Kiss the Kooks: 5 day Pickles

Kiss the Kooks: 5 day Pickles: What to do with the all those fresh garden vegetables? Brine  4 Cups of vinegar 2 Cups water 2 T sugar 2 T salt Spices 1 tsp ore...

5 day Pickles

What to do with the all those fresh garden vegetables?

Brine 
4 Cups of vinegar
2 Cups water
2 T sugar
2 T salt

Spices
1 tsp oregano or three sprig of fresh dill
2 bay leaves
6 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp red chilli peppers or small hot pepper

Assortments of sliced veggies 
cucumber
zucchini
carrots
peppers
green beans

Directions
Heat vinegar, water, sugar and salt till dissolved.

Cook veggies a short time in boiling water and leave crisp.  Put in ice water to stop the cooking process.

Fill sterilized jars with veggies, fresh dill or dried oregano, bay leaves and garlic.

Pour in liquid.

Seal and leave in the refrigerator for 5 days.  Makes two large jars.

Pickles keep for a few weeks in the refrigerator.

Pacific Asian Invasion Soup (Pho)

Made this a few times, and it turned out beautifully.  Comments were "to die for".  

Ingredients:
8 Cup chicken or vege stock
1/2 savoy cabbage chopped
5- or more brown and portbello mushrooms chopped
1 Cup brocoli chopped
1/2 onion chopped
5 garlic minced
4 - 7 anise stars
12 or more shrimp
one inch ginger grated
1/8 tsp ground pepper
a quarter of a cup fish sauce
Adjust flavours to taste and make with what you have.


Simmer for hours.
Take out star of anise.
And then add:
10 -12 shrimp and cook 3 minutes
2 Tlb sesame oil
1 to 2 Tlb soya sauce or tamari
two bunches of cooked and strained rice noodles

Add to each bowl:
slivers of raw sirloin beef strips
(bowls have to be deep enough to cook beef)
bean sprouts
fresh chopped basil

Serve the following items in individual bowls on the dinner table so each person can add to each bite:  
slices of jalapeño peppers rings
lime or lemon wedges
chopped fresh basil
And bottles of:
Hoisin Sauce
Sriracha Sauce

Indian Feast

We started to prepare the dinner the night before with the marinating of the chicken.  The vegetable curry dish can be started the next morning as well as the chipati dough.  
Delicious and not to difficult.

Tandori Chicken

6 to 8 chicken thigh

Ingredients 

1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tlb. tumeric
1 Tlb. paprika
1/2 tsp salt
4 minced garlic cloves
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
juice of one lemon
2 Cups yogurt

Mix spices, garlic and ginger and add to chicken.  Add yogurt and let it marinate over night.

The next day, shake excess marinate from each chicken thigh and place on a pan.  Let air dry for 45 minutes prior to cooking to adhere the marinate to skin and thigh.

Bake on a sheet at 350 degrees F for one hour.

Vegetarian Indian Curry Dish

Dice and sauté in a large pot until vegetables are translucent
1 medium onion
3 celery stalks
3 medium carrots
4 gloves of garlic

Add:
1 tsp. fresh grated ginger
3 - 4 Tlb. curry
2 hot peppers sliced

Cook for additional 3 minutes stirring constantly




Add: 
6 C water or until everything is submerged
1 cauliflower head (sliced in pieces)
1 can of chic peas (drained and rinsed)
2 Tlb of concentrated stock

Cook for additional 30 minutes on medium heat

Add:
3 potatoes diced
1 bunch cilantro (minced)
1 C frozen peas
fresh pepper to taste
1 large can ( 796 ml or 28 ounce) of diced tomatoes minus the juices

Cook additional 30 minutes or more to reduce
Consistency should be like a thick gravy

Add:
1 Tlb garam masala
1/2 C yogurt

If you need more stock, curry, masala or yogurt add to taste bit by bit.  You do not want to over do it so adding it slowly and that is the secret. You can always add but cannot take away.

