Lorina Stephens's Blog, page 70
April 12, 2011
Stonehouse Cooks Contest: Recipe 17 Corn Bread
Contest Rules
Photo due: April 22, 2011
Corn Bread
1 cup water
1 cup frozen niblet corn
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ¼ cups white flour
1 cup corn flour
1 cup corn meal
1 jalapeno pepper chopped finely (seeded if you wish less heat)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons fresh, chopped coriander (cilantro)
2 ½ teaspoons yeast (or 2 teaspoons quick rise yeast)
Place all liquids in your bread machine pan. Add all dry on top. Make a well in the dry ingredients for the yeast and add yeast. Program machine for a 2-pound loaf, medium crust.
Photo due: April 22, 2011
Corn Bread
1 cup water
1 cup frozen niblet corn
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 ¼ cups white flour
1 cup corn flour
1 cup corn meal
1 jalapeno pepper chopped finely (seeded if you wish less heat)
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons fresh, chopped coriander (cilantro)
2 ½ teaspoons yeast (or 2 teaspoons quick rise yeast)
Place all liquids in your bread machine pan. Add all dry on top. Make a well in the dry ingredients for the yeast and add yeast. Program machine for a 2-pound loaf, medium crust.
April 11, 2011
Alicia Hendley Appears in Kitchener
Alicia Hendley, author of A Subtle Thing, appears at Chapters, 135 Gateway Park, Kitchener, ON this Saturday, April 16, from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. She will be signing copies of her debut novel.For further details, visit the Facebook Events Page.
What reviewers have said about A Subtle Thing:
Alicia Hendley captures the essence of humanity, in all its glorious faultiness.... -- Emily Rae Robles, The Ambitious Ambigue.
A Subtle Thing is a gritty and raw novel that hits the reader in such a powerful and sincere way that putting it down is simply not an option. - Canadian Book Review
Alicia Hendley's wonderfully written first novel is certainly not light reading and there's not much to like about Beth in the early going. But a compelling story gradually emerges about her return from the depths, a climb made more difficult by the attitudes of others who refuse to let her move on, long after the dark days are over. Let's hope she [Alicia Hendley] can find time to keep writing, another baby or not. -- Jon Fear, Kitchener Waterloo Record.
I was blown away by this debut novel. -- Foozago Book Review
Stonehouse Cooks Contest: Recipe 16 Yogurt Spelt Bread
Contest Rules
Photo due: April 21, 2011
For those who have a bread machine.
Yogurt Spelt Bread
1 ¾ cup natural no fat yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons buckwheat honey
4 cups spelt flour
½ cup white flour
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoons quick rise yeast
Place all wet ingredients into the bread pan. Place all dry ingredients on top of wet ingredients. Make a well for the yeast and add the yeast into the well. Program bread machine for 2-pound loaf, medium crust.
Photo due: April 21, 2011
For those who have a bread machine.
Yogurt Spelt Bread
1 ¾ cup natural no fat yogurt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons buckwheat honey
4 cups spelt flour
½ cup white flour
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoons quick rise yeast
Place all wet ingredients into the bread pan. Place all dry ingredients on top of wet ingredients. Make a well for the yeast and add the yeast into the well. Program bread machine for 2-pound loaf, medium crust.
April 10, 2011
Stonehouse Cooks Contest: Recipe 15 Poached Peaches or Pears
Contest Rules
Photo due: April 20, 2011
I borrowed the concept of this recipe from a medieval recipe book which had pears poached in red wine with poudre fort and sugar. While the recipe is wonderful and has stood the test of hundreds of years, I wanted a lighter version for an intimate, elegant meal.
Poached Peaches or Pears
4 fresh freestone peaches or pears
1 ½ cups white wine
½ cup Galliano liqueur
½ cup sugar
½ vanilla bean
Zest of one orange
Peel fruit and remove stones from peaches, or core the pears. Set aside. Into a large saucepan combine the wine, liqueur and sugar. Add the vanilla bean and orange zest. Carefully place the fruit into the wine and simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes or until fruit is tender. Do not let the liquid boil.
Remove from heat and allow to cool. Serve plain, with ice cream or topped with a few vanilla chocolate shavings.
