Category Archives: Recipes

Pork Chili with Pumpkin

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  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless Sirloin Pork Chops, cubed
  • fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 40-ounce can pinto beans, drained
  • 30-ounce can black beans, drained
  • 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 4-ounce can diced green chiles
  1. Season the pork cubes with salt and pepper to taste. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the pork cubes and chopped onion and sauté. Cook until the pork is lightly browned and the onion is clear.
  2. In the crock of a 6-quart slow cooker, whisk together the pumpkin puree, tomato sauce, chili powder and garlic powder. Add the meat mixture, beans, tomatoes, and chiles to the pot. Stir well to combine. Cover with the slow cooker lid and cook for 4 hours on HIGH or 6 to 8 hours on LOW.

Pad Thai w/Spaghetti Squash

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For the pad Thai sauce:
2 tablespoons tamarind paste (or rice wine vinegar, see Recipe Note)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons water, to thin

For the pad Thai:
1/2 medium spaghetti squash (from a 3-pound squash)
2 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
8 ounces extra-firm tofu, diced
2 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 large eggs, whisked
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 scallions, cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup bean sprouts, plus more to serve
2 tablespoons chopped peanuts, to serve
Lime wedges, to serve
Cilantro, to serve
Red pepper flakes, to serve

Whisk together the tamarind paste, fish sauce, and palm sugar for the sauce. Add 2 tablespoons of water, to thin out the sauce. Microwave on high heat for 30 seconds and whisk until everything is combined into a thin sauce. The sauce should taste very strong, but still palatable; add more water if needed to reach a good balance of tartness and pungency. Measure out about 1/4 cup to be used for this recipe; the remaining sauce will keep refrigerated for several weeks.

Cut the squash in half; save one half for another purpose. Prepare the other half, either in the microwave (15 minutes) or in the oven (30 to 45 minutes). When cooked, shred the inside with a fork and set aside. You should have 3 to 4 cups of spaghetti squash tendrils.

Toss the tofu in the cornstarch until all the cubes are evenly coated with a gummy layer of cornstarch. Set aside while you prep the rest of the ingredients; make sure all the ingredients are prepped before you begin cooking. Place a large dinner plate next to the stove to hold ingredients as they come out of the wok.

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until a flick of water dissolves almost instantly on the surface. Add a tablespoon of peanut oil and quickly swirl the pan to coat. Add the tofu and stir-fry until golden on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the cooked tofu to a plate. (Adjust the heat as needed if your pan starts smoking.)

Warm another half tablespoon of peanut oil in the pan and add the onions. Cook until the onions are just starting to soften and show golden color, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the tofu. (Adjust the heat as needed if your pan starts smoking.)

Warm another half tablespoon of peanut oil in the pan and swirl to coat the bottom. Whisk the eggs one more time and then pour them into the bottom of the pan. Cook, tilting the pan to create a very thin omelet. When the eggs are almost set, begin nudging and cutting them with your spatula to create big curds. Transfer the cooked eggs to the plate with the tofu and onion. (Adjust the heat as needed if your pan starts smoking.)

Warm the last half tablespoon of peanut oil in the pan and add the garlic. Fry until the garlic is fragrant and golden, about 10 seconds. Add all of the spaghetti squash and spread into a single layer. Cook for 30 seconds or so, then stir the squash and spread it back out again. Repeat a few times until the squash is warmed and beginning to show golden, roasted color.

Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the pad Thai sauce around the outside edge of the pan, then stir it into the squash. Continue stirring until the sauce evenly coats all the squash. Give it a quick taste and add up to 2 tablespoons additional sauce if needed.

Add the scallions and bean sprouts to the pan with the squash, and stir to combine. Add the tofu, onions, and egg back to the pan and stir to combine. Taste again, adding additional sauce if needed.

Transfer the pad Thai to a large serving plate and top with chopped peanuts, cilantro, red pepper flakes, and lime wedges. Serve immediately while still very hot. Leftovers reheat well and will keep for up to a week in the fridge.

Yorkshire Puddings (MOM)

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  • 1/4 lb. flour (1 cup)
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 pint milk (285mL)

Mix flour and salt in a bowl; make a well in the centre and drop the egg in.  Stir from the centre, working in the flour, gradually adding half the milk, giving the consistency of thick cream.  Beat well and mix thoroughly.  Stir in the remaining milk and leav to stand.

Takes about 1/2 hour at 375.

 

ALTERNATE:

4 eggs
200mL milk
200g flour (sifted)
pinch salt
Pour into jug for serving
1cm oil/fat in each hole
375 for 25 minutes

Buttermilk Rusks (Ilona Pretorius)

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6 cups flour
6 tsp. baking soda
2 cups butter (room temperature)
2 cups sugar
2 cups nuts and dried fruit
1/4 cup oil
2 cups buttermilk
25ml baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
2 cups ground flax
Mix eggs and sugar at low speed.  Add buttermilk and oil to mixture.  Combine flour, baking powder, salt – rub in the butter.  Add ground flax and nuts to flour and mix.  Add egg mixture and mix until no dry parts are left in dough.  Split into bread baking tins.  Bake about 40 minutes at 350, and then an additional 30 minutes at 325.

Let the rusks stay in the oven overnight after the time they spent drying – this give them ample time to cool off.  Cut into pieces.

