Tartignole aux pommes (apple pancake)

A dish from northern France, from among the "Ch'ti", it's like a Tarte Tatin but as a pancake. I don't know what to say. It's really good! My ancestors may have originated from this area, and over the generations made their way down to central France before making their way West to the coast, and finally over to l'île d'Orléans as early settlers. Knowing that my family are settlers in New France makes me wonder about my own indigeneity, and what wisdom my ancestors can transmit through traditional regional foods.

4 servings

150g flour

3/4 tsp baking powder (1/2 tsp = more custard, 1 tsp=more cake)

Optional, 1 Tbsp sugar

1 pinch salt

2 eggs

2/3 cup water

2 lrg apples, peeled, quartered and sliced thick (300 to 500 g)

40 g BROWN sugar

1 Tbsp calvados, brandy, or 1/2 tsp cinnamon or Poudre Douce)

40 g butter + 10 g

15g white sugar

To serve, plain or drizzle with maple syrup, or yogurt, chocolate, apple butter

1. Mix together the flour, baking powder, water, and salt. Stir the batter very well. Let it rest while preparing the apples.
2. Put the prepared apples in a bowl and mix together with the sugar and flavoring (liquor or spice), to coat.
3. Melt the 40g of butter at medium-high heat. When the butter begins to froth, reduce the temperature to Medium, add the apple mixture, spread evenly across the pan and let it cook for 2 minutes. 
4. Flip the apples to cook the second side. As soon as you've flipped all the pieces, pour the batter over the apple and cook on Low for 5-6 minutes or until the top is almost set. Put a lid on top to make this happen faster.
5. As the first side is cooking and the top is just starting to set, sprinkle the 15g of sugar on top.
6. Meanwhile, grease a dinner plate with the 10g of butter for the next step, reserving any leftover butter to add to the pan for the flip (next step).
7. When the bottom of the pancake is brown, make sure it's loose from the pan, perhaps by running a spatula underneath it. Upturn the plate on top of the pancake, hold firm with your hand, grab the handle of the pan and flip the pancake onto the plate. Remove the pan. The pancake should just drop onto the plate
8. Set the pan back on the stove-top, add the remaining butter to melt in the pan and slide the pancake back in to finish. Cook the second side for about 3 to 4 minutes to get another nice brown crust. 

Chickpea and Bean Dahl

Just so you know what to look for in terms of a final result with this dish, the split peas should completely break down and join the cream to make a thick sauce in which are swimming the chickpeas and the beans. If the beans are breaking down a bit, that's not a bad thing. Served as a dal with an Indian meal accompanied by rice or naan and tarkari and saag, this is a lovely buttery, creamy dish.

1 cup yellow split peas (7 oz)

Salt, to taste

3 Tbsps. mild oil

2 Tbsps. fresh ginger, finely grated

2 large garlic cloves, grated (10-12g)

½ tsp red pepper flakes or 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 small tomato (3oz), chopped

1 Tbsp tomato paste

¾ cup cream (your choice, half and half, table cream or whipping cream)

2 Tbsps. (1oz/28gr) butter

½ cup water

4.5oz dried chickpeas, soaked and cooked or one 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

4.5oz dried beans, soaked and cooked or one 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Salt and pepper, to taste (start with 1tsp salt and 1é4 tsp pepper, to taste?)

1. Ideally, soak the split peas for at least an hour before boiling them.
2. If using dry beans, cook in a pot separate from the peas.
3. In a medium saucepan, bring plenty of water to a boil. Add the split peas and a generous pinch of salt and boil about 50 minutes. 
4. When the peas are well cooked and just starting to break down, drain well and set aside with the other cooked beans.
5. Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat the oil. 
6. Add the ginger, garlic, jalapeño, cumin and cayenne and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 6 minutes. 
7. Add the tomato and tomato paste and cook until the tomato is slightly broken down, about 5 minutes. 
8. Add the cream, butter and water and bring to a boil. 
9. Stir in the cooked yellow split peas, chickpeas and beans and season with salt. 
10. Simmer, covered, over low heat until thickened, about 15 minutes. Cook longer if it seems too liquid or if the peas have not broken down into a sauce.

Boiling Potatoes

In case I doubt myself or forget.

