Lonely Kitchen

I'm Still Here

2009-03-02T22:57:00.002-04:00

I'm just distracted. Our first child arrived three weeks ago. Between the move, baby prep and baby arrival, food has become a lower priority. And yet, after making sure the baby is fed, food is our first thought.

We're lucky that our baby is a good sleeper and already has a rough schedule- which allows us to get some sleep too. But he also likes to be with us as much as he can be, which limits hands and our ability to create wonderful meals. There are things we're doing now, that I never would have contemplated previous to Baby's arrival: we bought Carnation hot chocolate mix instead of making it from scratch; we have individual frozen meat pies in the freezer; I'm composting vegetable pieces instead of making stock. And making cookies or bread, let alone homemade pasta seems like a crazy idea. Food has become a basic for keeping up on other things, and I'm pretty excited just to get my dishes done each day. I know I'll be back to normal in a bit, but right now, I'm even amazed I'm typing this post.

A New Kitchen

2008-12-29T12:59:00.002-04:00

My kitchen no longer looks out on Duke Street: it looks out on a garage and Champlain Street (Champlain is also the statue in my profile picture). We bought a house in early December and I've spent most of that time moving and unpacking. We still have a lot to do, but the place definitely feels more lived in now.

After setting up the bed, the kitchen was the first priority to unpack, and it has become the centre of the house, again.We've already made a few good meals here, including Christmas dinner, but we're still learning about this kitchen: how the oven works (perhaps the temperature is a bit lower than our last), the spaces in the fridge, the best spot to keep the knives and dish towels. There are some elements which won't be decided on until we know our kitchen better: the curtains (I've always wanted red curtains with yellow ducks- but what shape should they be?), where will the rack of pans hang, and should there be a rug at the kitchen sink?

This feels like building a relationship with someone I know is going to be a best friend, so I'm savouring every step.

Rhoda's Christmas Craft Fair

2008-12-03T18:07:00.002-04:00

I went to Rhoda’s Christmas Craft Fair on the weekend. And all I bought was food. Rhoda’s is one of the major seasonal craft events in the Maritimes. Some people go year after year, like a Christmas tradition, but this was my first time ever. It’s awfully warm in Saint John- going up to 12C some days, I’m wearing shoes and a fall coat outside. Some people run around in t-shirts in the afternoon. The unlikely weather, combined with a variety of distractions made me want to ‘get into’ the Christmas spirit and I thought it would be fun to go to this event that I’d always heard of but never ventured near.

My brother usually goes. He loves the weekend flea markets also put on by Rhoda, but I think he loves the energy and the casual shopping side of it. I went with him and his wife and they were a great introduction to how to enjoy Rhoda’s. Their approach is all about food.

My brother went with the intention of buying dip mixes. His strategy was to start at one end and cover each aisle. We went up and down, observing, tasting, comparing. Then we worked our way back to make our purchases at the stalls deemed to offer the best products. I bought maple brown sugar dinner rolls from the Ginger Bread Christmas Bakery from Penobsquis: “Made from Family Recipes.” An older woman with curly white hair served us, and the rolls were SO good. I ate four of them at dinner.

There were three dip mix vendors. One who mixed her dips with vanilla yogurt, which I do not recommend- the sweetness is just not complimentary to Cajun, garlic or herbs. The company he selected was Hac’n Sac from Enfield, NB. The vendors were charming and helpful, and their dips are delicious. I became hooked on their apricot and jalapeno jam which they served over cream cheese with crackers- so good! The owner also suggests using it as a glaze over chicken, pork and scallops.

We also discovered the Cake Box from Riverview, NB. They had lovely cakes on display, and stacks of cupcakes in wonderful flavours and matching decors of tall swirly frosting: mud pie, drama queen, coconut, chocolate fudge, bananarama. Their buttercream frosting was amazing, and the cake crumb was perfect and moist. My brother loved his red velvet cupcake so much that he went back to buy a box of nine to take home.

We also bought fresh pots of cat grass for our cats!

I’m not sure I came away feeling Christmasy, but I enjoyed myself and am looking forward to roast pork with apricot jalapeno jam- if I don’t eat it first with crackers and cream cheese. And really, Christmas is all about the food anyway.

