A Life, Lived

Easter Dinner

Easter dinner was a fairly simple meal. One of the things that I have learned from the pandemic was there are all sorts of wonderful food producers who have amazing food for purchase. While I started buying things from an urge to support local businesses who were hurting I continue because it makes live easier.

Don't get me wrong I did make some parts of the dinner myself. Like a loaf of challah to serve with dinner. That was a complicated tasks but other than rookie braiding, turned out well.

I ordered a ham from a butcher in Dundas. It was from a local farm that doesn't feed the livestock a bunch of chemicals and crap. The animals are raised free range. The ham was smoked over fruit wood. All I needed to do was heat it up and glaze it. I used the delicious (and super simple) glaze that we got out of a 1991 Gourmet magazine. It consists of rum, candied ginger, and brown sugar. MMM

The butcher also makes delicious things to serve with their meat. In this case I ordered their potato gratin made with thinly sliced potatoes, cream, caramelized onions and Gruyere cheese. MMMM

I also bought a lemon meringue pie from a nearby bakery for dessert (augmented with treats from the Greek bakery). I like that they use a graham cracker crumb crust instead of pastry for their lemon pies.

We generally keep the appetizers simple. Deviled eggs and kielbasa. I picked up kielbasa from a favourite producer while we were away the other weekend. When it came to the eggs I was feeling like I needed to take things up a notch. I googled Easter deviled eggs and some horrific things came up (I do not think i could bring myself to eat egg whites that have been dyed pink, purple, blue, and yellow). However, all was not a bust. This recipe for Easter Chick deviled eggs came up and I was inspired. It was a bit complicated and my wee chicks aren't going to when any food styling contests  but it wasn't bad for a first attempt and was thrilled so it was all worth it.

Dinner was mostly set - I just needed to make a vegetable. I went with a recipe I've made a few times before - peas and carrots with dill, mint, and lemon. It is a fresh take on good old peas and carrots. I find the freshness is a good foil for the rich ham and potato gratin.

 

Good Friday Dinner

Dinner on Good Friday was inspired by finding this:

It is difficult to find Pastitsio noodles in Canada - when I did the memu was set.

Pastitsio is a Greek casserole made with noodles, a beefy tomato sauce, cheese, and a rich bechamel  sauce. Some folks call it Greek Lasagne because in their minds it is easiest to connect something new to the 'known'. Enough. It is Pastitsio and it is a delicious, rich casserole.

We started with appetizers some made and the rest purchased at the Greek bakery in Toronto and cooked at home.

Fried feta with honey and thyme, spanokopita, tiropita, and tzatziki.

Dinner was the pastitsio and a Greek salad.

Dessert was super simple - treats purchased from the Greek bakery. MMMMM So good. I used to pop into Sareno a fair bit when iIwas working but since I've retired it has been awhile some I made the trek into the Toronto Greek Village.

Zucchini Carpaccio

I am being overrun with zucchini - even after the deer broke into the garden and chewed off all of the zucchinis they could find AND three plants rotted from too much rain!

Most of my time online is spent googling for a new zucchini recipe.

I've made zucchini carpaccio before. It makes a easy, fresh-tasting starter. Whenever I make it I think to myself  'this was so easy and delicious I should make it again!' Then I forget about it.

Even if you have half a zucchini left, you can make Zucchini Carpaccio for yourself. Zucchini Carpaccio is a play on regular beef carpaccio, thin-shaved slices of prime tenderloin, topped with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, salt, freshly ground black pepper, a good squeeze of lemon and a generous drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.  

Instead of beef, we’re using thin-sliced raw zucchini, and we’ll brighten up the dish with feta cheese, nuts and fresh herbs.

This recipe provided lots of options which I liked - plenty of ways to personalize it to make it suit your tastes and indeed, mood.

Enjoy!

Zucchini Carpaccio

2 zucchini
1/4 cup chopped nuts - walnuts, pecan, pine nuts, slivered almonds (I used pine nuts)
1/4 cup crumbled or shaved cheese - feta, parmesan, goat cheese, smoked gouda (I used parmigiano)
1 tablespoon minced fresh herb - basil, tarragon, dill, oregano, mint, chives (I used mint)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (use the BEST olive oil you have!)
1/2 lemon
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

Thinly slice the zucchini into paper-thin slices with a mandoline slicer. Arrange the zucchini slices slightly overlapping on a large platter.