A variation on this is to use rum instead of wine, eliminate the Galliano, substitute honey for sugar, and add a stick of cinnamon.
Serves 4 to 8
Photo due: April 20, 2011
I borrowed the concept of this recipe from a medieval recipe book which had pears poached in red wine with poudre fort and sugar. While the recipe is wonderful and has stood the test of hundreds of years, I wanted a lighter version for an intimate, elegant meal.
Poached Peaches or Pears
4 fresh freestone peaches or pears
1 ½ cups white wine
½ cup Galliano liqueur
½ cup sugar
½ vanilla bean
Zest of one orange
Peel fruit and remove stones from peaches, or core the pears. Set aside. Into a large saucepan combine the wine, liqueur and sugar. Add the vanilla bean and orange zest. Carefully place the fruit into the wine and simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes or until fruit is tender. Do not let the liquid boil.
Remove from heat and allow to cool. Serve plain, with ice cream or topped with a few vanilla chocolate shavings.
A variation on this is to use rum instead of wine, eliminate the Galliano, substitute honey for sugar, and add a stick of cinnamon.
Serves 4 to 8
April 9, 2011
Stonehouse Cooks Contest: Recipe 14 Apple Fool
Contest Rules
Photo due: April 19, 2011
I first discovered this recipe as a girl experimenting with a recipe on the back of an instant whipped topping package. Years later, while playing with eighteenth century recipes, I came across Mrs. McLintock's Receipts for Cookery and Pastry-Work, and lo, there was the dessert I'd prepared as a girl. Well, it was sort of the same dish, except Mrs. McLintock called for clotted cream. In my adaptation of Mrs. McLintock's decadent recipe, I settled for less sinful whipping cream and then used the recipe as a launch point for many other desserts known as fools. If you wish to be even more virtuous and heart-healthy, you can substitute whipping cream for your favourite no-fat organic yogurt.
Apple Fool
1 cup commercial, unsweetened applesauce (or whatever pureed fruit you desire, even stewed rhubarb)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup whipped cream
Combine all ingredients and serve immediately. It doesn't get any easier than that.
Serves 4 to 6
Photo due: April 19, 2011
I first discovered this recipe as a girl experimenting with a recipe on the back of an instant whipped topping package. Years later, while playing with eighteenth century recipes, I came across Mrs. McLintock's Receipts for Cookery and Pastry-Work, and lo, there was the dessert I'd prepared as a girl. Well, it was sort of the same dish, except Mrs. McLintock called for clotted cream. In my adaptation of Mrs. McLintock's decadent recipe, I settled for less sinful whipping cream and then used the recipe as a launch point for many other desserts known as fools. If you wish to be even more virtuous and heart-healthy, you can substitute whipping cream for your favourite no-fat organic yogurt.
Apple Fool
1 cup commercial, unsweetened applesauce (or whatever pureed fruit you desire, even stewed rhubarb)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup whipped cream
Combine all ingredients and serve immediately. It doesn't get any easier than that.
Serves 4 to 6
April 8, 2011
Stonehouse Cooks Contest: Recipe 13 Citrus Cake
Contest Rules
Photo due: April 18, 2011
This recipe was developed as a way to use up all those pathetic, withered citrus bits in my fruit basket.
Citrus Cake
1 lemon
1 lime
1 orange
1 cup soft margarine
2 cup white sugar
4 eggs
3 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
Glaze
¼ cup icing sugar
juice of half a lemon
Preheat oven to 350F.
Zest the three citrus fruits, and set aside the zest. With a sharp knife remove the membrane from all the fruits. Place cleaned fruits into a blender or food processor and blitz until pureed. This should yield 1 cup, more or less, of juice and pulp.
Place all ingredients, but for the glaze ingredients, into a food processor or stand mixer and whiz until well-combined, scraping edges of bowl once or twice during process.
Pour batter into a 9" greased and floured cake tin and bake for 45-60 minutes until a knife inserted in the centre comes away clean.
Cool on a wire rack, unearth onto a plate. Mix the glaze and drizzle over the cake, garnishing with a few citrus curls.
Serves 10
Photo due: April 18, 2011
This recipe was developed as a way to use up all those pathetic, withered citrus bits in my fruit basket.
