Dragon Bowl

I made this for my mom in November 2013 when she was recovering from a major operation. She was working with a naturopath who had her on a special diet where she had to eat a lot of beans. Now, my mother doesn't like beans. So I was trying to find some interesting ways of preparing some for her. In this instance it was as mung bean noodles and tofu.

8 servings

  

The Sauce

¾ cups rice or apple cider vinegar

1 cup mild vegetable oil

4 Tbsps toasted sesame oil

¼ cup Tamari or Braggs aminoacids

5 Tbsps lemon or lime juice

3 Tbsps tahini

2 Tbsps grated fresh ginger

2 or 3 grated or pressed cloves of garlic

1 cup very hot vegetable or chicken broth

1. Put everything together in a bowl and whisk until well combined.
2. Keep on a low simmer on the stove-top.

The Layers
1 cake tofu, cubed

1½ cups brown rice

250g package rice or cellophane (mung bean) vermicelli noodles

9oz grated carrots and/or beets

2 head broccoli, cut into florets

1lb/500g daikon radish or zucchini, grated

Lettuce, thin slice

Parsley, minced

Green onion, small chop

2 avocado, cubed

340g/12oz sprouts of some description (mung, sunflower, alfalfa, broccoli, whatever)

Pumpkin or sunflower or hemp seeds

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

1. To prepare the tofu turn on the oven to 400F. Use about a ¼ cup of the sauce and toss with cubed tofu. Put the tofu in the oven to bake for 30 to 45 minutes, turning every 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile cook the brown rice in 3 cups of lightly salted water for 45 minutes.
3. Grate the veg you are using: either carrot, beets, zucchini, daikon
4. Boil some water and pour over the noodles and let soak for 1 minute or until pleasantly al dente.
5. Put the broccoli on to steam - only cook until al-dente, about 5 minutes.
6. Chop up the parsley and green onion.
7. Once the rice is cooked, layer each ingredient into bowls like this, 1 being the bottom of the bowl, 10 being the garnish on top:

• noodles
• carrot and/or beet
• steamed broccoli
• brown rice
• grated daikon radish or zucchini
• cubed avocado
• baked tofu
• some form of sprouts, and fresh lettuce
• pumpkin, sunflower or hemp seeds (about 1 Tbsp per bowl)
• sprinkles of parsley, green onion, and toasted sesame seeds

The last step is to pour the steaming hot sauce over the whole thing and serve with a bottle of hot sauce on the side for those who like it spicy.

Garlic Parmesan Arugula Pasta

This is such comfort food! Whenever I make it, we eat far too much of it. There are all sorts of slight variations due to the fact that you can use any kind of leafy green veg.

2 or 3 bunches (12 to 16oz) of tender leafy greens (arugula, spinach, Swiss chard or a mixture of these)

8oz uncooked pasta 

2 Tbsps olive oil

2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) butter

2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of salt 

¼ tsp pepper 

1 or 2 oz grated Parmigiano

pinch of red pepper flakes 

(If using kale or chard, remove thick stems; If using kale, massage leaves to break down the cells and make the leaves more tender.)

1. Boil the pasta in plenty of lightly salted water. 
2. Cut the greens into thin strips. 
3. While the pasta is cooking, add the olive oil, butter, and minced garlic to another large pot or skillet, along with the red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat for 2 minutes, or until the garlic is soft and fragrant. Add the greens and continue to sauté until they have wilted and turned a deep green color (about 5 to 7 minutes). Turn the heat off.
4. Add the drained pasta to the pot with the sautéed greens. Toss the pasta and greens together.
5. Season the pasta and greens with salt and freshly cracked pepper to your liking. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and toss to coat. 

Zucchini Bread with Walnuts and Chocolate Chips

This passed the Ben test in only two tries (this being the second). I usually keep recipes on the Experimental Mouffette blog until I've perfected them (to Ben's liking) and then until I can reproduce them three times. This got such a high reading on the Ben-O-Metre that it got a photograph, so I figure, it's ready to share. It makes quite a heavy loaf, and the crumb is super moist. The walnuts and chocolate chips are just suggestions. You can omit them or substitute them with whatever you like.

