Rhubarb Soda

Move over rhubarb pie!  Rhubarb is a plant that was used by the Chinese for medicinal purposes as far back as 2700BC and showed up in North America around the early 1800's. Its culinary usage is relatively new compared to its medicinal application. Rhubarb season is in the Spring and I grew up with my Mom making rhubarb and strawberry pie, rhubarb stew, and rhubarb crisp. The flavor of the plant is quite sour and has a high water content but when cooked with sugar, it's lovely. There are many recipes out there using this interesting plant.  Although rhubarb is classified as a vegetable, I've never eaten it as such.  One site I visited, Chow, mentions to sauté rhubarb with Chinese five-spice powder and serve with salmon fillets.  Sounds like a recipe to try!

Serves 6 to 8
recipe from The Culinate Kitchen
print this recipe

1 1/2 cups rhubarb, roughly chopped
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
sparkling water
ice

Place rhubarb, sugar, and 1½ cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the syrup is bright pink. Turn off the heat and allow to cool. Strain syrup into a large jar. To make each soda, measure ¼ cup rhubarb syrup into a glass. Add enough sparkling water to fill the glass ⅔ full. Stir to mix, then add ice.

The Culinary Chase's Note: Pretty in pink and so delicious on a hot day! Pick rhubarb stalks that are of the brightest color that are firm and crisp.

Tomato, Eggplant and Bocconcini Salad

This is a perfect dish for easy entertaining as it can be prepared ahead of time before your family and friends arrive.  Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C, and a good source of vitamin A and K.  Eggplant features a host of vitamins and minerals. The skin of an eggplant is a potent antioxidant and free radical scavenger that has been shown to protect cell membranes from damage.

Serves 6 as part of a buffet or as a side
recipe from Dish magazine
print this recipe

10 vine-ripened roma tomatoes
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 eggplant, sliced 1cm thick rounds
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
2 large beef-steak tomatoes
150g semi-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
julienned zest of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons good red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
150g fresh mozzarella or bocconcini in whey
fresh basil leaves, ripped
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Preheat oven to 180c. Slice the roma tomatoes in half. Place on a lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Season with cumin and roast for 45 minutes.

Place eggplant on a lined baking tray. Combine the oil and crushed garlic and brush on both sides. Season and roast until golden and tender but not falling apart. They can be roasted at the same time as the tomatoes, on the shelf above. Set aside to cool.

Halve the cherry tomatoes and squeeze out the seeds. Cut the beef steak tomatoes into large bite sized pieces. Place both tomatoes in a large bowl and sprinkle over the oil, zest and finely chopped garlic. Season and toss to combine.

Cover the onion with cold water and leave for 10 minutes. Drain and squeeze out the water in a tea-towel. Add the onions to the bowl along with the roasted tomatoes, semi-dried tomatoes and the eggplant. Drizzle over the red wine vinegar and turn gently to combine. Rip the bocconcini into bite sized pieces and scatter over the salad. Add the basil and pine nuts.

The Culinary Chase's Note: Beautiful flavors from this dish! I love the addition of cumin to the roasted tomatoes.  It's a spice I use quite a bit of as I like its spicy and earthy-like flavor.

Barbecued Pizza

My husband and I enjoy using the barbecue all year round and especially love grilling bread on it. Commercially produced pizza can be high in salt, fat and calories but if you prepare your own, you can make it according to your dietary needs. A vegetable pizza with just a little cheese can be healthy without all the extra fat and cholesterol normally associated with meats and cheese. If you are a meat fanatic and just can't handle your pizza without meat, add some grilled chicken to your vegetable pizza. Chicken offers many health benefits that other meats don't. Onions are rich in sulfur compounds and flavonoids which help to maintain a healthy immune system and may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.  Other veggies that can add antioxidant and nutritional punch to pizza are artichokes, spinach, red peppers, broccoli, and even slices of steamed squash. Tomato sauce that adds a touch of sweetness to a pizza is an excellent source of lycopenes (strong antioxidants). A veggie filled slice of pizza is a tasty way to get your daily vegetable quota.

