In all honesty, this recipe came about in my attempt to create a bit of interesting 'stodge' to go with our very spicy bean stew. I didn't want the usual boring potatoes or rice and bread was of course out of the question. So inspiration struck from the Venezuelan classic arepa - a grilled round 'pancake' made of a type of corn flour similar to masa harina, but specially meant for arepas. This mini corn pancake tastes amazing on its own, or classically stuffed with cheese or shredded meats almost like a taco, but many arepas are served with spicy stews to offset the multitude of flavours already competing for your taste-buds and to provide more weight to a vegetarian or meat-minimal dish.
This recipe then is a cross between Southern U.S 'griddle cakes' and South American arepas with a few European herbs thrown into the mix for a deeper flavour.
3 eggs
1 heaped tsp dried oregano leaves
1 heaped tsp dried or fresh rosemary leaves ground or chopped very finely
2 tbsps olive oil
Whisk the above together then prepare the flour mixture:
1/3 cup potato starch
2/3 cup polenta/cornmeal
1/3 cup rice flour
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder (gluten free)
*3/4 cups milk (see instructions below)
Mix the flours together then add to the egg mixture and gradually whisk in by starting from the centre, incorporating the flour from around the outside. When the mixture starts to stiffen then add *1/4 cup milk, keep whisking until it starts to stiffen and then add the next 1/4 cup milk, whisk, then follow with the last 1/4 cup.
Heat the frying pan on low-medium heat. Brush some oil onto the pan. To stop the pan from smoking too much simply cook 4 griddle cakes at one time to reduce exposed surface area- this will also give you nice and small cakes. Keep them warm on a plate in the oven on the lowest heat setting until ready to serve. They are best eaten fresh and can be toasted any other time for a quick snack- try it with melted cheese on top.
Enjoy :)
April 27, 2009
April 19, 2009
Green Tea Ice Cream with Honey and Vanilla Bean
This Christmas saw the introduction of an appliance that's been 'desperately' required in my kitchen for a while- an ice cream machine! After years of attempting to make perfect ice cream with no machine, and certainly with no perfect results, I came to the conclusion that an ice cream machine is completely necessary for the ice-cream obsessed.
Without a machine you are committed to being home once every hour to stir the ice cream to achieve the desired smooth consistency. However, if you don't work from home, then finding a day that allows you to be available this often is quite a rare occurrence.
A Cuisinart ice cream machine is the answer! It's stylish with clean lines and a smooth exterior true to the ice cream it produces. It's simply designed, and that means less moving parts, so there is less chance of breakage and the need for maintenance. This way it should last for a very long time. I've used it every few weeks since Christmas and definitely our consumption of ice cream has increased, but because I only make small batches (lots of small batches = more experimentation!) we then eat less of it at any one time- and it all works out!
Not all experimentations in 2009 have been successful, but there are a few recipes that did work and are very worth mentioning, such as rich coffee ice cream, chocolate and spice, coffee-chocolate (coming soon!), and this one:
As with most ice creams, start by making a simple custard:
- In a small pan on low to medium heat, heat 250ml whipping cream with half a cup medium-fat milk (2% or semi-skimmed).
- To the cream add the seeds and the pod of half a vanilla bean. The other half of the vanilla pod can be stored in an airtight container for another time.
- In a mixing bowl combine 100g caster sugar or Fairtrade/organic sugar with 3 egg yolks and whisk until the mixture is pale yellow in colour. To this add slightly less than 1 tbsp matcha (fine green tea powder) and stir until any lumps dissolve.
- When the cream mixture is heated through add 2 tbsps of mild honey then remove from the heat and pour through a sieve into the egg mixture quickly stirring with a wooden spoon until well incorporated.
- Return to the pan and heat on a low heat for about 10 minutes, frequently stirring until the custard has thickened. You will need to watch the custard closely. When you can draw a line through the custard on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon then the custard will be ready.
Once thickened remove the custard from the heat and be sure to cool it to at least blood temperature before adding it to the ice cream machine. I have noticed that either the honey or the matcha powder seems to stop the ice cream from freezing as fast as it normally does within the machine, so if after 25 minutes the ice cream is still in a 'soft-serve' state, then transfer to a container and complete the freezing in the freezer. With a bit of patience wait until the next day and you will have scrumptious, silky smooth honeyed green tea and vanilla ice cream.
Enjoy!