⅓ cup (2.67oz/76gr) melted butter and grape seed oil (fill a little less than ¼ of the measuring cup with melted butter and top it off with the oil)
1½ cups flour
3⁄4 cup sugar
2¼ tsps baking powder (or 1 Tbsp.)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup (2 oz) walnuts, chopped
½ cup (3 to 3.5 oz) chocolate chips
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1½ cups (9 oz) shredded zucchini

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. Melt the butter. Butter a 8½" by 4½" loaf pan. 
2. In large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, walnuts and chocolate chips.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the eggs, butter and oil, and the vanilla. 
4. Add the grated zucchini to the flour mixture and mix thoroughly, until the zucchini pieces are separated and covered in flour.
5. Now, add the wet ingredients and mix only just until well combined, and no more (the more you stir, the tougher the crumb of the cake will be).
6. Pour the batter into the buttered loaf pan. Bake 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. 
7. Cool the loaf in the pan on a wire rack for about 10 to 20 minutes before popping it out of the pan. Once the loaf is removed from the pan, let it cool completely, still on the wire rack.

Celerie gratiné

Celery isn't one of my go-to vegetables. I usually only need a stalk or two and then it sits in refrigerator until it turns into a putrid liquid. Not really. Well, maybe once. Anyway, this recipe is a great way of using up the rest of the celery before it transforms into compost.

1 bunch celery (1lb to 1lb 8oz), including leaves, chopped
1½ tsp salt
2 Tbsps (1oz/28gr) butter
2 Tbsps flour
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp pepper
2 cups milk
½ cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup (¾ oz/20gr) Gruyère cheese

¼ cup chopped chives or 3 chopped scallions
2 Tbsps chopped parsley

1. In a skillet combine the celery and salt. Add water just enough to cover. Bring to a boil and then simmer, uncovered, until the liquid is completely gone. The celery should be  totally cooked. Dump into a plate and set aside.
2. In the hot skillet, melt the butter and sprinkle in the flour, nutmeg and pepper, whisking until it starts to turn brown. Add the milk and whisk until it's smooth, then add the celery and cook until the sauce becomes creamy and thick. Taste and season with salt.
3. In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, cheese, chives and parsley. At this point, either leave the celery mix in the skillet or dump it into a gratin dish or casserole. Sprinkle the cheesy breadcrumbs on top.
4. Set the oven to broil. Put the dish in the oven and broil until the top is golden.

Velouté aux chanterelles - Wild Mushroom Soup

Our friend Lorenzo honoured us this weekend by bringing us to the spots where he picks wild chanterelle mushrooms. He informed us that it's a bit early in the season, but with his help we managed to harvest a little over a kilogram of the delicate flavoured beauties. Since they are specialty foods, and expensive, I've never cooked with them before, but I think this soup is a good starting place. It is mildly creamy, a little sweet, and gently mushroomy.

1 Tbsp (½ oz/14gr) butter
1 shallot, finely diced
2 tsps flour
2 cups chicken broth (veg broth for Vegetarian)
¾ cup white wine
2 Tbsps finely chopped fresh parsley
¼ tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
7 oz fresh chanterelles
½ cup milk
½ cup crème fraîche
¼ tsp salt
Pepper, to taste

1. In a soup pot melt the butter and add the shallot and flour. Cook until the butter bubbles and foams and the flour starts to go blond.
2. Add the chicken stock, white wine, parsley and thyme. Bring to a slow boil, then cover and gently simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, shred the chanterelle mushrooms. At the end of the 15 minutes, add the mushrooms to the broth, and cook another 5 minutes. Bring to a slow boil.
4. Low the heat to minimum. Add the milk, crème fraîche and salt. Gently simmer another 5 minutes.
5. OPTION - at this point, you can either run the mixture in a blender for a velouté, or serve immediately with it all chunky.
6. Before serving, grind some fresh black pepper on top.

How much pasta is a single serving?

Figuring out how much pasta makes a single serving depends on what course it's for and how hungry the diners are. I'm a little bit obsessed with my wonderful purple electronic scale and prefer to weigh everything, but measuring is just as good, but varies a lot depending on the shape of the pasta. You can also buy a contraption with holes in called a pasta measure where you fit long pasta like spaghetti through holes.