Nuts are best toasted, but you can skip this step if you're short on time. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the nuts, and gently toast until fragrant and lightly golden. Immediately remove from heat and sprinkle on the zucchini.

Sprinkle on the crumbled cheese and fresh herbs. Drizzle on the olive oil, squeeze the lemon all over and season with salt and pepper.

Vietnamese Chicken Wings

With the Labour Day Weekend approaching you may be looking to up your grilling game. You can't go wrong with these delicious wings.

These chicken wings are marinated overnight in a quick to prepare Vietnamese lemongrass marinade that is packed full of flavour, then grilled to perfection on the BBQ. You can also cook them in the oven, but I am partial to the grilling flavours!

The marinade for these wings is a classic base for many Vietnamese dishes and is a great balance of sweet, salty, spicy and tang that epitomizes the food of this cuisine. Lemongrass is a herb that is commonly used in many Vietnamese dishes. It has a very unique smell, lemony but with a distinct earthiness and turns an otherwise ordinary marinade into something really special.

Vietnamese Chicken Wings

2 lb / 1 kg chicken wings , cut into wingettes and drumettes
Oil for grilling
4 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup lime juice (2 to 3 limes)
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 stalks lemongrass
1 birds eye chilli , finely chopped
Coriander leaves

Bruise the lemongrass using the side of your knife (or a pestle). Slice the white part only into 0.5cm / 1/4" slices, thick enough to pick off later if any stick to the wings.

Combine lemongrass with the rest of the marinade ingredients and mix well.

Combine marinade with wings in a ziplock bag. Remove as much air as possible from the bag and seal. Massage marinade into the wings to evenly disperse.

Marinate for at least a few hours, preferably overnight.

When ready to cook, pour the wings and marinade into a large bowl.

Lightly oil the grill and preheat on medium low. The grill side cooks the wings more evenly than the hotplate side.

Remove wings from marinade and grill until cooked through. Do not cook on a high heat otherwise the sugar will burn before the inside of the wings are cooked.

Just before the wings are ready, remove the wings from the grill and put them back into the bowl and toss in the marinade, then put back on the BBQ and sear quickly on both sides.

Serve garnished with coriander leaves and chilli slices (optional).

To cook in oven

Preheat oven to 180C/350F and put the rack in the top part of the oven.

Line a baking tray with baking paper and place a rack on it.

Remove wings from the marinade and spread out over the rack.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the top side is golden brown, then turn the wings and baste.

Return to oven for another 10 to 15 minutes until the wings are a dark golden brown.

Turn again, baste and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

Zucchini Fritters with Feta and Dill

The word fritter usually conjures up something heavy and deep-fried, but these zucchini fritters are as light as can be. Serve them as a light vegetarian meal or mezze (small plate) with tzatziki and a Greek salad, or as a side dish to any Mediterranean-style fish, chicken or lamb dish

This is one of those recipes that looks more complex than it is. The recipe comes together quickly and everyone will be impressed with your efforts when they tuck in.

The best part - this dish uses up those zucchini which seem to be everywhere in the summer. We generally get 4 or 5 a week in our CSA delivery so I am always on the hunt for a ripe that uses up the supply.

Enjoy!

Zucchini Fritters with Feta and Dill

1 pound zucchini (about 2 medium), trimmed
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 scallions, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (or cornstarch)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more if necessary
Lemon wedges, for serving

Shred the zucchini on the large holes of a box grater or in a food processor fitted with the shredding disk. Transfer the zucchini to a fine mesh strainer and set over a bowl. Toss the zucchini with the salt and let it sit for 10 minutes. Wring all of the excess liquid out of the zucchini with your hands, then set aside.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Mix in the dried zucchini, scallions, dill, feta, garlic and black pepper. Sprinkle the flour (or corn starch) and baking powder over mixture and stir until uniformly incorporated.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Drop 2-tablespoon sized portions into the pan, then use the back of a spoon to gently press the batter into 2-inch-wide fritters. Pan-fry until golden brown on both sides, 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer the fritters to a paper towel-lined plate. Add a bit more oil to the pan if necessary, then repeat with the remaining batter. Serve warm or room temperature with lemon wedges.

