Everything but the kitchen sink spaghetti sauce

Set aside a couple of hours if you plan to tackle this spaghetti sauce. Trust me, it's well worth it if you have the freezer space to store all the homemade goodness it will yield - or if, like me, you repay the kindness of friends, neighbours and family with food. 

This recipe is my own, and I've been tweaking and adding to it over the years (mentioned previously here). It has over two dozen ingredients plus 13 dried herbs and spices. The quantities below made enough sauce to fill my slow cooker - twice. You may want to adjust the quantities to your household. 

Once that meaty sauce chock-full of fresh veggies has simmered in the slow cooker for the better part of the day, you're be giving yourself a pat on the back. Spoon it over fresh pasta and add some freshly grated Parmesan for the perfect winter meal.

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Working in batches, brown 5 lbs of lean ground beef and 4 coarsely chopped Italian sausages in a large stockpot. (Note: If I have pancetta or prosciutto on hand, I'll usually throw some of that in too). Drain, then place half the meat in the slow cooker and keep the other half for the second slow-cooker batch.

To prepare vegetables, finely dice 4 stalks celery, 3 carrots, 2 sweet onions, and 1 head of garlic ('and a partridge in a pear tree'). Set aside in a bowl. Then dice 6 white mushrooms, 1 Portobello mushroom, 2 red peppers and coarsely chop 1 package of thawed frozen spinach.

Heat 2T olive oil over medium-high heat in the same stockpot used for the meat. Add garlic, onions, carrots and celery and cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Then add the rest of the vegetables and cook for another couple of minutes. Push the vegetables to one side of the pot, then add one whole can of tomato paste and 1/2 cup floor, stirring vigorously so the tomato paste and flour brown slightly, but don't burn. Pour in 1/2 bottle fruity red wine. Note: If I have any antipasto on hand, like sundried tomatoes or marinated eggplant, I'll add this as well.

Add (get ready for it) 3 jars diced tomatoes, 2 jars marinara sauce, 1 cup ketchup, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup pesto, 1/4 cup HP sauce, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/4 cup Wochester sauce, 6 chopped anchovies, 3T Dijon.  

Then stir in 1T each of chile, sage, tarragon, savoury, mustard powder, onion powder, garlic salt, parsley, oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil and pepper. 

Add half of this mixture to the meat in the crockpot, and cook on low heat for at least 4 hours. Freeze in dinner-sized portions, then cook the second batch of the meat and vegetable mixtures.

Baked salmon with cauliflower 'crumbs' and mustard dill béchamel

I was reading an article about the versatility of cauliflower, which is apparently on its way to displacing kale as the new 'it' food in 2014. Look for it at a mason jar-and-reclaimed wood-bedecked communal dining gastropub near you. 

The article described a chef who grated cauliflower into vegetable-based 'breadcrumbs'. I decided to try it myself. In his version, he had tossed the caulicrumbs with garam masala but I left them plain so the flavours wouldn't overwhelm the mustard dill sauce. 

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Finely grate 3/4 cup raw cauliflower (see note below). Squeeze the juice of half a lemon onto a large fillet of salmon, then spread cauliflower crumbs on top. Bake salmon at 400F for about 15 minutes. 

While the salmon is cooking, melt 2T butter in a small saucepan. Then, sprinkle in 2T  flour and whisk vigorously until a roux forms. Gradually pour 1 cup of milk, continuing to whisk regularly. Add 2T Dijon (I used a truffle-flavoured version). Continuing cooking and whisking until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and season generously. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped dill. 

Serve the sauce as an accompaniment to the salmon. 

Note: I found the cauliflower crumbs were still moist after baking. Next time, I plan to spread them on a baking tray lined with foil and broil until they start to brown and (hopefully) lose some of the moisture.

Regifting of the best kind

Over Christmas, my Mom re-gifted a vest to me that I'd bought her a few years ago, in Bratislava. She'd worn it for a few fancy occasions, and often to work, but has since retired. I think she knew I'd kind of always loved it ;)

I wasted no time, wearing it for Christmas dinner at my in-laws over a cozy cashmere sweater with the wax denim jeans from my previous post (here). And yep, I changed right from my boots into my trusty slippers once we stepped in the door. I felt pretty toasty on what was otherwise a very cold day!

xx

Vest - Bought in Bratislava

Sweater - Banana Republic via thrift store

Jeans - Banana Republic

Boots - Blondo

Bag - Roots

Necklace - Hand-me-down

Watch - Kenneth Cole

Bracelets - Hand-me-downs

Dolly Parton dessert squares

Right before Christmas, I convinced myself I hadn't made enough goodies for the little tins I put together for friends and coworkers. I remembered some squares that my Mom used to make when we were young, and thought they would make a nice addition. Problem was, I remembered literally only one ingredient: sweetened condensed milk. My Mom being the miracle worker she is, recognized that I was thinking of Dolly Parton squares. Here's the recipe; don't ask where the name comes from!

