RPI - Yeast: Soft Pretzels

The Lowdown:

Pretzels are memory makers. Well, maybe they are memory enhancers. The memories of circuses, fairs, hockey games (or any sports game), concerts, rodeos, carnivals; and of course, Oktoberfest are all heightened by the food and beverage we consume during them. This theory isn't just related to cheap snacks during the aforementioned events. It can be a great meal you ate on a trip that defined the entire vacation. It can be a picnic on the beach that made your summer that much better. It can be a wine that always reminds you of a past anniversary. It can be an aroma emanating from a kitchen that reminds you of home. It can be a shot that ruined your birthday... like say a Bacardi 151 muff diver (I'll get my revenge for that soon enough).

In some unfortunate cases, these same events can be remembered by what came up. Back from the dead food. Food Zombies..? Once good food items coming back to life as an undead, decrepit version of a once loved meal. No need to over think this, it was just merely an after(life) thought.

Back to the events. One thing that all of these events have in common is the infamous pretzel -- salty, warm, doughy, and just plain classic. Sometimes it can even be your saviour when you've had one too many overpriced beers at a sporting event. Overpriced is an understatement. We've all seen them revolving around the heat lamp in those weird oscillating ovens. Some of you may have even wondered just how much salt can they actually fit onto one pretzel.

The fact is, we've all waited way too long in a line-up to get a hold of one of these salty treats. This is where this story starts. This installment of RPI, as the title states, is yeast. I was recently at a hockey game waiting in one of the said line-ups. Taking light years to get to the counter I starting thinking about how to make a pretzel at home. This is just a classic "one thing lead to another and here we are" story. Sorry to talk in bullet points, but I'm tired of typing. Farewell. My friends. Ciao.

The Playlist:

2.5 cups Flour
Flour, for kneading surface
1 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Yeast
1 cup Water, tepid
1 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Olive oil

The Skinny:

1. In large bowl: prime yeast by combining with water and sugar. Cover with towel and let sit for 10 minutes. Combine the flour, and salt into the yeast liquid.
2. Once dough ball has formed, generously flour a surface and kneed the dough for 7 minutes. 
3. Preheat oven to 450*.
4. Put dough back into the bowl and coat with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for an hour.
5. Cut dough into six individual balls and roll out into ropes and form into pretzel shapes. Sprinkle with sea salt and bake for 8 minutes, until browned. 

Stay Rad -h
Featured on: Premeditated Leftovers, 33 Shades of Green, Chef in Training, Food Renegade, Foodie Friday,  

Rippin Another Blog: Parmesan Roasted Fennel with Mozzarella di Bufala and Reduced Balsamico

Good morning sugar loves!

It's my opinion that food is something that unites us all. Without getting all humanistic and homogenizing (because I learned in my Women's Studies classes that's a bad thing), we all need food. We all eat food (hopefully). We all want food (except those with eating disorders). And we all love food. Who doesn't enjoy eating?? (again, see above).

While what we eat differs from country to country, region to region, home to home, person to person - we do all eat.

And thank God for that. She must love food too.

That's why for the month of February I selected a Swedish blog to rip a recipe from. Min ugn är min tv. We might not speak or type the same language but with photos as fantastic as this Mattias', how can we not connect? The best part was looking at the food and trying to figure out what dishes were. And when it came to actually making one of his dishes, as Haydn mentioned yesterday, Google translator is a handy-dandy-translating magic machine! 

Fennel gets an incredibly tender flavor when it's cooked, losing most of it's aniseed punch, while the creaminess of the mozzzarella paired with the crunchiness of the cheese is unreal.

Small note: Buy the best ingredients for this that you can afford. They key to simple dishes like this is getting the good shit. Your mouth will thank you. Twice.

tack så mycket, Mattias... and Google Translator.

Roasted Parmean w Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella
(printable recipe) - serves 2.

Ingredients:

2 Large Bulbs of Fennel.
2 Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella
Real Parmesan Cheese, finely grated.
Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Coarse Sea Salt and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper. 
1 Batch Balsamic Reduction.

What to Do:
 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

As it heats, chop the woody and fuzzy tops off the fennel and slice in half. Place on a baking pan and drizzle generously with oil, salt and pepper. Place in the hot oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until it starts to brown nicely. 

Remove from the oven. Sprinkle with a good helping of Parmesan cheese. Place back in the oven and continue to cook until the cheese has a juicy golden color (approx 15 minutes). 

As your fennel bakes, remove the fresh buffalo mozza from the package and in a sieve to drain well.

Once the fennel is done, pile it all up on a big plate, drizzle with a good helping of balsamic reduction and olive oil, garnish with some fennel tops and serve with a loaf of crusty bread.

Eat.

RPI: Mission Lamb (Roast Lamb Dinner)

Sometimes you want original... Something new and exciting and inventive.