Chipati Indian Flatbread
2 cups of whole wheat flour
1/2 to 1 C cold water  (enough to make it come to a moist ball)

Knead the dough and then form into 1to 2 inch balls.
Cover with a damp cloth and rest or a half an hour or more.
On a slightly floured surface, roll out the ball getting it nice and thin. Heat the frying pan and cook chipati in dry hot frying pan until deep brown and blistered.  Brush with melted butter.

We like the tandori chicken, balsmati rice and curry dish on the chapati.  
Serve the curry dish with a spoonful of yogurt and cilantro and the entire dish with a lemon slice.
The best part is ripping off the chapati and eating the dish without utensils.

There Is No Place Like Home "Pizza"

The list of possible pizza ingredients is endless as is the pizza crust. 

In this blog there are variations in crust including gluten free and ingredients 
including arugula, kale and even a barbecue chicken pizza recipe.  

Pizza Dough

1 Cup of beer

1 Tbl shortening

1 Tbl sugar

1 tsp salt

2 3/4 C white flour

1 1/4 tsp yeast

Makes 2 -12 inch pizzas

Variations 

sprinkle with 2 Tbl cornmeal

or use half whole wheat flour

Gluten free
3 C half and half rice and tapioca flour 
1tsp salt                                 1 Tbl yeast
1/2 tsp baking powder           3 Tbl sugar
warm water 110ºF                 1 Tbl olive oil
In a bowl combine yeast and 3/4 C warm water; let sit for 5 min. Sprinkle with half the sugar. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients (flour, powder and remainder of the sugar).  Make a well and add yeast mixture, oil and 
1/2 C warm water. Stir. Use flour on your hands to mix if needed. add more water or flour if needed. Spread and bake at 350 ºF without toppings in a greased pan for 20 minutes till crisp.  Add toppings and bake. Makes a yummy, crispy gluten free crust. This recipe makes two pizzas.

Use a tortilla (corn or flour) for the crust

Brush with olive oil and bake and then flip, brush and bake again. 
This will make your pizza crispy.

Add your favourite sauce and ingredients.

Unleavened pizza crust (no yeast)

2 cups flour

1 TB baking poder

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 C water

1 Tbl cooking oil

Add dry ingredients, mix and then add liquid ingredients. Knead on floured surface till good consistency.

Spread and add favourite toppings

Kale and Arugula Pizza

After spreading out the dough on to pizza pan,

spread out favourite pizza sauce and then add 

topping for pizza.

Ingredients for topping

1 Cup of kale and arugula diced

3 small tomatoes sliced

3 large brown mushrooms sliced

1/2 sweet onion sliced 

4 cloves of garlic minced

large piece of broccoli in small pieces

1/2 yellow pepper sliced

4 large green olives sliced

4 - 5 pieces of sliced salami 

Add the veggies and then top with arugula and kale.









Add to the topping:
1 Cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 C grated white cheddar

Add sliced olives

Bake at  350º F for 15 minutes or so.

Barbecue chicken, cheddar and chive

Ingredients for topping and sauce:
4 large brown mushrooms
1/2  onion
1/2 red pepper
2 hot peppers
4 garlic cloves
1 Cup of corn
4 Tlb. chopped chives
1.5 C barbecue sauce
2 C cheddar cheese
2 C sliced chicken




Slice and sauté mushrooms, peppers, garlic and onions in olive oil on frying pan.
On a cookie sheet roast corn under broiler till brown.

Toss the chicken slices in half the barbecue sauce and bake for 10 minutes till crisp.

We used our chipotle barbecue sauce, look up the recipe on December 2013.

Instructions for assembling:
Spread remaining barbecue sauce over pizza crust
Add 2/3 of cheese mixture
Add caramelized mushrooms, garlic, peppers and onion mixture
Add oven roasted barbecued chicken
Add corn on top
Add remainder of the cheese
Add half of onion chives

Assemble and bake at 350ºF for 20 - 25 minutes.
After baked, top with fresh chives.

Kale and Feta Salad

As the kale is now growing in our gardens, it is a great 

time to be creative with your salads.  Great time of year for this tasty treat.

