Scotch Eggs

Peeling eggs is one of the first things we learn in the kitchen. So I thought. I have been making pickled eggs for a friend that has a free range chicken operation. Please, don't give me all your tips on peeling eggs. I know them all. But these present a unique challenge. Is it the extra hard shell? Is it the extra strong inner membrane?

I felt like a complete failure in the simple task of peeling eggs.

We all know that stale eggs peel easier. We all know that the cooked eggs should be plunged into an ice bath until fully chilled. We all know that we should crack the blunt end of the egg and slip under the membrane. Using logic I can peel an egg.

Free range organic eggs are a whole other animal. Stale, chill, blunt crack and I am still not getting a clean peel. By chance I received a tip that changed my life. Use a spoon. So simple. Since I have been using a spoon to peel my eggs they are almost perfect. Tuck that tip in your recipe box.





Scotch Eggs

Scotch Eggs originated from a need for hearty travel food. I used a lean spiced pork sausage and panko bread crumbs. Use oil with a high smoke point such as canola or peanut oil.

4 eggs, boiled

3 large sausages, preferably a lean spicy Italian style

1 c. flour 250 mL

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 c. breadcrumbs 250 mL

Frying oil

Put eggs in pot and fill with cold water. Place on heat and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and cover. Let sit for 12 minutes. Then remove eggs to an ice water bath until fully chilled. 

Prepare the sausage by squeezing from casing and forming into 4 balls. Flatten each ball into a thin patty. Place flour, egg and breadcrumbs into separate bowls.

Peel eggs and dry thoroughly. Wrap each egg in sausage and pinch so there are no holes exposing the egg. Roll in flour, then egg and finally breadcrumbs.

Cook one or two at a time in oil heated to 350-375F in a deep pot. Turn occasionally if they are not totally submerged in oil. Fry until very browned. Remove and drain on paper towel lined plate. Serve hot or at room temperature. Serve with catsup, mustard or plain.

Prepare 3 dishes. One with flour, another with beaten egg and finally one with breadcrumbs. Meanwhile heat a pot of oil to 350-3750F.

Lentil Wontons

This recipe is a keeper. Traditionally wontons and dumplings are made with pork and shrimp so I was worried about the intensities of flavours and the texture. Mushrooms have an earthy flavour and are meaty in texture. They were perfect. Any mushroom would work but sliced button mushrooms were on sale this week. I added wild foraged dried Saskatchewan Matsusake mushrooms. Shitakes would be another good choice. I fully cooked the lentils and they held their shape well. They had a nice firm texture in the finished wonton.

These work equally well as potstickers served with a soy dipping sauce or as wontons in a mushroom broth for a vegetarian version of wonton soup.

This is my entry for the recipe contest with Canadian Lentils. I call it my wild card entry because it doesn't fit into any category. Yes, there is a category for that. Click on this link to find all the entries on Facebook. Remember to 'like' my entry to help me win. Comments are nice, too.

Don't be put off by the number of ingredients. Many are always in your kitchen already. There are a lot of veggies which is a good thing. And like with all recipes, just adapt it to your liking. Skipping water chestnuts, for example, will not make this any less appealing.

 Lentil Wontons

1 tbsp. fresh ginger, finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions, finely chopped
1 c. green lentils, cooked
1 oz. dried wild mushrooms
1 lb. button mushrooms, sliced
1 - 227 mL can water chestnuts, coarsely chopped
2 chard leaves, ribs removed chiffonade
1/2 c. yellow onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely shredded
2 tbsp. cornstarch
pinch of white sugar
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice wine
salt and white pepper, to taste
wonton wrappers

Wash lentils and cook in ample water for 30 minutes or 10 minutes in a pressure cooker.

Saute yellow onion in vegetable oil until soft but not browned. Put in a medium sized bowl. In the same pan saute mushrooms until soft. Chop finely in food processor and add to onions in bowl. Meanwhile soak dried mushrooms in 1 cup hot water for 20 minutes. Drain and reserve liquid. Finely chop. Add wild mushrooms, fresh ginger, green onion, chard, lentils, water chestnuts, carrot and garlic to bowl. Add sesame oil, rice wine, soy sauce, salt, pepper and cornstarch.




