Managing Editors: Danielle Klein, Caleb Leung Production Editors: Lara Cardoso, Annita Chow Research and Conceptual Design: Kristie Cairns, Elizabeth Wong Recipe Development: Krystle Amog, Maria Barrairo, Heather Eason, Adriana Rago Writers: Jo Citro, Aida Afrazeh, Elizabeth Perfetto, Frances Tufford, Shahbano Zaman Copy Editors: Affaf Ashfaq, Paulina Bogdanova, Rachel Wong Layout and Graphic Design: Michelle Doyle, Ruby Jung, Nalisha Sankreacha, Eliana Seochand Visuals and Photography: Lara Cardoso, Alexandra Maris, Melina Mehr, Annie Nguyen Celebration and Recipe Testing: Madeleine Bognar, Tiffany Leung, Maja Rakocevic, Mary Ye This cookbook was created by the Fall 2013 Cook the Books class in the department of English at the University of Toronto, taught by Professor Andrea Most and Chef Joshna Maharaj.
Introductions...........................................3-8 Appetizers..........................................9-18 Mains.................................................19-28 Soups.................................................29-38 Desserts.............................................39-48 Index........................................................49 Acknowledgements..................................50 2
Note from the Managing Editors: What it means to cook the books What is the connection between a fourth-year University of Toronto English course and a kitchen? It may not be readily apparent. Upon attempting to explain the concept of the course to other members of the student body, reactions range from simple incredulity, to envy, to resentment over a class where “all you do is mess about in a kitchen” — which couldn’t be further from the truth. Certainly, the answer to this question was not immediately clear to us, students of Professor Andrea Most’s “Cook the Books” seminar in the department of English. We all signed up for the class for many different reasons — often including the enticing possibility of combining meals with class time. As it turns out, the course and the kitchen are brought together in the class in a number of interesting ways — from reading culinary literature by such famed food writers as Wendell Berry, MFK Fisher and Michael Pollen, detailing topics as myriad as cuisine from exotic locales to tales of privation during wartime years; to the practical aspect of kitchen work, uniting culinary skills with the rich history of gastronomic literature – all in the name of describing,
tasting, smelling, and visualizing. There is also, of course, the promise of food at every Tuesday class, a welcome reprieve to the hungry souls and stomachs of the participating student body. Above all, Cook the Books is a simply divine interpretation of the study of English literature. To explore the relationship between humankind and food is one of the most fascinating areas of study one can undertake. No other subject in the history of human writing has so captivated our minds more than the subject of food. Where is it? When is it? How much of it is needed to be prepared for the meal in question? Dining etiquette, sharing recipes, inter-cultural relationships, and the eternal search for the perfect blend of ingredients characterize the love of food. So what does it mean to “Cook the Books?” It is to experience this sublime melding of culinary tradition and literature and to learn of everything that came before in both arenas. Food can be many things: an object of sin and desire, a spectacle to be glorified and discussed on national television, a hallmark of the lean years, a benchmark of ethical debate. All
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these are reflected in the rich history of culinary literature that has existed before our time, exists during our time, and will exist after our time. As a class, we came together to create this cookbook. Each week’s lessons and meals were coloured by the contributions of the individuals in the class. We learned about one another’s kitchen triumphs and disasters; favourite family recipes and secret shortcuts; treasured cookbooks and the anecdotes that stand behind them. Our backgrounds inspired the product before you, with each of us putting something of ourselves into this class project. As you read this cookbook, we hope to share with you some of the experiences and the lessons we have learned during the months of
September to December in our course. It is a chronicle of tastes and sensations – but more than that, it is a unity of culture and history. It encompasses stories from the backgrounds of our contributors, varied as they are, and the recipes that are dearly attached to them. It carries recipes from each aspect of a complete meal – appetizers, soups, main courses, and desserts – that you can combine to create a delicious dining experience. It is a work of love and labour — and it is sitting right in front of you at this very moment. What are you waiting for? Dig in!
Danielle Klein and Caleb Leung Managing Editors December 2013
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Note from the Conceptual Design Team: From our homes to our cookbook At the University of Toronto, “Cook the Books” with Professor Andrea Most challenges 30 students to create a cookbook together that reflects themes considered in the course: food literature, local, seasonal eating, ethical food processing, and more. As a class, we have gathered recipes from our homes, many of which have naturally changed over time because of the tensions between the recipe and the ingredients it requires, related to seasonality, local availablity, taste, and change in eating habits. Simpler recipes were naturally resilient because of their universality in relation to availability and versatility across all four seasons. This led us to consider three key questions about our recipes, our ingredients, and how the choices we make shape our identities — where and who does the recipe come from; where are the ingredients from; is there a tension between the recipe and the ingredients? We hope these questions about the relationship between recipes and ingredients will inspire you to consider changes you can make with your own recipes, or the wonderful recipes provided in the book, taking into consideration local, seasonal produce for sustainable food systems, and ethical food processing.
Liz asks: What is home? The gentle ring of a grandfather’s cleaver slicing through succulent, steamed chicken; and four roommates huddled over the oven admiring mounds of cookie dough rise; the aroma of chicken soup wafting into a kitchen on a cold winter day — this is home, our personal relationships and stories related to food. Whether your home is defined by ethnic culture or a first-time experiment in the kitchen, food allows us to connect with others as a basic human need and shared experience of the tastes and scents of food. We all crave recipes that help us relive memories. Bringing our past experiences into the present through the kitchen allows us to access our roots and our identities. Food is comforting and relatable in times of uncertainty, conflating our past and our present. When I lost my Grandfather, a classic Chinese restaurant manager and a key figure in my relationship with food, I needed to get back into the kitchen to spiritually connect with his memory and presence. As I delicately kneaded the dough for my chao shao baos (barbecued-pork-filled buns), I felt the reassurance of my Grandfather’s warmth and comfort in the kitchen again. Yet, with the emergence of the local food movement, we are challenged to reconsider how recipe ingredients affect our physical environment given that selecting seasonal, local products is better for the
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environment and supports local farming businesses; and buying from big corporations supports a corrupt global food industry that is harmful to animals and humans alike, as well as the environment. In The Physiology of Taste, gastronome Jean Brillat-Savarin argues, “tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are.” He suggests that our relationship to food in our choices and attitudes mold our dispositions. Each experience with food builds character through our recipe and ingredient choices and the factors we consider in making these choices. We hope that this cookbook will encourage you to think effectively about food with personal stories, sustainable, and ethical ingredient sourcing, and how recipes impact yourself and your community. Kristie asks: How do we connect home and food? The memories we hold of our homes inspire experimentation and new cooking adventures. Yet, while trying to access memories through food, we must also recognize the difficulties of making such food in our present home contexts. Perhaps our understandings of home have been affected by immigration, personal, practical, or seasonal adaptations. Prompted by the Cook the Books course, I have been left to ponder the tensions between the importance of nourishing my memories, and the reality of local food accessibility. Food allows us to access a home we may not be familiar with — a home from someone else’s past, or
a new sense of home. Through food, I can appreciate where I come from, where I have been, and what I have experienced; and, where I may find myself in the future, when my conception of home might be may look very different. This is the experience we want to provide readers: the opportunity to share and reflect on what home means, using food as an expression of an individual’s past, present, and future cuisine aspirations. What does home mean? How is this expressed in the foods we eat? How do the foods we eat endure as an expression of home, as well as act as a site of contention with the health, aesthetics, and ethics of food? We pose these questions to our readers with the aim of sharing and inspiring reflection about the meaning of home, food as a representation of home, and the concerns of bridging ‘home food’ with a local setting. After reading this cookbook, we ask you to think about what home means to you. We hope you will consider home as a place outside of physical and temporal boundaries that can move and change with you. The food we eat reflects this changing understanding of home, whether its adjusting a favourite family dish to accomodate local ingredients or deciding to cut out meat from your diet: home is where the food is. Liz Wong and Kristie Cairns Conceptual Design Team December 2013
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Living in Canada can, at times, make cooking difficult. Fresh, local produce isn’t always available, and sometimes what is available isn’t exactly what your recipe might call for. This is one of the burdens – and the joys – of living in a country with four distinct seasons. Here you’ll find substitution charts for some of the fresh ingredients in the recipes that follow – because you should be able to make the delicious meal you want, whenever you want it, no matter what the season! But substitutions should not just be regarded as the unfortunate afterthought of trying to make a pumpkin pie in spring. Substitutions are the epitome of culinary creativity; they represent the mind’s innate ability to solve problems in the most delicious way possible, to change the original and make it into something new, unique, and exciting. The substitution charts here are only the beginning. Encourage yourself to experiment and don’t be afraid to find your own alternative ingredients. Eating locally doesn’t need to be a burden – it should be an adventure. As each season moves into the next, you’ll find something new to play with. So go ahead, be creative and make any recipe your own!