Relative Nutrition

2008-10-13T19:06:00.003-03:00

I'm a little jealous of our American cousins. Not for their more dramatic election, their rich cinema scene or better shopping. I'm jealous of their Overall Nutritional Health Index being implemented in US grocery stores this month. I like lists, and this one combines food and health and aims and probably unfair hierarchy- except that hierarchy is the business of lists.

The ONHI assesses food based on the nutritional health value you receive for eating it, and stratifies each food according to this value. It's fascinating to read through and the relative value of foods you eat, disdain, think you shouldn't eat but discover are better for you than you thought. It's not surprising to see broccoli confirmed as a food champion with 100 points- everyone's been saying forever to eat your broccoli. It's surprising to see that orange juice at 39 is outranked by sodium free club soda ranks at 56 (I didn't think there was anything in club soda), and that cheese puffs are a 4, outranking milk chocolate (3) and apple pie (2).

It's like food gossip. Even better, it's designed and endorsed by scientists and dieticians so it's OK to snub some foods in favour of others now. Although I don't think I'm going to take up club soda at breakfast. But I might choose unbuttered, sunsalted popcorn (69) over prunes (45).

The ONHI was designed to assist consumers in selecting appropriate food choices. It's supposed to be a guide to the "relative nutriousness" of food. It's obviously true we need help, because we're increasingly unhealthy and making poor food choices, in North America at least. More interesting is that the ONHI is actually being posted in grocery stores, next to thousands of brands of food products, backed by an industry keen to sell its products to us. I find it hard to believe that Tropicana will accept their product being listed as a 39, it's completely against all of their marketing. Yet there it will be- generally, since the ONHI doesn't specifically mention Tropicana, just orange juice.

No doubt industry and producers will find ways of marketing around the ONHI, it will be discredited through its methods, and people will grow bored with it. Or maybe it will never really be noticed on the store shelves and never attract too much negative or positive attention. Maybe the politics and the economy will bury it and it will gradually leak into daily grocery shopping. I hope so. I want to be reminded that instant chocolate pudding is a 20, and thus not such a bad snacking choice, all things considered.

The Picnic King

2008-08-26T21:14:00.003-03:00

We recently toured the murals of Sussex, a small town about forty minutes outside of Saint John. Normally known as "Dairytown" for its well known award winning dairy by the same name, and its rich farms, Sussex is now also promoting itself as the Mural Capital of Atlantic Canada.

Artists came from all over North America to paint murals on blank walls all over town. Some of them are sponsored by local companies or organizations, but they are all themed to link to the Sussex region in some way: personalities, famous buildings or events, or uniquely Sussex businesses. There is a Sussex Ginger Ale mural, with colourful sodas splashing out and period bottle caps splashing out of the soda; there is a collection of royals who have visited Sussex in the past, all in one mural; there is a tribute to the nurse and doctor who opened the first hospital; there is a tribute to three Sussex men who played in the NHL (of course).

This mural is a tribute to the Picnic King, painted by Joel Haynes from Great Barrington, Massachusetts. It intrigued us right away, the title is so fabulous- but the story's even better. James Daniel O'Connell grew up poor in the mid nineteenth century. As a twelve year old, he put half of his earnings into a piggy bank and spend the rest on a picnic for more the neighbourhood kids, called the Gumdrop Picnic. As an adult, he made a fortune in the US and Cuba and funded free annual picnics for children throughout North and Central America and Cuba. He became known as the Picnic King. When he died in 1943, he left trusts dedicated to the continuation of the picnics. And there is still a Gumdrop picnic held in Sussex every July.

Walking guides to the murals can be purchased at the Sussex tourist information in the old train station, for $2.00. The proceeds go towards the maintenance of the murals. The grandmother of the attendant we bought our guide from remembered the Picnic King from her own childhood and used to talk about him. She said he was known to give away gumdrops, but in this mural, it's actually money he's throwing. In the rest of the mural, extending on either side there are panels depicting a railroad and a factory, the source of the Picnic King's wealth. It's such a friendly, warm, luxurious way to give back to a community. Irrelevant, yet right at the heart of philanthopy. I love this story.

Black Pepper Chicken

2008-07-22T19:55:00.003-03:00

My brother recently gifted me with a used cookbook find: Ajanta: Regional Feasts of India by Lachu Moorjani. So far, we love it.