Ingredients 

1 bunch fresh kale 

1 C cranberries or raisins

1 C feta cheese

1/2 red onion sliced

1/2 C nuts (pine, walnut or almonds)

Dressing

3 Tlb olive oil

2 tsp vinegar

1 tsp. sugar 

1 tsp quality or dried mustard 

2 cloves of garlic minced

freshly ground pepper

TIP: To make the kale soft, massage the kale with your hands using olive oil.  

Pacific Salmon Chowder

Ingredients
1-2 pounds of salmon

TIP: we asked for salmon scraps from the fish store

2 Tlb olive oil
3 carrots diced
3 celery stalks diced
4 garlic cloves minced
1 onion diced
4 medium potatoes diced
1 C frozen corn
10 large sliced green olives
1 C chopped asparagus (optional)
2 - 2 1/2 C cream
1/2 C fresh minced dill
2 minced green onions

Add to taste
2- 4Tlb of vegetable concentrated stock (Better than Bouillon)
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
dash hot sauce
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper

Directions

Add salmon to 6-8 cups of water and boil for approximately 60 -75 minutes to complete fish stock.

Strain the stock into a bowl and remove meat and skin from bones. Add meat back to stock and set aside.

Sauté onion, garlic and celery with oil in a large pot.

Add fish stock, salmon meat and olives.

Add carrots.  Cook the carrots until they are tender and add corn, potatoes, asparagus and green onions. Simmer additional 20 minutes.

Add cream and dill.

Simmer for another half an hour for flavours to meld.

Serve with a spoonful of yogurt sprinkled with minced dill on top.

Lemon Meringue Pie

Growing up this is the pie I always requested for my birthday! Still love this one.  

My mother's original recipe.

Use 9 inch pie crust -bought or prepared.

Filling 

4 egg yolks
1 1/4 C (or less ) sugar
1/4 C cornstarch
3/4 C lemon juice
1 Tbl. or more lemon grated peel
1 C milk
2 Tbl. butter

In a medium sauce pan, whisk yolk and sugar till light in colour.  Whisk in corn starch and then add lemon peel and milk.  Cook stirring on medium heat till it boils and thickens. Add butter. Let cool to room temperature. Add to pie crust.

Meringue

4 egg whites (room temperature)
1/2 to 3/4 C sugar
Add sugar to whites slowly while beating with electric beaters till meringue is stiff and peeks.

Put meringue on top, shaping into interesting peeks. Bake 20 minutes and chill.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Original West Coast Sauce

Create your own pulled pork sandwiches. This was fabulous!

Be adventurous and really you cannot go wrong.

Pork Roast 
4-5 lb pork butt roast
Make a rub with equal portions approximately
1 tsp of paprika, cumin, pepper, garlic powder, salt and sugar
2 Tlb olive oil

Rub the pork with oil and then the spices
Add the pork to the pan
Add 1.5 to 2 Cups of apple juice to pan
Cover and cook for 4 - 4.5 hours at 325º F


After the pork is cooked, shred with a fork for your sandwiches
Add a cup of BBQ sauce to the pork mixture

Orange Spicy Chipotle Sauce

Add to pan and cook on medium heat:
2 Tlb of olive oil
Then add and Saute: 
1 onion chopped
4 cloves of minced garlic
2 sticks of chopped celery

Roast Peppers in dry frying pan: 
2 ancho (something spicy) dried peppers
2 chipotle (something smokey) dried peppers

In a large pot add:
sautéd mixture and the roasted peppers
1 can roasted chipolte in sauce
1/2 C apple juice
2 cups of stock
1 can tomato sauce
1 C ketscup
2 Tlb worscheshire sauce
2 Tlb orange rind grated
1/4 C white vinegar
1/2 C cider vinegar

1/4 C white sugar
2 Tlb molasses
2 Tlb honey
1 tsp ginger
2 Tlb paprika
1 Tlb mustard powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp pepper
salt to taste
2 Tlb persimmon jam or any sweet like apricot jelly
Add drippings from pork roast
Blend mixture till smooth
Add more sweetness, bite, or spice Adjust to your own flavour craver.
We froze the remainder for another day.