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To make, combine 1-1/4 cups of graham cracker crumbs with 2/3 cup melted butter or margarine and 1/2 cup brown sugar (add a little more butter if it's not sticking together enough. Mix together and press into a 9" square pan. Sprinkle the base with semi-sweet chocolate chips, sweetened coconut flakes and pecan pieces. Pour one tin of sweetened condensed milk over the top. Bake at 350F for about 25 minutes. Once cool, cut into squares.

Note: The surface of the squares should be starting to brown when you remove the pan from the oven. The condensed milk may still appear a bit runny, but it will set as the squares cool.

Bewitching baubles

Happy New Year!! Judging by everyone's social media feeds, it looks like most of you enjoyed a superfantabulous holiday season, despite the wild weather across North America. 

I hadn't planned on this little blogging break, but, well, life got in the way. Really, can you blame me for not wanting to pass up opportunities like THIS, a solo early-morning skate on the canal before the crowds arrived?

The next couple of months are shaping up to be a bit of a whirlwind of wedding planning, big deadlines at work, attempts at regular gym-going, and making time for family and friends. I love blogging and I'm not going anywhere, but bear with me if my posting's more erratic than usual!

I thought it fitting to kick off 2014 with literally my first outfit of the New Year. We celebrated with a low-key gathering of friends in the 'Valley'. Comfort and denim rules in the country, so I wore a new pair of burgundy wax denim jeans, a denim shirt, and a big statement necklace for a bit of glam. And slippers because I'm THAT visitor. My friends' 15-month old sat on my lap that evening and was completely enthralled by my necklace. She'd touch and grasp the baubles one by one in her tiny hand and let out an 'oooooooh!!' of excitement. So adorable. We'd just been talking about how to raise girls to not be overly focused on physical appearance. (Aside: another friend wrote a great op-ed, 'Please don't tell my daughter she's beautiful', available here). Our circle of friends is determined to do our best, but I think some femininity is innate....girls love pretty things!

xx

{Drinks were had. Pictures are blurry.}

Top - Gap via thrift store

Pants - Banana Republic

Necklace - Road Trip via sidewalk sale
Slippers - La Vie en Rose

Leek and Gruyère tart

Quick! Name ingredients used in lots of French cooking. 

If you said cheese, butter, heavy cream, salt, you'll understand why this dish is a total showpiece. The filling for this tart was basically transposed from my Cordon Bleu cookbook right onto this page. Its real name is tarte aux maroilles et aux poireaux. Maroilles is a cheese you may find at a specialty store, but otherwise, Gruyère is a good substitute.  The leeks are 'sweated' in butter until they relinquish their bitterness, leaving just a hint of mild onion flavour, and tons of texture in contrast to the gooey cheese.

Spring is the best time to make this dish, where leeks are in season and aplenty, but I made this as a pre-Christmas treat for my parents.I cheated and used a store-bought crust this time, but if you want to go the whole nine yards, I've included a link to crust directions below. This would be a nice side dish to serve with ham. This recipe is designed to make one tart, but these freeze well if you want to double the recipe and save one for later. 

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To make filling: 

To make, slice 3 extra-large or 4 large leeks in lengthwise until you reach the stem (don't cut through the stem; it will hold the leek together when you slice the other way). Wash away any dirt stuck between the outer leaves. Then, slice crosswise very thinly into pieces about 1/2" wide. The leeks will reduce down when cooking, so don't worry if it seems you have too much.

Slice 3 thin rectangular slices of Gruyère or Maroilles cheese from the brick and set aside for decoration (see photo below). Grate 150g of cheese (by weight) and set aside. 

In a large sauté pan, melt 4T unsalted butter over medium heat. Once the butter is bubbling, add the leeks. Continue to cook over medium heat for about 10-12 minutes, stirring every once in a while with a wooden spoon to avoid browning. If the leeks are starting to brown, or looking too dry, place a lid over the pan for a minute or two to build up some moisture.

