Breakfast, Books and Vegetables

Rain, rain, rain…a rainy winter that has become a rainy spring and the sunshine has definitely been hiding for a long time around here.     After an early morning appointment I returned home to get some breakfast to brighten up this rainy day feeling.

My family often used to laugh at my choice of breakfast because if there were any left-over vegetables in the fridge from the night before, that was what I would want for my morning meal!     On Mother’s Day this year, in the restaurant where I work, we had a brunch and so there were 3 of us in the kitchen from the morning brunch start until the end of the day after dinner service was finished.  A rather long day.  One order that caught my attention was when I saw the Chef sautéing lovely thick meaty slices of portabello mushroom and then adding a handful of spinach to quickly wilt it and before placing it all in the centre of a hot fluffy omelette.   That lovely green spinach image has been in my head for the last few days, begging to be placed into something that will come to my plate to be savoured.

On this rainy morning, well before I start my dinner shift at the restaurant, I wanted to enjoy a satisfying breakfast, along with a mug of good strong coffee and have my current reading “Blood, Bones and Butter” by Gabrielle Hamilton close by. (Very funny read indeed).  

Thick slices of crimini mushrooms sauted in a little olive oil and a touch of butter along with some finely chopped shallots and a sprinkle of Pacific Sea Salt (*) were the start.  With the mushrooms nicely browned I threw in a large handful of spinach and let it wilt slightly.  On top of that is a lovely poached egg.   That of course makes it legitimately a breakfast dish!   Along with  a steaming cup of coffee I am very content with my morning feast and my good book on this rainy day.   Ah breakfast can be such a great meal when you have the time to actually sit and enjoy it.


*Organic Fine Pacific Sea Salt from New Zealand is a beautiful salt to use with a lovely soft feel to it.

Blood, Bones and Butter , The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton

Simple Celebration Meal

There were just 4 ingredients - one rack of lamb, one zucchini, 6 small potatoes, one bottle of 2001 Italian red wine.   Well actually there are a few more ingredients to this meal - the fact that we celebrate our wedding anniversary every 6 months!  Why not!?   Do we need an ‘excuse’ for a celebration meal?   One would hope not!!  

Much has been written on the connection between food and celebration - regardless of religious or cultural background.   While I continue to research this area,  I find myself yearning to pay more attention to the times of celebration we make in our daily life. 

Rack of lamb is always a treat and one cut of meat we don’t buy very often.    It is really easy to prepare though.   Set your oven at 425F.   Season the lamb with salt and pepper.   Use a fry pan that can go into the oven.  Heat the pan so it is nice and hot, add a touch of  oil and then put your lamb in, browning it on all sides.   Set it aside on a cookie rack and let it rest for about 10 minutes.   Now brush it with Dijon mustard.  If you have some fresh herbs chop them finely and set them aside.   Put the lamb into the oven for about 15 minutes.   Take it out and press the herbs into it.  Continue to cook for about another  10 minutes (check to see how pink it is and if it is too pink for your taste, cook for a bit longer so it is how you want it).   Cut the ribs apart for serving.

For my roast potatoes I peel and quarter them.  Steam them for about 5 minutes, or microwave them for about 6 minutes.   Roll them in olive oil and a touch of butter.   Season with salt and pepper, a touch of nutmeg and oregano.  You can also add fresh thyme or rosemary if you like.   Roast them at 425 for about 40 minutes till they are golden brown. 

My maternal grandmother often cooked us zucchini that came fresh from her garden and it is a kind of comfort food for me.  I love it sliced, sauted in a touch of butter  and seasoned with salt, pepper and oregano.

Plate with the roasted potatoes in the middle of the plate, place zucchini medallions round the edge of the  plate and then  stack the lamb chops round your potatoes.

Then…..ahhhh enjoy!  Light the candles, pour the wine and enjoy the simple flavours of your feast with whoever you choose to invite to the table.

