#7: Weekend Cooking

Weekend Cooking
by Ricardo
© 2006 Whitecap Books

What is weekend cooking? I assumed it was the kind of cooking that takes a long time, since you have more time on the weekend, but produces something extra special and extra delicious. In fact, I tried two recipes on the same night from Ricardo's Weekend Cooking and was surprised how quick and easy both of them were. Maybe I am just getting better at this. In any case, I did not need to eat two whole dinners that evening but was on such a roll that I created a large collection of delicious leftovers in the fridge.

Recipe #1
Cream of Celery Soup with Walnuts and Blue Cheese

This was my first time ever cooking with leeks. In fact I had to ask the cashier at the market if what I was holding was indeed a leek. Leeks! Tasty. As was the apple and vermouth and spinach and rice -- all the ingredients that don't make it into the title of Celery Soup. Why does celery get all the glory?



Ingredients
1 leek, white part only, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 apple (I used Ambrosia), peeled, cored and chopped
1/4 cup white wine (I used vermouth, as per my cooking instructor's recommendation)
4 cups chicken stock (I used veggie stock, in case of a hungry vegetarian visitor)
1/4 cup long grain rice (I used Basmati)
1 cup spinach
1/2 cup sour cream
salt & pepper
walnuts
blue cheese, crumbled

Brown leeks in oil over medium heat for about 2 minutes.

Add celery and apple. Let cook a little while longer? (Recipe didn't really say...) Deglaze with wine/vermouth and reduce for 1 minute. Add stock and rice.


Cook uncovered for about 15 minutes; add spinach and cook for another 5 minutes.

At this point the recipe says to transfer to a blender for processing, but I just turned down the heat and used an immersion blender. It's so handy! Then I stirred in the sour cream.


Season with salt and pepper, and then garnish each serving with walnuts and blue cheese. DO NOT LEAVE THESE OUT! They are the best part. If you want to see more, check out this other food blogger's attempt at this recipe. She used buttermilk and pecans.

I was pretty happy with this soup, and pretty full. But still had some Saturday left to kill, so went ahead and started on recipe #2, which promised only 10 minutes prep time and 15 minutes cooking time. And it didn't disappoint! In no time I had a whole second meal:

Recipe #2
Pork Medallions with Raspberries

The German lady in line behind me at the supermarket was very excited about my pork tenderloin purchase; she said that it's her favourite cut, informed me I was getting a great deal and then gave me her recipe for Weiner Schnitzel.

Ingredients
2 pork tenderloins
flour
1 Tbsp olive oil (I forgot to use this and just used butter)
2 Tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped (I used 2 just to be cRaZy)
1 tsp honey
1 tsp raspberry vinegar
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup fresh raspberries
salt & pepper

Slice each tenderloin into 6 medallions; flour and flatten. Heat butter (and oil if you remember) in an ovenproof skillet.


Brown medallions over high heat, 1 minute per side. Season with salt & pepper and set aside.

Soften onion and garlic in the same skillet over medium heat. Add honey and cook for one minute. Deglaze with vinegar.


Add stock and half of raspberries, and cook for about 2 minutes.

Return medallions to skillet. Cook in oven at 350°F for 8—10 minutes; add remaining raspberries.


Cover medallions in sauce and serve on a bed of asparagus.

Delicious! I believe I exclaimed this several times while my vegetarian guest looked on over his bowl of celery soup. This looks and tastes way too good for the amount of time it took to make.

#6b: Grazing

Grazing: A Healthier Approach to Snacks and Finger Foods
by Julie Van Rosendaal
© 2005 Whitecap Books

Chicken, Black Bean & Mushroom Quesadillas

Ok, here is another recipe from Grazing. I wanted to try making the samosas with phyllo dough, but let's face it, I am way too lazy this week to take that on. Plus I wanted to use up these flour tortillas from last week's burritos, so, quesadillas it was. Is. Lots of leftovers. I can only eat so many cheesy triangles.


