A Pomegranate a day…

…keeps the smile on my face

It's winter. It's cold and a lot of us are miserable.

Oh really Captain Obvious?  Pure genius that is. Water is wet and fire is hot, I suppose? Sheesh.

Okay, that's a fair enough point. A bit mean though…

Oh please. I mean really, what do people expect? It's winter. In the Northern Hemisphere. Where cold stuff happens. Did they expect sunburns and balmy breezes?

Well, no…

BBQ's and Mai-tai's?

I doubt it.

Bikinis and hokey surfer songs?

Something tells me no.

Well… there you go then.

I think that some people just have a hard time dealing with the cold..

Oh don't I know it. Like last week - beautiful blue skies, bright ball of sun up there and that guy said "it would be a nice day if it wasn't cold" 

It's wiiiiin-terrr.

Jumpin' Juniper Balls !!

And the early dark doesn't…um…Excuse me?

Why can't they just accept that it's cold and stop talking about it?? Constantly going on about it doesn't make it any easier to get through!!

Jumpin' Juniper Balls?

Let it go. 

It's not like winter lasts forever. It's really only a few months of actual cold and the rest is up and down and all over the place.

Seriously. Jumpin' Juniper Balls?

I said let it go. Sheesh. I'm making a point here.

Sorry. Carry on.

Well… you kind of derailed my thoughts there… I guess I'm done.

Okay. Sorry again… 

But you do realize you were a bit unfair just now…yes? 

Bah

How eloquent…

…Hey so the holidays went well right? …and let's not forget Valentine's day…

hmmmph

You got to eat some great food ! …speaking of great food, there's some of that cheesecake tart in the fridge…

I'm on a diet.

Oh come on… 

No.

The one with the Mango Pineapple topping…

Why don't you go have a piece and I'll finish this up - it's my fault, I shouldn't have started this on an empty stomach. Go on.

All right. I guess… just a small piece though

Oh go on, make it a big one. And maybe some coffee?

Oh all right, I'm gone. 

…ahem. So…. Anywhoo…

Where was I?

Oh, yes!  Winter is making us miserable…and maybe just a wee bit bonkers as well. 

All joking aside, I do get it. 

The cold days and frostier nights, that damp wind that cuts through every cloth known to man and chills you to the bone; the long, dark hours spent getting your coat, hat, boots, gloves, three sweaters and two pairs of wool socks on just to go take the dog out for a 30 second pee…the irony of practically giving yourself a heart attack shovelling the walkway and drive just so the mailman can safely deliver to you another heart attack in the form of your heating bill… it all adds up to extreme moments of deep and abiding loathing for the winter season.

Sunny side up

There are a few things we can do to help combat the winter blues and while not many of us can manage to embrace it wholeheartedly, many of us are able to at least enjoy it, for the most part. When we were kids, winter weather didn't stop us from doing anything we wanted to do - indeed, we looked forward to the winter for the unique things to do like building snow forts with our friends/soon-to-be enemies and then enthusiastically and usually violently defending those fortresses of snow, as well as tobogganing, skating and snowmobiling.

Winter tends to mean a slow down to us adults. We move slower as our spirits drag our feet; we drive slower - and if you are like me you are not driving that slow out of choice. It is rather due to the fact that we're stuck behind some desiccated old fart who believes he is the leader in the Bingo Parade and drives accordingly. However, there are times when slower driving is necessary which of course adds to our schedules and stress levels leading to long, dark and trying days.

Winter 2014

Pushing through

Since most of us are not about to don toque and parka to take on the suicide slope at Toboggan Hill, we can attempt to get a similar rush while enjoying winter by taking brisk walks, exercising at the gym more often, dancing like a mad fool in your living room - preferably without the spouse and children around. Trust me, therapy bills are no laughing matter. They're damned expensive and you have better things to spend your dollars on.

Some find joining a group or taking a class helpful, either in the real world or online. There are many interesting courses to be found on the web and I recommend checking them out. Follow an interest or further a hobby, as far as it will take you.

Most of all, the key to enduring something unpleasant is to look for what you can enjoy, tolerate or change our thinking about - sometimes it's all a matter of perspective. If you have shelter from the cold, you are better off than a lot of people. If you can fill your belly with warm, homemade food, you are better off than a lot of people. If you can come online to divert your attention from your misery, even for a short time, you are better off than a lot of people. 