Once the leeks are quite soft, sprinkle over the grated cheese and mix well. Stir regularly until cheese melts. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

To make tart shell:

Follow the directions for flaky pie crust #1 here. Since the filling is quite moist, you may want to pre-bake the crust in a pie tin at 400F for about 8-10 minutes. Wrap the edges of the crust in foil to prevent burning, and gently pierce the bottom with a fork to prevent bubbles (or better yet, use pie weights if you have these).

To finish:

Note: If you're not planning to eat the the tart right away, hold off on this step until just before serving.

Gently scrape the leek and cheese filling into the tart shell, and spread evenly. Top with the three pieces of cheese for decor. Bake at 375F for about 15 minutes, or until heated through. Broil for a couple of minutes at the end to brown the tips of the filling.

{Photo taken before the finish step}

Italian spaghetti squash

This dish is great for the holidays, when you might not yet be ready to give up the rich meals, but keen to get a few more vegetables into your system.

Roasted spaghetti squash is one of cooking's little wonders. I love seeing those perfect little spaghetti-like strands peel away from the sides when you take a fork to it. I took advantage of making this dish - my own recipe - to use up some leftovers in the fridge, like basil and pepperoni, but you can use your imagination with this one. This dish was a big hit for both B and me, and even better, it's one that can be made ahead. This version serves four; our leftovers didn't last long!

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Cut one zucchini in half. Cut one large spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Place zucchini and squash on a baking sheet cut-side down. Bake at 357F. Remove the zucchini after 25 minutes, then continue baking the squash for a further 20 minutes, or until fork-tender. 

Scrape the squash using a fork, and place in an oven-proof casserole dish. Dice the roasted zucchini and add that as well. Add a jar of spaghetti sauce, 1/2 jar of chopped tomatoes, 1/2 cup pesto, 150g roughly chopped pepperoni, 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and 1/4 cup chopped basil. Top with breadcrumbs, then bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Tip: For a pretty presentation, place the mixture back in the hollowed-out squash shells. 

{Before I topped with breadcrumbs and baked}

Competing with ornaments

My coworkers call this my 'Christmas outfit'. I guess it's to be expected when you wear a dress that looks like it was sewn with tinsel. In the non-holidays I wore it with a long beige blazer (post here). This time, I just went for it. Black velvet blazer? Check. Shiny deep green pump? Yup. A stone pendant necklace that could rival many a tree ornament? Hell yeah!

Happy Christmas Eve all :)

xx

Dress: Ellen Tracy via Winners

Shoes: Naturalizer via thrift store

Blazer: H&M

Necklace: Hand-me-down

Watch: Kenneth Cole

Bracelet: Hand-me-down

Five days of holiday baking: Day 5 - Vanilla-almond balls

This recipe is a variation on last year's brown butter and toasted almond cookies (here). These are a little more crumbly and dry (though nowhere near a biscotti), and very flavourful, so I recommend serving them with tea or coffee. I got the idea to combine almond and vanilla flavours after seeing a package of soy milk that did just that!

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Prepare 1/2 cup of browned butter, then refrigerate until cooled. 

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat 1/2 cup browned butter, 3T almond butter, 3T almond paste and 3/4 cup brown sugar on medium-high for a couple of minutes. Scrape the seeds from 1 vanilla bean into 1/2 cup milk and add to mixture. Add 1T almond extract. Gradually mix in 1-3/4 cups of all-purpose flour. If the mixture is too dry, add extra milk. Stir in chopped vanilla-flavoured almonds. 

Taking care to handle the dough as little as possible, roll dough into 1" balls and space out on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes.

Five days of holiday baking: Day 4 - Cherry-white chocolate cookies

Cream cheese shortbread cookies are another Christmas standby for me. In 2011, I flavoured them with lemon (here). In 2012, I stuck with a citrus base, but went in a more tropical direction with toasted coconut-lime cookies with macadamia nuts (here). This year I decided to try pairing white chocolate and dried cherries.

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In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together 3/4 cup softened butter and 3 oz softened cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually add 1 cup icing sugar and beat hard. Gradually mix in 2 cups flour until well-blended. Stir in 1 cup dried cherries and 200g chopped white chocolate (or white chocolate chippits).

Roll dough into 1-1/2 inch balls on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar, and place onto a greased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. (Handle the dough as little as possible). Make an indentation in the dough balls with a fork dipped in icing sugar. Bake at 300F for 20-25 minutes, or until delicate brown underneath.