-
12 Nov 2008 19:10
Cooking tips from the depression
The Best Bread Pudding
1 - 1 ½ large loaves good-quality bread, or an assortment of bread ends
7 large eggs
3/4 cup honey or maple syrup
2 cups 1% milk
2 cups half & half
1 tsp. vanilla
Cut or tear the bread into 1" chunks in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, honey, milk, cream and vanilla. Pour over the bread and let sit for a couple hours, stirring gently once in awhile.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Pour the bread mixture into a 9"x13" pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray, or any baking dish that will accommodate the quantity you made. Bake for an hour or so, until puffed, golden and set. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Other things you can do to it:
Apple Raisin Bread Pudding: Use raisin bread, and add a grated apple and shake of cinnamon to the egg-milk mixture.
Coffee-Chocolate Bread Pudding: If you don't have a giant coffee-chocolate loaf, try spiking the milk with a tablespoon of instant coffee, and scatter some chocolate chips into the bread mixture (spread half into the pan, sprinkle with chips and top with the rest of the bread mixture, so that they don't sink to the bottom),
Chocolate-Orange Bread Pudding: Same as above, but add the grated zest of an orange instead of the coffee.
Caramel Bread Pudding (with or without bourbon): Add a cup of caramel sauce to the egg-milk mixture instead of the sugar. If you like, add a couple tablespoons of bourbon or rum, too.
Pumpkin Bread Pudding: Add a 14 oz. can of pumpkin to the egg-milk mixture, along with a good shake of cinnamon. Use brown sugar or maple syrup.
Sausage & Lentil Soup
This is ridiculously easy to make, keeps for a week in the fridge, and you don't even need stock. Think about it: stock is just water in which meat, veg and seasonings are simmered. So sausage, celery, garlic and lentils really do transform water into a perfect soup. Chicken or veg stock will intensify the flavor, and leftover bits of ham works well instead of the sausage. This is what I make when I know things are going to get busy and I want to be sure there's something healthy in the fridge to grab for lunch or dinner that counts as a meal all in itself.
Canola or olive oil, for cooking with
1 mild or hot Italian sausage, or Chorizo
4 celery ribs, chopped, including the leaves
1 19 oz. (540 mL) can lentils, drained
1 L water, chicken or vegetable stock
Salt & pepper
In a large, heavy saucepan, heat a drizzle of oil over medium heat. Add the sausage, squeezing it out of its casing into the pan. Cook, breaking up the chunks, until it's browned. (You don't have to worry about cooking it through.) Add the celery and cook for a few minutes, until the edges start to brown. Add the lentils, water or stock, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for half an hour or so, adding extra liquid if it looks like it needs it. If you'd like it thicker, remove the lid and simmer until it's the consistency you like.
Serve with fresh bread. Feeds about 6.
Sausage, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Soup
a drizzle of canola or olive oil
1-2 mild or hot Italian sausages
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 19 oz. (540 mL) can black beans, drained
1 tsp. cumin
1 L chicken or vegetable stock
about a cup of tomato sauce or a big spoonful of tomato paste
In your soup pot, heat a drizzle of oil over medium heat. Squeeze the sausage out of its casing into the pot and cook it, breaking it up as you stir it around, until it's no longer pink. Add the jalapeno pepper, then the sweet potato, beans, cumin, stock and tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer for about half an hour, until the potatoes are tender and the broth has thickened a bit.
Serves 4-6.
Per serving, based on 4 servings: 416 calories, 7.7 g total fat (1.5 g saturated fat, 3.8 g monounsaturated fat, 1.8 g polyunsaturated fat), 27.8 g protein, 60.5 g carbohydrate, 30 mg cholesterol, 14 g fiber. 16% calories from fat.
Rösti
A plain rösti, or Swiss potato cake, needs no more than potatoes, oil and salt; butter adds to the flavour, but beyond that you could get creative and add grated apples, zucchini, sweet potato or other root vegetables, onions, finely chopped leeks, chives or other herbs, crumbled cooked bacon, sliced ham and/or cheese. A rösti makes a perfect blank canvas for whatever you can scrounge up.
What you need: potatoes, oil, butter
Coarsely grate about a pound of unpeeled potatoes (Yukon gold is a great choice) using the large-hole side of your box grater. Bring a pot of water to a boil and quickly blanch the grated potatoes, transferring them to a bowl of cold water with a slotted spoon.
Drain the grated potato well on paper towels and transfer to a bowl. Season with salt and add any additions you like - apples, other vegetables, seasonings, cooked meat or grated cheese, keeping the ratio no more than 1:3 additions to potato. Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat and add equal amounts of butter and oil (the butter will taste good, and the oil keep it from burning); when the foam subsides, add the potatoes to the skillet, pressing down to shape them into a patty. (Alternatively, you could cook a small spoonful at a time, like a latke.) Cook for about 10 minutes, until dark golden and crispy on the bottom. Invert the rösti onto a plate and then slide back into the pan, adding a little more butter and oil if you need to; cook until the other side is crispy as well.
Cut into wedges and serve hot. (Serves 4.)
Pasta e Fagioli (Fazool)
If you have a couple slices of bacon or pancetta around, even better; chop and sauté them first, then remove from the pan to cook the onion and other veg. Return it to the pot at the very end.
What you need: onion; garlic; carrot; celery; broth; canned beans; canned tomatoes; any small shaped pasta
Chop a small onion and clove of garlic; sauté in a little oil over medium heat until soft. Add a chopped celery rib and chopped carrot and cook for a few more minutes.
Add 2 cups of chicken, beef or vegetable stock and a 14 oz. (398 mL) can diced, whole, stewed or crushed tomatoes. Mash half of a 14 oz. (398 mL) can of beans with a fork and add them along with the rest of the beans. If you have it, add a pinch of dried oregano and/or a sprig of fresh rosemary. Bring to a simmer and add 1/2 cup dry pasta; cook for 10 minutes or until the pasta is tender. If the soup is too thick, add a little extra stock, more tomatoes or water. If you have fresh parsley, basil or spinach, tear in a small handful.
Season with salt and pepper and serve, preferably with grated Parmesan. (Serves 4-6.)
MORE FROM JULIE
Search the Site
Custom Search