Italian Pancakes/Crespelle Stuffed with Meat Sauce

Somewhere in a box in the crawl space upstairs are the journals that hold my inner thoughts of a year living in Italy, including recipes that I wrote down when I lived there 10 years ago.   In one of those journals is the wonderful recipe for making crespelle (Italian crepes) stuffed with meat and mozzarella and tomato sauce, then topped with béchamel sauce.  My friend Annamaria would make these  for the midday Sunday meal quite often.   In the heat of a July or August Saturday, or the cold dreary rainy days of December, she worked to hard to prepare this delicious meal to feed her family and the many friends that were welcomed to their dinner table.  Just as she seasoned the foods she prepared, she seasoned my soul  as I sat in her kitchen in my season in Campagnia.
http://www.italyguides.it/us/campania/campania_italy.htm

I had a longing for this dish recently and in the last few days of holidays before heading back to work (the restaurant when I work was closed for the month of January) I was keen to have some friends over and make this tasty dish.  While Annamaria’s recipe is going to take some searching to find, I have used the Crespelle recipe from Marcella Hazan’s, The Classic Italian Cookbook, that has been on my cookbook shelf for almost 40 years.  The tomato sauce and meat sauce are what I have come up with to be somewhat close to my friend’s recipe.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/dining/10hazan.html

Crespelle:
1 cup milk        2 eggs
¾ cup all purpose flour - a generous ¾ cup
¼  teaspoon salt
For cooking the crespelle - 1 - 2 tablespoons butter

- put the milk in a bowl and gradually add the flour, using a whisk or folk and blend it evenly
- add the eggs and salt, beating them so they are thoroughly incorporated into the mixture.
- put ½ teaspoon of butter in a heavy 8 inch skillet or a crepe pan and melt the butter, over medium heat and then rotate the pan so the bottom is evenly coated.
- pour about 2 tablespoons of batter into the pan and again rotate the pan to spread the batter thinly over the bottom of the pan.
- cook until the pancake has set and turned golden brown on one side.  Lift it gently with a spatula and flip it over and brown lightly on the other side.  
- transfer it to a platter and you can stack the rest of the pancakes/crepes on top of each other.
- put a little more butter in the pan and start the process again until you have used all the batter.
- this will make about 6 - 8 crepes/pancakes.

Tomato Sauce:
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion (½ medium onion)
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
Sea salt to taste
Ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dry oregano
½ cup red wine
1 large tin of diced Roma tomatoes (with the juice)
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

- heat a heavy pan, add oil, add the onion and  saute  for 5 minutes over medium heat
- add the garlic,  carrots and season with salt and pepper.  Cook for 6 minutes.  Try not to brown the vegetables
- add the oregano and stir in
- add the tinned tomatoes and the balsamic vinegar and bring it to a boil
- add the red wine
- once the sauce is simmering, reduce it to a lower heat and let it cook for about 20 - 30 minutes until the liquid is reduced and it is a thick sauce.


Meat Mixture:
500 grams of lean ground beef
½ onion finely chopped
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon dry oregano
¼ teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 cup of the tomato sauce
½ cup red wine - optional.

- put a touch of olive oil in your hot fry pan and add the ground beef crumbling it as you put it in the pan
- be sure to use a fork of spatula to break the meat apart so as it cooks it is very crumbly and not in any chunks
-as it begins to cook add the chopped onion and season with your sea salt and pepper (maybe ½ teaspoon of sea salt and about the same of pepper)
- once the meat and onions are cooked add the balsamic, the smoked paprika and the oregano.
- If you like you can add ½ cup of red wine
- add the cup of tomato sauce and bring the whole mixture to a bubbling point.
- reduce the heat and let it gently simmer for about 20 minutes until it is quite a nice thick sauce and not too runny.


Bechamel Sauce:
2 cups of milk
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
Dash of nutmeg
1 bay leaf

- in a small sauce pan heat the milk almost to boiling then remove from the heat
- in another medium size sauce pan melt the butter and then slowly add the flour, constantly stirring it so it is smooth.  A wood spoon works well for this.
- Cook over medium heat and once the roux (butter/flour mixture) starts to bubble let it cook for about 2 minutes, stirring it constantly but do not let it brown.
- turn the heat off under the roux and slowly add 2 tablespoons of hot milk and mix it until it is smooth and then slowly add the hot milk, a little a time, stirring all the time.
- once all the milk is in and blended smoothly, add the salt and nutmeg and the bay leaf and return the mixture to a low - medium low heat.
- cook the sauce until it is as thick as heavy cream.
- make this just before you are ready to put it onto the stuffed crespelle.
- remove the bay leaf when your sauce is done.

