Homemade Pasta for Everyone!!!....

.....And by "for everyone" I really just mean everyday (i.e., homemade pasta everyday!).  I recently got back my pasta maker and love making homemade pasta!  It is extremely satisfying and I love pasta.  I think I found a new hobby!  I am still trying to find a recipe I really like, so I will post that when I figure it out.  So far I have played around with different amounts of flour and egg, white and semolina flour, and tomato paste as a flavouring.  Soon will come stuffed pastas.

First was spatzle with an olive oil chili sauce (with rapini and summer sausage).  This was not made with my pasta maker, but rather with my spatzle maker.

Second was tagliatelle with a tomato clam sauce.

Third was linguine with a pesto sauce.

Fourth was a tomato-flavoured tagliatelle alla carbonara.

Stove Top Rice Pudding

I found a new recipe today for rice pudding and threw out my old one (actually, I recycled it).  This one is so much better - much creamier and richer tasting.  It is made on the stove top instead of baked, which is one of the reasons I think it is so good.  It is adapted from allrecipes.com, and it says it is Erica G.'s Mom's recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked white/brown rice 2.5 cups milk 1/3 cup white sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten 2/3 cup golden raisins 1.5 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

	In a saucepan, combine cooked rice, 2 cups milk, sugar, and salt. Cook over medium heat until thick and creamy, about 15 to 20 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup milk, beaten egg, and raisins; cook 2 minutes more, stirring. Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.  Sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.

Avocados Filled with Shrimp

I love avocados, so I obviously really liked this recipe.  It is adapted from a cookbook called "Eva's Kitchen" - Eva, as in Eva Longoria.  I haven't made too many recipes from it, but hope to soon.  It's a great book with beautiful pictures and some unique recipes.  This dish is really more of an appetizer, not a main course, which is how I tried to serve it. 

1 pound shrimp (use smaller ones than the ones I used), cooked and chilled
1 medium tomato, diced
1/2 medium white onion, diced
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced
Seasoning (e.g., salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder)
4 ripe avocados

In large bowl, mix shrimp, tomato, onion, mayonnaise, lime juice, and seasoning.  Cut avocados in half and remove pits.  Fill each half with filling.

Fish en papillote

I like my fish very moist and therefore prefer cooking techniques such as poaching or steaming.  Cooking en papillote is a great method as well.  I like it because it looks and feels fancy, but is extremely easy.  Bonus:  It is a good way to dazzle guests. 

1) Place fish on parchment paper (any kind of fish works well)
2) Thinly slice vegetables such as cherry tomatoes, carrots, green onion, shallots and place on top of fish (although I have seen them placed under the fish, which may actually work better for even cooking of the fish)
4) Dress with herbs and seasoning (e.g., dill, salt, pepper)
5) Add 3 tbsp liquid (e.g., white wine, chicken stock)
6) Bake for about 15 min (until fish is done)
7) Impress guests by opening papillote in front of them and by calling it a papillote

Buttermilk Pancakes

This is a great recipe from allrecipes.com, adapted to make 4 large pancakes (instead of 12) - which is why the measurements are a bit funny.  We've tried a few different recipes and this one is definitely my favourite.  It is the best with the fresh buttermilk that comes from making the butter (see earlier post), but is still good with a buttermilk substitute (1 tbsp white vinegar in 1 cup of milk, let stand for 5 min).

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon white sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons milk 1 eggs 1 tablespoon and 2-1/4 teaspoons butter, melted

Directions:

1.	In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.
2.	Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it's just blended together. Do not over-stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Homemade Yogurt - It is so EASY!!!!

Homemade yogurt is so delicious!  I am tired right now but I am making another batch because I do not want to not have any for breakfast tomorrow morning!  (Double negative correction - I want to have some for breakfast tomorrow morning).  This particular recipe is adapted from this amazing book called "The Homemade Pantry" by Alana Chernila, which is my new favourite book.  However, all of the homemade yogurt recipes I have seen look pretty much the same.  You don't need a yogurt maker, but I bought one from Amazon because I did not trust leaving yogurt out all night in just a cooler bag to keep it warm.  I also really liked the little glass jars the yogurt maker came with.

4.5 cups 2% milk
1/2 cup plain unsweetened full-fat yogurt

Put a bit of water into the bottom of the pan so that the pot does not scorch.  Add milk and cook on medium heat until milk reaches 180 degrees F.  Remove pot from heat and let milk cool to 110 degrees F.  Place yogurt into a large measuring cup and add 1 cup of the warm milk from the pot.  Whisk until smooth.  Add yogurt mixture into pot and whisk until a bit foamy.  Transfer mixture into yogurt containers and then follow instructions on your yogurt maker.  Mine says to put the yogurt jars uncovered into the yogurt maker for 8 hours, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before eating. 