Place a scant teaspoon of the mixture on a wonton wrapper and fold as desired. Round or square wonton wraps can be used. Wet the edge of the wrap and pinch the edges together to seal. I had square shaped wraps in my freezer. Makes approximately 50 wontons.


At this point the wontons can be laid on a parchment lined baking sheet and frozen, then stored in a freezer bag or they can used right away.

For potstickers, fry quickly in a hot pan with vegetable oil until browned. Turn over, add water and cover to finish cooking. The dough should shrink around the filling. Serve with dipping sauce.

These can also simply be boiled and served with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce
4 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. rice vinegar
1 tsp. finely minced fresh ginger

Wonton Soup

Mushroom Stock
1 large yellow onion, sliced
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
1/2 lb. white mushrooms, sliced
1 oz. dried shitake mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, smashed, skin left on
bouquet garni of thyme, oregano, bay leaf and black peppercorns

Cook all ingredients in a stockpot with 10 cups of water for 45 minutes without the lid. Strain and discard solids. Use stock to make soup with ingredients below.

wontons

2 chard leaves

finely chopped green onions

1/2 tsp. sesame oil

soy sauce, to taste

salt and white pepper, to taste

Season stock with soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper. Add wontons and simmer until tender Add chopped chard leaves to hot stock.  Serve. Garnish with chopped green onions, if desired.

Lentil Falafel Appetizer

Lots of bloggers tell great stories about life in their kitchen or life on their farm or in their family. I am just not into that. My life isn't so exciting. The best part is the cooking I do almost every day. There always seems to be some inspiration that takes me off on a tangent. At the moment it is the recipe contest with Canadian Lentils. Be sure to click on this link to see their Facebook page. And while you're there, 'like' my recipes and it will help me to be a winner. Well, you are all winners actually. There are some pretty amazing recipes popping up daily.

Falafel balls are usually made with a seasoned chickpea mixture. They are a traditional Middle Eastern recipe and are often stuffed into a fresh pita along with fresh tomatoes, red onions, hot peppers and a tahini sauce for one of the best sandwiches you will ever have.

This appetizer is a riff on that utilizing green lentils. The lentils are quite dry. I tried making the balls without the egg yolk but they fell apart when frying. Adding a little water helped but it was not until I added egg yolk that I had a ball that held together nicely. If you make the balls in advance they can be refreshed in a 350F oven for 5 minutes. Assemble the appetizer just before guests arrive.

Dried mint works best in the yogurt dip. You can find at a Middle Eastern grocer. Thana jeeroo is an Indian spice mixture. It was perfect for this recipe and was the best choice from my spice cupboard. Most kitchens probably don't have this. I know I didn't until I found it recently. Substitute half ground cumin and half ground coriander.

These are still good as leftovers. Just microwave for a few seconds. Delicious. They seem moister after sitting in the refrigerator for a few days or do I just have a bad memory. They are not as crispy but who cares! Someone asked how the flavour compared to chickpeas and I can't tell the difference. Don't be tempted to omit the cayenne. That little kick of heat is really nice.

This recipe is vegetarian and gluten-free.
 
Lentil Falafel Appetizer

1/2 c. dried green lentils
2 T. finely chopped yellow onion
1 minced clove of garlic
1 tbsp. thana jeeroo
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne
lemon for garnish
oil for frying

Cook lentils in plenty of water until very tender, about 40 minutes. Drain.

In a heavy pan heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and add lentils and remainder of ingredients except oil and egg yolk. Saute until onions are soft. Puree in food processor for a minute or two. Leave the mixture chunky. Chill. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

When you are ready to fry the balls, add the egg yolk to the mixture and using your hand, mix it in well. This acts as a binder so the balls don't fall apart in the oil. If the mixture is still dry, add a tablespoon or two of water.  Using about a teaspoon of the mixture roll into 1 inch balls.

Use an oil with a high smoke point such as canola and heat about 3 inches in a pan. Attach a thermometer and when the oil reaches 350F it is ready.  Don't overcrowd the pan or the temperature of the oil will drop. Turn over so all sides become browned. Drain on paper towels.

Serve on skewers with a dollop of mint yogurt and half a grape tomato. Garnish with parsley, mint leaves and wedge of lemon. Encourage the guests to squeeze the lemon juice over the lentil ball.