1 Cup of Grated Mozzarella


To Assemble:
Heat your oven to 400F

Take a 9x13 baking dish and brush lightly with butter or oil.  Then spread about ½ cup of the tomato sauce so you have a light coating on the bottom of the pan.

Add ½ cup of grated cheese to the meat sauce and mix in.

Divide  your meat mixture into the equal amounts for the number of crepes you have.

Put a portion of the meat mixture into the middle of the pancake and fold up one end, fold in the two sides and then roll it firmly over.  Place the stuffed crespelle fold side down in the pan.   Continue until all crespelle are stuffed and placed in your baking pan. 

Spread the rest of the tomato sauce over the top of the crespelle and then top with the béchamel sauce. 

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake it for 30 minutes.  Take the foil off and add the rest of the grated mozzarella and continue to bake it for another 15 - 20 minutes until the cheese is just getting golden in colour.

Serve with crisp greens and your favorite dressing.
Finish dinner with Tiramisu!

Turkey Stuffing

There are so many recipes and traditions for turkey stuffing and many families have their own tried and true ways of making this essential part of the Thanksgiving and Christmas turkey dinner.

I have found numerous recipes that I love and then I put the magazine aside and cannot remember where it is when it is time to make the stuffing.   No turkey dressing that I have made has ever been exactly the same.  Probably most of us are like that - we just make it with certain ingredients and then add a few extras each time.

 Bacon is one of the essential ingredients as far as I am concerned, but this year because we had some guests who do not eat any meat accept fish, adding bacon was not to be.  Smoked paprika is an option then because it has a hint of the bacon flavour without being meat.    Interestingly enough, the stuffing this Christmas tasted really great, and while I don't remember the quantities of any ingredients, I am writing down what I put in so at least I can try it again!!

Finely chopped large onion and 2 minced garlic cloves sauted in olive oil and butter (a good amount of butter).
Add finely chopped celery and cook until onions become clear.
Add finely chopped fresh rosemary, thyme and sage, salt, fresh ground pepper and a little smoked paprika.
Let them saute for a bit so the flavours really begin to mingle.
Add some vegetable broth and let the broth absorb these flavours now too and after about 10 minutes of  simmering slowly, add the juice of 1/2 lemon.
Now add this mixtures to your bread cubes (old focaccia bread works great)
Butter your casserole dish and place the stuffing into it, and have it ready to cook when the turkey comes out.
Some of the stuffing was in the bird but then the casserole dish stuffing ensured that the non meat eaters could still enjoy this dish too.
And besides....we always want lots of stuffing for leftover turkey, stuffing and cranberry sandwiches!!
Leftover stuffing is even excellent in a turkey style shepherds pie with stuffing on the meat/gravy mixture and then mashed potatoes on top of that.

Cups of Tea and Spaces of Sanctuary

A majestic view of mountains and the lake, tea served with a silver tea service, a rest stop off the road:
Ingredients that created a special moment of  sanctuary.  Sanctuary, with this view, was about being in a place that was sacred, where deep memories were held.

On a recent road trip through the Rocky Mountains we headed towards Lake Louise for a rest stop.  The true ‘stop’ came when we settled into lovely arm chairs in front of huge windows on the palatial main floor of Fairmont’s Chateau Lake Louise.   Only a few people wandered through the gorgeous wide halls of this stately hotel as it was a quiet time of year.  Summer was passed, autumn was about to move on and the winter ski season had not yet begun.  It was the perfect time for us as we made this a place to take a break on the long journey.   We ordered our respective types of tea and were so delighted when it arrived with such elegance.   Hot cups of tea served with a silver tea service, time to linger, and the added bonus of spectacular surroundings came together to give it a very romantic feeling.  In the off season with so few people around it felt even more like a wonderful sanctuary of quiet beauty and tranquility, and we had a little before continuing our journey.

