness and a hint of acid that bring the flavours together. If plum tomatoes aren’t in season, use an equivalent amount of cherry tomatoes. Serve with tortilla chips.

Recommended beer

American-style India pale ale

Hop Head, Tree Brewing (British Columbia)

Serves: 6–8

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 1 hour for flavours to meld

2 ripe avocados, pitted

1/3 cup (80 mL) American-style India pale ale

3 Tbsp (45 mL) lime juice, freshly squeezed

2 plum tomatoes, quartered, cored and diced

1/4 red onion, finely diced

1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) ground cumin

1/4 tsp (1 mL) cayenne

kosher salt

Cut the avocado flesh into large chunks with the tip of a sharp chef’s knife. Scoop the flesh out of the skin and transfer to a small mixing bowl. Toss with the beer and lime juice. Mash with a potato masher until it is almost smooth. Add tomatoes, onion, cumin, cayenne and kosher salt.

Guacamole is best served at cool room temperature and needs an hour after being mixed for the flavours to come together. If you make it ahead or want to store leftovers, place a piece of plastic wrap directly in contact with the surface of the guacamole. The only way to stop it from browning is to keep it away from air. (The acid in the lime juice also helps.) The idea that sinking the pits into the dip does anything is a kitchen myth. If anything, they probably hurt by lifting the plastic wrap away from the surface of the guacamole.

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Excerpt from The Canadian Craft Beer Cookbook (Whitecap Books) by David Ort

Porter Gingerbread

Cake-style gingerbread is a world away from the hard, dry cookies and desiccated houses that make an appearance at Christmas. Put simply, it’s actually a pleasure to eat. A dark porter adds a complex layer to the flavour and the carbonation helps add lightness. Obviously, the nearly black colour also darkens the cake.

Serve warm or at room temperature on its own or with a dollop of whipped cream, made using the beer for this recipe and the technique in the Blueberries with Dark Abbey Ale Whipped Cream (page 133).

Recommended beer

Porter

Coffee Porter, Mill Street Brewery (Ontario)

Serves: 6

Makes: 8-inch (20 cm) square pan; cuts into 16 squares

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 35–40 minutes, plus at least 1 hour to cool

3/4 cup (185 mL) porter

1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) baking soda

2/3 cup (160 mL) fancy molasses

4 oz (120 g) dark brown sugar, firmly packed (about 1/2 cup/125 mL)

1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar

6 1/2 oz (195 g) flour (about 1 1/2 cups/375 mL)

2 tsp (10 mL) ground ginger

1 scant tsp (5 mL) kosher salt

1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) baking powder

2 eggs

1/3 cup (80 mL) vegetable oil

Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C); set a rack in the middle position. Prepare an 8-inch (20 cm) square cake pan by buttering and flouring its sides.

Set a medium saucepan over medium heat and pour in the porter. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Stir in the baking soda. After the science-project volcano foaming settles down, stir in the molasses and both the sugars.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, kosher salt, cinnamon and baking powder.

Transfer the porter-molasses mixture to a 4-cup (1 L) measure or medium mixing bowl. Whisk in the eggs and oil until thoroughly combined. Pour a third of the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk vigorously. Repeat with the other two-thirds, in two separate additions. This is not a recipe where you need to worry about creating gluten by overmixing. Whisk vigorously.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, using a wide spatula to encourage stragglers. Bake the gingerbread for 35 to 40 minutes or until a cake tester, inserted in the centre, comes out mostly clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for at least an hour, then slice into 2-inch (5 cm) squares.

Note

All dry spices stay fresh longer if purchased as whole seeds or pods. That isn’t an option with dried ginger—particularly problematic because of how wan stale dried ginger tastes—so it’s important to replenish your supply regularly. I find it’s best to buy from bulk stores in small quantities.

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Divine Caramel and Three-Nut Pie

A recipe to follow my review of Pies so that I’m not the only one drooling over this book. I love sexy food pics. Don’t they just make you unreasonably desirous of food. Well unreasonable for 10:30 in the morning. But I suppose there is nothing reasonable about decadence. Just pure delight.

As this particular pie requires the recipe for Sweet Pastry Dough, I’ll be sure to post that next.

I’m curious to try caramelizing brown sugar. I have always very lazily just used brown sugar melted in butter and topped up with cream to make caramel sauce. Anyway, I’ll try it both ways and see what I can’t learn about working with sugar. My taste testers will let you know which one wins.

Divine Caramel and Three-Nut Pie

Servings: 8 to 10

Preparation: 30 min

Cooking time: 50 min

Utensil: 9″ (23 cm) round, fluted tart pan with a removable bottom

This pie is a sensational mouthful with all its contrasting textures. While the creamy caramel softly caresses the palate, nuts crack lightly under teeth to liberate flavours. The pleasure that follows will take you to seventh heaven!

INGREDIENTS

SWEET PASTRY DOUGH

• Sweet pastry (recipe on page 13)

FILLING

• 1 cup (115 g) pecans
• 1 cup (105 g) walnuts
• 1 cup (135 g) hazelnuts
• 1 1/3 cup (280 g) cane sugar
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) water
• 2/3 cup (165 ml) 35% cream
• 1/4 cup (60 g) unsalted butter

PREPARATION

SWEET PASTRY DOUGH

• Preheat the oven to 350⁰F (180⁰C).
• Flour the work surface, roll out the dough with a rolling pin and line the pie plate. Or, place the ball of dough in the centre of the pie plate and then spread it out evenly with your fingers from the centre to the edges.
• Place a piece of parchment paper on the dough and place 2 cups (400 g) of dried peas on top of it (this step helps to keep the dough in place while baking).
• On the centre rack, bake the crust through for 30 minutes.
• Remove the peas and the parchment paper on the crust and continue to bake for 15 minutes, until the crust is cooked through or golden.
• Remove it from the oven and cool at room temperature for 30 minutes.

FILLING

• Spread out the nuts on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven at 325⁰F (160⁰C) for 15 minutes.
• In a small pot, heat the cream.
• In another pot, on medium heat, heat the sugar and water until it caramelizes (see information about caramel on page 160).
• Take the pot off the heat, gradually pour the hot cream into it and mix.
• Add the butter, and mix.
• Mix the nuts into the caramel. Pour into the pie crust.
• Cool and serve with custard or caramel sauce (recipes on pages 156).

DOMINIQUE’S ADVICE

The cream must be hot before pouring it into the hot caramel. If the cream is cold or warm, there is a risk of splatter that could cause burns. As the saying goes, better safe than sorry.

Strawberry Pistachio Icebox Cake