This recipe is gluten-free, and while it looks like it contains a few steps, [...]]]>
This recipe is gluten-free, and while it looks like it contains a few steps, once all the ingredients are ready to go, it comes together fairly quickly … and you get to resurrect your boy-scout skillz when you truss the pork! Pork these days is a fairly lean, mild flavoured meat, and makes a good alternative (for those who eat meat) from chicken.
The quinoa used in the stuffing does double duty as a “starch” side dish, so all you need to pull of a complete meal is pair with a veggie or salad — you could even go crazy with a spinach/peach/red onion salad if you found some nice peaches!
Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Spiced Quinoa (printer friendly recipe)
Please remember that Maple Leaf is continuing to run this contest for the next month or so, and you can vote daily for the recipes you “like”. Should I be fortunate enough to win, I’ll be donating the winnings to the Mustard Seed food bank here in Victoria.
You can find the contest at the Maple Leaf Prime page on Facebook. Thanks for your support!
( EAVB_RCCOLGZPDW )
]]>For those of you worried that I’m shilling for “the man”, here’s my thinking:
My primary [...]]]>
For those of you worried that I’m shilling for “the man”, here’s my thinking:
My primary goal in getting involved in food was to see more people eating food made from scratch. My chequebook is happy if people want to use my services to help them do that, but personally, I get just as much satisfaction from helping people acquire the skills and confidence in the kitchen to do that on their own.
While I strive to use locally produced meats, that is not always feasible given many people’s lifestyle or chequebook. Often people buy premium products but don’t always know the best way to cook a particular cut of meat, and end up disappointed, feeling like they have wasted time and money. Pork tenderloin and the leaner cuts of chops are often one of those cuts — being so lean nowadays, that they are easy to overcook. Processes such as brining help considerably, but are not in the repertoire of many home cooks.
When I started this blog, it was with the intent of sharing information as I went — hopefully things people might find useful for themselves. So, when I was made aware of this contest, I thought it was a good opportunity to take a product available to most people in their supermarket, and develop a recipe that was practical for a weeknight dinner. I’d love to hear your thoughts, if you have any.
I’ll be posting a recipe sometime between August 7th and 15th, on this blog AND on the Maple Leaf Prime page on Facebook. I’d love it if you would take a look at the recipe, and “like” it (if you really like it!). Maple Leaf will be compiling votes until October ON THE FACEBOOK PAGE , at which time they will award a prize of $500.00 towards groceries plus some exposure through Maple Leaf. Should I be fortunate enough to win, I plan to donate the prize to the Mustard Seed here in Victoria.
In the interests of keeping it real …. for the record, the Maple Leaf Prime products are:
- from hogs raised and processed in Western Canada
- Not certified organic
- brined ahead of time in pork broth and sea-salt. This is a process identical to one I use at home and for catering jobs for pork, chicken, turkey and sometimes seafood.
- Not processed in any other manner — from a home cooking standpoint, you would treat this like any other pork cut you would purchase from your butcher or supermarket.
- I have received coupons for two packages of this product, which I will be using for the recipe development.
I’d like to thank you all in advance for your support, and look forward to your thoughts and comments
]]>I recently got a copy of David Lebovitz’s most recent book, Ready for Dessert, and have noodled around a little bit, but wanted to make a few of the cakes. For tonights dinner, I was looking for something that wouldn’t be too sweet, and might pair well with some of the rhubarb that was begging to [...]]]>
I recently got a copy of David Lebovitz’s most recent book, Ready for Dessert, and have noodled around a little bit, but wanted to make a few of the cakes. For tonights dinner, I was looking for something that wouldn’t be too sweet, and might pair well with some of the rhubarb that was begging to be used up. Pistachio Cardamom cake seemed to be just the thing!
I made the pistachio cake as written and it is pretty easy to pull together. I baked in a regular cake pan (no cake pan strips) just to see how much it would dome — as you can see from some of the pics that follow, it does dome slightly, so if you like your cakes level, use a strip around the edge.
The other nice thing about this is that it uses plain old AP flour. David’s recipes are really nicely written — everything is in volume and weight measures (grams!) — this will make converting some of these recipes to gluten-free that much easier! David’s original recipe calls for a syrup/sliced almond topping, but I decided to split the cake into two layers and put rhubarb compote in between. I was struck by the contrast between the bright green of the pistachios and the vibrant pink of the rhubarb, and have to confess to a Hello Kitty moment!
