Traced Elements

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  • “Rally the Troops” Cauliflower-Lentil-Fennel-Coconut Curried Soup

    “Rally the Troops” Cauliflower-Lentil-Fennel-Coconut Curried Soup

    I’ve been making this soup often. I feel like I am rallying the troops as I take all the veggies out of the fridge to start cooking. Napa cabbage is a new addition I have made and turns out this veggie is high in vitamin C – a good winter soup veggie. I can eat this soup most days in winter and make a batch about once a week. It is good for lunch or dinner and I feel good knowing I am getting my veggie requirements.

    I am going to make this soup for a friend this weekend. It ticks so many boxes: veggies (including 2 cruciferous veggies), minerals from homemade chicken stock/bone broth, and protein from the lentils. Enjoy the last stage of winter – prime soup-eating season. I am proud to say I created this soup. I am really happy with it and I hope others give it a go. There is no nicer way to eat healthfully in winter than with a delicious veggie-filled soup.

    Ingredients:

    3 tbs pure olive oil

    2-3 cups chopped napa cabbage/Chinese cabbage

    1 large yellow onion, chopped

    2 cups chopped parsley

    ½ fennel bulb, fine chop

    6 large white mushrooms, chopped

    1 medium cauliflower, chopped

    1 cup chopped celery

     

    2-4 tsp pepper (2 tsp to start, then adjust to taste)

    2-3 tsp salt (start with 2 tsp, then adjust to taste)

    2 tbs cumin

    1 tbs coriander

    1 tsp curry powder

     

    ½ can full fat coconut milk

    1.5 cups well-rinsed red lentils (lentils can have a chalky flavour if they are not rinsed. Do not skip this step.)

    8-10 cups homemade* chicken broth, made with the carcass of a Pemberton-raised roast chicken (use 10 cups for a thinner soup)

    Method:

    Sauté all veggies including parsley. The process takes a while. You want a nicely caramelised batch of veggies. Do not continue until the veggies are at a point where you would enjoy eating them as a cooked side dish.

    Add spices and 2 tsp each of salt and pepper.

    Add chicken stock, lentils and coconut milk.

    Bring to boil, then simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.

    Taste the soup. Adjust salt and pepper.

    When you are satisfied with spicing, blend the soup in batches in a high-powered blender.

    Enjoy!

    *Homemade stock makes all the difference. See my previous soup posts on tracedelements.com for recipe for homemade chicken stock. I store the stock in clear 3-cup Ziploc twist-lid containers. I like these as you can see what is inside and, unlike most other storage containers for the freezer, the lids on these ones don’t fall off! (this is not a paid endorsement but I would be interested in this kind of thing!!)

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    Here is a photo of what my pot looks like with soup stock simmering. My chicken carcass is in there along with all my veggie ends and a quarter cup of peppercorns. This is a good one to two week supply of stock. I often use stock to reheat leftovers on the stove. It heats everything more evenly and adds flavour!

  • Tartine Cookbook Review Part 2: Gougères

    Tartine Cookbook Review Part 2: Gougères

    I wanted to spend a bit more time with this cookbook and make something out of my comfort zone. Turns out gougères are pretty easy to make and are an impressive hors d’oeuvre! I changed a few things to healthify them – namely used whole grain spelt flour instead of white wheat flour. However, they call for milk and cheese so not vegan or for the lactose intolerant. I also sped up the method by altering a few steps so you can get these into the oven quicker. I will make these again!

    Gougères: (or cheese puffs, to keep things simple)

    Yield: 3 dozen gougères.

    Ingredients:

    1 ¼ cup skim milk (or half part whole milk, half part water)

    140 grams unsalted butter

    1 tsp salt

    1 cup spelt flour

    5 large Pemberton eggs

    ¾ cup grated Jarlsberg cheese

    ¼ cup fine chopped parsley

    ½ tsp pepper

    Method:

    Put milk and butter into medium heavy bottom sauce pan over low-medium heat. Bring to boil. When boiling, shut off heat and add flour. Mix with wooden spoon until well incorporated. Then transfer mixture to stand mixer and add eggs one at a time until well mixed. Then add grated cheese, parsley and pepper.

    Drop spoonfuls of batter onto parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes at 350F. Serve immediately.

     

     

  • Christmas Morning Breakfast – With a Healthy Dose of Pemberton!

    Christmas Morning Breakfast – With a Healthy Dose of Pemberton!

    Christmas morning is not an oatmeal morning. You want to have something special and festive on the table. This is a very useful recipe as the dish looks impressive but is actually very easy to execute.

    This dish will make use of “all the Pemberton blueberries you froze” this past summer! If you have one, use an enameled cast iron fry pan as some of the lower-quality cast iron pans leave a metallic aftertaste. Happy Christmas!

