MONTREAL STYLE BAGELS AND SHEPHERD'S PIE

Wow, it's been so long since I've posted!  I have a good excuse though, I'm pregnant!  With all the joy and excitement there is also lots of nausea and fatigue, so I've been taking it easy with the extra responsibilities. That's not to say that I haven't still been cooking, I just haven't had the energy to tell you all about it.  But tonight I feel like I can, so here it is.  Awesome homemade bagels that I just had to make after a really bad bagel I ate yesterday at a little cafe in the city.  It made me crave the real deal, the delicious chewy real Montreal style bagel.  Then I realized I should probably make supper, especially since Scott's brother in law Brad and nephew were going to be popping in around dinner time.  Luckily I had some ground lamb in the freezer.  Now today was a very hot summer day, and shepherd's pie is definitely not a hot summer day kinda meal.  But hey, that's what I felt like making.  Are you going to argue with a cranky, hot pregnant woman?

MONTREAL STYLE BAGELS

adapted from Home Baking by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

Makes 20

3 tsp local honey

1 cup lukewarm honey

1 Tbsp active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 large organic egg

1 Tbsp organic oil

2 tsp sea salt

About 1-2 cups organic whole wheat flour

3 cups organic unbleached flour

For the topping

3 Tbsp local honey

About 1 cup organic hulled sesame seeds and or black poppy seeds

Method:  In a medium bowl dissolve the honey in the lukewarm water, then stir in the yeast.  In another small bowl, combine the egg with the warm water, oil, and salt.  Set aside.

     Add 1 cup of the flour to the yeast mixture and stir in.  Add the egg mix and then 2 more cups of flour and stir.  Add the rest of the flour in and blend.  The dough will be quite stiff.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead it for 5-10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

     Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl and cover with a large lid.  Let rise for 1-2 hours, until the dough is soft and has doubled in volume.  Gently punch the dough down, cover and let rise again for 1 hour.

     Preheat the oven to 450*.  Bring 8 cups of water to a boil.  Meanwhile, cut the dough into quarters and then work with one piece at a time, leaving the others covered in the bowl.  Cut the piece of dough into 5-6 pieces.  Roll each small piece out under your hands into a skinny rope 10-12 inches long.  Press on the dough and roll it back and forth.  Lay the dough rope over one hand, with one end lying across your palm and the other hanging down.  Wrap this other end around your hand so that the ends overlap by an inch.  Pinch the overlapping ends together, then, with your hand still in the dough loop, place your hand palm down on your work surface.  Press down slightly as your roll the seam under your palm to encourage it to stick together.  Place the bagel on a baking sheet and cover with a cotton cloth and let stand for 10-15 minutes.  Continue with the rest of the dough.

     Add the honey and stir to dissolve.  Place a parchment lined baking sheet by your side.  Put the poppy or sesame seeds in a plate.

     Gently slide 4 bagels into the boiling water.  Use the back of a slotted spoon to gently press them down into the water and let boil for 45 seconds.  Use the spoon to to remove them one by one and lay them in the seeds.  Roll each bagel in the seeds, coating both sides.  Place them on the baking sheet.  When the sheet is full bake them in the oven for 8 minutes, then turn over and bake another 5-7 minutes. Repeat until all bagels are done.

SHEPHERD'S PIE

For the topping:

1 1/2 pounds organic potatoes, cut into small pieces

3 organic parsnips, peeled and cut into pieces

1 cup organic yogurt

1/4 cup organic salted butter

1/4 cup organic milk

Filling:

1 Tbsp e.v olive oil

1 large organic onion, chopped

3 organic celery stalks, chopped

2 organic carrots, chopped

2 cloves organic garlic, minced

1 pound organic ground lamb

2 cups organic lentils, cooked

sea salt and pepper

1 Tbsp fresh thyme

1 tsp organic cumin powder

1 tsp organic chili powder

2 1/2  Tbsp organic cornstarch

1 1/2 cups organic peas

Method:  Preheat oven to 425*.  Make the topping by placing the potatoes and parsnips in a medium saucepan, cover with water by 2 inches, and bring to a simmer.  Cook until tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain, reserving 2 cups cooking liquid.  Mash the potatoes and stir in yogurt, butter and milk.  Season with sea salt and pepper.

Filling: Heat oil a in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Cook onion, celery, carrots, garlic, stirring, until tender, 10-12 minutes.