Cole Slaw
1/2 small red cabbage shredded
2 -3 carrots shredded
1 medium onion diced
Add:
1/2 C yogurt
1/2 C mayonnaise
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Assemble and serve with fries or chips or with your favourite side.

Red Mole Sauce

This was my first time and either it was beginners luck, or I tapped into my Mexican ancestors. 

A hint of spicy, smoky, nutty; made with chilies, tomatoes, tomatillos, nuts and chocolate.

5 Cups stock
2 guajillo dried chili peppers, stemmed and seeds removed
2 ancho dried chili peppers, stemmed and seed removed
3 chipotle dried chili peppers, stemmed and seeds removed
( peppers should have a variety of smoky and spicy flavours)
1 piece of dried bread (size of one roll)
2 corn tortillas or 3 Tbl masa flour
2 - 5 tomatoes
5 -8 tomatillos
1 Tbl butter
1 onion
5 garlic cloves
1/3 C assorted nuts
(pine, peanuts, almond, pecan or pumpkin)
1/4 C raisins
2 Tbl cumin powder
1 Tbl dried thyme or fresh sprigs
1 tsp all berry spice
3 cinnamon stick
1 tsp cinnamon
5 ounces of chocolate ( milk and dark combined)


Heat half of the stock in a pan till it simmers (around 5 minutes) and remove.

Prepare chilies by cutting them into flat strips and removing the seeds.  Roast the chilies in a dry skillet over medium heat stirring constantly for around 3 minutes, until warm and aromatic.

Add the stock to a blender and the chilies.

Add the corn tortillas and bread to the skillet and toast.  Add bread and tortillas to the stock in the blender. Let this soak for around ten minutes. Blend together.  Add more stock as needed.

Cut the tomatoes and tomatillos into quarters pieces.  Roast the tomatoes and tomatillos till they are soft and blackened about 4 minutes per side. Add to the blender.

Melt butter in a large frying pan, add chopped onion, garlic, nuts, raisins, cumin, cinnamon stick, all spice, thyme, and cinnamon. Cook stirring constantly till the spices emulsify and the onions are soft.  Remove cinnamon stick and thyme sprigs; add to the blender. Blend till fully mixed and then add to large frying pan.

I used fresh thyme sprigs and removed them after.  

The blender got pretty full in the end. It took a few hours of roasting but well worth it and fun to make.  

I froze a few containers for future meals.










Add the mixture from the blender to the frying pan and add the chocolate. Melt the chocolate and simmer for about ten minutes.







Smoother either your chicken or enchiladas with this decadent authentic traditional Mexican sauce and bake.

I served chicken with mole with plantain, salad with cactus, mexican cheese and tomatoes, beans and orzo.  

Pulla -Finnish Sweet Bread

This is my first time and it was fantastic.  My mom said she had this growing up and makes it at Christmas for gifts for the neighbour. Great toasted with jam.

Ingredients and Directions

Step One

In a bowl, mix together the following ingredients:
11/2 Cup lukewarm water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp yeast
And let it sit for around 10 minutes.

Step Two

Add to the mixture:
1 1/2 Cup (scalded the cooled) milk
1 C sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp cardamon
1/2 C water
1/2 C butter (melted)
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 C flour
3/4 tsp raisins (optional)

Beat all the ingredients together with a whisk until smooth.

Step Three 

Add more flour: 
3 1/2 flour

I used the bread maker at various stages to help mix it up and it was easy.

The directions are to knead it for 3 minutes and then let it rest for one.  Repeat and knead lightly on a lightly floured surface until the dough becomes soft and satiny. Cover with a damp cloth and let it sit in a warm place for an hour.

Punch down and cut it into three equal pieces. Then cut the three pieces in to three again.  Roll our each piece into long strips about 10 inches long and braid the three together.  You will have three fairly large loafs.

Cover and let it it rise for 30 minutes.

Beat one egg and brush each loaf. Bake at 385 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes.

Variation-add almond slivers on top.