    Dutch Baby Pancake with Pemberton Blueberry Compote

    Ingredients:

    Pancake:

    6 Pemberton large eggs

    1 cup almond or oat milk

    ¼ cup sugar

    ¼ tsp salt

    ½ tsp almond extract

    ½ cup spelt flour

    ½ cup almond meal

    2 tbs butter

    Compote:

    2 cups Pemberton blueberries

    1 tbs corn starch

    ½ tsp lemon zest

    Whip Cream:

    2 cups whipping cream

    Garnish: 1 tbs icing sugar

    Method:

    Pancake:

    Preheat oven to 425F

    Blend all ingredients except butter in a blender on high speed

    Place the butter in a 10-inch enameled cast iron fry pan and place in oven for 5 minutes.

    Remove pan when butter is melted (use oven mitts!)

    Pour ingredients into fry pan and place fry pan in oven

    Bake for 20 minutes.

    Compote: Place blueberries, zest and corn starch in saucepan on medium heat, and stir until mixture becomes a thick sauce.

    Whip cream: Whip the cream in stand mixer until soft peaks form.

    Serving: Slice baked pancake into 8 servings. Top each serving with spoonful of compote and dollop of whip cream. Garnish the plate with a dusting of icing sugar using a small sieve.

  • Best of Pemberton Fall Dinner: Pine mushrooms and deer burgers!

    Best of Pemberton Fall Dinner: Pine mushrooms and deer burgers!

    This is a good time of year for eating well in Pemberton. Hopefully fresh deer meat, winter squash, mashed Sieglinde potatoes, and sautéed pine mushrooms! A healthier plate will also include sautéed chard – but I prefer to save my blanched chard to add to chilli and soup when it goes down so harmoniously with bold tomato flavour and spices. I used to dislike pine mushrooms but my tastes changed a few years ago when I ate them prepared very simply. Sautéed in olive oil, then drizzled with a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and just a dash of gluten-free soy sauce…I can’t eat enough of them! Cheers to good fall meals using Pemberton’s finest local ingredients.

    Sautéed Pemberton Pine Mushrooms (serves 4 as a side dish, or 1 for a scrumptious snack)

    Ingredients:

    4 large pine mushrooms, well-scrubbed and clean

    2 tbs pure olive oil

    1 tbs fresh lemon juice

    ½ tsp gluten-free soy sauce

    Method:

    Scrub your pine mushrooms well.

    Slice VERY thinly into 2 mm slices. Thin slices are the key to flavourful and crispy pine mushrooms.

    Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet. Sauté mushrooms over medium heat until nicely browned and crisp. Turn off heat and add lemon juice and soy sauce. Enjoy!

    Pemberton Deer Burgers: (serves 4)

    Ingredients:

    1 lb ground deer meat

    2 tbs pure olive oil

    ½ medium yellow onion, fine dice

    1 tsp salt

    1 tsp pepper

    1 tsp prepared English mustard

    2 dashes hot sauce (optional)

    2 tbs chives, chopped.

    Method:

    Combine all ingredients. Form into patties. BBQ on high for about 10 minutes and flip burgers halfway through. Remove from heat when cooked through. Enjoy!

  • Pemberton Dairy-free Squash Pie

    Pemberton Dairy-free Squash Pie

    Even though Thanksgiving has passed, I still enjoy eating squash pie. I have tweaked a dairy-free version that I think is sublime!

    It can also made into tarts. Over the years I have developed a distaste for nutmeg and instead enjoy the taste of cardamom in my squash desserts. You can use pumpkin, acorn, butternut, or other types of squash in your pie filling. The key step is to strain your squash into a sieve to remove as much liquid as possible, for at least ½ hour. This will make a denser and richer pie filling.

    Pemberton Squash Pie:

    Ingredients:

    pastry for one 8-inch pie plate

    2 cups pureed Pemberton-grown winter squash

    1 cup brown sugar

    2 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks

    1 tsp cardamom

    1/2 can full fat coconut milk

    1 tsp cinnamon

    ½ tsp ground ginger

    ¼ tsp ground cloves

    1/4 tsp salt

    Method:

    Make pastry and line an 8 inch diameter pie plate (I use a spelt pastry).

    Roast a large squash (your choice) in a 350F oven for 2 hours on a roasting pan filled with 2 inches of water.

    When squash is very soft, remove seeds and discard. Take flesh and puree in food processor. Put puree into a sieve and let strain over a bowl for ½ hour. Discard squash liquid, or use in another recipe, such as soup stock.

    In a stand mixer, add strained squash, sugar, eggs, spices and coconut milk. Blend well.

    Pour filling into pastry-lined pie plate.

    Bake 375F for 15 minutes, then 1 hour at 350F.

    Pie is done when the filling jiggles only slightly in the centre of the pie.

    Turn off oven and cool with oven door half open.

    Cool completely and serve with whip cream if desired.

  • A good pick-me-up soup for Fall:

    A good pick-me-up soup for Fall:

    There are germs flying around Pemberton these days. If and when a bug hits, this soup will offer some relief. The key is homemade chicken broth which I try to always have on hand. I have posted my recipe for chicken broth before but I will do it again as it is so important. Carton broth is not an option for me!

