Lex Culinaria

Cannellini bean & garlic sausage cassouolet

What could be a more perfect hunker-down-dish than a deep-brown, saucy and aromatic cassoulet? How about one that involves so little effort it's shameful? I made one in the slow cooker yesterday that was, as my favourite taste-tester (and husband) proclaimed, 100% rustic French farmhouse (even if id did come from a slow cooker). 

The culinary romantic part of me longs for a Le Creuset baker - the perfect vessel for a slow cooked, saucy, bubbling and brown-topped cassoulet. The stingy side of me keeps balking at the price. I have been doing this dance of alternating lust and restraint over the Le Creuset baker for the better part of 10 years now. I see no need to stop.

That is why, instead of a misty-lensed picturesque afternoon punctuated by peeks into the softly glowing oven to check the progress of my mythical casserole, I made mine in the extremely well-loved slow-cooker that I bought at Home Depot in 2004 for the ridiculously low price of $35.99. Not exactly the charming genesis I had envisioned for this dish, but hey, it was still darn tasty.

This dish is best served with a big loaf of warm crusty bread and fresh butter or, if you're going for the authentic farmhouse feel, topped with a generous helping of breadcrumbs fried in seasoned butter. or possibly both.

It's important to get the right kind of sausage for this as it will be simmered for a great deal of time, and coarser sausages tend to fall apart with such treatment. The kind I use is fine ground and can stand up to hours of simmering  - sometimes it's referred to as "boiling sausage". I buy it mine at the K&K Foodliner on Whyte Avenue where they sell it in ham, beef, turkey & bison varieties and it's all made right on premises.

Serves 6

• 1.5 cups dried cannellini beans
• 350 - 400 grams good country garlic sausage, sliced into rounds about 1/4 inch thich
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 large yellow onion, sliced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 small carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
• 1 large (896 ml) tin chopped tomatoes in juice
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley

Soak beans overnight or at least 4 hours in warm water, drain, rinse and add to a 4.5 litre (or larger) slow cooker.

In a large frying pan, lightly sprayed with oil, quickly fry the sausage rounds at medium high heat for 6 to 7 minutes until sausage begins to brown, add onion and continue to cook and stir for 3-4 minutes more until onion begins to soften.

Transfer contents of pan into the slow cooker and use the beef stock to deglaze the pan. Add all remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, except the parsley. Cook on the high setting for 3 to 4 hours. Remove from heat and stir through the parsley. Have a taste before you add any salt or pepper as, depending on the sausage and stock used, there may be no need for salt.

Serve in chunky earthenware bowls topped with buttered fried breadcrumbs or with fresh French bread. This is even better the second day!

The World's Best Cookies!!!

I have a strange collection of little booklet-style cookbooks. Some are from the 40's or 50's. Some are the kind of cookbook that you could write away for off the back of a packet of baking soda. Some were clearly made and sold as a fund raiser for local community or church groups. In all, I'd say I have somewhere around 20 of these little gems. One of them is from the 1995 graduating class fund raiser from my law school. It contains, not just cheesy law-school humour, but cheesy, college student recipes in spades. Some are good. A lot of them use offensive amounts of mayonnaise or Velveeta. But one of the recipes has served as the basis for 12 years of amazing chocolate chip cookies for me.

In 12 years, I don't know that I've managed to stick to the recipe entirely even once, but the results have always been stellar. The trick, in my opinion, is the ground oatmeal which replaces half the flour. It makes for a cookie that tastes like a marriage between an chewy oatmeal cookie and a chocolate chip cookie. Perfect!

The current incarnation looks something like this:

• 1 cup butter, soft
• 1/4 cup vanilla sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 2 1/2 cups rolled oats (whizzed into flour in your blender)
• a splash of milk
• 1 heaping cup walnuts
• 12 oz bag chocolate chips (minus a few chips to eat while you're cooking)
• 1 cup dried cherries

Whip butter and sugars together on high in a stand mixer until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. mix in eggs and vanilla. Sift together salt, cinnamon, flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and mix in to the butter mixture. If the dough is a little stiff (this will depend on the size of your eggs and the state of your brown sugar) add a little splash (maybe a tablespoon or two) of milk. Mix in the nuts, chocolate and cherries.

