Sea salt and cinnamon pita chip brownies

Do you know Chuck Hughes? Personally, I have never met him, but I do watch his TV show on Food Network Canada whenever I can. Chuck Hughes is a restaurant chef. He is the owner and chef of Garde-Manger (this translates as pantry), a well-known restaurant at Montreal's Old Port. I have never met Chuck, and I have never been to his restaurant. I'd love to do both, but I'd settle for eating at his restaurant, and perhaps getting a peak of him at work in his kitchen (he is quite, quite cute, and has a great, genuinely happy smile!).
When I found out that I could win dinner for two at Chuck's restaurant, simply by cooking or baking using In Snax pita chips or the In Cuisin mashed potatoes, I could not resist!
In Snax pita chips have been around for several months. I first discovered them at the St-Laurent street festival this summer. In Snax reps were giving out loads of packets of their pita chips (available in 3 flavors, but I prefer the sea salt, and the cinnamon flavors). I loved them. If you ask me, they seem like a pretty healthy snack, very simple, and if you read the label on the back of the package, they feature very few ingredients (which is a rare quality in snack food nowadays).

So, how do I attempt to win dinner for two at Chuck's restaurant? I wait for the last moment possible to start recipe development, conveniently when my neighborhood grocery store is out of all the In Snax products that I need to use in my recipe. Great!
Luckily, my mom saved the day because the grocery store near her house had lots (Thanks, Mom!).

I ground the pita chips to make pita chip crumbs, then I used them to make brownies.

 
My chocolate of choice for this recipe was also a local product: Theobroma chocolate. I love Theobroma chocolate. It's produced in Quebec, it's organic, and it's not too sweet.

Here's my recipe.

Sea salt and cinnamon pita chip brownies
Makes 16 brownies

• 2 cups In Snax pita chips (I used half sea salt-flavored, and half cinnamon-with-a-touch-of-sugar–flavored)
• 1/2 cup cocoa, sifted
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup milk (I used 1%)
• 8 oz Theobroma chocolate (~6.5 bars of both dark chocolate and espresso chocolate), chopped
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Prepare an 8x8 brownie pan by lightly greasing it, and lining it with parchment paper (be sure to leave an overhang of parchment to act as handles when it comes time to remove the brownies from the pan—see the above photo). Set the prepared pan aside. 
3. Grind the pita chips in a food processor until you have fine crumbs (don't worry if there are a few larger crumbs).
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the pita crumbs and the cocoa, and set them aside.
5. Melt the butter, milk, and chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. When the chocolate and butter are just melted, remove the pan from the heat, and set aside to cool slightly.
6. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and sugar until they are combined.
7. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly pour in the butter/milk/chocolate mixture. Mix on low to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
8. With the mixer still running on low speed, add the dry ingredients slowly. Mix until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary.
9. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared pan.
10. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool.
11. When the brownies are completely cooled, remove them from the pan using the parchment overhang, and slice them on a cutting board.
12. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk.

These brownies are fabulous, if I may say so myself. They are not too dense, a little fudgy, and a little chewy. And the most interesting aspect of the brownies is that they are nut-free, and yet the pita chip crumbs gave them a slight "nutty" texture. It's like they contain chopped nuts, and yet they totally don't. For those brownie-edge fans (like me), the edge is good and chewy, just how I like it. The espresso flavor (from the 1.5 espresso chocolate bars I used) enhanced the chocolate flavor. The sea salt and cinnamon from the chips linger in the background. All in all, this recipe is a great marriage of two Quebec products that I have grown to love.

Here's hoping that my brownies will win the contest. If they don't, at least I have a 16 fantastic brownies and lots of milk to drown my sorrows with ;)

 

Merci!

HHDH #35: Quick and easy chicken and pumpkin rice bowl

Laura suggested I participate in HHDH events after I posted a beef and onion stew inspired by a Donna Hay recipe. HHDH stands for "Hay Hay It's Donna Hay!" This is a monthly event that Chez Us is hosting this month. I think it is a great way to enjoy Donna Hay's simple, yet flavorful recipes. The recipe this month is for spicy chicken, pumpkin and roasted garlic rice. It's a rice bowl of sorts, and this recipe is a perfect example of what Donna Hay stands for: simple, flavorful recipes. This is my first time participating, and obviously, I left it to the last minute. It's a good thing that Donna Hay recipes are easy to follow, and featuring ingredients that are readily available! Here's my version of the recipe (essentially the same as the original, but I upped the amount of certain ingredients).

