I love to look at recipes, but mostly I read them for inspiration. Very rarely do I follow one to a tee. I really enjoy intuitive cooking and find that some of my favourite dishes have been created this way.
Earlier this summer I was having company over for lunch and I had a big craving for shrimp. So after looking at a few recipes I decided to create my own version, based on what I had on hand and what flavours I enjoy. I was very please with the final product so decided to jot down a recipe so I can remember how I made it when I am craving it again. And also so that I could share it with you.
Shrimp Salad Sandwich
10 oz cooked shrimp, chopped
1 tbsp red onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp cucumber or celery, finely diced
2 tbsp mayonaise
1 tbsp lemon juice
Zest of half a lemon
1/2 tsp old bay seasoning
1/2 tbsp fresh dill weed, finely chopped
salt & pepper to taste
2 croissants
butter
leaf or butter lettuce
Mix together all salad ingredients. Half the croissants and butter each side. Top with lettuce leaves and shrimp salad and serve open faced.
Kath’s quote: “My perfect meal would be: shrimp cocktail, lasagna, steak, creamed spinach, salad with bleu cheese dressing, onion rings, garlic toast and a dessert of strawberry shortcake.” -Joan Rivers
If I had to pick my all time favourite comfort food, it would have to be holubsti, aka cabbage rolls. The best time of year to make them is summer and early fall, when the cabbage is sweet and tender.
There are all kinds of cabbage rolls made in many Eastern and Eorpean countries. Growing up, my Mom made big hearty rolls stuffed with a mixture of ground beef, onion and rice. I always enjoyed them but my favourite holubtsi were made by my long time boyfriend Steves Baba Shafirka. Like many Ukranian Babas, she made her delicious version with a bacon and rice mixture with lots of cooked onions and smothered in tomato juice. Her’s were tiny compared to my Moms version. Baba didnt have a written recipe, but she showed me her tricks. I did my best to write out her recipe. That was more than 40 years ago and I have likely made them a hundred times since. So I hope you enjoy them. Smachnoho! Literal translation: “have a tasty meal!”
Baba’s Holubtsi
Ingredients:
1 cabbage
1 c long grain rice
375 grams side bacon
2 small cooking onions, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
19 oz can tomato juice
Directions:
With a large sharp knife, cut out the core from the cabbage. Place the cabbage is a deep pot of boiling water. After a few minutes, the outer leaves can be separated. They should come away easily, if they are tearing they are not ready to be separated.
Pull 4-5 leaves from the head but leave them submerged in the pot of boiling water until they are soft and pliable, about 5 minutes. Continue this process until all the leaves are separated. In a saucepan, place 1 c of rice. Rinse rice at least 3 times to remove excess starch. Cover with 2 c of water and a 1/2 t of salt. Bring to a boil. Give the mixture a stir. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook, covered, for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile in a seperate saucepan, cook the bacon over medium heat until all the fat is drawn out. Drain the majority of the bacon fat. Add the onions, cook until lightly btowned.
Add to the cooked rice. Check the rice for salt level and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Spray a roasting pan with nonstick spray. Set aside a few leaves of the outer leaves of cabbage. Using the smaller and medium leaves for the rolls.
Place a spoonful of the rice mixture onto each inner cabbage leaf, roll up, tucking in the ends and place in the pan. I like to trim down the centre rib of the leaf to make rolling easier.
Pour tomato juice over the cabbage leaves. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1-1/2 hours until tender.
Kath’s quote: “In grandma’s cooking, ‘a pinch’ is code for ‘as much as your heart desires.’”
Spending time on Isla Mujeres every winter, I have tried to learning about the history of her people and of course their food. Years ago I took a cooking class in Puerto Morelos.
The chef taught us what foods are indigenous to Mexico like corn, beans, squash, turkey, and chocolate, and what foods were introduced through colonization. It was fascinating to learn how the people incorporated these new foods, that are now staples of the cuisine, such as rice, wheat, chicken, beef, pork, and herbs and spices like cinnamon and cilantro. Of course there is much more to colonization than the introduction of new foods.
Last year I had the opportunity to go to the Mayan World Museum in Merida to learn more about the tragic history of how the Spanish tried to erase the Mayan people and culture.
The story is similar in my home country of Canada. The Scottish, English, and French tricked the indigenous people into surrendering their land and later tried to destroy their culture all together.
At first, relationship was a beneficial partnership. With the two cultures coming together the Métis nation was born. My mother’s family is Métis. A mix of indigenous and European blood. Like the Mayans, the Métis too took the food that was brought by the colonizers and incorporated it into the cuisine.
Today, February 19th is Louis Riel Day in my home province of Manitoba. Riel was a strong (and a bit crazy) Métis leader who helped create our province. So I thought I would celebrate him and Métis history by making some fry bread while I’m down in here in Mexico.
Fry bread is a version of Bannock, a staple of Métis cuisine. A play on the British scone, it became popular because the ingredients traveled well and it could be made over a camp fire. Fry bread is a decent fried version of bannock. I apologize in advance if you become obsessed with this bread. Here’s the recipe.
Fry bread
1 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp milk
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add in milk and mix using a rubber spatula. Turn out dough onto floured surface. Sprinkle more flour on top and knead five to six times. Form into ball, return to bowl and refrigerate for 1/2 hour. Mix together sugar and cinnamon for topping.
