Tomato and Halloumi Cheese

This salad was or is in part inspired by a very good friend who showed me many years ago when I was visiting her that she would fry Halloumi cheese and eat it as a snack. I know fried cheese isn't the most healthiest ingredient to add to a salad. However it is quite lovely. It is saltier than feta and has a cheese curd like consistency. 

I sliced yellow and red tomatoes arranging them on a plate. Then I thinly sliced some red onions and then some radishes. Arranging them with the tomatoes. Then topped the salad with three pieces of Halloumi cheese. I had already made a dressing of basic oil and vinegar with herbs which was drizzled over the top. Very simple. Very fast. Easy and delicious. Enjoy! -JW  

The Alice In Wonderland Cookbook ~ A Culinary Diversion

This is a slight culinary companion to Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Fans of Carroll will be delighted with this book and fans of illustrator, Sir John Tenniel, will be even more so. This cookbook is out of print and first editions are in limited copies. There are some circling out there and that is why I cherish the copy I have even more. Therefore I highly recommend this purely for collector purposes. Not to dishearten the recipes that are showcased on the pages. One does marvel over the Ambidextrous Mushrooms, Eggs Bonne Alice, Bread-and-Butter Fly Pudding and The Cheshire Cat's Cheese Whiskers. There is plenty of wit, prose and excerpts from Carroll's work to entice even the most lacklustre chef. There also seems to be a gastronomic motif  in earlier works of Lewis Carroll. Here are a couple of recipe to share...

Hot - Tempered Mustard - 3 tablespoons mustard powder / 1 tablespoon castor sugar / 1 beaten egg /  1/2 (half) pint pure malt vinegar / 1 tablespoon olive oil / 1 pinch of salt

Mix mustard, salt and sugar together in a basin. Stir in the beaten egg until smooth. Add the vinegar, beating until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan and stir over a gentle heat for five minutes. Leave to cool before stirring in the olive oil. Serve with your savoury dishes to make their appeal "otherwise" than what it might appear to have been.

The Cheshire Cat's Cheese Whiskers - 2 ounces flour / 2 ounces butter / 3 ounces grated Cheddar cheese / 1/2 teaspoon baking powder / 2 ounces grated breadcrumbs / 1/2 saltspoon salt /  1/2 saltspoon pepper / paprika 

Sieve flour, salt and pepper into a basin. Stir in the breadcrumbs and cheese. Rub in the butter with the fingers until you get a smooth paste, adding a little milk if the texture proves difficult. Dust work surface with flour and roll out pastry into a strip about 4 inches wide. one-eighth of an inch. Cut pastry into so many thin strips. Place on a greased tin and bake in a steady oven at 375ºF, gas mark 4 until crisp and brown. Serve hot, sprinkle with paprika. Then sit back and smile contentedly at your achievement, if only to remind yourself that long ago Cheshire Cheeses were moulded into the shape of a grinning cat prior to being sent to Bristol for export. Hence, maybe, the origin of the phrase " grin like a Cheshire cat " Perhaps Alice should have asked her question of the Duchess's cook?  

Hope you enjoy the few photos of Tenniel's illustrations that I included. - JW 

                                 Apparently Lewis Carroll drew this one of himself. 

The Settlement Cookbook

One can truly have fun with the statement pronounced at the top of this front cover. Whether it is true or not depends on the cook. This cookbook was part of a friendly exchange. I received the cookbook while my friend, in America, received a significant bottle of Canadian maple syrup. Sounds fair enough.   

This cookbook was her mother's, Henrietta De Voren Miller. This was where she learned to cook and drew her kitchen inspiration from. Probably making countless dishes. It was passed on to her and now she is passing it on to me, to add to my collection.   

With 623 pages and printed in 1947 this cookbook has 45 chapters of recipes. That certainly is plenty. If you do not like a recipe you can certainly move on to the next one.  The majority are classics while some others leave you running for the hills... i.e: Liver Balls. This cookbook has been very well used. Some recipes have marginal notes and modifications written in pencil. However the sweetest gems found in this cookbook were the handwritten recipes and the recipes that have been clipped from newspapers. Those items only add to the charm of this book. This is a lovely addition to my collection and one that will happily sit on the shelf. - JW 

My Week In Food

Spaghetti Bolognese is quick and simple. Even better when spices inspire you all thanks to the Incredible Spice Men Cookbook. Cumin and other different spices added depth to the minced chicken. Reintroducing flavour that was welcoming change. 

Being at the Farmer's Market in the French Quarter was a nice way to spend the afternoon. Picking up some fresh local veggies and cheese is the absolute best day to me. Also indulging in a chocolate croissant and a latté from Café Bicyclette was the ultimate that rounded this weekend outing perfectly.   

New Baby Potatoes, Fresh Green Beans and Chicken Drumsticks in a homemade Barbeque Sauce became the dinner of choice. Pretty standard weekend dinner feast. My barbeque sauce had all the right elements, sweet, smoky and tangy.  

This was how I plated it. A pat of butter over the potatoes and then I grated lemon over the potatoes and the green beans. Freshness with a zing! 