I can't do much more than suggest some solutions to help you get through the winter. I can simply hope of better days ahead for you and to try to help you nourish your body at the very least. Nourishing the body with warm, comforting and hearty food usually will end up nourishing the soul as well.

Warm up those buds

I'm a firm believer in keeping the hands busy when the mind is delving the depths of despair. We tend not to be our own friends when we are down, indeed we often make matters worse for ourselves. Keeping occupied does help to corral those wayward thoughts and feelings, for a time at least. I'm sure you know by now that one way is for me to get me arse into the kitchen and have some fun. The recipe for a crockpot stew that follows actually came about last winter but I never got around to writing a post about it. 


Keeping it spicy

One delicious way to get some heat into your life during these cold times is to embrace spice and the foods that tingle the taste buds, like chilies and horseradish. Horseradish is a very underrated vegetable that should be passing over your tastebuds at least a few times per year. Its pungent fumes will clear out your sinuses, brighten up those eyes and put some roses into your cheeks!

Homemade horseradish sauce is incredibly easy to prepare. You can control the magnitude of the fume or 'heat' by adjusting the length of time the veg is left to sit before adding the vinegar. Vinegar stabilizes the 'heat' so if you like it mild, add it right away! Some purists do not advocate adding sugar to the recipe but you do what you like and it will be delicious.

8 to 10 inch piece of horseradish, peeled and rough chopped small or shredded
1/4 tsp salt
about 1 tbsp of water
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp sugar

Add horseradish to food processor with water. Whiz up. Add salt, sugar and then the vinegar when you deem it hot enough. You won't need to wait long - 30 to 40 seconds for medium heat and about a minute for hot. Whiz up briefly to incorporate and transfer to a jar. You can vary the type of vinegar you use - try cider vinegar for an interesting change! Keep in fridge for 3 to 4 weeks. For a lovely sandwich, try adding some horseradish to your mayonnaise :)


Stirring the Pot

Stew:

2 - 3 lb eye of round beef roast or another inexpensive cut, cut into chunks
2 cups pure pomegranate juice, one cup reduced to a thick syrup
2 cups beef broth
1 pie pumpkin, flesh removed from rind and cubed
1 large sweet potato, washed and cubed
1lb of mini white or yellow potatoes
8oz mushrooms, quartered
1 large Vidalia or other sweet onion, chopped 
1 apple, chopped small
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
oil and butter for browning
2 tbsp or more flour for dredging

Marinade:

1/2 cup beef broth
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 dried chilli, crushed (optional - I used chilli de arbol which is medium hot, like cayenne)
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp sriracha sauce

Mash:

1 rutabaga, waxed outside removed, cubed
2 or 3 tbsp prepared horseradish sauce, jarred or homemade, to taste
butter
salt and pepper, good pinch of each


Place marinade ingredients in glass or metal bowl, add meat and marinate overnight or at least for 3 hours.

After marinating, remove meat and pat dry with paper towels. Dredge in flour and fry in an oil/butter mixture until browned.

As the meat is browned, put in crockpot with the prepped vegetables and the herbs. Put more butter into pan the meat was browned in and add the dredging flour + more to equal approximately 3 tbsp. Cook for two minutes. Pour in about 1 tbsp of the pomegranate syrup, making sure to scrape up bits off the bottom of the pan.

Add beef broth and pomegranate juice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let thicken about 3 minutes. If too thick, add some broth to thin. Pour into the crockpot. Cook until vegetables are tender.

For the mash, place cut up rutabaga in pot with water to cover. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to med-low, cooking until vegetable is tender. Drain, add butter, salt and pepper and mash until smooth. Add the horseradish sauce and blend.

To serve: place both items side by side on plate with a drizzle of pomegranate syrup on top of the stew or in an elegant swirl on the plate.


all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur  The Groaning Board 2015

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Quick and Easy: Tropical Cheesecake Tart

I think I may have mentioned that I don't bake very often. I may also have mentioned that I love cheesecake. In case I haven't, I love cheesecake :) About the only dessert I make is a cheesecake. And so this is a recipe for…wait for it… cheesecake :)

I try to limit myself to once or twice per year and then completely pig out when the time comes. It's not a pretty sight.

After being good and suppressing an intense craving for it for quite some time, one day I caved. I came up with this one-gazillionth way of enjoying that smooth, luscious richness that is the cake of cheese.