Single serving by weight:

• 2 oz (57 g) of dry pasta for a first course or side dish. 
• 3 to 4 oz (85 to 113 g) of pasta for a main course. 

Single serving by volume:

• 2 oz of spaghetti, fettucini, spaghettini, capellini, fedelini or vermicelli will fit in a ⅞" (24 mm) diameter circle between your thumb and forefinger, about the diameter of a Canadian quarter.
• A 2 oz (56 g) measure of elbow macaroni is a ½ cup of dried pasta.
• A 2 oz (56 g) measure of penne pasta is ¾ cup of dried pasta.
• A 2 oz (56 g) measure of ribbed lasagna is approximately 2½ pieces of dry lasagna sheets.
• A 2 oz (56 g) measure of egg noodles is 1¼ cup.

Ginger Citrus Soba Noodles

Part 1
4 oz soba noodles (100% buckwheat soba if gluten free - other types of noodles are ok.)
1 cup edamame

Part 2 - The sauce
juice from approximately 1⁄2 of an orange (about 1⁄4 cup)
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
½ tsp hot sauce (or to taste)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsps minced fresh ginger

Part 3 - The rest
1 cup snow peas
Mild vegetable oil
2 to 4 oz mushrooms
¼ cup chopped scallions or chives
Extra orange & lime wedges to squeeze in at the end
a few teaspoons of sesame seeds, for garnish

1. Bring a small pot of water to boil and add edamame. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, remove from the heat source, and let stand until the rest is ready.
2. While this is happening, start the water for the noodles. Throw in a pinch of salt. 
3. While the water for the noodles is coming to a boil, string the peas and slice the mushrooms.
4. Put a pan on the stove with a splash of oil and turn on the heat to medium high.
5. While the pan heats up, start mixing together the ingredients for the sauce, which all go in at once and get whisked together.
6. Once the pan is so hot that the first snow pea will sizzle when it hits, add all the snow peas and a pinch of salt, turn down the heat to medium and stir fry for few minutes, until tender and they get a slight char on both sides. Keep shaking the pan or stirring and flipping the peas to make sure they get cooked on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside. 
7. Do the same for the mushrooms.
8. Now, turn off the heat and let the pan cool down for a few minutes. Add the noodles to the boiling water while you wait.
9. The reason to cool the pan a bit is that it is relatively hot and dry. The next step is to add the sauce, and if you add it while it's too hot, it may spit dangerously. Regardless, stand back when you pour in the sauce. It should still be hot enough to bubble just a little bit. Stir continuously as it thickens, about 2 to 3 minutes. If it doesn't bubble a bit, turn the heat back on to low. The sauce should reduce to a light syrup. Don't let it burn or reduce too much.
10. Add the cooked noodles, snow peas, mushrooms and edamame to the pan. Stir to mix everything together with the sauce. Add a good squeeze of lime, and cook a few minutes more. Taste & adjust. If necessary, add more soy sauce, another squeeze of orange or lime, perhaps more hot sauce if you want more heat. Top with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, scallions (or chives) and sesame seeds.

Socca

These are very quick and delicious snacks. The part of the recipe that takes the longest is heating up the oven. I've only read about socca, and know that it's a food commonly eaten in the region of Nice in France.

1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup + of water
½ to ¾ tsp salt
2 Tbsps olive oil + more for baking
1 Tbsp of finely chopped fresh herbs (your choice, have fun!)
OR 1 tsp dry herb or spice

1. Place the grate in the oven to the second-to-closest level to the broiler element. Pre-heat the oven to 375°F. Put an empty metal cooking pan to heat up. It should be about 10 inches wide (I use a stainless steel sauté pan, but a fry pan or cake pan or even pizza dish would do just fine)
2. Using a whisk, combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix until well combined. The desired consistency is of whole milk, which means it should be runny but with a bit of body - add water if it's too thick, or add chickpea flour if it's too thin.
3. Into the hot pan, put in 1 or 2 Tbsps olive oil, swirl to cover the pan, then pour in 1 cup of the mixture. You can tell the oil is hot enough if the mix sizzles when it hits the oil.
4. Put the pan back in the oven and cook for 2 minutes, then turn on the broiler. When you see dark brown patches form on top, it's done. In my oven it takes about 4 minutes.
5. Lift it out of the pan with a spatula onto a wide plate and eat it right away while it's piping hot. Wow!!!