...and sometimes you want traditional. Moments and places that just shouldn't be ef'd with.

Does that make traditional boring? Nay! It's comforting. And gentle. And in this case, generally and specifically delicious.

When lamb was selected for our next Rock Paper Ingredient challenge, I couldn't have been happier. Lamb is by far, in my top ten ingredients of all time. Nothing beats moist, perfectly cooked lamb with all it's gamey succulence and tender, fall apart in your mouth texture. Lamb. Oh lamb. lamb. lamb. Yes. Lamb. 

Pair it with a big fat, kick ya in the crotch red wine, and you'll have me purring faster than a....well, than a cat getting it's belly scratched. Please don't scratch my belly. Especially when it's full of lamb and red wine. Because chances are, I ate a lot of lamb. And drank a lot of red wine. And I'm havin me some lamby red wine babies - and you should never - EVER - walk up and rub a pregnant woman's belly.

My choice for RPI Mission Lamb: Lamb roast dinner. Ain't nothin' wrong with that. Not boring. Not unoriginal. Not a bad idea at all. In fact, it was comforting. And gentle. And generally and specifically delicious.

Roast Lamb Dinner
(printable recipe) - serves 5-6.

Ingredients:

3 Lb. Lamb Roast, no bone.
1 Head of Garlic, peeled.
2 Apples, cored and cut into quarters.
3 Leeks, washed and sliced.
1 Lemon for juice and zest.
Handful of Fresh Rosemary.
Handful of Fresh Thyme.
1 Tbsp Coriander Seeds.
2 Tbsp Butter.
1 C Dry Red Wine.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
Coarse Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

What to Do:

12 - 24 hours in advance: Marinate the lamb. First, truss the lamb with butcher string to ensure even thickness of the lamb all the way around. In a pestle and mortar, bash together the coriander, lemon zest, and a good dose of salt and pepper. Once the pods are open and fragrant, pour into a freezer bag or appropriate sealable container along with the herbs and a few good glugs of olive oil. Place lamb in the container and massage into the marinade. Seal and place in the fridge to marinate, occasionally rotating to ensure even marination.

When it's time to cook: Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F and place a cast-iron pan over fairly high heat.

As that heats,  place in hot pan and sear until you have good color on each side. Remove from the heat and place on a wire rack in a roasting pan. Throw in the rest of the ingredients - the butter, wine and lemon juice - and tuck around the lamb. Cover and place in oven. Roast for an hour and a quarter to an hour and a half or until a thermometer reads 132-135 degrees F for medium rare.

Remove from the oven, place meat and wire rack over a cutting board and cover with foil. Allow the meat to rest 10-15 minutes. Slice thinly and serve.

While the meat rests, make your sauce. In the same dirty pan you seared the lamb in, add the red wine, a sprig or two of herbs and a good helping of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat and then turn heat down to a simmer. Allow the wine to reduce by half, making sure to scrape all the bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir in the butter and lemon juice. Strain through a fine sieve and serve along side lamb.

Eat.

RPI Eggs: Super Simple Poached Egg Sunday Breakfast

Happy Thursday darlings!

The best part of my day? I logged into Blogger, checked the blog's stats for the day, and opened up my draft for RPI Mission Eggs... I was greeted by this:

Jingle bells, batman smells, Robin laid an egg.

Batmobile lost a wheel and Joker got away.

Oh the joy of sharing a blog with a close friend who you wished lived closer. I've heard this song eight million times and was always kind of annoyed by it. Until now. Now it's the endearing gentle message my dear friend Haydn left me in my draft copy of RPI Eggs - a small but significant message that he hopelessly misses me. I miss you too, Haydn. Stupid, giant, Canadian country.

Something else that is dear to my heart? Eggs. Particularly, super simple Sunday breakfast eggs. When we established eggs as our Rock, Paper, ingredient mission this month, my mind immediately started digging into the various culinary fascinations of eggs - custards, cakes, aioli, souffle, blah blah blah. Ultimately, I chose to showcase the true nature of the protein powerhouse known as the egg. And stayed true to chicken.

Small side note: Duck eggs scare the squeezebox outta me. Much too large. Much. too. large. Pretty much anything that is larger in size than the average/normal freaks me out.

All you need for this recipe: eggs, bread, left over veggies. Maybe a little cheese. Golden. 

Super Simple Poached Egg Breakfast

(printable recipe) - serves 2.

Ingredients:

4 Pastured Eggs.

1 Tsp Vinegar.

1 Bunch Kale or Chard.

1/3 C Chicken or Veggie Stock.

Leftover Roasted Winter Veg.

2 Pieces Baguette or Sourdough Loaf, cut on an angle.

2 Shavings of Salty Grainy Cheese (ie Grana Padano, Parmesan, Pecorino Romano)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Coarse Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

What to Do:

Pre-heat your oven to a high broil. Once hot, place sliced bread on a baking sheet, brushed lightly with olive oil, and slide under heat. Broil until golden. Remove from oven and lay the cheese on warm toast. Set aside.