Makes about 24 balls. These are very filling so if you are having other appetizers I might suggest only 1 to 1 1/2 per person as a guide for your party.

Mint Yogurt Dip

1 c. Greek style yogrt
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoons dried mint

Mix all ingredients and refrigerate until needed. Will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Sprouted Lentil Salad Rolls

Lentils are an inexpensive and excellent source of protein, dietary fibre, high quality carbohydates and iron. They are highly recommended when weight gain, high cholesterol or type 2 diabetes is a concern.

My back door neighbour is a farmer and has bins of them. "Any time you need lentils, just let me know," he insists "you can have all you want." These are his green lentils harvested less than ten kilometers from my home.

Canadian Lentils is kindly sponsoring a recipe contest until April 7. The recipe categories include appetizers, salads, main courses, desserts and free style for recipes that don't fit into any of these categories. This is my entry for salads. Follow them on Facebook by clicking here. Don't forget to 'like' my entry and help me win! You can also leave a comment here, on my blog.
  
Sprouting lentils makes them more digestible for some. They are used raw and have a crunchy, peppery presence in this dish. Addition of lentils adds a vegetarian and vegan source of protein. Feel free to add avocado or blanched asparagus.

Sprouted Lentil Salad Rolls

1 c. sprouted lentils
1 c. shredded carrots
1 c. shredded iceberg lettuce
basil
mint
8 pieces of small to medium size rice paper
1 pkg. rice noodle sticks

Soak lentils for several hours, up to overnight. Drain and leave in collander or sieve. Cover with plastic wrap. It will only take about a day or two for the lentils to sprout. Rinse twice a day. The lentils are ready to use when the sprouts are about 1/2 inch. If they sprout much more than this the flavour becomes bitter and they are less appealing.

Soften rice noodles in hot water for 3 or 4 minutes. Drain thoroughly and rinse with cold water. Lay out the filling ingredients in bowls, the carrots, lettuce, sprouted lentils, basil, mint, rice noodle and rice paper. Fill a bowl large enough to hold the rice paper with warm water. Place a large cutting board on the counter top.

Now you are ready to make the wraps. Hydrate the rice paper until it just becomes limp and lay it out on the cutting board. Sprinkle lentils over the rice paper. About halfway up the rice paper circle place the other fillings. Place a tablespoon of each and a small amount of rice noodles in a line across the middle of the rice paper. Leave an inch clear on both sides. Roll from the side nearest you and tuck the filling in as you roll. Fold over both sides toward the centre. Continue to roll into a sausage shape with sides tucked in. Continue until all ingredients are used. Serve 2 rolls per person with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauces

Mango Mustard Chutney thinned with water makes a sweet and spicy dipping sauce. Purchase a bottle of the chutney and thin as required.

Hoisin sauce, chunky peanut butter, sriachi and water to thin is traditional. Heat 1/2 c hoisin with 1 T chunky peanut butter and a squrt of sriachi. Thin with water as required.

Salmon Potato Pie

Last year I visited Osoyoos in British Columbia for the Slow Food Canada conference. Osoyoos is on the southern end of Okanagan Lake and just minutes from the U. S. border. It is also at the northern tip of the Sonoran Desert. Mental images of desert are a reality when you visit in the summer. The temperatures are high and rainfall low. The lake is rimmed with mountains and benches. I cannot imagine a more beautiful setting for vineyards and orchards.

It was at this conference that I learned about the Okanagan sockeye. Over the past century hydropower dams have been built downstream making it impossible for the salmon to return to the Lake. It has been so long since there have been salmon in the lake that someone like myself, not a local, didn't even realize they ever were there. Now a joint US/Canada effort of building fish ladders have allowed the salmon to come upstream and spawn. The levels of salmon in the lake now allow for sport and commercial fishing. You can read all about the return of the sockeye salmon in Canadian Geographic here.

I bought a can of this salmon to bring home. I have been saving it for a special occasion but I think I am a food hoarder. Today I am making it as a treat for myself.

As a child on the farm in Saskatchewan we always had hired hands. My father particularly liked the hardworking young men from a neighbouring farm. They had a large family and easily could allow one to work outside the home and they were good workers. We always had fish on Friday. Although we were not Catholic, they were and we made the meal to respect their beliefs. Tinned salmon made more than one appearance on our prairie dinner-time table.