Makes 8 (small pizzas)
recipe from Dish magazine
print this recipe

Dough:
500g flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon instant yeast
300ml warm water
4 tablespoons olive oil


Toppings (any of the following):
mozzarella or bocconcini, goat's cheese or feta
blanched or roasted asparagus
grilled zucchini or eggplant slices
roasted tomatoes or red bell pepper
caramelized onions
prosciutto or salami
artichoke hearts
olives
pesto, tepenades, tomato paste or sauce
fresh basil, mint, flat leaf parsley

For the dough, combine flour, salt, sugar and the yeast in a bowl. Stir the water and oil together and pour into the flour. Use a fork to make a loose dough then tip onto a lightly floured counter top. Knead until smooth then place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until doubled in size - about 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the barbecue. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and roll out thinly on a lightly floured counter top. Brush one side with olive oil. Cook for about 4 minutes or until the dough has puffed up a little and the underside is golden, then turn over. Spread with pesto or your favorite tomato sauce and top with several of the suggested topping ingredients. If using toppings that don't need to be hot, remove the pizza when both sides are cooked and place on a serve plate. Top with your own combination. Add dressed salad leaves if desired.

The Culinary Chase's Note: This is my kind of pizza! Easy to make and assemble and loaded with flavors! What a wonderful way to get children involved in the process of making their own pizza. Teach them how to prepare the dough and let them know of the nutritional benefits of the vegetables as well as introducing new veggies to them. I'm not a fan of thick-crust pizza so these pizzas were just the right thickness for me. I've also come away from putting any tomato sauce on my pizzas and prefer olive oil or a really nice homemade pesto.  Enjoy!

Meat-Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

A cabbage roll consists of a cooked cabbage leaf wrapped around a filling, usually meat, and is cooked in a sauce. It's a common cuisine of Europe and Western Asia as well as being popular in North America by early settlers from Eastern Europe.  I have fond memories of my great grandmother making her cabbage rolls (she was born in Slovenia and emigrated to Canada when she was 16) and that recipe was passed down to her daughter and later to my mother. As with popular recipes, variations occur depending where one lives and what food is available. This particular recipe hails from Liguria, Italy.   Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin K and C and a good source of dietary fiber.

Serves 4
recipe from Italian Cooking & Living
print this recipe

12 oz. ground pork
12 oz. ground beef
1 tablespoon dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon freshly grated Grana Padano, plus extra
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 head Savoy cabbage
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cups chicken broth

In a mixing bowl, combine pork, beef, bread crumbs, Grana and paprika. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Pull off the individual cabbage leaves, and add to water. Boil until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain cabbage leaves, and spread them out on a clean cloth to dry. If stems of the cabbage are too thick and tough, cut around them and remove with paring knife. Spread some of the meat mixture on each leaf, and roll up tightly.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and olive oil. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until onion is translucent. Add the cabbage rolls and broth, and cook for 20 minutes, or until the filling is cooked through. Transfer to a serving platter, spoon the pan sauce around and sprinkle with grated Grana.

The Culinary Chase's Note: These were lovely and light. The cabbage roll recipe I have uses cooked rice and an egg mixed with the meat mixture topped with tomato sauce which I enjoy.  However, I think this one with chicken broth is just as satisfying. 

Crispy Chicken with Tarragon Salt

Have you ever walked past a fast food restaurant and sometimes find the smells of foods being deep-fried hard to resist? This is what happened to me the other day but I resisted the temptation and instead decided to produce a batch of my own Colonel Sanders chicken!  This recipe calls for sea salt which is the evaporation of sea water and is different to table salt.  I've been using sea salt for many years once I found out that table salt is stripped of trace minerals as well as calcium, magnesium and potassium during the kiln-dried processing.  Kiln-drying involves scorching salt at high heat to remove moisture.  Sea salt contains a variety of minerals that play a role in keeping the body's electrolytes in a healthy balance.   Keep in mind, though, that the daily sodium consumption for a healthy adult is 1,500mg.  If you are serving the chicken with canned vegetables, read the label for sodium content.