Turn the oven down to 400 degrees F. Re-heat winter veg in oven until hot. 

Heat 2 Tbsp of oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Once hot, throw in the greens, season well with salt and pepper and stir well to coat. Add the stock and while stirring often, allow the greens to cook through and the stock to evaporate.

To poach eggs: Bring a deep saute pan of salted water to a light boil over medium-high heat. Once the water starts to bubble, add vinegar. Crack eggs into individual bowls and gently slide into the semi-boiling water. Using a slotted spoon, corral the whites around the yolks to help them keep their shape. Cook for about 3-4 minutes or until the egg whites are cooked through and the yolks runny. Remove from water and gently place eggs on top of cheesy toast.

Throw it all on a plate and chow down my friends, chow down.

Yes - eat.

How do your friends let you know they love you? How do you show you love them?

RPI: Egg - The Happy John

The Lowdown:

Every cocktail seems to have a story. Perhaps, it put the tale in cocktail. In that case, a storyless beverage would be a... well, let's just leave that up to your imagination. This cocktail is no different. Although it may not have the disputable history of the Old Fashioned, it always makes me laugh when I order it. Perhaps snicker, laugh seems to be a bit too out there.

This story begins when we were young enough to sneak spiced rum into the late night showing of the horror-movie-du-jour. Okay,I'm not going to lie I still think it's fun. Everyone would then get their favourite pop to mix. Simple enough. That is until you order Orange Crush. You then sit down, add the two flavours up in your head, and realize that you may have to endure the grossest drink ever. Wrong! It's actually amazing.

Fast forward two years. We are all sitting at our favourite BBQ joint, when I notice that they have Orange Crush and spiced whiskey. Eureka, an instant classic. Until I was smited by the bartender and my fellow friends that is. Apparently whiskey and orange soda is some form of faux-pas in the realm of beverages. Once again I endured.

Fast forward a couple of months. The setting: the same BBQ joint, rainy night, approximately 7*c, gentle northeasterly breeze, 8:30pm PST. Everyone is sitting at the table with their drink of choice, the Happy John. The components, as you may have guessed, are orange soda and spiced whiskey. But where is the irony you say? It lies in the fact that in my absence the drink was now named after the person whom originally ostracized me for ordering it all those months ago.

Oh the humanity! The humility! Now, locked away in my attic, I have been burning the midnight oil to recreate this untold masterpiece to get my own form of justice; the Happy John v.2.0 (which is essentially a modified Boston Sour). Remove the redneck, add a touch of class, and recreate a classic. And just like that, I get my silent revenge (not to mention a delicious cocktail in front of me and my RPI: Egg post completed).

The Playlist:

The Happy John
2 oz Spiced Whiskey
1/2 - 1 oz Simple syrup (depending how sweet oranges are)
1 Egg white
1/2 Naval orange, juiced

Orange Simple Syrup
3 cups Water
2 Oranges, peels only
5 Allspice berries
Sugar 

The Skinny:

1. In small pot: combined water, orange peels, and allspice berries. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling reduce the heat to low, uncover, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Strain contents of the pot, keeping only the orange liquid. Using a measuring cup, make a 1:1 ratio of sugar to orange liquid. Put this mixture back into the pot and heat until sugar is fully disolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
3. In ice-free martini shaker: combined cocktail ingredients and shake vigerously. Strain into an ice filled glass. Garnish as desired.
4. Enjoy. 

Stay Rad -h
Featured on: Premeditated Leftovers, 33 Shades of Green, Chef in Training, Food Renegade, 

RPI: Maple Syrup Mulled Wine

The Lowdown:

Apparently in the world of internet, there is a heated debate over mulled wine/hot punches (I'm not pardoning that pun, so just accept it). Everyone seems to have a different idea of what is acceptable, proper, or at the very least, tasty. All this means to me is that I can slip my version somewhere in that mix unnoticed and sneak away unscathed. Really, this is one punch you wont mind taking in the kisser. So for the time being, we'll just accept the fact that bickering over hot punch recipes is silly and childish. Well, I'm not sure how childish, because if any child inquired about my mulling abilities I would seriously question their upbringing. Then again, here I am sitting at 11am sipping on mulled wine.

I'm not much for Christmas spirit. Don't get me wrong, I love the tree full of memories, seeing family, getting hit in the head by freezer doors at Christmas dinner (don't think I forgot about your lovely hospitality Kristy), Baileys and coffee, mulled wine, the jazzy old Christmas albums, and a select few movies (Charlie Brown and National Lampoons Christmas). But the rest of it has gotten out of control. I'm not a present person in the first place, so this added presence of presents really kills me at this time of year. Not to mention, I swear everyones' IQ plummets into some intelligence-draining abyss when they enter the little pockets of hell known as the shopping centre.

