Mediterranean Couscous Salad

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couscous chickpea & feta salad, couscous chickpea salad, couscous salad, vegetarian couscous salad

Occasionally, I am at a loss when it comes to packing lunch for the girls. They love salads, which I do send them to school with, and they love couscous. What better lunch than combining their favourite foods with couscous and making a salad of it? Not to mention a healthy one! It makes a great after-school snack as well. And a nutritious one for anyone training for a marathon, such as my blogger-friend Teresa, over at little poppits.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of couscous

1 can of chickpeas, 15 oz/425 g

Cherry tomatoes, halved, about 1 cup

1/2 a cucumber, peeled and chopped

Crumbled Feta cheese, 1 cup

5 Green onions, chopped

Raisins, a handful or about 1/2 cup

Fresh mint, chopped, a handful

Bring 2 cups of water in a pot to a boil. Add the couscous to the boiling water, stir, remove from heat and cover. Let stand for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and pour into a large bowl.

Add all of the ingredients to the couscous and stir gently. Make the dressing.

Dressing

3 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Juice of 3 limes, or 1/3 cup

Freshly grated ginger, 2 teaspoons

1 Garlic clove, minced

3/4 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Freshly ground pepper

Pour the dressing over the couscous salad, stir gently and enjoy!

Baby Artichoke, Celery & Parsley Salad

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artichoke & celery salad, artichoke salad, artichokes, baby artichoke & celery salad, baby artichokes, seasonal salads, spring salad

I do believe the Goddess of Spring has accepted my offering of the Pastiera Napoletana and blessed Montreal with spring! I awoke yesterday to sunshine and clear blue skies. Today was glorious! A repeat of yesterday, only much warmer. Connor, a fellow blogger over at One Man’s Meat, actually claimed that I had caused spring to be sprung all the way in Ireland! The arrival of spring will finally allow Ingrid, from now at home mom, to get outdoors and do what she does best: be crafty! And now I send this Spring Goddess over to Wisconsin, for Melissa over at Motherhood Is An Art (it truly is with her!), for I know it will make her quite happy!

Now, on with my salad! After the dinner I had last night, I was in dire need of a light, fresh and green salad today. I will keep the description of my extravagantly decadent meal for a future post. For now, suffice it to say that it was a caveman’s, or cavewoman’s, fat-laden, brimming with richness and maple syrup kind-of dinner! Enough said.

Ingredients  a salad for 1

slightly adapted from the book Simply Organic

6 baby artichokes

Juice of 1 lemon

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

Sliced red onion, to your liking

Large handful of Italian parsley, about 1/2 cup, stems removed

1 tablespoon of capes, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

Dash of Tabasco

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

Begin by pouring the lemon juice in a bowl. Clean the artichokes. Pull away the outer leaves until all that remains is the very light and tender leaves inside. You’ll need to trim the ends as well until you reach the tender part. If the tips of the remaining artichokes are a tad sharp, just cut them off. Slice the trimmed artichokes thinly and add to the the lemon juice, tossing well. This will prevent them from turning brown, which happens within minutes. And in case you’re wondering, baby artichokes have no chokes to remove. The interior is tender enough to eat as is!

Add the celery, onion, parsley, capers, olive oil, Tabasco, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently. Allow to sit for 5 minutes and serve at room temperature. It truly is a springtime salad!

Pastiera Napoletana: an offering to the Goddess of Spring

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Neopolitan Easter Pie, Pastiera di Grano, Pastiera Napoletana, pizza di grano, spring pie, spring wheatberry pie, wheat & ricotta pie, wheat pie

For centuries, special dishes containing grains, seeds and eggs, symbolizing fertility, rebirth and renewal, have been prepared in the springtime. Although today Pastiera Napoletana is only made at Easter time, it actually dates back to Pagan times when it was prepared to celebrate the arrival of spring.

After today, I have a funny feeling that the Goddess of Spring has completely forgotten Montreal. So I thought I’d offer up this centuries-old pie with the hope that she would finally come. You know that old adage… If you build it, he will come? All right, it isn’t so much an adage but rather Kevin Costner and all that Hollywood stuff. But I think you get the gist of it. If I offer it, she will come.

Every ingredient in Pastiera is symbolic. They are associated with ancient Roman celebrations of the rite of Spring: flowers to announce its arrival, eggs for new life, ricotta from the ewes, wheat and flour from the awakened land.

