Current | 1: Getting Started | 2: Cheese | 3: Veggie BBQ | 4: Summer Drinks
Moving on from Massey presents many challenges, not the least of which is saying goodbye to the delicious and nutritious meals the kitchen staff have faithfully prepared for us. But don't despair! Your days of grape cake and Limping Susan are not over! Check this space for old favourites and new, easy recipes that will help ease the pain and provide you with the essential vitamins and nutrients so necessary to a happy life. Enjoy and Bon Appetit!
#5: Three Courses of Autumn
Here’s a nice meal for a cozy day at home, making use of some of the lovely fruit and vegetables available now.
To start….Pasta or Phyllo Pastry with Pear
Use this autumnal stuffing in homemade pasta, or stuff it into store-bought phyllo dough for pear puffs. I’ll leave the pasta or pastry up to you. For a good how-to on making your own pasta, read Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.
Ingredients:
2 pears, peeled, cored, and finely diced
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
1 cup pecorino or parmesan cheese, grated
1 tbsp olive oil
16 leaves of fresh sage
3 tbsp butter (or more)
1 clove garlic, crushed, but somewhat intact (squash it with your knife, but don’t mince)
salt and pepper
8 sheets of thawed phyllo pastry OR homemade pasta
Method:
Combine pears, nuts, and cheese in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. If making pastry, finely chop the fresh sage and stir into mixture (if making pasta, set them aside for later…)
Give everything a good stir so it is well-combined.
Pastry: Melt butter in pan with crushed garlic. Remove garlic once it has turned golden in colour and favoured the butter. Brush some butter onto a clean cookie sheet. Spread first layer of phyllo dough on cookie sheet and brush with butter. Layer the rest of dough in like manner, brushing with yet more butter each time. Cut into 12 squares. Use the squares of pastry to line a muffin tin. Into each “muffin,” spoon a heaping spoonful of cheese-pear mixture. There should be some dough overhanging the edge of the muffin tin – fold this over to close the top of the pastry. Now you know what to do --- brush with butter and bake in a 350 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.
Pasta: Cut pasta sheets into round shapes, using a glass. You should have about 25-30 rounds. Place spoonful of pear cheese mixture into the centre of each round. Fold into a half-circle shape and press edges together. Cook in boiling salted water, 5 minutes. Drain.
Melt butter in a small pan. Add garlic. When butter is bubbling and garlic is golden, remove garlic. Add sage leaves to pan. Cook on medium heat until sage leaves are crisp. Serve over pasta.
Main Dish…Grilled Peaches n’ Protein in Balsamic Marinade (Pork and Vegetarian Variations)
Ingredients:
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup olive oil
3 shallots, finely minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp powdered mustard
fresh or dried thyme, to taste
salt and pepper
3 peaches, cut in half, pit and peel removed
1 – ½ lb pork tenderloin, cut into medallions about ½“ thick OR one block extra firm tofu, cut width-wise into inch-thick pieces
Method:
Combine first 8 ingredients and whisk until well combined. Pour over pork or tofu and marinate at least half an hour. You may wish to make some extra or set some aside to brush on during grilling.
Grill meat or tofu over medium heat, about 3-5 minutes each side, until done. It may be easier to broil the tofu in a pan in the oven. If you take this route, place on middle rack and give it at least 10 minutes, checking occasionally to spoon sauce over top of tofu. Make sure the sauce is bubbling.
Brush peaches with oil and grill or broil alongside your protein of choice.
Serve over brown rice.
For Dessert…Apple Melt, a Self-Saucing Pudding-Cake
Cake Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup walnuts (optional – can use raisins if preferred)
2 large apples, cored but unpeeled
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp butter melted
Sauce Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch square cake pan (i.e., butter it). Combine 1 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and walnuts in a bowl. Cut the apples in half – setting aside one half apple. Chop the remaining one and a half apples and add to the flour mixture. Add in milk and melted butter and stir, mixing well. Spread batter in cake pan. Slice remaining half apple in thin slices and arrange on top of cake.
