Calamari Salad

I found these cleaned and frozen squid tubes at the local fish shop.  Everything is frozen when you are out on the prairies.  Thought I would try them.  I'll likely be having calamari again today just so I can use them quickly.



There is more dressing than you will likely use so just save the rest for another salad.  It tastes great on anything.  Or do like I did and make this salad twice!  Second time I deep fried the calamari rings.  I am sure it wouldn't take long to figure out which was my favourite!

Calamari Salad

• 1/2 lb cleaned squid


• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice


• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar


• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil


• 1 large garlic clove, minced


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper


• 1/4 cup red onion, halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced crosswise


• 1/3 cup pitted Kalamata olives, halved lengthwise


• 1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes (3/4 lb), halved or quartered if large


• 1/2 celery rib, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices


• 2 tablespoons loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves


• 2 cups mesculun greens, washed and dried

Rinse squid under cold running water, then lightly pat dry between paper towels. Halve tentacles lengthwise and cut bodies (including flaps, if attached) crosswise into 1/3-inch-wide rings.

Cook squid in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water , uncovered, until just opaque, 40 to 60 seconds. Drain in a colander and immediately transfer to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking. When squid is cool, drain and pat dry.

Whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.

Meanwhile, combine squid, olives, onion, tomatoes, celery, and parsley in a large bowl. Toss with dressing and season with salt and pepper. Let stand at least 15 minutes to allow flavors to develop.



Just before serving, toss with mesculun greens.

Calarmari Salad......take 2

Well, since I still had one squid tube, I thought I would do a second take on this salad.  This time I deep fried the calamari.  The recipe is otherwise identical.



To deep fry calamari, cut the squid tube into rings and soak in buttermilk for 2 or 3 hours.  Drain and dredge in a seasoned flour mixture.  I simply used a tablespoon of Chesapeake Bay Style seasoning in a cup of all purpose flour.  Shake off the excess flour and fry.



Heat peanut or other oil with a high smoke point to 375F and cook in small batches.  It should only take about a minute to fully cook each batch.  Arrange the calamari rings on top of the tossed salad.



Cooks Note:  If you do not have a thermometer, then the correct temperature has been reached when a one inch cube of bread toasts in one minute in the oil.

My good friends, Greg and Jerry, dropped in this past long weekend.  They were so sweet to bring a gift for my new home.  They know me well and chose kitchen and garden things.  They brought me more of my favourite wild rice.  I swear that the best wild rice can be purchased in Winnipeg.

They also gave me a new product that is a lot like oat groats.  It is oat rice!  I will be experimenting with that and am thinking a pilaf might be good.  Some nice teas from Cornelia Bean, two plants from their garden (they saw my candied violets and gave me a pansy and a viola, both edible),  gardener's door knocker and Anna (a local foodie magazine).  Thanks guys!  This will provide hours of enjoyment.

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Catching up on Life

Oh, did I tell you that I got a job?  Yes, moi, the ultimate entrepreneur now has a regular nine to five.  I'll be packing my lunch, walking to work and sitting in the sun during my breaks.  Today is my first day.  I am in the office at Re/Max.  I know, I wanted to get away from real estate but it seems to be what I know best.  Some value in knowing that, I guess!  But no more 12 hour days, 7 days a week, no life.  I now have a regular paycheque albeit it is small!



I can feel that life is slowing down.  There is hope that I can fit my life into one bankers box for the year.  But that is yet to be proven.  It is only May after all.  Okay, two boxes.  Even that is amazing.











I have been saving a picture of Miss Sugar for such a long time and thought perhaps I should finally just make a post for her and for my fledgling garden plants.

Miss Sugar is very happy in her new home.  But we did take a trip to the city last week and I could tell, she was excited to get in the car again!  Have I created a monster!  Not really, she is just happy not to be left behind.

These are my shallots.  I planted more so I should be set for the summer.

These are not weeds, honest!  I didn't label anything so they might be carrots, beets, spinach?  But they are everywhere!  Should be fun soon.

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Wok and Roll

The first piece of specialty cookware I remember getting was a wok. It was a gift for my college graduation from a couple of high school pals. The gift even came with a cookbook, Better Homes and Garden “More From Your Wok” (1982). I never did try the recipe for Apple Bread Pudding made in the wok, but I do recall that for some time I harbored an intense wok obsession.Eventually, I burned the

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Redecorating my Guest Room

One room done!  I wish I had a 'before' picture but just imagine 1960's wallboard.  Yech!  I am not planning to spend a lot of money on my basement and just want to spruce it up a bit.

I chose two very intense colours.  They are Benjamin Moore colours Quinte (burgundy red) and Mukluk (the neutral colour).  This entire set of colours are historical shades and have been given very Canadian names.