One of the many legends associated with the dish involves Partenope, a mermaid from Greek mythology who lived in the Gulf of Naples. To celebrate the arrival of spring, she would approach the land and sing to the inhabitants. One year, to thank her for the gift of song, they offered her local gifts – ricotta, flour, eggs, wheat, perfumed orange flowers and spices. So delighted was she with these gifts, she brought them to her kingdom under the sea where the Gods mixed them together into a cake. And thus, the Pastiera was born!

Pastiera Napoletana, also known as Pastiera di grano or Neopolitan Easter Pie. The grano, or grain, is the wheatberry, which is the entire wheat kernel excluding the hull. It comprises the bran, germ and endosperm. Basically, if wheatberry were to be milled, we would have whole wheat flour. The classic version of this pie is a pasta frolla, short-crust pastry, filled with wheatberries, ricotta, citrus zest, and scented with orange flower water and cinnamon.

As a child, this was my favourite Easter treat and I couldn’t wait to fill my mouth with this sweet delicacy. I think it was special to me because it was so short-lived. An ephemeral joy of my childhood! Or perhaps I loved it so because of the rich creaminess of the ricotta, the slight crunch of the wheatberries, the aromatic scents and flavours of lemon and orange zest, the cinnamon, and the ultra-fragrant orange flower water, all wrapped up in a sweet, buttery short-crust pastry.

This Pastiera Napoletana is something quite special and shouldn’t be enjoyed just at Easter. It should become a yearly celebration of the rite of spring!

Ingredients

slightly adapted from The Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts

Wheatberries

2 cups/16 oz Grano Cotto (ready-to-use wheatberry), or 2 cups of soaked wheatberries

1 cup of whole milk

1/4 cup of sugar

1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

2 strips of fresh lemon peel

You can find wheatberries in health food stores. Or you can use already prepared hulled soft wheat, called Gran Pastiera, which is imported from Italy around Easter time and can be found in Italian grocery shops. It does save lots of time!

If using dry wheatberries, soak 1/2 cup into 2 cups of water. Cover and soak overnight, draining and rinsing with fresh water. Combine the grain with the milk, sugar, cinnamon and strips of lemon peel in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower and simmer, stirring frequently, for about 30 minutes or until most of the milk has been absorbed. Remove lemon peels and refrigerate the wheat mixture to cool.

Pastry

2 cups of flour

1/2 cup of sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 cup of unsalted butter

2 eggs

1 tablespoon of ice water

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Separate one of the eggs and keep 1 egg yolk aside for brushing the pastry. Lightly beat the whole egg and the egg white, along with the ice water. With a fork, stir the egg mixture into the flour until the dough holds together. Shape into 2 balls, one slightly larger than the other. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Filling

16 oz of ricotta cheese

1 cup of sugar

4 eggs

freshly grated zest of 2 lemons

freshly grated zest of 1 orange

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons of orange flower water

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

With an electric blender, whip up the ricotta, sugar, eggs, lemon and orange zest, salt, cinnamon, orange flower water and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the wheatberry mixture.

Butter a 10 inch pie dish that is 2 or 3 inches deep, or a springform pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger ball of dough into a circle that is slightly larger than the pan. Fit the dough into the pan and trim any excess. Pour in the filling.

Roll out the smaller ball of dough on a lightly floured surface. Cut out some wide strips and arrange in a lattice over the top. Crimp the outside edge and gently brush with the reserved, beaten egg yolk.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree F/175 C oven for 45 to 55 minutes. The pastry should be golden and the centre no longer jiggles. Cool on a rack at room temperature. Allow to cool completely, which could take a couple of hours, allowing the pie to set.

Bourbon & Cola Glazed Ham from the Bartolini kitchens

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baked ham, bourbon baked ham, ham with bourbon & cola sauce

I’ve already mentioned John over at from the Bartolini kitchens. His stories bring back great memories for me. Such as this one, when at the age of 4 or 5 he found a live goat in his basement just before Easter! Did I mention John is Italian?! And from this same post, I made his Bourbon & Cola Sauced Ham. Bourbon & Cola & Ham! Need I say more?

For more in-depth details of this recipe and other mouth-watering dishes, you can check it out here.