When dough is ready, heat in inch of oil in a cast iron frypan to 350 degrees. Roll out dough, I just use my hands, into a 1/4 inch thick circle. Cut dough into four portions. Take each portion and ensure it is consistent thickness. Cut a small hole in the middle of each portion. This will help the bread stay flat while frying. When oil is ready, cook one piece at a time for approximately 3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Be sure to place in the dough away from you to avoid splashing oil. Remove from oil and while still hot sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Serve hot.
Kath’s quote: “We are Métis. We are neither First Nations nor Inuit, nor are we European immigrants to this land. Instead, we are the middle-ground between camps; the compromise between differences and the dawn that separates night and day. We are not half-breeds, but the children born of a marriage between two very different worlds…. To be Métis is to be blessed with the best fruit of not one, but two family trees. We are not “half” of anything, but doubled. Being twice blessed, we are likewise proud, strong and determined.”
I’ve never been a big fan of Valentine’s Day. In most of North America it’s a very commercial event focused on romantic love. It’s a day where you pay twice as much for roses than other days and it’s impossible to get a dinner reservation at a decent restaurant.
Most years on February 14th I am in Mexico, where they celebrate “dia del amor y la amistad”, the day of love and friendship. A much more inclusive recognition, that makes me very happy.
Last year, my sister and brother-in-law were on the island and bought me flowers.
Doug made dinner for Kath and I and it was a fabulous day. There are so many kinds of love, and I appreciate that in Mexico they value friendship as well as romantic love.
Of course one of my love languages is food. And a favourite dessert of mine, and everyone I’ve made it for, is chocolate lava cake. I think it’s the epitome of love.
10 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes and softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened coco powder
Instructions
Place the semisweet and unsweetened chocolate in the top of a double boiler or in a bowl set over a saucepan of hot water over low heat (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Stir occasionally until the chocolate melts; remove from the heat.
When the chocolate is smooth, stir in the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, flour, baking powder and cocoa. Beat with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until the mixture is pale and has a thick, mousse-like consistency, about 5 minutes.
Fill six ramekins 1/2 full and cover each with plastic wrap. Freeze for at least 3 hours. NOTE: The ramekins can be filled and frozen up to 3 days in advance.
Just before serving time, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place oven rack in the center of the oven.
Bake the frozen desserts until the outer edges of the tops are set, but the centers are still moist and shiny, usually 10 to 11 minutes. Remove from oven.
To serve, invert each hot portion onto a serving plate and serve warm. I like to serve with raspberry coulis and good quality vanilla ice cream.
Raspberry coulis
Ingredients
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons water or orange juice
12 ounces frozen raspberries thawed
1 tablespoon Grand Marnier liqueur (optional)
Instructions
Combine sugar and water (or orange juice) in a 1 cup (or larger) microwave-safe cup or bowl. Stir to combine. The mixture will be very thick.
Cook in the microwave on high power for two minutes. Stir for 5-10 seconds to ensure that the sugar crystals are dissolved.
Combine the raspberries and hot syrup in a blender container. Blend until the mixture is smooth and pureed.
Pour puree through a fine-mesh strainer set over a medium-size bowl. Stir and push on the solids with the back of a rubber spatula until all of the liquid has been extracted. This will take several minutes as the mixture will be thick.
Discard the seeds. Add the liqueur, if using and stir to combine
Makes 6 servings
Kath’s quote: “More like a chocolate molten lava cake. A dessert so sinful, so luscious, so filled with inner heat it made a girl want to lick each and every crumb right off the plate.“-Julie James
I love to cook. It’s my happy place. It’s where I find my Zen. So it only makes sense that some of my favourite time spent on my winter vacation is in the kitchen. This year I am staying in two different places, for a month each. They both have small kitchenettes. They are pretty basic. They both feature full size fridges, microwaves, coffee makers, plates, glasses, and cutlery. That’s it for one of the kitchens, the other also has a double gas burner, toaster, blender, pots, pans, and cooking utensils. Over the years we have accumulated a few supplies that allow me to cook in either location. It can be tricky to cook for a big gang with limited tools, but somehow I’ve managed.
Another favourite way to spend my time is food shopping.
The open air markets are full of fresh produce native to the area. I’ve gotten to know the Mexican products pretty well and know enough Spanish that I can manage to find what I’m looking for. (Unlike our trip to Prague where my sisters and I came home with buttermilk for our coffee). Because our budget is tight, we eat at home a lot. We often start the day with fruit, yogurt and toast but for a treat, I like to whip up omelets or French toast with tropical toppings. We usually pack a lunch and snacks for the beach. So far this trip I have made most of our dinners at home.
Recently I made lime chicken with Mexican oregano, rice and carrots. A play on a lemon chicken dish I often make at home. Its nice to have home cooked food, and the fresh ingredients make everything delicious.
Lime Chicken
Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 tbsp flour 1 tsp Lawry’s seasoning salt
1 tbsp oregano 3 tbsp oil
Juice from 1/2 a lime
Method
Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Mix together seasoning salt and flour. Toss chicken in seasoned flour. Heat oil over high heat. Shake off excess flour off chicken and add to hot pan. Turn element down to medium-high. Brown all sides of chicken and cook through, about 4 minutes. When chicken is finished cooking, squeeze lemon juice over top and let reduce and coat chicken for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with oregano and serve.
Kath’s quote: “To me, food is as much about the moment, the occasion, the location, and the company as it is about the taste.” – Heston Blumenthal
