by TheLastWonton | Oct 28, 2013 | Appetizers & Snacks, Main Dishes, Pasta & Noodles, Sides, Vegetarian
Chewy soft tangles of angel hair pasta boasting tangy, pepper-kicked tomato sauce riddled with the earthy smoothness of creamy blue cheese. Oh mama!
When you live in the forest, like we do, the coming and going of each season is a little more pronounced. There's no other distraction from the boldness of spring, summer, fall and winter, when you are surrounded by Mom Nature in all her glory.
Right now, autumn is upon us. Just outside my backdoor, the birch along the creek are touting eye-popping brilliant yellows. Chirpy squirrels and gravity defying chipmunks are indulgently scurrying, stocking up, preparing, for what comes next.
Whole families of birds of a different feather visit us almost every day, feasting, in the trees, in the garden, on the lawn. We barely get time to press our noses up to the windows to watch, when it seems a silent timer goes off, and in a beautiful, southbound flurry, they are gone.
Little patches, big patches and bigger patches of mushrooms and toadstools and funky fungi have popped up helter skelter, all over the forest floor. If only Forest Grump could find that dependable Field Guide to Okanagan Valley Mushrooms!
The last couple of weeks we have experienced a bit of a weird, uberly persistent trend. FOG.
♫♪♫♪ Fog in the morning, fog in the evening, fog at suppertime. Be my little fog and love me all the time! ♫♪♫♪
Okay, okay, my apologies to the McGuire Sisters! Fogtime vs Sugartime doesn't quite jive. But sometimes the words to those old songs so happily and effortlessly pop into my mind that I can't help myself. I'm so glad Mom's music left such a wonderfully indelible mark on me. And now that I have you humming Sugartime, here you go: Sugartime
Sorry, I digress. Autumn……gorgeous colours, feasting birdies, toadstools, FOG. Fog, with it's spooky, white, tendrils of mist playing hide and seek between the trees in my forest. Fog, hiding the warm, golden glow of the sun. How dare you be that intriguing and denying at the same time? For so long!
But, there's always an upside, right?
Lingering fog, I discovered, is brazenly comfort demanding. Bonus!
At my house that means only one thing. Comfort = pasta, baby, pasta!
But, maybe given the few unusual twists and turns of this particular fall season, I was craving something a little different from the usual pasta fix.
I found it. I so found it!! Thanks to Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman and her yummy blog, for yet another delicious inspiration.
I changed Ree's recipe a bit, here and there, to suit my cravings, and ended up with a gutsy, tangy tomato sauce. Last night Forest Grump and I licked our saucey chops as we feasted on plush piles of Angel Hair with Tomato-Blue Cheese Sauce. Comfort, baby, comfort!
And you know what? Today the forest is flooded with gorgeous, warm, golden sunshine. Autumn deliciousness is everywhere.
ANGEL HAIR with TOMATO-BLUE CHEESE SAUCE ~ 4 servings
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 plump garlic cloves, minced
1 28-ounce can, plum tomatoes, drained, buzzed with immersion or regular blender
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Crushed red chili flakes, to taste (I used just about 1 teaspoon, but we like it spicey)
Sea or Kosher salt, to taste
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (I used 125gram pkg Castello Rosenborg Extra Creamy Danish Blue Cheese)
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 cups baby spinach
Reserved tomato 'juice', for thinning
1 pound angel hair or vermicelli
Extra blue cheese crumbles, for garnish
In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. When hot, add minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until just starting to get golden edges. Pour in drained tomatoes. Add brown sugar, pepper, crushed red chili flakes and salt to taste. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
Reduce heat to low. Stir in crumbled blue cheese. Add cream and stir, then a little splash of reserved tomato juice if sauce is too thick. Cook for 2 minutes, tasting and adding seasonings as needed.
Cook pasta until just al dente.
At the very, very, very last minute toss spinach into tomato sauce. Immediately toss in the cooked and drained pasta. Serve immediately with more blue cheese crumbles, if desired. Oh mama!
by TheLastWonton | Aug 22, 2013 | Appetizers & Snacks, Greek Food, Sauces, Dips & Condiments, Sides, Vegetarian
Creamy, delectable, soft little orbs of cheesy, tangy, smooth goodness. Is it yogurt, or is it cheese?