Ingredients

8 lb./3.5 kg smoked ham, fully cooked

1 cup/236 ml cola

1 1/4 cup/296 ml bourbon

1/2 cup/100 g light brown or dark sugar

1/4 cup/60 ml mustard

fresh thyme leaves

whole cloves

Seeing as my ham was slightly bigger, around 10 lb./4.3 kg, I upped the ingredients just a tad. How could you go wrong with bourbon & cola? I used Dijon mustard. John has tried various mustards and they all work great.

Begin by leaving the ham on your kitchen counter for an hour prior to baking. After an hour, score the ham in a diamond-shaped pattern. Place a whole clove at some of the intersections.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F/160 C. Add 1 cup of bourbon, the cola, brown sugar, mustard and thyme in a medium saucepan. Place over medium-low heat and reduce it until slightly thickened. In a roasting pan, add 1 cup of water and the remaining 1/4 cup of bourbon. Place the ham in the pan and brush it with the bourbon-cola glaze.

Place the ham in the oven, basting it every 20 to 30 minutes with the glaze. The ham will be ready when its internal temperature reaches 140 degrees F/60 C. My 10 lb./4.3 kg ham took about 3 hours. Remove the ham from the oven and transfer to a platter. Tent with foil and let it rest as you proceed with the remainder of your dinner.

Pour the remaining glaze and pan juices into a small saucepan. Over medium heat, reduce until slightly thickened. Pour into a fat separator. Slice up the ham and serve with some of the delicious bourbon-cola sauce poured over the top. According to P, you can’t have ham without scalloped potatoes. I say you most definitely can, but I complied to his request and served some scalloped potatoes alongside this oh! so yummy ham with bourbon-cola sauce!

Vietnamese Pho Soup to chase away sniffles & sore throats

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Asian soup, Pho soup, rice noodle chicken soup, rice noodle soup, soups, Vietnamese soup

Both my girls have been feeling under the weather of late. And it’s no wonder with the horrid weather we’ve been having! Just today, April 12, we had a little snow storm! Yes, really! So with both girls home from school the other day, I thought I would make them one of their favourite soups to chase away those sniffles and sore throats.

Vietnamese soup, also known as Tonkinese soup, or Pho in Vietnamese, is a wonderful rice noodle soup made with either beef or chicken. The broth is incredibly flavoursome, with a plethora of ways to make it. It can be a simple one with just chicken or beef, or it can be infused with spices such as ginger, coriander seeds, cinnamon, cloves, even star anise. You can also dress it up to your own personal preference with the addition of soy bean sprouts, freshly squeezed lime juice, red hot chili peppers (the fruit, not the band!), Thai basil and a variety of condiments such as soy sauce, hoisin sauce and, of course, sriracha sauce.

We love going out to Vietnamese restaurants for this soup, but every now and then I like to make it at home. I never make it the same way either. But I always make it with chicken. When I first made it, I used my own home-made chicken stock and therefore added boiled chicken meat to the soup. It was ok. I then decided I would roast a chicken and use that in the soup, looking for that little extra flavour. It was better. This time around, I thought I would marinate chicken breasts in some olive oil, lime juice and 5 spice Chinese powder and then grill it. With my indoor grill, of course, seeing as it’s still freakin’ cold here! And this time it was fabulous!

I didn’t venture too much with the flavour of the chicken stock. I hesitated with a star anise, holding it over the boiling broth for a few seconds, but decided against it. I didn’t want to take a chance experimenting with the flavour when what I really wanted was to sooth the girls from their colds. So instead, I stir-fried some vegetables that would go into the soup, giving them a bit of a char flavour. Not all Pho soups have veggies, but I like the idea of having most of our daily recommended food groups in one bowl. Grilling or broiling them in the oven is something I might try next time.

Pho Soup

Chicken Stock, I used about 4 litres for 1 package of rice noodles

1 package of rice stick noodles

3 chicken breasts

Fresh limes

5 spice Chinese powder

Broccoli, Carrots & Cauliflower, chopped into bite-size pieces

Thai basil

Green onions, about 5, sliced thinly

Soy bean sprouts, optional

Salt & pepper, to taste

Begin by marinating the chicken breasts with a little olive oil, fresh lime juice and 5 spice Chinese powder.

Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a large pot. Go ahead and use store-bought if you don’t have any home-made, or a mix of both. You can flavour it up if you like with any or all of the above-mentioned spices. If you don’t have any finicky kiddies to contend with, go ahead and add a piece of fresh ginger. If you’re feeling adventurous, add some star anise and coriander seeds, wrapped in a piece of cloth.

Grill the chicken and set aside, covered with foil wrap.

Empty the rice stick noodles into a large bowl and add boiling water, enough to cover noodles. Just let them sit there until your soup is ready, or until they have plumped up and are double in size. Drain the water.

Proceed with your veggies. Change them up if you like, using your favourites. Heat some olive oil in a pan and add the carrots. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the broccoli and cauliflower. Cook for another 5 minutes, adding just a little salt and pepper to taste. Once your veggies are done, slice the grilled chicken into bite-size pieces.

Add the chicken pieces to your broth, along with the veggies and the sliced green onions. Taste for salt and adjust. Keep in mind that some will be adding soy sauce to their own bowl. Finally, add the rice noodles and just let the soup sit for 5 minutes, allowing for all the flavours to blend together.

Ladle the soup into bowls. In Vietnamese restaurants, these soups are served in ginormous bowls and of course, my girls will choose the biggest bowls they can get their hands on for this one. In the centre of your table, you can have the 3 bottles of condiments mentioned earlier, along with some Thai basil, fresh lime slices and soy beans. Each person can add their own personal faves. I like to add a handful of Thai basil leaves, torn into little bits so I can slurp them up with my soup, some still attached to the stem as an added flavouring. I squeeze a piece of lime and throw that in there, and I add a tad of soy, a little hoisin, and a nice squirt of sriracha to heat it all up. Fresh, red hot chilis are fun to add as well, if you dare. The girls love to dress their soup up exactly as I do, with the addition of fresh bean sprouts. Not only did this yummy, slightly spicy soup help chase away those runny noses, it also warmed us all the way down to our toeses!

*If you should have left-overs, as is always the case with us, you really need to separate the broth from the rest of the ingredients and store separately. Otherwise, the rice noodles will disintegrate, turning your soup to mush.*

Three Cheese Baked Penne with Roasted Butternut Squash

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baked pasta, baked pasta with roasted butternut squash, baked penne, baked penne with Italian cheese, cheese baked pasta, cheese baked pasta with roasted butternut squash, pasta with roasted butternut squash, vegetarian main

The girls and I love our pasta. Pasta in all shapes and sizes. Simple pasta with a Neopolitan tomato sauce. Filled pasta. Pasta with pesto. Or pasta with butter and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano. One of our favourites has got to be pasta al forno, or oven-baked pasta. Cooked rigatoni or penne, tossed with a simple tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella, baked in the oven.

I wanted to try something different with the baked pasta. A play on mac & cheese, which I’m sure anyone with children knows all about. Something between mac & cheese and baked pasta. Only better. Penne with three Italian cheeses and the addition of roasted butternut squash. Oh yeah!

I began by chopping one whole butternut squash into bite-size pieces and threw it into a roasting pan. I doused it with some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, a little thyme, and into the oven it went at 350 degrees F/180 C for about 45 minutes, or until tender.

While the butternut squash was in the oven, I put some water to boil for the pasta. One package, 450 g, of your favourite pasta. Rigatoni works well, as do penne. My personal favourite are pennette rigate, a smaller version of penne. Rigate is the Italian word for ridges, which run along the pasta as seen on rigatoni and penne. The ridges help sauce adhere to the pasta instead of sliding off. It’s all about texture, really.

As I waited for the water to come to a boil, I proceeded with grating the cheeses. You can use your own favourites here and it doesn’t have to be three varieties. One or two would work just as well. I chose Piave del Friuli, Asiago Pressato and Parmigiano Reggiano. Piave del Friuli is a cow’s milk cheese made in Treviso, in the Veneto region of Italy. It is aged for about 16 months and its flavour is rich and creamy with a delicious nuttiness to it. Asiago Pressato is also made in the northern region of the Veneto, in a town called Asiago. Asiago Fresco or Pressato, fresh or young, is a semi-soft cow’s milk cheese aged for only 30 to 40 days, making it great for melting. It is buttery in texture and slightly sweet with a bit of a tanginess to it. This cheese would make a lovely grilled cheese sandwich. And of course, Parmigiano Reggiano which is a must with all pastas. Fontina from Valle d’Aosta would also be superb in this. I used about 150 g of each cheese for 1 package of pasta.