Boil potatoes for 15-20 minutes in salted water.

This is the method to use for plain boiled potatoes or to make mashed potatoes.

It seems silly, but I don't often just boil potatoes. I forget or I'm not sure and I end up Googling it. Now I have my own reference!

Lentil Soup with Winter Vegetables

Soups and winter just go so well together. And cool weather crops make for great soup ingredients. Matched with the savory crunch of rendered crispy bacon, the flavor is nicely rounded and hearty.

1 cup lentils du Puy 

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs fresh thyme 

6 oz bacon or just 1⁄4 cup (2oz/58gr) lard 

2 carrots (6oz/170gr), finely diced

1 small celeriac or parsnip (8oz/250gr) or both, finely diced

1 leek or onion (6oz/170gr), finely chopped 

4 cloves garlic, minced  

4 to 5 cups beef stock (30gr of paste concentrate)

1⁄4 tsp pepper

1 1⁄4 tsp salt 

A handful green leaves - spinach or chard or arugula or radish tops, chopped (about 2 to 3oz/75gr)

1. Boil lentils for 30 minutes with bay leaf and thyme in enough water to cover, plus an inch, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cut the bacon into match-stick sized lardons and, in your soup pot, render the fat from it. Once the bacon is brown and crispy, remove it and set it aside to sprinkle the crispy savory morsels on top when serving. 
3. To the fat add the carrots, celeriac and onion. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables have softened.
4. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Dump the whole lentil pot into your soup pot, lentils and cooking liquid and all. Add the beef stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper and continue cooking until the lentils are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes more.
6. With an immersion blender or by transferring 1⁄3 of the soup to a blender, mash part of the soup to create a different texture in the broth. Add more stock if you find it too thick OR blend more of the lentils if you find it to be too thin.
7. Add greens, and keep warm long enough to let the leaves wilt before serving.

Beef Brisket

For flavorful, fall-apart protein-rich goodness, this inexpensive cut brings much richness. And it makes for the best beef sandwiches with the leftovers... if there are any. It may be more than 1hr per lb, but this is a good starting place. The thing to look for really is how tender it is or how tender you want it to be.

Spice Mix

2 Tbsps. chili powder

2 Tbsps. salt

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. onion powder

1 Tbsp. ground black pepper

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsps. dry mustard

1 bay leaf, crushed

Roast

Beef brisket (4lbs. recommended, but any weight is fine)

1½ cups beef stock

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Make a dry rub by combining chili powder, salt, garlic and onion powders, black pepper, sugar, dry mustard, and bay leaf.
3. Generally season the raw brisket on both sides with the rub.
4. Place in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 1 hour.
5. Add beef stock and enough water to yield about ½ inch of liquid in the roasting pan.
6. Lower oven to 300F, cover pan tightly and continue cooking for the equivalent of an additional 1 hour per lb, or until fork-tender, or until it reaches an internal temperature of 180 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. 
7. Allow to rest, covered, for 10 minutes.
8. Trim the fat and slice meat thinly across the grain. Top with juice from the pan.

Slow-cooked Leg of Pork with Beans

While this can be made with pretty much any bean, cannellini is the top contender. It is a bit sweet with the pork and the cannellini beans are wonderfully creamy, almost like a sauce. But the real trick for this is the bread and vinegar: the crunch of the buttered toast is a necessary companion, as is the strong, sharp taste of the vinegar. Be a little conservative when sprinkling the vinegar on top to assess how much you actually want. Note that the leftover beans make an excellent base for eggs and toast for lunch.

1lb 8 oz dried beans (cannellini, Red Mexican, pinto all worked)

5 cups chicken broth

2 bay leaves

2½ to 3 lbs. pork shoulder (Boston butt) roast or Leg roast

4 large leaves fresh sage, finely minced

1½ tsp salt

1 tsp whole fennel seeds, ground

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, finely minced

5 garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced or pressed

1 Tbsp olive oil

Black pepper

Fruit or white wine vinegar for serving

Crusty toasted and buttered bread for eating

1. Boil the beans for 10 minutes.
2. Place the beans, broth, and bay leaves in a large slow cooker (as the beans cook, they push the roast up and can lift the lid of a small slow cooker). Place the pork on top of the beans.
3. Mix together the prepared sage, rosemary, garlic, fennel, salt and olive oil to form a paste. Smear the paste all over the top of the pork.
4. Cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 6 to 8 hours, or until pork is tender and beans are cooked through. Gently shred the pork into chunks.
5. Serve topped with freshly cracked black pepper and butter-toasted crusty bread. Drizzle on a splash of white wine vinegar if desired. Or Optionally, BALSAMIC for a bigger taste.

