Senate Bean Soup

Fall is coming, time for some soups!

1 lb dried beans (navy, pea or great northern) rinsed and picked over
water
1 meaty ham bone
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
1 cup diced celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot soak beans overnight in 2 quarts of water.  Next morning add 2 more quarts water.  Add ham bone, bring to boil and skim.  Cover then simmer 2 hours or until beans begin to fall apart.  Add potatoes, onion, celery and garlic.  Simmer 1 hour longer.  Remove ham bone and cut up meat.  Discard bone; return meat to soup.  If desired, mash beans and potatoes against side of pot to thicken soup.  Season.  Makes 4 quarts and can be frozen.

Sweet'n Sour Chicken

A classic, and very family friendly!

1 can pineapple chunks
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tbsp shortening
1 1/4 cups water
2 cups carrot sticks
3 bouillon cubes or instant broth packets
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 cups diced cooked chicken
1 cup green pepper strips
3/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter
2 1/4 cups minute rice

Drain pineapple, reserving juice.  Add water to juice to make 2 1/4 cups.  Saute onion in shortening in large skillet until tender.  Add 1 1/4 cups water, carrots and bouillon or broth.  Cover and simmer 5 minutes.  Combine sugar, cornstarch and ginger; add ketchup, vinegar and soy sauce, and stir into vegetable mixture.  Cook until clear and thickened.  Add chicken, green pepper and pineapple; cover and simmer 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, bring measured liquid, salt and butter to a boil.  Stir in rice.  Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes.  Serve chicken mixture over rice.

Makes 6 servings.

Fish Fillets in Batter

I enjoy having the kids help me in the kitchen.  It is a lot messier, but they learn so much!  I do the frying here but the kids can measure and coat the fish.

Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 lbs. fillets of haddock
1 cup sifted all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Dash nutmeg
3 eggs
1/2 cup milk

Add about 2 inches of oil to a saucepan or a frying pan and heat to 375F.  Wash fish and cut into serving size pieces.  Sift flour, baking powder, salt, pepper and nutmeg into a bowl.  Add eggs and milk and beat until smooth.  Batter should be quite thick.  Dip fish into batter then drop into hot oil, two pieces at a time.  Fry until batter turns a deep golden brown.  Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Toscano Mushroom Manicotti with Spinach Bechamel Bake

So just to be different, I changed the Manicotti in this recipe to turkey breast slices :)  It was wonderful!
Here is the recipe as I saw it in Food and Drink Autumn 2010 - but I highly recommend the turkey (smoked if you can).

Tomato Sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup tomato paste

Spinach Bechamel
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bag pre-washed spinach
2 cups whole milk (I used 1%)
1 bay leaf
4 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt and Pepper

Mushroom Filling
2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup diced shallots
1 lb button mushrooms, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and Pepper

8 Manicotti tubes
1/4 lb (125g) Monforte Toscano or Italian Pecorino Toscano, 1 cup grated
1 tbsp shaved almonds

1. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat.  Add onion and saute until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes.  Add minced garlic and saute another minute.  Add diced tomatoes and tomato paste and simmer over medium high heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until reduced to a thickened sauce that coats the back of a spoon.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish and spread the tomato sauce over the bottom with a spoon.  Set aside.
3. For Spinach bechamel, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat and add the spinach. Saute 3 to 4 minutes or until wilted and soft.  Cool and squeeze out excess liquid.  Roughly chop and set aside.
4. Heat milk in a small saucepan over medium heat until just bubbling.  Add bay leaf and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes.  Remove bay leaf.
5. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Gradually add the warm milk, whisking constantly, and whisk until all lumps are gone.  Simmer until thickened and creamy and coats the back of a spoon, about 7 to 8 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in nutmeg, then spinach until combined.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover and set aside.
6. Make mushroom filling by melting butter in a large pan over medium high heat.  Add shallots and sweat for 2 to 3 minutes.  Add mushrooms and cook for about 10 minutes or until there is no more liquid draining from the mixture and it is moist but thickened.  Add lemon juice and season well with salt and pepper.  Set aside.
7. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook manicotti until al dente, about 6 to 8 minutes or as per package directions.  Remove from water and set aside to drain.
8. Preheat oven to 350F.
9. To assemble the dish:  Using a small coffee spoon, stuff each manicotti about 3/4 full with the mushroom filling (if using the turkey slices place in the middle of slice and roll - now you have a meat manicotti).  Place in the casserole dish on top of tomato sauce, all in a row.  Blanket the manicotti with the spinach bechamel.  Sprinkle pasta with the grated Toscano cheese.  Top with the shaved almonds.
10. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until edges are bubbling; remove from oven.  Adjust rack to top and raise oven temperature to 500F.  Put casserole back in oven for 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese and almonds turn golden (watch closely so it doesn't burn).

