Spinach & Cauliflower

I am sure many children would hate this blog entry.  Just look at the title!  My children, however, seem to be amongst the minority who actually enjoy both vegetables.  My children also enjoy pulling each others socks off and running around the house with said articles of clothing on their ears...  More on that later.

Cauliflower.  So underrated.  Cauliflower is a wallflower - shy and misunderstood.  But put it into a shrimp stir fry and just watch how the whole dish lights up.  Or puree it up with mashed potatoes and garlic.  Or enjoy cooked into a macaroni n' cheese casserole.  Ah, the possibilities.  Recently, my favourite way to enjoy it is fried.  Mmmm, yes.  When you bite into that crunchy coating and hit the soft jackpot inside... there are just no words.  It is a real treat, my friends.  I have inhaled entire cauliflower heads this way...  Also, my kids will eat these fried cauliflower florets without blinking.  Win.  Case dismissed.

As for spinach, it's on my new list of favourites.  I think everyone has a signature dish that incorporates spinach.  Mine are spinach pies.  They're traditional Middle Eastern fare, and I love them for their versatility (they travel well), their appeal (imagine a palm-sized pastry), and their nutritional punch (this is spinach we're talking about...).  They do take a bit of time - at least, for a mother of two, it certainly takes a while to get from start to finish.  But well worth the effort.  Well worth it.


FRIED CAULIFLOWER

1 head of cauliflower
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp salt
vegetable oil for frying

Cut cauliflower into florets and wash well.  Place in pot and steam until cauliflower is crispy tender.  Drain and set aside.  Mix flour and salt together.  Whisk in water until it's the consistency of pancake batter.  Heat a pot of vegetable oil until hot.  Dip/roll cauliflower florets in the batter and gently drop into oil.  Cook until crispy and golden.  Drain on newspaper or paper towels before serving.


SPINACH PIES

1 recipe of Amira's Savoury Dough
1 bunch of spinach, washed
1 large onion
1 Tbsp sumac
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
salt, to taste

Prepare dough and set aside.  Wash spinach thoroughly and chop finely.  Squeeze or scrunch out excess water.  Dice onions and add to spinach.  Add sumac, oil and a generous sprinkle of salt.  Mix until spinach and onions are thoroughly coated.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Pinch off a ping-pong-sized ball of dough and roll it out thinly.  Add a large tablespoon of the spinach mixture in the middle.  Join two sides together and then fold up the bottom to form a triangle.  Make sure to join edges extra securely so they don't come apart when baking.  Place on a baking tray.  Bake for about 15 minutes until golden brown.  Can use broiler on high for 2-3 minutes if desired.  Remove from oven and let cool.

A few thoughts

Not much to say right now, though plenty is going on.  We're busy living life, and I can't yet find the time to jot it all down.  M took his first ride on the GO train a couple weeks back and I've been dying to share the experience to no avail.  J is starting to talk and her first real word was "caca" (poop).  I know.  What was I thinking?!  Now she wanders around the place, going from item to item, saying "caca" to everything.  It's fantastic.  Especially when we're visiting people.

We went to Mill Pond the other day to feed the birds.  Just a few crumbs of dried bread crusts that I saved.  M had a good time.  He almost fell into the pond at one point trying to get those bread crusts as close to the birds as possible.  It was a really nice walk.  Up and down the boardwalks with the kids imitating the ducks and geese.  D and I just soaked up the kids' attention and basked in the warmth of their little sticky kisses.  (Point to ponder: Strawberries actually do make for sticky kisses.)

I've been thinking about a pretty profound quote today.  It kind of sums up a lot of those incidences in my life where things haven't happened the way I've wanted, but yet everything worked out in the end.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways are not your ways, says the LORD."  
Isaiah 55:8

For example, right now I'm thinking, "Why can't my kids be a teensy bit older and more independant so that I can have time to write in my blog, or finish my watercolour painting, or get started on that baby blanket!?"  This is an easy one though, because I know deep down that they will grow up sooner than I really want.  Right now, this is exactly where I'm supposed to be.