It's magically delicious. And ridiculously simple, to turn plain yogurt into an addictively creamy, spreadable cheese, with a multitude of flavour, flavour options.
Get bodacious, adding teeny specks of Thai chile, or heady amounts of minced garlic. Or go a tich more subtle with fresh oregano and black pepper, or lemon zest and fresh chopped dillweed.
I've seen, but not tried yet, recipes that add very finely chopped fresh radish or red onion.
You can either add these flavour boosts right into the labneh itself, for a little more pow, or you can opt to sprinkle on the herbs and spices when you drizzle those lovely little cheese balls with your favorite olive oil.
This time I added earthy black truffle salt (Thanks, Mary!) right to my yogurt, before draining. Then once I had rolled the drained yogurt into balls, I drizzled with a fruity, almost pungent, extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled with fresh cracked black pepper and stuck in a just-picked stem of purple basil for anyone who might want to amplify their labneh munching pleasures with a bit of garden fresh pizzazz.
Smear labneh on warm pita, chewy baguette slices, focaccia or crackers……and don't forget how a little dish of these buxom beauties can dress up a simple antipasto plate.
Oh my beautiful labneh, where have you been all my life?!
Turns out this delectable Middle Eastern delight, of straining yogurt through cloth, has been around awhile and is now gaining popularity the world over. There are a few different techniques and presentation variations, but I have fast become a die-hard fan of rolling the drained yogurt into balls, drizzling with a great quality, extra virgin olive oil and then whatever spices or herbs are the flavour of the day.
It usually takes 24 hours to properly drain the yogurt to the best consistency. But if you just MUST have some labneh, you know if it's what you want, if it's what you really, really want, like I did this time, it can be done in 4 hours.
I drained my yogurt in a cotton napkin lined strainer, weighing it down with a saucer and a big can of beans, in the fridge for 4 hours, then while still in the napkin, I squeezed the bedickens out of it, to get as much liquid out as I could, then rolled it up. The balls weren't quite as smooth, in appearance, as I can sometimes get them, but they were still pretty and just as yummy.
Just do it! Grab some yogurt and salt……………….strain, drain, squeeze, roll, drizzle, sprinkle, spread, pop, munch, repeat. Abracadabra.
LABNEH
1 tub (750g) Greek or Balkan style Natural Plain Yogurt
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes
Extra virgin olive oil
Herbs and spices, (black pepper, hot chile, garlic, dillweed, oregano, basil, lemon zest), as you please
Pita, baguette, focaccia, crackers, to serve
Whisk or stir the salt into the yogurt until well combined. Line a colander or strainer with fine muslin, triple layer cheesecloth or a thin cotton dinner napkin. Place over deep bowl. Plop salted yogurt into lined strainer. Bring edges of cloth up over the top of the yogurt and weigh down with a small saucer and soup or other can. Place in refrigerator overnight, or about 24 hours.
You may want to check hourly, for the first two or three hours, and discard liquid from the bowl, so the yogurt is not touching or sitting in the drained liquid. Once fully drained, squeeze yogurt inside of cloth, for one last blast of removing the liquid. Roll tablespoonfuls of the labneh into nice little balls and place in bowl or serving dish. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper or your favorite herbs, or spices. Serve with warm pita, baguette, focaccia or crackers.
by TheLastWonton | Aug 17, 2013 | Baking & Desserts, Breakfast & Brunch, Cake, Fruits, Treats
A moist, tender cake riddled with fresh peaches, cinnamon sugar and pecans.
Summer comfort at it's best!
I live in the quaint berg of Peachland, in the heart of the beautiful Okanagan Valley of BC. Lucky am I.
Peachland oozes heady charm with it's rolling hills, lakefront villageness, picturesque locale and ridiculously addictive summertime vibe. The rest of the year, our sleepy little town just hangs out with all it's friendly allure.
But in the summer time, oh baby, Peachland comes alive. It's downright bewitching.
The 7 miles of lakefront become a flurry of splashing and splishing and lazing and laughing, as happy locals and tourists playing near, on, or in the water do what everyone comes to the Okanagan to do.
