The Baguette

Never have I been so impressed by progress made. I have made bread multiple times before and formed baguette type loaves with French dough before too. However some of the techniques used by Julia Child made this truly superior to other breads I have made.

Yes, thats right the Daring Bakers strike again! I was really excited by this month's challenge and even more excited with the result. I think the key thing that I learned from the recipe was her method of shaping the dough. It took me almost as long to shape the dough for a baguette as it did to roll out a pie crust last month - but I think the end result was much better for it and could improve over time. I highly, highly recommend this recipe. I will definitely be making it again.

Our challengers this month were Sara from I Like to Cook and BreadChick Mary from the Sourdough. You can check out the full recipe here.

Asian Chicken Noodle

I think I may finally be over the worst cold I can ever remember having. Thanks goodness. It is the cold I blame for all the soup recipes so this is my final soup for awhile I hope. Or at least the last necessary soup for awhile.

That said this really did turn out great. I used this post as an inspiration for the broth. And otherwise it was a pretty simple typical chicken noodle soup. I browned up some chicken thighs in a bit of oil. Add onions, celery carrot, ginger and garlic and let it sweat just until ginger was fragrant then added a bunch of water several cloves and coriander seeds and a tablespoon of fish sauce and a sprig of cilantro. I let it simmer for an hour and a half then removed the thighs and set aside. Removed the cloves and coriander and skimmed the fat. I brought it up to a string simmer and added some rice noodles, meanwhile shredding the chicken. Added back the chicken and some minced cilantro. Heaven.


Tags: Comfort Food, Soup, Asian Food, Soup

Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Dip

This post is a little late but I have to clear out the queue. This is from the other week when the blogs were crazed with superbowl recipes. I don't watch football or any sports really except for the occasional hockey game but I can identify with snack food for television events - namely Lost's premiere (so good). So I tried to make homemade buffalo wings. I couldn't get them quite as crunchy as I like but I experimented and found broiling to be the best method. It was all pretty easy when it was said and done. Plus you can forfeit a bit of crunch if you are giving up the deep fried part.

I used a combination of half melted butter and half Frank's hot sauce with salt and pepper to brush on them as they broiled. Turning as necessary. Once they were cooked through and crispy I tossed them in more Franks.

For the blue cheese dip I used about 2T blue cheese crumbles, 1T mayo and 1T whole fat yogourt plus salt and pepper and it came out great. I used a fork to mash it together but still leave some texture.

Swiss Chard, Beef and Chickpea Soup

This is one other bonuses of a slow cooker, comfort for when you leave the house. I threw this soup together then went to the gym and ran some errands. When I came back it was to an almost ready, slow cooked dinner. That said, you could do it just as easily on the stove or in a medium-heat oven.

I made this soup because the beef stew meat was on sale and the chard is in season but it came together nicely enough that I thought I would write it up. Swiss chard has been appearing on all the blogs lately and it really shows itself well in soups where it holds together much better than spinach.

Beef, Chickpea and Swiss Chard Soup (serves 4-6)

.6kg stewing beef
2T flour
1t salt
1/2t pepper
1t coriander seeds
1t fennel seeds
2 dried red thai chiles
1T canola oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, diced (about 1/2C)
2 medium carrots, diced (about 1C)
1 bunch swiss chard, stems diced, leafs roughly chopped and separated
1/2C white wine
1 large can of whole tomatoes, gently chopped
8C water/chicken stock (I used half and half)
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 handful parsley, minced
salt and pepper

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Combine chiles, fennel and coriander and crush in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Combine half that mixture with the flour, salt and pepper in a ziploc bag. Add the meat and coat evenly. Add the oil to the pan and give it a twirl to distribute. Add the meat to the pan, shaking off any excess flour as you go. Don't overcrowd, you can do two batches if you need to. Brown all sides.
2. Remove Meat from the pan with a slotted spoon and add the onion. Cook for 2 minutes stirring regularly. Add garlic, celery, carrots and chard stems and remaining spices. Sweat the vegetables for another 4 minutes. Add wine and cook until only half remains. Add the tomatoes and give it a stir.
3. If you want to use a slow cooker and meat, then vegetable mixture than broth and stir. Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4-6 or until meat falls apart. Otherwise combine in a large dutch oven and bring to a very gentle simmer and cover and cook until meat is tender. If you want to skim it this is the time, allow to cool slightly first. Stir in chickpeas and chard. Season to taste and cook for about 15 minutes (either in slow cooker on high or in dutch oven). remove any large pieces of meat and break up. Stir in parsley and serve.

Mulligatawny

Mulligatawny is one of those recipes that has been around so long there isn't really a recipe. I had seen one really good looking one in a book I had at the cabin, but alas I was at home so I did a bit of googling and threw this together. I was really happy with how it turned out in the end it was nice and light and refreshing but still had good solid flavours. I was also glad I used water rather than bought stock, I think you could use all water here and it would be just as good.


This again falls into my category of comfort food to solve the days problems. Last Friday when I made this I was stuck at home because of a backed up sump pump that was letting sewage into the garage. I happened to be leaving for work when people starting knocking on doors looking for a strata member. (Fucking strata, don't get me started.) Not only was I stuck working at home but my internet kept going on and off and we all know how fun talking to the cable companies can be. Lucky for me I had everything needed to make this soup while I worked.