I had considered choosing a red that would match my Hudson Bay blanket and make it a Canadiana room.  But then I looked at this wonderful painting that I have and decided to choose colours that would work with it.



I am very happy with the results!  I still want to hang a floor to ceiling drape as a headboard.  That will warm it up even more.

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Artichoke Cheesecake with Flatbread

I found this in an old Southern Living cookbook and found it intriguing.  I had friends visiting so thought it would make a nice luncheon or appetizer dish.  The flatbread is from Martha Stewart Living magazine this month.



I made only a half recipe and it was still a lot of food.  The breadcrumb mixture didn't seem to add much so I would omit it next time.  For sure though, put a piece of parchment on the bottom of your springform pan.  It is impossible to lift the cheesecake off nicely without it.  My crazy oven was too hot so the top is browner than I would like.  I did try freezing my leftovers just to see if it would work.  Although it was edible, I would not serve it to guests after freezing.



The flavours were great.  I served it with all of my homemade crackers and flatbreads.

Artichoke Cheesecake                     adapted from Southern Living

 

¼ c fine, dry breadcrumbs

¼ c grated Parmesan cheese

2 T dried Italian seasoning

2-8 oz packages cream cheese, softened

1 c crumbled feta cheese

3 large eggs

1-8 oz container sour cream

1-14oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

¾ c chopped roasted sweet red pepper

¾ c chopped green pepper

¾ c chopped green onions (including ½” green tops)

1 large garlic clove, pressed

1 t dried tarragon

1 t dried basil

garnish – fresh tarragon

GENEROUSLY butter a 9" springform pan.  Mix first 3 ingredients; coat bottom of pan with breadcrumb mixture, and set aside remaining mixture.

PROCESS cream cheese in a food processor bowl until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.  Add feta cheese, eggs, and sour cream..  Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides.  Add chopped artichoke and next 6 ingredients to processor bowl.  Stir well.  Pour mixture into prepared pan.

BAKE, uncovered, at 375F for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden.  Cool completely in pan on a wire rack.  Chill at least 2 hours.

CAREFULLY remove sides of springform pan.  Pat reserved breadcrumb mixture on sides of cheesecake.  Garnish, if desired.  Serve with toast points or assorted crackers.

Herbed Flatbread                   adapted from Martha Stewart Living

1 cup warm water (about 110F)

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

3 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling

3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

coarse salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 large egg whisked with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

sea salt, for sprinkling

1/4 cup fresh rosemary or thyme



Place the water in a medium sized bowl and sprinkle the yeast.  Let stand until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.  Stir in flour, oil, 2 teaspoons coarse salt, and the sugar.  Stir until a dough forms.



Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Use as much flour as necessary so it is not a sticky dough.  Place in a lightly oiled bowl and roll the dough around in the bowl so that it is also lightly oiled on the surface.  Cover with saran wrap.  Let stand in a warm place until it doubles in volume, about 1 hour.



Preheat oven to 350F.  Divide dough into 16 equal portions and cover with plastic wrap.  Roll out each piece to approximately 4"x10" on a lightly floured surface.  Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet.  Brush with the egg mixture and sprinkle with sea salt and herbs.



Bake, rotating sheet halfway through baking, until crisp and golden, 18-22 minutes.  Let cool on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Croquembouche

This is a fun dessert.  It can be made in any size.  Many years ago my sister-in-law had it as her wedding cake and that was my first exposure to Croquembouche - "crunch in the mouth".  The last time I made it was for my new millenium New Year's eve party.

This is May's Daring Bakers Challenge.  I don't have a large group that can help me eat this so I have designed mini Croquembouche.  They are single serving desserts.  The baked and unfilled profiteroles can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for 2 or 3 months.





The filling can be anything your mind can conceive but it must be firm and not too runny.  You want the little choux puffs to remain crispy.  They are 'glued' together with sugar syrup and then spun sugar embellishes the creation.



I have found my own filling recipe.  The Sicilian profiterole filling sounds so yummy.  A profiterole is the little cream puff.  An arrangement of profiteroles is a croquembouche.  And I am using the paté à choux recipe provided with this challenge.



Note: Candied angelica is very difficult to find.  Angelica is an herb and the stems are candied. They are a neon green in colour and very flavourful. I just omitted it completely.





The May 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Cat of Little Miss Cupcake. Cat challenged everyone to make a piece montée, or croquembouche, based on recipes from Peter Kump’s Baking School in Manhattan and Nick Malgieri.

