Updates

Hello all! I have taken the summer off from our weekly cooking nights. I know, summer is the time for fresh produce and some really great ingredients. It's not that I haven't been cooking, it's that said cooking has not been at all regular. Between a huge trip in May, a wedding in June, getting very sick in July, another trip in August, and a September for recovery, plus training for the last few months for a 5K run - well, my Tuesdays haven't been very consistent!

Luckily, the weather has turned for the worse in Vancouver again (no Indian summer for us!), so my mind is turning to new culinary adventures. But we have a bit of a change in direction this year. Last February, I discovered that I have a intolerance to gluten. I can live just fine with it, but I feel tons better and can run like crazy and get into shape when I avoid it. I know several people with lactose intolerance, and I know someone who is starting in on the Candida diet. I also know lots of vegetarians, and I try and eat vegetarian most of the time (I like to consider myself an "eco-tarian").

Thus, the Taste of Tuesday embarks on a new direction this year - meat-free, wheat-free, generally lactose-free, ideally yeast-free cooking. Whoof. It will be work to consistently find new recipes that meet all those criteria. Sometimes we may focus on one over the other, sometimes we may hit the bulls-eye. We also might throw some meat meals in there, if I stumble on some interesting things to cook up! Nothing will be run of the mill, that's for certain!

I'm also going to embark on a new website design, in an effort to learn Adobe Dreamweaver. So lots of changes in store for the next little while.

Look for the first new recipe post the first week of October!

April 20, 2010

I was really searching for inspiration for dinner tonight, and I'm quite lucky, because my lovely partner handed it to me on a silver platter. He decided to turn tonight's event into a movie night as well - because he's been giddy about hosting friends to watch Død Snø, a Norwegian horror flick about Nazi-Zombies. Yes, you heard me right. So now I've been inspired to cook something that was completely off my radar - Norwegian food!

I've recently found a website that is glorious for any kind of "ethnic" or "traditional" cooking you want. And I've found two recipes here that will suffice for tonight. One is Ristet Laks Eller Orret, or Norwegian Sauteed Salmon or Trout. Sounds quite delicious. I would also like to attempt the Eplekake, or Apple Cake, which looks positively delicious. It's a question of if I get time!

Now, once again I was a bad blogger and forgot to take photos. But you'll have to believe me when I say that this was one of the better combinations of food I have served. Ever. The trout was goldenand delicious - moist, a bit tangy, and delicious with the breaded outside. The Eplekake, however, was the most delicious cake I have ever had. I will be making this frequently. It will definitely get added to the "special breads" category of any menu I make. I made two alterations to the ingredients. I didn't have creme de cacao, so I added a quarter cup of rum and some milk. Also, I completely forgot to add the icing sugar, but trust me when I say it was plenty sweet without it. I also cooked it in a loaf pan, which I think added to its moistness. It is a bread I think everyone should try!

April 13, 2010

Living in Vancouver, one learns to love Indian food. Especially being a vegetarian in Vancouver, which I was for about 4 years. However, my attempts at actually making Indian food are few and not exactly complicated. One can easily buy, at any grocer with an "ethnic foods" section, blocks-o-curry that can be tossed in with a stir fry. Not that said blocks-o-curry aren't delicious, but I wanted to try a dish with a bit more complication, something other than curry, something more on the traditional foods spectrum.

When I think Indian, I think Naan. Now I know Naan is traditionally made in a tandoori oven, which obviously I don't have. But I figured it's like pizza - tastes better when cooked that way, but possible to bake otherwise. So I found a lovely Naan recipe from the BBC by Anjum Anand. Anjum hosts BBC's Indian Food Made Easy, and a glance through many other Naan recipes, she is definitely right in her show title. Most other recipes call for strange ingrdients. Nothing in this recipe that one wouldn't stock in an ordinary kitchen.

Recently, I worked in an office with a woman who brought in her Indian mother-in-law's amazing homemade pakoras. I am a huge fan of pakoras, so I decided to see about making those. Unfortunately, I no longer work in that office (the nature of temp work!), and so I had to search about on my own. I'm lucky, and I live several blocks from Vancouver's Punjabi Market, so finding a market that sold the specialized ingredients required in Manjula's Bread Pakoras was not a problem.

And because a curry MUST be part of any Indian dish, I charged Alex, my most-frequent diner, to make a curry his girlfriend had recently raved to me about. Nothing like sharing duties to make me a little less stressed about winging a dish!

First off, I was not 100% satisfied with this Naan recipe. I think in future, I'm going to attempt some of the more complicated recipes. This turned out a bit more like pita than Naan, which I attribute entirely to the fact that the bread never rose to twice its original size. I gave it two attempts, and left each for over an hour to sit. They rose nary an inch. And when looking at the actual recipe, it's hard to see what would make it rise. My bread-chemistry knowledge is low, but something didn't seem right.

Other than that, Alex's curry was delicious! We served it over a bit of saffron-rice. It was spicy and flavourful, and the chunks of yam were perfectly cooked. And the pakoras. Oh the pakoras. I think I will be making these again, though not often, because I think my arteries clogged from just looking at the amount of oil I was using! I'm not a fan of deep-frying, but these were definitely something that made me want to take it up!