Without a machine you are committed to being home once every hour to stir the ice cream to achieve the desired smooth consistency. However, if you don't work from home, then finding a day that allows you to be available this often is quite a rare occurrence.
A Cuisinart ice cream machine is the answer! It's stylish with clean lines and a smooth exterior true to the ice cream it produces. It's simply designed, and that means less moving parts, so there is less chance of breakage and the need for maintenance. This way it should last for a very long time. I've used it every few weeks since Christmas and definitely our consumption of ice cream has increased, but because I only make small batches (lots of small batches = more experimentation!) we then eat less of it at any one time- and it all works out!Not all experimentations in 2009 have been successful, but there are a few recipes that did work and are very worth mentioning, such as rich coffee ice cream, chocolate and spice, coffee-chocolate (coming soon!), and this one:
Green tea (Matcha) ice cream flavoured with honey and vanilla bean. The flavours work really well together and surprisingly the honey, although I only used a small amount, really came through when the ice cream was completely frozen. In its 'soft-serve' state the honey is less vivid but still enjoyable.
As with most ice creams, start by making a simple custard:
- In a small pan on low to medium heat, heat 250ml whipping cream with half a cup medium-fat milk (2% or semi-skimmed).
- To the cream add the seeds and the pod of half a vanilla bean. The other half of the vanilla pod can be stored in an airtight container for another time.
- In a mixing bowl combine 100g caster sugar or Fairtrade/organic sugar with 3 egg yolks and whisk until the mixture is pale yellow in colour. To this add slightly less than 1 tbsp matcha (fine green tea powder) and stir until any lumps dissolve.
- When the cream mixture is heated through add 2 tbsps of mild honey then remove from the heat and pour through a sieve into the egg mixture quickly stirring with a wooden spoon until well incorporated.
- Return to the pan and heat on a low heat for about 10 minutes, frequently stirring until the custard has thickened. You will need to watch the custard closely. When you can draw a line through the custard on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon then the custard will be ready.
Once thickened remove the custard from the heat and be sure to cool it to at least blood temperature before adding it to the ice cream machine. I have noticed that either the honey or the matcha powder seems to stop the ice cream from freezing as fast as it normally does within the machine, so if after 25 minutes the ice cream is still in a 'soft-serve' state, then transfer to a container and complete the freezing in the freezer. With a bit of patience wait until the next day and you will have scrumptious, silky smooth honeyed green tea and vanilla ice cream.
Enjoy!
March 23, 2009
Spring Sowings and Peas...Please
Hi again!
After a long hibernation this winter I've finally awoken to the smell of spring and the many gardening and cooking possibilities that await us in the growing season ahead! My thoughts are on fresh snap peas picked and eaten instantly- save a few for a warm lentil and goat's cheese salad or stir-fry with sesame oil, cashews and rice noodles for an easy dinner. Mmm, the potential for enjoyment is endless...
I hope that everyone had a restful winter because now is certainly the time to begin preparing for the growing season if you haven't started already. For those of you in the UK I'm sure the daffodils are blooming and the weather is 'absolutely balmy' at this point in the season- Enjoy :)
Here it is the first day of proper spring for gardeners across the Okanagan Valley. My neighbour and I were both in the garden this morning planting our first crops of the year. Admittedly I'm playing it safe for now and simply planting cold and frost-hardy peas (Snap peas and regular shelling peas), and Broad beans (also known as Fava beans) which are great sautéed as part of a warm salad. Throwing in some chance (this is like garden financials!) you could plant some lettuce seeds now and they will happily start growing when the soil gets reasonably warm - probably in one month's time- but sometimes the weather surprises you with a really early crop- always a treat!
Last autumn I planted some Kale in mid-August expecting that would allow plenty of time for it to provide a late crop before the winter months set in. Unfortunately the Valley doesn't experience the extended 'Indian Summer' months that I had so enjoyed in the UK, so the Kale's growing season was cut drastically short. However, in the spirit of experimentation, I left the plants in the soil to see if they would survive the winter and continue to grow in the spring.
To my surprise the Kale has started to grow again after the harshest winter seen in years. The snow is still on the mountains and didn't leave the ground until very recently so I am seriously impressed with this Kale and very pleased to be getting an early crop of spring greens. Hurray for positive results! From now on I will plant Kale in the early spring AND early August.
