Dill Yogurt Dip

dill prawn pasties

Dill Yogurt Dip for Veggie Sticks

Recipe By: Miriam Borys Busby 

Yield:  1 cup of dipping sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 cup yogurt

1/2 cup mayonnaise 

1 tbsp. fresh dill - chopped

1/2 tsp dijon mustard 

1 tbsp. shallots - diced brunoise 

salt & pepper

Directions:

Dice shallots.

In a bowl add all the above ingredients together.

Stir well and serve as a dip for vegetable sticks or my herb prawns pasties

Miriam's Time Saving Tip♥ This dip is easy to make and stores very well in the fridge.

‘Cooking Uncovered’ © all rights reserved

Chef Miriam Borys Busby, B.Ed., MA.
'Cooking Uncovered'
http://www.youtube.com/user/mlborys?feature=mhee
blog: www.cookinguncovered.blogspot.com

Aioli in 2 minutes....I'm not kidding!

2 minute aioli - please click here to go to my YouTube video of this recipe...so easy you won't need the video!

yield:  1/2 cup of garlic aioli

1 egg yolk
1 small clove of garlic
1/2 cup of good olive oil
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
salt & pepper

Mince garlic glove as seen in my video (click here to go directly to it) 
Separate egg and place the yolk in a tall, narrow beaker.
Add oil, lemon juice, mustard and salt.
Using your immersion blender, start blending at the bottom.
Stop and add garlic.
Blend for 3 more seconds and you have the tastiest aioli around.

Miriam's Time Saving Tip♥ 

I usually have 2 types of olive oil in my kitchen. One I use only for salads, aioli, salad dressings and the second one for cooking. I love this Fonte Di Foiano olive oil. It has a lovely olive taste but it isn't too strong. Perfect for aioli. If you have questions about this recipe or any other recipe please email me at mlborys@telus.net.

Creamy Fresh Horseradish Sauce with a kick!

Recipe By: Miriam Borys Busby    

yield: 1 1/4 cups of Horseradish

Ingredients:

1 horseradish (HR) root (I found fresh mine at Fresh St. in West Vancouver)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

My horseradish is in the mason jar and look at the peeled horseradish root in the bowl

1 tbsp. grainy dijon mustard

1/4 cup creme fraiche

1/8 cup mayonnaise 

1/4 cup oil (EVOO)

1/2 tsp. salt

vegetable stock - use enough to take the horseradish sauce to the consistency you desire - if you want to thin it down a bit add vegetable stock

Directions:

Wash and scrub the dirt off the fresh HR root as it will probably be very dirty.

With a sharp knife trim off the ugly parts and peel the outer skin off the HR root.

Cut up into small chunks and put into a food processor. Grind up until small pieces. 

Miriam's Time Saving Tip♥ at this point be very careful when you take the lid off the food processor. Fresh HR is very pungent and strong and one whiff can completely clear your sinuses in a painful hurry.

Add the remaining ingredients and grind up until the HR sauce is the consistency you want.

Store in a mason jar with a tight lid in the fridge. The apple cider vinegar helps to extend the shelf life of the horse radish.

Miriam's Time Saving Tip♥  Make ahead so the you always have your fresh horseradish available for a roast beef dinner

Miriam's Time Saving Tip♥ buying horseradish (HR) can be tricky and you don’t want to buy limp or old HR. At the grocery store pick up the HR root and if it is soft and limp don’t buy it. The HR root should be firm and heavy and yes…dirty.

‘Cooking Uncovered’ © all rights reserved

Chef Miriam Borys Busby, B.Ed., MA.
YouTube Cooking Channel 'Cooking Uncovered'
http://www.youtube.com/user/mlborys?feature=mhee
blog: www.cookinguncovered.blogspot.com

Beef Barley Soup in 15 Minutes

Recipe By: Miriam Borys Busby  

Please click here to go to my YouTube video of this great recipe just in time for Super Bowl. If you double this recipe it would be perfect for a crowd.

Yield:  6 servings

Ingredients:

2tbsp. olive oil 

200g ground beef  (you can use more if you want a more meatier soup)

1 large onion (diced medium)

2 carrots - diced medium

2 tbsp. tomato paste

1/4 cup  red wine
1 cup barley

5 cups beef stock 

2 bay leafs

salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Add oil to your soup pot and heat up pan first.

Saute beef first and then onions and carrots until the onions are transparent.

Add tomato paste, bay leafs and seasonings 

Deglaze with red wine if available.

Add beef stock & barley and allow to come up to the boil.

Once boiled reduce heat and simmer on medium for 10 minutes. The barley will not be fully cooked yet but 

Serve hot.

Miriam's FOODSAFE Tips: always store leftover soup in the fridge as soon as it has cooled down enough. Never leave leftovers cooling out of the fridge for more than 2 hours as this will encourage those pathogenic microbes to grow and could cause food borne illness.

