Garlic Confit: easier to make (and use) than pronounce

Garlic confit (say con-FEE) is simply garlic slowly poached in oil. 

Here are the steps:

1. skin garlic

2. poach in oil

3. enjoy

Step 1

- smash the garlic head to break up all the cloves

- place garlic into a metal bowl

- cover bowl with inverted metal bowl

- hold tightly and shake it for all you're worth

Here's how it is done...

Step 2

- place the peeled garlic into a pot and pour oil to just cover the garlic (you can use olive oil for this or any other oil you would like infused with garlic)

- turn the pot on LOW or 2 and allow to bubble away for 40 to 50 minutes or until they are golden and soft like warm butter; stir occasionally

Step 3

Enjoying this treat is the best part! How can you use it? Here are a few ideas:

For the oil...
- use the oil for a vinaigrette salad dressing
- roasted garlic vegetables - use the oil to toss the veggies before broiling to perfection
- for frying eggs in the morning
- lightly garlic toast for two - oil a cast iron skillet with garlic oil, then toast the bread on both sides
- for a lighter pizza, brush the shell with garlic oil instead of pizza sauce
- use in place of butter or oil - the options are almost limitless

For the garlic cloves...
- salad dressing - smash the cloves and mix with mayo and water to thin then salt to taste
- use in cream pasta sauces
- garlic bread - smash the garlic together with butter (and a little salt if your butter is unsalted) and spread on bread to be toasted in the oven
- use whole in recipes that call for a smaller amount of fresh minced garlic, for example, spaghetti sauce, homestyle chowder, or in stir-fries
- in mashed potatoes; pop them into the milk and butter (or garlic oil) while you are warming them before adding the potatoes and mashing the works; is wonderful this way with fresh goat chèvre

Storage

Keep in a sealed glass jar in the fridge. Keeps for about a month in the fridge as long as the garlic oil stays above the level of the garlic. If the garlic cloves are exposed to air, they are able to spoil more quickly.

When I make this, I use it up before it has a chance to go bad. Once you have made and used this garlic confit, I am sure you will find it disappears fairly quickly.

Guatemalan Banana Bread

RECIPE: Guatemalan Banana Bread

(serves 6)

Ingredients:

5 cups flour

2 cups brown sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoons allspice

2.5 cups smashed bananas

0.5 cups milk

1/3 cups vegetable oil

2 eggs

zest of 1 lime

2 tbsp lime juice

Method:

> heat oven to 350ºF; grease bottom of the pan

> mix all ingredients; beat 30 seconds

> pour into pan

> bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean (30-45 minutes)

> cool before slicing

And when you bake one that is THIS huge, you bake it a little longer!!

To see a list of what else was made for the Guatemalan lunch, go here. 

Subanik / Roasted Aubergine & Mushroom Stew

Subanik / Roasted Aubergine & Mushroom Stew

(serves 6)

Ingredients:

For the sauce

- 4 medium red bell peppers, cut in half from top to bottom, then stemmed and seeded

- 9 roma tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise

- 1 onion, cut into quarters

- 4 tomatillos, husks removed

- 1 dried ancho chili pepper, washed inside and out, seeds and stem removed

- 1 dried red chili pepper, such as chili de arbol

- 1 or 2 Thai red chili peppers

For the mushroom and aubergine (eggplant)

- 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

- 1.25 pounds mushrooms

- 1.5 tsp salt

- freshly ground black pepper

- water, as needed

- 1.25 pounds aubergine, cubed into 1-inch pieces

- 2 bay leaves

- 2 to 4 sprigs thyme

Method:

For the sauce

> preheat the oven to 500ºF

> place the red bell peppers on a foil lined baking sheet and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, turning them once or twice, until their skins are blistered with black spots all around

> foil another baking sheet and place the tomatoes and onion cut side down on the sheet, along with the whole tomatillos, dried chili peppers and Thai red chili pepper; roast for about 10 minutes, until the tomatoes are quite tender, with blistered skins

> working in several batches, transfer the roasted peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos, onion and Thai red chili pepper to a blender; pulse for 1 to 2 minutes for each batch, until a fairly smooth sauce forms; do not over-process the mixture

> break off pieces of the dried chili peppers and add them through the top of the blender while the motor is running; stop to taste, and add more of the dried chili peppers to achieve the desired level of spiciness

For the mushroom and aubergine:

> toss the cleaned mushrooms and cubed aubergine in the oil with thyme and gently salt and pepper

> place on an unlined baking sheet and place into the broiling hot oven

> broil until golden all over, turning a few times

> add a little water to the baking sheet to scrape up the browned on bits from broiling the mushrooms and aubergine; pour over the vegetables

> in a large pot, add together the puréed vegetables, roasted mushroom and eggplant, and the bay leaves

> cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have blended

> salt and pepper to taste

For the full menu of what was served at the Guatemala lunch, go here.  