Filling: onions, garlic, black beans, mushrooms, cooked chicken (leftovers from a lunchtime Save-On rotisserie chicken), ground cumin. These are good. They taste pretty classic, as far as quesadillas go. Next time I make them though, I won't bother with the chicken.


Quesadillas vs Burritos: Same basic food stuffs, different shape. More tortilla. More cheese. Messier.

#6: Grazing

Grazing: A Healthier Approach to Snacks and Finger Foods
by Julie Van Rosendaal
© 2005 Whitecap Books

Grazing is just as good for its recipes as it is for inspiration. I used it as a guide a couple weeks ago when I made my black bean & red pepper potato skins, and it has other great ideas for finger foods, quesadillas, skewers, and snacks that you can riff off of at will. Which I guess was the case with last night's creation.

Mini Toad-in-the-Hole

I must have read this recipe half a dozen times, but for some reason interpreted low-fat chicken sausage as chicken hot dog weiners, and so that's what went into these miniature toad-in-the-holes. They're like little hot dog cupcakes.



I think that because I used hot dogs, which I will assume have less fat than even the low-fat sausages, they got completely dried out in the first step.


It turned out that they didn't require any pre-baking before adding the batter; in the first batch the weiners were like dried out carbon vessels exuding a subtle whif of rendered chicken with every bite.


I tried another batch skipping the pre-baking; these turned out much better. Except I was full from eating almost all of the first batch, so I couldn't eat them.

I'll try to do another recipe from Grazing, as this doesn't really do the book justice. But I have to say, when I had the second batch as leftovers for lunch today, they were pretty tasty.

Show & Tell: Red Onion Soup with Brie

Mauve sent me some more photos of Cookbookyssey-inspired cooking. This time of Eric Akis's Red Onion Soup with Brie.

My changes: spelt bread, goat brie and vegetarian "beef" broth. So yummy! I used the Cat Amongst the Pigeons wine. I think I might prefer this soup to the other... but it might be because of the cheese. And yes, I'm sending you pics again.

Looks delicious! And nice choice for the wine. I should get back into the cookbook groove so I can inspire more cooking from Mauve.

Show & Tell: Coconut & Black Bean Soup

My most recent Cookbookyssey venture inspired a couple of my readers to try the recipe themselves.


This photo was submitted by Mauve, who used a full can of low-fat coconut milk, rather than just one cup. Which reminds me, I also used the whole can, though mine was made with regular coconut milk (about 72% more delicious fat). Mauve also points out that this recipe is both vegan and gluten-free. Thanks Mauve! I love the presentation.


Here's a note from Jan, sent along with this lovely photo:

Like you, I was pretty discouraged in the early stages of simmering. I even considered abandoning the dish and throwing away the contents of the pot. However, after blending half the stock, it started to look better and I continued to follow the recipe carefully. Near the end the flavours started building and at the very end I had a very good soup. YAY!

I'm most certainly not a food stylist or food photographer and I shot this image as I was flying out the door for the day. Here it is -- for what it's worth.

Thank you for inspiring me to make this soup. It's easy, nourishing and tastes good. I'm definitely going to make it again and again.

Thank YOU, Jan. This soup looks better than mine! I have such talented readers. Feel free to send me some snapshots of your own adventures in the kitchen. LET'S SHARE.

#5: Had a Glass (2010)

Had a Glass: Top 100 Wines for 2010 under $20, $25, and $30
by Kenji Hodgson & James Nevison
© 2009 Whitecap Books

I'm trying to avoid the temptation of going for the easiest recipe in the cookbook, and rather getting over my fear of slightly more complicated recipes and tackling the most interesting. So I didn't make the clam linguine which seemed so simple it almost doesn't even need a recipe (though I will probably try it sometime soon). There's also a tasty sounding ceviche recipe which uses lime, pineapple and orange juice.