No thank you, I'll sit here and sip on my mulled wine. Meanwhile, the commercially aspired "Christmas spirited" people can get mauled in malls, because I prefer to get mulled within my walls. So here's to one of those things that we can hopefully agree upon. Cheers, and enjoy your holiday season.

The Playlist:

1 bottle Red wine
3/4 cup Maple syrup
2 sticks Cinnamon
10 Cloves
6 Allspice berries
1 pod Cardamom
3 slices Ginger
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/2 Mandarin, peel and juice
1/2 Lime, peel only
2-4 oz Yukon Jack (optional)

The Skinny:

1. In large sauce pan: add citrus peels, 1/2 cup of wine, maple syrup, and ginger then bring to a boil on high heat. Boil for two minutes, as this really brings out the oils from the peels.
2. Reduce heat to low, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Serve warm by a fireplace.

Stay Rad -h

Featured on: Premeditated Leftovers, Food Renegade, Chef in Training, 33 Shades of Green,

RPI: Chorizo Potato Boats (choo choo!)

Oh goodness!

I find it so amusing that Haydn and I both - inadvertently - chose childhood favorites for our chorizo RPI assignments. Great minds think alike!

Okay, maybe not so much childhood as teenage/young adult-ness. And while we're at it, maybe not so much great minds either. When I still lived in the the small-ass town where I grew up (think no-where Alberta), bumper-skiing and Budweiser were cool, gas was $5.00/litre and gettin' down on the farm (literally) was how we got down - bonfires, pickup trucks and all.

One night a week my friends and I would cruise - and by cruise, I mean see if we could break the sound barrier in my girl friend's volvo - into the city and hit up Boston Pizza for late night snacks and cokes. And if we felt really adventurous, some of us would even get long island iced-teas - the drink of all barely-legal kids everywhere. 

One of those snacks was potato skins. Oozy gooey semi-veggie friendly potato boats of unhealthy goodness. Well I'll tell ya what - I did them one better. I kept most of the potato, smashed it up with a little milk, butter and sour cream and then mixed in some seriously flavorful additions.

I give you, chorizo potato boats. All aboard!

Chorizo Potato Boats

serves 4 - (printable recipe)

Ingredients:

2 Large Russet Potatoes, washed and well dried.
3 Links of Spanish Chorizo, casing removed.
1/2 Onion, peeled & finely diced.
1 Garlic Clove, peeled & chopped.
Handful of canned/jar Artichoke Hearts, roughly chopped.
2 - 4 Sundried Tomatoes (depending on size), roughly chopped.
1 Roasted Bell Pepper, thinly sliced.
1/4 C Black Olives, pits removed and roughly chopped.
1/2 C Aged White Cheddar Cheese (or other flavorful good melting cheese), grated.
Smoked Paprika for dusting.
Approx 1/2 C Milk.
2 Tbsp Sour Cream + Extra for serving.
2 Tbsp Butter + Extra for serving.

2 Tbsp Fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped.
Coarse Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Black Pepper.

What to Do:

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees F. 

As the oven heats, stab the potatoes with a fork all over to ensure they don't explode in the oven. Place on a baking sheet and and bake in the oven for 1 - 1 and 1/2 hours or until fork tender. Remove from heat and let cool enough so you can handle them.

While the potatoes are cooling heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the chorizo and break up well. Cook thoroughly, stirring often. 

Add the onion - allow to soften. Toss in the garlic, stirring for about a minute or until fragrant. Toss in the artichoke hearts, tomatoes, bell pepper and olives. Mix well and heat through. Set aside.

Once they have cooled somewhat, slice in half and spoon the inside of the potato out of the skin and dump in a bowl. Add 1/4 C of the milk, butter and sour cream along with a good helping of salt and pepper. Mash baby mash! If necessary, add more of any of the above to taste and find a good texture. Take care not to over mash because over mashing = starchy goopy mess.

Fold in the chorizo veg mixture as well as the cheese until well blended. 

Gently spoon the potato mixture back into the skins. Pile high. And set back onto baking sheet. Sprinkle with smokey paprika. Place back in oven for about 30 minutes.

Remove from heat. Top with the chopped parlsey. Serve.

Eat.

What kind of "trouble" did you get into growing up? What were some of your favorite dishes?

 This post is linked up with the Hearth & Soul Blog Hop via the 21st Century Housewife; Tasty Tuesdays; Tuesday Talent Show; Cast Party Wednesday; Whole Foods Wednesday; Frugal days, Sustainable Ways; What's in the Box;

RPI: Zesty Chorizo Calzones

The Lowdown:

This recipe idea came to me when I merely demanded to have pizza pops at my hypothetical wedding. I don't want a formal sit down dinner, so naturally servers walking around with silver trays full of pep n' bacon pizza pops would be the next logical thought. Apparently not. The idea got shot down faster than the resurgence of belly shirts. Not that it matters, regardless of her permission they will be there. Oh yes, they will be there. It's easier to beg forgiveness.