Serves 4
recipe from Donna Hay magazine
print this recipe

1 litre chicken stock
4 sprigs tarragon
4 closes garlic, smashed
250ml (1 cup) dry white wine
1.5kg whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
vegetable oil, for deep-frying
rice flour, for dusting

Tarragon Salt:
60g (1/2 cup) sea salt flakes
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon leaves

To make the tarragon salt, place the salt and tarragon in a mortar and pestle and grind until well combined. Set aside. Place the stock, tarragon sprigs, garlic, wine and chicken in a large pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and for for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Allow the chicken to cool on a wire rack.

Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat until hot. Dust chicken in rice flour and deep-fry in batches, for 3 to 4 minutes or until crispy. Sprinkle with the tarragon salt.

The Culinary Chase's Note: Tarragon is a beautiful herb to pair with chicken. Poaching the chicken first made the meat very tender and I froze the stock for future use.  If you have any leftover tarragon, freeze whole sprigs in an airtight baggie for 3 to 5 months. 

Semolina Cake with Strawberries in Rose Syrup (Basbousa)

This aromatic sweet is perfect for a picnic or backyard barbecue. The Basbousa, a Middle Eastern dessert, is sweet and soaked in syrup and has a spongy texture.  Semolina is made from durum wheat and is yellow in color.  It is usually the basis for dried products such as couscous and bulgur as well as being used to make pasta and gnocchi.  

Serves 8-10
recipe from Australian Vogue Entertaining and Travel magazine
print this recipe

125g unsalted butter, room temperature
165g (3/4 cup) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
250g Greek-style yogurt, plus extra to serve
270g (1 1/2 cups) fine semolina
60g (1/2 cup) ground almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
30 whole blanched almonds

Strawberries in Rose Syrup:
330g (1 1/2 cups) caster sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon rosewater
500g small strawberries, hulled

Preheat oven to 180c (350f). For cake, using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time until combined, then beat in yogurt. Sift over semolina, ground almonds, baking powder and baking soda, and stir until combined. Spoon batter into a greased and baking paper-lined 20cm x 30cm tin. Level the top and, with a knife, score lightly into approximately 4cm diamond shapes (or squares) and place a whole almond in the center of each. Bake for 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Meanwhile, for strawberries, combine sugar and 550ml water in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add lemon juice, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Place one-third of the syrup in a bowl with the rosewater and strawberries. When the cake is cooked, pour over remaining syrup. Leave cake to cool in tin, then cut as scored. Serve cake with strawberries in rose syrup with a spoonful of extra yogurt.


The Culinary Chase's Note: As luck would have it, rosewater was out of stock but I did manage to find orange blossom water which, judging by the comments our friends made, was a good choice.  The cake, because it is drenched in syrup, will last a couple days in the refrigerator (bring to room temperature before serving).  Rosewater is more suitable and aromatic than rosewater essence. I will definitely make this again.   Delicious and perfect with coffee or tea.

Roasted Rack of Lamb with Anchovies and Rosemary

Sunday dinners at home usually meant meats roasted in the oven or in the summer my Mom would marinate roasts overnight and use the rotisserie on the barbecue. I can still hear the rotisserie as it labored to turn the meat around. Those aromas always strike a chord in my heart and so it was when I roasted this rack of lamb. This recipe is an adaptation of one I used from Jamie Oliver for his roast leg of lamb.  Although high in saturated fat, lamb is a very good source of protein as well as a good source of zinc (important for our immune system).

Serves 6
print this recipe

2 lamb racks, about 1 1/2 lb. to 1 3/4 lb. each, trimmed and Frenched
3 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 to 3 fillets of anchovies in oil, finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 230c (450f). Bring the lamb racks to room temperature. Combine rosemary, garlic, anchovies, black pepper and olive oil in a small bowl. Smear the rosemary paste all over the lamb. Place lamb on a roasting tray and set on the middle rack in the oven and roast for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 180c (350f) and continue roasting for 15 minutes more. Remove from oven and allow the lamb to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.  Slice between the ribs to separate the chops for serving.

The Culinary Chase's Note: As with most roasts, allow internal temperature to be 5 to 10 degrees less than you like because the meat will continue to cook while it sits. Bloody rare: 115f to 125f,  Rare: 125f to 130f,  Medium rare: 130f to 140f,  Medium: 140f to 150f.  Lamb has a strong flavor so don't hide it like I used to with mint sauce; complement it.  Garlic, olive oil, wine, basil, thyme, rosemary, pepper, dry mustard, curry powder all add to the flavor of lamb.  Enjoy!