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Fruit Cranberry Apricot Pear Nectarine Raspberry, Blackberry Cantaloupe Blueberry
Winter
Spring
Rose-hip Apple
Apple Mulberry
Summer Red Currant, Sour Cherries Peach Plum
Autumn
Plum
Watermelon Saskatoon Berry
Vegetable Eggplant Butternut Squash Potato Carrot Kale Broccoli Celery Brussels Sprout Parsnip
Sweet Potato Parsnip, Rutabaga
Winter Squash (Butternut Acron) Collard Greens Collard Greens Cabbage
Fennel
Zucchini Sweet Potato Rutabaga, Turnip Sweet Potato Swiss Chard Rapini Fennel
Rapini, Cauliflower
Parsley Root
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“Fat gives things flavour.” — Julia Child Canada is a relatively young country, not yet even 150 years old, and is still in the process of establishing its own traditions and cultural space both locally and globally. Canadian Francophone culture is an example of how Canada has taken its origins and translated them into something distinct to this nation. Cretons are Canada’s interpretation of a traditional French pâté, a thick meat dish with a unique texture and taste. Cretons are ideal for the Québécois culture because of the convenience of serving the dish cold. One can easily imagine first wave settlers simmering pork and lard in harsh winter climates and taking it out with them as portable meals during long days of work. Heather, embodying this settler spirit, contributed this recipe because of her own experiences with it growing up. She describes regularly eating cretons at her friend’s cottage in Northern Ontario when she visited in the winter and deems it the ideal snack for ice fishing. Stored in small mason jars, it is the perfect companion for adventures in sub-zero climates. If you’re feeling a bit more domestic, cretons work well as a quick appetizer for a dinner party that you can make ahead of time. A true Canadian settler would slaughter a pig herself from her own backyard — the ultimate in local sourcing. We won’t blame you if you choose not to do this, though! Just go to your local meat butcher (Sanagan’s Meat Locker and the Healthy Butcher are two of our Toronto-based favourites) to get your main ingredients. These stores will provide you with the finest Ontario pork that has been ethically raised, and is hormone and antibiotic free. In the words of the inimitable Julia Child, remember to go heavy on spicing when preparing your dish; because it is served cold the flavours need to be exaggerated in order to taste them. The Canadian winter months can be hard to bear, but this delicious and filling recipe is sure to keep you happy and satisfied.
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Ingredients: 1 pound lean ground pork 1 cup bread crumbs 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 cup milk 1 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon cinnamon Salt and pepper to taste Parsley, for garnish Prep time: 10 minutes Total time: 1 hour 40 minutess Number of Servings: 12 Tips and Tricks: Try grating the onion for smoother cretons. This recipe also works well with ginger, allspice, or nutmeg. Traditional cretons almost always have cloves, but feel free to experiment with other spices.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325oF. 2. Combine all ingredients in an 8x4-inch loaf pan. 3. Bake covered for 1.5 hours, stirring every 20 minutes. 4. Pack tightly into small containers or moulds and refrigerate until well chilled and firm, at least 4 hours. 5. Serve cool with French bread, strong mustard, and gherkins. For an elegant appetizer, spread mustard and cretons onto slices of baguette and garnish with fresh finely chopped parsley. 12
“I am a better person when I have less on my plate.” — Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love Madeleine provided this family gem that combines all of the feel-good flavours of crab, cheese, and bread – what else could you ask for? While the original is always a guaranteed crowd pleaser, we’ve provided a fun twist here by serving the crab dip in cucumber-carved cups. Sometimes our ideas of what food should be become fixed and finite in our minds. For example, mains typically involve a meat, and we always end a meal with a sweet dessert. Similarly, bread or other starchy substitutes tend to be the carrier for dips and sauces. Here, we turn tradition on its head by creating a light and visually appealing alternative. While taste is obviously essential in preparing food, the aesthetic side should never be underestimated. Eating a meal is a full sensory experience, and here we are hit by the visual of our food before we taste it. The contrasting colours and the clean lines of the cucumber cups make the dollops of crab dip stand out. The contrast carries through into the taste, with the cucumbers providing a crunchy, refreshing balance. These crab-stuffed cucumber cups are truly an amuse-bouche, providing bite-sized morsels of goodness in an adorable package that is sure to impress. Cucumbers can conveniently be purchased locally from Ontario any time of the year. On the seafood front, Canada is known best for its snow crabs from the Atlantic Provinces. Canadian fishing season runs from April to November, so be sure to stop by the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto during those months for your seafood products.
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Ingredients: 3 cucumbers, ends trimmed 1/4 cup sour cream 1/4 cup cream cheese, softened 3/4 cup crab meat, drained 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/3 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon dijon mustard 1 tablespoon green onion, minced (with extra to gar-
nish) Paprika, for garnish
Prep Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Number of Servings: 24 cups Tips and Tricks: For adorable, bite-sized cups, use mini cucumbers. To tone down the spice, substitute 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and 1 tablespoon lemon juice for hot pepper sauce. For more heat, add a finely chopped red chili pepper.
Directions: 1. Cut cucumbers into rounds just over an inch thick. Scoop out the insides of the rounds with a melon baller (or a spoon, because who has a melon baller?) to form cups. 2. Combine sour cream and cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl. 3. Stir in remaining ingredients to create a crab mixture. 4. Scoop crab mixture into cucumber cups and garnish with green onion and paprika. Refrigerate for up to two hours before serving.
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“The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of the human race than the discovery of a star.” — Jean Brillat-Savarin Growing up in Canada and fully embracing North American culture, my family could hardly be considered “traditionally Iranian” in all too many ways. One exception was the food I grew up with. To be sure, my parents loved experimenting with different cultures’ culinary traditions – cooking turkey every Thanksgiving was certainly an adventure! However, traditional Iranian cuisine has always been a staple in our house. Mirza Ghassemi in particular was one of my favourite childhood dishes. Its blend of creamy, rich eggplant with tart tomato was wonderful and never too heavy on the palate. Best of all, even as a young helper in the kitchen, I found the simple ingredient list and recipe to be easy to follow and foolproof. Mirza Ghassemi is a dish that relies on quality ingredients and some generous spicing. It also ensured my vegetarian cousins got fed at family gatherings: Mirza Ghassemi is one of the few vegetarian recipes in the Iranian meat-dominated food culture. My mother always improvises measurements in the kitchen, and rarely writes a recipe down. She embodies the creativity of a chef by insisting a dish should be a little different every time you prepare it. Heather fully embodied this adventurous spirit when she thought to fold spoonfuls of the mixture into pastry dough squares to turn it into a heartier appetizer. Traditionally, Mirza Ghassemi is served with an Iranian flat bread called barbaree. Heather’s alteration represents how transnational influences in the kitchen can lead to a richer culinary experience. This recipe’s simplicity lends itself well to creative changes, encouraging you to take ownership of it with your own ideas. Tomatoes and eggplants are also a common ingredient combination in Italian cuisine – why not try spicing with basil and oregano instead of bay leaves for a twist? As long as you have high-quality vegetables, your recipe will be a success. With the two main ingredients in this recipe being locally available in Canada (as well as in Iran), this shouldn’t be a challenge. With our Mirza Ghassemi collaboration, we welcome you to make your ‘home’ whatever you want it to be. -Aida
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Ingredients: For the Filling: 2 large eggplants 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large onion 2 medium tomatoes 4 cloves garlic salt and pepper, to taste 2 ground bay leaves 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
For the Dough: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup cold unsalted butter 3-6 tablespoons cold water 1 egg
Prep Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Number of Servings: 30 bites Tips and Tricks: Before making the dough, cut butter into half-inch cubes and place in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. This will help your butter stay together, which makes a flakier crust. Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400oF. 2. Prick eggplants with a fork. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 20 minutes or until very soft. 3. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. 4. Work in butter in a food processor or by hand until chunks of butter are the size of small peas. 5. Sprinkle mixture with cold water and combine, adding approximately 3 tablespoons of water or more, just until dough is crumbly but still holds together when pressed. 6. Shape dough into a disk about an inch thick, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. 7. Dice onions and tomatoes and mince garlic. 8. After removing eggplants from the oven, fry onions in olive oil over medium heat. When golden, add tomatoes and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.