You can tell the colder weather is coming because everyone felt the need for some Chili Con Carne. Again I played around with the spices. Adding lots of cumin with the chili powder. Not too hot (spicy) that filled the void. Fall is on it's way. 

Enjoy your weekend everyone! -JW 

Romany Recipes and Country Wines and Cordials

I purchased these two little cookbooks while I was in England. They are 4x6 in size and about 47 pages. The perfect little memento. I found these two quite interesting as I have no cookbooks small or large that have these recipes in them. These charming books have a variety of titles and sometimes are regional, they do offer traditional and favourite recipes. Sometimes the recipes offer ingredients to which by today's health conscious standard we no longer gravitate towards. Each book has recipes I would like to try. They are fun to leaf through and ponder. This weekend I think I will make the Quire of Paper Pancakes from the Romany Recipes and one day I will try to make the Lavender Liqueur from the Country Wines & Cordials.   

Bulgar and Flax Pilaf

When you have all the ingredients for a recipe then I say it was meant to be. It is very satisfying when you try a recipe and it turns out and tastes delicious! This bulgar and flax pilaf was simple and easy. It had a nutty flavour and texture. By far this is my new favourite side dish. It is a great alternative to rice or couscous.

                                               Bulgar and Flax Pilaff

                       -----------------------------------------------------------------------

2 tablespoons of butter

1 cup Bulgar Wheat

1/4 cup Flaxseed

1/3 cup onion, minced

1 small tomato, diced

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning 

*Other veggies and seasoning may be added or substituted. 

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bulgar, flaxseed and onions. Stir until the bulgar is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomato, chicken broth, salt and Italian seasonings. Cover and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until all the broth has been absorbed. Fluff with a fork. Let stand for 10 minutes, then serve. 

Enjoy! - JW 

The Incredible Spice Men

I did not get the priviledge of watching these two men on British television however my fiancé did. And later that day when we were out and about I stood and listened to him recount their appearance. I immediately became intrigued and left the shop with their cookbook. Returning to Canada I googled them and found them on Youtube, Twitter and Facebook. After watching some of their Youtube videos I was even more delighted to have bought their cookbook. These two gentlemen are eloquent, and funny. You can tell they are passionate about what they do and make it look so effortless.

The Incredible Spice Men are taking spices to new levels. Adding twists to many traditional British recipes. They use some of my favourite  spices... cumin and cardamom. Spices are one of the oldest ingredients bought, sold and traded. Rather than accumulate in your pantry, they want to you to rethink and use those spices in dishes you are creating. They list 10 spice which they use and which should be in every pantry. They are: Cassia Bark, Cardamom, Cloves, Cumin, Corriander, Cinnamon, Chili, Nutmeg, Pepper, and Star Anise. Plus there is a wealth of information regarding each spice written as Spice Focus. I am unsure if I can find Cassia Bark in Canada however I will do some research. 

This cookbook is gorgeous and rich from page to page. Everything pops out at you. After leafing through the book from front to back, I went from back, re-reading recipes and gazing at the recipes and photos until I got to the front covers, again. I found this cookbook inspiring. When I made spaghetti sauce with minced chicken I added a fair bit of cumin and it was the best thing I could have done! I want to try Tony's Pawn Pilaf and Punjabi Spiced Salmon. Cyrus's Apple and Pear Chutney and Shepherd's Pie with Oomph and Aah. There are so many wonderful recipes one is left completely mystified.  

Watch one of Tony and Cyrus's videos regarding their cookbook by clicking *HERE*. I know I have seen another video of theirs on Youtube however I can not locate it at this time. I highly recommend this cookbook. Spice up your life! - JW  

One Pot Tabbouleh Bread

I stumbled upon this recipe due to an artist friend who was quite thrilled with the idea. I tried many years ago to make bread and it just became one massive scone! I laugh now however it completely put me off of making bread for awhile. I did have a bread machine a few years back that was ever so convenient and would make these glorious high mounted loaves. Until it broke down and my desire to make bread came back. Being a bit shy and waiting for the right recipe, I knew my efforts would work this time. 

It's called the One Pot Tabbouleh Bread because you make it in a 3 quart non stick saucepan adding lovely fresh herbs like parsley, chives, and mint. You also use bulgar, and grated lemons rind. What is great about this recipe is that there is no need to use various bowls just the one pot. I however did not have non stick saucepan so I prepared everything in a bowl and baked it in a lined springform pan. I was that eager to try this intriguing recipe. Even though the allure is in using the one pot as you can see from the above photo mine turned out just fine! No matter how you sliced it, it was savoury and delicious. Full of flavour that tantalized your taste buds.  

The bread keeps very well and can be used for a variety of things... sandwiches, cheese on toast, croutons, dipped in houmous, and served as an appetizer with various toppings. I know on the website, Parsley, Sage and Sweet, it is suggested to dip it into olive oil mixed with fresh lemons. For the recipe click *HERE* you won't be disappointed! Hope you all had a great weekend! - JW