Coconut & Black Bean Soup

The recipe is still simple; I suppose I just get shy around long lists of ingredients. Veggies in the soup include onion, celery, corn, red pepper and tomato. Seasonings: cumin seeds, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper and cilantro. Additionally: lime juice, black beans, coconut milk, and vegetable stock. I know, that's not THAT MUCH. But it's enough for me.


The most exciting thing about this recipe was finally having a reason to use my new mortar & pestle, purchased during a Boxing Day mini shopping spree at Chocolate Mousse. The recipe goes something like this: Begin by grinding 1 tsp cumin seeds with a mortar & pestle; add 2 cloves of garlic and grind further. Add the juice of 1 lime and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper and mix together.

In a saucepan, sweat onion (1 medium, chopped) and 2 ribs of celery (chopped) until translucent. Add the mortar & pestle mixture and sauté another 5 minutes.


Add 28 oz black beans (2 small cans) and the liquid they come in, 1 cup coconut milk and 2 cups veggie stock. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Around this time I tasted the soup and admittedly, I had my doubts...

But no matter. Blend the soup with an immersion blender, then add the corn (1 cup frozen kernels), red pepper (1/2 cup, diced) and tomato (1/2 cup, diced). Return to a simmer and lightly season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with a squeeze of lime and sprinkled with cilantro.


As I said, I had my doubts... but this is the best soup I've ever made! The coconut and lime are subtle yet distinct. The corn, red peppers and tomato are just the right amount -- also providing a subtle flavour and texture, but not enough to overpower. There's a lot of space between the ingredients, allowing them each their moment to shine on the spotlight of your tastebuds. Yep.

Anyway, this is not really even a cookbook. At a grand total of five, recipes are just a minor detail in this book; the real purpose of Had a Glass is of course its collection of cheap yet delicious wines, each accompanied by a picture of the label so it's easy to remember when you come across it in the liquor store. Because of this book I found my new favourite wine this year, Cat Amongst The Pigeons. This particular recipe was paired with a Pinot Gris recommendation: Dunavár. $12.00 (at the beer & wine store; $9.49 according to the book). What can I say; it was cheap and satisfying.

#4: Low-Carb Vegetarian

Low-Carb Vegetarian
by Celia Brooks Brown
© 2004 Whitecap Books

I was having a vegetarian guest for dinner so I turned to my stack of veggie books for inspiration. This one comes from the lovely Celia Brooks Brown, former personal chef of Stanley and Christiane Kubrick. Once again I'm astounded to find another vegetarian cookbook filled with exciting recipes, really making it difficult to choose just one. Simplicity won me over in the end, along with the marriage of the words "cheese heaven" in the introduction.



Eggplant Rarebit
Serves 4

1 large eggplant, sliced into 8 rounds
1 Tbsp olive oil plus extra for brushing
4 shallots, sliced
5 Tbsp (75 mL) white wine
1 cup grated Gruyère
1 tsp dry mustard
2 eggs, beaten
salt & pepper

Brush eggplant rounds all over with olive oil, season with salt & pepper, and bake on a cookie sheet at 375°F for 20–30 minutes, until softened and barely golden.


Sweat shallots in olive oil over medium heat until softened.


Turn the heat down as low as possible and then add the wine, cheese and mustard, stirring until the cheese melts. Add the beaten eggs and stir until the mixture thickens slightly, but remove from heat before the eggs begin to scramble.


Spoon mixture onto baked eggplant rounds and broil until puffed and patched with gold. Grind black pepper overtop and eat.

I wouldn't say this recipe feeds four, though I guess it's listed in the book as a "small course" to be served along with something else. Alone however, it made a decent meal for two people paired with the remaining wine, with enough left over for a midnight snack.

Other Low-Carb Vegetarian recipes I want to tackle:
• Portobello Mushrooms with Blue Cheese Custard
• Paneer Masala with Spinach and Coconut
• Vietnamese Asparagus Pancakes
• Provençal Tian
• Pumpkin Curry
• Raspberry Mess with Pistachio Meringues