It’s organized to offer you a complete meal, appetizers, bread, meat or fish selection and even dessert according to different regional cuisines. That structure is kind of irritating when looking for a specific recipe, but it would be fun to go through and make each feast. I’m not sure when I would have time, and enough guests to eat it all to do that, but someday I will. For now, we’re jumping around trying things out according to available ingredients or own food lust.

The first one we tried was Kozi Milagu Chettinad, which I’m having difficulty remembering. The translation is Chicken in Black Pepper Sauce. We’re calling it Black Pepper Chicken. It’s from Tamilnadu where peppercorns are grown. It’s delicious, but I think we might reduce the ground pepper to about 1 Tbsp (for a halved recipe). Here is the full recipe as it appears in Ajanta, but it serves 4-6 with large servings. We are halving the recipes for the two of us, and have ample servings with enough for lunch the next day.

Black Pepper Chicken
3 Tbsp oil
1 ½ inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
8-10 cloves garlic, chopped
3 medium onions, quartered and and sliced les than 1/16 inch thick
2 pounds chicken, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
1 ½ tsp ground turmeric
3 tsp ground coriander
2 ½ Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ tsp salt (or to taste)
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 ½ C plain yogourt
8-10 curry leaves
2 tsp Garam Masala
3 Tbsp lemon juice

1. Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan. When hot, add ginger and garlic. Fry for about 10-15 seconds.

2. Add onions and sauté until slightly browned, about 10-12 minutes.

3. Raise the heat to high and add the chicken and stir fry until browned and excess moisture has evaporated.

4. Reduce heat to medium, add all spices and salt, except the Garam Masala. Stir for about 3-4 minutes and then add tomatoes and yogourt. Bring the mixture to a boil.

5. Reduce heat, cover and simmer slowly for about 15-20 minutes or until chicken is tender.

6. Add curry leaves, Garam Masala and lemon juice during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

7. Serve over rice.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

2008-07-17T20:31:00.002-03:00

My first chocolate chip muffin was from the Muffin Man in the Scholten's strip mall in Quispamsis, long gone. I was in middle school, and the idea that a muffin could have chocolate in it was amazing to me. My mother would take us there after church on Sundays, and we could pick whatever muffin we wanted, whether it would normally pass her 'healthy' rules or not.

I have struggled since then, to find an appropriate chocolate chip muffin recipe. It shouldn't be cakey (because than it's just a cupcake), but really, it shouldn't be too healthy either. I do have a banana chcolate chip muffin recipe from the Shredded Wheat box which is delicious. It's good for office breakfasts because it's almost impossible to ruin, but sometimes, it's just too healthy.

On a whim, I threw chocolate chips insteda of berries into the buttermilk muffin recipe. And it was delicious. The muffin batter is rich enough to complement the chocolate, but still muffin like.

Rhubarb Punch

2008-07-06T13:07:00.003-03:00

At a recent work related luncheon, hosted in someone’s beautiful home, on one of the first warm days, I tried rhubarb punch. The staff carried it out in beautiful glass pitchers, and poured it into large cut glass goblets while chatting about how to make it. It was the perfect accompaniment for salad and smoked salmon. It was unique and evoked a picnic charm to lighten up the event, which started out a little stiff. I made some yesterday for Canada Day.

The luncheon rhubarb punch was more of a light pink than mine is, because they used regular ginger ale (in the green bottle), whereas I used Sussex Golden ginger ale. I left it in pitchers covered in the fridge with Saran wrap and have found the fizz wears off agreeably. All measurements are approximate.

Rhubarb Punch
6 C chopped rhubarb
1/3 C sugar
4 Tbsp orange juice
2 L ginger ale

1. Stir the rhubarb with sugar and juice in a medium pot.

2. Bring to a boil and turn down to a busy simmer. Allow to cook for approximately 40 minutes, or until the rhubarb is quite soft and broken down. Allow to cool.

3. Puree the rhubarb in a blender until there are no chunks left. There should be about 1.5-2 C of puree.

4. Mix the ginger ale and rhubarb concentrate in a large bowl or pot. Allow to sit for an hour or more.

5. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. You may have to spend some time pressing the punch out of the pooled concentrate in the sieve.

