Category Archives: Uncategorized

Roasted Beet Relish

Posted on by
  • 3 cups cubed, peeled beets (~2 large or 3 small beets)
  • 2 tsp. avocado oil
  • 1/4 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1-2 tsp. maple syrup
  • 1/2 tsp. lime zest
  • 1-2 tbsp. lime juice

Heat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add peeled, cubed beets to a medium mixing bowl along with avocado oil, salt, and cumin.

Roast beets for 35-40 minutes, or until fork tender and slightly golden brown / caramelized, tossing once at the 20-minute mark to ensure even baking. The longer they bake, the more tender and caramelized they become, but be careful not to overcook / burn, or they can become crispy and tough.

Once roasted, add back to the mixing bowl from earlier and season with maple syrup, lime zest, and lime juice, and mix. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more lime juice for acidity, lime zest for citrus flavor, cumin for smokiness, salt to taste, or maple syrup for sweetness.

Spiced Rye Ginger Cookies

Posted on by
  • 2 cups medium rye flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ginger
  • 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon =cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
  2. Weigh your flour; or measure it by gently spooning it into a cup, then sweeping off any excess.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
  4. In a large mixing bowl, using either a hand whisk, an electric mixer, or a stand mixer, whisk the sugar and oil until combined.
  5. Add the egg and whisk until smooth.
  6. Stir in the molasses.
  7. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl and stir until well combined.
  8. Use a spoon (or a tablespoon cookie scoop) to portion 1 1/4″ balls of dough.
  9. Roll the dough balls in granulated or sparkling sugar to coat before placing onto the prepared baking sheets. Leave 2″ between them on all sides; they’ll spread as they bake.
  10. Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, until they’re puffed and their edges are set.
  11. Remove the cookies from the oven, and cool completely right on the pan.  
  12. Store cookies, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days; freeze for longer storage.

Gin

Posted on by
  • 750ml good quality vodka
  • • 2 tbsp juniper berries (more if you like juniper-forward gin)
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 2 cardamom pods
  • 2 peppercorns
  • half a cinnamon stick
  • a small piece of dried orange peel (no pith)
  • a small piece of dried lemon peel (no pith)

1 Sterilise a clean mason jar or glass bottle with boiling water

2 Add your botanicals to the jar, minus any fresh peel

3 Top up with vodka, then leave to infuse in a cool dark place for 24 hours

4 Taste the infusion – it should have taken on some lovely juniper ginnyness already. Add your fresh peel, along with and extra botanicals whose flavour you want to boost.

5 Leave for up to another 24 hours, giving the bottle a gentle shake at least once. Beware of leaving it too long and over-infusing the mixture – think of it a bit like brewing tea.

6 Taste again and if you’re happy, then filter out all the botanicals using a sieve. If there’s still some sediment left, use some muslin or a coffee filter to strain again.

7 Leave the liquid to sit for a couple of days and then filter out any remaining sediment – and put through a water filter jug if you want to make it even clearer (but as we said, don’t worry too much about the colour).

8 Bottle your gin

Bacon

Posted on by
  • pork belly, skin on
  • 1/4 cup kosher salt
  • 2 tsp. pink curing salt
  • 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tbsp. red pepper flakes
  • 2 tbsp. smoked sweet paprika
  • 1 tsp. cumin seeds

Rinse pork belly and pat dry. Mix all other ingredients, and put in bag with pork belly. Put in fridge for 7-10 days.

Remove from fridge, rinse and pat dry. Refrigerate on a rack in the fridge for 24 hours.

Cook in 200 oven until it reaches 150. Slice.

Pickled Jalapenos

Posted on by
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 2 tbsp. sugar
  • 1 tbsp. salt
  • 7-8 jalapeno peppers

Combine the vinegar, water, garlic, sugar and salt in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Add jalapenos slices, stir, and remove from heat.

Let sit for 8 minutes then use tongs to remove the jalapenos from pot to a jar; cover with the liquid to fill the jar.

Peameal Bacon

Posted on by
  • 1 Pork Loin About 4 lbs
  • 12 Cups Cold Water Divided
  • 1 Cup Maple Syrup
  • ½ Cup Pickling Salt
  • 2 Tsp Prague #1 Cure
  • 2 Tbsp Mustard Seeds
  • 2 tsp Black Peppercorns
  • 4 Garlic cloves Pressed
  • 3 Whole Cloves
  • 2 Bay Leaves
  • 1 Lemon Sliced Into Wedges
  1. Cut pork loin into 2 approximately equal sized chunks (crosswise, NOT lengthwise!). Trim most of the visible fat, if you’d like. Set aside (in fridge).
  2. Measure 4 cups of of water into a large pot, add remaining ingredients (aside from rest of water!). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add remaining water, stir to combine. Allow to cool to room temperature.
  3. Place one chunk of pork loin in each of 2 gallon sized freezer bags. I like to manually divide the lemon wedges and bay leaves equally between the two bags before pouring half of the brine into each bag. Push out most of the air, seal the bags, and put them in the fridge – I put both bags into a 9 x 12 cake pan, just in case of leakage, etc.
  4. Allow the pork to brine for 5 whole days, turning once daily to ensure the pork loins are completely submerged.
  5. After 5 days, discard brine, and rinse pork loins with cold water. Use paper towels to pat dry.
  6. Pour a generous amount of yellow cornmeal onto a plate large enough to accommodate the chunk of pork loin.
  7. Roll loin in the cornmeal, pressing to form a uniform crust.
  8. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, chill for at least an hour before slicing and frying-grilling.

Air Fryer French Fries

Posted on by
  • 3 large russet potatoes
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
  • Sea salt and pepper, to taste

Using a mandoline, slice the potatoes into fries. Place potatoes in a cool water bath. Completely submerge the fries in water.Let fries sit one hour. This helps to remove excess starch and will help the fries crisp up more in the oven.Preheat air fryer to 375 degrees.After an hour, drain the water, and pat fries dry with a paper towel.Toss with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper.Add fries to bottom of air fryer basket, making sure they are all on the same level.Cook 13 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.Place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and a cooling rack over it.Place in warm oven (set to the minimum temperature, not over 250 degrees) and let rest while other batches of fries are cooking.

Instant Pot Pickled Beets

Posted on by
  • 2 cups peeled and diced yellow beets
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 whole cinnamon stick
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 2 tbsp. maple syrup, optional
  1. Mix all the ingredients in your 3 quart Instant Pot (or double or triple for larger IPs).  
  2. Cook on manual/pressure cook on high pressure for 5 minutes.
  3. Release pressure manually. Store in fridge. 

French Chicken Casserole

Posted on by
  • 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved
  • 3 large shallots, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 pound baby gold potatoes, halved
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Season chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, add chicken, skin-side down, and sear both sides until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side; set aside. Add mushrooms, shallots and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and browned, about 5-7 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Stir in chicken stock, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf and potatoes. Return chicken to the skillet. Place into oven and bake until potatoes are tender and chicken has completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 175 degrees F, about 40-45 minutes. Stir in heavy cream; season with salt and pepper, to taste.