    Chicken, vegetable and barley soup:

     Ingredients:

    8 cups homemade chicken broth (recipe to follow)

    3 Pemberton-grown carrots, chopped

    1 cup Pemberton-grown parsley, chopped

    4 stalks celery chopped

    ½ cup cauliflower, very finely diced (optional)

    1 large yellow onion, diced

    2 tbs pure olive oil

    1/3 cup pearl barley

    2-3 cups diced cooked Pemberton-raised chicken

    2 tsp pepper

    2 tsp salt

    Method:

    Sauté all veggies and parsley in olive oil over medium heat until nicely caramelised and soft. Add salt and pepper. Add chicken broth, barley and diced chicken. Bring to boil. Then simmer 20-30 minutes. Enjoy!

    Chicken Broth:

    After roasting a whole Pemberton-raised chicken, remove meat or most of it.

    Place carcass and skin into a large stock pot. To this pot add about 4-6 cups of veggie trimmings.**

    Add ¼ cup of whole black peppercorns.

    Fill the stock pot with water.

    Bring to boil.

    Simmer 2-3 hours.

    Strain.

    Cool.

    Freeze in containers for later use.

    **I collect veggie trimmings each day and put them in a large Ziploc bag and store it in the freezer, adding to the bag each day. I usually add one full Ziploc bag of veggies to the stock pot. Veggie trimmings that commonly get thrown in the bag are: red pepper stems, carrot ends and peels, parsley and cilantro stalks, onion ends (not the brown peel), cauliflower stalks, fennel stalks, celery ends, acorn or butternut squash ends, wilted veggies, etc.) Do NOT add potato peelings or ginger root ends or peel – they will ruin your stock!

  • Pemberton Lunch Box Omelettes

    Pemberton Lunch Box Omelettes

    This recipe is inspired by the portable egg bites that Starbucks sells. With all the produce available at the Farmer’s Market or in your garden these make a very good high protein lunch! And they are easy to make. This recipe makes 4 omelettes but you could easily double or triple the recipe.

    Ingredients:

    1 tbs pure olive oil

    4 Pemberton free-range large eggs

    4 slices high quality thick-cut bacon, diced

    1 Pemberton-grown red pepper, finely diced

    1/4 Pemberton-grown yellow or white onion, finely diced

    4 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half and then sliced lengthwise into thin slices

    2 tbs cilantro, finely chopped

    1/4 tsp salt

    1/4 tsp pepper

    Method:

    Sauté onion and red pepper in 1 tbs olive oil until soft and slightly caramelized. Add cilantro, salt and pepper.

    Fry bacon in separate fry pan until crisp but not crunchy.

    Add bacon to veggie mix.

    Blend eggs in blender on high for 10 seconds. Or beat well with whisk or fork.

    Place a silicone muffin pan into a large pyrex casserole dish.

    Boil a large kettle of water.

    Place 1.5 tbs veggie-bacon mix into each muffin cup. Then pour 1/4 egg mixture into each cup. Place 2 slices of cherry tomato atop each muffin.

    Pour boiling water into pyrex dish so it reaches halfway up the sides of the dish.

    Bake in oven at 350F for 30 minutes.

    Cool.

    Enjoy!

     

     

  • Ode to the Cherry Tomato

    Ode to the Cherry Tomato

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    Cherry tomato, small and sweet,

    Summertime’s grandest treat.

    Orange or yellow, purple or red,

    Sun-warmed is the best, I’ve said.

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    Dangling fruit, ripe and ready

    On bushy stalks of green so steady.

    That certain odor on my fingers

    That your leaves leave, it lingers

     

    But that’s okay. How I love that smell!

    On sunny days, it makes my heart swell.

    Cherry tomato, friend, not foe.

    The only veggie I can grow.

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  • Summer is for Hummus

    Summer is for Hummus

    Hummus is a fantastic summer staple as you can take it camping or somewhere with limited refrigeration and it won’t go off. It is full of vitamins and protein, and vegan to boot. It tastes great accompanied by Pemberton-grown carrots, and the secret ingredient is Pemberton-grown cilantro. You can also make your own tahini by grinding raw sesame seeds with a little olive oil in a high-powered blender.

    Cumin and Cilantro Hummus:

    Ingredients:

    2 cups cooked chick peas

    3 peeled Pemberton garlic cloves

    1/3 cup tahini

    Juice of 2 lemons (must be fresh)

    2 tbs water

    4 dashes tabasco sauce

    1 tsp cumin

    ¼ cup cilantro leaves

    1 tsp pepper

    1.5 tsp salt

    Method:

    Mix chick peas and garlic in food processor.

    Add tahini and all remaining ingredients until very smooth. Adjust water amount to desired consistency.

    Garnish with a few cilantro leaves. Enjoy!

  • Are the Pemberton Strawberries Ripe Yet?

    Are the Pemberton Strawberries Ripe Yet?