Go To Cookies

This versatile cookie has become my go to dessert for work functions and for a quick dessert when you don’t want to leave the house in search of more ingredients.

 

Assembled with cupboard staples, these cookies adapt well to the addition of nuts or other items that could spruce them up a bit. Out last batch had chocolate chips and pecans.

 

A word of warning though, the recipe calls for 2 cups chocolate chips, and unless Martha has some secret I don't know of, I don't think 2 cups of chocolate chips would even fit in the dough!

 

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pizza Pi

 

 

I have been testing out a new pizza dough recipe lately that instead of adhering to cup measurements just follows 1 rule. For every part flour, you have 65% water dependent on weight. A simple example below:

230g Flour

150g Warm Water

1 tsp yeast

 

1 tsp olive oil

½ tsp salt

½ tsp sugar

This will yield one medium sized pizza. Activate yeast in water. Mix ingredients, knead for 5 - 10 minutes and let rise for about 1 hr. Pre-heat oven to 485 F. Bake on pizza stone for 10 minutes and then switch on broiler and brown the top.

I have reduced my overall cooking time in favour of finishing off the pizza with the broiler. This allows for a softer crust, but you still get the nicely browned cheese.

Pizza Π = J

In the end the math always works out!

 

Pierogi Party

Dinner is served!

My beautiful wife has been craving Pierogis for several weeks now, she even threatened to buy cheap freezer ones from the grocery store. In order to satiate her craving I turned to my street food cookbook and made two variations on classic Pierogis. For option one I added bacon and substituted cheddar for the traditional twarog cheese. Option number two had mushrooms, herb de province and cheddar. Both tasted great but the bacon option one out as the superior pierogi. Katie really enjoyed them and said she was glad she held out and did not buy the grocery store ones!

Bacon Cheddar Pierogi

2 Slices cooked bacon, chopped

70 g Cheddar Cheese

1 Medium Baking potato, cooked and mashed

½ onion, chopped and cooked in oil

 

Mix together all ingredients in bowl and reserve.

 

Mushroom Cheddar Pierogi

2 Medium porcini mushrooms, chopped

1 clove Garlic, minced

¼ tsp Herb de Provence

70 g Cheddar Cheese

1 Medium Baking potato, cooked and mashed

½ onion, chopped and cooked in oil

 

Mix together all ingredients in bowl and reserve.

 

The 2 fillings ready to be transformed into pierogis!

 

Dough

4 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup water

2 tbsp olive oil

 

All wrapped up and resting

 

Mix together all ingredients and knead for approximately 10 minutes. Add more water as needed until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest at room temp for 30 min.

Roll out dough until 2-3 mm thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out 3-4 cm circles. Spoon in 1 tsp of filling, fold over and seal by pressing together sides with fingers.

To cook, place pierogi in simmering water for 3-4 minutes. They are done when they float to the top.

Fry in oil on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until brown on both sides.

To serve, plate pierogi with a dallop of sour cream and a side salad.

Angle Change

 

 

Cuisine of the Far East…of Canada

A few months ago we were planning to have Katie’s Dad over for lunch and I was trying to think of something interesting to serve. I definitely wasn’t feeling brunch options or anything that would require the full effort of a dinner. Perusing my go to recipe index, otherwise known as Michael Smith’s website, I came across his recipe for Clam Chowder. This hearty soup was just what I was looking to make for lunch, a nice filling soup that would pair well with the fresh bread I had previously made.

 

 

 

 

Recipe: Maritime Clam Chowder

My Very Own Ravioli

The Right Tools

 Mom gave me a ravioli maker for Christmas this year, and this weekend I finally got around to breaking it out and concocting a ravioli recipe I made. I was looking for something different than the typical ricotta and spinach mixture that is most predominant in the store. A quick search through the fridge highlighted the fact that we had some leftover bacon, so I was going to make this the centre point of the ravioli filling. Thinking I would make a basic basil tomato sauce, I tried to incorporate other ingredients that would pair well with this. The dinner ended up delicious and a big thanks goes out to Mom for getting me the great gift!
 

