Beautiful Florence

In Florence for 2 days with new friends Summer from Dallas, David & El from Florence.  What an amazing time hosted by two very lovely people.  At the Phamaria di Santa Maria Novella we spent time looking at the amazing original Fresco's. Awestruck !

Easy-Peasy Almond Butter & Cilantro Hummus

Recipe created by: Miriam Borys Busby

Ingredients:

2  x  540 ml can chick peas – well rinsed under cold water

⅓ cup olive oil
2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 shallot  (approx. 3 tbsp.)
1/2 - 3/4  cup vegetable stock ( or water) liquid is used to thin the hummus to the desired consistency

3 tablespoon almond butter
1 cup cilantro with stems

1 large serranno pepper (fresh) if you like more heat in the hummus, feel free to add more pepper

Cracked pepper & salt to taste 

1. Drain chick peas well. Rinse under cold water in a wire mesh sieve and drain well.
2. Add all ingredients into the food processor. To help in the processing cut up pepper into chunks first.
3. Process until large pieces are gone. Scrape the sides of the processor bowl down.
4. Continue to process while adding vegetable stock or water  until the hummus is at the desired consistency. This stage is up to you and your personal taste so add more liquid if you don’t want the hummus too thick.
5. Store in the fridge until needed. Goes very well with crackers or a  fresh vegetable tray.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

You know what they say?...If you can't sleep....bake!

Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies (click here to go directly to my YouTube video of this recipe) 

By: Chef Miriam Borys

Yield:  3 dozen small cookies

Ingredients:

¼ lb. Butter (½ cup)
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour ( or ½ cup a p flour & ½ cup wholewheat flour)
1 large egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup  large oat flakes (not instant) (can be baked for 7-8 minutes at 350 and let cool first)
½ cup coconut flakes
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2  tsp. Salt
1 cup of chocolate chips or more (I use 1/2 dark and 1/2 milk chocolate chips)

In a mixer or by hand cream room temperature butter and sugars together. Add the egg and and vanilla and continue to mix.

1. Add all the dry ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon until it forms cookie dough
2. Add chocolate chips of choice.
3. Scoop to bake or roll in parchment paper to freeze for later use.
4. Bake cookies at 350° for 15 minutes 

cream the sugars

yummy....fresh baked cookies

Remembering Carl on April 1st

Carl would have been 74 years young today and if you click on this link I have an older video of us making pasta together at our house on Doran.  Such great memories! The second video (click here) is Carl and I finishing up and cooking the ravioli in a pesto sauce. Carl was always such a good sport in any of our kitchens and I am so grateful for him.

Focaccia Bread - Easy to Make

Original Recipe By: Eileen Little (my Mom)

Recorded and adapted by: Miriam Borys Busby

1st proof  (letting dough rise)

 Ingredients:

3 pkg. instant yeast (3 X 8g or 7 tsp.)
2 ½ cup of warm water (not too hot or it will kill the yeast)
½ cup olive oil + ¼ cup for drizzling
2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. white sugar
1 egg
6 1/2 cups flour + flour for kneading
Dry herbs of choice (1 tbsp. each of rosemary, thyme, oregano)
1 tsp. cracked salt for the top of the focaccia
1/4 cup corn meal to line the pan

In a large liquid measuring cup measure the warm water and then add oil, sugar & egg. Whisk with a fork. Add yeast and stir. Leave this mixture for a few minutes to activate the yeast...it will bubble up on the surface as the yeast 'blooms'. If your yeast does not bloom it should not be used.

Add flour, salt and herbs to a large mixing bowl or a stand mixer bowl if one is available. Pour yeast/water mixture into the flour. 

shape dough & add toppings

Mix with the dough hook or by hand until the bread dough comes together into a ball and cleans the bowl.

Transfer to a workable surface and knead for 5 minutes, adding flour so that the dough does not stick to the surface.

Once the dough is smooth, form into a large ball and place in an oiled bowl. Turn the dough over in the oil so that all the bread dough is covered in oil. Cover with parchment or a tea towel and allow it to sit in a warm place. This is the first rise and the dough needs to double in size. This takes approximately 45 minutes.

When the dough has doubled in size, punch down the bread dough.  Remove the dough from the bowl and place into the middle of a large baking pan coated with corn meal. Shape dough by gently pulling (don't tear) the dough so that it stretches into a large rectangle shape (see photo). Once the dough is shaped, make indentations in the dough with your fingertips (this is to allow the olive oil to pool).

Drizzle approximately 1/4 cup of olive oil over the surface. Sprinkle with fresh or dried herbs of your choice (Italian seasoning works well) and lightly sprinkle salt over entire surface.

2nd proof

Allow to proof for the 2^nd time until the dough has risen above the baking sheet doubling in size (another 45-60 minutes).

When the 2nd prpoof is complete reheat oven to 400°.  

Bake focaccia for approximately 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with a dipping bowl of olive oil and balsamic vinegar sprinkled with dried or fresh herbs.

baked focaccia

1st rise

punch down 

shape the dough - use cornmeal on the bottom of the baking pan

shape the dough to fit a baking sheet & proof for the second time

                                                                                                                                              

Curried Chicken Corn Chowder

Servings:  6 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup bacon - diced small
2 cup onion - diced
1 cup celery - diced
1 cup zucchini diced
1 tbsp. red curry paste or curry powder
1 large chicken breast  - cut up into med. cubes
2 tbsp.  potato starch
1 large  potato - if using Russet - peeled and diced into large chunks
1 can kernel corn (12 oz./341 ml can) or 2 corn on the cobs
6-8 cups  soup stock (broth) of choice. I am using chicken stock for this recipe

salt & pepper to taste

Heat a large soup pot over medium and add olive oil.
Sauté bacon with the onions. Add potato starch to thicken the chowder. If gluten is not an issue you can use 1/4 cup of all purpose flour instead of potato starch.