Many years ago, when I lived close to the Rockies, this majestic lake was a place I would retreat to for restoration and refreshment for my soul.  It is one of the early places I began to understand the connections between solitude, solace and sanctuary, where creation offers  a place God gives us to experience Holy Presence, which takes us out of the ordinary and into places of deep rest and healing.  This location took on the quality of sanctuary in the sense that it was a sacred place that also held the sense of refuge and protection for my soul when my inner life felt out of balance.  A very simple cup of tea from my thermos, at the edge of the lake and the base of a mountain brought deep calm and release from inner chaos.  Good memories came flooding back as we walked into the hotel now.

A cup of tea, or any lovely warm beverage, invites you to stop and savour the flavour, the aroma, and to let your senses see what is around you.   I have found that these are some of the ingredients essential to experiencing sanctuary.   When I first started my solitary jaunts to Lake Louise all those years ago, there was always a cup of hot tea somewhere in the day. 

Letting myself sink into the comfortable seat, letting the stunning view soak in, we ordered our tea and when it arrived we waited as the tea leaves infused with the hot water to give us the perfect cuppa.  We poured our tea, that lovely aromatic blend of tea leaves through the silver strainer into our cups, lingering together at the window and just basking in the tranquility, the majesty, and the sanctuary of our own relationship together.   The silver tea service was rather regal and such fine quality - a bit of the extraordinary for a lowly cup of tea!   I could not help letting out a deep sigh of contentment.

Reminders of other cups of tea accompanied with sanctuary come to mind. Those times of deep pain when hands were wrapped tightly around a mug of tea, tears spilled down and splashed into the cup, and deep soul pain moved through my body.   Mornings where,  with a good friend, a pot of chai, and the need to share the hurdles this particular leg of life’s pilgrimage contained, we would laugh about it all.  Earlier this year, standing with my weary back against a friend’s kitchen counter, after our long flight home from the South Pacific, and sharing one of our many cups of tea through the years, we experienced a holy moment of sacredness as our friends shared their joyful news, that after many many years of waiting, they were expecting a baby!    Many cups of tea have been cradled in my hands as safe space has been entered where confidences were given, silence was held, and  others have waited in the spaces with huge unknowns.   Innumerable cups of tea have been slowly sipped in the presence of the Almighty - that place of solace, worship, and the deepest kind of comfort.

The box of Dilmah tea sits in the cupboard and I think there is invisible writing on the package that should you drink a cup of tea you may well be entering a little space of sanctuary along with this comforting cuppa!
And should that cuppa be brewing in a silver tea pot, that sits on the table by the gigantic picture window at Chateau Lake Louise, you will be guaranteed a special sacred moment of soul sanctuary should you be included to sit and let it enter your heart!  And I am deeply grateful for the many cups of tea I have shared with my beloved and the sanctuary our hearts have found in each other.

Favourite Kitchen Pieces

Much about how we cook and what we use to cook with comes with a story and a history.   I have not met anyone who doesn’t have some piece of kitchen equipment that they just can’t live without.   There are a number of favourites for me that make cooking such a pleasure.

The big red cast iron dutch oven that I have (a Le Crueset look alike) is one of my favourite kitchen items.   As I write a stew is bubbling away  in the oven and the aroma of the leaks, carrots, celery, beef and red wine are mingling and hunger is awakening within me in anticipation of our dinner tonight.      While this particular pot is a very heavy piece, and when it is full of food it is even more difficult to lift, there is something about the weight that makes it so durable and sturdy and I hope I am still able to use it to cook in when I am much older!   When I got married I discovered that my husband already had two Le Crueset pots, smaller than mine, and so now there is a wonderful choice depending on how many I am cooking for.  These cast iron pots last forever.