9. When eggplants have cooled down enough to touch, peel, dice finely, and add to the pan. 10. Add salt, pepper, ground bay leaves, and tomato paste. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 11. Remove dough from plastic and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead just until it holds together, then roll out into a rect angle about 1/8-inch thick. Cut into 2 1/2-inch squares. 12. Place a spoonful of cooked vegetable mixture in the centre of each pastry square. Fold corners towards the centre and pinch edges together halfway to the centre to form a package for the vegetable mixture. 13. Beat egg with 1 tsp. water and brush over pastry. 14. Bake until golden brown in an oven set at 400oF for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm. 16
“What I say is that, if a man really likes potatoes, he must be a pretty decent sort of fellow.” — A.A. Milne A common misconception about vegan food is that without meat, milk, or eggs, it is inevitably going to end up being bland and boring. Alex’s unique and flavourful blend of sweet potato, sesame seeds, and peanut sauce proves otherwise. By bringing together unexpected flavours, this recipe keeps you and your taste buds on your toes Sweet potatoes make a perfect base for this vegan appetizer because they are one of the most nutrient-rich vegetables - full of vitamins A and C, iron, and fiber. The sweet, mellow taste invites creative thinking in the kitchen with fun spices. The sweet potato is offset by the saltiness of the peanut butter and the spiciness of the chili pepper. Best of all, this staple ingredient grows locally in Ontario all year round. We love this recipe because it takes the conventional side of fries and transforms it into something much more memorable. While white potatoes have their place in the culinary tradition, the complex tastes provided here cannot be replicated. If you’re not a spice fan, feel free to change up the sauce you use for dipping. What about a classic aioli or homemade ketchup? This dish overcomes many of the challenges vegans face when preparing food by filling up on nutrients and taste. Eaters of all sorts – not just the vegan ones – will love making and devouring this healthy take on fries. Make this for yourself to munch on during late night study sessions or dress it up for your next potluck with friends!
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Ingredients: Sweet Potatoes: 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (approximately 3 large ones) 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil 2 tablespoons sesame seeds Chopped cilantro or coriander, to garnish Salt to taste
Dipping sauce: 2 tablespoons natural crunchy peanut butter (the kind made with only peanuts) 1 tablespoon lime juice 1/2 red Serrano chili pepper, seeded and sliced 1 tablespoon soy sauce 3 teaspoons ketchup 1/4 cup hot water Salt and pepper to taste
Prep Time: 35 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Number of Servings: 4-5 Tips and Tricks: For a no-fuss appetizer, simply scrub the sweet potatoes instead of peeling them. Then, cut into wedges to be served as finger food. The thinner the wedges, the crispier they’ll be!
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 °F. 2. Peel sweet potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes, and arrange into a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and salt. Roast 25-30 minutes, or until tender. 3. Blend all dipping sauce ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan over low heat to warm the dipping sauce, about 5 minutes. 4. Sprinkle baked sweet potatoes with cilantro or coriander and serve on toothpicks with warm dipping sauce. 18
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“ T h eb e e t i s t h emu r d e r e r r e t u r n e dt ot h es c e n eo f t h ec r i me . T h eb e e t i s w h a t h a p p e n s w h e nt h ec h e r r yf i n i s h e s w i t ht h e c a r r o t . T h eb e e t i s t h ea n c i e n t a n c e s t o r o f t h ea u t u mnmo o n , b e a r d e d , b u r i e d , a l l b u t f o s s i l i z e d ; t h ed a r kg r e e ns a i l s o f t h e g r o u n d e dmo o n b o a t s t i t c h e dw i t hv e i n s o f p r i mo r d i a l p l a s ma ; t h ek i t es t r i n gt h a t o n c ec o n n e c t e dt h emo o nt ot h eE a r t hn o w amu d d yw h i s k e r d r i l l i n gd e s p e r a t e l yf o r r u b i e s . ” —T o mR o b b i n s
Wh e nI w a sf i f t e e n , af a r me r t h a t I me t a t ap a r t t i mej o bl e n t mea na n i ma l r i g h t sd o c u me n t a r yc a l l e d P e a c e a b l eK i n g d o m. I h a db e e nav e g e t a r i a ns i n c eI w a s a b o u t t e ny e a r s o l db e c a u s emyo l d e r s i s t e r w a s , a n d w h e ny o u ’ r e t e ny e a r s o l d y o u w a n t t od oe v e r y t h i n g l i k e y o u r o l d e r s i s t e r . B u t t h i s d o c u me n t a r y f o r e v e r c h a n g e dmyp e r c e p t i o no f a n i ma l p r o d u c t s . I p r o mp t l ys w o r eo f f mi l k , c h e e s e , e g g s , b u t t e r , i c ec r e a ma n d e v e nh o n e yf o r a b o u t ay e a r w i t hmyt w os i s t e r s f o l l o w i n gs u i t . T h eG l o r yB o w l i s af a mi l yf a v o u r i t et h a t e me r g e dd u r i n go u r v e g a n“ p h a s e . ”I t ’ s f r o mac o o k b o o kc a l l e dWh i t e w a t e r C o o k s b yaB . C . C h e f n a me d S h e l l e y A d a ms , a n dw a s i n t r o d u c e dt ou s b y av e r y c o o l , s u r f i n g , h i k i n g , s n o w b o a r d i n gd u d ee x b o y f r i e n d o f my s i s t e r ’ s . H es e e me dt os p l i t h i s t i meb e t w e e nO n t a r i oa n dB . C . , a n de mb o d i e dt h a t h e a l t h c o n s c i o u s , o u t d o o r s yK o o t e n a ye t h o st h a tt h ew e s tc o a s ti ss ok n o w nf o r .I naw a y ,t h i sd i s hd o e st o o . O u r b r u s hw i t hv e g a n i s md i d n ’ t l a s t f o r e v e r , b u t i t t a u g h t mei mme a s u r a b l ea mo u n t s a b o u t h o wt oe a t h e a l t h f u l l ya n dc o mp l e t e l yw i t hw h a t v e g e t a b l e s , g r a i n s a n dl e g u me s y o uh a v eo nh a n d . A n di t s o l i d i f i e da f a v o u r i t eme a l –w es t i l l ma k eG l o r yB o w l s i nmyf a mi l yt o d a y . Mys i s t e r s a n dI l i k et os e t t h eb o w l s o u t i nt h ek i t c h e n , a s s e mb l i n ge a c ho n ei n d i v i d u a l l yb e f o r eb r i n g i n gi t t ot h et a b l e , h e i g h t e n i n gt h ed r a mao f t h ed i s ha n da d d i n gt ot h ec u l i n a r y e x p e r i e n c e . T h e s ed i n n e r s a r ea l w a y s p r e c l u d e dw i t hg o s s i pt h r o u g ht h e h o u s e : “ G l o r yb o w l s f o r d i n n e r , ”t h ef a mi l ys a y s g l e e f u l l y . T h ec o l o u r s o f t h ed i s ha r eo n eo f i t s b e s t p a r t s : t h ed e e pp i n k y r e do f t h eb e e t s a g a i n s t t h ea l mo s t n e o no r a n g eo f t h eg r a t e dc a r r o t s a n df r e s hg r e e no f t h eb a b ys p i n a c h . T h en e x t b e s t t h i n gi s h o wf l e x i b l et h er e c i p ei s . C h o p p e dk a l eo r a n o t h e r b a b yl e t t u c e c a nb es u b s t i t u t e df o rt h es p i n a c h . Y o uc a na d dj u l i e n n e dc a b b a g ei n s t e a do f b e e t s , s u n f l o w e rs p r o u t s i n s t e a do f t h ec a r r o t s , a n da l mo s t a n yn u t o r s e e df o r t h ea l mo n d s d e p e n d i n go nw h a t ’ s i ns e a s o na t t h e ma r k e t . I a l s ol i k et oa d dd r i e dc r a n b e r r i e so rc h o p p e dd r i e da p r i c o t s . Wh e t h e ry o u rv e g a n“ p h a s e ”i s a s f l e e t i n ga s mi n e , mo r ep e r ma n e n t , o r o n l ya p p e a r s e v e r yo n c ei naw h i l e , t h eG l o r yB o w l i s af a s t , e a s y , s a n dh e a l t h y me a lt h a tl o o k sb e a u t i f u lo nt h et a b l ea n dt a s t e sg r e a t .– F r a n c e
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I n g r e d i e n t s :
P r e pT i me : 1 5–2 0mi n u t e s T o t a l T i me : 4 0mi n u t e s N u mb e r o f S e r v i n g s : 4
“ O n ec a n n o t t h i n kw e l l , l o v ew e l l , s l e e pw e l l , i f o n eh a s n o t d i n e dw e l l . ” —V i r g i n i aWo o l f T h i sr e c i p ef o r P o r kMe a t l o a f c o me sf r o mo u r c l a s s ma t e , Ma r i a . P o r ki so n eo f t h emo s t p o p u l a r me a t si nt h ew o r l d ,a n dw a so n eo ft h ee a r l i e s td o me s t i c a t e dl i v e s t o c kd e s p i t eb e i n g d i s a l l o w e ds c r i p t u r a l l yb yb o t hJ u d a i s ma n dI s l a m.P o r ki sp r e p a r e di nma n yd i f f e r e n tf o r ms , i n c l u d i n gb a c o n , s a u s a g e , c h a r c u t e r i e , a n ds mo k e dh a m. I t s h i g hf a t c o n t e n t a n ds a l t yt a s t el e a di t t o b eav e r yp o p u l a r c o mf o r t f o o d . T h i sr e c i p ei saq u i c ka n de a s yw a yt op r e p a r et h ep o p u l a r me a t . T h ep r e p a r a t i o nr e q u i r e sr e l a t i v e l yl i t t l ew o r k , ma k i n gi t p e r f e c t f o rab u s yw e e k n i g h t –t h emo s t e f f o r t e x p e n d e di nt h ep r o c e s s i s i nt h ew a i t i n g ! T h e r ea r eaf e ww a y st h a t y o uc a nma k et h i sr e c i p ep a r t i c u l a r l ys p e c i a l , i n c l u d i n gs o u r c i n gt h e g r o u n dp o r kf r o mal o c a l f a r me r w h oa l l o w sp i g st i meo u t d o o r sa n da c c e s st omu d . Mu da c t sa sa n a t u r a l s u n s c r e e nf o rp i g s , i nw h i c ht h ea n i ma l sl o v et or o l l a r o u n d ;a n dt i meo u t s i d ea n dt h e c o mp a n yo f f e l l o wp i g s i s e s p e c i a l l yb e n e f i c i a l , a s t h e ya r er e ma r k a b l ys o c i a l a n di n t e l l i g e n t a n i ma l s . B e r e t t aF a r msa n dR o w eF a r msa r et w ome a tp r o v i d e r sf r o mS o u t h e r nO n t a r i ow h op r o d u c e n a t u r a l l yr a i s e dp i g sa n dw h o s e me a ti sa v a i l a b l ei nt h eT o r o n t oa r e a . I f y o ud e c i d et og e t y o u rme a t f r o mt h e s ef a r ms , o rma y b ef r o ma n o t h e rn a t u r a l b u t c h e ra t a S a t u r d a ymo r n i n gf a r me r ’ sma r k e t ,y o uc a np i c ku ps o meg r a i n yd i j o nmu s t a r df r o mK o z l i k ’ s Mu s t a r d s , aC a n a d i a nmu s t a r dc o mp a n yt h a t h a s b e e nma k i n gu n b e l i e v a b l yd e l i c i o u s mu s t a r ds i n c e 1 9 4 8 . T h e yc a r r yo v e r t h i r t yd i f f e r e n t v a r i e t i e s a n df l a v o u r s o f mu s t a r d ; ap e r s o n a l f a v o u r i t ei s t h e i r “ t r i p l e c r u n c h ”mu s t a r d , w i t ht h r e ed i f f e r e n t k i n d s o f mu s t a r ds e e d . T h e n , s i n c ey o u ’ r ea t t h ema r k e t a n y w a y s , w h yn o t g r a baf r e s hl o a f o f s o u r d o u g hb r e a dt ou s ei nt h eme a t l o a f , s o meg r e e n sf o r a s a l a d ,a n d ma y b eal o c a lc h e e s et oe a tw i t ht h ee x t r ab r e a d …j u s ti nc a s e !