This is a very simple and easy recipe that doesn't require much in the way of baking skills, fortunately for me. It's useful if you have whipped cream before but it isn't a difficult task to master. Just remember to chill the bowl beforehand and don't over whip. It is also important to fold the cream into the cream cheese mixture, don't stir or beat.

1 pkg puff pastry, thawed and rolled ( I picked up pre-rolled for greater ease)
1 pkg cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup whipping cream (35%)
1/3 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
400g fresh or frozen mango chunks, thawed
1 ripe pineapple, pared, cored and chunked

Bake puff pastry according to package directions - usually for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, after poking holes all over with a fork. Let cool. (Push down all bubbles in the crust before spreading on the cream cheese mixture.)

Put mango and pineapple chunks into food processor and whiz up. Transfer to a small bowl and rinse and dry container. Place room temp cheese, icing sugar, lemon juice and vanilla into processor container and whiz until creamy and smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl.

In a chilled bowl, whip the 35% cream until soft peaks form and fold into cream cheese mixture, just until blended. Spread an even layer onto puff pastry. Cover cream cheese with a layer of mango/pineapple mixture and refrigerate until firm, about 4 hours.

Cut into squares to serve and garnish with mint leaves.


all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2015

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Cleansing the Palate

Timeless beauty

What would any of the 12 days of Christmas be without a cheese tray? Well…nothing in my house. I live for cheese at any time of the year but it's this season that I allow myself to be excessive. Cheese is traditionally served at the end of meals in many European countries and I am happy to carry on a heritage tradition of serving a cheese plate with a bit of savoury nibbles on the side. It is lovely on the tongue after a heavy meal or a strongly flavoured one in place of a sweet and filling dessert. After a lighter fare a cheese tray can be a course all its own and should be served with a more substantial accompaniment such as hearty breads and compotes or a charcuterie board.  It's just a shame the cheeses I love are so expensive that this has to be a special occasion tradition.

Along with the cheeses shown below I served a Le Sauciflard sausage with a Parmesan rind, a Mennonite Summer Sausage, Spanish Olives of differing types such as cracked and spiced small and Jumbo plain. I managed to find dilled pickles the size of my little finger as sweet pickles such as gherkins aren't popular around here. 

To go with the 'cheese ball' I made, I served Kashi fire-roasted vegetable crackers and Pita crisps with Sea Salt. Absolutely delicious ! I mention the cheese ball with quotes as it isn't truly a cheese ball - more of a thick spreadable dip wrapped with phyllo dough. I originally thought of this as individual appetizers made from Goat's milk but a dearth of the necessary time demanded a change in the plan. This is what I came up with.

To make this again as a whole offering, I would make a bowl out of the phyllo rather than treat it like a galette with a top, like I did here. That way guests can scoop out a spoonful at a time onto their plate without wrestling with temperamental phyllo dough that tends to become shards of confetti when baked. 

Since the filling is the most important part of the dish, I am including the recipe here even though the presentation was a last minute compromise that probably won't make it to my kitchen journal as is.

A sampling of what was served: Top left to bottom right:
Kaltback Gruyère (Switzerland); Swiss Babybel; Snowdonia Smoked Cheddar (Wales); Kerrygold aged cheddar (Ireland);
 Saint Agur Blue Cheese (France); Snowdonia Cheddar (Wales): Cheddar Babybel

Left: The Smoked Cheddar is a grainy, crumbling cheese with a mildly pungent flavour holding a light smokiness.
Right: The aged cheddar in the black wax is simply lovely. Although a firm cheese, as soon as it hits that
sweet spot between the tongue and the upper palate, it turns into a slightly sweet creamy paste that is divine.

Left: The fabulously wonderful Kerrygold along with a Double Gloucester, a Wensleydale or a Red Leicester will be
my favourite go-to cheeses from across the pond.
Right: I do love Stilton and a mild Irish or Danish blue but I can't say this Saint Agur is a favourite. I found the mustiness to be too overpowering for me. I'd rather have a bit more tartness and a little less damp basement.

Oh yeah!! I love me a good gruyere and this one doesn't disappoint. Firm, slightly granular but with the teeniest of
grains, pungent without curling the toes and a milky paste made in that sweet spot all lead to an enjoyable mouth
feel and taste.