Chicken and pumpkin rice bowl
Serves 4 

• 1 cup uncooked short-grain brown rice
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (~150 grams each)
• 750 grams pumpkin, seeded, peeled, and chopped (this was half a small pumpkin)
• 1 tsp dried chili flakes
• 1 head of garlic, cloves separated but still in their individual peels
• 2.5 tbsp olive oil
•  1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley (soaked in cold water 3 times to remove all the sand), chopped
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar
• salt and pepper

1. Combine the rice with 2 cups cold water. Bring it to a boil, cover, and simmer until all the water is absorbed (depending on the type of brown rice, this could take 30–50 minutes)
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F.
3. On a large rimmed baking sheet, mix the chicken breasts, pumpkin, chili flakes, garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil so that all the ingredients are well combined.
4. Spread the mixture out in an even layer, and bake for 20 minutes.
5. Remove the pan from the oven to cool slightly on a rack.
6. In a large boil, add the vinegar, and then squeeze the individual roasted cloves of garlic into the vinegar. Mash them together with a fork.
7. Add the parsley, cooked rice, and the pumpkin. Stir to combine.
8. Divide this mixture among 4 bowls.
9. Slice the chicken breasts, and divide the slices among the 4 bowls.

Was that not easy? The recipe is pretty healthy too! The dish is full of flavor courtesy of the roasted garlic, chili flakes, and the tangy vinegar. It is also a recipe that is perfect for fall as, in Quebec, this is the best time to get pumpkins to cook with.

I cannot wait to participate every month (I hope!). Many thanks to Chez Us for hosting the event, and to Laura for sharing this event me about it!

When dad offers you duck bacon, make mac and cheese

My dad gave me a wonderful gift recently. He offered me not one, but two packages of smoked duck bacon from D'Artagnan! I am a lucky girl because this stuff is delicious!

I have lots of plans for this duck bacon, but since I have been a little under the weather lately, I opted to use a few slices in a recipe for the ultimate in comfort food: homemade mac and cheese (and not KD, which serves a purpose in times of crisis). Traditional mac and cheese recipes are made with a roux-based (flour and butter cooked together) sauce, containing milk, and lots of cheese. Most mac and cheeses are made this way. However, the October 2010 issue of Everyday Food featured a mac and cheese recipe (the cover recipe) from Emeril Lagasse that was not roux-based! Instead, the cheesy sauce was made from evaporated milk, eggs, and cheese! Interesting. Very interesting. It also featured a few slices of bacon, and calls for a mixture of cheddar (mainly), Monterey Jack, and parmesan. However, Monterey Jack is not easy to find in Quebec. So I replaced the 1/2 cup Monterey Jack with an extra 1/2 cup of cheddar. By my math, I needed a whole block of cheddar. I figured, if I am going to test out this recipe and spend $10 on a 300 gram block of aged cheddar (Balderson) for this recipe, I might as well use some top-quality duck bacon to go with my top-quality cheese.

Duck bacon mac and cheese
Serves 6

• 4 slices duck bacon, cut into small 1/2-inch strips
• 2 small cloves of garlic, minced
• 225 grams pasta shells
• 2 cups shredded Balderson aged 3-year cheddar
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 can evaporated skim milk
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 475°F.
2. Cook the pasta shells in a large pot of boiling water for half the recommended cooking time. The pasta should not be cooked through at this point. Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside in a large bowl.
3. In a large frying pan heated on medium heat, cook the duck bacon until it is cooked through. This takes several minutes (make sure the pan is not too hot, or your precious bacon will burn!).
4. Add the garlic. Stir the mixture for 30 seconds, then strain it (save the bacon fat! It is liquid gold!). Add the mixture to the pasta bowl.
5. Beat the evaporated milk, eggs, cayenne, and nutmeg.
6. Add this mixture to the pasta, along with the grated cheeses. Stir well to combine, then pour into an 8x9-inch Pyrex (this is what I had on hand, but most people would use an 8x8 Pyrex or a 9x9-inch Pyrex).
7. Bake for 10–15 minutes, until the edges bubble and begin to turn golden.
8. Remove from the oven and let set for 10 minutes before serving.