April 6, 2010

I grew up in the United States, on the West Coast, which of course means I grew up eating tons of Mexican food. Or rather, I grew up eating "Tex-Mex", the delicious combination of rice, beans, tortillas, tomatoes, avocados, and meat that Americans like to pass off as "ethnic" food. And you'll get no apologies from me for that, because I love it. It's one of the things I miss most living in Canada - the serious lack of Mexican food up here.

I was inspired recently by Serious Eats' Eggplant-Almond Enchilada recipe. I love enchiladas, but a vegetarian alternative can be difficult to find, other than just bean and cheese, which is rather boring.

I also thought this other recipe for Mint-Chili Grilled Artichokes looked like it would compliment the enchiladas well. To beef up the "Mexican" theme, I threw on some box-Spanish-rice, and some canned refried beans, garnished with avocado, and we had a proper "Tex-Mex" feast, complete with WAY too much food!



Before I get to my review of the recipes, I have to mention our appetizer/drink of the evening. Garreth, a frequent diner, lived in Spain for awhile and brought over fixings for Calimocho, a mix of red wine and coke that's like the Basque version of iced tea or sangria. Let me tell you now, I am planning for this to be my drink of choice for the summer. It is positively delicious, and will be so perfect with some frozen citrus slices on a hot summer day.

Now, onto the reviews. The enchiladas were FANTASTIC. They were quite healthy and filling, if they weren't so damn tasty I gorged myself on them! They did take a significant amount of prep time. Making homemade enchilada sauce is not for the pressed-for-time. It takes about an hour or so, but it is well worth the effort. And the eggplant mix was a good substitute for meat, since it had a similar texture. I will definitely be making these again.

The artichokes, unfortunately, didn't turn out. Their flavour was fantastic, spicy and minty, all around good. But the recipe didn't really specify if it was intended for the artichokes whole or hearts. I think grilling up the hearts in the spices, and adding the mint and chilis a bit earlier would make for a better result. In the end they were too tough to eat, and not quite flavourful enough.

March 17, 2010

A few interesting updates: since my last meal, a few massive changes have occurred. I anticipated a long hiatus due to the Olympics, but the hiatus was made much longer due to the fact that during the Games, our apartment had a fire, and we were forced to move out! So any spare time post-games was devoted to finding, moving into, and organizing out new apartment. The bonus -- the new apartment comes with a huge kitchen and a huge upgrade in space! I also used the opportunity to get myself some new cookware, namely a new set of pots and pans. And even though much unpacking remains to be done, I decided to make my return to Taste of Tuesday on my favourite holiday: St. Patrick's Day!

Irish cuisine is not necessarily something people admire or aspire to cook - it's based primarily around cheap simple ingredients and concoctions that were easy to eat en masse and on the go. And the central ingredient is the russet potato - not exactly a shining star! But two of my favourite things are soda bread and Guinness stew, so I decided to attempt them on my own!

I had soda bread for the first time at Paddy Coyne's in Seattle. It was delicious - soft, sweet and salty at once, and kind of crispy on the outside. The ideal bread. I fell in love with Guinness Stew at a pub we started frequenting awhile back, The Atlantic Trap and Gill. Now, Guinness Stew usually has lamb in it, but due to our recent move, I'm a little too broke for lamb at the moment (how very Irish of me). I decided a third dish was in order, and decided a Red Cabbage and Apples recipe fit the bill.

Unfortunately, my camera was will packed away somewhere, so no photos this week. But the results were interesting. I had never really made bread (other than banana bread), so the soda bread was an adventure. I didn't have carroway, so I substituted a mixture of cumin and cardamom, which turned out to add a nice punch to the bread. Unfortunately, I over cooked it a bit, and it ended up a tad dry. And though the recipe instructs you to place the mount of dough in the oven, I think a loaf pan would do for more even cooking. The cabbage was tasty, and a new type of flavour to me. I'm not usualy a fan of cabbage, but I actually preferred it warm to cold! One of my diners is a cabbage fan and thought it was delightful.

The Guinness Stew, I thought, was the star. It served 6 people heartily - most of us didn't feel like we needed other dished after just one bowl! And since the ingredients are just celery, carrots, onion, and potato, it is extremely cheap. The most expensive ingredient was the Guinness itself, which only cost about $3-4 a can! It was quick to cook up as far as soups go, and will definitely be added to my regular meals!

March 23, 2010

I remember when I was a child, in Catholic school, as part of a sort or "cultural enrichment" program, we had a traditional Passover meal. All of us gathered in the gymnasium, decked in our "full-dress" uniforms (read: awkward length plaid skirts, button-up shirts, and itchy wool cardigans), to uncomfortably be served strange food we'd never had before. I don't remember the majority of the food, but I remember I really liked the "crackers" and lamb.