Pizza Dough

This is an easy dough recipe and, the philistine that I am, I use any flour I have, primarily all purpose. The thin crusts are my favorite, I like them with crunch!

Makes : 1 thick crust or 2 thin crusts

4 cups (520g) white flour + more as needed

2½ tsps. dry active yeast

1½ tsp salt

2 Tbsps. + more for brushing olive oil

1¼ cups warm water (105 to 110°F)

1/4 cup tomato sauce

Cheese of choice (80-100g)

Toppings of choice 

1. Use some of the water (the ¼ cup is fine) to dissolve the yeast.
2. If using a mixer, combine all the ingredients. With a dough attachment, turn on the machine to medium-low speed (Kitchen Aid = 2) 
3. Let rest 2 min then mix another 30 secs.
4. Remove and hand knead on a floured surface for at least 4 mins. NOTE also cover with flour before starting to knead. The dough is sticky! It will absorb the flour on the board, so add more flour to the board as it becomes too sticky.
5. If mixing by hand, on a board or the counter, make a mound of flour, sprinkle on the salt, create a bowl in the center of the flour mound, and start adding the oil, water and dissolved yeast, combining with your fingers. 
6. As when making pasta, the dough is sticky! It will absorb the flour on the board, so add more flour to the board as it continues to stick to your hands. Otherwise, it will be quite sticky to start but should become whole feel like slightly tacky ball of dough.
7. Oil a bowl and put the dough in to rise. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise for 1½ hours and a warm draft-free place.
8. Put a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F for 30 mins (if no stone use a cast iron frying pan as preheat-sink and place dough on top of heated cast iron pan).
9. While the oven and pizza stone are heating up, spread out dough by hand. Use a fork to pierce the dough all over, then brush with olive oil. 
10. Put the toppings on.
11. Turn down the temperature to 425°F and cook for 20 mins OR until the edges start to brown (note that the dough will cook another 5 on the counter as it cools).
12. Let cool on rack or perforated pizza pan.

Stovetop Scalloped Potatoes

A very quick hot dish, it's full of creamy starchiness. And you only need one stovetop element while making something else to go with. As a main dish, accompany with a pilaf.

3 Tbsps. butter (1½ oz/42gr)

1 small onion, chopped (4oz/115g)

4 medium potatoes, sliced thin (1lb 12oz or 800 grams)

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 cup milk

1 cup grated sharp cheddar (4 oz/115g) (Old English very good)

OPTIONAL - 1 - 2 tsps minced herbs (chives or thyme or rosemary)

1. Sauté onion in butter until they are lightly browned and soft. 
2. Add the potatoes, salt and milk. 
3. Cover and cook slowly, approximately 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. 
4. Remove cover and sprinkle with cheese. Stir in very gently. Serve at once. 

Creamy Curried Chickpeas

In brackets is the quantity when I'm only making this recipe to go with rice. The un-bracketed quantity is for a multiple dish meal.

Serves 4 as a main course

(OPTIONAL: Saute ½ onion chopped and 2 cloves chopped garlic for 4 to 5 mins then add ingredients)

1lb/453.6ml canned tomato puree or unseasoned tomato sauce

3 cups (1lb12oz/780g) milk

4 cups (1lb10oz/780g) cooked chickpeas (or 400 to 500g paneer) (OR BOTH, by halving the amount of each)

4 tsps. garam masala

1 tsp paprika or cayenne or Indian red chili powder or both

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1½ tsp garlic powder or 4 tsps. minced ginger and garlic or ginger-garlic paste

4 bay leaves, optional

4 Tbsps. (75g) yogurt 

+ 4 tsp yogurt for garnish drizzle

cilantro, sliced green chilies and lime for garnish

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, add all the ingredients and mix really well. Bring to a boil. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. You can add more garam masala if you like or some ground cumin and ground coriander for additional flavor.
2. There will be a lot of liquid. Cook down at least 20 minutes, maybe longer. 
3. The sauce will thicken more as it cools so you don’t want it too thick while it’s hot.
4. Serve the butter chickpeas garnished with cilantro, lemon juice, and sliced green chillies or with rice or flatbread, or naan. You can also add a garnish of cream.

