Tourtiere on steroids...

I try to pump out a few tourtieres every fall and freeze them for future use. Tourtieres are a traditional French-Canadian dish - basically a seasoned meat pie. I've always found them a little too dry and meaty for my tastes...so I made a few adjustments to the basic recipe. This is my version of tourtiere, not to be confused with the real thing, which does not contain potatoes or gravy.

Pie pastry - enough for two covered pies
1 lb ground pork
2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb bacon, chopped
1 large onion
1 bay leaf
1 tbs chopped garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper, freshly ground
1/4 c chopped fresh parsley
2 tbs chopped celery leaves
1/4 tsp mace, cayenne, cloves
1 sachet beef oxo + 1/4 cup water
4 medium potatoes diced finely
1 1/2 cups gravy (2 tbs butter, 2 tbs flour, 1 1/2 c beef bouillon, salt and pepper)

In very large frypan, saute bacon till crisp. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic, bayleaf, spices & herbs, pork, beef, and stir to combine. Sprinkle beef oxo over meat mixture and then add the water. Stir to combine. Meanwhile, microwave the potatoes for about 5-7 minutes and prepare gravy. Add potatoes and gravy to meat mixture. Stir to combine. Simmer over medium low for 45 minutes. Line 2 pie plates with pastry and prick over whole surface with fork. Spoon meat mixture into pie plates. Top with upper crusts. Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for a further 30 minutes. Bake one pie now, and freeze the other for later use - or bake both now and freeze one of the cooked ones - your choice.

Curried beef - just the thing for a miserable cold fall day

Had ground beef in the fridge; wanted something warming. Found this on the net: http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/1882/mince-with-black-eyed-beans.aspx . It was great - served with rice and asparagus, as well as tzatziki (no raita to be had) and pitas.

Fall Marketing

I was given a marvellous book recently (thank you Jasmin and Peter!): Nigel Slater's "Appetite". Inspired by the bit I've read so far and by the perfectly typical fall day that is underway, I set off for the local farmer's market with the intention of finding and enjoying some great produce. I'm cooking for one (or two if you count Granny next door) today, so I'm free to choose just about anything. For lunch today, I'm having fresh tabouleh, some slices of red Leicester and Dubliner cheeses, all from the market, a wholewheat Parker House roll from the hippy bakery in Houlton, Me (which was baked and purchased yesterday afternoon), and some of my own homemade tomato salsa. I also picked up a lovely head of red cabbage, some large white radishes, and some parsnips at the market. Tonight I'm planning on cooking some curried cabbage, glazed chicken breast, roasted parsnip, and new potatoes, with beet greens on the side. Tomorrow, if all goes well with Patrick's hunt, we'll be dining on roast partridge....

In a rush - thank heavens for Kraft's What's Cooking!

Too much to do today and not enough time. Lucky for me, I received the Kraft's What's Cooking weekly email today and there, right at the top, supper stared me in the face: Sausage and pepper rotini (http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/recipes/sausage-peppers-rotini-pasta-126827.aspx). I had most of the ingredients on hand and a quick stop at Sobey's on the way home got me what I was lacking.This was a really tasty and easy-to-make supper that received positive feedback from husband and kids alike (except for dear daughter's dislike of peppers!).

Borscht - or what to do with leftover beets and potatoes

The surfeit of leftover vegetables from this past weekend's Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival meals was weighing on my mind (and occupying way too much fridge real estate). Yesterday was a crisp fall day and memories of delicious borscht sprang to mind (red fall leaves - red beets, you see the link?). A perfect solution to my veggie l/o dilemma.

(Almost) Vegetarian Borscht

2 tbs butter
1 large onion, chopped
900 mL container of beef broth
1796 mL (28 oz) can of diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbs tomato paste
4 c coarsely chopped or shredded cabbage
3 large cooked carrots chopped
3 cups small red potatoes, cooked and halved
4 cups chopped beets, cooked
2 tbs minced garlic
2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 tbs sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 tsp caraway seed
1 tsp dill seed
1 cup water
2 sachets low-sodium beef oxo
3 halves sun-dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
chopped mushrooms (optional)

In very large pot, melt butter and saute onions until transparent. Add remaining ingredients in order and bring to low boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer over medium heat for about 1 1/2 hours, again stirring occasionally. Serve with dollop of sour cream.