6. Chill and serve.

Chocolate Cinnamon Meringues

2008-07-01T21:17:00.003-03:00

I’ve started making ice cream for this season: strawberry and honey to start off with, for the fresh local strawberries which hit the markets this week, and the honey ice cream to go with the strawberry shortcake. Next, I think I was thinking of trying a Spanish style cinnamon ice cream, such as is used to make the mantecado. Served in a glass of iced coffee, it’s the perfect patio drink.

With all of this ice cream, comes an excess of egg whites. I don’t want to get behind this year, and waste my whites, or build a wall of Tupperware in my freezer, filled with frozen whites. So I made meringues yesterday. I generally find them a bit boring, so, with mantecado on my mind, I added dark chocolate and cinnamon. Now I’m thinking a chocolate cinnamon ice cream would be really just the thing.

Chocolate Cinnamon Meringues
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/3 C sugar
4 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
3 oz grated dark chocolate

1. Allow eggs to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 325 F.

3. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.

4. In a small bowl, sift cinnamon and sugar together.

5. In large bowl, beat the egg whites with the vanilla on medium speed, until soft peaks form (the tips curl over prettily).

6. Gradually add the cinnamon sugar mixture, a spoon at a time, while continuing to beat the egg whites. Beat at high speed until the cinnamon sugar is mixed in thoroughly and the peaks harden (i.e. they stand up straight).

7. Gently fold in the grated chocolate.

8. Drop by rounded spoonfuls about 1.5-2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until set and dry. They should be cracked. Allow to cool on the pan for about three minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Pad Thai

2008-05-25T19:12:00.002-03:00

I love Pad Thai. And I've only been eating it for about a year. Ive tried it in years past but could never see what the fuss was about. I finally tried it at The Thai Hut on King Street in Saint John, a lunch counter positioned in the back of the quirky Quality Convenience. I still love their Pad Thai, but it's nothing like the other versions I've had at home, or other restuarants. Theirs has a creamy yellow sauce which I am always puzzling over. Rumour has it there is ketchup in it, but I can't quite figure out what else might be part of the unique flavour.

I liked it so much that I've been working on my own Pad Thai for the past year and am finally at a spot that makes both me and Tony happy. It's in the style of the other Pad Thais I've tasted, but of course, mine is tastier. This one takes the Joy of Cooking recipe as a foundation with a few amendments.

One of the points of contention has been tamarind- I like the addition of tamarind juice, but Tony prefers it without. This version has three protein options: egg, shrimp, and chicken andtofu, but obviously these can be mixed and matched or omitted as desired, but I do feel the eggs are an important component. There is cilantro in this version, as someone in my house is allergic to it, but feel free to add your own at the end with the last batch of ingredients.

The quality of rice noodles also make an impact. Some rice sticks just fall apart in the wok, others take the whole afternoon soaking to soften up. My uncle recently let me in on a time saver tip: rice sticks can be boiled when you're short on time! Brilliant.

Pad Thai
250 gr rice sticks
6 Tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
3 eggs
16 medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
1 chicken breast cut into pieces; or 1 C firm tofu, cubed
2 bunches of scallions, green and white parts cut into inch long pieces
16 pea pods
3 Thai chili peppers of any colour, chopped, including seeds
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 C bean sprouts
2/3 C peanuts, chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 C fish sauce
1/4 C lemon juice
3 Tbsp sugar

1. Soak the rice sticks according to package directions.
2. Combine the fish sauce, lemon juice and sugar in a measuring cup. Set aside.
3. Heat three tablespoons of the oil in a wok at a very high heat, to just when it's about to smoke. Quickly cook the shrimp, swirling them quickly until fat and plump. Remove to a side dish. Repeat with the chicken, also removing them. Then scramble the eggs in the remaining oil, working quickly, and remove to a side dish.
4. Heat the remaining oil in the wok to a high heat. Add, all together, the scallions, chilies, and garlic, stir frying for about two minutes or when the garlic begins to brown.
5. Rinse the noodles and add them to the wok with the scallion mixture. Mix well.
6. Add the fish sauce mixture and toss to coat.
7. Add the shrimp, eggs and chicken. Mix well.
8. Add the bean sprouts, peanuts, black pepper, red pepper flakes. Toss well, making sure everything is hot, and well mixed. Serve immediately.