Balsamic Mushroom & Bacon Ravioli

 Pasta Dough
200g Flour

2 eggs

Filling

4 slices of bacon, chopped

1 Cup finely chopped mushrooms
1 Cup Chopped Spinach
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
¼ cup chopped Chives
Pepper to taste

Egg Wash for assembly

Basil Tomato Pasta Sauce

1 Can Tomatoes

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

2 sprigs basil, leaves removed stalks finely chopped

1 Onion, diced

Method

Heat a pan over medium heat and cook bacon until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set bacon aside and discard all but 1 tbsp bacon drippings. Return pan to medium heat and add mushrooms. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add garlic, cooking for a further minute. Add spinach to mixture and cook until wilted. Add balsamic vinegar and cook until slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, and add to bacon. Stir in Parmesan and Chives. Allow to cool.

 

The bacon mushroom filling

 

For pasta, in a food processor mix together eggs and flour. Place mixture into bowl and knead until a smooth ball forms. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Take pasta out of fridge divide into 2 sections and using a pasta machine roll out each ball until desired thickness. Place 1 sheet over ravioli mould, pressing pasta sheet into divets. Fill each section with reserved filling, brush with egg wash and place second sheet over top, using a roller to combine the 2 sheets. Flip over mould and separate ravioli.

 

All seperated and ready to cook

For sauce, cook onions on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic and basil stalks, cooking for 1 minute. Add tomates and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Add basil leaves and stir. Using immersion blender blend sauce until smooth.

 

Cook ravioli in salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes and serve with tomato sauce. Enjoy!

Dinner is served!

Pho-tastic

For Christmas Katie got me “The World’s Best Street Food” by Lonely Planet. This book highlights unique recipes from around the world and gives you a recipe for each as well as where you can procure them. Pho immediately caught my eye as I flipped through the pages. I have had pho in China town and thought it was really good, except that the broth was so salty that I left most of it in the bowl at the end of the meal. What better way to remedy this than to whip up a batch of home-made pho, either that or go to the Quan An Ngon restaurant in Hanoi as the book suggests. The broth takes 3 hrs to simmer but everything else just goes in the bowl uncooked and is cover by the boiling broth. I added some vegetables to the recipe in order to make it a more well rounded meal.

 

Beef Pho

Serves 4 large bowls

Broth:

10cm piece ginger, halved

2 yellow onions, havled

Canola Oil

5 lbs beef marrow bones

5 L water

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tbs fennel seeds

5 star anise

2 cardamom pods

6 cloves garlic, whole

¼ cup fish sauce

2 tbs sugar

1tbs salt

 

Assembly:

225g sirloin steak, very thinly sliced

450g rice noodles, cooked as per packet instructions

Handful chopped parsley

Handful chopped fresh basil

Green onion, thinly sliced

450g bean sprouts

1 cup sliced Napa Cabbage

1 Carrot, julienne

 

Method:

Place onion and ginger on baking tray and brush with oil. Broil on high for 10 to 15 minutes until slightly charred. Remove from oven and set aside.

Fill large pot with cold water, bring to boil and add beef bones. Cook for 5 minutes and then drain. Rinse bones and pot. Add 5L water, w/ bones and bring to boil. Once at a steady boil, lower heat and simmer, removing any scum with a spoon.

Place spices and garlic in mesh bag, tied off with kitchen string. Add to pot with charred garlic and onion. Simmer for 1 ½ hours.

Discard spice bag, ginger and garlic. Continue simmering for 1 ½ hours, skimming off excess fat.

Strain broth into clean bowl and add salt, fish sauce and sugar.

 

To serve:

In bowl place cooked noodles, beef, carrots, bean sprouts, cabbage, green onion, parsley and basil. Ladle over boiling broth and allow beef to cook. At table mix ingredients and dig in!

You Say Gnocchi, I say No-key

Katie whipped up this delicious one pot dinner the other week and I thought it brought a nice broth-y flavour to an Italian classic. To often gnocchi recipes seem to be centred on the classic brown butter and sage sauces. I find these recipes to be a bit overpowering and have me searching for something with a little more substance to it. This recipe has lots of healthy asparagus and the broth reduces down to gravy like consistency, creating a tasty pairing. 

 

 

 

Recipe: Shrimp Gnocchi