Pizza pops were a huge part of my childhood. Being young and stupid, I would come home at unreasonable hours, despite my curfew, craving something extremely unhealthy and fast. Four minutes later I was in bliss. Today, I can't justify buying them. I can't even justify thinking about buying them. One glance at the nutritional value (nutritional suicide) is enough to make any health conscious person faint. To be honest, I think even pure mayonaise is healthier.

With the above reasons, it seemed perfect that I used our RPI ingredient to make a childhood favourite. Big boy pizza pops. How could this possibly go wrong with homemade tomato sauce, fresh ingredients, homemade pizza dough, homemade hot sauce, and ranch. Heck ya that sounds awesome. On that note, why am I letting my big boy pizza pop get cold. I'll entertain you again sometime soon. Over and out.

The Playlist:

Smokey Tomato Sauce
5 Tomatoes, chopped
1 Onion, finely diced
3 cloves Garlic, finely diced
1 cup Parsley, chopped
1/2 cup Red wine
1 oz Vodka
1 tsp Liquid smoke
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
2 tbsp Olive oil
Salt & pepper, to taste

Pizza Dough
1.5 tbsp Yeast
2 cups Water, warm
1 tbsp Organic cane sugar
4 cups Flour
4 tbsp Olive oil
2 tsp Salt

Fillings
5 Chorizo sausages, casing removed
1 Onion, chopped
1 Yellow bell pepper, chopped
2 Banana peppers, chopped
1 cup Shitake mushrooms, chopped

The Skinny:

1. In measuring cup: add water, sugar, and yeast. Allow to prime for 10 minutes, then in a large mixing bowl, add yeast water and remaining dough ingredients. Mix dough until a solid ball is formed and there is no remaining loose flour. Cover with a warm moist towel and allow to rise for 1 hour.
2. In saucepan: heat oil over med-high heat then add garlic and onions and cook until brown. Add remaining smokey tomato sauce ingredients, cover, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. Once the tomatoes are fully cooked, use and immersion blender or food processor to puree the sauce. If desired, cook off any remaining liquid to get the desired consistency.
3. Preheat oven to 350*.
4. In frying pan: cook chorizo sausages on medium heat. Once nearly cooked, add the peppers and cook for another 5 minutes.
5. On well floured surface: separate the dough into desired size balls. Using a rolling pin, or a bottle of wine, roll out until the dough is 3 mm thick.
6. Add the smokey tomato sauce and fillings onto the flattened, pizza-shaped, dough. Fold over the dough then using a fork or your fingers seal the edges.
7. Brush with olive oil, then bake for 25-30 minutes.

Featured on:Premeditated Leftovers, 33 Shades of Green, Food Renegade, Chef in Training,

Stay Rad -h

RPI: Mission Pistachios

I'll be honest here... 

...and this doesn't happen too often...

...not being honest - in fact, I very much value and appreciate honesty. It's a quality I hold dear to my heart and I try to be as honest as possible in my life both in my relationships with people, the planet, and my food. Especially my food. I love my food. Yup, when it comes to eating, honesty is the best policy.

So, with respect to eating and honesty, here it is: I was totally befuddled by this week's Rock, Paper, Ingredient assignment. 

When Haydn selected pistachios as the key ingredient, I thought, cool. I like nuts. And let's be honest girls (or boys)..(or anyone who doesn't fit into the traditional gender binary), who doesn't like a good nut from time to time? And pistachios are some good nuts. 

haha! "nuts"....

But when it came down to crunch time - get it, "crunch" time? because nuts are crunchy - I was absolutely shell shocked. I did it again! Get it? "Shell" shocked! I'm sorry, I'll stop. 

...Should I do something savory and crust a salmon? Should I make dessert and try to whip up my own ice cream? Do I mix the two and make pistachio crusted salmon ice cream? Ultimately, I elected for none of the above. Thank god, most likely.

But I did land smack dab in sweet territory*. And I'm sure glad I did because pistachios were made for chocolate. And Chocolate for pistachios. Actually, I'm pretty sure both the nut and especially the chocolate trade were founded to increase white European colonial influence over "Southern" countries around the world at the expense and blood of poor racialized nations while increasing the profit of those at the top of the political, economic and social food chain. But nevermind, because that's a whole other can of worms. Stupid women's studies degree - why 'ya gotta' ruin everything for me?

* a special holla to John for his excellent espresso suggestion. well done, sir. well. done.

Chocolate Cake with Pulverized Pistachios and Espresso Icing
(printable recipe) - serves 8 - 12.