Tzatziki

You can use a blender or food processor to make this, but I find it more satisfying to use simple kitchen tools. The result will be chunkier, but just as delicious and refreshing.

2 medium cucumbers, seeded and grated (see step 1)
1 Tbsp salt (for salting cucumbers)
3 cups plain Greek yogurt
3 Tbsps lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsps fresh dill, finely chopped
Salt, to taste
Black pepper to taste

1. Peel the cucumbers, cut them in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds all the seeds to reduce the amount of water from the cucumber. Grate the cucumber and, in a colander sprinkle the Tbsp of salt over it and give it a good mixing; let this stand for about 30 minutes to sweat the cucumber to reduce the water even more. After 30 minutes, take handfuls and squeeze out as much water as possible and plop into a bowl.
2. Mix up the sweated cucumbers to loosed the bits, and add the garlic, lemon juice, dill, and some black pepper, then mix in the yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt since you'll already have salt added from the cucumber. Let it sit for about an hour (two if you refrigerate) to allow the flavours to blend before serving.

Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup

This is such a comforting soup. I like to finely dice the gingerroot so that I get small bursts of ginger while I'm eating my soup. It is definitely warming and good for cold and rainy or wintery weather.

1 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 3" lengths
1 Tbsp mild vegetable oil
1 Tbsp (½ oz/14gr) butter
½ medium onion, diced (to yield about ¾ cup)
1 large rib celery, diced (to yield about ½ cup)
½ inch piece of fresh ginger, minced
2 cups chicken (or veg for Vegetarian) broth
1 tsp salt
⅛ tsp ground pepper
2 cups of water
Chopped fresh chives or chervil for garnish (optional)

1. Heat the oven to 375°F.
2. Chop carrots into 1 to 2" pieces. Drizzle with the oil and place them on a baking dish in a single layer. Roast them in the oven until they start to blister and brown, about 30 to 40 minutes. Browning is essential for flavour.
3. Meantime, in a soup pot, cook the onion in butter until it's soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. 
4. Stir in the celery and ginger and cook until the onions start to brown, about 5 minutes. 
5. Add the roasted carrots, broth, salt, pepper, and and extra 2 cups of water (or if you want a thicker soup, less water). Bring to a boil, cover, and let vigorously simmer until the carrots are tender, about 30 minutes. 
6. Let the soup cool before putting in the blender - hot liquid makes the air expand in the blender urn and the liquid can explode out of the blender and burn.
7. Purée the soup in batches in the blender (also, don't overfill the blender).
8. To serve, return the soup to the pot and reheat it over a gentle flame. Garnish with the chives or chervil. 

Gyro made with fresh herbs

I have an oregano plant growing way beyond its bounds in the garden, and don't want to just throw away the excess. In trying to figure out what to do with it other than drying, I decided to make this classic dish using fresh oregano instead of dried. They're awesome with Tzatziki.

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground lamb
⅔ cup fresh oregano
½ onion, fine mince
4 to 6 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tsp ground dried rosemary
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground pepper (or more)
1 Tbsp fresh Thyme
1 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 390°F.
2. Mix all the ingredient together. Mix it up real good.
3. Make meatballs about 2 oz each.
4. Bake for 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 160°F.

Chicken Curry

My cooking snobbery prevented me from posting this recipe earlier, and all that means is that I haven't made it as often as it deserves to be made. I am ashamed. And yet glad to have finally gotten over my snobbery and recorded this fine recipe.