Grilled Tomatoes with Spinach Stuffing

Casual entertaining has always appealed to me and I like no-fuss recipes that can be easily made ahead of time and keeps me more in front of my guests than in the kitchen. The following recipe can be prepared up to the point where the spinach is grilled. When your guests arrive, finish off with the cheese and grill in the oven. Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin A as well as a very good source of fiber.

Serves 6 to 8
recipe from Canadian House & Home magazine
print this recipe

1/4 cup unsalted butter, divided
300g (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon flour
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 lb. beefsteak tomatoes, sliced 1/4" thick (12 slices)
1 1/2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese

To make spinach stuffing, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add spinach, cream and nutmeg, and bring to a boil. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon of butter with flour in a bowl and mash until a paste forms. Break flour paste into bits and drop into simmering spinach mixture, stirring until combined. Allow to simmer 3 minutes, or until cream is slightly thickened. Add breadcrumbs and stir until combined. Season well with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat broiler on high. Lay tomato slices on an oiled baking sheet. Top each slice with 2 heaping tablespoons of spinach and spread to cover most of the tomato. Place in oven with rack about 6" from top element and broil 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned and tomatoes are slightly softened. Remove from oven, sprinkle each slice with about 2 tablespoons of cheese. Broil 2 to 3 minutes longer or until cheese is bubbling and lightly browned.

The Culinary Chase's Note: These make a nice side dish and are even better the next day if you have any leftovers.

Roast Onion and Celeriac Ravioli with Walnut Pesto

Almost every region in Italy has its version of stuffed pasta. Historically vegetable-based fillings were eaten year round by those too poor to buy meat but such is not the case today.  Homemade pasta is so easy to make and not as fussy as one might think.  Celeriac, (also known as celery root), is an odd looking root vegetable with its knotty exterior. Celeriac has a celery flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked. When purchasing celeriac, look for firm, small-to-medium, and sprout-free. Avoid large roots as these will have a woody texture and not so pleasant to eat.  Walnuts are an excellent source of omega-3 essential fatty acids and when added to your diet can be an important step in improving cardiovascular health.  If you like this recipe using celeriac, then you may also like apple and celeriac salad.

Serves 4
recipe from TasteItalia magazine
print this recipe

Pasta:
400g Italian '00' flour
4 eggs, beaten

Filling:
1 celeriac, peeled, cut into cubes
1 onion, peeled, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled, crushed
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons clear honey
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Walnut pesto:
100g walnuts
2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
3 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
50g Pecorino or Parmesan, finely grated
4 tablespoons walnut oil

To make the pasta, sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the center. Add the eggs to the well, then bring the mixture together to form a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 4-5 minutes, until smooth. Wrap in clingfilm and place in the fridge for at last 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200c (390f).  To make the filling, put the celeriac, onion, garlic and thyme in a roasting pan. Drizzle with the honey and olive oil, season well, then toss. Roast for 25 minutes, or until the celeriac is soft. Leave to cool slightly, then mash coarsely.

To make the pesto, chop walnuts, garlic and rosemary very finely in a food processor or by hand. Stir in the Pecorino and walnut oil and season to taste.

Roll out the chilled pasta dough to 1mm thickness using a pasta maker or a rolling pin. Cut the pasta into two long pieces of equal size, then place teaspoonfuls of the filling at even intervals across one half of the pasta. Brush around the filling to seal, and cover with the second pasta sheet. Press lightly around the filling to seal, then cut into squares using a sharp knife or pastry wheel. Lay the ravioli on a sheet of greaseproof paper, light dusted with semolina.

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil and drop in the ravioli in batches (remember not to over crowd the pan). Cook 2-3 minutes, until the pasta rises to the the surface and is soft but still retains a little bite. Drain, then toss immediately with the walnut pesto. Serve at once.

