Hari's Lime & Green Chilli Pickle

When the jar states "award winning producer" one has to raise an eyebrow however when one tastes said award winning producer lime pickle, like Hari's, both eyebrows will be raised. Flavours unite in this exceptionally made lime pickle and fabulous with a cheese board. I am so glad we brought a jar back with us. I only wish we had brought back more from Ouse Valley. A lovely treat to remember and reminisce our summer vacation.

To find out more about Ouse Valley visit their website... www.ousevalleyfoods.com

Hope everyone is having a good week. - JD 

Korean Barbeque Sauce

By the start of the weekend it was decided that steak would be the Sunday Roast dinner. I decided that Korean Barbeque would be the flavour. Remembering I had a bottle tucked away, for just incase purposes, I used it because I wanted to get the steaks marinating straight away. Plus I was low on soy sauce.  

I have used this Korean Barbeque sauce before when pinched for time. It is fairly good and the sodium isn't too bad. There is a lot of salt... and sugar out there in products so read the labels and take the lowest whenever possible. I recommend this one if you are pressed for time however I will include a Korean Barbeque Sauce recipe if you would rather try that.  

Since the steaks were on the small side I managed to fit them all into this marinating container. The steaks must have marinated for almost 2 days. Flipping the container every so often.   

The marinating container is from Tupperware. I bought it years ago. There are these little pyramid like nibs on the top and bottom of both sides to ensure flavour flow and even marinating.

The steaks were baked in a pre-heated 400ºF oven for 30 minutes. They were baked uncovered for the first 15 minutes and for the remaining 15 minutes of the baking time I had placed aluminium foil over the baking dish. To avoid the steaks from drying out and  to seal in most of the flavour and juices. 

Even though I did not make my own Korean Barbeque sauce, which is fine. Sometimes there are just more important things that need to be done. I will include this recipe.


Korean Barbeque Sauce
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1 cup low sodium soy sauce
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 - 3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon chile- garlic sauce
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
some ground black pepper

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

Stir the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, rice wine vinegar, chile-garlic sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and black pepper together in a saucepan; bring to a boil.

Whisk cornstarch and water together in a small bowl until the cornstarch dissolves; pour into the boiling soy sauce mixture.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the sauce has thicken, about 3 to 5 minutes. 

Notes: For a spicier sauce use ground fresh chili paste. Try using coconut sugar. If you do not have rice wine vinegar then use white vinegar or even a malt vinegar it may change the taste slightly however sometimes adding a different ingredient in replace of another can be worth it. Try adding a tablespoon of minced or diced shallots.

Hope everyone had a great weekend! - JD   

Wasabi Sauce Anyone?

When I saw this I just had to try it. This is more like a mayonnaise with wasabi flavour which is great for sandwiches and for dipping. I added a few squirts to my lentil burger which gave it the right amount of zing! A bit subtle at first however the classic wasabi heat builds over time. A little goes a long way.

Hope everyone is having a good week. Seems like mine has been another busy one. - JD

Barbeque Sauce

For some reason I felt the need to make a sauce, barbeque sauce and it isn't even grilling season. The snow is beginning to melt however the brisk cold lingers in the air. To make my sweet... and I say sweet because I was trying to make it a general as possible... not everyone likes their barbeque sauce how I do. Heavy and rich with smokey flavour. To make this sauce and feel free to tweak the ingredients to your liking.

1/2 cup to 1 cup ketchup, tomato paste or tomato purée, I used ketchup

1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon or 2 of paprika, the smoker the better

2 tablespoons brown sugar, the darker the better

2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper

pinch of salt
* If the sauce is too thick just add a bit of water until you get it to your desired consistency.  

Put all of the ingredients into a saucepan and mix together. Turn the stove on to medium high heat. Heat to boil and then remove from heat.  

You can also change up the ingredients by adding honey, maple syrup, molasses, herbs or seasonings, chili powder, curry paste, garlic or finely chopped onions. - JW     

  

Pasta! Pasta!