Fruit and Nut Granola Bars

For this use what you have in terms of nuts and dried fruit; there happened to be a lot in the cupboard so it was a good time to make a hearty breakfast bar.

Ingredients 

1/3 Cup white flour

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 Cup honey

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 Cups chopped nuts  (pecans, walnuts and/or almonds) and ground flax and chia seeds

3 Cups of variety of chopped dried fruit

(apricots, dried cherries, prunes, cranberries, blueberries, figs and/or dates)

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F .
Prepare all the nuts by chopping and the fruit. You do not need to chop the dried berries.  Remove the pits if you are using dates and cut them in quarters.


In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients together and mix add nuts.  Whisk in a separate small bowl, the egg and vanilla.

Add fruit mixture to large bowl and egg mixture.

Mix it all up and press into greased (with butter or sprayed with oil) 8 by 8 pan and press down till even looking.

Place on middle rack in oven and bake for 30 -45 minutes till done.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

  A very healthy alternative dinner.  We always change the ingredients and use what we have. This day, we happened to have smoked gouda which was a really flavourful change. 

Ingredients

4 medium size peppers
1 Cup white basmati rice
3-4 Tbl olive oil
3-4 cloves of minced garlic

1 medium chopped onion

6 -8 assorted chopped mushrooms
500 grams extra lean ground turkey meat
1 C corn
1 /4 Cup variety of fresh herbs
(thyme, sage, oregano, basil or chives)
salt and pepper
1 -2 Cups cheese

Directions

Half the peppers and clean them out.

Cook rice.

Saute onion, garlic, mushrooms and turkey meat with olive oil in large pan. Add corn, rice and salt/pepper. Mix together. Add half the cheese to mixture. Fill peppers with mixture and top with remaining in cheese.
We used a Cup of smoked gouda and parmesan cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 325 degrees F for 25 -35 minutes. Remove cover and cook until tops are golden brown.

We served with a salad and this makes a great meal.

Samosas with Mint Chutney

We have both always wanted to make samosas and surprisingly it was not as difficult as we had thought it would be.  They are so delicious! Give it a try. 

There are no mistakes in cooking, just new creations.

Dough
2 C white flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbl vegetable oil
3/4 C warm water

For dough, combine dry ingredients and stir in oil and slowly add warm water till it comes together. It takes about 5 minutes. Form into ball, wrap and set aside n fridge.

Filling Mixture
1 can of chick peas
1 C peas
5 large peeled, cooked and cubed potatoes
3 cooked diced carrots
1 medium minced onion
1 hot green or 3 red chilli peppers (your preference)
1 inch (1 Tbl) fresh grated ginger
4 cloves of minced garlic
juice of half of lemon
1 bunch cilantro
cooking or vegetable oil for mixture and for frying

Spices 
2 Tbl masala
2 Tbl cumin
1 Tbl tumeric
1Tbl red chilli powder
1 Tbl fennel seed
2 Tbl ground coriander seed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

 Prepare all your veggies first-boil potatoes in lightly salted water, cook diced carrots and set aside.

Add oil to a frying pan and saute´ onion and garlic till clear. Add spices to pan and stir for a minute till spices are toasted.  Add chillies and ginger. Add chic peas and peas and saute´for 5 minutes.



Remove from heat and stir together with other veggies and lemon juice. Add more spices to desired taste.

Assembly of Samosas

On a lightly flour surface, roll a ball

(size of golf ball) of dough to make a 

6 inch circle, and then cut in half.   

Get the dough as thin as you can.  

Add water to the edge, fold the two 

corners up and over and seal together 

to make a pocket.   Holding in one hand 

add a couple of spoonfuls of mixture.  

Add water to the rounded edge, fold 

down and pinch to seal.

Add to heated oil.  Cook at medium heat till golden brown about 2 to 3 minutes per side.










Mint Chutney


Add all the following ingredients to a food processor or blender
and blend till desired consistency.

You may want to add the water a little at a time so
it is not too runny.

1 bunch cilantro
11/2 C fresh mint
1 green chilli minced
1 medium onion minced
1 Tbl tamarind or lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C water or as needed