Here summer isn't just a season, it's something we do.
When you live or summer in Peachland you understand how summer can beguile a person.
And you know what else? They don't call it Peachland for nothin'. You got it!!
Sure, there's not as many of the old timer orchards as there used to be, as we make room for inevitable growth and our burgeoning wine industry. But you'll still find a glorious handful of local orchards with their treasure troves of big, fuzzy, peachy yumminess.
I don't know what it is about peaches, with their frangrant tangle of velvety sweetness and sunset hued flesh, that makes my tastebuds jump up and down with juicy excitement. Maybe it's because peach season is so short, or maybe it's kind of like having a fresh picked pineapple in Hawaii. Nothing quite compares to chomping into a fresh picked peach still warm from the Peachland sun.
So, yesterday, when I came across Ina Garten's Fresh Peach Cake, it took me all of about 2 seconds to click on the oven and start pulling out what I needed to concoct a summer comfort cake. And was Forest Grump ever glad I did.
Thanks Ina for another fine little gem of a recipe, and yet another reason to love peach season in the Okanagan.
We served up our Fresh Peach Cake warm from the oven, just as it was, unadorned. It stands deliciously well alone. But both Forest Grump and I agreed, that it would be good too, with bourbon and brown sugar laced, softy whipped cream or vanilla or coconut ice cream. And if you really wanted to wham bam out a kick-ass summer dessert, after topping with whipped cream or ice cream, drizzle with warm caramel sauce too. Holy schmoley!!
♫♪ Oh Peachland I really love your peaches, wanna' shake your trees!
Lovey dovey, lovey dovey, lovey dovey, all the time! ♫♪
FRESH PEACH CAKE
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 large (or 4 medium) ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar for 3 to 5 minutes on medium-high speed, until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, then the sour cream and vanilla and mix until the batter is smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the batter and mix just until combined. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the cinnamon.
Spread half of the batter evenly in the pan. Top with half of the peaches, then sprinkle with two-thirds of the sugar mixture. Spread the remaining batter on top, arrange peaches on top, and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture and the pecans.
Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.
by TheLastWonton | Aug 16, 2013 | Appetizers & Snacks, BBQ, Italian, Main Dishes, Recipes, Seafood
Succulent, toasty garlic butter coated, plump prawns scattered willy nilly over a slightly charred, garden-fresh parsley pistou smeared, cheesy homemade pizza crust. Oh mama!!! Summer grilling re-defined!
Have I got a summertime goodie for you. Fire up that BBQ. Grilled pizza is easier than you think!
Contrary to popular musical lore there is, in fact, a cure to the summertime blues! Garlicky Shrimp Grilled Pizza!
Tried and true breadmachine focaccia rolled out super thin and flip flopped right onto a hot grill so it puffs up and gets those remarkably delicious charred edges.
Next you get to smear those hot from the grill crusts with a true taste of garden goodness. Easy peasy, make ahead (so the flavours get to be best friends) pistou made with fresh parsley, oodles of garlic, fruity extra virgin olive oil, a generous splash of fresh squeezed lime, a wallop of black pepper, finished off with sea salt.
What is pistou, you ask? Well pistou is a delicious French version of pesto, usually served chilled, and made without the addition of pine nuts.
Wikipedia tells us, "Traditionally, the ingredients of pistou are crushed and mixed together in a mortar and pestle (pistou means "pounded" in the Provençal language). The word "pistou" was introduced from Genoese dialect "pesto" after being brought into Provencce in the 19th century by Italian immigrants from Genoa and Ligury (30% of the Provençal population is of Italian origin)."
Next, over the pistou, grated, creamy, flavourful, whole milk mozzarella.
Now, as you build layers of flavour and texture, scatter prawns everywhere…….over the crust, pistou and cheese. Oh yes!
Good sizable, plump prawns that have been lightly sauteed with butter, olive oil, garlic and chili flakes and doused with fresh lime juice.
Now just a tad more grated mozz and back to the grill for about 5-7 minutes until the cheese is melted and the whole shabang is irresistibly grilled to perfection.