Multi Ethnic Soda

2008-05-20T20:46:00.002-03:00

I found this watermelon soda in a corner store in Georgetown, Grand Cayman. Beyond the retro quality, I didn't notice the unique design at first. I just wondered what it might taste like. And it tastes like watermelon. Not too sweet, surprisingly tasty.

Imagine if this packaging went on sale here? Really, I suppose it's the equivalent of promotional photos that happen to include models from multiple ethnic backgrounds, but the illustrations seem more identifiably like a choice. The watermelon boy looks like he's enjoying himself. The watermelon girl just looks like she's eating it because her mum told her she had to. Or maybe she's politely chewing with her mouth closed.

Conch

2008-05-08T16:49:00.003-03:00

I've just spent a lovely week in Grand Cayman. I was there for my sister's wedding, but of course I did a little eating. We stayed in condos and did a lot of our own cooking: Jamaican jerk chicken, hamburgers, Persian rice, salad, kebabs, grilled fish, guacamole. I should clarify, other people did a lot of cooking, namely the mothers of the bride and groom. I participated in the eating.

I did take two opportunities to try conch, the fish that inhabits this lovely shell. Walking the beach in the morning it's easy to find these fellows washed within metres of the shore. When I picked this one up to look at him, I could see his googly eyes looking back at me. It's a difficult to connect him with the two conch dishes I tried.

These conch fritters are from Breezes in downtown Georgetown. Although our entrees are not worth mentioning, the atmosphere is great with lanterns, calypso playing and a beautiful view of the harbour. Instead of lunch, I would recommend it as a nightspot for drinks. Our conch fritters we ordered as appetizers, however, were excellent. The dipping sauce was tangy and slightly spicy. The fritter itself was also spicy, but in a different direction- they worked well together. The fritter itself was light brown, with dots of red, and other browns. I have no idea what else was in there besides the conch, but it was all tasty.
My sister's dinner and dance reception was held at The Wharf restaurant. We had the choice of conch soup or salad for the first course. The conch soup was delicious- it tasted like very good seafood chowder. It's hard to see in this picture, but the ingredients were chopped quite small, but there was a lot of them, and it made for a great consistency. It was also flavourful, and I will order it again if I ever have a chance.

Yet, I have to say, I still unsure what conch itself tastes like. There were various of white and red flecked morsels which could have been conch, and I fished them out to try them by themselves, but they just tasted like... white fish. So maybe conch is the sort of versatile fish that relies on the chef and the seasonings of the dish. Either way, it was tasty.

Lobster Sandwich

2008-04-26T21:27:00.003-03:00

Even though I live on the Eats Coast, and lobsters are fished out of water I can see, I don't eat a lot of lobster. A few times a year though, I have a lobster sandwich craving.

My mother always ate lobster sandwiches, and gradually, I was willing to try it and loved it. Now I order them at various family restaurants, diners and shacks along the highway, comparing each of them. One of my local favourites is served by Billy's Seafood, two blocks away. They serve it with shredded lettuce on white gourmet hotdog buns with Ceaser salad or fries. A little further down the road is Ossie's, only open in the summer. It's in the middle of nowhere and people come from all over to order their fried food and eat it in their cars and trucks. Their hotdog bun lobster sandwich come in those little white cardboard holders.

My all time favourite was in a family restaurant in Lunenburg. I had been travelling for work and had a Sunday to myself. I drove the forty minutes to amble around the historic town for the afternoon. Most shops were closed (the Tim Horton's was the busiest part of town), but it was a beautiful crisp fall day, the museum was open and I was happy to be free. One of the open restaurants was almost empty, had a motherly waitress and a classic family menu. I ordered the lobster sandwich and was given the option of white or whole wheat bread. The sandwich came with whole wheat house made sandwich bread, layered with lettuce, with a baked potato, on a large dinner plate.

This was the way lobster sandwiches had been eaten for ages in this area- just another humble sandwich filling. There are many stories in this area of people who were too poor to take anything other than a lobster sandwich to school for lunch. And now it feels like the most natural way to me.