Mulligatawny (serves 4)

2 tablespoons oil
salt and pepper
½ dozen chicken wings, or substitute thighs\drumsticks, bone in & skin on
½ onion, small dice
1 stalk celery, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 tablespoon curry powder, or 2T if packaged
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
1 tablespoon salt
8 cups water or chicken stock, (I used 2C homemade stock and the rest water)
¼ cup basmati rice
⅓ cup cilantro, minced
½ lemon, juiced

In a large dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat add oil. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pot. Fry on each side until it starts to brown, but not cooked through. Remove chicken from pot using a slotted soup. Add onion, carrots and celery and saute for 3 minutes stirring regularly and scrapping any chicken bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add curry, cumin, ginger, garlic and salt and continue cooking for another three minutes stirring. Add stock (or water) and add back chicken and bring to a low simmer. Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.

Remove soup from the heat, remove chicken pieces to a plate until cool enough to handle.(Note: if you are using larger chicken pieces, make sure they are cooked before removing them.) Remove and discard skin and bones, shred remaining chicken and keep aside. Skim any grease off the broth. (I found it easier to pour into a blender and let cool there then skim the fat). Put 1/2 of soup (without chicken) through a blender and add back to pot. Return soup to the heat and bring to a simmer. Add rice and cook for 10 minutes. Add chicken and continue cooking until rice is cooked. Stir in lemon juice and cilantro and serve hot.

Tags: Comfort Food, Soup, Indian Food, Curry

5 Things You Don't Know About Me...

How about 5 things you might know if you read this blog a year ago? I got tagged from Peter over at Kalofagas but I had actually already done this meme last year. Since I am really busy at the moment doing some painting at home, I am going to please forgiveness and repeat myself.

I would've gotten to it tonight except that when we opened up our new can of paint it didn't match the first one (even though we bought them at the same time). So our trip back to home depot tonight really killed my spare time. However here are my 5 things you didn't know about me....

1. Though I am a software developer by profession and have worked at many companies including little dotcom's, big Redmond baddies and medium billion dollar companies, less then 10 years ago I wouldn't have known how to hookup a keyboard. When I went to university, destined for a math or chemistry degree, my parents gave me my first computer and my Dad created an email account for me. I was so inept at this point that my Mum had to go through the Windows install screens for me.

2. I hate cooked peas. Mushy sweet gross things. What is weird about this? I LOVE raw English peas, the kind where you just eat the inside and they come out in May\June. I love them so much I have been known to eat whole pound bags in one sitting and then feel rather ill.

3. I have a debilitating fear of Robots. Maybe 90% of my nightmares involve robots, either as big killing machines or as humanoids or the worst - robots impersonating people I know. I blame the Terminator. Luckily this fear rarely affects my daily life. Update: I am trying to watch the new Terminator series.. because I LOVE sci-fi, and it is good... but itchallenging.

4. My fourth cousin is Paul McCartney. Yes, the Beatle. He is a much younger cousin of my Grandpa - and no I haven't ever met him nor has any of my Canadian family.

5. Since I was a kid I have superstitiously lifted my feet every time
I cross railroad tracks. I can't even remember why at this point - it's either bad luck if you don't or good luck if you do, at any rate it is a real pain why I am driving.

Julia's French Onion Soup

Another comfort meal. We got a big dump of snow here on Tuesday, enough that I didn't want to try and commute so I decided instead to work from home and watch the snow fall from my window. Pleasant Indeed. I used the opportunity to make French onion soup since it takes a little more time than a weeknight meal, though not much of it is active. It was also my first time, as far as I know cooking from a Julia Child recipe. I liked it very much and it didn't seem as rich as some of her other recipes which is what has thwarted me from cooking from her books in the past. It went over very well, just make sure you babysit your soup while it is under the broiler.

Julia's French Onion Soup
(Serves 4-6)

⅓ cup butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
⅓ cup flour
7 cups brown stock
½ cup white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
french bread
Parmesan
olive oil

In a large dutch oven sweat the onions in the butter and olive oil over low heat covered for 15 minutes. Remove the lid. Add the sugar and salt and turn the heat up to medium. Stir regularly until they turn an even golden brown - about 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile get the stock nice and hot. Add the flour to the onions, stir and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and slowly add the stock, stirring to incorporate. Add the white wine and season to taste. Put back on the heat and bring to a simmer. Taste and season. Turn the oven on to 325F. Partially cover the pot and simmer for 30-40 more minutes. Skim occasionally.

Meanwhile cut 1" thick slices of the French bread into sizes that will fit inside some oven proof bowls. Put slices in the oven and allow to dry out for 20 minutes, flipping halfway.

When the soup is done ladle it into the oven proof bowls, put a piece of French bread on top of each one (half submerged in the soup) and grate over a good layer of Parmesan. Bake bowls on a cookie sheet or pan to avoid drips for 20 minutes, if it isn't brown on top turn the broiler on for another few minutes until the cheese just starts to bubble and brown.

Serve drizzled with nice olive oil and fresh pepper.

Tags: Comfort Food, Soup, French Food