Canadian Winter Comfort Dinner Menu
Otto Say’s
Pasta sanza vino e
come il cuore sanza amore
Pasta without wine is
like a heart without love
Menu:
Oats and Molasses Bread
Classic Pea and Ham Soup
Mac and Cheese
True Canadian Beef Stew with Winter Vegetables
Apple Betty
Oats and Molasses Bread
Makes 2
loaves, medium
Ingredients
300 ml
boiling water
175 ml large-flake rolled oats
75 ml fancy
molasses
30 ml
butter, softened
1 egg,
beaten
5 ml
granulated sugar
125 ml warm
water
15 ml active
dry yeast
750 ml all
purpose flour, (approx)
250 ml whole
wheat flour
7 ml salt
Topping
1 egg,
beaten
30 ml large-flake
rolled oats
MethodTop of Form
MethodMmvv
1. In heatproof bowl, stir boiling water with rolled oats; let stand until
absorbed, about 15 minutes. Stir in molasses, butter and egg.
2. Meanwhile, in large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water; sprinkle in yeast
and let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes. Stir in oat mixture. Stir in 625
ml of the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and salt to form sticky dough.
3. Turn out onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding as
much of the remaining flour as necessary, about 5 minutes. Place in greased
bowl, turning to grease all over. Cover with plastic wrap; let rise in warm
draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
4. Punch down dough; divide in half. On floured surface, pat each half into 28
x 20 cm rectangle. Starting at narrow end, roll up into cylinder; pinch edge to
seal. Fit into 2 greased 1.5 L loaf pans. (Or shape each into round, stretching
and pinching dough underneath to smooth top.) Cover with tea towel; let rise in
warm draft-free place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Topping: Brush loaves with egg; sprinkle with oats. Bake in
centre of 190°C oven until loaves sound hollow when tapped on bottoms, about 40
minutes. Let cool on racks.
Classic Pea Soup with Ham
Serves 8
Ingredients
1 smoked ham hock 500 g
15 ml vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 each carrots and stalks celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 ml each salt and pepper
1 L chicken stock
500 ml dry green or yellow split peas
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Method
1. Using paring knife, peel off and discard skin from ham
hock. Trim off and discard fat. Set aside.
2.In Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-low heat; fry onion, carrots, celery,
garlic, bay leaves, salt, pepper and ham hock, stirring occasionally, until
vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add stock, peas and 500 ml water; bring to boil over medium-high heat,
skimming off any foam. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until peas break
down and meat is tender enough to fall off hock, about 1-3/4 hours.
4. Remove ham hock; pull off and shred meat. Set meat aside. Discard ham bone
and bay leaves. In blender, puree half of the soup; return to pot along with
meat.
5. Let cool for 30 minutes. Transfer to container and
refrigerate, uncovered, until cold.
6. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat to serve.
Ladle into bowls; garnish with green onions.
P. S. After removing the ham hock,
you can also use an immersion blender to blend soup to half chunky stage while
still in the pot.
Kicked Up Mac
and Cheese
Serves 8
400 gr elbow pasta
75
gr butter divided
60
gr flour
750
ml. milk
5
ml dry mustard
3 ml salt
2 ml ground white pepper
Few drop hot sauce
400 gr grated Cheddar cheese
250 gr grated Swiss cheese
100 gr grated Parmesan cheese
100 gr bread crumbs
10 ml chili powder
Method
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees C.
2. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta
and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt ½ butter. Whisk in
flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. A little at a time, whisk in milk, mustard,
salt, pepper and hot sauce. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1
minute, then remove from heat and whisk in Swiss, Cheddar and Parmesan until
smooth. Stir in cooked pasta and pour into shallow baking dish.
3. Melt remaining butter. Stir in bread crumbs and chili
powder. Sprinkle over macaroni mixture.
4. Bake in preheated oven 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes
before serving.
True Canadian Beef Stew with Winter
Vegetables
Serves 8
Ingredients
1.1 kg lean boneless stewing beef, (chuck recommended)
15 ml olive oil
45 ml butter
175 ml finely chopped onions
60 ml all-purpose flour
5 ml salt
2 ml freshly ground pepper
1 bay leaf
5 ml crushed thyme
5 ml crushed marjoram
1 L lightly salted beef stock, or vegetable stock
8 small potatoes
8 onions
8 medium carrots
1/4medium rutabaga,
(yellow turnip)
3 medium parsnips
500 gr can tomatoes (or fresh cooked) 1/2 cup liquid
250 ml frozen peas (optional)
125 ml chopped fresh parsley
Method
1. Cut beef into 4 cm cubes; pat dry with paper towel. In
saucepan, heat oil and butter; brown meat one layer at a time. (For a rich
tasty stew, it's important to brown meat well at this stage.)
2. When all meat is browned, set aside. Melt more butter in
saucepan if necessary and onion until tender and golden. Stir in flour;
continue cooking over medium heat until flour is golden.
3. Return meat to saucepan; add seasonings (pepper, bay
leaf, thyme and marjoram) and stock. Using wooden spoon, scrape up all browned
bits from bottom of pan. Simmer, partially covered, until beef is tender, about
1-1/2 hours. Either cool or refrigerate overnight to allow flavours to mellow,
or proceed with vegetables.
4. Peel potatoes, onions, carrots, rutabaga and parsnips.
Leave potatoes whole; cut a shallow X in root end of each onion. Cut carrots,
rutabaga and parsnips into finger-length sticks.
5. Chop tomatoes coarsely.
5. Add vegetables to stew and cook, covered, at moderate
simmer until all ingredients are tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Add peas;
simmer 5 more minutes. Taste, adding more seasoning or liquid if necessary.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Apple Betty
Serve 8
1000 ml thin sliced apples
100 ml orange juice
200 ml all purpose flour
250 ml sugar
3 ml ground cinnamon
1 ml ground nutmeg
Pinch salt
75 gr butter
Method
1. Preheat oven to 190 degrees. Lightly grease a large 23
cm. pie plate.
2. Mound sliced apples in the pie plate. Sprinkle with
orange juice.
3. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg,
and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Scatter over
the apples.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes. Serve warm.