Ingredients for Cake:

1 1/4 C Ice Water.
2 1/4 C White All-Purpose Flour.
1 1/4 Tsp Baking Soda.
1 3/4 C Sugar.
2/3 C Butter, unsalted & at room temperature.
2 Free-Range Organic Eggs, room temperature.
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract.
5 Tbsp Cocoa.
2 Tbsp Butter, melted.

Ingredients for Topping:

1 C Confectioner's Sugar.
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract.

2-4 Tbsp Milk.
1-2 Oz. Fresh Espresso.
Handful of Bashed, Processed, or Chopped Pistachios.

What to Do:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F & grease & line 2 8X8 spring-based baking pans with parchment paper, or 1 9X13 pan.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and baking soda. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the 2/3 C butter and sugar with medium-high powered beaters.

Add the eggs and vanilla. Mix well.

Add the cocoa and melted butter. Combine well.

Now add the flour mixture alternately with the ice water to the creamed mixture by thirds, starting and ending with the flour. Make sure everything is combined before going to the next step.

Pour the mixture evenly between the two pans. Place pans on baking sheets to catch any drips that might occur. Put in the oven and bake 35 to 45 minutes or until the cake slightly pulls away from the sides and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then release the pan(s). Carefully move each side and then, placing a cooling rack on top of the cake, tip upside down to remove the parchment/bottom. Allow to cool completely.

Topping: Beat the confectioners sugar with vanilla, espresso and half the milk until it becomes silky smooth, spreadable, but still thick. If needed, slowly add 1 more Tbsp at a time until it becomes the texture you want.

Position the cake on a serving platter. Top with the icing and finish with a good helping of pulverized pistachios.

Eat.

What do you think? Is honesty the best policy?

This post is linked up with Cast Party Wednesday; Showcase Your Talent Thursday; Full Plate Thursday; Tastetastic Thursday; The Hearth & Soul Blog Hop via the 21st Century Housewife; Tasty Tuesdays; Tuesday Talent Show.

RPI: Pistachio Crusted Schnitzel w/ Cherry Beet Chutney

The Lowdown:

I've come to really enjoy RPI. At first I always seemed to think of it as a contest -- shocking really -- everything seems to be a contest with me. I had the quirkiest desire to out do Kristy. Which, if you've read her posts you'll know it can be quite daunting. She is a lot more grounded when it comes to cooking. As in, she is much better at planning and executing her plan. Either way, I felt this competitive nature detracted from my over all experience of it. So, as of the last few RPI posts, I've tried to maintain a casual approach. By that I mean, leave it till the last minute. You know, let fear of not being on time kick in. It's a sort of primal instinct (?). Well, maybe not so primal. But whatever it is, it always inspires me to get my ass in gear.

I'm not sure where the inspiration came from for this dish. I had cherries that were over ripe. I had beets, as I always do. I love chutneys. I love pork. The RPI was pistachio. I love schnitzel. I love food that is easy and fast. Well, that solves that. That must have been the train of thought.

I love schnitzel. I love it for breakfast with eggs on it. I love it for lunch in a sandwich. I just love it any way really. But until now, I've never strayed away from the usual way of making it. RPI doesn't like the usual way though. In fact, the whole concept behind RPI was to get the back of your ears wet (is that really a saying?). Wow, if that is a saying it is really stupid. It's actually weirding me out. Furthermore, when did experience start to equal wet ears? Seriously. Way to think that one through creator of said saying.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention! I won RPI again! It seems ironic to gloat about winning when my first paragraph was about not making everything a competition. Bah! We've had a pretty well rounded set of ingredients thus far for our RPI missions. But one thing has been missing. A nut. Well, other than Kristy that is. So, it only seemed logical that one should be selected to play around with (that sounds so wrong when talking about nuts). I'm embarrassing myself now. I'm just going to stop writing.

The Playlist:

2 medium Beets, finely chopped

1 lb Cherries, pitted

5 cloves Garlic, minced

3/4 cup Champagne berry vinegar

3 tbsp Honey

2 tbsp Olive oil

2 tsp Cloves, whole

2 tsp Coriander, whole

1 tbsp Pepper, whole

2 Cinnamon sticks, whole

2 oz Port

1 Pork tenderloin

1 cup Pistachios, crushed

3 Eggs

1 cup Brown rice flour

1 tsp Mustard seed, crushed

1/2 tsp Pepper, ground

The Skinny:

1. In a tea ball combine the coriander, pepper, and cloves.
2. In medium sauce pan: combine tea ball full of spices and the remaining first tier ingredients. Cover and simmer on medium until beets are cooked thoroughly. Remove tea ball and cinnamon and allow chutney to set.
3.  In separate bowls: beat eggs, combined flour and pepper, and combined mustard seeds and pistachios.
4. Using a meat tenderizer, pound the pork (or chicken) until it is as thin as possible before tearing.
5. Heat oil in a large skillet.
6. Dredge the tenderized pork in the flour, then the eggs, then the pistachios. Ensure that it is thoroughly, and evenly coated.
7. Place the schnitzel into the heated skillet and cook (usually about 1-2 minutes per side).
8. Serve with the chutney.