Serves 4 to 6

Curried Meatball Bake with Hercule De Charlevoix Cheese

If you can't find this specialty cheese, just use your favourite, something a little milder and smoked works well to balance the curry.

MEATBALLS
250 g ground pork
150 g ground beef
1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp chopped coriander stems
1 green chili, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp grated lemon rind
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil

THAI CURRY TOMATO Sauce
1 medium red onion, finely sliced
 2 tbsp coriander stems, finely chopped
 2 green chilies, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp ginger, finely diced
 1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato paste
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 cup dried cranberries, or dried cherries

500g rigatoni
210 g Hercule de Charlevoix or Gruyere (2 1/2 cups grated)

GARNISH
1 or 2 tbsp dried cranberries or dried cherries
1 bunch fresh coriander

1. Combine all meatball ingredients (except oil) in a bowl using your hands until well mixed.  Form into small 1 inch balls; you should have approximately 25 meatballs.
2. Heat oil in a wide, deep skillet over medium high heat.  Add meatballs in a single layer, and brown on all sides for about 5 to 6 minutes, turning as necessary, until just cooked through.  They will finish cooking in the oven.  Set aside on paper towel to drain.
3. In the same skillet, drain excess fat, add the onions over medium heat and sweat until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add coriander stems, chilies, ginger, garlic, garam masala and lime juice and cook for about 2 minutes or until ginger is softened.  Add diced tomatoes and tomato paste, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to meld the flavours.  Add the maple syrup, soy sauce and dried cranberries and simmer 5 moreminutes or until flavours are well combined.  Set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 425F.
5. Cook pasta in boiling, salted water for 8 to 9 minutes until al dente or as package directions.  Drain and return to pot.  Mix pasta and sauce and then stir in the meatballs.  Combine will and then add 1 cup grated cheese.
6. Pour into greased 9 x 13 inch casserole dish and smooth down trying to ensure meatballs are spread evenly throughout.  Top with remaining 1 1/2 cups cheese.  Sprinkle with dried cranberries and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until top is crisp and cheese is bubbling.  Garnish each serving with a tangle of fresh coriander leaves.

Seared Veal Chops with Bourbon Cream Sauce

Ontario is one of the best sources for veal so take advantage of it!  Make sure your chops are nice and thick, about 1 to 1 1/2 inches, serve with fresh veggies from the farmers market.

4 veal rib chops, each 250g
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 tsp minced fresh rosemary, divided
1 tsp fresh thyme, divided
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper
1/2 cup minced shallots
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
2. Arrange chops in single layer in large baking dish.  Drizzle with 2 tbsp of the olive oil.  Sprinkle with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper.  Rub oil and seasonings into chops.  (Can be prepared 1 day ahead.  Cover with plastic wrap and chill.  Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before continuing.)
3. In a large, heavy, ovenproof skillet, heat remaining oil over medium high heat.  Add chops; cook until chops are dark brown and seared, about 2 minutes per side.  Transfer pan to oven and bake until a meat thermometer registers 130F, about 10 to 15 minutes (will depend on thickness of the chops).  Transfer chops to plate and let rest without cutting into them, for 10 minutes.
4. In same pan, add shallots and cook over medium-high heat until softened, about 3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute.  Add bourbon to skillet and cook until reduced to about 2 tsp, scraping up any browned bits, about 1 minute.  Add chicken broth and any accumulated veal juices; cook until reduced to about 2 tbsp about 1 minute.  Stir in cream and rosemary and cook just until sauce is slightly thickened.  Serve immediately with chops.

Serves 4

Individual Butterscotch Cakes with Hard Sauce

You can either make this as 8 small cakes or as one large cake by baking it in a 10 inch springform pan (add an additional 20 minutes to the baking time).

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tbsp Scotch
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup ground pecans
1 cup plain yogurt

HARD SAUCE
3 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
2 tbsp Scotch
1/2 tsp orange zest

1. Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease and flour 8 individual bundt pans (or a pan with 8 moulds); set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter with sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Add Scotch, beating until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pecans.  With a wooden spoon, stir into butter mixture alternately with yogurt, making 3 additions of dry ingredients and 2 of yogurt.
4. Spread the batter into the prepared pans.  Bake in the centre of preheated oven until cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, about 30 minutes.  Transfer to rack, let cool in pan on rack.  Loosen cakes from edges of pan.  Place rack over pan;; turn cakes out onto rack.  Lift off pan and let cool completely.
5. To make sauce, in a microwaveable bowl, beat butter with confectioners sugar until fluffy.  Beat in Scotch and orange zest, microwave on high in 5 second intervals until pourable consistency is reached.  Pour over cakes.

Serves 8