     Add the lamb, cook, breaking up any large pieces for 5 minutes.  Stir in the 1 1/2 tsp salt, and the other spices.  Season with pepper.  Stir in the cooked lentils.  Whisk together the cornstarch and reserved cooking liquid; add to the meat.  Boil for 1 minute then add the peas.  Transfer to a large baking dish, then top with the potatoes.  Bake until bubbling and the top is browned, about 30 minutes.

FIREPIT ROTISSERIE CHICKEN

Scott was at it again, this time trying out the automatic spit my dad gave him after our wedding.  He had this vision of roasting some chickens over the coals and so was eager to make supper for us this evening.  Scott spent the afternoon rigging up three levelled wooden supports to rest the spit on.  I was quite impressed.  I was so hungry watching them cook, I could hardly wait for them to be done.  We used the cast iron skewers my mother sent me from Ontario to grill some boiled potatoes, zucchini and mushrooms.  The delicious fresh cucumbers I picked up at the farmer's market this Saturday tasted yummy in a garden fresh salad with feta cheese.  Summer doesn't get any better than this.

HERBED NEW POTATOES

I had a delicious memory of these potatoes my mother used to make when I was a child.  I specifically remember eating them at the cottage in the summer, all buttery and oniony.  So I called her up to fill me in on the details of the dish.  She recommended garlic, and so I thought, what better way to incorporate the garlic scapes that I just harvested from our garlic plants than in this dish?  These potatoes are so amazing I ate 3 helpings.  Hmm maybe that's why I'm busting out of my pants right now!

HERBED NEW POTATOES with Garlic Scapes, Dill and Parsley

20 small organic new potatoes

1/4 cup organic salted butter

1/4 cup chopped organic dill

1/4 cup chopped organic parsley

1/4 cup minced organic garlic scapes

1 organic green onion, chopped finely

sea salt and pepper

Method:  Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender.  Heat the butter in a small skillet until melted, remove from heat.  Stir in the scapes.  Drain the cooked potatoes and toss with the butter and toss in the other herbs, and season to taste with salt and pepper.  

CITRUS BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

I love the library.  Most of the time they have books that I would love to buy, so instead of buying them, I borrow them.  If after checking them out I discover I shouldn't live without it, then I go and buy it!  It's so much fun showing up and finding all these great books waiting for me on the reserve shelf.  And so it was the day I arrived to find The River Cottage Meat Book.  As you may have already guessed, it's a book about meat.  A manifesto on the importance of eating GOOD meat.  Honouring the animal by treating it right during it's life and then continuing that respect by the care you take in cooking it.  It's such a huge book, full of so much information, I might just have to buy it just so I can actually get through all of it.  The biggest reason why I will probably buy it though is because it's so good.  I especially love the section on barbecuing, where he outlines the proper way to cook meat on an open fire without burning it.  Anyway, so this recipe is from this book and it turned out really deliciously.  Definitely not a hot summer day kind of meal, but I made it anyway because lamb shanks are some of the only cuts we have left in our freezer!

CITRUS BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

from the The River Cottage Meat Book by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

4 organic, pasture raised lamb shanks

2-3 Tbsp e.v olive oil

1 organic carrot, finely diced

1 organic onion, finely diced

2 organic celery stalks, finely diced

a few sprigs fresh thyme

2 organic bay leaves

2 organic cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 bottle white wine

1 cup lamb stock or water

juice and zest of 1 organic lemon

juice and zest of 1 organic orange

sea salt and pepper

chopped organic parsley to garnish

Method:  Heat some of the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole, add the diced vegetables, and sweat, without browning until tender.  Add the thyme, bay, garlic, tomato paste, wine, lamb stock, along with most of the citrus juice and zest (save a few pinches of zest and a tablespoon each of the juice).  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer.

     Heat a little more oil in a separate pan and brown the lamb shanks on all sides, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.  Add them to the casserole and cover with its lid.  Transfer to a low oven (250*) and cook for about 2 1/2 hours, until the meat is completely tender and falling off the bone.  

     Remove the shanks from the pan and keep warm while you finish the sauce by skimming off some of the fat, then taste the liquid for seasoning.  Boil to reduce, then stir in the reserved zest and juices.  Serve the lamb shanks on plates spooned over mashed potatoes or soft polenta.