The rhubarb compote is pretty easy — make a 2:1 syrup with 1 teaspoon cardamom, 1 teaspoon coriander, with 1 c sugar, 1/2 c water. When it comes to the boil, add about 3 c chopped rhubarb. simmer for 3-5 minutes. If you want it thicker, you can strain off the syrup and reduce in the microwave for 10 minutes on high in a pyrex measuring cup. Add about 2 T rosewater
Marscapone whipped cream — whip 250 ml heavy cream, 2T sugar, fold in 250 ml marscapone
- It tastes pretty good, and we like pretty much all versions of it.
- It can be made up fairly quickly with a couple of pantry staples at hand, and a pressure cooker
- It is pretty versatile and works well as a freestyle item — no recipe needed, just a set of guidelines
Some people get intimidated by curry, but basically, it is a stew — and the same “rules” for making a tasty stew apply to curries — spend a little bit of time at the beginning developing the flavours, add liquid, and braise until everything is tender, and the flavours meld together. With some pre-cooked chickpeas (from a can or from the stash in the freezer), we can cook up a tasty curry in about 25 minutes — 10 minutes prep, and 15 minutes in the pressure cooker. A little bit longer if you’re going for a meaty curry.
When in doubt, a tasty braise is always on! If you notice, a lot of the tasty fancy dishes around the world are in fact, just versions of stew. Curry, coq au vin, boeuf bourginone, chicken paprikash, goulash, chicken tikka marsala, chicken pot pie = stew masquerading as pie!
For us, a quick curry is also a good way to empty out the fridge — just remember to keep the flavours complementary. For this curry, we had chickpeas and cauliflower (one of my favourite combos), with the addition of a cubed sweet potato, an apple cut in small dice, julienned ginger, lots of garlic and some apple butter that needed to be used up.
Go ahead and give it a shot! With the cauliflower, this is one instance where I like it cooked until it “melts” into the curry and starts to become part of the sauce. It stays nice and sweet that way, complementing the sweetness of the apple butter and sweet potato. It you want to switch it up, you can add coconut milk to the braising liquid, or diced, canned tomatoes. You can also amp up the onions and garlic, cut back on the ginger, add extra spices — its your curry, so go crazy!!!
Vegetable Curry in a Hurry
- 1 large onion, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2-3 Tablespoons garlic, finely julienned or minced
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3-4 Tablespoons curry paste (I use Patak’s but you can use your preferred brand)
- 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 medium sweet potato, sliced and cut into 3/4″ dice
- 3 cups cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 medium apple, cut into small dice
- 3 Tablespoons apple butter
- 2 to 1 1/2 cup vegetable stock (quanity depends on your pressure cooker)
Saute onions on medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and ginger, and cook until onions are just starting to brown lightly. Add the curry paste, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add all the other ingredients and mix to combine everything. Place the lid on the pressure cooker and bring the pressure up. Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let the pressure come down naturally. Give one last stir, and serve over rice, or with flatbread and raita.
Tonight’s version is a vegan curry, and if you serve it over rice, is also gluten-free
]]>Bread pudding is one of those easy things to whip up, and if you are familiar with Michael Ruhlman‘s book Ratios, once you understand that bread pudding is basically custard with lots of stuff in it, [...]]]>
Bread pudding is one of those easy things to whip up, and if you are familiar with Michael Ruhlman‘s book Ratios, once you understand that bread pudding is basically custard with lots of stuff in it, you are pretty much open to freestyle it.
The custard for this is a basic 2:1 custard (2 parts milk or cream to 1 part beaten eggs), sweetened with a bit of sugar, and spiced however you like. I rummaged through the cupboards and decided to sweeten the custard with brown sugar, spike it with a bit of bourbon, and toss in some chocolate chips. Don`t forget to bake this in a water bath! It may seem like a hassle, but it really does help make the custard nice and creamy.
Gluten-free Chocolate chip Bread Pudding
- 1/2 loaf gluten-free sandwich bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups light cream
- 6 T brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3-4 T bourbon
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix liquid ingredients and pour over the bread in an 8-inch square pan. Let sit for at least 15 minutes, and bake in a water bath for 35-45 minutes, until just set in the centre.
You know the drill! If its got yeast in it, it goes over to Yeastspotting! Check out all the yeasty treats this week!
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