Eggs

2008-04-13T20:40:00.003-03:00

I found this photo belatedly cleaning out the cache of photos on the camera. They are the easter eggs I gave Tony. At Easter, about three weeks ago, I couldn't actually feel positive that spring was approaching- after all, it did snow again. And it's snowing in Northern New Brunswick, but all we've had here in Saint John are a few sun showers. This weekend has been the type of starter rain that makes the bird chirp happily and inspires confidence that soon, and overnight, the leaves will bud and soon unfurl during the next rainy night.

Still Snowing

2008-03-02T12:52:00.004-04:00

It's only a flurry now, but it's a bit windy. Keen Duke Street residents are digging out and there's a few people walking around. The church parking lot on the corner was almost empty this morning. As you can see, the street is not good, and the CBC news reports open with RCMP and weather reports from every Maritime province. I am now familiar with each highway stretch with poor visibility. But I'm not going anywhere today. My winter hibernation pleasure has been successfully re-invigorated with macaroni and cheese, custard, snowy music and literature, and an afternoon of positioning my chair in front of the windows to watch the snow blow horizontally.

If you need some inspiration, try some of this great winter music:
Julie Doiron's Snow Fall in November
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow
Joel Plaskett and the Emergency's Snowed In
Arcade Fire's Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels) or Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out)
Leonard Cohen's Avalanche

More Snow

2008-03-01T13:38:00.004-04:00

This is the view outside one of my bedroom windows. By itself, it's pretty. I've always admired the way snow sticks to the bricks. My bedroom looks out into a courtyard surrounded by three brick walls, so there's lots of potential for snow to fluff and stick to the textures, and dance around in the eddies created by the enclosed space. I have often watched this and felt it was beautiful.

But we are receiving, on average, a storm every week. Sometimes we get through a week with only minor precipitation, but then get hit with two or three storms in one week. I'm usually excited by a winter snowstorm- the drama, preparations, the camaraderie of digging out and the school kids' excitement of a snow day are enjoyable. But when it happens over and over again, when it's ice storms or freezing rain on top of the snow, when your city runs out of salt and sand and can't get anymore, when the drain systems are covered in ice and become backed up and there is flooding everywhere- well, then, I find I am growing fatigued. For the first time this winter, I finally dreaded that I would look outside and see snow. And when I did, I felt dismayed.

I know many people regularly feel that way about snow and winter, but it's a new thing for me. It makes me feel old. I never wanted to be the sort of person who would feel so much negativity for something I always enjoyed so much. So, for today, I'm going to pull out fun childhood photos of playing in the snow, I'm going to play great snow music, make a stew or a casserole or some other great winter food, and go out and trudge around in the snow until I feel excited again.

Perhaps Citrus is for Cats

2008-02-23T20:15:00.008-04:00

We have no idea what Eddie was doing in the fruit bowl. Underneath the clementines were pecans, but neither of them should hold much appeal for a cat. Both pecans and clementines had been there for a week before he took notice (or so we think). When we walked into the kitchen he would sit down and pretend he wasn't interested. When he thought we were busy elsewhere, he would start burrowing again, sniffing noisily, moving the fruit with his nose.

I am always surprised that the cats continue to be so excited about their tablespoon of canned wet food in the morning, and their dry food for the rest of the day, accessible at any time. They eat with so much gumption (crumbs falling out their mouths...), and never seem to grow tired of the same flavour, day after day, year after year. Unusual occasions of food investigation like the one above shore up my suspicion that they are bored, but are generally making the best of things.

Snowy Queen Square

2008-01-23T18:59:00.001-04:00

This is the freshly ploughed Queen Square, a block from where I live and the neighbourhood hangout for dogs and their people. Once, I even saw a cat on a leash. The cat spotted another (independent) cat across the street, and dragged its owner down the hill to go after it. All in all, a lot of doggy style behaviour.

Macaroni and Cheese

2008-01-21T18:13:00.001-04:00

I'm still here, I've just been a little distracted. I had relatives visiting for three weeks over the holidays, work has been a little crazy, and I've started a new academic program that requires self-discipline. Unfortunately food experimentation is probably not going to get me extra marks.

It's very cold today in Saint John. With the wind chill, it's -33C. That really is winter weather and I shouldn't complain. Actually, I'm not complaining. I love cold weather food, and I love an excuse to eat it. I don't fish, work on a farm, or do other hard labour for which this food was developed. I feel that cold weather is my only excuse left to rationalizing eating like this. Another good reason to stay in Canada, as far as I'm concerned.