Cranberry Orange Scones

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1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar plus 3 tablespoons additional if using fresh cranberries
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 1/4 cups fresh cranberries, chopped coarse
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream (or milk)

Preheat oven to 400°F. and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

With a vegetable peeler remove the zest from lemons and chop fine, reserving lemons for another use.

In a food processor pulse flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, butter and zest until mixture resembles coarse meal and transfer to a large bowl.

In a small bowl toss together fresh cranberries and 3 tablespoons sugar and stir into flour mixture. If using dried fruit, add to flour mixture.

In another small bowl lightly beat egg and yolk and stir in cream. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until just combined.

On a well-floured surface with floured hands pat dough into a 1-inch-thick round (about 8 inches in diameter) and with a 2-inch round cutter or rim of a glass dipped in flour cut out as many rounds as possible, rerolling scraps as necessary. Arrange rounds about 1 inch apart on baking sheet and bake in middle of oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until pale golden.

 

Simply roll them out and cut them before flash-freezing them separately on a tray, and sealing them in a freezer bag until you’re ready to bake them. You can bake them right from the freezer, only needing to add 3 to 5 extra minutes baking time. Scones are always best when they’re freshly baked.

Spicy Cauliflower Stir Fry

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1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
Salt and pepper
6 slices fresh ginger
1 small onion, thinly sliced
5 cloves garlic, sliced
2 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Preheat oven to 450°F. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, spread out the cauliflower in a single layer and toss with 2 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper, and roast until crisp and golden, about 30 minutes. Stir the cauliflower halfway through baking.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in your wok over medium-high heat. Add the ginger and cook for 2 minutes until caramelized. Add the onion and garlic, and cook for another 2 minutes, making sure they don’t burn.

Turn up the heat to high, and add the cauliflower and scallions. Cook for 30 seconds and then add the crushed red pepper flakes (if using), sesame oil, Shaoxing rice wine or sherry, soy sauce, and sugar. Toss everything together, stir-frying for about 1 minute, and serve with steamed rice.

Sorghum Cookies

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3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup Pure Cane Sorghum
1 egg
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. Bourbon Smoked Pepper
Bourbon Smoked Sugar

In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar.
Add egg and Pure Cane Sorghum. In a separate
bowl, combine dry ingredients and mix well. Add the dry mix into
the butter mixture. Mix until smooth. Wrap in plastic
wrap and chill for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350
degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment. Scoop
dough to 1-inch disks and dip in Bourbon Smoked
Sugar. Place 2 inches apart. bake 10-12 minutes.

Apple Herb Stuffing

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6 cups torn chunks French, sourdough or country loaf, torn into bits
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large Spanish or sweet onion, chopped small
1 large or 2 small stalks celery, diced small
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon table salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large or 2 small firm, tart tart apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and diced small
1/4 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 sage leaves, minced
1/2 to 1 cup cup turkey, chicken or vegetable stock or broth
1 large egg

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Spread bread cubes in single layer on large rimmed baking sheet. Bake until pale golden, stirring occasionally, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool in pan while you prepare the other ingredients.

Generously butter a 2-quart baking dish (a 9×5-inch loaf, 8- or 9-inch square dish, etc.) with 1 tablespoon butter. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, thyme, salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper and cook for 2 minutes, until becoming translucent. Add celery and cook for 2 more minutes. Add apple and saute until a bit tender, 3 to 4 minutes more.

Place bread in large mixing bowl. Scrape contents of skillet on top. Whisk egg and 1/2 cup broth or stock together and pour over. Stir in parsley and sage. Spoon into prepared pan. If mixture looks a little dry, pour remaining 1/2 cup broth over it. [This is a good place to pause, if needed. Nothing bad comes of the stuffing absorbing the liquids for longer.] Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until brown on top and no liquid appears if you insert a knife vertically into the center of the stuffing pan and turn it slightly. Serve immediately, or reheat as needed.

Variations:

 

  • Apple, Herb and Cornbread Stuffing: You can replace two cups of the bread chunks with chunks of cornbread. This recipe is a good basic one for croutons.
  • Apple, Herb and Sausage Stuffing: Brown a half-pound of breakfast sausage, cut into 1/2-inch coins, in the pan, before adding the apple. Cook it until it’s just cooked through (it will have lots of time to finish in the oven). Remove it from the pan and add the apples and remaining ingredients as directed above.

 

 

Fruit Roll-Ups

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  • 8 oz strawberries, stems trimmed
  • 1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp. sugar

Place the trimmed strawberries in a blender or food processor and puree them for a minute or so until smooth. You don’t want any strawberry chunks in the mixture. Transfer the strawberry puree to a saucepan and add the lemon juice and sugar. Turn the heat to medium to medium high, and cook the mixture for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick and jammy. The goal here is to cook out much of the moisture.

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees F, or as low as your oven will go, making sure it’s less than 200 degrees at the highest.

Spread the strawberry jam into a rectangle shape onto a baking pan lined with a silpat or parchment paper. You may use an offset spatula or a regular spatula to help spread the mixture as evenly as possible, until the rectangle is about 1/8 inch thick. Keep in mind the fruit leather will lose some of its thickness in the oven as it dehydrates, so make sure that none of the jam is so thin that you can see through it as you spread.

Cook in the oven for 3-4 hours, until the fruit mixture no longer feels sticky, just a bit tacky. Remove from the oven and let it cool completely. Transfer to a cutting board lined with wax paper, and use a pizza cutter to cut long strips. Roll them up into the fruit rollups, and enjoy!