Immediately transfer the pizzas onto a cutting board. Cut into smaller pieces if serving as an appy, as we did, or of course, bigger wedges, if serving as main course.
Melty, cheesy decadence barely hiding a hedonistic feast from ocean and garden atop ridiculously thin, perfectly charred homemade bread. Oh my, well yes, when you put it that way, I think I will have just one more piece.
* * * * * * * *
And a big, special thank-you to Notions and Notations of a Novice cook for the inspiration to put together my version of a Shrimp Scampi Pizza.
* * * * * * * * *
When the moon hits your eye
like a big pizza pie,
that's Amore.
GARLICKY SHRIMP GRILLED PIZZA – Makes 2 large-ish pizzas
(with 1 pizza crust left-over for another time)
PIZZA CRUST:
2 teaspoons breadmachine yeast
1 teaspoon traditional yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
Just about 1 1/4 cups warm water
5 tablespoons good quality olive oil
PARSLEY PISTOU:
2 bunches, or 1 1/2 – 2 cups lightly packed with fresh parsley
4 plump garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup good quality extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3-4 cups grated, whole milk mozzarella
1 1/2 pounds 16/20 count fresh prawns, peeled and deveined
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 plump garlic cloves, minced
pinch dried red chile flakes
Fresh squeezed lime juice
For crust: Set breadmaker to Dough cycle. Put all ingredients in breadmaker in order listed. Close the lid and let the cycle do it's thing. When done, remove dough from machine onto well floured surface. Cut into 3 equal pieces and let dough rest for 5 minutes. (Slip one dough piece into plastic bag, seal and refrigerate or freeze for another time.) Roll 1 piece of dough at a time, with rolling pin and more flour as needed, to get about a 12-inch round. Irregular shape is fine. Can be rolled ahead of time, and stacked on a baking sheet or pizza pan, between cornmeal sprinkled parchment paper, wrapped in saran and refrigerated. I usually do my crusts at least a couple of hours ahead of time, to keep last minute preparations easy peasy.
Parsley pistou: Can be made 1-2 days ahead. Blitz all ingredients in a food processor, really well, until smooth. Transfer to jar or covered container and store in refrigerator until ready to use. I usually make my pistou a day ahead and then bring to room temperature for about 1/2 hour before making pizzas.
Shrimp: In a large, non-stick skillet heat 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and butter, and pinch of dried red chile flakes, over medium high heat. Add about half the shrimp (do not crowd the pan) and saute about 1-2 per side, until shrimp are 'just' cooked. Do not overcook!! Transfer to bowl, and do the remaining shrimp. After shrimp have all been cooked add remaining butter and garlic to pan. Saute 1-2 minutes just until the garlic is lightly, toasty brown. Pour garlic butter over shrimp in bowl, add fresh squeezed lime juice and gently mix to evenly coat shrimp with all of this glorious flavor. Can be made 1-2 hours ahead.
When ready to make pizza. Preheat BBQ on high for 10 minutes or so. If you have a temperature gauge on your BBQ, you want to heat between 500F – 600F.
Gently, but purposefully plop each cornmeal sprinkled pizza crust directly onto grill. Close lid for only about 2 minutes. Open the grill, check underneath the dough to see if it is getting browned. If it needs a little more browning, rotate dough a bit, with tongs and leave another 60 to 90 seconds. The top of the dough, should boastfully puff up with air pockets (and pride). Flip dough over, so grilled side is now up, close lid, and cook the other side the same.
Have cutting board or baking sheet ready, at the BBQ, to transfer off cooked crusts. Reduce heat on BBQ to medium-ish. Take cooked crusts to the kitchen to layer on the flavour.
First smear each crust with 1/2 of the parsley pistou. Evenly sprinkle each pizza with about 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella. Randomly scatter 1/2 the shrimp over each pizza. Top the shrimp with remaining grated cheese.
Slide the pizzas carefully back onto the grill. Close lid and cook 2-3 minutes. Check pizza and rotate if necessary to cook evenly. Close lid and cook another 2-3 minutes or until heated through, bottom begins to char and cheese is beautifully melted. Transfer right onto cutting board and have at it. That is amore!
by TheLastWonton | Mar 5, 2013 | Appetizers & Snacks, Main Dishes, Seafood, Sides
Crispy, crunchy, succulent prawns tossed lightly in a creamy, tangy sauce riddled with poppin' finger lime caviar and a soft kick of spicy heat.