Stay Rad -h

Featured on: Chef in Training, Food Renegade, 33 Shades of Green, Premeditated Leftovers,

RPI: Mission Goat (aka ew)

Warning: I am not a happy girl. This is a post about goat. And as luck Haydn would have it, I don't like goat.

Actually, when Haydn won our last match of Rock Paper Ingredient I was pretty stoked that he selected goat. I was all, "rad! i've never had goat. this is going to be awesome!"....

....3 days later... 

i. wanted. to. die.

Okay, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. But my nose certainly wanted to curl up inside itself and shut out the world. It smelled like live barn yard animal rotting away in arsenic and iodine.

In all honesty: I didn't try it. 

I was so put off by the scent of the cooking meat I couldn't bring myself to put it in my mouth. 

Funny enough, Haydn and I both selected a Moroccan approach.. John enjoyed it - good on him. I'd have hated to see it go to waste.

Of course I adore Haydn for being so adventurous (and dashing) and selecting such a unique ingredient. Well done, friend. I'm sorry I couldn't do it.... that's a hard limit for me.

Obviously I didn't keep my full recipe for this dish. However if you click here, you'll get the basic idea. Sub goat for the lamb. 

RPI.... you may have beaten me this round, but next time, I'm gonna burnin this mother down!

RPI: Moroccan Goat & Date Tagine

The Lowdown:

What the heckers is a tagine, is probaby what you are thinking right now. I was thinking the same thing about two weeks ago. I was also thinking the same thing 4 years ago when I went into a Moroccan restaurant (that sadly closed down recently). If it weren't for the lovely device known as the interweb I would still have no idea. After all, books are archaic and require actual work to read. Right. A tagine (tajine) is a term commonly used when describing an assortment of Moroccan dishes that are cooked in, you guessed it, a tagine. It is a earthenware piece of cookware that is shaped like a cone or a te-pee set on top of a round, thick-brimmed base. The shape was designed so that all of the condensation from the steam would trickle back down into the base, where the main components of the meal are. When finished, the top of the tagine is removed for serving. Of course, now we will most likely use a modern pot or cast iron sauce pan.  Yes, this concludes the history lesson.

It's just like green eggs and ham, said Sam I Am. He was a bit skeptical at first, but when he finally gave in it was heaven. I felt the same way. I always do when I'm trying something new. Success and failure never enter my mind while cooking. That is a minor consequence. I mainly think about the possibilities. Now, I will eat tagine in a house, I will eat tagine with a mouse; I will eat tagine with a fox, I will eat tagine in a box. Enough of that, Dr. Suess has left the building folks.

I feel that this is one dish where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The beauty of this dish comes from the simplicity. Simplicity is often one of my key goals. To do this, I always try to understand the basic ingredients, so that their flavours have a huge x-rated orgy and produce flavourful, robust dishes. Elegance is highly over-rated. Flavour orgies are in.

After doing a bit of research, Moroccan cuisine has four major spices (pepper, salt, ginger, and turmeric). Freshness and patience is the key. A bit of luck goes a long way as well. While hunting and foraging today, I found fresh green peppercorns, which added a beautifully robust flavour to the overall sensation of this dish. Seriously, when was the last time you saw fresh peppercorns?

I am a spice whore. I am a flavour monger. I am a heat trollop. But this dish, despite being mind-blowingly simple, exceeded all my expectations. I even resisted the urge to throw cayenne pepper in just to add a bit of heat ( this was really rare for me). Despite this, as I have said before, I enjoyed this dish immensely. Add the honey dates and almonds on top and you are entering a whole new realm of awesomeness.

The Playlist:

1 kg Goat meat (can substitute lamb or beef)
2 medium Onions, minced
5 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tomato, chopped (optional)
2 Carrots, chopped (optional)
2 sticks, Cinnamon
2 tbsp Ginger, minced
2 tbsp Green peppercorns, fresh
1 tsp Salt
2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp White pepper (optional)
1/4 cup Canola oil
2 1/2 cups Water
1 hand full Cilantro sprigs, tied

2 cups Dates, pitted
3 tbsp Honey
3 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 cup Almonds, fried 

The Skinny:

1. In large pot: brown goat meat with the onion, oil, and spices (crush half of the green peppercorns in a mortar and pestle to release their fragrance). Add water and cilantro and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Cover with a tight fitting lid and allow to cook for 1 hour.
2. Remove 1/2 cup of the simmering liquid and set aside. Add more water if it appears that the simmering liquid is drying out. Cover and allow to cook for 1 hour longer. The meat should be "fall off the bone" tender when it is finished.
3. In small sauce pan: add the 1/2 cup simmering liquid, dates, honey, and cinnamon and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Remove the lid from the tagine and simmer down the liquid until it is the desired consitency.
5. Serve warm, and add dates and almonds as per individual taste.

