Crab & Artichoke Dip

 Last summer we were fortunate enough to have a family vacation to BC to visit with our families.  For Canada Day my sister-in-law hosted a feast - really there is no other word to describe it.  For a fantastic appetizer she made a crab & artichoke dip that was better than most you'd get in a restaurant.  Since then, my husband has been asking me to make the same dip for us to enjoy here at home.  Not quite a year later I did.  I had a lovely chat with my s.i.l. yesterday and she gave me the recipe out of her head.  I thought I had most ingredients on hand, and I was right.  Just a few variations, which as she put it, once you have the basics, the rest is very forgiving. 

2 cups whipped cream
1 block cream cheese (250 ml)
1 dollop sour cream
1 tbsp mayo
1 package of artificial crab meat
1 can real crab meat
1 cup grated hard cheese (mozzarella or cheddar)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup jarred artichokes (drained)
few drops Worchester
few drops lemon juice
good shake of Old Bay Seasoning

In a large bowl whip cream, cream cheese, sour cream and mayo all together.  Add everything else and using a hand blender, blend it all (can put it all in a food processor too).  If it is too thick you can add a little milk in to thin it out.

Divide into pie plates, cover with foil and bake at 350* for 20 minutes.
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My variation last night with what I had on hand.

1 cup whipped cream
1 cup whole milk (3 1/2%)
2 blocks cream cheese
1 tbsp mayo
1 package artificial crab meat
1 can real crab meat
1 cup grated cheddar
1 cup jarred artichokes (drained)
1/2 cup chopped green onion
few drops Worchester
few drops lemon juice
few drops hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Follow mixing directions as above.  I baked everything in a large covered casserole dish together at 425* for 30 minutes (I have a slow oven).

Both were delicious.

 My Sister-in-law's crab dip at last year's Canada Day family gathering.

My husband with his sister in her kitchen.

Cajun Bagel Crisps

These were a super tasty find in my Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen book this year (Jean Pare, Company's Coming).  They aren't just for Christmas snacking, they will do well year round.  Easy to make and yummy to snack on.  We munched on these plain, with cream cheese and with cream cheese and smoked salmon.  All good!

2 large bagels (they suggest trying a savory flavour, but we just used plain)

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

Cut bagels in half crosswise.  Cut each half into 1/8 (3 mm) half-moon slices.  Arrange in a single layer on greased baking sheets (I just sprayed mine with Pam). 

Combine the next 7 ingredients in a small bowl.  Brush both sides of the bagel slices with the margarine mixture.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake in 400* oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden.  Cool.  Makes about 2 1/2 dozen crisps.

Sweet Potato Curry Puffs

This little side dish was inspired by one of my favorite restaurants, Suwanna in Saint John.  They are kind of a Thai/Samosa type side.  I served it alongside a Red Thai Curry Beef.  So yummy!  I know these aren't exact measurements, but I was making it up and winging it.  You get the idea.

Here's what I did.  I boiled a few sweet potatoes and then drained and mashed them with a little bit of butter.  In a frying pan, I sauteed some diced shallots, grated ginger, and pressed garlic with a teaspoon or so of curry powder.  I added the sweet potato and mixed up together, allowing the flavors to work together.

I then took some filo dough, brushed a little melted butter over top.  I cut the dough into strips and put a spoonful of potato mix on each at the end.  I then folded up the puffs into triangles (like samosas or spanikopitas).  I brushed a little more melted butter on top of them and baked them at 425* for about 10 minutes.  

They worked out better even better than I hoped and can't wait to make them again.

A Feast of Indian Food

I don't think there's a week that goes by in our house without me making one kind of curry or another. All of these recipes came from 2 of my favorite cookbooks. I became so addicted the the Bhajis, I made them again the following week. So tasty (and probably terrible for you, but great with a glass of beer)

Jamie Oliver's Vegetable Bhajis
One of my favorite discoveries this year.

2 large carrots (I used sweet potato instead the second time I made these and they were just as good)
a 4 inch piece of ginger root
2 medium red onions (I substituted the equivalent in shallots)
2-3 red chilies (I didn't have these so I used jalapenos instead)
a large bunch of fresh cilantro
2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
1 tsp tumeric
1 heaped tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp sea salt
1 heaped cup self rising flour (I don't carry this on hand, I used one cup all purpose flour plus 1 1/2 tsp baking powder)
1 quart vegetable oil
a piece of potato (to test oil heat)
juice of 1 lemon
2 limes (optional)

Prep
Peel and grate or shred the carrots, ginger and red onions and put them into a large bowl. Finely chop the chiles and add to the bowl. Roughly chop the cilantro. Add the mustard seeds, tumeric, cumin seeds, salt and chopped cilantro to the bowl, Add the flour, plus 1/2 cup of cold water and scrunch together using your hands. The mixture will be messy and thick.