The verdict on this flourless mac and cheese. I can see that this would be a great way to make gluten-free mac and cheese, if you used gluten-free pasta (like a quinoa-based or a corn-based pasta for example). The eggs and bacon add a whopping amount of protein to this dish. It certainly hit the spot just as the snow began to fall in Montreal (first snow fall!). However, this is more of a cheesy soufflé with pasta.  The cheesy egg mixture was very tasty, but a little curdled in appearance (did I overbake it? I forgot to set the timer...). I think next time I would redo this recipe on the stove, whisking the cheesy egg mixture as I would a pastry cream. Then, when it was perfectly thickened (not curdled), I would add in the pasta and stir to heat it through.

The cheese flavor was quite sharp, probably because I added extra cheddar to replace the Monterey Jack. I was in cheddar heaven! If you are a not a huge cheddar fan, then you might want to go with the original cheddar–Monterey-Jack mixture, a milder cheddar, or even a completely different cheese combination. All in all, with some tweaking, I think this recipe has a lot of potential. Another interesting Magazine Monday!

P.S. That D'Artagnan duck bacon is fantastic!

DB: Old meets new as Daring Bakers do doughnuts

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

When was the last time you looked through an old stash of recipe cards for a recipe? Can you remember? I certainly can't. Long gone are the days when we open a recipe box and leaf through recipe cards to find the recipe we want to follow. 
I initially went old school for this challenge, with a recipe from my grandmother for her cakey doughnuts. As you can tell from the photo, my grandmother wrote up this recipe years ago on a recipe card, like most of her other recipes. My mom estimates that the recipe is at least 70 years old. Almost all her recipe cards are contained in her metal recipe box that my mom has kept pretty much intact, perhaps with a few additions to the contents.
My mom has never made these doughnuts, and sadly, my grandmother is not here to coach me at my first attempt at making her doughnuts. Her recipe card only has ingredients and amounts; no instructions or order of addition of the ingredients as you can see in the photo below. That's okay. I take this as her way of challenging me in the kitchen, and also teaching me the importance of writing detailed instructions.

For my grandmother's recipe, I used the order of ingredients listed on the card as the order of addition. I beat the eggs and the sugar for a couple minutes, then I added shortening that was half melted (Is this what my grandmother would call "not too hot"? Not sure.). Then I added the vanilla (this is a deviation from the order listed, but it seemed like a logical time to add the vanilla). I alternated between adding the dry ingredients (which I whisked together in advance— I used 3 cups of flour, in case you are wondering) and the milk, ending with the dry ingredients. I refrigerated the dough for 1 hour, just because I had read that doughnut doughs should be left to settle before rolling them out.

The dough was pretty sticky, but I ignored that fact and kept doughnut making. With a little flour, the dough rolled out nicely, and I cut out lots of doughnuts with both "vintage" doughnut cutters that were my grandmother's and new cutters from Ares.
I fried them between 350° and 375°F on my electric stove, in a large saucepan that was about half-filled (maybe less) with oil. From my first frying experience, I knew that maintaining the temperature of the oil was difficult. To avoid that the oil get too hot, I alternated between having the saucepan on the burner and off the burner. I found this worked better than lower the stove setting, which I set to 4 once the oil was heated to the right temperature.
My other issue with frying was turning the doughnut holes in the hot oil so that they would brown evenly. Have you ever tried to "flip" a half cooked doughnut hole? It's rough. Every time you roll them ever, they roll back! Frustrating.

To dust them with powdered sugar, I used a metal tea infuser half filled with powdered sugar. I tapped the tea infuser over a plate of doughnuts to dust them.

My creative way of sugaring them worked out pretty well!

 The doughnuts were very light, not so cakey.

My mom's verdict on them was that, although they were delicious, they were not what she remembered. Sadness. I am sure that the quantities of ingredients called for are correct, but I think my mixing method/order of addition of the ingredients was not correct. I guess I will just have to keep making them until I get it just right! As soon as I've figured this recipe out, I'll post an official recipe with instructions on how to make them. This way the information will never be lost.

I continued this doughnut challenge with a recipe available on Food Network that I can access on the internet from my laptop. This is the usual way that I look up recipes, far from going through a recipe box. Although this method of recipe finding does not have the same nostalgic appeal as sifting through my grandmother's kitchen history, the web is still a great research tool. During my internet searching, I came across this song. It's "The Doughnut Song," performed by Burl Ives. Gotta love the interweb!