Prepare sauce by whisking together boiling water, brown sugar, flour, softened butter, and vanilla. Pour over the batter in cake pan.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.
To start….Pasta or Phyllo Pastry with Pear
Use this autumnal stuffing in homemade pasta, or stuff it into store-bought phyllo dough for pear puffs. I’ll leave the pasta or pastry up to you. For a good how-to on making your own pasta, read Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking.
Ingredients:
2 pears, peeled, cored, and finely diced
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
1 cup pecorino or parmesan cheese, grated
1 tbsp olive oil
16 leaves of fresh sage
3 tbsp butter (or more)
1 clove garlic, crushed, but somewhat intact (squash it with your knife, but don’t mince)
salt and pepper
8 sheets of thawed phyllo pastry OR homemade pasta
Method:
Combine pears, nuts, and cheese in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. If making pastry, finely chop the fresh sage and stir into mixture (if making pasta, set them aside for later…)
Give everything a good stir so it is well-combined.
Pastry: Melt butter in pan with crushed garlic. Remove garlic once it has turned golden in colour and favoured the butter. Brush some butter onto a clean cookie sheet. Spread first layer of phyllo dough on cookie sheet and brush with butter. Layer the rest of dough in like manner, brushing with yet more butter each time. Cut into 12 squares. Use the squares of pastry to line a muffin tin. Into each “muffin,” spoon a heaping spoonful of cheese-pear mixture. There should be some dough overhanging the edge of the muffin tin – fold this over to close the top of the pastry. Now you know what to do --- brush with butter and bake in a 350 degree oven for 18-20 minutes.
Pasta: Cut pasta sheets into round shapes, using a glass. You should have about 25-30 rounds. Place spoonful of pear cheese mixture into the centre of each round. Fold into a half-circle shape and press edges together. Cook in boiling salted water, 5 minutes. Drain.
Melt butter in a small pan. Add garlic. When butter is bubbling and garlic is golden, remove garlic. Add sage leaves to pan. Cook on medium heat until sage leaves are crisp. Serve over pasta.
Main Dish…Grilled Peaches n’ Protein in Balsamic Marinade (Pork and Vegetarian Variations)
Ingredients:
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
½ cup olive oil
3 shallots, finely minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp powdered mustard
fresh or dried thyme, to taste
salt and pepper
3 peaches, cut in half, pit and peel removed
1 – ½ lb pork tenderloin, cut into medallions about ½“ thick OR one block extra firm tofu, cut width-wise into inch-thick pieces
Method:
Combine first 8 ingredients and whisk until well combined. Pour over pork or tofu and marinate at least half an hour. You may wish to make some extra or set some aside to brush on during grilling.
Grill meat or tofu over medium heat, about 3-5 minutes each side, until done. It may be easier to broil the tofu in a pan in the oven. If you take this route, place on middle rack and give it at least 10 minutes, checking occasionally to spoon sauce over top of tofu. Make sure the sauce is bubbling.
Brush peaches with oil and grill or broil alongside your protein of choice.
Serve over brown rice.
For Dessert…Apple Melt, a Self-Saucing Pudding-Cake
Cake Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar (packed)
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup walnuts (optional – can use raisins if preferred)
2 large apples, cored but unpeeled
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp butter melted
Sauce Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups boiling water
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch square cake pan (i.e., butter it). Combine 1 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and walnuts in a bowl. Cut the apples in half – setting aside one half apple. Chop the remaining one and a half apples and add to the flour mixture. Add in milk and melted butter and stir, mixing well. Spread batter in cake pan. Slice remaining half apple in thin slices and arrange on top of cake.
Prepare sauce by whisking together boiling water, brown sugar, flour, softened butter, and vanilla. Pour over the batter in cake pan.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream.