Plum Streusel Cake

This recipe is from Anne Lindsay's first cookbook. I could not find my copy of it tonight and I wanted to use up some prune plums that were languishing in the fridge. Thankfully this is a popular recipe and it has been reposted several times on the internet. There are a few minor changes from the original in this version. Any fruit can be used instead of the plums including drained canned fruit.

For the cake
¼ cup butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup milk
8-10 small plums 

grated rind of one lemon (optional) 

For the streusel topping
½ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp cinnamon

For the cake
Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grease an 8-inch square cake pan or a springform pan.

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat eggs until foamy and combine with butter mixture.. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and lemon rind. Add to egg mixture alternately with milk. 

Turn into prepared pan. Halve and pit plums and arrange over top.

For the streusel topping
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, butter and cinnamon; mix well and sprinkle over fruit.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until top is golden and toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean. 

Falafel

This was my second attempt at making falafel. I tried a baked version but they taste much better when pan fried. Deep fried may be even tastier, but this lower fat version is good. It takes minimal time in the kitchen to make falafel, but there are several hours between steps and the process cannot be rushed. Makes about 25-30 small falafel patties.

Step 1:

Soak 1 cup dried chickpeas in water overnight or for at least 6-8 hours. It is fine if you soak them longer (24 hours)

Step 2:

Drain chickpeas and add to a food processor with

1 medium onion cut in chunks
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 cup fresh parsley (or increase cilantro instead)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
hot pepper flakes or cayenne if desired
2 tbsp flour if needed to bind ingredients together (I never add flour)

Process ingredients until almost smooth. (2-3 minutes) You may have to scrape the sides of the bowl a couple of times.

Step 3:

Cover and refrigerate in a bowl for several hours or for up to a day.

Step 4:

Add oil to the bottom of a heavy frying pan. I used 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

Use 1 tablespoons of above mixture to make each falafel patty. I flattened them for pan frying but they could be shaped in the traditional round size if you deep fry them. Heat pan until hot and cook falafel until browned and crisp, turning once.

Serve in a pita with cucumber, tomato and sauce or with a salad and dressing. Tahini sauce is a traditional choice but tzatziki sauce is also tasty.

Tahini sauce:

Blend in food processor or blender-

• 1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 3 gloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon parsley, finely chopped (optional)
• hot water to get smooth consistency

Turkish Lentil Soup

This simple and delicious soup takes only half an hour to make. Our daughter had it in a restaurant when she visited Turkey earlier this year and highly recommended it.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium potato, diced
1 large carrot diced
1 cup red lentils
4 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
Lemon slices

Method:

Cook onions in butter until starting to soften. Add other potato, carrots, lentils, broth, water and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes or so until vegetables are soft and lentils are cooked. Put 3/4 of the soup in a blender and blend until smooth. Return pureed soup to pot or serving bowl. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on soup before eating. (just do it!)

Sprinkle with dried chili flakes if desired.

Serves 6

Bi-Bim-Bap: Vegetarian version

The Becka had Bi-Bim-Bap at an Asian restaurant in Toronto and raved about this "hot pot". It is made with meat, vegetables, rice and eggs and a spicy sauce is served on the side. There are many versions on the internet including several vegetarian options. I used the vegetables on hand in the fridge but other combinations would work just as well. I liked the look of this recipe on the blog Weird Combinations and used their method to make the one pictured above.

Step 1: Prepare 3 cups cooked rice. I used quick cooking brown rice.

Step 2: Cube a package of extra firm tofu and brown it in sesame oil in a frying pan. I sprinkled the tofu with some sesame seeds

Step 2: Cut up 8-10 cups of vegetables. I used carrots, broccoli, sweet peppers, a poblano pepper, garlic and red onion. Mushrooms and bean sprouts are commonly used as well as other Chinese greens.

Step 3: Steam vegetables until tender crisp and set aside

Step 4: Heat some sesame oil or oil of choice in a large wok or pot. Add the cooked rice and spread it evenly on the bottom and sides of the wok. You want to brown the rice until it is a little crispy. After five or ten minutes add the tofu and vegetable in a nice design on top of the rice.

Step 5: Break 4 eggs on top of the vegetables, put a lid on the dish and cook until eggs are set.

Serve with a spicy sauce. We used peanut sauce made with peanut butter, water, soy sauce, and sirachi sauce. You can find other sauce options online.

Creamy Rice Pudding

I have had this recipe for years and it is our favourite rice pudding. I do like baked rice custards too but they are more time consuming and require cooked rice. This is ready in about 45 minutes if you use white rice.

In a double boiler combine:

1/3 cup short grain uncooked rice (long grain will work too)
2 cups milk of choice
1/4- 1/2 cup raisins or other dried fruit if desired

Cook over boiling water for 40 minutes until rice is tender and mixture is thickening.

2 eggs
1/4-1/2 cup sweetener of choice
1/2 tsp vanilla or other flavouring

Separate eggs in 2 bowls. Add sweetener and flavouring to egg yolks, stir well and add gradually to hot rice mixture. Beat egg whites until peaks form. Remove pudding from heat and add egg whites to mixture. Stir gently until blended. Sprinkle with cinnamon or nutmeg if desired.

Serves 4

Scalloped Tomatoes with Croutons

Scalloped Tomatoes with parmesan cheese

I discovered this recipe on the Smitten Kitchen and have made it twice this week. It is fast and easy to prepare and the ingredients are readily available at this time of year. It is a comfort food kind of casserole with the same appeal as pizza, hot bruschetta or macaroni and cheese. There are several versions on the internet with stellar reviews, but I will post it on my own blog for ease of reference. I did tweak the amounts slightly. I used four diced field tomatoes the size shown in the picture below. The other recipes call for 2-1/2 pounds of tomatoes such as plum or grape. I used my cast iron Dutch oven on the stove top and also in the oven.

For croutons:

2 tbsp olive oil
3 slices (2 cups) diced dense bread like sourdough or a good artisan bread. (I used a multigrain sourdough bread)

Add the bread to the oil in a heavy pan, stir and toast on medium heat for 5-10 minutes until bread is crisp and toasted. In the meantime prepare:

Diced tomatoes, 4 large or 2-1/2 pounds plum or grape tomatoes
3 cloves crushed garlic
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/2 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

When croutons are done, add the tomatoes and other ingredients to the pot and cook until tomatoes are softened. I put the oven-proof pot in the oven (375 F) and baked it for 30 minutes. You could use a 9 inch square pan or equivalent sized casserole instead.

I made it without cheese the first time and it was delicious. The next time I added 1/3 cup of fresh parmesan cheese petals to the top 5 minutes before taking it out of the oven. The dish needs to sit about 15 minutes before you eat it or you will be sure to burn your tongue!

I would say this serves 4-6 as a side dish. Three of us ate it as the main dish and there were no leftovers.

"Foggy Tea" with Vanilla Syrup

I was introduced to "London Fog" through a reference from a Facebook friend. The drink is served at a popular coffee house in town and is made with Earl Grey tea, vanilla syrup and steamed milk. We have experimented with the recipe and have decided it is better than hot chocolate. I prefer the "Bangalore" version with chai tea, but the Earl Grey version is also very good.

Vanilla syrup:

Combine 1-1/2 cups water with 3/4 cup sugar or sweetener of choice. Cut a vanilla bean in 1/2 and add the half bean to a small pot with the water and sugar. Save the other vanilla bean half for the next batch. Simmer the ingredients for 10 minutes, cool and scrape inside of vanilla bean with a spoon. Store syrup in a jar in the fridge. ( I leave the bean in the syrup)

To make tea:

Brew 2 cups strong tea. Heat one cup of milk of choice until hot. Combine 1 cup tea, 1/2 cup hot milk and 2 tbsp vanilla syrup in a mug. Stir and serve. Makes two 12 ounce drinks.

Feel free to foam the milk if you have the right equipment.

Other versions of foggy tea:

• Manchester Fog - steamed soy milk with a sugar free vanilla syrup in Earl Grey tea.
• Dublin Fog- The same as London Fog, only substituting Earl Grey with Irish Breakfast Tea
• Bangalore Fog - The same as London Fog, only substituting Earl Grey with Chai  Also known as a Bombay Fog 
• Maui Fog - The same as London Fog, only substituting coconut for vanilla syrup.
• Starbucks Earl Grey Latte is a version of London Fog.
• Tokyo Fog - The same as London Fog, only substituting Matcha-based Green Tea for Earl Grey.
• Cape Town Fog - The same as London Fog, only substituting Earl Gray with Rooibos Tea
• Nanaimo Mist - Variation on the London Fog, using almond syrup rather than vanilla.