I'm so excited! I finally got my hot little hands on some! Finally!
After reading an article and seeing some intriguing photos about them, some 2 years, 4 months and 3 days ago I now have some rare, exotic finger limes of my very own to cook with. Oh mama!
Finger limes were originally discovered growing wild in the lowland, subtropical, rainforest areas of coastal Australia. Gourmet bushfood.
These unassuming, drab, pebbled skin, elongated citrus hold a secret stash of gleaming little pearls, or vesticles of juicy flavour that tumble out of the finger lime when cut. "Squeeze me please", and even more tiny bubbles of juicy goodness spill out. These globular little treasures literally pop in your mouth with a sparkling, tangy burst.
The flavour is similar to that of a lemon-lime-grapefruit combination and these tasty little gems come in hues of green, yellow, red, pink, orange and even purple.
You can use finger limes in any place that you would use lime or lemon, but they do beg to share centre stage. I mean after all……
When my stars aligned and I finally had finger limes lazing on my kitchen counter, my first thoughts were along the lines of, maybe, pan seared scallops, draped in a lime-pearl studded remoulade, or fat chunkers of fresh, white halibut, sauteed in browned butter and served with a crown of shiny green lime bubbles.
Then he gave me that look.
Dagnabbit!! Once again I fell prey to Forest Grump's if-its-fish-or-seafood-please-I-beg-of-you-Judi-to-fry-it look. You know how a puppy looks up at you with those big eyes all filled with love. Yup, that's the look of love Forest Grump has for deep-fried sea things.
So, what's a girl to do?
I'll tell you exactly what.
Take a little inspiration from Bonefish Grill's famous Bang Bang Shrimp and a tad more inspiration from the pride of ownership of a good handful of finger limes and voila, Pop Pop Prawns.
I used quite hefty 16/20 count prawns, quickly fried in a very light egg batter and then gingerly tossed in a yogurt based sauce with Thai sweet chili sauce, sriracha and of course, oodles of finger lime caviar.
We had our Pop Pop Prawns as a main course with coconut sticky rice and roasted fresh asparagus, but oh yeah baby, these would make great appies too.
Now, of course, you can make these prawns without the elusive finger limes, by substituting a good wallop of fresh squeezed lime juice in the sauce.
Everything will still be yummy, but will leave you dreaming of the seductive, juicy burst of a finger lime pearl between your teeth.
POP POP PRAWNS – 3-4 main course servings
1/2 cup good quality, plain, thick, Greek or Balkan yogurt (or you could sub mayo)
1/4 cup Thai sweet chile sauce
2 tablespoons sriracha (or less, if you don't want this much of a kick of heat)
2 finger limes, cut and squeezed
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons milk, can milk or cream
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon sea or Kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fresh 16/20 prawns, peeled and deveined
Oil for frying
1 finger lime, cut and squeezed, for garnish
Combine all ingredients for sauce, in a medium-large bowl. Set aside.
Combine beaten egg and milk in a medium bowl; set aside.
Combine flour, cornmeal, salt, garlic and onion powder and black pepper in a shallow bowl; set aside.
Plop the prawns into the egg mixture to coat evenly. Dip the prawns into the spiced flour mixture to coat evenly.
Heat oil in deep fryer, wok or skillet for deep frying, to approximately 350F. When oil is hot, fry prawns about 2-3 minutes until enticingly golden brown and just cooked through. Drain on paper towels or newspaper. When all prawns have been fried, plop them into the bowl with the sauce and toss lightly.
Serve immediately, capped with more finger lime caviar and any extra sauce. Pop, pop!
Little patches, big patches and bigger patches of mushrooms and toadstools and funky fungi have popped up helter skelter, all over the forest floor. If only Forest Grump could find that dependable Field Guide to Okanagan Valley Mushrooms!
But, maybe given the few unusual twists and turns of this particular fall season, I was craving something a little different from the usual pasta fix. 