How I served this : wedge of galette onto plate with crackers and spread knife

Cheese, Pepper and Artichoke Spread/Dip

1 pkg cream cheese, softened

130g Pickled Peppedaw Peppers from South Africa

175g Pickled Artichoke Hearts

Salt and pepper

butter, melted

phyllo dough, half a pkg

In processor, add softened cheese, peppers, artichokes, salt, pepper and whiz until blended. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Remove half of the phyllo sheets and return rest to plastic wrap to stop from drying out. Working quickly, lay a sheet at a time onto a baking tray, lathering on melted butter onto each sheet. Place cheese ball in centre of sheets and fold up one corner. Brush melted butter onto fold and repeat on the other three corners, brushing on more butter as you go.

Bake in 375 degree oven for approx 20 minutes or until golden brown all over. If top is browning too quickly, cover the top loosely with foil, removing near the end of cooking time to continue browning.

Can be reheated in the oven - just cover any cut parts with foil or parchment paper to stop the exposed parts from drying out as it reheats. (If you are following my suggestion of a phyllo bowl, cover the entire top when reheating.)

Lovely Chenin Blanc from South Africa is a wonderful wine for both the cheese platter
and the rabbit dish I served for Christmas dinner.

all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2015

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Weekday Suppers: Beer Braised Beef with Peppers and Mushrooms

And the band played on

Okay so I've said it before and I'm saying it again - an ecologically sound, locally sourced, sustainable eating lifestyle is the ideal. Sometimes however, you can't live up to the ideal. Sometimes paycheques won't stretch any further than the meanest of food budgets that forces you to make some hard choices in terms of what sorts of meals you can make for yourself and your family. You know you should be feeding your family and indeed yourself the best of foods in order to stay healthy. You know the ideal is what you should be aiming towards and the guilt starts to eat at you when you can't seem to attain that consistently. 

What do you do then? Do you dig into the very back of your closet, you know the dark place at the back that seems to absorb all light and odd socks, searching for that hair shirt you could swear you hung on to? Should you castigate yourself with a willow switch and a ham sandwich for not being perfect? Of course not. You have to live in the real world and we'll leave the intense guilt for someone who has time for that sort of thing.

Unfortunately, when we are faced with an example of how we cannot live up to the standards we've imposed upon ourselves, we are apt to give up entirely. Dieting, recycling, getting more exercise - all seem to be endeavours of which we demand absolute perfection from ourselves or it isn't worth the effort. We sell ourselves short of so many 'good' things when we do this.

It seems especially dimwitted to me to try to attain perfection when it is a foreign state for us mere mortals, especially to attain perfection as defined by someone else's standards. Better for our sanity and our world if we simply try to be the best we can be as a person and at everything we try, but never perfect.

Two out of three ain't bad

Sounds weird but one of my life goals since, well, forever, is to be the least hypocrite I can be at all times. That little voice in my head, which abhors hypocrisy, especially the willfully blind kind of hypocrisy, analyzes everything I say or do for the scent of it. At times it seems a losing battle as there are so many ways a human can become a hypocrite. It's just easier to talk about doing than to actually do.

 I try to do what I can in terms of sourcing local, sourcing humane and in season foods but I also must make that philosophy budget friendly. It's all fine and dandy to want to save the world one calorie at a time but in the real world of mortgages, credit cards and university dreams, money you can save by going bulk at Costco or the supermarket when there is a sale on is not only prudent but necessary. You must balance a desire to support local business while giving the finger to BigBusiness with the need to keep to a budget, both in money and time. 

In a word: compromise.

Beer Braised Beef with Peppers, Mushrooms & Onions on a bed of arugula

My compromise for weekday dinners is to utilize pantry ingredients more often. Canned, dried, preserved and frozen items can help get a quick and easy meal on the table when you need the help the most. Some items I wouldn't recommend more than twice per year, others once or twice per month. For some, their meals will consist of a boxed or frozen prepared side dish and if that is what is necessary, so be it. Just try to serve it within a balanced meal, or if it is to a meal itself like the college standby of mac and cheese, then add other ingredients to it to balance it out. Try also to limit how many times per week you turn to these types of side dishes. (A three dollar bag of potatoes will go a long way and is a much healthier side alternative to a boxed pasta.)

I use less tender meat cuts or mid-range meats that are on sale when my budget requires me to shop for meat at the grocery store. Let's face it, if you are buying from the supermarket, one cut pretty much is the same as the next regardless of what you may read or hear from marketers. The beef isn't aged and the pigs and chickens are killed too early, in my opinion. Sometimes it is necessary to buy your meat from those stores, so choosing and preparing an inexpensive cut is best and don't really concern yourself with what is on the label. Making cheap cuts stretch for a few meals and taste good is imperative. 