The Culinary Chase's Note:  The aromatics coming from this dish filled my kitchen with earthy scents.  I found this incredible walnut oil, La Tourangelle, at Pete's Frootique. This oil is so light and the roasted flavor of the walnuts came through ever so slightly.  Good-quality walnut oil is important in a recipe like this.  Drizzle some over the ravioli for added flavor.  I have to admit I've never experienced walnut pesto so I wasn't too sure I'd like it as I find that walnuts can have a somewhat bitter aftertaste.  I'm so happy I persevered! What a delightful taste.  It really was the icing on the cake; err should I say ravioli!   Buon appetito!

Grilled Goat Cheese on Toast

For my birthday, my girlfriend Patti gave me the book, Comfort Me with Apples by Ruth Reichl.  I was intrigued to read it as it was Ms. Reichl's memoirs of her becoming a restaurant critic, not that I want to become one, just curious as to how people people get their start in such a profession. It certainly captured my interest and when I finished reading it, I felt it could have been longer.  Perhaps now I need to read her first book, Tender at the Bone (Growing Up at the Table), which was a best seller.  At any rate, Ms. Reichl has a few recipes included in some of the chapters and this one is from Wolfgang Puck back in 1983 when he served this appetizer at the White House during the economic summit of 1983.

Serves 4 to 6
recipe adapted from Comfort Me with Apples
print this recipe

1/2 lb. log of soft mild goat cheese, cut crosswise into 16 equal pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 baguette, cut into 16 slices, each about 1/2 inch thick

Arrange the cheese slices in a shallow dish just large enough to hold them in one layer and sprinkle them with thyme and pepper, drizzle with 2 tablespoons of oil. Marinate the cheese for 1 hour at room temperature, covered.

Preheat broiler. Broil the bread slices on a broiler pan 4 to 5 inches from the heat, turning them once, until golden. Top each toasted slice with a piece of marinated cheese, pressing slightly if necessary to fit the cheese to the toast, and drizzle the toasts with the remaining olive oil. Broil again, 4 to 5 inches from the heat, until the cheese is slightly melted and hot (1 to 2 minutes). Serve Warm.

The Culinary Chase's Note: Delicious! I used fresh, unripened goat cheese (chèvre,) which has enough zing to perk up almost any dish, and was lovely on the toasted bread slices.  Serve with a drizzle of olive oil.

Spring Pasta with Fiddleheads

Fiddleheads, you ask, are the unfurled fronds of a young ostrich fern. They are collected in the wild before the frond has opened and sold as a seasonal vegetable in stores and outdoor markets.  They are called fiddleheads because they resemble the curled ornamentation (scroll) on the end of a stringed instrument, such as a fiddle.  Although not as common a name where I grew up, fiddleheads can also be called a crozier after the curved staff used by shepherds and bishops. In the Maritimes, fiddlehead season has begun and will last 3 weeks.  North American Indians were eating fiddleheads long before the arrival of the first Europeans. The Australian and New Zealand aborigines and the Japanese are very fond of fiddleheads. In Indonesia, young fiddlehead ferns are cooked in a rich coconut sauce spiced with chilies, galangal, lemongrass, turmeric leaves and other spices. Choose firm, bright-green, tightly-curled fiddleheads with their little brown shells still intact. Eat only the curled head and a small portion of the green stem. To prepare fiddleheads, shake vigorously in a plastic bag to remove any brown scales, then wash thoroughly, changing the water several times.

Serves 4
recipe from Canadian House & Home magazine
print this recipe

2 cups fresh fiddleheads, cleaned
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups wild mushrooms
salt and pepper
1 lb. orecchiette pasta
8 oz. soft goat cheese, crumbled
chopped fresh basil

In a steamer set over simmering water, steam fiddleheads 5 to 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain and plunge into ice water until cold. Drain.

Heat butter and oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Increase heat to medium-high, add mushrooms and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until softened. Add fiddleheads and cook another 3 to 5 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and add to fiddlehead mixture, tossing well. Divide into four bowls and top with goat cheese and fresh basil.

The Culinary Chase's Note: My childhood memories of eating fiddleheads were mainly sautéed in butter which I still enjoy but this recipe takes this humble green to a new level. Fiddleheads are very fragile and highly perishable. Wrapped in a paper towel and placed in a plastic bag, they will keep in the refrigerator for a day or two. It is important to note that fiddleheads can be toxic when raw and it is therefore important to properly cook them.