Onion, Cheddar and Bacon Pasta

This is more of a cold weather dish, with the warmth of the browned onions and smoky bacon. Wonderfully warming and creamy. 

5 servings 

6 to 8oz bacon, cut into lardons

¼ cup bacon fat

4 medium onions (24oz/680g) thinly sliced

¼ Tbsps white wine

1 lb spaghetti, linguini or fettucine etc.

1½ cups whipping (heavy) cream

6oz shredded Cheddar cheese 

Salt, to taste

1. Cook the bacon until just before it crisps, or until it is of a light golden colour. Remove it from the fat and set aside, keeping about ¼ cup of fat (if there isn't enough fat, add butter. Chop the bacon into pieces and set aside.
2. To the hot bacon fat add the onion to caramelize. To properly caramelize, cook the onions over med-low heat, preferably using a diffuser, stirring often; this can take a half hour+, be patient. It's worth it. 
3. When the onions are of a delicious brown and very soft, the sugars will have stuck to the bottom of the pan creating the fond and a lot of the flavor. Deglazed with the wine. Add as much wine as you need to get that lovely fond moving... (within reason. If you want more white wine, pour some in a glass and drink it).
4. Put the pasta on to boil.
5. Add the cream to the onions and bring to the boiling point. Turn off the heat. Mix in the cheese and the bacon.
6. Pour over the noodles; toss to coat. Test the seasoning and add salt to your liking, a pinch at a time.
7. Serve with a good grind of black pepper.

Pasta with Bacon, Swiss chard and Gruyère

This delicious concoction harbors hidden chunks of crisp bacon that don't make it into every delicious bite, but when they do, they are like little secret savory explosions of crunchy deliciousness.

1lb Swiss chard, leaf separated from stem and sliced, stems sliced thin

2 tsps. vegetable oil

2 oz bacon cut into lardons

3 garlic cloves

½ cup white wine

½ cup heavy cream

2 tsps. chopped fresh sage

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

8 to 12 oz chunky pasta OR spaghettini

3 oz Gruyère, If using Chunky Pasta, cube 1/4"; If using spaghettini, coarsely grate

1. In a pot of boiling salted water, cook chard stems for about 2 minutes, then add chard leaves and cook an extra minute. To save the water for cooking the pasta, remove the chard with a slotted spoon and drain in a colander.
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add bacon, and cook until crispy and rendered; set aside. 
3. Reduce heat to low, add the garlic and cook until just starting to go brown. 
4. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half. 
5. Add the heavy cream and sage and simmer for 2 minutes. 
6. Add the salt, pepper and reserved chard; cover and remove from heat. 
7. Return the pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and add to the skillet. 
8. Toss the hot pasta with the sauce, Gruyère and reserved bacon until the cheese starts to melt. 

Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache Topping

Crust - enough for 1 crust

2 cups (280g) graham crackers

120 g butter 

2Tbsps sugar

pinch of salt

Cake - batter for 2 cakes

40 oz (1134g) cream cheese

1½ cups white sugar

(OPTIONAL ½ cup cocoa powder)

3 Tbsps. flour

4 tsps. vanilla 

1 tsp packed lemon zest

2 tsps. lemon juice

¼ tsp salt

2 egg yolks

6 eggs

½ cup heavy cream

Topping - enough for 1 cake

7-8 oz (130g) chocolate (70%), chopped

3/4 cup (188g) heavy (whipping) cream

2 Tbsps (28gr) butter

Crust

1. Melt the butter. Combine the butter with the graham cracker crumbs until you get the texture of wet sand. Firmly press it down into the bottom and up the sides of a spring form pan. It should almost reach the top. I like to use a small measuring cup to pack it in.
2. Place the crust in the freezer while you make the cheesecake filling.