Add remaining vegetables and chicken and cook until the onions are transparent.
Add curry and salt & pepper.
Add corn, diced potatoes & soup stock (veggie or chicken).

Stir well and leave on the medium high heat to bring up to the boil.

Once boiled, stir and immediately reduce the heat and simmer for 15- 20 minutes until the potato is cooked. 

Serve hot with fresh bread or your families favourites crackers.

Herb Prawn Pasty

I brought these delicious appetizers to a cocktail party last night and they were a real hit..  very very delicious!

Herb Prawn Pasty

Filling
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 gloves garlic
300-400g prawns - cooked
1 cup shallots - diced small
1/2 cup cream cheese
1 tbsp. dill  (cilantro works well too if fresh dill is not available)
salt and pepper
1/2 cup white wine to deglaze if cooking prawns

If using raw prawns, rinse prawns well under cold water, drain and put into a food processor. If already cooked simply add the cooked prawns to the food processor.
Pulse until the prawns are chopped up into even chunks. 
Miriam's Time Saving Tip♥ If a food processor is not available the prawns can be diced using a sharp knife. This takes a little longer but it works fine for this recipe
Dice shallots until small diced (brunoise) and sauté until just tender. 
Add prawns. Continue to cook until the prawns turn pink if using fresh prawns.
Deglaze with white wine and allow to reduce by half.
Add salt & pepper, dill and cream. Stir well until the cream cheese melts and it is incorporated.
Place in a container with a lid, refrigerate until needed. 

Miriam's Time Saving Tip♥It is easier to fill a pasty with a cold filling. If the filling is hot it is hard to handle and it will melt the pastry.


Preheat oven to 375°.

Roll out pastry (see pastry recipe below) until very thin keeping your board well floured.

Cut out 3-4 inch rounds.

Mix together 1 egg and milk and beat well with a fork. This is your egg wash for the top and to seal the edges.

Brush the edges of the round with the egg wash.
Take one round pastry cutout at a time and place 1 tbsp. mixture into the center. 

Fold pastry round in half and carefully seal the edges by pinching the pastry together.

Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Egg wash each pasty before going into the oven.

Bake until pastry is golden brown approximately 20 minutes.

Serve hot with a Yogurt Dill Dip (please go to http://cookinguncovered.blogspot.ca/2017/02/dill-yogurt-dip.html for a complete recipe)

Half Recipe:
Ingredients:

1/2 lb. cold shortening (butter or lard can substitute for vegetable shortening)
2 1/2 cups of flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

1 small egg
2 tbsp. vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar but any vinegar will do)
1/2 cup + of ice cold water 
Add all the liquids together to get 1 cup of liquid.  You may not use the entire cup but depending on your flour & shortening you might.

   

1.    Cut up shortening into smaller cubes. 
2.  Add dry  ingredients and shortening to a large mixing bowl.
3.  Cut shortening up into the flour mixture until the shortening has been almost completely incorporated and the shortening is pea size.

3.    Combine vinegar and egg in a liquid measure cup. Beat with a fork. Add required amount of cold water to vinegar/egg mixture.  Whisk well to blend.

4. Add 3/4 of the egg liquid to the flour/shortening and combine with a fork or a mixer.  Careful not to over mix at this stage or your pastry will become tough. Gently form into a ball with your hands. If you find it too dry, add a little more of the egg liquid until the pastry comes together and can be formed into a ball.  

5.     Gently press the dough into a flat disc and wrap in parchment paper and store in the fridge to cool until needed.

Full Recipe

1 Lb. vegetable shortening - cold

5 Cups all- purpose Flour

2 Tsp. Salt

3 Tbsp. Vinegar  (apple cider or white wine vinegars work well) 

1 Egg 

Cold water (approx. 3/4 cup)

You will need a total of 1 1/4 cups of fluid so here is how we make up the fluid. Add one egg to a 2 cup measure. Beat with a fork. Add vinegar and whisk again. Then add the cold water  and bring the combined fluid up to 1 1/4 cups.  You may not need all this liquid, but sometimes you do depending on the moisture content of the flour and shortening.

Prep: 

Mix together flour, salt. Whisk together to remove the lumps.

Add shortening to the flour mixture and cut up shortening into the flour with a pastry cutter (see photo to the right).

Miriam's Time Saving Tip♥ I now realize after making pastry for so many years that the flakiness of your pastry is directly correlated with how well your shortening is cut into the flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter helps with this process. The shortening should disappear into small chunks while keeping the flour powdery.

Prepare liquid and add 90% of the liquid to the flour mixture. Combine the liquid until it is incorporated and the pastry starts to come together into a ball. Do not over mix at this stage or your pastry will be tough. Continue to mix with your clean hands and if it is too dry add the rest of the liquid.

Roll dough up into a disc and wrap in parchment paper and then in a clean plastic bag and store in cooler until needed.