Apparently this tradition of tinned salmon was also popular in New Brunswick. Browsing through the cookbook A Collage of Canadian Cooking, I found this recipe. Here is my traditional meatless Friday meal using my Okanagan sockeye salmon with a recipe from New Brunswick.

Pate aux Patates et au Saumon   (Salmon Potato Pie)

pastry for double pie shell
3 cups mashed potatoes (mashed with milk)  750 mL
1 can (419 g) salmon, drained and flaked
2 tablespoons butter                                          30 mL
2 tablespoons chopped onion                            30 mL
1 tablespoon each celery & carrot, chopped     15 mL
1/2 teaspoon Chesapeake Bay Style seasoning    2 mL
salt and pepper
milk to brush the crust

Line 9-inch pie plate with pastry.

Fold potatoes and flaked salmon together lightly.

Melt butter in small saucepan. Add onion and saute until tender, but not brown. Fold into potato-salmon mixture. Season with savory, salt and pepper.

Fill pastry-lined pie plate with potato mixture. Place top pastry over filling. Seal and crimp edges. Cut slashes in top.

Bake in preheated 425F oven 40-45 minutes until crust is golden.

This is my entry this month for The Canadian Food Experience. Click on this link after the 15th and you will see all the entries from across this grand country of ours.

Parmesan and Sage Crusted Pork Chops

Although I have never visited Italy in March I think it would be much greener than March in Saskatchewan. Italy at any time of the year is a nice place to be. Menus vary from region to region and I am excited to see what my dinner partners are presenting.

If you are new to my blog, we have a virtual supper each month using recipes from Cooking Light. Yes, that's right, a lovely guilt-free meal every month. Can't beat that.

These pork chops were love at first bite. They are so easy to make, tasty and a healthy choice. I will be using this breading recipe again. Perhaps I'll try it with meatballs or chicken paillards. These bone-in pork chops are very flavourful and juicy with just a little bit of fat.

In Italian pork translates as carne di maiale. Usually pork is cured in Italy. It becomes prosciutto, pancetta, cappacolla, guancialle or lardo. But you can also find pork that is served without curing in most parts of the country.

Now go and check out these recipes honouring Italy:


Jerry's recipe from A Life Lived is Melon Prosciutto Salad with Parmigiano Reggiano.

Sandi at the Whistlestop Cafe is presenting Tuscan White Bean Soup with Proscuitto

Val from More Than Burnt Toast is making Gnocchi with Browned Butter. This is one of my favourites.

Susan's dessert Warm Caramelized Pears with Clove Zabaglione. Oh yum. This is when I wish this was a real dinner party.

This gives us all great motivation to get into the kitchen and make a lovely meal. And bonus, it is not packed with calories and fat.

These pork chops are outstanding. It is super easy to use quick fry chops. Bread them in this herbed mixture and you have a main course to build a meal around.

 Parmesan and Sage Crusted Pork Chops

    1 (1 1/4-ounce) slice white bread, torn into pieces

    1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

    1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

    1/4 teaspoon salt

    1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

    1/4 cup all-purpose flour

    1 tablespoon prepared mustard

    2 large egg whites

    4 (4-ounce) boneless thin-cut pork loin chops, trimmed

    1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

    1. Place bread in a food processor and pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure about 1 cup. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese, sage, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Place flour in another shallow dish. Combine mustard and egg whites in another shallow dish, stirring with a whisk.

    2. Working with one pork chop at a time, dredge pork in flour, shaking off excess. Dip pork into egg white mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Coat pork completely with breadcrumb mixture. Set aside. Repeat procedure with remaining pork, flour, egg white mixture, and breadcrumb mixture.

    






 3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan, swirling to coat. Add pork; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned and done.

Lorrie Hulston Corvin, Cooking Light

DECEMBER 2008

Nutritional Information per serving

    Calories: 272

    Calories from fat: 45%

    Fat: 13.6g

    Saturated fat: 3.7g

    Monounsaturated fat: 6.6g

    Polyunsaturated fat: 2.2g

    Protein: 28.8g

    Carbohydrate: 7g

    Fiber: 0.4g

    Cholesterol: 69mg

    Iron: 1.3mg

    Sodium: 409mg

    Calcium: 102mg