Cheesecake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Whip the cream cheese in a stand mixer on medium-low speed until softened. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and under the paddle often. The process should take 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the sugar and flour and continue to mix on low until blended, scraping down the sides as needed.
3. One at a time, add the eggs, followed by the yolks.
4. Add the heavy cream, vanilla and lemon zest and mix until combined. Don't over mix the batter.
5. Remove the crust from the freezer and pour in the cheesecake filling.
6. Bake for 40 minutes to an hour
7. Cheesecake is done when a 1⁄2 inch (1.3 cm) ring around the the edge begins to brown and puff up slightly from the pan. The filling should still be pale, rather than golden.
8. Place the cheesecake on a wire rack to cool.
9. After cooling refrigerate the cheesecake for a minimum of 6 hours. Overnight is best.

Topping

1. Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl. 
2. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil, then pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. 
3. Stir until smooth.
4. Spread over the cooled cake and allow to set.

Apple Cinnamon Bread

THE BREAD

1½ cups apple sauce, drained in a sieve of extra moisture before measuring

¼ cup melted butter 

½ cup sugar

½ cup light brown sugar (packed)

2 eggs

1 + ½ tsp ground cinnamon (maybe try coriander?)

1½ cups flour

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp cloves

STREUSEL TOPPING

¼ cup all purpose flour

¼ cup packed Brown Sugar

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

1½ Tbsps. butter

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. 
2. Sieve any extra moisture from the apple sauce before measuring the 1½ cup.
3. Melt the butter and whisk into the apple sauce
4. Add the sugars and then whisk in the eggs.
5. Without stirring, add the flour, cinnamon. salt, baking soda and cloves.
6. With a wooden spoon mix the batter just until combined.
7. Grease a bread pan with butter and pour in the batter.
8. In a small bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar and and cinnamon until evenly combined. Rub in the butter.
9. Sprinkle the streusel on top of the batter.
10. Bake for 1 hour or until a knife comes out clean.

Pierogi Casserole

Totally not pierogi, but close enough to fake it. Super easy although not easy on the number of dishes, but definitely worth it for some carb-y, fatty comfort food. There's no shame in it, and it's so, so good.

4-6 servings

5 potatoes, (40oz) 
½ cup milk
⅓ cup butter (2.7oz/76gr), melted (#1)
½ tsp salt 
½ tsp pepper 

2 Tbsps. (1oz/28gr) butter (#2)
(Optional: ¼ lb bacon, diced)
2 onions (12oz), chopped
9 lasagna noodles 
2 Tbsps. (1oz/28gr) butter (#3)
2 Tbsps. flour
1¼ cups milk
2 cups (8 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese
Sour cream
3 Tbsps. chopped fresh chives

1. Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water for 10-20 minutes, until fork-tender. Drain and mash with milk and ⅓ cup of butter, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Melt 2 Tbsps.' of butter to sauté the onion (if using, add them at the same time to sauté together), until soft and translucent.
3. Meanwhile, boil the water and cook the noodles until just al dente. They cook some more as the dish bakes.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F.
5. Make the bechamel sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan; add the flour and whisk, until the flour starts to turn golden. Stream in the milk, whisking to avoid lumps.
6. Layer the ingredients in a 9x13 baking dish in the following sequence: 
• a single layer of 3 noodles
• ½ of the mashed potatoes
• ⅓ of the cheese
• a single layer of 3 lasagna noodles
• the whole preparation of bechamel
• ½ of the mashed potatoes
• ⅓ of the cheese
• a single layer of 3 lasagna noodles
• ⅓ of the cheese
• onions (and bacon) on top. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Bake, uncovered, in the hot oven for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with sour cream and chopped fresh chives. 

White Cake

Just a simple sponge with lots of potential. It's super moist and not too sweet. Goes well with fruit and coulis and any kind of icing you can think of.