Kaq Ik / Roasted Pepper Turkey Stew

Kaq Ik / Roasted Pepper Turkey Stew

(serves 6)

Ingredients:

- 1/4 turkey (hind quarter, breast "roast")

- 4 cups chicken stock

- 1 head of garlic

- 1/2 pound of tomatoes

- 1 onions

- salt

- 1 large tomatillo

- 1 onion

- 1 fresh sweet red pepper

- 1 dried chile guajilla

- 1 dried chile pasilla

- half to 1 tbsp chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

- 1/4 cup water

- 1/2 tbsp achiote

- 3 corn tortillas

- 1 bunch fresh cilantro

- 1 bunch fresh mint

- salt

Method:

> place the turkey and the whole garlic head in the chicken stock; salt to taste.

> in a separate pan, cook tomato, onion, sweet red pepper, chile guajillo, and chile pasilla, chipotle pepper until soft; once fully cooked, puree in blender; partial vegetable chunks also work

> once the turkey is cooked, add the vegetable mix to the stew

> place achiote in a small bowl and add some of the “soup” to it and stir until it is a smooth paste; stir into soup pot with adobo chipotle

> to thicken the soup, tear up corn tortillas into small pieces and add to soup pot; stir well

> bring to boil for about ten minutes, or until tortillas have dissolved and soup has thickened

> add cilantro and mint and season with salt to taste.

Served with rice on the side to be added to the bowl. Garnish with lime wedges and avocado slices.

Variation:

- add corn (fresh or frozen) for the last 10 minutes of cooking

For a full menu of what was served at the Guatemalan lunch, go here.  

Jocón / Guatemalan Chicken in Tomatillo-Cilantro Sauce

RECIPE: Jocón / Guatemalan Chicken in Tomatillo-Cilantro Sauce

(serves 6)

Ingredients:

- 3 pounds chicken, cut into serving pieces

- 4 cups water

- 2 tsp salt

- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

- 1/4 cup sesame seeds

- 2 corn tortillas, chopped, soaked in water, drained

- 1 cup tomatillos, hulled and chopped

- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped

- 1 bunch scallions, chopped

- 1-5 jalapeño or serrano chile peppers, chopped

Method:

> place the chicken, water, and salt into a large pot over medium-high

> bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour

> heat a dry skillet over medium; add the pumpkin and sesame seeds and toast, stirring, until lightly browned; remove to a coffee grinder or food processor and grind to a fine powder

> add the sesame and pumpkin seeds, tortillas, tomatillos, cilantro, scallions, and chile peppers to a food processor or blender; add 6 cups of the broth from the chicken and process until smooth; you may have to do this step in batches

> pour pureed sauce into the pot with the chicken pieces

> heat over medium-low and simmer for an additional 15-25 minutes; adjust seasoning and serve

For a full view of the menu served at the Guatemalan lunch, go here. 

Hilachas / Guatemalan Beef Stew

RECIPE: Hilachas / Guatemalan Beef Stew

(serves 6)

Ingredients:

- 2 pounds beef, cubed

- 5 cups water

- 2-3 tbsp oil

- 1 onion, chopped

- 1 cup chopped tomatoes

- 1 cup chopped tomatillos

- 2 to 3 guajillo (say 'gua-HE-yo') chiles, warmed over a flame, deseeded and chopped

- salt and pepper - to season

- 1 pound potatoes, peeled and chopped

- 2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped

- 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Method:

> place the beef, water, and a big pinch of salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat

> reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the beef is very tender

> while the beef is simmering, place the onion, tomatoes, tomatillos and chiles in a food processor or blender and puree, adding a little water if necessary

> heat the oil in a large pot over medium; add the onion-tomato puree and simmer until the puree is cooked down and darkens somewhat in color, about 10 minutes; do not burn

> add the shredded beef and about 3 cups of the broth to the onion-tomato puree and season with salt and pepper; reserve the rest of the broth

> stir in the potatoes, onions and a little more broth if necessary

> simmer until the potatoes and carrots are cooked through, about 15-20 minutes

> stir in the breadcrumbs to thicken the sauce (optional)

> stir in the chopped cilantro, adjust seasoning and serve hot with corn tortillas or rice with shredded cabbage and chopped cilantro to garnish

Variations:

- add 2 teaspoons achiote seasoning to the onion-tomato puree for added flavour; bricks of achiote seasoning can be found at many Latin markets

- the potatoes and carrots can be eliminated if you like

- canned tomatoes and tomatillos work just fine in this recipe

- tomatoes can be used if you would like to eliminate the tomatillos

- if you can't find guajillo chiles, use anchos or pasillas (say 'pa-SEE-yas') or substitute with 1 tablespoon of paprika and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

To see the full menu for the Guatemalan lunch, go here.  