Cooking
Use a deep fat fryer if you have one, which I don't. I used a large cooking pot. Add the oil. Drop in a piece of potato - when it floats to the surface and begins to sizzle, the oil is ready. Remove the potato using a slotted spoon. Pick up a tbsp of the bhaji mixture, press it together and carefully lower it into the hot oil. Repeat so you are cooking several at once. Cook for 5 minutes until they are crispy and golden. Remove using the slotted spoon and put them on some paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with a little salt and squeeze of lemon juice (I skipped that part). Repeat with other bhajis.
Serve with lime wedges.

*Bhajis can be made with all sorts of vegetables, just keep the onions the same.

Jamie Oliver's Vindaloo

2 medium onions
4 cloves of garlic
1-2 red chiles (I left this out, I knew the vindaloo paste would make it hot enough for me without)
a thumb sized piece of ginger
a small bunch of fresh cilantro
4 ripe tomatoes (I didn't have on hand so I used 4 canned tomatoes instead)
peanut or vegetable oil
a pat of butter
1 3/4 pounds meat (he suggests pork shoulder, I used chicken)
1/2 cup vindaloo or hot curry paste (Patak's is the best)
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 cup plain yogurt
1 lemon

Prep
Peel, halve and finely slice the onions. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Finely slice the chile. Pee and finely slice the ginger. Pick the cilantro leaves and finely chop the stalks. Cut the tomatoes into quarters.

Cooking
Use a large casserole type pan. Put it on medium to high heat with a little oil and the butter. Add the onions, garlic, chile, ginger, and cilantro stalks and cook for 10 minutes, until softened and golden. Add the meat and the curry paste. Stir well to coat everything with the paste and season with a little salt and pepper. Add the tomoatoe, balsamic vinegar, honey and 1 2/3 cup water and stir again. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and let simmer for 45 minutes. Check and stir regularly to keep the meal from catching on the pan. Add extra water if you need it. Serve over rice (basamati is best for Indian curries)

Dal with Coconut Milk (from Mangoes and Curry Leaves)

This is a dish from Sri Lanka, and so tasty. Don't get over excited about the coconut milk like I did and add too much, stick with the measurements listed to make a nice, thick dal.

1 cup masur dal, washed (orange-red lentil)
5 cups water

1 tbsp veg oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp minced shallots or red onion
6-8 fresh or frozen curry leaves
2-3 dried red chiles
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1 cup coconut milk

Put dal in a medium pot with the water. Bring to a boil, reduce the head to a low simmer and cook fo 20 minutes. Keep warm over low heat.
Heat a wok or heavy skillet over medium high heat and add the oil.. Toss in the garlic and shallots and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the curry leaves, chiles and ground coriander. Mix well and cook for another 2 minutes. Stir in the salt and coconut milk. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the tempering mixture to the dal and simmer for a for minutes to blend the flavors. The thicker you simmer it the thicker it will get.

Sizzling Calamari Al Diavolo

This kitchen experiment of mine (like any good recipe) has a back story. My husband I both enjoy eating out, a lot more than we should. In fact at one point we were going broke because we were eating out way too much. The funny thing is that we both like to cook and we are both good cooks. I think we were just tired. We also were finding it increasingly difficult to order when we were out because we didn't want to order anything that we could make at home (and better). We both have a kind of agreed upon policy to order things we can't make at home just as good.
One of our favorite chains to eat at is East Side Mario's. And I pretty much order the same thing every time. Sizzling Calamari Al Diavolo to start and then their Seafood Linguini. The Calamari dish was a fluke when we once ordered regular calamari and they brought us this by mistake. We were instantly hooked. I love this dish.
We are now pretty much reformed from eating out. Eating out has become a treat for once in a while once again. So it really was a treat to stop at East Side Mario's on our way home from a camping trip this August. And of course I had the Calamari. Since then I'd been thinking that there must be some way to make this. We have a cast iron skillet after all. Then last week at my grocery shop a bag of calamari just jumped out at me from the freezer section. I bought it. Last night I did my best to imitate East Side Mario's recipe. Their menu gives a few clues on what's in it. The rest is just my guess work. I was really happy with the results. So was my husband. He said I got the flavor bang on. Yay me!