Since that day, I've always wanted to cook my own Passover meal. I have no intention of having a traditional fasting, or reading the Haggadah, or drinking the four cups of wine at the correct intervals (I will drink my wine as I damn well please -- unless I'm in a Newfie bar and someone yells "Sociable!"). But Mark Bittman describes seders as a more secular holiday:

"making do in the scarcity of late winter (matzoh, about the most spartan bread you can make), the celebration of the beginning of spring's bounty (lamb, herbs, new wine — think of Beaujolais Nouveau — and green vegetables), and the very serious ritual of spring cleaning (one of the mandates of Passover is essentially to rid the house of just about everything that's been lying around all winter)".

Having just moved to a new home and still in the midst of massive decluttering and unexpected moving expense, plus the beauty or an early Spring that Vancouver is experiencing, I can definitely relate to that sentiment, and thus, a Passover-themed feast seems in order.

So tonight I cooked three traditional Passover dishes: Matzah balls, Charoset, and Lamb. The Matzah Balls I cheated on a bit and made out of a mix -- mostly because I couldn't locate matzah meal on short notice. The Charoset recipe came from Kosher Express. But the lamb was from Epicurious via Mark Bittman, and is sure to be tasty (although I substitute creamed horseradish for real horseradish root for the same above mentioned reason) I knew the results could be iffy, in different ways for all dishes.

Luckily, things turned out okay. The Charoset was AMAZING, very sweet, good texture, and simple to make -- something I may end up including in everyday meals. The lamb had a great depth of flavour. It started off a litte salty and then suddenly its natural flavours oozed out and it was warm and savoury. I think the odd transition and layering of flavour had to do with the fact that it was seared and then stewed -- and the fact that I added a dash of white wine about 90 minutes into the stewing. The parsley puree was a good topping, adding a lightness to the lamb that was very necessary.

The matzah balls were a tad salty for my taste, but the texture was good and they were a hearty addition, especially for our one vegetarian diner! It was noted that they were kind of like chicken dumplings without being chicken. Next time I think I would boil them in less salt, and instead I would add some other spices - perhaps a red pepper spice or something herby like rosemary. I think that would help cut some of the salt. Even though that would take away from the traditional aspect of the dish, I think it would help the flavour and make them something I would cook on a more regular basis.

While the individual parts of the meal were strong, they really excelled when you combined them. This was an experiment one of my guests tried -- they hollowed out a matzah ball, put in a few cubes of meat, and a dash of the Charoset, topped it with the parsley puree, and ate it in a few bites. After combining the lamb, Charoset, and parsley in a pita, I can attest that the whole is even greater than the sum of the parts. The Charoset adds a sweetness to the robust flavour of the lamb, and the parsley adds a vinegar taste that also cuts. All together would make a fabulous lunch, a great on-the-go snack. It would be great as street food, since the lamb could just be stewed and the parsley and Charoset are very quick and easy to mix up. Perhaps I now have a business plan :)

February 2, 2010

I'm a bit behind on my postings - not on my cooking, just my posting. I had an accident a few weeks ago, and I've got a badly sprained ankle. So I spent last Tuesday in Seattle, off my feet, which invariably meant out of the kitchen (though I did spend a few hours experimenting with homemade pasta, which WILL make its way into another entry!).

Now, since my ankle is still not back to its former self, and since I now lack the ability to keep up with my exercise regime (though I am tempted to look into "Sit and Be Fit" programs...), I thought it was a good time to bust out another meal to satisfy the healthy and simple categories. When I think "healthy" and "simple", I tend to jump to Meditteranean. But rather than go with one of my staples - whole wheat pasta with tomato, fresh basil, and balsalmic vineagar - I decided to go a tad more adventurous, and make something that a bit Greek-inspired. I am learning to like Greek food; I disliked it greatly for many years because lots of cheap Greek inevitably combines tzaziki, tomatoes, olives, and, for some ungodly reason, sprouts! Not that those foods are bad, I just don't care for them in abundance. And for a long time, tomatoes and tzaziki were too acidic for my stomach. But I have recently discovered falafel and moussaka, whose fabulousness made me more accepting of the Hellenic cuisine in general.

However, moussaka falls under neither "healthy" nor "simple" headings, and I want to save falafel for when I can make my own completely from scratch (certainly not a simple task!). Lamb also screams Greek, but runs up against the same problems. So I scanned my recipe sources and found a few recipes. The first I stumbled upon was this Chickpea and Leek by seven spoons. Though not traditionally Greek, I thought the combination of lemon and rosemary would have the same acidity and herbiness I find most Greek has. Then I found this Quinoa and Avocado Salad that I thought would pair lovely with the first dish. Top it off with some basic Chicken Kabobs (a recipe which calls for marinating, which I modified in the name of quickness), and you've got a quick and easy meal!

All in all, very very delicious. The salad was outstanding - creamy, but with that lovely quinoa texture. The chickpeas were also great (a good option for vegetarians, since they pack a healthful punch), though I do not recommend using dried chickpeas, since mine never fully softened to my liking. But the rosemary lemon flavour was scrumptious. And the simplicity of the chicken was grounding, the right kind of savoury to let the other dishes sing.