What you need to know

Look for well marbled meat without a thick rind of fat. Not because the fat is bad - it is very necessary for the juiciness of the meat, but not for the added weight that will contribute to a higher cost per lb/kg. Why pay for something you'll just be removing later?(The only time I do that is when I buy a large pork loin roast - the whys and wherefores I will be covering in a later post.) Thick cuts are a better choice than thin ones, especially with pork, for tenderness even if you plan to use a marinade. This recipe is great for every cut of beef and will yield a moist and tasty meat that resembles pulled pork in its consistency.

approx $5.65 per person - serves 4 with leftovers

Beer-Braised Beef with Peppers, Mushrooms & Onions

2 ginormous steaks (I used top sirloin grilling steaks) approx 4-5 lbs total
1 bottle of ale, stout or porter depending on your tastes
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar or wine vinegar in a pinch
3 - 4 cups beef broth
1 tbsp oregano
steak seasoning of your choice
      mine: blend of ground pepper, paprika, oregano, celery seed, salt, garlic
2 bay leaves
2 medium onions, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
couple of dashes of liquid smoke, optional

Liberally sprinkle steak seasoning over meat.  Add oil or lard to a large saucepan and get heat to a fairly controllable high heat. Sear meat. Assemble braising liquids in a large bowl. Put seared meat in to sit while onions and garlic are sautéing in same saucepan. Put meat and liquids into pan once onions are softened. Add seasonings and bring pot to the boil. Lower heat to simmer and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until meat falls apart. This works well in a slow cooker at low heat for 8 hours then cranked at high until really done.

Steak top

1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow pepper, thinly sliced
4 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced

Sauté until softened and serve on top of beef which in turns sits on a bed of arugula. Spoon a bit of the cooking juices over top of the beef.



Tip: Strain braising liquid and refrigerate. Next day, remove the disc of fat and use it to sauté mushrooms and onions to make a gravy for leftover hot beef sandwiches or a pot pie using the liquids within the recipe.


all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2015

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Christmas Dinner '14 : On the Side

Roasted Honey Walnut Beet

When I chose the sides for this meal, I wanted a hint of a traditional flavour - sweetness that is usually presented in the form of sweet potatoes or honey glazed carrots. Since beet, which I love, is rarely shown in cookbooks or on the cooking shows as part of these meals, I went with them. I made them for last years Christmas dinner in a root vegetable medley. This year the beets are a star all their own.

Beets are a powerhouse of nutrition that more people need to embrace. They are easy and fast to prepare and cook and impart a sweet flavour without overpowering the taste buds. The addition of walnuts and a faint drizzle of honey just pushes it up to the stratosphere of yumminess.

3-4 lbs of beets, washed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
olive oil
salt & pepper
about 1 1/2 tbsp honey
3/4 cup or so of crushed walnuts

Toss cut beets in olive oil and spread onto a baking tray. Cover with foil, shiny side down, and roast in oven for about 15 minutes. Remove foil cover and drizzle honey and walnuts over beets. Return, uncovered, to oven and continue cooking until beets are soft, about another 5-8 minutes.
Put beets into a covered serving dish and keep warm.

Roasted Potatoes with Bacon and Scallions

This dish can be roasted at the same time as the beets and the rabbit but will take a little longer due to the bacon. By parboiling the potatoes until a knife just pierces about a 1/4 inch into the skin of the potato, you will keep the potatoes from overcooking as the bacon becomes crisp. This dish is truly so simple it doesn't require a recipe but here it is below.

I bag of mini yellow potatoes, about 15-20 of them
1/3 of a pound of bacon rashers, cut into lardons
4 scallions, chopped with greens reserved for garnish

After potatoes are parboiled, cut into bite size pieces (which will mean in halves for most of them). 
Lay bacon in the bottom of a baking dish (I used a 9" glass one) and top with scallions and potatoes. Cover with foil and roast, stirring occasionally until bacon is crisp. 
If the potatoes look to be overcooking remove potatoes into a serving dish and return the bacon to the oven until it becomes crisp. 
If you prefer soggy bacon (shudder) then by all means eat it that way and either skip the parboiling part or remove the dish when the potatoes are done but before the bacon crisps.
Serve with a garnish of the scallion greens.


all text and photographs ©michelle levasseur The Groaning Board 2014

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