2 Tbsps. flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 chicken, cut up into 8 pieces
2 Tbsps mild flavoured vegetable oil
1 Tbsp generic curry powder
1 onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chicken broth
⅓ cup raisins OR candied ginger
1½ Tbsps tomato paste
garnish - chopped fresh cilantro
garnish - plain yogurt

1. Cut up your chicken into 8 pieces and remove the skin.
2. In a paper or plastic bag, mix together the flour, salt and cayenne pepper. Add the chicken and shake well to coat.
3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
4. Dump the chicken and any remaining flour into the pan and cook until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
5. Add the onion and garlic to the pan, adding a little more oil if necessary, and cook for 2 minutes.  Add the curry powder and toss to coat then add the broth, raisins, and tomato paste (it doesn't matter if the onion is completely cooked). 
6. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the meat thermometre registers 165°F or juices run clear.
7. If necessary, remove the chicken and cook down the sauce to the desired thickness.
8. Garnish with cilantro and a dollop of plain yogurt.
9. Serve over the rice.

Welsh Rabbit (Rarebit)

Also known as Welsh Rarebit. It's a lovely, cheesy, bready meal made with beer. Homer Simpson, eat your heart out!

⅔ cup milk

1½ Tbsp flour

14 oz sharp cheddar

1 tsp English mustard powder

4 oz beer (I haven't explored the difference between using Stout or Ale)

2 egg yolks

a pinch of cayenne

Black pepper, to taste (¼ tsp)
Crusty country-style bread (my fave)

OPTIONAL - 1 thick slice of ham per slice of bread.

1. Start toasting, until golden brown, some thick homemade bread (I used slices of Bread).
2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the milk until just below boiling and whisk in the flour to make a roux. Whisk until it just starts to brown.
3. Whisk and add the beer slowly. It will bubble up, which actually helps break up the roux. Cook another 3 minutes, whisking, until thick and smooth.
4. Add the cheese, the egg yolk, the mustard and the cayenne. Cook until the cheese melts and everything is well combined, then season with black pepper and set aside to rest a couple of minutes.
5. Turn on the broiler. Arrange the bread onto a cookie sheet. Spread the cheese sauce until it spills over the edges of the toasted bread; this prevents the edges of bread from burning under the broiler, then put in the oven to grill for 20 to 30 seconds or until it's bubbly and starting to brown.

Smashed Celeriac

There are some foods at the grocery store that always seem to be in stock, and yet when you get to the check-out counter the cashier almost invariably says "what is this"? Celeriac is one of those foods. Dirty brown and rough to the touch, the pale smooth flesh of the root is mild and pleasantly celery-flavoured. This is a simple way of preparing it, but if serving to others, let them know it isn't mashed potatoes because the texture and flavour is very different! I haven't enthused about Laura Calder in a while, but this is one of her gifts to the world.

1 large large celeriac, about 2 lbs/1 kg
Juice of ½ lemon
¼ cup milk
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsps (42gr) butter
¼ cup cream
Pepper

1. Peel and cut the celeriac roughly into 1" pieces. Put the lemon juice, milk, and bay leaf in a large pot; pour over 8 cups water; add the salt; bring to a boil; and simmer until the celeriac is very tender.
2. Drain, reserving a cup of the liquid. Remove the bay leaf. Stir the butter and cream into the celeriac, then purée, either in a blender until very smooth or, more to my liking, with a potato masher until you get the consistency you want (I like it with some bits in to give a bit of a coarse texture. Add as much of the reserved cooking liquid as needed (this is more useful when puréeing in the blender). Season with pepper and salt, to taste, and serve hot.

Hot Toddy

My darling started a head cold, and so I immediately go for the traditional remedies. He's taken oregano oil, oscillococcinum pellets, vitamin C, (he wasn`t keen on raw garlic but it's what I do). Next is to wrap up in a warm blanket and drink a hot toddy. It's delicious and helps. With the tiny bit I know about Ayurvedic principles, I imagine that these are all Pitta, or fiery foods that will help balance the cool, phlegmy cold. In terms of herbalism, cinnamon helps dry excessive mucous. Ok, that didn't sound delicious. Never mind - just enjoy this comforting drink.

1 oz brandy

1 oz lemon juice

1 Tbsp honey

Hot water (about 1 cup)

1 Cinnamon stick

1. Measure out the brandy, lemon juice and honey in your cup first, and then pour over the hot water. One cup of water should be enough but you can judge how strong you'd like it to be. Stir with the cinnamon stick and leave it in the hot liquid - it will gently flavour the drink.