Vegetarian Christmas Stuffing?!

Yes, it can be done. Just don't put the stuffing in the turkey.

I recently made another of my FAVOURITE Christmas classics: stuffing. This dish is simple to pull together and can easily be made with leftover rice, quinoa, corn (or other grainy) bread, and a few aromatic vegetables.

Community Lunch Lasagne

When it comes to food and cooking for others, running out is NEVER an option. If there is a fault in this category, it is that we tend to over-do it. So, when we volunteered to help out with food for the Community Lunch after church this last week, we aimed high...

... top of this mountain of twenty loaves of garlic bread, high.

Home Made Pasta

A little while ago, I popped some chopped beef into the freezer with some garlic, olive oil, and some Italian herbs. I forget what exactly I put in with the meat, but to find out, check here. Now the time has come to cook the beef!

I sautéed the beef with the herbs, added some chopped onion, and dressed it at the end with some halved cherry tomatoes. Now for the noodles...

Dinner Tonight: Curry

After school on Thursdays, the boys and I get home quickly and eat a snack that is more of a meal than a little bite. Then we load into the car with boxing gloves, shorts and tee-shirts and head off to their kick-boxing class in Calgary.

By the time we get home, it is nearly 7:00 and with bedtime FAST approaching, if dinner is not already ready, the wheels fall off and the kids end up going to bed way too late, cranky. 

Here is my solution for tonight’s dinner... curry! I will prep everything before I go help out in Kindergarten this afternoon and I will start the slow roasting before we leave at 4:20 pm for the 5:15 pm class.

RECIPE: Apple Curry

Ingredients:

2 lbs beef, sliced and diced (I chop up cheap steaks for this, but ground beef would also work or stewing beef cubes)

1 large onion, diced

2 large apples, cored and diced

1 can coconut milk

2 tbsp yellow curry paste (or curry powder if you don’t have the paste)

Method:

> mix it all together in an oven-proof casserole dish, clamp on the lid, and put it in the oven at 325*F for 2-2.5 hours; alternately, you could use a crock-pot


> rice, the amount and method you usually use (I will talk more on rice a little later)

Garnish:

fresh cilantro & green onions sprinkled over

I will post photos of this tomorrow as well as any sides I create to go with it! I have no idea what they will be, but I know my fridge is brimming with produce that begs to be eaten! 

* For an authentic experience, do not use any forks, spoons, or other utensils when eating.  Use only your fingers on your right hand and rip up a piece of Indian Naan Bread to scoop and sop the yumminess up!!

** Yes, I am seriously suggesting that you eat rice, small pieces of meat and veg, and sauce with your fingers. Think of how much fun your kids will have!


UPDATE: 
My 7-year-old decided that this was the VERY BEST curry he had EVER had and ate three large bowls before declaring that he was too full for a fourth. 


Here is a photo of the apples, vegetables, coconut milk, and curry paste before I added strips of cheap beef. And curry in the bowl served over brown basmati rice - with cilantro and kosher salt - yummy!

 

Chicken Soup for the Soul and Stomach

I love the smell of a pot of chicken broth bubbling away on the stove.  There is something so homey, warm, comforting about it.  It is a great way to use up the left-over meat, bones, and skin from a roasted chicken. Also, it is surprisingly little work.

CHICKEN SOUP

Ingredients:

Chicken bones, joints, skin, etc.

3-6 bay leaves 

10 pepper corns (or 1/2 tsp ground pepper)

1 onion, cut in half

garlic (1 or more cloves)

water to cover the contents of the pot

Method:

Cover and simmer over medium-low until it comes to a gentle boil. Allow to simmer for one to five hours before serving. Alternately, you can use pre-made chicken broth and simmer with the bay leaves, pepper, onion, and garlic for 20 minutes.

To Serve:

Pre-boil noodles until they are "al-dente" or still a bit firm. While the noodles are cooking, chop up a few fresh vegetables. Arrange the chopped veggies, cooked noodles, and leftover meat in each bowl.  Ladle strained broth over the contents of each bowl and serve.

Note: 

Store extra noodles and broth in separate containers in the fridge. If stored together, the noodles will continue to absorb broth and will become mushy.

Do you make chicken soup? What do you do to "personalize" it?