2 2/3 (405g) cups flour

1 2/3 cups (350g) sugar

2 tsps (10g) baking soda

1 tsp (4g) baking powder

1⁄2 tsp (2g) salt

2 large eggs

2 Tbsps vanilla

2 cups cream (any liquid will do but I like the richness)

1⁄2 cup vegetable oil

2 tsps. white vinegar

1. Set oven to 325°F.
2. Generously grease two 8 inch cake rounds. The batter does tend to stick, so you may elect to cut out some parchment paper circles to lay at the bottom of your pan (grease the pan first, lay the parchment paper over the surface and press to make it stick - this will prevent batter from leaking under the parchment paper. Then grease the surface of the parchment paper).
3. In a large mixing bowl combine the flour with the sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
4. Add in eggs, vanilla, cream oil and vinegar; mix until blended and smooth. Remember, the batter will be thin. Ta-da, all in one bowl!
5. Pour into prepared baking pans (about 740g per pan).
6. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until cake tests done.
7. Cool completely before frosting.

Blackberry Coulis

A smooth, tart, fruit sauce that thickens on its own. I learned that blackberries thicken on their own from Dorothy Hartley's Food in England.

10oz fresh blackberries

1/4 cup (50g) white sugar

juice from ½ lemon

1. Over medium-low heat, add the blackberries, lemon, and sugar to the saucepan. Stir to mix well.
2. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes (up to 10 minutes if using frozen fruit to help excess moisture to evaporate).
3. Either press through a sieve or use a blender to crush the fruit and strain out the juices. 

Yogurt Icing

This icing is a bit like a light cream cheese icing (which is kind of weird to say since it's mostly butter). The yogurt is mostly there to add a tang to the sweetness.

4 cups icing sugar

160g butter, room temperature

115g plain full fat yogurt

1½ tsp. vanilla extract

1. Start by beating the butter until creamy, then add the icing sugar in ½ cup increments. 
2. Continue to beat until the mixture turns into a smooth paste.
3. Add the yogurt and vanilla and beat vigorously until completely smooth and spreading consistency.

Flour Tortillas

These of course go really well with Refried Beans, Ensalada de Col, Red Rice, Chocolate Chilli, or Black Bean Chilli, sour cream, cheese and, oh, anything else that would make a good burrito or enchilada. You can make the dough well in advance and refrigerate before you're ready to use it. 

3⅓ cups (460g) white flour 

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

⅓ cup (67g) neutral vegetable oil or lard

Up to 1 cup warm water

1. Combine the dry ingredients, then make a well in the center and add the oil and up to ¾ of the water. Stir well until all dry ingredients are incorporated and the dough begins to come together to form a shaggy ball. Add some more water if it seems like it isn't sticking together.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 1 to 2 minutes or until the dough is nice and smooth. 
3. Divide into 16 equal portions (about 50gr) and form each piece into a ball. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes (or as much as 2 hours).
4. When ready to cook the dough, heat a large pan over medium heat. 
5. On a floured surface roll each dough piece into a rough circle, about 7 to 8" inches in diameter (don’t stack uncooked tortillas on top of each other or they will stick together).
6. When the pan is hot, place one dough circle into the pan and allow to cook 45 seconds to 1 minute or until the bottom surface has a few pale brown spots and the uncooked surface is bubbly. If browning too fast, reduce the heat a bit. If it’s taking longer than a minute to see a few pale golden brown spots on the underside of tortillas, increase the heat a bit. Flip to other side and cook for 15-20 seconds. The tortillas should be nice and soft but have a few small brown spots on the surface. Sometimes they will puff up, don't worry, they'll be delicious.
7. Cover with a towel and keep warm until ready to serve. Easily saved and re-heated on a dry pan until soft again.

Nettle Ravioli

A bit of fancy for spring's first fresh greens. Stinging nettles are full of nutrients and blah blah blah. Most importantly, they are tasty! For seasonal cooking, what's left in your stores that can go with the first of the year's fresh food? I came up with this earthy, grounding recipe that's also a li'l bit fancy. The pine nuts can be replaced by other locally grown nuts like walnuts or hazelnuts. As with many substitutions, you may have to adjust the quantity a bit to balance the flavors to your liking.

Pasta dough

2 cups flour (or try 3 oz flour per egg)

3 eggs

pinch salt

Filling

50g by weight stinging nettle leaves, tough stems removed

1 clove garlic

25g by weight of pine nuts

1 egg

salt and pepper

a little oil

Sauce

1/4 cup (2oz/58gr) butter per 16 ravioli (for dairy free, substitute with olive oil)

1 clove garlic, pressed

1 Tbsp snipped fresh sage, oregano, Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, and/or chives or 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Garnish

Ground black pepper

Grated parmesan

Pasta - part 1

1. On a board or the counter, make a mound of flour, sprinkle on the salt, create a bowl in the centre of the flour mound, crack in the eggs and start combining with your fingers. You should end up with a very dry dough, almost cracking. Cover and allow to rest for 1 hour. 