Fried Camembert with Cranberry Sauce

Paul and I had a taste of this when we were in Berlin (although the cheese was served with Lingonberry jelly there). I bought some Camembert a few weeks ago with the thought of recreating the dish using the leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving. I finally got around to it last night.

This really surprised me - it was fast and easy to prepare - but if you made it for a crowd people would think you had been busy for days! Everyone needs something like that in the recipe repertoire.

You should definitely serve this with something tart - the cranberry sauce worked well - as the tart jelly serves to counter the rich cheese.

Deep-Fried Camembert and Cranberry Sauce

2 (8 ounce) rounds Camembert cheese
oil for frying
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 cup bread crumbs
1 cup whole berry cranberry sauce

Freeze Camembert cheese for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Pour flour into a bowl. Beat eggs and milk together in a separate bowl. Pour bread crumbs into a third bowl.

Remove cheese from the freezer and cut each round into 6 wedges. Roll each wedge in flour and dip into the egg-milk mixture. Press each wedge into bread crumbs until evenly coated.

Fry each breaded wedge in the hot oil until bread crumbs are browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer fried cheese to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon. Serve cranberry sauce on the side.

Classic Nuts and Bolts

Do you remember this snack from your childhood? This is one of those recipes that you can play around with and really make your own - in fact, my grandmother was famous for her version. We still do not know what made it so special but when she packed up a big batch into mason jars to give away as gifts each year we were disappointed. Our disappointment did not last though as there was always another batch just for US!

Looking at the ingredients I think I know what it was - a full pound of butter? MMMM

I've seen 'modern, healthy' versions of this snack.I've even saved a few of these recipes but I always come back to the one that tastes like the version I had as a kid.

You may be wondering about the name - apparently the pretzel sticks and the cheerios used to be able to be stuck together like nuts and bolts. Alas our modern cheerios are far smaller and this is no longer the case. These days when I make my version I add ringaloos and crunchy cheetos which allows me to put together nuts and bolts just as I did when I was a kiddo.

For those who want to play around with ingredients I estimate that in the original recipe  you would have about 20 - 22 cups of ingredients (with the boxes of things and cups of things). So long as you keep to that same ratio you are golden!

 

Classic Nuts and Bolts

1 lb. butter
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp. onion salt
1 1/2 tsp. celery salt
4 cups “Cheerios”
4 cups “Life” cereal (corn chex)
4 cups “Shreddies” or “Wheat Chex”
2 boxes pretzels or pretzel sticks
2 cups peanuts (salted if you insist!)
1 box “bugels”
1 box cheese nips or cheese bites

Heat oven to 250 F. Place butter in very large roaster and put in oven to melt butter while oven in preheating. Add all ingredients and stir well to coat evenly with butter. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Stir every 1/2 hour.

Beef and Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Everyone seems to enjoy food more if it is served on a stick . . . these Thai inspired appetizers will not disappoint.

These satays can be made with beef or chicken - choose one or halve the marinade and make both. NOTE - we only made chicken satay . . . we tend to prefer it to the beef. Satays are traditionally served with peanut sauce, but the a wonton dipping sauce is also a good complement.

Around these parts satay is often served over a beautiful mango salad. This is what we did with mom doing the honours for the mango salad.

Beef and Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

2 tbsp (25 mL) soy sauce
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
2 tsp (10 mL) chopped garlic
1 tbsp (15 mL) light brown sugar
2 tsp (10 mL) ground cumin
2 tsp (10 mL) ground coriander
1 tsp (5 mL) turmeric
1 ½ lb (750 g) beef tenderloin, striploin or other good grilling cut,
trimmed of fat, sliced against the grain ¼-inch (5-mm)
thick or boneless skinless chicken breast or thigh,
sliced ¼-inch (5-mm) thick

Peanut Dipping Sauce
1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil
½ cup (125 mL) chopped red onion
2 tsp (10 mL) chopped garlic
¼ tsp (1 mL) chili flakes
1 cup (250 mL) coconut milk
2 tbsp (25 mL) soy sauce
2 tbsp (25 mL) ketchup
2 tbsp (25 mL) lime juice
½ cup (125 mL) smooth natural peanut butter
2 tbsp (25 mL ) water (optional)
Salt

 

Combine soy sauce, oil, lemon juice, garlic, brown sugar, cumin, coriander and turmeric in a medium bowl. Add desired sliced meat and toss to coat. Cover and marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or in the refrigerator overnight. Thread meat on bamboo or metal skewers, and working in batches, grill in a grillpan or barbeque over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until beef is medium rare, and chicken is just cooked through.