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I n g r e d i e n t s : 1e g g 1 / 2c u pmi l k 1t a b l e s p o o ng r a i n yd i j o nmu s t a r d 1l bg r o u n dp o r k 2s l i c e s o f b r e a d , t o r ni n t os ma l l p i e c e s 1t a b l e s p o o nd r i e dp a r s l e yo r 1 / 2c u pf r e s hp a r s l e y , c h o p p e d 2t a b l e s p o o n s Wo r c e s t e r s h i r es a u c e 1 / 2c u pp i c k l er e l i s h 1t a b l e s p o o nh o r s e r a d i s h 1 / 2c u pk e t c h u p 1t a b l e s p o o nb r o w ns u g a r P r e pT i me : 1 5mi n u t e s T o t a l T i me : 7 0mi n u t e s N u mb e r o f S e r v i n g s : 4
T i p sa n dT r i c k s : U s eb o t hh a n d s w h e nmi s s i n gt og e t a l l t h e i n g r e d i e n t s w e l l b l e n d e dt o g e t h e r !
D i r e c t i o n s : 1 . P r e h e a t o v e nt o3 5 0 째 F . 2 . I nas ma l l b o w l , c o mb i n ee g g , mi l ka n dmu s t a r d . Wh i s k . P o u r i n t og r o u n dp o r k . 3 . A d db r e a d , p a r s l e y , Wo r c e s t e r s h i r es a u c ea n dp i c k l er e l i s h . Mi xw e l l . 4 . F o r mi n g r e d i e n t s i n t oal o a f a n dp l a c ei nal i g h t l yg r e a s e db a k i n gd i s h . 5 . B a k ef o r 4 5mi n u t e s . 6 . Me a n w h i l e , c o mb i n eh o r s e r a d i s h , k e t c h u pa n db r o w ns u g a r i nas ma l l b o w l t oc r e a t eag l a z e . 7 . A f t e r 4 5mi n u t e s , r e mo v et h el o a f f r o mt h eo v e n . Wi t hab r u s h , s p r e a dp r e p a r e dg l a z ee v e n l yo v e r l o a f a n dp u t i t b a c ki n s i d et h eo v e nf o r a n o t h e r 1 0t o1 5mi n u t e s . 8 . A l l o wt oc o o l b e f o r es l i c i n g . E n j o yw a r m! 2 4
“ O r y o uc a nb r o i l t h eme a t , f r yt h eo n i o n s , s t e wt h eg a r l i ci nt h er e dw i n e . . . a n da s kmet o s u p p e r . I ' l l n o t c a r e , r e a l l y , e v e ni f y o u r n o s ei s al i t t l es h i n y , s ol o n ga s y o ua r e s e l f p o s s e s s e da n ds u r et h a t w o l f o r n ow o l f , y o u r mi n di s y o u r o w na n dy o u r h e a r t i s a n o t h e r ' s a n dt h e r e f o r ei nt h er i g h t p l a c e . ” —M. F . K . F i s h e r
T h i s r e c i p ef o r S e a f o o dP a e l l ai s f r o mMa r i aw h oe n j o y s i t w i t hh e r f a mi l y o ns p e c i a l o c c a s i o n s . P a e l l ai s at r a d i t i o n a l S p a n i s hd i s hf r o mV a l e n c i a , a n dc a nb ema d ew i t h s e a f o o d , p o r k , r a b b i t , c h i c k e n , o r ami xo f t h e s eme a t s . F r a g r a n t s a f f r o nl e n d st h e r i c ei t sr i c hy e l l o wc o l o u r ,a n ds n a pp e a s ,b e l lp e p p e r s ,a n d t o ma t o e s mi xw i t ht h er i c ea n dme a t t of o r mat r u l yd e l i c i o u s d i s h . P a r t o f t h es t o r y o f P a e l l ai s t h es t o r yo f r i c e , t h emo s t w i d e l yp r o d u c e dg r a i ni nt h ew o r l da f t e r c o r n . R i c ep r o v i d e smo r et h a no n ef i f t ho ft h ec a l o r i e st h a th u ma n sc o n s u me w o r l d w i d ea n di s as t a p l ef o r mi l l i o n s o f p e o p l e . R i c ei s b e l i e v e dt oh a v eb e e nf i r s t c u l t i v a t e di nC h i n a a r o u n d1 0 , 0 0 0y e a r s a g oa n de v e n t u a l l y ma d e i t s w a y t oE u r o p e t h r o u g hWe s t e r nA s i a .I ti sas t a p l ei nF i l i p i n oc u i s i n e ,a n dw o u l dh a v eb e e n c o n s u me dw i d e l ya tt h et i meo fS p a n i s hc o l o n i z a t i o no ft h eP h i l i p p i n e si nt h e s i x t e e n t hc e n t u r y . Wi t hC h r i s t i a n i t y , S p a n i s hc o l o n i z e r sb r o u g h t t h e i r c u i s i n et ot h e P h i l i p p i n e s , i n c l u d i n gt h er i c ed i s hP a e l l a , a n dt h et w oc u l t u r e s c o n v e r g e do v e r f o o d . T o d a y , t h eS p a n i s h F i l i p i n or i c ed i s hi se n j o y e db yF i l i p i n o si nC a n a d a , t h en e x t g l o b a l s t e po f i t sd e l i c i o u sj o u r n e y . F i l i p i n oP a e l l ai saf a s c i n a t i n ge x a mp l eo f h o w c u l t u r e s c a nc a r r yt h e i r c u i s i n e s a r o u n dt h eg l o b e , a n dh o wt w op e o p l e s t h a t a r es o d i f f e r e n tc a ns h a r es o me t h i n ga sf u n d a me n t a la sa h u mb l eg r a i n .