East Side Mario's Menu reads:
Sizzling Calamari Al Diavoli
Lightly seasoned calamari with garlic, onions, read, green and hot cherry peppers served in a tomato broth. Spicy!

I couldn't find any cherry peppers, so used a jalapeno instead. I also realized I was out of green peppers, so I substituted a yellow in it's place. Here's my recipe:

1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, cut into chunks
1 red pepper, cut into chunks
1 yellow pepper, cut into chunks (can use green)
4 cloves garlic, chopped into small pieces
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup fajita cooking sauce (I used PC Brand Memories of Mexico, but I think any tomato based fajita sauce would work)
2 tsp chicken bouillon powder
up to 1 cup water
2 tsp Tex-Mex seasoning
a few shakes Franks Red Hot Sauce
1 pound pre-breaded frozen calamari (this would be even better if you made your own breaded calamari I think)

Drizzle a cast-iron skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Add the veggies. As the veggies begin to soften add the fajita sauce, chicken bouillon, Tex-Mex seasoning, and Frank's Red Hot Sauce. Mix together. Let the veggies cook slowly to soften well. Don't be tempted to cook it fast or it will burn. Drizzle a little water as needed to keep the food from catching, but don't drown it. Once everything is cooked to done, add the calamari and mix in. Cook for just a couple of minutes to heat the calamari up (cooking too long will leave calamari rubbery). Serve immediately.

*The next time I make this, I'm going to try to deep fry the calamari and then mix it in, just to try to improve the texture a bit. Otherwise, really yummy.

**Edit Update - I made this again, but baked the calamari according to package directions first, then added it to the veggie mix. It was delicious! Much better than adding the calamari in without cooking it first.

Summer Greek Feast

This picture gives you the complete wrong impression that my son would actually eat all of this wonderful food. He won't. He'll eat the pita chips and hummus. The rest he will point at and say, 'no like this!'. 'sigh' - one day perhaps.
This Greek themed dinner included hummus, tzatziki, Greek Salad (all of which I've posted before), BBQ chicken skewers and pita chips.

BBQ Greek Chicken Skewers

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup Greek Seasoning

Chop the chicken into 1 inch cubes. Toss everything into a bowl, coating all your chicken pieces well with the seasoning. Thread the chicken cubes onto the skewers. BBQ until the meat is cooked through.



Seasoned Pita Chips

This recipe comes from Eat, Shrink and Be Merry by Janet and Greta Podleski. (Titled Bewedged)

1 1/2 tbsp dried rosemary
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used the shaker, not grated, it was fine)
3 6 inch pita rounds (with pockets)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter, melted
1/4 tsp each garlic powder and onion powder

Preheat oven to 350*. Crush the dried rosemary with your fingers and combine it with the Parmesan cheese in a small bowl. Set aside. Using a sharp knife or kithen scissors (I used a pizza cutter), cut each pita into 6 equal wedges (I thought these were too big so I cut them into 12). Peel back the layers so you end up with double the wedges. Place the wedges, rough side up, on a large baking sheet. Do not overlap (I ended up using 2 sheets). In another small bowl combine the melted butter and olive oil. Brush the olive oil mixture over all the wedges. Sprinkle wit the cheese/rosemary mixture. Bake on a middle oven rack for about 10 minutes. Watch that they don't burn! Excellent dipped in hummus!

Samosas

These are in no way the authentic, wonderful samosas that I crave from time to time. These are the cheaters version and a great way to use up filo pastry sheets. They still go great with chicken tikka masala.

filling:
4-5 medium potatoes (boiled and mashed coarsely)
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup slightly cooked peas
1 tbsp grated ginger
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp corriander
1 tsp cayenne
a few shakes of hot pepper sauce
1 tbsp margarine

Pre-heat oven to 400*. Melt margarine in large skillet. Add all the above ingredients mix well and heat thoroughly.

to form into samosas:
Take a sheet of filo pastry. Use a butter knife to cut into 4 strips (width wise). Brush cooking oil overtop of the sheet. Put a spoonful of filling onto the end of each strip and fold up into a triangle, repeat the folds until you reach the top of the strip. Repeat with more filo and filling.
Place samosas onto a baking sheet (you should have enough to fill 2 baking sheets with 12 samosas when finished. Bake for about 8 minutes (filo will be slightly browned). Great when dipped into plum sauce.