Drop by heaping teaspoons full onto a cookie sheet and bake in a 350F oven for approximately 10 minutes - until the edges of the cookies begin to turn a golden brown colour. Remove from oven and let cool on sheets for a few minutes before transferring to cooling racks.

Thai Pumpkin Soup

I really love a nice steamy bowl of pumpkin soup when it's cold outside - it's seasonal, warming and hearty, without being super fatty or carb-y. I usually make a very standard kind of pumpkin soup, and I was feeling a bit bored of that when I hauled up a nice pale-yellow "ghost" pumpkin from out cold room. Despite the fact that I've never really thought of pumpkin as a Thai food, it turned out extremely well with Thai flavours. It was creamy and warming and spicy.

Serves four to six

• 1.5 kilo pumpkin, halved and de-seeded
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 long red chillies, minced
• 1/4 cup Thai basil, minced
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3 Tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• zest of 1 lime
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro (reserve out a teaspoon to mince for garnish)
• 3/4 cup coconut milk, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish
• juice of 1 lime

Brush pumpkin halves with oil and bake at 350F for 45 minutes, or zap in the microwave until soft (about 12 minutes). Allow pumpkin to cool for a few minutes on the counter.

Heat oil in large saucepan and fry the onion, basil, red chillies and garlic. Scoop cooked flesh away from shell of pumpkin and add it to the saucepan. Stir in the stock, cilantro, fish sauce, soy sauce and lime zest.

Allow to simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes and then puree with an immersion blender. Stir through the lime juice and coconut milk.

Ladle into bowls and top with coconut milk and minced cilantro.

Serve immediately.

Beachy breakfast

While we were in Oz, we nipped up the East coast to Noosa to spend some quality time with my best girlfriend Jane and her hubby and their little boy. Jane and her crew were a bit delayed getting up there so Cakes and I had nothing to do other than wander up and down Hastings Street eating. Despite all the tasty available options and time on our hands, we kept coming back to one restaurant for breakfast. Because I LOOOOOVED their oatmeal. I normally couldn't give a toss for oatmeal, but this stuff got me hooked. It was nutty and chewy, not soupy & mushy like I had thought all oatmeal was. Plus it came with a generous topping of brown sugar, cream and stewed rhubarb. Since we've been back, I've made it at least twice a week. Make sure you use steel cut oats or thick rolled oats in order to achieve that nutty, chewy texture!

Oatmeal & Rhubarb

Serves 2

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup steel cut oats (or the thickest old fashioned rolled oats you can find)
• pinch of sea salt
• 1/3 cup quick oats

• 1 cup sliced rhubarb
• 1/4 cup vanilla sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup cream (or hot milk)

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring milk and water to a boil. Add salt and steel cut oats and reduce heat to a simmer. Allow to cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring, until oats are cooked through, but still chewy. Stir in quick oats and remove from heat.

While the oats are cooking, place rhubabr and sugar in a large microwave-safe bowl and nuke on high heat for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and stir. Nuke for 3 minutes more. Your rhubarb should now be a nice compote. If necessary, nuke a while longer.

Divide oatmeal between two deep bowls. Top half of each bowl with rhubarb and the other half with brown sugar. Pour the cream around the edges of the oatmeal.

Sweeter than Sugar

Because I can't resist!

Missing Melbourne

When we left Melbourne at the end of October things were just beginning to heat up over there and cool down over here. Sadly, springtime in Melbourne is a distant memory now. It doesn't help that winter descended on Edmonton overnight with a great big whumpf of snow and a 17 degree drop in temperature. Right now in Melbourne it's a mere 13c. Mind you, it's early morning there. Sigh.

Aside from the weather, there's always something for me to miss about Melbourne. More often than not, it's food-related. Good coffee. A favourite restaurant (or two).

Mainly what I miss is really, really good food just about anywhere you go. Sadly, in Edmonton mediocrity is all the rage and truly good meals are few and far between.  I think I'd kind of forgotten that after 2 years away from Melbourne.

For a meal to be truly great, it doesn't have to be avant garde science geek food "inspired" by El Bulli or the French Laundry (which is now so ubiquitous as to be boring - if I never hear another person bill their food as "Inspired" by something it will be too soon!).