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I n g r e d i e n t s : T h eR i c e :
T h eD i s h :
1c u pw h i t er i c e , u n c o o k e d 2t a b l e s p o o no l i v eo i l 1 / 2c u pg l u t i n o u s r i c e , u n c o o k e d1t a b l e s p o o nmi n c e dg a r l i c 1 / 2c a nc o c o n u t mi l k 1s ma l l o n i o n , c h o p p e d 2c u p s w a t e r 1l a r g et o ma t o , c h o p p e d 1c a n( 2 9 6g r a ms ) t o ma t os a u c e 1c u pw a t e r 1s ma l l c h o r i z o , c u t i nt h i nr o u n d s 1c u ps h r i mp , p e e l e da n dd e v e i n e d 1p o u n dmu s s e l s , i ns h e l l 1p o u n ds q u i dr i n g s 1s ma l l c a r r o t , c u t i nt h i nr o u n d s 1 / 2r e db e l l p e p p e r , c u t i n t os t r i p s 4e g g s , b o i l e da n dq u a r t e r e d a l t , p e p p e r a n dp a p r i k at ot a s t e P r e pT i me : 1 5-2 0mi n u t e sS
T o t a l T i me : 5 0–6 0mi n u t e s N u mb e r o f S e r v i n g s : 4
T i p sa n dT r i c k s : S c r u bmu s s e l s w i t has t i f f b r u s ht or e mo v eb a r n a c l e s a n dp u l l o u t b l a c kf i b r o u s “ b e a r d s . ”D i s c a r dmu s s e l s w i t hb r o k e ns h e l l s o r w h o s e s h e l l s r e ma i no p e na f t e r y o ut a pi t . C o o kmu s s e l s u n t i l s h e l l s o p e n , d i s c a r da n yt h a t r e ma i nc l o s e da f t e r c o o k i n g .
Di r e c t i o n s : 1 .I nar i c ec o o k e r , mi xw h i t ea n dg l u t i n o u s r i c et o g e t h e r a n dc o o kw i t hc o c o n u t mi l ka n dw a t e r . S e t t h er i c ea s i d eo n c ei t i s d o n e c o o k i n g . 2 .I nal a r g ew o k , h e a t o l i v eo i l o v e r me d i u mh e a t . S a u t éo n i o n s , g a r l i ca n dt o ma t o e s , s t i r r i n go c c a s i o n a l l y , u n t i l s o f t e n e d , a b o u t 4 mi n u t e s . 3 .A d dmu s s e l s a n dc o o ka b o u t 4mi n u t e s , o r u n t i l t h es h e l l s o p e n . 4 .A d ds h r i mp s a n dc h o r i z o . S t i r a n dc o o ku n t i l s h r i mp s t u r np i n k . 5 .A d ds q u i d . 6 .P o u r t o ma t os a u c e . A d dw a t e r a n db r i n gt oab o i l . S e a s o nw i t hs a l t , p e p p e r , a n dp a p r i k at ot a s t e . L e t i t s i mme r f o r 5 7mi n u t e s . 7 .A d dc a r r o t s , a n dr e dp e p p e r s . C o o kf o r 1mi n u t e . 8 .A d dc o o k e dr i c ei n t ot h ew o ka n dmi xu n t i l a l l i n g r e d i e n t s a r ew e l l i n t e g r a t e da n ds a u c ei s w e l l a b s o r b e d . A d j u s t s e a s o n i n ga c c o r d i n g t ot a s t e . 9 .A r r a n g eb o i l e de g g s o nt o p . S e r v ew a r m.
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“ I f y o u ’ r ea f r a i do f b u t t e r , u s ec r e a m. ” —J u l i aC h i l d T h i s c h i c k e nr e c i p ei s f r o mA n n i t a , w h o s ef a t h e r i s ap r o f e s s i o n a l c h e f . T h eb e s t w a y f o r t h i sc h e f a n dh i sw i f et oc o o kf o r t h e i r t h r e ec h i l d r e nw a st of i n do n ed i s ht h a t e v e r y o n e l i k e d a n d t h e nc o o k i t o v e r a n d o v e r a g a i nu n t i l t h e y w e r e s i c k o f i t , a t w h i c h p o i n tt h e yw o u l dmo v eo nt ot h en e x to n e .B e c a u s eA n n i t a ’ sf a t h e ri sa p r o f e s s i o n a l c h e f , i t ’ s v e r y r a r e t h a t h e c o o k s a t h o me . H e s a y s i t ’ s b e c a u s e t h e y d o n ’ t h a v et h ep r o p e r t o o l s i nt h eh o u s e , b u t h a v i n gt oc o o ka l l d a yl o n gmi g h t a l s oh a v e s o me t h i n gt od ow i t hi t . C h i c k e nà l a K i n gw a s o n e o f t h e d i s c o v e r e df a mi l y f a v o u r i t e s a n dw a t c h i n gA n n i t a ’ sp a r e n t sw h i pi t u pt o g e t h e r w a sas p e c i a l t r e a t f o r t h ek i d s . A ne a r l yr e c i p ef o rC h i c k e nàl aK i n ga p p e a r e di nT h eF a n n i eF a r me r C o o k b o o ki n1 9 0 6 .F a n n i e ’ sc o o k b o o ki n t r o d u c e dt h ep r a c t i c eo fu s i n g s t a n d a r d i z e dme a s u r i n gs p o o n s a n dc u p s , a n de v e n t u a l l yi n c l u d e d1 , 8 5 0r e c i p e s . I t e s t a b l i s h e dma n yp o p u l a r d i s h e s , i n c l u d i n ga ne a r l yr e c i p ef o r ma c a r o n i a n dc h e e s e ! T h ec o o k b o o ki s s t i l lp o p u l a ra n da v a i l a b l ei np r i n tt o d a y . C h i c k e nàl aK i n gr e ma i n sad e l i c i o u sa n dv e r s a t i l ed i s hmo r et h a nac e n t u r y l a t e r . T h ev e g e t a b l e ss p e c i f i e di nt h i sr e c i p ec a nb es u b s t i t u t e df o r o t h e r st h a t y o u ma yp r e f e r o r h a v eo nh a n d . A l s o , i t ’ ss e r v e dc o n v e n i e n t l yi nt o a s t c u p s-af a n c y t o u c hi fy o u ’ r eh a v i n gg u e s t s ,o ri fy o uf e el i k ee n j o y i n gas p e c i a lt r e a t .
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I n g r e d i e n t s : 8s ma l l s l i c e s o f w h o l ew h e a t b r e a d 2t a b l e s p o o n s ma r g a r i n eo r b u t t e r 1 / 2t a b l e s p o o nf l o u r 1c u pc h i c k e nb r e a s t , d i c e d 1c u pmu s h r o o m 1 / 2c u pg r e e np e p p e r , d i c e d 1 / 2c u pr e dp e p p e r , d i c e d 1 / 4c u pc h i c k e ns t o c k P r e pT i me : 1 5mi n T o t a l T i me : 3 0–4 0mi n N u mb e r o f S e r v i n g s : 4 T i p sa n dT r i c k s : Y o uma ya l s oc h o o s et os e r v et h ed i s hw i t hr i c e , p a s t a o r s a l a d . A l s ot r yu s i n gd i f f e r e n t t y p e s o f b r e a da n d v e g e t a b l e s t oc h a n g eh o wt h ed i s ht a s t e s .
Di r e c t i o n s : 1 . Me l t b u t t e r , o r ma r g a r i n e , i name d i u ms a u c e p a no v e r me d i u mh e a t . A d df l o u r ; c o o k , s t i r r i n gf o r 1 mi n u t e . 2 . A d dc h i c k e n , s t i r r i n go f t e nu n t i l n ol o n g e r p i n k . 3 . P o u r c h i c k e ns t o c ka n dl e t s i mme r f o r 1mi n u t e . 4 . A d de v a p o r a t e dmi l k . S e a s o nw i t hs a l t t ot a s t e . C o n t i n u et os t i r u n t i l s a u c et h i c k e n s . 5 . A d dmu s h r o o ms , g r e e np e p p e r a n dr e dp e p p e r . S t i r o c c a s i o n a l l yu n t i l v e g e t a b l e s a r ec o o k e d . 6 . T u r no f f t h eh e a t a n da l l o wt oc o o l . 7 . Me a n w h i l e , f o r mb r e a di n t oc u p s b yp r e s s i n gt h e md o w ni n t oamu f f i np a n . B a k ei na no v e na t 3 7 5 ° F u n t i l l i g h t g o l d e n , a b o u t 6mi n u t e s . Wh e nd o n e , s c o o pah e a p i n gt e a s p o o no f t h emi x t u r ei n t oe a c ho f t h e t o a s t c u p s . 2 8
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“It breathes reassurance, it offers consolation; after a weary day it promotes sociability…. There is nothing like a bowl of hot soup, its wisp of aromatic steam teasing the nostrils into quivering anticipation.” — Louis P. Degouy Soup! A hearty, healthy, and adaptable way to combine favourite flavours; a seasonally appropriate, and always adventurous but comforting dish. There’s something special about the aroma of a soup simmering on the stove that can conjure sensations of a meaningful former part of life or of a special place in distant memory… Frances provided the class with this healthy harvest soup for her group presentation on M.F.K. Fisher’s How to Cook A Wolf. A rich creation of seasonal vegetables and dairy, accented with a hint of exotic spices, Curried Butternut Squash Soup is a recipe that celebrates seasonality and invites adaptations. Frances has frequently prepared this recipe for community suppers, providing a hearty, flavorful celebration of the Fall season. She has decreased the amount of curry over time, so feel free to start small and add to taste. Both the apples and squash that are called for in the recipe can be adapted; try other apples or winter or summer squash varieties. As with all soups, different onions and stock will impact the flavour, so consider you own preferences here. Garnishes are also flexible, so have fun and create an expression that suits your preferences. Consider shavings of cheddar in place of cream, or cinnamon or nutmeg grated atop. A celebration of the harvest, indeed! The strong flavours and texture of the Curried Butternut Squash soup demand that attention be paid to what follows as a main course. Balancing flavours is an important element of soup selection. Be sure to consider this carefully when selecting this lovely dish for the start of a dinner. This recipe is courtesy of Sheila Lukins’ and Julee Rosso’s The Silver Palate Cookbook, a staple for many cooks that combines the aesthetic, seasonal and classical methods of food preparation, adapted for entertaining at home. Many people have sworn by its recipes, fabulous tips, easy to read format and instructions. If you have but one North American cookbook on the shelf, this one is highly recommended and nicely published.