Note:  If you do not have a yogurt maker, you can fill a large and small jar with the mixture and cover with lids.  Wrap jars in a towel to keep warm and place in an insulated cooler.

My favourite topping so far is maple syrup!  I have also tried strawberry jam and a homemade strawberry sauce (that was made for buttermilk pancakes).  Those were pretty good as well, but not as good as the maple syrup!  Be sure to keep one jar of yogurt (1/2 cup) plain for your next batch of yogurt.  You can only use your homemade yogurt as a yogurt starter a few times before you will have to buy store bought yogurt again.

Making Butter from Scratch!

This is the coolest thing I have made to date!  It felt more like a science experiment than cooking, and was super easy.  Make this just once for the mastery and sense of accomplishment, if for nothing else.  It is also very delicious, and as an added bonus, you get quite a lot of buttermilk as well. 

Ingredients
500mL whipping cream
Large pinch of salt (optional)

Directions
Whip cream in a Kitchenaid stand mixer until the butter and buttermilk separate (about 10 min on medium to high speed).  You will want to cover the stand with a towel because when the butter and buttermilk "splits," it gets messy!  During this process, you will first get whipped cream - keep going until it gets chunky - then keep going until it looks like butter!  Pour off buttermilk and save for making pancakes (use it soon - it will spoil in a few days).

Important:  Place butter in a bowl and knead into a ball.  Under cold running water, keep kneading the butter until the water runs clear (meaning that the buttermilk is gone).  This will prevent the butter from spoiling right away.  Please do not skip this step unless you plan to eat all the butter in one day (please don't do that!).

Note:  If you do not have a Kitchenaid stand mixer you can use a food processor instead!

Can't wait for buttermilk pancakes tomorrow morning.  :)

Easy Vegetarian Lasagna with Squash!

This particular lasagna that I made was not the prettiest - I think because the filling was a bit runny.  However, it is an extremely quick and easy way to make a delicious vegetarian lasagna with squash in it, which makes it a bit different.  This is my own recipe - I thought of it all by myself!!!

Ingredients
1 package fresh lasagna noodles (or 12 dry lasagna noodles, but be sure to cook them first)
Frozen spinach, cooked and drained well (use paper towel to remove as much moisture as possible!)
Frozen pureed squash, cooked
1 tub ricotta cheese
Lots of mozzarella cheese, grated (I barely had any - hence the lack of much of a cheese topping!)
Tomato sauce

Directions
Combine cooked spinach, squash, and ricotta cheese in a large bowl.  Season with nutmeg and black pepper.  Layer in a large pan - start with tomato sauce, then noodles, filling, repeat a few times; end with mozzarella cheese on top!  Bake at 375 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes.

Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus

This one doesn't really need too much of an explanation. 

1) Break off woody ends of asparagus & wash.
2) Wrap with 1 slice of bacon.
3) Bake until asparagus has the preferred amount of crunch!

Serve at a fancy function or everyday dinner.

Morel Mushroom Cream Sauce

This is a recipe adapted from allrecipes.com.  I still prefer tomato sauce for pastas, but this was a nice change (and a good way to use up the dried morel mushrooms we have had for a while).

Ingredients

• 1 -2 ounces dried morel mushrooms
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley
• 1 cup chopped spinach
• Hot cooked pasta

Directions

1. Heat the 3 cups stock to simmering. Remove from heat. Add dried mushrooms; let mushrooms stand 20 minutes. Strain mixture through a 100% cotton cheesecloth-lined sieve, reserving 1 cup broth. Rinse mushrooms under warm running water; squeeze out excess moisture. Slice in half lengthwise any of the larger mushrooms; set aside.
2. For sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat. Add shallots. Cook and stir for 3 to 5 minutes or until shallots are tender. Sprinkle flour over shallots; stir to combine. Slowly add reserved 1 cup broth, stirring until smooth. Reduce to low heat. Cook, uncovered, for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in thyme, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Slowly whisk in the cream. Cook, whisking constantly, over medium heat for 7 minutes more or until the mixture thickens. Stir in reserved morels and 1/4 cup parsley. Cook and stir until heated through. Add in spinach.
3. Spoon sauce over pasta. If you like, sprinkle with additional parsley.

Bacon-Wrapped Water Chestnuts

This is my favourite appetizer!!!!  All of this time, I thought this was something unique my Mom made, but after Googling it, it looks like it is extremely popular!  It is a great appetizer to make for guests because it is pretty easy, does not involve a lot of ingredients, and seems fancier than it is.  Sometimes I make it even when guests are not coming over because then I do not have to pretend to be polite and can just eat them all myself.