After my Burl Ives interlude, I opted to try a recipe from Alton Brown for yeast doughnuts.

The dough was quite sticky, as was my grandmother's dough, but I chose to ignore the fact again, and I continued forth with the recipe.

It rose beautifully on my counter. Within 30 minutes, it had almost doubled. After an hour it was more than doubled.

With a little flour, it rolled out really easily. The dough was a cinch to work with!

I fried them at the same temperature as the cakey doughnuts. Once again, the doughnut holes were a pain to "flip." Figures!
When the doughnuts had cooled to room temperature, I glazed them with a maple glaze made of 1/4 cup maple syrup, 1 cup icing sugar, plus a little milk for diluting the glaze. I filled some with a pumpkin pastry cream, which I accidentally prepared in an industrial quantity (I wasn't thinking at the time about how much I'd actually need). My recipe was adapted from here, except I added much more pumpkin than the recipe called for. I also changed the method of cooking: I used the cooking method for pastry cream from Warren Brown's Cake Love book (which is a favorite of mine for buttercreams and fillings).

I loved these doughnuts. The recipe worked out perfectly. They were nice and light as yeast doughnuts should be. My only complaint is the amount of nutmeg called for. I felt it was a little strong, although others were not bothered by this.

And that concludes another Daring Bakers challenge. Merci!

Pumpkin and spinach lasagna

This autumn, I have been on a mission to enjoy as many as I can of the squashes and pumpkins available in Quebec this time of year. I have roasted a pumpkin, and used the purée to make pumpkin and brown butter cupcakes. I also roasted a buttercup squash to make a spiced squash soup. I diced and roasted butternut squash to make a great fall salad with cashews and a dressing of soy sauce and sesame oil. I even used acorn squash to make a beef and millet soup (or maybe it was a stew?).
My mission was inspired by Mario Batalli and his video clip on Eatocracy that I stumbled upon in September. I know that I mentioned this clip previously but I cannot help mentioning it again. It is really a great clip that makes you think about what you are purchasing when you go grocery shopping, and how simple and natural it can be to live, and eat, according to the seasons. Of course, in Montreal and most of Canada, our crops are very limited in the winter (although we do have a number of green houses providing us with fresh tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce in the dead of winter). To follow this philosophy in winter, we often eat what has been stored (for example, squashes, potatoes, and apples can be stored through the winter to be consumed while the crops lay dormant). So I stored a number of veggies for winter, including some mashed roasted pumpkin.

I dipped into my freezer stash a little early (luckily, I still have time to replenish it), and made a pumpkin and spinach lasagna, inspired by a recipe from Food & Wine (January 1998). I love squash and pumpkin ravioli, and have been craving it for awhile, but I have not been in the mood, nor have I had time to make pasta from scratch. This recipe was perfect, accommodating my lack of time, and incorporating pumpkin in an easy lasagna.
To prepare this lasagna, you have to prepare the fillings first. I sautéed onions and garlic in olive oil until they were cooked through. Then I added ~300 grams of fresh spinach that I chopped for the filling, along with ground sage, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and I cooked this mixture until all the water had evaporated (a necessary step to avoid soupy lasagna! Yikes!).

In a bowl, I mixed my mashed pumpkin with cream, sage, nutmeg, and freshly grated parmesan cheese (I used my mini food processor to grate the cheese).

 
I also pre-boiled the whole wheat lasagna noodles since I was not using the no-boil noodles called for in the recipe. I ran them under cold water when they were al dente to stop the cooking process.
Then came lasagna assembly. I used a buttered 8x12 Pyrex that my mom gave me at Christmas a few years ago. My lasagna had 3 layers. Each of the first 2 noodle layers was topped with half the pumpkin mixture, and half the spinach filling.

On the third layer of cooked noodles, the recipe calls for another cup of mashed pumpkin (this lasagna really is loaded with pumpkin) that has been mixed with 3/4 cup of cream. This is a very fluid mixture, and I was seriously concerned as I poured it over my lasagna (what if I end up with a soupy lasagna?). I topped the dish with a good cups-worth of grated parmesan.