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Ingredients: 4 tablespoons butter 2 cups finely chopped yellow onions 3 teaspoons curry powder 2 medium-size butternut squash (3 pounds all together) 2 apples 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock 1 cup apple juice Salt and pepper to taste Garnish: Bits of a shredded unpeeled granny smith apple Or a dollop of sour cream Or a tablespoon of heavy cream swirled to decorate Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Number of Servings: 4-6
Tips and Tricks: Some skin can be sensitive to squash; wear gloves if necessary. Directions: 1. Begin by washing, peeling and coring the apples. Then dice them into small squares and place into a bowl. 2. Melt the butter in a pot. After it has melted add the chopped onions and curry powder, stir until all onions are coated. Allow the onions to cook covered over low heat until onions are tender (could take about 20-25 minutes). 3. While the onions are cooking, peel the squash, scrape out all seeds and chop into small squares. 4. When onions are tender, add squash, apples and stock to the pot and bring to a boil. After boiled, reduce the heat and simmer partially covered until the squash and apples are very tender (could take about 25 minutes). 5. Take off the heat and blend with an immersion blender in the pot or carefully transfer to a food processor in batches and blend until smooth. 6. Add in apple juice and stir. (You can add more apple juice than recommended to taste and change to desired consistency.) 7. Add salt and paper to taste, garnish and serve.
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“Soup is cuisine’s kindest course.” — Kitchen Grafitti When looking for something fun and tasty to have for dinner, Aida and a friend sourced this flavourful recipe online. It has become their favourite – and it’s easy to see why! A perfect vegan rib-tickler, African Curried Coconut Soup is a meal-in-a-bowl solution, brimming with flavour, and easily made with ingredients that are in almost everyone’s pantry. We love it! This version – and there are many versions available – calls for canned chickpeas. You can use the dried version, soaked overnight. Chickpeas are powerful protein, and provide a wonderful tableau for the pungent flavours of the soup. Be sure to be generous with the herbs, and vary them to suit your taste. Imagine mint. Maybe bay leaves. How about experimenting with cilantro? All are great ways to punch up the magnificent combination of chickpea and coconut. The recipe calls for vegetable soup stock. As with all stocks, the more flavour in the stock, the bigger the flavour in the soup. Also, be sure to cook onions long and slow… they will burst with flavor and an appealing texture. Consider using early spring or full summer harvest vegetables of the sturdy type to enhance and create new versions of this sumptuous soup. Enjoy!
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Ingredients: 2 tablespoons canola oil 1 medium onion 1 medium red bell pepper 2 large cloves of garlic 2 cups vegetable broth 1 can chickpeas (15 ounces) 1 cup chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned) 1 teaspoon curry powder 2 teaspoons salt 1 can light coconut milk (14 ounces) 3/4 cup cooked white or brown rice Prep Time: 10-15 minutes Total Time: 35-40 minutes Number of Servings: 5 Tips and Tricks: To easily peel a fresh tomato, fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. After it is boiling, place the tomatoes in the pot for 20 seconds. Take them out, rinse under cold running water, and proceed to peel them.
Directions: 1. Prepare all your vegetables before you start to cook. Begin by chopping the bell pepper, onion and finely chopping the garlic. 2. Next, peel, deseed and chop your tomato into small cubes. 3. Lastly, rinse and drain your chickpeas. 4. In a medium-sized pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add in the onion, bell pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt and cook for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. 5. Add the garlic and stir constantly for one minute. 6. Add the vegetable broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, curry powder, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. 7. Once boiled, uncover the pot, reduce the heat and let simmer gently for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 8. Add in the coconut milk and already cooked rice and cook for about 5 minutes or until all is heated through. 34 9. Pour into small bowls, and serve warm.
“Only the pure of heart can make a good soup.” — Ludwig van Beethoven For many of us, the arrival of Ontario peaches in late summer marks the beginning of a feast. There are only a few weeks to enjoy vine-ripened local peaches, and excess is a common dietary reality. Chilled peach soup is a simple, innovative, and adaptable recipe to include as either a starter or dessert course for hot summer nights. For Paulina, this soup conjures the memory of happy times with family and friends in hot summer evenings with fireflies and cicadas in the background. You will definitely want to put this one in your summer repertoire. The possibilities to adapt this recipe to your tastes, dietary regimen, and even seasonality, are endless. Consider using any of the full arrays of summer fruit harvest, both in the recipe, or as garnish. Herbs such as mint, cilantro, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and coconut complement the delicate sweetness of the peaches – perfect for the Ontario harvest in the late summer or in the form of frozen or canned peaches any other time of the year. There are many versions of this soup from all over the world, notably from the Southern parts of the United States. Our recipe here is from Paulina via the U.S. Carolinas, where she spent her childhood summers with her grandparents. Her grandmother volunteered at the local church and would bake Ukrainian treats to bring to church events. She was often asked to share her recipes with Paulina’s piano teacher, Nancy Gerst, also a church member, who enjoyed the lighter, less sugary Eastern European methods. One day, in celebration of Paulina’s piano recital, Nancy hosted a dinner and served chilled peach soup. It was an instant hit with Paulina’s family and has become a major part of their own family celebrations since.
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Ingredients: 8 large ripe peaches or 3 cans (total 48 ounces) drained peach halves 2 cups water (use only if using fresh peaches) 2 cups of juice from the canned peaches (use only if using canned peaches) 2 cups (or 3/4 cup if using canned peaches) light brown sugar 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1/3 cup granulated sugar Lemon zest 4 cups white wine 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup apricot or peach brandy 1 cup heavy whipping cream Prep Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 2 hours, 40 minutes Number of Servings: 6-8
Tips and Tricks: If your whipped cream does not completely settle or mix in the peach mixture with a hand whisk, use your food processor or immersion blender to stir everything together. Directions: 1. A) If using fresh peaches, in a medium saucepan place brown sugar and water and cook until thickened, about ten minutes. It is best to let the mixture cook for the first eight minutes without touching it. After eight minutes, stir the mixture to see if it has thickened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely. B) If using canned peaches, in a medium saucepan place brown sugar and peach juice and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely. 2. For fresh peaches, peel, halve and pit all of them. 3. Dice 3 whole peaches (6 halves) into small cubes and place in a large bowl. Add in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and granulated sugar. Stir until all pieces are coated, and place the bowl in the fridge. 4. Take your remaining 5 peaches (10 halves) and puree in a
food processor or immersion blender. Blend until smooth. 5. Take the pureed peaches and add lemon zest, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, the cooled sugar syrup from step 1, wine, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and brandy. Mix until all ingredients are combined. 6. Take your cubed peaches out of the fridge and add them to the pureed peach bowl. 7. Whip cream until it forms stiff peaks. It is done when you hold your whisk upside down and the peaks hold without collapsing. 8. Gently fold in your whipped cream with the peach mixture with a spatula. 9. Refrigerate for a minimum of two hours (the longer it chills, the better!) 36 10. Place in smaller bowls, garnish and serve.
“I live for good soup, not fine words.” — Molière For Shahbano, this Creamy Potato Soup recipe is a heartfelt connection to her grandfather, Sulaiman Shah, whose home is in Pakistan. Dusray baboo, as he is affectionately called by Shahbano and her brother, experienced a version of this recipe while on board a Russian ship, travelling for his work as an engineer. He is not a cook but he loved the soup, so he brought the recipe home to his family. After a few tries, Shahbano’s grandmother took over the recipe, using onions as its only vegetable. Later, her mother found in this soup a culinary expression for her passionate love of spring onions, which she uses as a garnish when she prepares this family favourite. Shahbano and her mom have created a tradition of Creamy Potato Soup as a part of their “glorious winter conversations,” accompanied with plenty of shredded cheddar and cream. The relationship of the Russian people to potatoes is legendary. In this soup, the potato is elevated with luxurious complementary flavours, courtesy of select vegetables, diced bacon, and cream. As with all soups, the use of a full-bodied stock, chicken or vegetable, is an essential contribution to the fullest expression of the soup. You can experiment with the flavours used in the recipe, adapting them to your own tastes, as has Shahbano’s grandmother. Consider using various onion types: leek or spring onion will create distinct, though subtle, flavouring. Meats can be adapted as well, using sweet or spicy sausages, ham hocks or bones, meatballs from poultry or beef, and so on. Finally, different potatoes will provide various flavours and consistencies – so don’t be afraid to be adventurous with this soup and make it your own. Creamy Potato Soup is a recipe that can be tweaked for the season, personalized for your company, and created with what’s on hand. It’s truly a candidate for an all-season family favorite.