I've been trying out macaroni and cheese recipes for a few years now. I wouldn't eat it at all for most of childhood. General hunger overtook me in my university residence days. Long before the age of kitchen suites were de rigeur, we used hot pots and kettles to make instant oatmeal, hot chocolate and Kraft Dinner. Eventually I gave in and tried KD- and loved it. I became an accomplished thief of creamers from the meal hall to add that extra creaminess water just couldn't accomplish by itself. I bought, sold, and traded in the KD black market that existed through Bennett Hall. It seems like the guys down the hall were always the ones left vulnerable without edibles, late at night.

Now, my life is fortunate enough that I have refrigeration every day, in which I can keep butter, milk and real cheese. Such luxury!

I would say that I'm still searching for the very best macaroni and cheese recipe, but I can see now that a good kitchen will have several variations for different purposes. This one, adapted from Amanda Hesser, who adapted it from her grandmother, Helen Getz, has entered our regular rotation. We change something each time to see how it works, or to accommodate our own pantry stocks.

In the version pictured above, it felt like a lunch macaroni cheese. We substituted regular cut macaroni with medium egg noodles which made the dish feel lighter than with regular noodles. I also used homemade herbed croutons for the bread crumbs on top. For the cheese, I used half white cheddar, and half Monterey Jack, but the cheese is one of the best parts to experiment with. Here's the basic recipe.

Macaroni Cheese
Adapted from Amanda Hesser

2 Tbsp butter, plus more for buttering the dish
2 Tbsp flour
2 C milk
1 1/2 C grated cheese, plus more for sprinkling
3 1/2 C macaroni, cooked
1 can of herbed plum tomatoes (juice reserved)
3/4 C coarse breadcrumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 350C.
2. Butter an 8x8 baking pan.
3. In a saucepan, heat the 2 Tbsp butter until foamy. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk until golden. Slowly add the milk, continuing to whisk.
4. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and let thicken.
5. Stir in cheese and remove from heat.
6. Fold in macaroni.
7. Add tomatoes, squeezing them with your hand to break them up.
8. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.
9. Pour into prepared pan.
10. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the top. Sprinkle a little more cheese over the top (about 1/3 C), if desired, to create a latticed affect.
11. Bake unitl browned on top, and bubbling, about 25 minutes.

Snowy Duke Street

2007-12-28T21:52:00.001-04:00

I've been a little distracted lately with work, a stream of house guests and the general hurrah the holidays bring. There a few great recipes I've discovered and will be sharing with you soon.

In the meantime, enjoy this scene I get to see about once a week now. We have had six (I think- I'm losing count) significant snowfalls so far this season. Which is unusual as we have had five above average warm winters in a row. It will all be washed away gain tomorrow with rain, but I'm confident more snow will come.

Shrimp with Tomatoes

2007-11-24T17:01:00.000-04:00

This recipe is from a friend who cooks excellent Indian food. Her home is older, and she proudly displays her collection of Indian spices in small glass jars in what used to be the ironing cabinet set into the wall of her kitchen. Her stories of what she made for dinner would make me envious.

This Tamatari Jhinga, or Shrimp with Tomatoes, is flavourful, not spicy hot like so many think ‘Indian’ is going to be. The fresh ginger is a real boost, as are items like the roasted mustard seeds and fresh lemon juice. It’s so fast to make, and most of the ingredients are likely to be in the kitchen already. We eat it with Basmati rice. Leftovers heat well, and I'm kind of playing with the idea of using this recipe as a base for developing it into a soup.

Tamatari Jhinga
1 lb shrimp, shelled
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
1 medium sweet onion, such as Vidalia, finely chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 C chopped tomatoes

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1. In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice, cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper, black pepper and ¼ tsp salt. Mix well. Add shrimp, and toss to coat. Cover and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the mustards seeds and cover, allowing the seeds will pop for a few seconds.