Sicilian Profiteroles                    from Valvona & Crolla: A Year at an Italian Table

• 1/4 c angelica


• 1/4 c candied orange peel


• 1/4 c candied citron peel


• Marsala, for soaking


• 1/2 c whipped cream


• 1 c fresh ricotta or cream cheese


• 1 tsp orange-flower water


• 1 tsp vanilla extract


• Caster sugar, to taste


• Squeeze of lemon juice (optional)


• Icing sugar, to dust

1. Finely chop all the candied peel, place in a bowl and add enough Marsala to cover. Leave to soak for 1 hour.


2. Place the cream, ricotta, orange-flower water and vanilla extract in a bowl. Add the soaked peel and Marsala and mix well with a fork. Add caster sugar to taste and a squeeze of lemon juice if necessary.

Pate a Choux (Yield: About 28)

¾ cup water

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter

¼ Tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 large eggs

For Egg Wash: 1 egg and pinch of salt

Pre-heat oven to 425◦F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.



Preparing batter:

Combine water, butter, salt and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally. At boil, remove from heat and sift in the flour, stirring to combine completely.

Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly until the batter dries slightly and begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Transfer to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon 1 minute to cool slightly.

Add 1 egg. The batter will appear loose and shiny.



As you stir, the batter will become dry-looking like lightly buttered mashed potatoes.



It is at this point that you will add in the next egg. Repeat until you have incorporated all the eggs.



Piping:

Transfer batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large open tip (I piped directly from the bag opening without a tip). Pipe choux about 1 inch-part in the baking sheets. Choux should be about 1 inch high about 1 inch wide.



Using a clean finger dipped in cold water, gently smooth out on any tips that have formed on the top of choux when piping. You want them to retain their ball shape, but be smoothly curved on top.



Brush tops with egg wash (1 egg lightly beaten with pinch of salt).



Baking:

Grease a baking sheet that has been run under a stream of cold water: the steam produced during baking will help the pastry to rise.

Bake the choux at 425◦F degrees until well-puffed and turning lightly golden in color, about 10 minutes.

Lower the temperature to 350◦F degrees and continue baking until well-colored and dry, about 20 minutes more. Remove to a rack and cool. You can poke a hole in each one with a skewer and that will allow the steam to be released and they will remain crisper.



Can be stored in a airtight box overnight.



Putting it together:

Fill each little profiterole with the Sicilian cream filling by piping.

Prepare carmelized sugar and keep it melted on low on the stovetop.  Dip each profiterole in the melted sugar and place on the plate. Add each one in the same manner to form a circle.  Add the next row of profiterole on top of the first and make the circle smaller. Repeat until you have made a cone shaped figure. Eventually it will be a cone of profiteroles.

With more of the melted sugar, decorate the cone with strands of melted sugar.  It can be further decorated with dragees, flowers, or whatever suits your fancy.

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Saskatoon Toodle

I would like to say that Saskatoon is not without it's interesting foodie places.  I just returned from a trip to look at new kitchen appliances and had a chance to indulge.

It is fiddlehead season so I went fiddlehead crazy and bought about 3 pounds.  They are all locally harvested.

A Fiddlehead is a fern so young and new that it hasn't yet "unfurled" and opened its leaves. The end is still curled in a tight spiral, ready to unroll as the sun warms it and it gathers strength and size. This spiral shape reminds many people of the end of a violin, hence the name "Fiddlehead." 

I had them in my morning omelet (above), beside my lamb chops in the evening.



I had them in a salad with smoked duck (see title picture above) with a light vinaigrette dressing.  I bought the smoked duck breast at Bulk Cheese.  I also bought more fiddleheads at Bulk Cheese!  They had an amazing three large baskets of fresh, local fiddleheads.

I made them in a pasta salad with smoked duck, feta and roma tomatoes.



This is a picture of a restaurant where I had lunch one day.  It is called Afghan Kebob & Donair and the food was really, really good.  They make their own pitas fresh every hour.  Lunch was under $10 including tip and beverage.  And the place is squeaky clean.



Another dinner was at The Golden Pagoda.  It is a Burmese restaurant.  It was raining cats and dogs and I totally forgot about my camera.



I had a traditional meal.  The salad was tea leaves with cabbage and crispy fried dried peas.  It was really different, in a good way.  The portions were too much for one person eating along.  Definitely go with someone and share.  My main course was a traditional beef curry and I had a #5 heat rating.  I enjoyed it immensely and had it with rice.  But I did take at least half of everything home.



The Farmer's Market was great.  They have a permanent site right in the downtown area.  There are inside stalls and outside stalls.  At this time of year, yes, more fiddleheads, lots of bedding out plants, home baking and jams, fish and meat.



One more stop was Souleio.  It is a very uptown specialty foods and eatery place.  It is situated in a wonderful heritage type building and they serve coffee, lunches and dinners.  There is an excellent selection of hard to find spices, flours and other ingredients along with ready made items to take home.  I spent a bit of time there, just reading every label.  I bought spelt flour.  I am looking for a good recipe to make spelt  crackers.

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