BEAN SALAD with New Potatoes and Snow Peas

I had no idea what I was going to make with the beans I had soaking all day.  This salad was easy, and used all the spring bounty I had sitting in the fridge and cupboard.  I used dried beans, but of course you can always used canned, just make sure you buy Eden Organic canned beans, because their cans are plastic BPA free!

BEAN SALAD with New Potatoes and Snow Peas

1 1/2 pounds small organic new potatoes

1 1/2 cups cooked organic kidney beans

1 1/2 cups cooked organic chickpeas

1 1/2 cups cooked organic pinto beans

6 oz steamed snow or string beans, cut in half

1 bunch organic green onions

1/2 cup e.v olive oil

1/4-1/2 cup organic local apple cider vinegar

1-2 tsp local honey

2 cloves organic garlic, smashed and chopped finely

1/4 tsp organic red pepper flakes

1-2 tsp organic dijon mustard
2-4 tsp umeboshi vinegar

sea salt and pepper

1/4 cup minced fresh organic parsley leaves

Method:  Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender.  Meanwhile, whisk the oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, red pepper flakes, mustard, salt and pepper together in a small bowl.  Drain the cooked potatoes and keep whole or cut in half.  Pour some of the salad dressing on the potatoes while they're still hot so they soak up the flavour.  Combine the potatoes with the beans, peas, scallions and parsely.  Stir in the rest of the dressing.  Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Check for saltiness and adjust as necessary.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE with Rhubarb Compote

     Seeing as this was the first week for fresh, local strawberries, I just had to make some strawberry shortcake.  Yesterday we enjoyed the first quart of strawberries on my husband's chocolate birthday cake.  Even though we still had leftovers of that, I had a craving for whipped cream and biscuits, loaded with strawberries.  Now the beauty of this recipe is it included using up some of that Rhubarb Compote I wrote about a few days ago.  I had a batch sitting in the fridge, and it was a yummy, sweet addition to the shortcake.  

It seems I've got strawberry fever.  Not only am I eating lots of strawberries, I'm planting them too!  I bought some strawberry plants the other day at Avery's Farm Market on my way home from the city.  So of course, then I needed somewhere to plant them.  That was when I decided a perennial vegetable garden would be perfect for planting not only these healthy strawberry plants, but the asparagus seeds I've been meaning to plant, and some rhubarb too.  Thanks to Scott's hard work today, we now have a new raised bed that's waiting for a soil delivery.  I can't wait!

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE with Rhubarb Compote

1 batch organic whole wheat biscuits http://prasada-eatingisdivine.blogspot.com/2009/09/best-biscuits-ever.html (you may want to add some more sweetener to this recipe)

1 batch rhubarb compote http://prasada-eatingisdivine.blogspot.com/2010/05/rhubarb-compote.html 

1 quart local unsprayed or organic strawberries, hulled and sliced

1/4 cup local maple syrup

1 carton organic whipping cream

Method:  Slice a biscuit in half with a serrated knife.  Drizzle the sliced strawberries with most of the maple syrup and let sit for 15 minutes.  Make the whipped cream by adding a drizzle of maple syrup to the bowl before you use an electric mixer to whip the cream for about 5 minutes.  Slather each side of the biscuit with some rhubarb compote, top the bottom half with whipped cream, followed by some strawberries and syrup.  Top with the other half of the biscuit.

ORZO PASTA SALAD with Oregano and Kale

It's pretty safe to say that I love pasta salads.  Using orzo in your pasta is a little different than your run of the mill pasta salad, and using kamut orzo makes it whole grain, wheat free, and delicious.  I was lucky to have a bottle of leftover Tahini Dressing in my fridge when I was making this, which made it quick and easy.  But it is so yummy you will want to go the extra mile and make the dressing on the spot!

ORZO PASTA SALAD with Oregano and Kale

1 bag organic kamut orzo

1 bunch organic kale, chopped finely

1/2 cup tahini dressing (from a previous post)

5 organic radishes, sliced

1/2 cup green olives, sliced

2 Tbsp organic capers

3 organic carrots, shredded

1/4-1/2 cup minced fresh organic oregano

juice of 1 lemon

2-3 Tbsp umeboshi vinegar

1/4 cup e.v olive oil

Method: Bring a pot of water to boil, then cook orzo according to package directions.  Add the kale to the pot 5 minutes before the orzo is done.  Strain and return to pot with the olive oil, toss and allow to cool.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients and serve.