I popped the lasagna in the oven for 30 minutes at 400°F. At that point, my lasagna did not look like the picture on the Food & Wine website. The edges were a nice golden color, but the top was pale in comparison. I think the key here is that when my oven is set to bake, only the bottom element is on. So, I set the oven to broil (at the same temperature) to activate the top element of my oven, and I browned the top (a stroke of sheer genius on my part! I have my moments!). This step took less than 5 minutes. The broiling turned my very pale, sad looking lasagna into a lovely, browned, bubbly pumpkin masterpiece.

The aroma of the cheesy pumpkin was intoxicating, but unfortunately, I had to wait 10 minutes for it to set up nicely before cutting (this is a serious rule that must be followed so that cutting and serving the lasagna will be a pleasure, and not a sloppy disaster).

This lasagna is cheesy pumpkin heaven. It's a cinch to prepare, and it really is delicious. Here's my recipe, which is not quite like the original from Food & Wine (which calls for no-boil lasagna noodles, swiss chard, canned pumpkin, and a whole lot of extra milk during assembly).

Pumpkin and spinach lasagna
Serves 8 (although the magazine claims it serves 4. That would be 4 HUGE portions!)

• olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped 
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ~300–400 grams fresh spinach, washed well and chopped
• salt
• fresh-ground black pepper
• 1 tsp dried sage, divided
• 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg, divided
• 3 cups mashed roasted pumpkin, divided
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan, divided
• 1 box whole wheat lasagna noodles  

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. In a frying pan on medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic until the onions are cooked and translucent.
3. Add the chopped spinach, 1/2 tsp sage, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
4. Cook the mixture until the spinach is wilted and there is no more water left in the pan (this takes several minutes). Set the pan aside.
5. In a separate bowl, combine 2 cups of pumpkin with 3/4 cups heavy cream, and 1/2 cup parmesan cheese. Add  1/2 tsp sage and 1/4 tsp nutmeg, along with salt and pepper.
6. Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package. When they are al dente, drain them and run cold water over them to cool them. Strain them once they've cooled.
7. Butter an 8x12 Pyrex.
8. Place 1 layer of lasagna noodles. Top with half the pumpkin filling, and half the spinach filling.
9. Place another layer of lasagna noodles. Top with the other half of the fillings.
10. Place the final layer of lasagna noodles on top.
11. In a bowl, mix 1 cup pumpkin and 3/4 cups cream. Pour this over the top of the lasagna.
12. Sprinkle with 1 cup parmesan.
13. Heat the lasagna in the oven for about 30 minutes. If the top isn't browned, change the setting on the oven to broil at 400°F, and heat the lasagna until the top is browned nicely.
14. Place the lasagna on a cooling rack to set for 10 minutes before cutting into it.
15. Enjoy a slice with a light salad.

This concludes another Magazine Sunday to be submitted to Ivonne for Magazine Mondays. Merci!

Can you identify the taste of saffron?

This is a question that I am often pondering: exactly what does saffron taste like? Saffron is a delicate spice made from the stigma of a crocus flower (think biology 101 for what a stigma is, or wikipedia it). It is traditionally used in a number of well-known dishes, such as paella Valencia. It is also an interesting ingredient to bake with.
Saffron has been used for centuries (actually thousands of years). The Minoans used it medicinally. Perfumers in Egypt used it to scent waters. Cleopatra actually steeped in saffron baths (can you imagine!). There was even a "saffron war" over a stolen shipment of saffron! But what does it taste like?
Every time somebody tells me they used saffron in a dish, I ask them to identify the taste of saffron for me. I don't often get an answer, which leads me to question why we spend so much on such tiny amounts of the spice if we don't even know what it tastes like. This is a spice that sparked a war; it must have a remarkable flavor!

So, I purchased a 0.5 gram package of Spanish saffron, and I pondered how I would ever identify its flavor. First, I sniffed it. It smelled like hay, maybe with a slight dried chili odor (not spicy at all, but definitely reminiscent of a dried chili). Then, I tasted a strand. Initially, I tasted nothing, then I once again detected a dried herb or spice flavor. My first thought was that it tasted ancient, not "gone bad" ancient, but ancient as in historical. I realize historical and ancient aren't flavors, but that's where my mind went (maybe my interpretation was influenced by my research on the subject). Eventually it started to taste a little bitter. Very interesting.
Then, I used the entire package to make risotto Milanese (and I wonder where my money goes every month?). I had never eaten, nor made risotto Milanese before, but my Italian friend, Daniel, told me that it is incredible, and the more saffron the better, and use a good quality parmesan (OK, Daniel!). And, that is what I did.