Random Musings:
A little note about winters in Canada:
From what I've experienced this year, being 'new' again to the snowy winter season, winters here are simply enjoyable, quiet, and relaxing. They seem to consist of playing many board games and watching lots of films, trudging through the occasional bit of snow to the local wine bar or café, visiting with friends while bundled up in ski jackets and scarves around huge log fires (going for the maximum warmth factor here), and of course- to offset the pounds of sweets enjoyed over Christmas - lots of skiing and snowshoeing in the great (and very wild) outdoors!
Of course many people here seem to opt out of all of the above and 'fly south' to the U.S states of New Mexico or Arizona where they can enjoy the same activities as in the summer here, but all year round. These people are called 'Snow Birds' by the Americans and a large portion of my family is also a part of this mass migration south. From what I've heard there are literally thousands upon thousands of Canadians in this part of the U.S every winter. I've also been told that a local group has created an entire colony somewhere in Panama...
My view is that, although these trips make for a great renewal, due to the bright, warming sunshine, they can also take away from the forced rest and natural hibernation that a cold and snowy winter provides- something I noticed was greatly missing in the UK- where life was g0-go-go all the time. However, you have to wonder, after experiencing the longest winter ever, not only what I'll say when I'm 60, but also what I'll say next winter.
I wish everyone a productive and enjoyable first couple weeks of Spring season seed sowing!
Elana
After a long hibernation this winter I've finally awoken to the smell of spring and the many gardening and cooking possibilities that await us in the growing season ahead! My thoughts are on fresh snap peas picked and eaten instantly- save a few for a warm lentil and goat's cheese salad or stir-fry with sesame oil, cashews and rice noodles for an easy dinner. Mmm, the potential for enjoyment is endless...
I hope that everyone had a restful winter because now is certainly the time to begin preparing for the growing season if you haven't started already. For those of you in the UK I'm sure the daffodils are blooming and the weather is 'absolutely balmy' at this point in the season- Enjoy :)
Here it is the first day of proper spring for gardeners across the Okanagan Valley. My neighbour and I were both in the garden this morning planting our first crops of the year. Admittedly I'm playing it safe for now and simply planting cold and frost-hardy peas (Snap peas and regular shelling peas), and Broad beans (also known as Fava beans) which are great sautéed as part of a warm salad. Throwing in some chance (this is like garden financials!) you could plant some lettuce seeds now and they will happily start growing when the soil gets reasonably warm - probably in one month's time- but sometimes the weather surprises you with a really early crop- always a treat!
Last autumn I planted some Kale in mid-August expecting that would allow plenty of time for it to provide a late crop before the winter months set in. Unfortunately the Valley doesn't experience the extended 'Indian Summer' months that I had so enjoyed in the UK, so the Kale's growing season was cut drastically short. However, in the spirit of experimentation, I left the plants in the soil to see if they would survive the winter and continue to grow in the spring.
To my surprise the Kale has started to grow again after the harshest winter seen in years. The snow is still on the mountains and didn't leave the ground until very recently so I am seriously impressed with this Kale and very pleased to be getting an early crop of spring greens. Hurray for positive results! From now on I will plant Kale in the early spring AND early August.
Random Musings:
A little note about winters in Canada:
From what I've experienced this year, being 'new' again to the snowy winter season, winters here are simply enjoyable, quiet, and relaxing. They seem to consist of playing many board games and watching lots of films, trudging through the occasional bit of snow to the local wine bar or café, visiting with friends while bundled up in ski jackets and scarves around huge log fires (going for the maximum warmth factor here), and of course- to offset the pounds of sweets enjoyed over Christmas - lots of skiing and snowshoeing in the great (and very wild) outdoors!
Of course many people here seem to opt out of all of the above and 'fly south' to the U.S states of New Mexico or Arizona where they can enjoy the same activities as in the summer here, but all year round. These people are called 'Snow Birds' by the Americans and a large portion of my family is also a part of this mass migration south. From what I've heard there are literally thousands upon thousands of Canadians in this part of the U.S every winter. I've also been told that a local group has created an entire colony somewhere in Panama...
My view is that, although these trips make for a great renewal, due to the bright, warming sunshine, they can also take away from the forced rest and natural hibernation that a cold and snowy winter provides- something I noticed was greatly missing in the UK- where life was g0-go-go all the time. However, you have to wonder, after experiencing the longest winter ever, not only what I'll say when I'm 60, but also what I'll say next winter.
I wish everyone a productive and enjoyable first couple weeks of Spring season seed sowing!
Elana
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