Ingredients
1/2 cup ketchup
5 heaping tbsp brown sugar
package of bacon
water chestnuts (whole, from a can)

Mix together ketchup and brown sugar in a small bowl.  Cut bacon into thirds.  Coat each slice of bacon in ketchup mixture and wrap it around a water chestnut.  Secure with toothpick.  Bake for 15 min at 375 degrees.

Coconut Squash Pie

Although this recipe sounds very exotic, it actually just tastes like delicious pumpkin pie.  One day, I was sitting on the couch, and had the amazing idea of using coconut milk in the pumpkin pie recipe instead of whipping cream (sometimes I just use regular milk).  We also happened to have a squash lying around the house and so I used baked squash, instead of the usual canned pumpkin.  The homemade crust and pumpkin pie recipe have been posted in previous blog posts - but below is what I did to make this particular pie.  The filling is actually enough to make 2 pies, so I ended up stretching the single pie crust recipe to form 2 crusts and made 2 pies (and ate them both!!!).

Homemade Pie Crust (adapted from Wanda's Pie in the Sky cookbook):


1.5 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup cold water

In large bowl, combine flour, salt, and butter.  Cut with pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together.  Sprinkle with the cold water, let rest for 30 seconds, then cut with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter.  Form dough into a disk and wrap in plastic (but save a small ball of dough for the topping).  Chill for 20 minutes.  Roll out disk on a lightly floured surface, and transfer dough to pie plate.



Coconut Squash Pie (adapted from an old Toronto Star article):


398mL pureed squash, baked
2/3 C brown sugar
1/3 C white sugar
1 T flour
1 1/2 t cinnamon (more!)
1/2 t each of salt, nutmeg, ground ginger (more!)
1/4 t each of allspice, black pepper (more!)
1 C coconut milk
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 C orange juice (I didn't have any and just substituted extra coconut milk)
3 T orange liqueur
1 1/2 t vanilla

Prick pie dough and bake at 400 degrees, 5 min until dry (but not brown).  Cool.
Reset oven to 375 degrees.
In large bowl, mix pumpkin, sugars, flour, spices.  Add cream, eggs, orange juice, liqueur, vanilla; whisk together.
Pour into shell and bake 45 to 60 min until slightly wobbly.

Carrot Cake - Recipe from Wanda's Pie in the Sky Cookbook

This is the best carrot cake recipe.  I realize this is a bold statement, and I firmly stick by it.  It is from the Wanda's Pie in the Sky cookbook which has amazing recipes all around.  Please do not deviate from the recipe because every single ingredient is very important.

Note:  This recipe makes 2 cakes.  You are actually supposed to layer the cakes I think, but I never do.

C=cup, T=tbsp, t=tsp

Cake
4 eggs
1  1/4 C sugar
1 1/2 C oil
1/2 C orange liqueur
1 t vanilla
2 1/2 C flour
2 t baking powder
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
2 C grated carrots
1 C crushed pineapple
3/4 C broken walnuts
1 C coconut flakes
1 C raisins

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 2 cake pans.  Use electric mixer and beat eggs and sugar until pale and creamy.  Add oil, liqueur, vanilla and beat until well combined.  Add flour, baking power, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Add to egg mixture.  Stir in carrots, pineapple, walnuts, coconut, raisins.  Pour batter into pans.  Bake 25-30min (may take longer than this - poke with toothpick to see if ready).

Frosting - Make only 1/2 of this recipe!!!
1 1/2 C cream cheese, softened
1/2 C butter, softened
5 C icing sugar
1/2 t almond extract
1 t vanilla
1 T orange zest
1 T lemon juice

Use electric mixer and beat the cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add icing sugar, almond extract, vanilla, orange zest.  Beat until smooth and creamy.  Add lemon juice and beat until light and fluffy.  Spread on cake (after cake has cooled). 

Enjoy!!!  (Especially for breakfast).  :)

Homemade Lemonade with Ginger and Maple Syrup

I was at Balzac's (the coffee shop) the other day and saw on their menu lemonade with ginger and maple syrup.  It was a bit expensive so I didn't end up getting it, but went home and made it that afternoon.  It was DELICIOUS!  So refreshing and tasty.  Yum.  Please make it - it is worth the trouble.

Heat in a pot for 15 minutes:

3 lemons worth of lemon juice
1/3 cup maple syrup
grated ginger (as much as you like)
4 cups water

Remove from stove and add in 10 ice cubes.  When cool, put into fridge.

That's it!  Enjoy!

BBQ'd Elk Steaks

Aki recently got his MA thesis manuscript accepted for publication (!!!) - so what better way to celebrate than with elk steaks!!  What actually happened was that he went away for the weekend, so I went to St. Lawrence Market to entertain myself.  I wanted to pick up a treat for a celebration dinner and walked past the man that sells elk meat, who I have seen many times.