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Ingredients: 10 slices thin bacon 1 medium onion 3 large carrots 3 stalks of celery 6 russet (baking) potatoes 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth 3 tablespoons all purpose flour 1 cup milk 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon salt Black pepper (optional, at your discretion) Garnish: Spoonful of sour cream Grated cheese (choose your favourite!) Cooked bacon bits Chopped parsley Prep Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Number of Servings: 6-8
Tips and Tricks: Substitute bacon for 2-3 tablespoons of canola oil and replace all dairy products with soy or coconut milk for a vegan dish. Directions: 1. Prepare all your vegetables before you start to cook. Begin by dicing the onion, carrots, and celery into small cubes and place them into a bowl. Clean and dice the raw potatoes into small cubes and place them into a separate bowl. (Note: if choosing the vegetarian option, proceed to step three and add oil to your pot.) 2. Slice the bacon strips into small sections (about one-inch pieces) and place them into a large soup pot over medium heat. Cook the bacon until it is crisp (about 10 minutes) and there is a lining of fat at the bottom of the pan. Remove the cooked bacon but do not clean the pot. 3. Return the pot to medium-high heat and add the diced onions, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook until the onions become translucent. Then, add the diced potatoes and salt. At this time, you can also add the black pepper. Allow this to
4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
cook for 5 minutes. Pour in the vegetable or chicken broth and bring to a gentle boil. Allow the soup to cook for 10 minutes or until the potatoes start to get tender. Whisk together the flour and the milk until smooth and pour it into the soup and allow it to cook for another 5 minutes and the vegetables are nice and soft. Take off the heat and pour the soup into a food processor (or use an immersion blender right in the pot!) and blend until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and place on low heat while adding in the heavy cream. Stir it until thoroughly heated. Transfer the soup into small bowls and garnish with a spoonful of sour cream, grated cheese, and the cooked bacon from step 2.
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“I’m not a vegetarian! I’m a dessertarian!” — Bill Watterson This wonderful vegan dessert is adapted from one used by Alexandra’s family, who enjoys trying dishes from different cultures. Alex’s family first made the recipe a few summers ago with Thai rice and mangos to incorporate more variety into their desserts. The family’s first attempt at the recipe didn’t go through quite as planned. In order for the rice to be sticky, it needs to be soaked overnight and then steamed. However, her family forgot to do so and instead used a rice cooker which managed to successfully cook the rice, but without its signature stickiness. The dessert still tasted great though, and their unforced “error” just emphasized the recipe’s adaptability. Coconut Sticky Rice is simple and allows much room for improvisation. Cooking the rice differently can greatly reduce the preparation time, if desired. One preparation alternative is simmering the rice in water till it’s cooked, instead of the traditional Thai method of soaking overnight. This reduces the cooking time to just twenty minutes. This dessert isn’t too sweet, but adding fruit greatly enhances its flavour. If you prefer your dessert on the sweeter side, there is also the option of adding more sugar to the coconut milk according to one’s preferences. This lovely vegan recipe is an easy way to introduce a healthy but nutritious dessert into one’s diet. The dish can be served hot or cold and can be conveniently paired with fresh, seasonal fruit. Alex recommends trying it with a variety of fruit options: mangos, berries, pineapple, papaya and even passion fruit.
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Ingredients: 2 cups sticky (glutinous) rice 3 cups of water 1 can of coconut milk (400 ml) 3-4 tablespoons sugar (depending on sweetness preference) 1 cup of fresh fruit 2 tablespoons coconut cream Prep Time: 2 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Serving Size: 4-6 Tips and Tricks: Add more sugar into the coconut milk or mix in agave nectar with the coconut cream if you prefer sweeter desserts. Directions:
1. Mix rice and water in a medium saucepan. On medium heat, let simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. If you notice the rice sticking to the pan, reduce heat and add a few tablespoons of water. 2. Once the rice has cooked, remove from heat. The rice should have soaked up all of the water and should have a soft, gooey consistency. If you notice the rice is slightly hard, simmer for a few more minutes. 3. In a small saucepan, heat coconut milk and sugar over medium-low heat, but do not let it reach a boil. Stir constantly until sugar has dissolved. If you prefer a sweeter dessert, add in a few extra tablespoons of sugar. 4. Stir in coconut mixture into the warm sticky rice and set aside.
Fruit topping (optional):
1. Spoon the sticky rice into small bowls. 2. Add a few slices of fresh fruit. Any fruit that is naturally sweet, such as mangoes or pineapple, work well with this dish. 3. Trickle coconut cream over the top of the dessert. Make sure to stir the contents of the coconut cream can well before adding to the rice. Serve warm or cold.
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“Life is short. Eat dessert first.” — Jacques Torres “Khrustyky” (kroots-teah-kuh) is commonly and loosely translated as “nothings” or “sweet nothings.” This sugar coated pastry comes from Lara Cardoso’s home and is a crucial part of her family’s Christmas Eve dinner. Although the recipe requires very few ingredients it is brimming with fond, joyful memories. Lara’s grandparents’ active decision to keep their Ukrainian heritage alive is manifested every year in their special Ukrainian Christmas Eve dinner. Traditionally, Ukrainian Christmas Eve consists of twelve meatless dishes, symbolizing a religious time for fasting. Lara’s grandparents tweaked the number to six, one for each child, with each one bringing one meatless Ukrainian dish to share with the rest. Grandma, however, always makes the “beloved Khrustyky dessert” on Christmas Eve dinner as well as on a few other sumptuous special occasions. The light, flaky, sugar-coated, fried pastry is the family’s much loved main dessert. The dough is easy enough to make and requires resting before being moulded. The shaping of each Khrustyky into individual little bow shapes (the perfect wrapped gift) also requires a certain time investment but it is definitely worth it. The sweet end r esult, however, is well worth the time and effort. Having family or friends (or both) with you in the kitchen all helping to mould the dough can make for a lovely shared experience and quicken the process. With that many people in the kitchen, though, you may want to make a few extras. Krystle, who tested this recipe, describes them as “addictive.” Lara too recalls (and admits to still continue to) picking at the Khrustyky before dinner along with her cousins. Though hard to resist, nibbling on Khrustyky before dinner is risky business: the generous dusting of icing sugar could leave you white-handed! Or in the case of Lara’s younger cousin, Joshua, caught with tell-tale white sugar all over his Christmas tie. Lara reminisces, “When I think about it now, I realize how adorable he must’ve looked to our parents and grandparents. A little boy covered in white sugar, smiling, laughing and enjoying every second of his Christmas Eve…!” The very word Khrustyky (“sweet nothings”) can cause lightheaded, icing-sugar-induced dreaminess. As its name and compact size suggest, this pastry has the delectable tendency to disappear much too quickly. Of course such a swift disappearing act would require prompt replacement with another Khrustyky… followed by another... and another...
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Ingredients: 3/4 cup kefir 1 egg yolk 1 1/2 tablespoon sugar 1/3 teaspoon baking soda 2-3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (for dough) 1 cup canola or vegetable oil (for frying) 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
Prep Time: 45 minutes Total Time: 1 hour Number of Servings: 30 Tips and Tricks: If you find that the dough is not malleable enough, put a bit of water on your hands and rework the dough into a ball. Roll out the dough. Do not rest the dough in the refrigerator. The dough will become too hard to work with.
Directions: 1. In a mixing bowl, add 2 cups of flour and make a small well in the center of the flour. 2. Add the egg yolk, baking soda, vegetable oil, and kefir into the well. Stir with a fork to make the dough. The dough should be a bit sticky. 3. Once the dough begins to form, add the remaining flour in 1 tablespoon increments until the dough is stiff enough to be kneaded. Do not be alarmed if only 1 tablespoon is used; amount of additional flour will vary. 4. On a floured surface, knead the dough until it no longer sticks to your hands. 5. Form dough into a ball, dust with flour and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes at room temperature. 6. Once rested, remove dough from plastic wrap and cut the dough into thirds, working with one section at a time. 7. Generously flour the rolling pin and the rolling surface before rolling the dough. Roll the dough into 1/8 to 1/16 inch thickness and cut into 1 x 4 inch strips with a sharp knife. 8. Cut a 1-inch slit lengthwise in the middle of each dough strip. 9. Pull one end of each strip through the slit to form a modified bow. Repeat steps 7-9 for the remaining dough. 10. Heat the oil and fry up to 6 strips at a time until one side is golden brown colour. The pastry should float to the top of the oil while cooking. Flip the pastry over and cook until golden brown. 11. Remove pastries with a slotted spoon and place on plate with paper towel to eliminate excess oil. 12. Dust pastries with confectioners’ sugar using a sieve and serve.