Really good food does have to fulfil its potential. If it's a scone, it must be a great scone. A scone that makes me go "wow!".

And honestly most restaurants in Edmonton aren't even half way there. Some are good. Most are mediocre. A few are downright shocking. People here seem to rave about restaurants that hover somewhere around good to mediocre. A sad testament to what is available on tables across the city.

For me, the perfect illustration of the disparity that exists between Melbourne and Edmonton is summed up in one word: Risotto. I have never had a good risotto in Edmonton. Even in a pricey restaurant. Most risottos here are mushy or soupy. And flavourless and uninteresting. I ate several amazing risottos in Melbourne. Not in fancy places for outrageous prices, but in run of the mill local pubs for around $14. My love for good risotto re-ignited, I couldn't wait to try to reproduce my favourite as soon as we got back.

I know risottos are very "Naked Chef", but there's something so cozy yet elegant about them that I can't help but still love them even if they are about 5 years out of style. Besides, there must be a skill to them. Seems a lot of chefs out here have trouble with them.

I promise this one won't disappoint. I had something similar at the Fringe cafe at the Acland Street Junction in St. Kilda.

Pumpkin, Spinach & Goat Cheese Risotto

Serves 6

• 1 medium acorn squash or small, sweet pumpkin (plus olive oil to coat)
• 2 chopped medium onions
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1.5 litres chicken stock
• 2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice
• ½ cup dry white wine
• butter
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan
• 4 cups fresh spinach leaves
• 300 grams goats cheese
• Sea salt
• Fresh pepper

Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds, peel and cut into 2cm cubes. Toss cubes in olive oil and roast on a baking tray at 350F for 35 minutes.

10 minutes before the squash is finished baking, sauté the onion & garlic in a large saucepan over medium heat for a 3-4 minutes until they begin softening. Add the rice and cook, stirring for several minutes until the rice is glossy and absorbs the oil.

Stir through the wine until it is all absorbed into the rice and the alcohol has cooked off.
After the wine is absorbed, start adding the stock a cupful at a time, stirring constantly until the rice has absorbed each cupful before adding the next.

This whole process should take between 15 to 30 minutes to absorb all the stock. Keep tasting the rice to make sure it is cooked and soft but with a bit of bite.

With the last cupful of stock add the pumpkin cubes, spinach, butter and Parmesan.
season with salt and pepper. Stir gently to allow the remaining stock to be absorbed and to break up the pumpkin a little bit.

When the risotto is done, it should be slightly saucy, but should still mound nicely, not run.

Ladle piles of the risotto into bowls and top with crumbled goats cheese.

Lex Culinaria takes a holiday

I'm taking a blogging hiatus for the months of September & October as Cakes and I are takjing Baby Cakes to Melbourne to visit family and friends. I'll be back in November.....Hopefully with lots of great travel and food ideas.

Totally Inauthentic (but v. delicious) Sopa De Tortilla

I have been absolutely craving the Sopa De Tortilla from El Rancho for weeks now. I have, in fact, been craving it so much that I have made 4, yes, 4, attempts in the last 3 weeks to go to El Rancho specifically for this soup but have been thwarted at every turn. It seems every time I go they are not open for one reason on another and there is a frustrating little note pinned to the door saying that they are closed for the evening.... GRRRRR.

So I have given up.

I bought an avocado a few days ago in the hope that I might find the time to google a recipe that looked similar. Alas, the avocado was ripe today and I hadn't googled a thing. So I just kind of made it up with what I had on hand and honestly, although inauthentic, this soup was really damn good.  If you wanted to get more authentic you could replace the parsley with cilantro, use shredded roast chicken in place of the sliced chicken thighs and use lime instead of lemon. You could also add fresh cheese such as queso fresco or feta and use fresh chillies instead of dried.

Serves 4

• 3 (6" - 8") tortillas
• spray on canola oil
• salt

• 6 cups good chicken stock
• 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2-3 chicken thighs or one breast
• 1 large Haas avocado, sliced thinly into approximately 18 -20 slices (if you don't know how to slice an avocado - click here)
• 1/4 cup sliced chives
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 2 lemons or limes

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray tortillas on both sides with oil, slice into small strips about 2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. Spread on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Bake in oven 20 minutes or until crispy. Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring stock, red pepper and garlic to a simmer. Slice chicken into small strips. Immerse in stock to simmer for 2 minutes. Add avocado, chives and parsley to stock.
Carefully grate a small amount of lemon zest (about 1/4 teaspoon) into stock. Cut lemons in half.