‘Cooking Uncovered’ © all rights reserved

Chef Miriam Borys Busby, B.Ed., MA.
'Cooking Uncovered'
http://www.youtube.com/user/mlborys?feature=mhee
blog: www.cookinguncovered.blogspot.com
Website: www.miriamborys.com

Papaya, pineapple & blueberry smoothie in La Quinta

Recipe by: Miriam Borys Busby

Yield: 3 - 4 smoothies 

fresh squeezed orange juice picked from Linda's tree in her back yard

1/4  of a large fresh papaya (about 3 cups)

1 cup blueberries

2/3 cup of fresh pineapple

1 tbsp. Miriam’s  'keep it regular' mixture (please see recipe below)

1/2 - 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (fresh is better but bought orange juice will work)

1 cup water

1/4 cup yogurt

Prepare all fresh fruit and cut up into large chunks.

Add all ingredients above into a blender and puree.

Pour into glasses and serve fresh.

'Keep it Regular'  Mixture     Chia seeds, hemp seeds, and flaxseeds (ground) together provide alot of nutrition including omega-3 fatty acids (click here to read more on these seeds) but help keep the bowels regular. Mix an equal portion of each of the 3 seeds in a air tight container. Close the lid and shake to evenly distribute. Add 1 tbsp. (or more) to your smoothie in the morning.

Make-ahead mashed potatoes

Serves: 6-8
please click here to go to my YouTube video of this easy recipe

5   large russet potatoes

1 yellow onion

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup hot milk (heating the milk will prevent the potatoes from become gooey)

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 tsp. paprika

sprinkle of Italian Seasoning as a garnish

Peel potatoes and remove the nasty bits.

Rinse well in cold water.

Chop up the onion after peeling and add to the large pot with your potatoes.

Fill the pot up to 3/4 full with cold water, sprinkle with salt and bring the potatoes up to the boil on the stove.  Once at the boil turn down until it is still bubbling but not over flowing until just done...try not to overcook.

Once the potatoes are cooked, strain potato water out and save the water for soup or your gravy.

Add butter and warm milk.  Mash to the consistency you desire.

Spoon potatoes into a greased casserole dish and garnish with paprika and Italian seasoning. Allow to cool with the lid off and then store in fridge.

About 1 hour before your dinner remove the potatoes from the fridge to allow the potatoes to warm up to room temperature.

Cook the potatoes in the oven @ 350 for approximately 25 minutes.

Enjoy.

Rivendell Retreat Centre

I spent the day on Bowen Island with the lovely Rivendell folks at their beautiful retreat centre just up the hill from the Snug Cove Ferry at the top of Cates Hill. Foodsafe was the agenda for the day but it turned out to be much more. Beautiful scenery, fantastic views, serene and peaceful atmosphere....and such nice people. Thanks for the great day and for the delicious lunch!

the view from the front deck

front entrance

the large cozy living room with a spectacular view

Yorkshire Puddings

Yield: 24 delicious Yorkshire Puddings

Equipment needed: 2  muffin tins

6 eggs

1 1/2  cup all-purpose flour

2  cups milk

1 tsp. salt

This mixture works best if made 2 hours ahead and left on counter until it is time to bake in the oven.

In a bowl beat eggs with a whisk to start Yorkshire pudding batter.

Add milk and whisk until well mixed.

Reserve half of this liquid in a second measuring cup or bowl.

Add salt to flour together.
Add the flour mixture to the first half of the milk. Whisk together...this batter will be thick but keep stirring.

Miriam'sTimeSavingTip♥ Keep stirring until the batter becomes smooth and all the lumps are gone. Slowly add in the reserved milk and whisk until it is all combined. This procedure is the only way you will have a batter that is lump free.

Set aside on the counter to rest until ready to bake puddings.

To bake Yorkshire Puddings:

Pre heat oven to 400° F (205°  C).

Spoon 1 teaspoon of oil into each muffin cup (24) in the muffin tins.

Heat muffin pans (with oil) in a preheated 400° oven until smoking hot (approximately 10 minutes)

Miriam'sTimeSavingTip♥Time to shock your batter. Run the cold water at the sink and quickly add 2 Tbsp. ice-cold tap water into the Yorkshire pudding batter. Stir well. This is a tip from my Mom and her Mom on how to ensure you  bake perfect Yorkshires every time. 

Remove one muffin pan at a time from the oven, close the oven and pour batter into muffin cups up to ¾ full. Do the same for the second hot muffin pan.

Bake for  35  minutes until puddings are light golden brown and are large and light and fluffy. 

Miriam'sTimeSavingTip♥ Warning, the puddings will collapse if not baked long enough...don't take them out too early. This is how I tell if they are baked properly. Open the oven and flick at the Yorkshire puddings. If the pudding pops out of the muffin cup all by themselves, they are ready.

Remove from the oven and serve hot.