Sweet Potato Medallions

1 large sweet potato
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp herbs of your choice (I used oregano and thyme last night, but this also works well with rosemary, tarragon and mixed Italian seasoning)
salt and pepper to taste.

Heat oven to 425*. Mix olive oil, herbs and salt and pepper together in a dish. Set aside. Wash sweet potato well. Slice into many medallions. Put medallions into a large ziplock bag. Pour the oil and herb mixture into the bag. Close it up and shake well (until all the sweet potato slices are coated). Lay medallions onto a baking sheet and bake. Turn after 10 minutes. Continue to bake and flip every 10 minutes until cooked to your preference (soft to crispy) - about 30 minutes.

Guacamole

2 avacadoes
1 clove garlic
1 tomato - diced
1/4 c red onion - diced
1/4 c fresh cilantro - chopped
2 tbsp light mayonnaise
2 tbsp tex-mex seasoning*
1 squirt lime juice

Peel and pit avacadoes. Mash them well into a medium sized bowl. Crush garlic into bowl. Add the diced tomato, onion, cilantro, mayonnaise, seasoning and lime juice. Mix well.

Enjoy!

*Can use seeded jalepeno, or a few dashes of hot sauce instead.

Roasted Eggplant Salad

I was introduced to this dish while in Romania a few years back. It is absolutely delicious. In Romania we ate it spread on fresh French Bread. You can also use it as a dip for pita or veggies.

1 large eggplant
1/2 to 1 bulb of garlic (depending on your taste)
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 Cup of Light Mayonnaise
Dash of Salt and Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Slice Eggplant into 1/2 inch thick slices.
Separate garlic bulb into cloves and remove skins.
Place sliced eggplant and garlic into a roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover and bake for about an hour (eggplant will be soft).
Place roasted eggplant and garlic into a bowl or food processor. Add light mayonnaise and salt and pepper. Blend together with hand blender or in the food proccessor. Let cool.

Potato Pancakes

I was looking for a creative breakfast this morning and remembered these little tasty treats. I used to make them all the time when I lived in Victoria years ago.

4 potatoes
1/2 onion, chopped finely
1 egg
salt, pepper, parley flakes and basil to taste
1-2 tbsp canola oil

Pierce potatoes several times with a fork and cook in microwave on high for 5-7 minutes (until they are soft). Allow to cool. Grate potatoes into a small mixing bowl (peel will naturally separate, discard peel). Add onion, egg and seasonings. Mix well.
Heat oil in frying pan set over low medium heat. Form potato mix into little cakes with your hands. Fry on both sides so that each side browns nicely.
Serve with applesauce and/or sour cream.

Makes 8 potato cakes

Pita Bread

When we eat Greek, we use the Greek Pitas. These are are thicker and not hollow inside. Brush a little butter (or garlic butter on them). Toast or heat for a few minutes. Cut into triangles and serve with hummus, baba ganoush, or tzatziki.

Spanikopita

Filling:

1 8 oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 egg
1/2 cup red onions, finely chopped
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp dried dill

Mix everything together well

Heat oven to 375*
Use thawed sheets of filo pastry (4). Brush olive oil on each sheet of filo dough. Cut each strip of filo into 3's (using knife edge). Put a spoonful of spinach mix at the end of each long strip and fold into triangles. Place each triangle on a baking sheet. Brush olive oil on top of each triange. Bake until golden brown. (about 15 minutes). Makes 12 triangles. *update, I started using a melted butter/olive oil mix to brush on the filo instead of just olive oil and it really makes what was good even better!

Tzatziki

1 Cup of plain yogurt. (I use Liberty brand mediterranian style, it's really thick and strain overnight with a cheese cloth to make it even thicker)
1/2 English cucumber, grated
1 clove garlic crushed
1-2 tsbp dried dill (I just skake it in until it looks right to me)
squirt of lemon juice

Mix all ingredients together. Make ahead of time to allow the garlic and dill to flavour nicely.

Serve with spanikopita, souvlaki, pita bread, falafel, or calamari

Hummus

1 Can of Chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup of mayo or sour cream (light if you prefer)
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves crushed garlic
1/2 tsp sugar
a few dashes of dried corriander and cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Puree the chickpeas (I use a hand blender, but can be done in a food processor). Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until creamy. Make ahead of time to allow the flavours to come together. Serve with pita bread.