3. Add the onion, ginger and garlic. Saute until the onion is golden.

4. Drain the marinade into the skillet (but not the shrimp).

5. Add the tomatoes and cook for 3-5 minutes.

6. Add remaining salt and brown sugar, and stir.

7. Add the shrimp and cook until transparent, about 5 minutes and serve.

Parsley and Spinach Chicken Stew

2007-11-17T15:03:00.001-04:00

This is a recipe I’ve had for a while- it looks like it was printed with a dot matrix printer. I’ve been working on variations of it for a while, trying to improve it, but when I found it again recently, with all of my notations, I was finally going to put it in recycling. Neither Tony nor I could actually recall any specific opinion of it, and my notes indicated it was only ‘satisfactory.’ But, I thought I would give it one more chance.

With a few more additional edits this time around, we both quite enjoyed it. For the next time, we decided we’ll add turnips. And make dumplings, or grand-peres to go with it. Here is what I did for the last version, which has saved it from the recycling bin.

Parsley and Spinach Chicken Stew
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped (about 1 C)
8-10 ounces of baby spinach, rinsed
2 medium onions, chopped
3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
3 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into pieces
6 Tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt
¼ tsp ground turmeric
2 Tbsp tomato sauce (or paste)
6.5 C vegetable or chicken stock
1 tsp cornstarch

1. Toss the garlic, parsley and spinach together.
2. In a skillet, heat 2-4 Tbsp olive oil. Saute the garlic, spinach and parsley until wilted, in batches if necessary. Set aside.
3. Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large stockpot. Add the onion and sauté until translucent and the juices are released.
4. Add the chicken and sauté until cooked through.
5. Add the stock, salt, turmeric, tomato sauce, and parsley spinach mixture. Bring to a boil, and boil for 10 minutes.
6. Add the potatoes and turn the heat down to a simmer. Allow to cook for 1 hour.
7. Mix a few tablespoons of broth with 1 tsp cornstarch and stir into a paste. Add to the stew. Cook for one more hour.
8. Serve hot with biscuits or fresh bread.

Last Call for Honey Crisp

2007-11-10T20:59:00.000-04:00

These are my all-time favourite apples. Even if you don't rank and re-rank apples every time you try a new variety, chances are, you'll still like this one. Most people I give a Honey Crisp to, love it. The people who don't, are Tony, and one other person both of whom prefer tart apples. In both cases Granny Smith apples are their favourite. Granny Smith used to rank as top apple for me too, and it's still in the top five... but the Honey Crisp is just so good.

The Honey Crisp is from the Annapolis Valley. The average Honey Crisp is large, and the perfect shape for the palm of your hand. It's crispy, and yellow fleshed. The flavour is like a light honey- sweet but not sugary or cloying. It's not as sweet as the Pink Lady, which I sometimes find overpowering. There is a good ratio of juice to apple, moist but not enough juice to run down your arm.

Anyway, the last of the Honey Crisps can still be sought out if you're quick about it. I bought extra this weekend because I know it's the last of them. Some local vendors started selling out two weeks ago, so I was lucky I was able to get a last cache at the market. If you have a chance, pick some up. Even if you're not an apple eater, I bet you could sell them to the desperate, or use them for bribes.

Fall on Duke Street

2007-11-03T20:48:00.000-03:00

Earlier this afternoon, the Uptown felt deserted as well all hunkered down for the arrival of whatever is left of Hurricane Noel. For the first time, I have heeded storm preparation warnings and managed to dig out camp lights and fill a jug of water in case we should lose power. Normally, we can comfortably ignore storm warnings. Living right by the water means the storm is never that bad, and we are usually protected from the worst of tropical storms by Nova Scotia. Unfortunately, the same insurance does not apply in this scenario. Already tonight, some local communities are without power.

It's been ten years since I've been living in Saint John, and lost power. The great ice storm of 1997, now a local legend, cut power for a day. Other parts of the city lost power for much longer, and surrounding communities lots it for weeks. We had friends staying with us for parts of it, where clean towels and hot showers were the standing luxuries.

This chair arrived on the sidewalk earlier this week. I keep expecting to see a crow or an old man perched in it. By this afternoon, though it looked quite lonely, as even the birds disappeared and the sky became darker and darker.

Gargoyle

2007-10-28T10:15:00.001-03:00

Door decor to usher you in to a house of worship! It certainly adds dramatic style. This is from the Calvary Temple on Sydney Street, around the corner from my house in Saint John.