Clover Jelly / Rose Petal Jelly - Foraging along the Trail

I went foraging yesterday and today - one of my more frugal and favorite pastimes. I love making jellies and jams (heaven knows why, I rarely eat them!) and I can't pass a flower or a plant without wondering what I can make from it. As I like to walk and am blessed with beautiful local trails just a hop, skip and a jump from my doorstep, I often see wild fruits and flowers just waiting to be foraged. Yesterday, I could smell the sweet scent of ripe wild strawberries as I marched down the trail. To either side, there was an abundance of wildflowers decorating the uncut grass. I spent about an hour and a half wandering up and down and off the trail picking berries and clover flowers (and sampling a few berries along the way!). I was zonked once I finally made it back home - the sun pretty near fried my brain - so I rested up and waited until evening to process the flower heads. I removed all the green and brown bits, leaving only fresh purple flower heads, which I then rinsed in cold, running water. I placed them in a glass dish and poured 4 cups of boiling water on top of them.  That was it for the night. Today, once I finally dragged myself out of bed (not a good start to the day), I came down to find a lovely light pink infusion waiting for me. I strained the liquid through two layers of cheesecloth, leaving it to drip for about an hour. Then I transferred the liquid to a stainless steel pot, added 1/2 cup of lemon juice, and 8 cups of sugar. Brought the mixture to a full boil, added 1 packet of liquid pectin, boiled for about 2 minutes, then removed the jelly from the heat, skimmed off the froth, and transferred it to sterile mason jars. (I washed and sterilized jars and canning equipment prior to beginning the jelly.) It made 9 jars of a lovely honey-tasting clover jelly that is a beautiful, crystal-clear, pink shade.

Inspired by this success, and knowing that there were several very fragrant wild rose bushes growing along the trail and in my neighbor's garden, I decided that rose-petal jelly would be the next product. R, D & I headed out for an evening walk with the dog and several doggie bags in hand. With the guys' assistance, by the time we returned home, I had a bulging doggy bag of fragrant rose petals of deepest fuschia and pale pink. Compressed, I had about 4 cups of petals. This time, the process was much simpler. I sorted the petals to remove any green or brown bits, rinsed them, crushed them with a potato masher to release the scent, and then transferred them to a deep stainless steel pot. I poured 8 cups of boiling water on top, gave them a stir and set them on the burner to bring the mixture back to a boil. After about 5 minutes boiling, I strained them through two layers of cheesecloth. I was left with about 7 1/2 cups liquid, with I returned to the freshly cleaned pot. I added an extra 1/2 cup of water, a scant cup of lemon juice, and 16 cups of sugar. I brought this mix to a full boil, stirred in two packets of liquid pectin, and then brought it back to a boil for about 3 minutes. Again, I took it off the heat, skimmed the froth, and transferred it to sterilized jars. I made just over 16 jars of a gorgeous rosy red jelly that has a spicy tang to it.

Tomorrow, weather and health permitting, I'm heading out again to gather enough wild strawberries to make at least a couple of jars of jam.....

In a rush squares ....

A great recipe for squares when you're in a rush and need something to take to a party.

Almond Butter Squares

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine

2 cups powdered sugar
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup almond butter
1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
Optional: ½ c chopped maraschinos

Grease a 9x9-inch baking pan. Set aside. In large bowl, melt butter. Add sugar, graham cracker crumbs, and almond butter, marshmallow and cherries if using. Mix well. Press into prepared pan.

Melt chocolate in double-boiler (or microwaveable bowl on high for1-1/2 to 2 min.), stirring consistently. Pour over almond butter mixture in pan.

Refrigerate 1 hour or until set
 
Makes 36 squares.