Citrus Cake
1 lemon
1 lime
1 orange
1 cup soft margarine
2 cup white sugar
4 eggs
3 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
Glaze
¼ cup icing sugar
juice of half a lemon
Preheat oven to 350F.
Zest the three citrus fruits, and set aside the zest. With a sharp knife remove the membrane from all the fruits. Place cleaned fruits into a blender or food processor and blitz until pureed. This should yield 1 cup, more or less, of juice and pulp.
Place all ingredients, but for the glaze ingredients, into a food processor or stand mixer and whiz until well-combined, scraping edges of bowl once or twice during process.
Pour batter into a 9" greased and floured cake tin and bake for 45-60 minutes until a knife inserted in the centre comes away clean.
Cool on a wire rack, unearth onto a plate. Mix the glaze and drizzle over the cake, garnishing with a few citrus curls.
Serves 10
April 7, 2011
Stonehouse Cooks Contest: Recipe 12 Peach Custard Tart
Contest Rules
Photo due: April 17, 2011
Peach Custard Tart
Pastry to line a 9" spring-form pan
12 peaches, peeled and stoned (canned will do)
1 ½ cups non-fat organic yogurt (If you wish a richer custard, use sour cream.)
2 eggs
Zest and juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoons each flour and cornstarch
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Icing sugar
Line the pan with the pastry and dock. Place peaches on the pastry, round side up.
Mix together flour, cornstarch, cinnamon and sugar. In another bowl mix together the yogurt, eggs, zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and combine well. Pour over the peaches.
Bake in a preheated oven to 350F for about 1½ hours. Remove from oven and cool on a rack at least 1 hour before releasing from pan. Dust with icing sugar. Chill.
Serves 12
Photo due: April 17, 2011
Peach Custard Tart
Pastry to line a 9" spring-form pan
12 peaches, peeled and stoned (canned will do)
1 ½ cups non-fat organic yogurt (If you wish a richer custard, use sour cream.)
2 eggs
Zest and juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoons each flour and cornstarch
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Icing sugar
Line the pan with the pastry and dock. Place peaches on the pastry, round side up.
Mix together flour, cornstarch, cinnamon and sugar. In another bowl mix together the yogurt, eggs, zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and combine well. Pour over the peaches.
Bake in a preheated oven to 350F for about 1½ hours. Remove from oven and cool on a rack at least 1 hour before releasing from pan. Dust with icing sugar. Chill.
Serves 12
April 6, 2011
Stonehouse Cooks Contest: Recipe 11 Orange Oatmeal Cookies
Contest Rules
Orange Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup soft margarine
½ cup orange juice (The zested orange will yield about ¼ cup of juice and you can make up the rest with commercial juice.)
Mix these two ingredients together in a bowl.
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
2 cups large flake rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar packed
Zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins (or dried cranberries)
Mix these ingredients in a large bowl. Add the wet to the dry ingredients, blending well.
Drop cookie dough by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.
Bake in a preheated oven to 375F for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.
Yield: 4 dozen
Orange Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup soft margarine
½ cup orange juice (The zested orange will yield about ¼ cup of juice and you can make up the rest with commercial juice.)
Mix these two ingredients together in a bowl.
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
2 cups large flake rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar packed
Zest of 1 orange
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins (or dried cranberries)
Mix these ingredients in a large bowl. Add the wet to the dry ingredients, blending well.
Drop cookie dough by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet.
Bake in a preheated oven to 375F for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a rack and store in an airtight container.
Yield: 4 dozen
April 5, 2011
Stonehouse Cooks Contest: Recipe 10 Lemon Butter Linguini with Shrimp
Contest Rules
Lemon Butter Linguini with Shrimp
½ pound linguini
Olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic finely minced
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon dried chilli pepper
1 each red and green pepper, seeded and finely sliced
1 pound raw, black tiger shrimp, shelled (frozen or cooked will do)
1/3 cup margarine (or butter if you're not worried about cholesterol)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh, finely chopped chives
Salt
Cook the linguini in a large pot of salted water.
While the linguini is cooking, sauté the onion, garlic lemon zest and chilli in a large skillet with a little olive oil. When the onion is limp, add the peppers, and continue to sauté until the pepper just begin to soften. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp just begin to turn pink. Add the lemon juice, margarine and herbs, season to taste.