Featured on: 33 Shades of Green, Premeditated Leftovers, Food Renegade, Chef in Training,

Stay Rad -h

RPI: Mission Beets - Beet Chocolate Cake with Homemade Vanilla Icing

It's true. Haydn and I failed miserably in RPI this week. Not with respect to the dishes we made - which, if I may say, have turned out to be one of the best RPI in recent history - but regarding the competition. With so much going on in our busy lives we forgot to rock, paper, scissor the crap outta each other and claim gluttonous victory over the other.

Meh, what ya gonna do? 

Instead I let him select an ingredient - of which he chose beets. 

I love me some beets. Beets = good. Earthy. Sweet. With an elastic crunchy softness (does that make sense?)...

Having just done a guest post for Stacy @ Seattle Seedling titled I Need A "Beeting" (Please?) - aka Spring Beet Bruschetta - I didn't want to do another goat cheesy, balsamicy, beet filled dish. Because let's be honest with ourselves: goat cheese, balsamic vinegar, and beets are made for each other. In fact, I was tempted to make something similar to this or this. And can you blame me? Holla!

But no. I opted to live on the edge a little. Beets savory? Of course. Beets sweet? Um, yeah. Special thanks have to go to those who recommended I do so because beets in dessert = better than beets themselves. 

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not much of a baker - so fashion my own beet cake recipe? Unlikely to happen. Instead I borrowed Peggy's Recipe @ My Fiance Likes It So It Must Be Good. Peggy and I did a "golden beet off" a few months back and this is what she came up with. Peggy, I am so glad you are in cooking school. Not because you need to learn how to cook because this cake was divine, but because you need to cook more. Do it. Do. It. 

Seriously though, the cake ended up chocolatey, not too sweet, and was baker-challenged friendly. It ended up quite dense - almost like a brownie. And while I could taste the beets in the first few bites - and you should, it is after all, beet cake - the more I ate, the more I enjoyed it. I will be making this again in the near future and savoring every sweet bite.

Mmmmmm beet cake.

Beet Chocolate Cake with Homemade Vanilla Icing

(printable recipe)

Ingredients for Cake:

1 & 3/4 C Flour.

 2 Tsp Baking Powder.
3/4 Tsp Salt.
3/4 C Cocoa Powder.
1 & 1/4 C Sugar.
Approx 5 to 6 small-medium beets).
3 Pastured Eggs, room temp.

 1/2 C Canola Oil.
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract.

Ingredients for Icing:

3 C Icing (Confectioner's) Sugar.

1/3 C Butter, room temp.

1/3 C Milk.

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract.

Little Red Sprinkles (optional).

What to Do:

First things first, roast the beets. Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees F. Place beets in a roasting pan with a couple glugs of olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Shake well to coat. Cover and roast in the oven 45-60 minutes until fork tender, depending on the size and age of the beets. Younger beets cook faster than older ones.

Remove from the oven, allow to cool to touch and then cut off their bums and peel off the skin. Place in a food processor and puree until mostly smooth. You want to end up with 1 and 1/2 C of puree. Set aside.

Change the oven setting to 350 F and cut out a piece of parchment paper large enough to come over the edges of a 9" spring form or cake pan. Lightly grease the paper with either butter or non-stick spray. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa and sugar. Mix well. 

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, beet puree, canola oil and vanilla extract.

Make a well in the dry ingredients and gently pour beet mixture in the middle.  Mix until just combined. Make sure to get to the edges so you incorporate all the dry into the wet. 

Pour into your prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool 10 minutes. Transfer cake to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before frosting or your icing will melt.

To make icing: Put confectioner's sugar, a couple Tbsp of milk, butter and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Mix on low until combined. Slowly add a little milk at a time, mixing well between additions to ensure complete incorporation. Continue this method until the icing is of the consistency you want. Cover and place in the fridge until ready to frost. You will want to remove it from the fridge and have the icing come to room temperature before you ice the cake. I just let mine sit on the counter covered though because of the dairy in it some people may not want to do that. Fair enough.

Spread icing over the cake, top with sprinkles if using, cut and serve on your Grandmother's prettiest china.

Eat.

To see past RPI competitions, click here.



 


This post is linked up with Cast Party Wednesday; Full Plate Thursday; Tastetastic Thursday; The Hearth & Soul Blog Hop via The 21st Century Housewife; Tasty Tuesdays; Slightly Indulgent Tuesday; Tuesday Talent Show.