Me:  How do you cook this?  <Pointing to elk pieces> Do you stew this?
Elk Man:  Yes, people like to make stew with these small pieces here.
Me:  Mmm.  <Pointing to big chunk of elk> - Do you roast this?
Elk Man:  Yes, that is for roasting.
Me:  And how do you cook this <pointing to elk steaks>?
Elk Man:  You would cook it any way you cook regular steak.
Me:  Okay, so barbeque or pan fry?
Elk Man:  Yes.

Thank you for answering my questions!  So I went with the elk steaks and hurried home.  I felt a bit bad about going to the market without Aki because he loooooves the market and we always go together, but then I found out later he went to Jean Talon market in Montreal without me!!!  That is a discretion that is about 25 times worse!  (I was going to say 50 times but didn't want to seem like I was exaggerating). 

Anyways, this is how I made the elk:

BBQ'd Lemon-Garlic Elk Steaks

• 2 pounds venison steaks
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Place everything in a large ziplock bag, swish it around a bit, and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least several hours.  Take meat out 1 hour before grilling to let it come down to room temperature.  Heat up BBQ and grill on each side for 2 to 4 minutes.  I like my meat super rare (2 minutes each side), but you may not!

Credit to:  Derrick Riches, About.com Guide

It tasted very delicious!  I thought it might just taste like beef, but it was way more flavourful in a very unique way that is hard to describe.  I thought it might taste gamey like lamb, but it did not taste like lamb.  You will have to try it yourself!  It is a very lean type of meat and after eating it I felt strong (like elk)!!!

Ukrainian Borscht Time!

I thought I should probably taste this recipe before I posted it, so I just did.....not bad!  Mmmm, actually it's pretty good.  <This is live commentary>.  I think it is the garlic that makes it so good.  It wasn't quite what I was expecting - much more tomato-based and red than I had imagined.  I don't know if there is a difference between all of the types of borschts, or if it just happens to be this recipe.  It is from allrecipes.com but with no sausage.  Oh, I just remembered that I did not add the dollop of sour cream!!!  How silly.  I'm sure that will bring it from "pretty good" to "very good!"  To be determined.  And it would have made the photo look nicer!  Also, I thought I had parsley with which to garnish the soup and I chopped it up but then it turned out to be cilantro.  Oiy vey!  Next time I may try this recipe:  http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/recipe.html?dishid=3538.

Here is the slightly revised recipe below.  WARNING:  It makes a lot - a huge pot full.

Ingredients

• 3 medium beets, peeled and shredded
• 3 carrots, peeled and shredded
• 3 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 medium head cabbage, cored and shredded
• 1 (8 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup sour cream, for topping
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions

1. Fill a large pot halfway with water (about 2 quarts), and bring to a boil. Add the beets, and cook until they have lost their color. Add the carrots and potatoes, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Add the cabbage, and the can of diced tomatoes - cook until tender.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until tender. Stir in the tomato paste and water until well blended. Transfer to the pot. Add the raw garlic to the soup, cover and turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Taste, and season with pepper.
3. Ladle into serving bowls, and garnish with sour cream and fresh parsley.  

Easiest Shrimp Gazpacho Recipe

Although it is true that I have not read all other gazpacho recipes to know if this is the easiest (in fact, I have not read any other gazpacho recipes), I am making an educated guess that this one is the easiest.  It is so easy that it is a bit funny to eat/drink if you know what is in it.  Nonetheless, it was pretty tasty!  This recipe is adapted from The South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook by Arthur Agatston.  I guess he is true to his word about the quick and easy part!

10 large shrimp
3 cups tomato juice (I used V8!), chilled
3/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup water
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
Dash of tobasco sauce
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Pepper to taste

Quickly fry shrimps until just cooked and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and stir.  Dish out into bowls and top with shrimp. 

Delicious Orzo Salad Recipe

I was very happy with this recipe!  It was brought to my attention by an old friend from high school (Thanks, Sabrina!) who made it for a Canada Day BBQ/Picnic.  It has "a depth of flavours" as Aki would say.  I think the mint is what really makes it great.  I also used the sweetest cherry tomatoes (red and yellow) that I found at the Nathan Phillips Square Farmer's Market.  This recipe is by Giadia De Laurentis who is on the show "Everyday Italian."

Ingredients

• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups orzo
• 1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
• 3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
• About 3/4 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Pour the broth into a heavy large saucepan. Cover the pan and bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo. Cover partially and cook until the orzo is tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Drain the orzo through a strainer. Transfer the orzo to a large wide bowl and toss until the orzo cools slightly. Set aside to cool completely.

Toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Red Wine Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I would use less than this!  Maybe 3/4 cup max)

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender (this does not have to be done in a blender!). With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.