Risotto Milanese
Serves 4–6

• Olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped (use a mini food processor if you can)
• 1 large stalk of celery, finely chopped (also done with a mini food processor)
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 package of saffron (Daniel says to use a liberal amount, but maybe use however much you are willing to part with considering its price)
• 900 mL chicken broth
• 1–2 tbsp butter
• 1/3–1/2 cup finely grated parmesan (Daniel says use top quality cheese)

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the chicken broth so that it is warm, if not gently simmering.
2. Coat another medium saucepan with olive oil, add the onion and celery, and heat on medium.
3. Cook the mixture until it is cooked, and the onions are translucent (but not colored).
4. Add the arborio, and stir constantly until they are coated with the oil and veg mixture. The rice will become translucent.
5. Add the wine, and stir, stir, stir, until the wine has just about disappeared.
6. Add the saffron and a ladle-full of hot broth. Stir, stir, stir.
7. When the broth is absorbed, add another ladle-full. Continue until the risotto is al dente (or as cooked as you like it). The risotto will look thick and creamy.
8. Add the butter and the grated parmesan. The risotto will thicken even more and become even creamier.
9. Beware! It's addictive.

And the verdict on the flavor of saffron.... I still cannot quite identify it, but the flavor (dried, ancient flavor?) is definitely there. If the saffron were not there, I am positive that its absence would be noted. The risotto is wonderfully creamy, and it's a beautiful yellow-orange color. Each grain of rice has just a slight bite (definitely not a bowl of mush). The saffron strands are beautifully strewn throughout the dish. The flavor of the wine lingers in the background of every bite. The parmesan is not overpowering; it is just right. I am glad that I took Daniel's advice, and made this risotto. Daniel was right. This stuff is good. It's really, really good. It is warm and comforting on a cold, rainy night.

An easy fall stew epitomizes the wonderful simplicity of Donna Hay recipes

Do you know who Donna Hay is? If you don't, you should look her up! She has published numerous cookbooks over the years, and also publishes a wonderful magazine. Donna Hay's recipes are wonderful, simple yet elegant, and, as a bonus, her recipes turn out well! Up until last week, I only owned her Modern Classic book. Then I saw her new book, entitled Seasons, and I knew right away that I had to have it. Of course, I put off buying it for awhile (do I really, really need another cookbook?), and then I caved and I purchased it (I always need another cookbook!). I am pretty sure this was another great investment. This book, like all of Donna Hay's others, is filled with short and simple recipes that are absolutely delicious. And, in keeping with the style of her previous book, every recipe page actually contains about 4 recipes! Her books are bursting with recipes, and lots of lovely photos too.
What's interesting about Seasons is that Donna Hay has organized the book into seasons (kind of obvious based on the title). So each section is a season, and therefore is filled with seasonal recipes. Within each season, the recipes are organized according to the type of recipe, whether savory or sweet.
Since we are mid-October, I flipped directly to the Autumn section, and I decided that the first recipe I would try is for a beef, onion and red wine pie. I changed the recipe a little (not that it needed it), by adding in button mushrooms and a small package of pearl onions. I used white wine instead of red wine (a faux-pas for some, but not for me) because I only had white on hand. I also did not make a pie. Instead, I served the beef and onion mixture as a stew, with golden strips of baked puff pastry on the side.

Here's my recipe, adapted from Seasons by Donna Hay:

Easy beef stew

Serves 4–6

• olive oil
• 1 kg beef chuck, cubed
• 1 onion, peeled and diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 package (227 grams) button mushrooms, halved or quartered depending on their size
• 1 package (I think it was 1 pound) frozen pearl onions
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 tsp crushed bay leaves
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water, extra to make slurry
• 1 block of puff pastry, thawed

1. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat.
2. Coat with oil, and add the beef (in batches) to brown it.
3. Then add the onion and cook until it is translucent.
4. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for another minute or so.
5. Add the pearl onions, stock, water, wine, and spices.
6. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the beef is tender.
7. While the stew is simmering, preheat the oven to 400°F.
8. Roll out the puff pastry and cut into 6–8 strips.
9. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until golden brown and perfectly puffed.
10. Prepare a slurry of cornstarch and water.
11. Add to the simmering beef stew and simmer, stirring, until it is thickened (a couple minutes).
12. Serve ladle-fulls of the stew with the golden strips of puff pastry.