Cooking, for me, is very much about feel - the feel of the food as I prepare it, the feel of salt sifting through my fingers into the food, the feel of fresh vegetables as I peel and dice them, the feel of the fresh herbs as my hands run over them in the garden looking for the right pieces to cut, or the feel and weight of a piece of meat that is ready to be seasoned and cooked.   But it is more than the feel of the food.  It is about the way a pan feels in my hands, the weight of it and knowing at what temperature it is just right to sear the meat or sweat the vegetables.   Trying to cook at another place with unfamiliar utensils is difficult because there is no way to know the feel of the equipment you are working with.  It doesn’t feel like a nice flowing dance but rather a stilted unfamiliar gait and finding the right rhythm in a different kitchen can throw me off a bit.   There is very much a flow to cooking, an ease that has come with time and practice and yet, right from the very beginning, I knew the rhythm, and answered the drawing into this room that so opens my heart to sharing. 

This beautiful large, heavy, red cooking vessel is indeed a familiar friend.  Yesterday it held spare ribs that simmered slowly, with the smoked paprika, lemon, soy, maple syrup and whiskey, fresh tomatoes, garlic and green onions all coming together and giving us some lovely tender tasty meat for dinner.  This pot is made for things that ask for long slow cooking.  With autumn here and winter approaching there will be a lot of slow cooked dishes on our menu at home.

Just like old books that are rich treasures you hold with a sense of awe, those tried and true, well tested kitchen pieces are good friends to have within easy reach in the kitchen.   I love that my kitchen is full of wonderful pieces that come with stories and are used in my kitchen where ever I live.   They are part of what makes this home for us.

Recipes - To Share Or Not To Share

Recipes are heritage pieces that get passed down from generation to generation, well guarded, enjoyed by so many, yet not always given away.  They can be sacred pieces of history in some families, never fully revealed to any but the inner circle.   Recipes are closely held  for many, while others freely share their cooking secrets with those who ask.  Sometimes there are special creations that are your own signature dishes and keeping them is like guarding your heart.

In the space of 24 hours I had received two emails requesting recipes for various dishes that were made and shared with friends and family in the past week. My husband recently made his specialty chocolate cake for a wedding and was asked for the recipe.  These are sort of signature recipes that we each have and I find myself very protective and reluctant to share them.   Can recipes be compared to love?    Love was never meant to be hoarded and held only within us, but it is to be generously, tenderly and wisely shared from our depths so we see the world with deeper truth and honesty.  Are not recipes like this?  They are one of the tools we use to create dishes that nurture us, that bring us together in the intimate place of breaking bread with each other and provide us with life giving ingredients.

Yet recipes are something of the heart.  There are many of us who are very cautious as to who we share our hearts with and others are like open books.  I read once, and I cannot find the reference, that when you bring your cooking to the table you are letting everyone there see your soul.  Much of what we hold within us we guard and protect.

My husband’s Mom used to make her special sponge cake with fresh strawberries in summer time and it has become a family celebration dessert.  I never met my mother-in-law as she passed away a number of years before my husband and I met.  My family always used to make red velvet cake for celebrations.  My youngest brother used to joke that he wanted a red velvet cake for his wedding cake!   When David and I got married, he (David) made both the sponge cake with strawberries and the red velvet cake for guests to enjoy at our celebration!   The recipes for both of these have come from our separate families and become part of ‘our’ collection of celebration foods.

Special dishes are also very personal and can be a part of our own unique way of sharing special moments and giving to others.   I love to make my own version of paella when we have a larger gathering round our table.  This summer it was such a great celebration having 3 of my 5 brothers and their families gathered on our deck.  I first had  paella in Barbados, prepared by a wonderful friend and cook, and then it was one of the dishes that I learned to make in cooking school.  It symbolizes, for me, that all we need is there, like community, but we must reach for it, share it, and enjoy it together.  I don’t have an exact recipe for this meal and it seems to be slightly different every time it is prepared, and I love to prepare it for guests.

Recipes come with memories of places and times in life we wish to hold onto and keep precious and maybe by giving that away we feel as if what we hold dear will somehow not be the same anymore.   Many dishes I make came by way of someone sharing how they made it along the way!   Other creations came from what I learned from my Grandmothers, one Canadian and one Irish, and traditional dishes they made for us as we were growing up.   They are like stories, created, tasted, absorbed and passed along.   My Canadian Grandmother’s recipe box sits along with my husband’s basket full of loose recipes.  Maybe one day they will be passed along to someone else - it would be so wonderful if they were shared!