At this point, the water came to a boil and in went the pasta. It’s important to cook the pasta al dente, perhaps even a minute or two just before al dente as it will go into the oven for about 30 minutes and cook a little more. As the pasta was cooking, I began to make a besciamela, or béchamel sauce.

BESCIAMELA

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1/2 cup of flour

4 cups of warm milk

1/2 teaspoon of salt

nutmeg, a pinch, optional

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 5 minutes, until golden brown. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking continuously as you pour. Over medium heat, whisk constantly until it is thick and smooth, about 10 minutes. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat and stir in the salt, nutmeg if using, and the grated cheese. Stir until all the cheese has melted and is well blended.

I thought I’d try mashing half of the roasted squash and adding it to the cheese sauce. Oh! It was so delicious! Cheesy with a slightly sweet taste to it. Might I make a suggestion here. If your little ones are picky, I would mash the whole thing up and throw it into the cheese sauce. They’ll never know it’s in there. Emma picked the squash chunks out of her pasta and then decided it was just perfect and quite to her liking. Next time, I’m mashing it all up!

I poured the cooked penne into a large oven pan and then stirred in the chesese-squash sauce. I added the remaining squash chunks and stirred gently. If you can manage not to have a small bowl of it before popping it into the oven, I commend you. Quite frankly, I would serve this up as it is, all creamy and yummy. But alas, I urged myself to add a handful of grated parmesan over the top and pop it into the oven, at 350 degrees F/180 C for about 35 minutes. It came out just as delicious! All baked and crunchy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside. Just perfect! Or in Emma’s own words, as she sits by side feeling a little under the weather, “Be prepared for the goodness!”.

Chocolate Egg Nest Cake

Tags

chocolate cake, chocolate egg nest cake, Easter egg chocolate cake, egg nest cake

We had a wonderful Easter and I hope you did too. We gathered at my brother’s home, Zio Carmine. He prepared some delicious lamb, a tradition in our family, which he grilled on the BBQ. Our first this year! Yay!

My sister, Zia Franca, prepared some scrumptious potatoes, succulent rapini, delicious roasted red peppers and a beautiful green salad.

I made dessert. As per my lovely daughters, it just wouldn’t be Easter without this Chocolate Egg Nest Cake from Nigella Lawson’s book, “Feast”. So rich and full of chocolatey goodness. Ultra moist and decadent. You’ve got to try this!

CHOCOLATE EGG NEST CAKE

for the cake:

250 grams of dark chocolate, chopped

125 grams of unsalted butter

6 eggs, 2 whole and 4 separated into yolks and whites

175 grams of sugar, 75 g for the yolks, 100 g for the whites

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

Melt the 250 g of chocolate with the butter, using the double boiler (bain marie) method. Set aside to cool as you proceed with the next steps.

Whisk the 4 egg whites until firm. Gradually add the 100 g of sugar and whisk until they hold their shape and have a little shine to them. You can use a stand mixer or a hand-held one.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the 2 whole eggs with the 4 yolks, the 75 g of sugar and the vanilla extract. Gently fold in the chocolate mixture.

Add a dollop of the egg white mixture and stir briskly. Gently fold in the remaining egg white mixture, in three goes.

Butter the bottom only of a 23 cm springform pan. You can also just add parchment paper on the bottom if you prefer. Pour into tin. Bake in a 350 degree F/180 C oven for about 35 to 40 minutes. I baked mine for 35. It should no longer be wobbly on the surface. Remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. The cake will sink in the middle as it cools and the sides will crack and splinter. No need to panic. That’s the look we’re going for.  

As the cake cools, whip up the scrumptious frosting.

for the frosting:

125 grams of dark chocolate, chopped

250 ml of 35% cream

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

1 small package of mini chocolate Easter eggs for decorating, optional

Melt the chocolate using the same method as above and allow to cool. Whip the cream until firm. Add the vanilla and fold in the melted chocolate. Fill the crater of the cake with the cream, easing it out gently towards the edges of the cake with a rubber spatula. Arrange the little Easter eggs on top. Cute, no?