I adored this stew recipe, and so did my parents (even my dad!). See:

This stew is simple, warming on a cold, fall evening. It tastes exactly like what I want beef stew to taste like. And, to top it all off, the recipe is made from ingredients that you are sure to have on hand. In fact, all the recipes are made with readily available ingredients! I am officially in love with my latest cookbook.

A first timer's attempt at making butternut squash gnocchi

I had never made gnocchi until now. Actually, I am not even sure how many times I had actually eaten gnocchi. Why? Probably because I am a pasta-eating monster, and when given the choice of gnocchi or pasta, somehow I always opt for pasta.
Earlier this year, there was a recipe for pumpkin (or squash or sweet potato, memory failing) gnocchi in Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine. I marked the page, but never got around to making them, and now I can't even find the issue (organizational fail!). Then, in the October 2010 issue of Bon Appétit magazine, Lydia Bastianich provided a recipe for butternut squash gnocchi with sage brown butter (yes, I know I am obsessed with brown butter!). Sounds exactly right for the fall season, doesn't it? And, if I am going to trust anybody with my first attempt at making gnocchi, I would definitely trust Lydia Bastianich and Bon Appétit. Lydia Bastianich is renowned for her Italian cooking shows and cookbooks. I have watched her closely on PBS. She is not frilly or over the top like some Food Network shows. No crazy combinations of ingredients here. Instead, she is dedicated to authentic Italian food and good recipes.

The recipe is pretty straight forward, but there are a few steps you need to do in advance. So the day before I made my gnocchi, I roasted the butternut squash (alongside the pumpkin for the brown butter and pumpkin cupcakes) and I boiled the potatoes. I puréed the squash in the food processor, heated the puréed squash I needed, in a fry pan, to dry it. I also mashed the potato the day before. I let everything cool in the fridge overnight.
The next morning, I combined all the gnocchi ingredients in a large bowl, following the recipe exactly. The dough was slightly sticky, even after kneading in all the flour, but I found in the end that the slight stickiness was an asset to making the ropes of dough for the gnocchi. When I attempted to make the ropes on a floured surface, I found there was a slight elasticity to the dough that made it harder to get it rolled out to the desired thickness and length. On the other hand, when I rolled out the dough on a dry, clean surface, the snakes of dough clung a little to the surface, making it easier to roll to the desired length. I also realized while rolling out the ropes of dough that it had been a very long time since I had rolled any dough, or even playdough into snakes, and that my snake-making skills were a little rusty! I am sure that if you have kids, rolling out the ropes of gnocchi dough would be a great activity to do with them in the kitchen. They might even be better at it then you!

With my gnocchi ropes ready, I proceeded to cut and shape them by rolling them under the prongs of a fork. My gnocchi were a little "rustic" looking, but I was not exactly looking for the perfect look. As long as they taste good, I don't care what shape they come it! I froze them all in a single layer on baking sheets covered with parchment paper for about 4 hours (I did not flour the parchment paper, and I was pleased to find that, once frozen, the gnocchi unstuck from the paper very easily!). Then I transferred them to a resealable freezer bag to store frozen until I was ready to cook them.

They froze beautifully, and when I was ready to cook them, I just tossed a servings-worth into a large pot of salted boiling water and let them cook for under 10 minutes (I waited until they floated to the surface, and then cooked them for an additional 3 or 4 minutes—taste them to be sure they are cooked to your liking). As the gnocchi were cooking, in a fry pan I browned a couple tablespoons of butter, added in some chopped fresh sage, then transferred the cooked gnocchi directly from the boiling water into the fry pan. I tossed the gnocchi in the sage brown butter so that they were nicely coated. Then I plated them.

Delicious! The gnocchi tasted wonderful! They were soft, with a slight chew to them. They did not taste overly potato-y, but the squash flavor was not overwhelming either. I could definitely taste the cheese in them.
I am glad that I did not use too much sage though, because the little I did use was quite strong (so be careful!). The anise-flavor of the sage was great with the squash gnocchi and the brown butter.

The gnocchi were really simple to make, and now I have a sackful of gnocchi, ready to be cooked at a moments notice. I am excited to experiment with different flavors, like spinach gnocchi, maybe beet gnocchi too, and of course, sweet potato. Thanks to Bon Appétit for another great recipe! This was another successful Magazine Monday!