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“Cookies are made of butter and love.” — Norwegian Proverb They melt in your mouth. Honestly. Eating each of these shortbread cookies is a brief and magical experience. It goes as follows: You bite into the cookie and about 1.2 seconds later, you are left with nothing but a few delicious pieces of pistachio and cranberry in your mouth. That is the only physical proof of having one of these cookies in your mouth. There is another feeling – albeit a subtler one of an after-experience as opposed to an after-taste. It is an awareness of something wonderful having dissolved on your tongue without you even realising it was there in the first place! It may be described as a memory. So the only thing left to do is to reach for a second cookie in order to remind yourself of the first blissful 1.2 seconds. Originally taken from Chatelaine magazine, this recipe for Cranberry and Pistachio Shortbread Cookies was contributed by Krystle who happened to bake the very batch that I tasted. She presented these cookies to me beautifully wrapped in patterned wrapping, complete with ribbon and bow. It was one of the most delicious presents I have ever received. These cookies make spectacular gifts. Bake them and gift them to someone. They will love you for it! It is important, however, to ensure that you bake them in generous quantities since these cookies have a tendency to disappear in more ways than one! Krystle bakes them with pistachios and cranberries. She also has a tradition of specially baking them every Christmas. The green pistachios and red cranberries provide a lovely festive look. She dusted some of them with icing sugar and she dipped others in chocolate. Play around with the recipe. Try it her way or try them with other nuts and a variety of dried fruit. You really cannot go wrong with them especially because the cookies themselves are so delicious that you could simply make them plain and still have others (or yourself) swoon with just a taste!
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Ingredients: 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup icing sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup dried cranberries 1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate
Prep Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Number of Servings: 2 dozen Tips and Tricks: Roll dough into balls and then press down with your hands instead of using teaspoons. This method is a little easier and more fun! Dip half the cookies in chocolate and leave the rest plain. Adds a bit of variety! Don’t be afraid to try other fruit and nut combinations such as dried apricots and chopped almonds or chopped walnuts and cranberries.
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300oF (150oC). 2. In a large bowl, stir butter with sugar with a wooden spoon, mix until smooth. 3. Stir in vanilla, then gradually stir in flour and salt until evenly mixed. 4. Add in cranberries and nuts until evenly mixed. 5. With two teaspoons, form a ball of dough and drop onto an ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Press the dough down lightly with your fingers to form a circular cookie. 6. Bake in the centre of an oven for 20-25 minutes or until cookies are a light golden colour. 7. Remove the cookies from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. The cookies will be soft initially but will firm up as they cool. 8. Serve plain, dusted with icing sugar, or dipped in chocolate.
Chocolate for Dipping (Optional):
1. Coarsely chop milk chocolate and place in a microwave safe bowl. 2. Heat chocolate (uncovered) in the microwave at medium power with 30-second intervals for 1-1 ½ minutes. Stir chocolate between each interval to prevent scorching. 3. When there are only a few pieces of unmelted chocolate left, remove from microwave and stir to finish melting. 4. Dip half of the cookie into the chocolate. Place on wax paper to let chocolate set.
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“I don’t think a really good pie can be made without a dozen or so children peeking over your shoulder as you stoop to look in at it every little while.” — John Gould This delicious and incredibly “easy-as-pie” recipe comes to us from Danielle’s grandmother, or her “Bubby.” The recipe itself has undergone several stages of evolutions and refinements. Danielle’s grandmother initially used a store bought pie crust and jello-mix for its filling. Soon, a tradition was established where Danielle would go over to her bubby’s house to make the pie with her, and Danielle’s grandmother began incorporating “real” ingredients for the added pleasure of cooking with her granddaughter. For Danielle, the pie became a lovely tradition for Friday night dinner at her grandmother’s house or “Sabbath at my Bubby’s” in her words. Feel free to switch the red fife with whole wheat flour; it tastes wonderful as well. Play around with the apples you use; we recommend pairing a sweet ones with tart ones. It happened by accident when testing the recipe and the balance turned out to be delicious! When ready, the pie is absolutely scrumptious with its beautifully light, melt-in-your-mouth pastry; and delicious when paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Danielle relates a wonderful story on the subject: “You might think we would have had ice cream with it, but the meals were kosher (meaning you cannot mix milk and meat), so on Friday nights we would make the pie “non-dairy” — or at least we would say it was non-dairy, and it would be our little secret...my bubby wasn’t afraid to bend the rules a bit.” The pie was served without ice cream for Friday night dessert but the following day was sure to bring a scoop of vanilla ice cream, some fruit and occasionally a drizzle of honey “for a sweet life.” For Danielle, the pie brings back memories of baking in her bubby’s kitchen as she sipped water from one of the special teacups of her teacup collection. It recalls the joy of lining a piecrust with layers of apples and then topping it off with crumble (we suggest you add a little extra to pick off later like Danielle would). The recipe, therefore, is a representation of home and a beautiful relationship with one’s grandmother. After all, it is a universally acknowledged truth that a dessert made by one’s grandmother is a form of edible love.
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Ingredients: Pie Crust Dough: 1 1/2 cups red fife or whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold/frozen salted butter 2-3 tablespoons ice water Pie Filling: 1/4 cup honey 2 tablespoons red fife or whole-wheat flour 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 5 medium sized apples Pie Crumble Topping: 1 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup softened butter 1 cup whole wheat flour Prep Time: 1 hour Total Time: 2 hours Number of Servings: 1 pie
Tips and Tricks: Use a higher quality honey for a better tasting filling. Use two different kinds of apples, preferably one that is tart and one that is sweet. The two flavours balance each other out nicely once baked.
Directions: For the Dough: 1. Pulse flour and sugar in a food processor for a few seconds. 2. Divide butter into cubes and add to the food processor. Pulse until small lumps form. 3. Transfer mixture into a mixing bowl. Add ice water to the mixture a table spoon at a time while forming the mixture into a ball. 4.Plastic wrap the dough and chill for 20-30 minutes in the refrigerator. 5 Once chilled, roll the dough out as much as possible and mould into the pie plate. Don’t be alarmed if the dough is super crumbly. The dough can easily be nicely moulded in the pan. 6. Trim excess dough with a sharp knife. Set aside. 7. Preheat the over to 400oF. For the Filling: 1. Wash, peel and core apples and cut into cubes. 2. In a mixing bowl, combine honey, flour, lemon juice, nutmeg, and apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated.
For the Crumble Topping: 1. In a mixing bowl, combine brown sugar and flour. 2. With a stand mixer or a fork, mix in butter with the flour and sugar until topping is crumbly. Assembly and Baking: 1. Fill piecrust with pie filling and add crumble on top in an even layer – be sure to cover the filling completely. 2. Bake pie for 10 minutes at 400oF, then reduce to 375oF for 1 hour or until deep golden brown. 3. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
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A
P
African Curried Coconut Soup.................................33-34
Cold Peach Soup.................................................................35-36
Apple Pie with Crumble Topping............................47-48
Pork Meatloaf.......................................................................23-24
C
S
Chicken a La King In Toast Cups............................27-28
Seafood Paella......................................................................25-26
Cranberry and Pistachio Shortbread Cookies.........45-46
Sesame Sweet Potatoes with Peanut Dipping Sauce.....17-18
Creamy Potato Soup...................................................37-38
U
Cretons...........................................................................11-12
Ukrainian Khrustyky...........................................................43-44
Cucumber Crab Cups..................................................13-14
V
Curried Butternut Squash Soup.................................31-32
Vegan Coconut Sticky Rice with Fresh Fruit..................41-42
G Glory Bowl....................................................................21-22 M Mirza Ghassemi Puffs...................................................15-16
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The class of the Fall 2013 session of Cook the Books would like to extend thanks to the following people, without whom the creation of this cookbook would not have been possible: Professor Andrea Most – Thank you for being a continuous source of inspiration throughout this semester. We all felt lucky to be part of the wonderful experiment that is Cook the Books, and learned a great deal from our vibrant class discussions and delicious shared meals. Chef Joshna Maharaj – Thank you for being our fearless leader in the kitchen, teaching us to yell when on the move holding sharp objects and adjust recipes on the fly. Thank you as well for teaching us about the power of sharing a meal with others and the importance of knowing where what’s on your plate came from. Chef Nathan Barratt and the Kitchen Staff of Victoria College – Thank you for cheerily accommodating us every Tuesday afternoon and helping us out when we looked lost and confused. The English Department at U of T – Thank you for making it possible for this course to happen. We valued the opportunity to engage in a unique learning environment and we learned so much from getting out of the classroom and into the kitchen. Jean Wang – Thank you for lending us your kitchen to test recipes. Lastly, thank you to all of our family and friends who helped us along the way.
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“At home I serve the kind of food I know the story behind.” — Michael Pollan