Filling

1. Simmer all the nettles in a little water for ten minutes then drain. 
2. Put the nettle on a strong paper towel or tea towel, fold the towel to make a bag around the nettle, and twist to squeeze out the excess water. The nettle should be a little clump of just moist, pressed material when you're done. Chop finely.
3. Roughly grind the pine nuts.
4. In a small bowl whisk the egg. Mix in the chopped nettles, pressed garlic, pine nuts, salt and pepper.
5. Heat a small non-stick pan, add a little oil, and dump in the egg and nettle mixture. Cook just until the egg starts to solidify.
6. Set aside while rolling out the pasta.

Pasta - part 2

1. After the hour of rest, knead the dough for about 10 minutes before rolling out the pasta.
2. Divide the dough into two balls and roll as thin as you can (1/8" or thinner) or run through the pasta machine up to the thinnest setting. If the dough is sticky when you're rolling it, there isn't enough flour, so sprinkle some on, fold, and run it through again until it becomes a nice smooth sheet.
3. To stuff the ravioli: lay out one sheet of pasta on a floured surface. Evenly space out small lumps of the filling allowing plenty of room of virgin dough to make a good seal. Brush around the filling with water.
4. Lay the second sheet of pasta on top, smoothing out and pressing gently to make the two sheets touch around the stuffing and seal with the help of the dampened bottom sheet (this last bit can also be done after cutting the shapes).
5. Cut out the ravioli in circles or squares with a knife or pasta cutter. Press out any remaining air bubbles and be OCD about pressing the edges a lot.
6. While bringing a large pot of salted water to a simmer, prepare the sauce.

The Sauce

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the butter to a froth and cook about 4-5 minutes. 
2. Add the pressed garlic and continue cooking and stirring over medium heat until the butter is lightly browned, another 2-4 minutes. 
3. Remove from heat and stir in the herb(s).

The Big Finish

1. Reduce the heat under the boiling water and let it slow to a gentle simmer. Carefully drop in the ravioli and cook until they rise to the surface and puff up (3-4 minutes). 
2. With a slotted spoon remove the ravioli and put directly in the sauce, covering each of them with the butter sauce before dropping in the next one.
3. Plate the ravioli, drizzle any remaining sauce on top, and garnish with fresh ground pepper and parmesan.

Ensalada de col (Mexican spiced coleslaw)

Goes very well with Refried Beans!

½ cup chopped cilantro

½ of a small onion (2oz/62g) chopped, preferably red

½ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

2 Tbsps lime juice, about one lime

1 Tbsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

4 cups (400gr) shredded cabbage (can be a mix of different brassicas, shredded)

1. Put everything except for the cabbage in a mason jar and shake like a cocktail. The succussion will emulsify the ingredients very quickly. Allow the dressing to sit while prepping the rest of the salad so that the flavors can combine. 
2. Combine dressing with the cabbage and serve. You can also do this the day before and allow for the cabbage to wilt a little in the dressing.

Boules de Noël - Chocolate wrapped peanut butter balls

Holidays are filled with family recipes. I have many favorites, but few that I actually make. This is one that I love to make. The peanut butter center has a lovely consistency, and the soft walnuts and chewy dates complement each other very well. No fancy chocolate - it melts in your fingers so you're forced to lick it off

Centre

1/2 cup icing sugar (75g)

1 cup peanut butter (250g)

1 cup finely chopped cooking dates (140g)

1 cup finely chopped walnuts (110g)

1 Tbsp butter (15g)

1 tsp vanilla

1. Mix ingredients together until uniform. 
2. Roll into small balls and put on wax or parchment paper and let set in the refrigerator. Makes about 30.

Chocolate covering

250 grams semi-sweet chocolate

1. Melt together in bain marie, allow to cool slightly, then dip balls to cover. Set on wax or parchment paper and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate to avoid sticking.