A couple of weeks ago the University was having a book sale. I went to browse and see if anything caught my eye. Many of the boxes clearly were full of academic books. Still I browsed some more and found two cookery books and a few poetry books. Aside from the popular pasta dishes this cookbook caught my eye purely on the illustrations. 

Pasta! Pasta! is only 64 pages however to me pasta is one of the quintessential comfort foods. With an Introduction and How to Please Your Pasta (a basic guide to the do's and don'ts of pasta cooking). You will be singing That's Amore in no time. The section on the Cooking of Pasta should be most helpful. Nobody likes over cooked mushy pasta! Cheeses for Pasta... well there are only three mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta. 

Some of the most popular pasta recipes are featured in this book. You have Fettucce Alfredo, Ravioli, Linguine alla Marinara, Manicotti, Vermicelli e Pollo, Penne alla Carbonara and let's not forget Spaghetti Bolognese. The last page features six classic sauces. I will share the most simplest of them all Marinara Sauce. It can virtually be served over any pasta you wish and can also be used as a pizza sauce.

Marinara Sauce - 3 tablespoons oil, 1 large onion chopped, 1 small carrot chopped, 1-2 cloves garlic crushed, one 2 - pound can of tomatoes or 2 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon dried basil and salt and pepper to taste.

   

Sauté in oil the onion, carrot and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon. Add the oregano and basil and simmer, partially covered for about 30 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve, pushing down hard on the vegetables. Reheat if necessary. If the sauce is too thin, boil it down, uncovered over medium heat until it has reduced to the desired consistency. Season with a salt and pepper to taste. 

   

Here is a photo of the illustrations that accompany the recipes through this cookbook. They just scream 1970's! Not to confuse you the steps are numbered and the illustrations are there as a quick visual reference. Buon Appetito! - JW   

The Blender Cookbook

When the weather gets hot my appetite tends to turn down and I crave lighter meals. I no longer want to devote myself for long periods at a time around a kitchen. Meals become less labour intensive. Baking is all but a minimum. Fast and fresh come to mind. Now at some point we have either received a blender as a gift or felt the impulse to buy one. Marvelling at this montrosity it always seems to get pushed to the back of the cupboards. Only to make it's appearance one summer day while you are hosting a barbeque dinner to make a round of margaritas. Or in my case hummus. I have a fond childhood memory of the blender... making milkshakes. That memory is bittersweet due to the fact that one time I forgot to put the lid back on the blender, pressed pulse and the milkshake came shooting out all over the place. To my dismay and embarrassment I frantically wiped up every ounce! After that I became very cautious around blenders. 

The Blender Cookbook by Anne Seranne and Eileen Gaden; Doubleday, first edition 1961; pp.[10] 288, has a wide range of recipes for you to grind, grate, crumb, pureé, and chop in no time. This cookbook has thirteen chapters. They are: 1) Dips, Sandwich Spreads, and Butter 2) Soups 3) Cheese and Egg Dishes 4) Hot Main Dishes 5) Main Dishes for Hot-Weather Menus, and moulded Salads 6) International Specialties 7) Vegetables 8) Savoury Sauces 9) Preserves 10) Hot Breads 11) Cakes, Cookies, Fillings, and Frostings 12) Deserts and Dessert Sauces and finally 13) Beverages. The book states there are more than five hundred recipes that cover all courses. Fourteen of them are "beat the heat" recipes. You can go from start to finish with the help from one of your most powerful and precise small appliances. There are step by step photos for the more intricate recipes. Unfortunately all photographs are in black and white and are rarely full pages. I always adore black and white photography however this is one of the few times I do not. Colour photography should always be used in cookbooks for the obvious reasons. 

This cookbook has made me look at the blender I have slightly more differently. I already use the blender to make smoothies, crêpes, hummus, sauces and bean dip. Perhaps I could extend the blender a little further in the kitchen especially when the weather gets warmer. -JW