Ladle soup into 4 soup plates and top with 1/4 of the tortilla strips. Squeeze 1/2 lemon over each bowl.

Chocolate and Cinnamon Ice Cream

Finally, as promised much much earlier...the recipe for chocolate & cinnamon ice cream! I have made this 3 more times since my original mention of it (and promise to post soon) in May, mere days before the baby arrived. Maybe those three batches are what accounts for his rapid weight gain... not because he's been eating the ice cream, but because I have. That is, if I can get to the ice cream before my husband does...

This reminds me of Mexican hot chocolate, but nice and creamy and cool. Hardly surprising given the cinnamon. I swear you'll never make another chocolate ice cream recipe again.

• 750 ml (3 cups) whole milk
• 1 cup vanilla sugar
• 2 whole eggs
• 3/4 cup dark dutch process cocoa
• 1.5 - 2 tablespoons cinnamon (depending on the freshness/ strength of your cinnamon)
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup creme de cacao

combine first 5 ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan and blend vigorously with a high speed immersion blender until smooth and frothy. Heat gently over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until hot and thickened - about 20 minutes. If it curdles slightly, re-blend with the immersion blender. Remove from heat and allow to cool  for about 10 minutes. Stir in the buttermilk, transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for one hour. After one hour, blend in the creme de cacao.

Process in your ice cream maker according to directions.

Goats Cheese & Roasted Vegetable Tart

For Silas' one-month birthday, Cakes and I went for a picnic in Hawrelak Park. It was a gorgeous day, Silas was very well behaved and we got to lie around on a blanket in the sun reading magazines. Never mind that the kitchen was a disaster zone and the laundry needed doing - there are some things far more important than keeping the house spotless. Along with our cherries and peaches (bought at a roadside stand) and bottles of iced water we took along a few slices of the goats cheese and roasted vegetable tart I made the day before. What had been delicate and fluffy (if somewhat, um, falling-apartish) the day before, warm out of the oven, was now much more flavourful and stood up to being eaten by hand - a cold velvetty, cheesy custard laced with garlic and paired with yummy roasted asparagus, capsicum and onions. You could definitely use zuchinni (I would have if there'd been any at the shops when I went) or mushrooms as well (I forgot to buy them).

This tart looks nice, has plenty of veggies and milk in it and the pastry crust is thin so the damage in the butter department isn't too bad. You could probably cut the fat in the pastry down a bit more by substituting cream cheese for some of the butter, which I have been known to do from time to time, although I didn't here.

• 180 grams (6 oz.) flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 90 grams (3 oz.) butter
• 1 egg
• water

Preheat oven to 200C (400F) Process flour, salt, pepper and butter in a food processor. When it is mealy, blend in one egg and enough water (about 1-2 Tablespoons) to form a nice firm pastry dough. Roll dough out on a floured surface until it is no more than 2 millimetres thick. Use dough to line a 10-inch tart shell and prick the bottom of it with a fork. Set aside.

• 1 medium vidallia onion, quartered and roasted or grilled
• 3 large, thick-walled capsicum roasted or grilled, skin and seeds removed
• 1 pound asparagus roasted or grilled
• 300 grams chevre
• 60 grams semi-hard goats cheese, grated very finely
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 whole extra-large eggs
• 3 extra-large egg yolks
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Drain and pat the vegetables dry. Slice the onions and capsicum into thin strips.  Arrange the asparagus, capsicum and onions in the bottom of the prepared tart shell.

In a stand mixer, whip the chevre, goats cheese, eggs, yolks, salt and garlic until smooth. Add enough of the milk to make a pourable liquid about as thick as a syrup or pourable custard.
Pour cheese mixture over vegetables and thump tart shell several times on the countertop to ensure it gets between the vegetables and down to the bottom of the crust.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 180C (350F) and bake for 20 more minutes. Allow to stand for 15 minutes. You can eat this now, but the custard will be very delicate and will likely fall apart when eaten. It is better left until the next day in the fridge for the custard to firm up and the flavours to blend.