For sauce, heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, and sauté for 2 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and chili flakes and sauté for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add coconut milk, bring to a boil and boil for 4 minutes or until reduced and thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in soy sauce, ketchup and lime juice, and allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Stir in peanut butter. If sauce begins to separate and look curdled or seems too thick, whisk in water. Season with salt to taste. Serve with beef or chicken satays.

Wonton Dipping sauce
½ cup (125 mL) hoisin sauce
½ cup (125 mL) soy sauce
1 tbsp (15 mL ) sesame oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) grated ginger

Stir hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and ginger together in a small bowl.

Spicy Thai Basil and Cilantro Chicken Wings

 A few weeks ago I featured this recipe for southeast Asian chicken wings. The results were so great with the 'threading your chicken wings on a skewer prior to grilling technique' that I determined to try it again with different marinades. Don't get me wrong, that marinade was great but I was overgrown with Thai basil and cilantro so I was searching for ways to use some up!

This recipe, from the folks at Food and Wine, was originally for shrimp. I decided to try it on chicken wings. It is my kind of recipe - dump everything in a food processor, give it a zap, and voila . . .a marinade is created.

The original recipe called for regular basil. We used the Thai basil and it was brilliant but if you didn't have a HUGE pot of overgrown Thai basil I suppose you could go with the easier to find regular kind.

Whatever kind of basil you use, I think you'll be impressed with the results!

Spicy Thai Basil and Cilantro Chicken Wings

1/4 c Thai basil leaves
1/4 c cilantro leaves
8 peeled garlic cloves
2 T sambal oelek (or other Asian chili sauce
2 T Asian fish sauce
1 t finely grated lemon zest
1 t finely grated lime zest
1/2 c vegetable oil

3 pounds whole chicken wings (12-14)

12-14 long bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

Use paper towels to pat the chicken wings dry. Transfer the chicken wings into a 1-gallon storage/freezer bag.

In a blender or food processor, puree the marinade ingredients until fairly smooth.

Pour the Marinade over the chicken wings in the storage bag. Close the bag tightly and coat the chicken wings evenly with the marinade. Chill for at least 2-4 hours or overnight.

Remove any excess marinade on the chicken wings. Thread each chicken wing on a bamboo skewer, from the drumette to the wingtip to stretch out the wing.

Prepare the gas/charcoal grill for grilling. Wipe the grate with an oiled paper towel or cloth.

Grill the chicken wings with skin side down until golden brown, about 8-12 minutes, depending on the heat. Turn over and grill the other side, another 8-12 minutes or until desired tenderness.

Cedar-Planked Brie with Cranberry Chutney

The idea of cheese on the grill seems a bit much but if you haven't tried it you should!

Some of the best flavors can be showcased on the grill by combining a few great tasting ingredients. The flavors of cedar, warm brie cheese and grilled bread is one example of this. It appears to be a simple baked cheese with some jelly on top, but the balance of flavors are so wonderful that it becomes something more than just modest baked brie.

While this recipe uses a 'sweetish' cranberry jelly it would also be good with a savoury chutney.

I will not be held accountable for the addictive nature of this appetizer. Remember, not only is it BBQ season, but it’s swimsuit season. Enjoy in moderation.

:-)

 

Cedar-Planked Brie with Cranberry Chutney

2 cups prepared cranberry chutney (I used Trader Joes)
1 cedar plank, soaked in water for 30 minutes
1 wheel of Brie or Camembert cheese, 4 to 6 inches in diameter
Crackers or slices of fresh bread

Prepare your grill for direct grilling, medium-high heat. When the grill is hot, rinse the cedar plank under cold running water and place it on the grate. Close the lid and allow the plank to heat for 4 or 5 minutes or until it starts to crackle.NOTE: don't be alarmed by the crackle - mam and Paul almost jumped out of their skins . . .

Reduce the heat to medium-low and place the cheese on the plank, and then close the lid and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, possibly longer.

Open the lid and scoop a generous portion of cranberry chutney onto the warming cheese, close the lid and cook until the cheese is puffing out but not burst. Transfer the cheese on the plank to a metal or glass plate, and serve immediately with crackers (or fresh bread).