Lift the linguini into the skillet and add about ½ cup of the pasta water, tossing to coat the pasta and evenly distribute the vegetables.
Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Serves 4-6
Lemon Butter Linguini with Shrimp
½ pound linguini
Olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic finely minced
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon dried chilli pepper
1 each red and green pepper, seeded and finely sliced
1 pound raw, black tiger shrimp, shelled (frozen or cooked will do)
1/3 cup margarine (or butter if you're not worried about cholesterol)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh, finely chopped chives
Salt
Cook the linguini in a large pot of salted water.
While the linguini is cooking, sauté the onion, garlic lemon zest and chilli in a large skillet with a little olive oil. When the onion is limp, add the peppers, and continue to sauté until the pepper just begin to soften. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp just begin to turn pink. Add the lemon juice, margarine and herbs, season to taste.
Lift the linguini into the skillet and add about ½ cup of the pasta water, tossing to coat the pasta and evenly distribute the vegetables.
Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Serves 4-6
April 4, 2011
Stonehouse Cooks Contest: Recipe 9 Bok Choy Linguini
Contest Rules
Photo due: April 15, 2011
Bok Choy Linguini
If you've never used bok choy, you need to become friends with this lovely, mild, nutritious vegetable. Packed with iron and vitamins, you will come to think of bok choy as one of the staple vegetables for your grocery list. If you can't find bok choy, you can use any leafy green you wish, either fresh or frozen: spinach, chard, those beet greens we visited earlier, rapini, even romaine or other crisp salad green.
½ pound dry linguini
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion peeled and sliced into rings
6 slices prosciutto sliced into thin strips (If you don't have prosciutto, you can substitute just about any kind of smoky, intensely flavoured cured ham or sausage, even anchovies which are a regular part of my kitchen inventory.)
½ cup blanched whole almonds (or whatever type you choose)
2 cups mushrooms, whole or sliced, cremini preferred
1 chilli pepper crushed
1/4 teaspoons poudre fort or nutmeg (poudre fort recipe under Condiments and Spice Blends)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 head bok choy, washed and chopped into about 1" slices
½ cup white wine or vegetable or chicken stock
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook linguini until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté onions and prosciutto until a bit of colour develops. Add almonds and mushrooms and let colour develop further. Season with poudre fort, chilli, salt and pepper. Add bok choy and sauté until bok choy is bright green and slightly limp. Add the wine.
Add linguini to the bok choy mixture, toss well. Serve into bowls and dress with a bit of olive oil.
I often eat the leftovers of this dish the next day as a cold pasta salad. Absolutely wonderful.
Serves 6 to 8
Photo due: April 15, 2011
Bok Choy Linguini
If you've never used bok choy, you need to become friends with this lovely, mild, nutritious vegetable. Packed with iron and vitamins, you will come to think of bok choy as one of the staple vegetables for your grocery list. If you can't find bok choy, you can use any leafy green you wish, either fresh or frozen: spinach, chard, those beet greens we visited earlier, rapini, even romaine or other crisp salad green.
½ pound dry linguini
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion peeled and sliced into rings
6 slices prosciutto sliced into thin strips (If you don't have prosciutto, you can substitute just about any kind of smoky, intensely flavoured cured ham or sausage, even anchovies which are a regular part of my kitchen inventory.)
½ cup blanched whole almonds (or whatever type you choose)
2 cups mushrooms, whole or sliced, cremini preferred
1 chilli pepper crushed
1/4 teaspoons poudre fort or nutmeg (poudre fort recipe under Condiments and Spice Blends)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 head bok choy, washed and chopped into about 1" slices
½ cup white wine or vegetable or chicken stock
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook linguini until al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté onions and prosciutto until a bit of colour develops. Add almonds and mushrooms and let colour develop further. Season with poudre fort, chilli, salt and pepper. Add bok choy and sauté until bok choy is bright green and slightly limp. Add the wine.
Add linguini to the bok choy mixture, toss well. Serve into bowls and dress with a bit of olive oil.
I often eat the leftovers of this dish the next day as a cold pasta salad. Absolutely wonderful.
Serves 6 to 8