Trust no future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead past bury its dead!
Act, - act in the living Present!
Heart within and God o'erhead.


(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Psalm of Life)

Salmon Wellington

It is 6:30 am, and my children are still sleeping.  This is a rare moment.  Normally I would be sleeping along with them, but I just had to share a fabulous recipe from the other day before it completely slipped my mind.  Also, I am having inexplicable insomnia issues.  Bizarre for someone who gets a solid 6 hours of shut eye every night, no?  Anyhow, rather than lay awake in my bed trying futilely to will myself back to sleep, I am here sharing my recipe.

I call it salmon wellington, but it's a healthier version.  More to the point, I had some frozen pie shells sitting at the back of my freezer that needed using up!   Also, and I mentioned this before, my idea of gourmet, by sheer necessity, involves as little prep time as possible.  The result?  A version of salmon wellington that not only impressed D (not easy to do anymore...), but also impressed M, who gobbled up two slices sans remorse.  Thank you very much Mr. Pie-Shells.  We will have another date again, for sure.

SALMON WELLINGTON

drizzle of olive oil
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
4 salmon fillets
1 cup yogurt
2 frozen pie shells, thawed
salt to taste

Place one pie shell on parchment paper (or can use .  In a large pan, saute mushrooms and onions together in the olive oil until onions are caramelized.  Add salt to taste.  Spread evenly on the pie shell.  Heat yogurt gently in the same pan until it reaches a sauce consistency.  Drizzle over the mushrooms.  Place salmon fillets on top of this mixture, sprinkle lightly with sea salt if desired, and cover with second pie shell.  Join the edges together and crimp or seal with fork.  Bake at 400 degrees F for about 25 minutes until pie is golden brown.  Serve with a string bean-carrot medley.

Fragmented

I shouldn't be here.  At least, I shouldn't be here writing.  I have grape leaves to stuff for dinner.  And jam tarts to finish filling.  (And a watercolour sketch to finish...)  And, and, and.  I don't usually have free time to write.  Often, my entries are so disjointed because they've been interrupted by something (such as kid 1 sitting on kid 2) and I've had to resume a few hours/days later.  This disjointed pattern is something I would love to break.  It's not just with my writing.  It's leaked into all aspects of my life.  

Rare is the conversation I can have without a type of mental fragmentation.  In fact, I can't honestly remember the last time I organized my thoughts on a subject before jumping into the fray.  I am very much in need of a good writing course - and a bit of practice - to ease me back into the swing of things.  (Then again, sleep always looks more attractive than more work.)

Also rare are the moments where I am not multitasking while in the kitchen.  I should be honest here and say that this usually leads to very "interesting" episodes of no-salt (or too much salt!) dishes.  In fact, I've forgotten ingredients so many times that nowadays D. carries on without blinking.  He's a trooper, that one.  These tarts, fortunately, were completed without any disastrous omissions.  I call them berry cream tartlets.  They are the result of ingenuity (not very modest, am I), a cranky toddler and overripe blueberries.

Whatever you do, don't forget the jam.  It gives a kick to an otherwise neutral concoction.  Disjointed and fragmented my mind may be, but taste buds never lie.  Do yourself a favour: don't omit the jam.  Or the butter.  

BERRY CREAM TARTLETS

Tartlet Shell
1 cup salted butter
2 cups flour (pastry flour is good)
5 Tbsp cold water

Filling
Rasberry Jam

Cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup marscapone cheese
1/2 cup ripe blueberries
3 Tbsp powdered sugar

Cut butter into the flour until mixture resembles course bread crumbs.  Add water and mix until dough forms a ball.  (May need a little less/more.)  Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease 2 muffin pans.  Roll out dough on floured surface.  Cut with small rounds with a round cookie cutter.  Place each round in the pan wells and press down on bottom and sides.  Bake until shells are golden (around 20-30 minutes?).  Let cool.

For the cream: Puree up blueberries.  Add cream and mix until stiff.  Add sugar and marscapone cheese.  Beat until well mixed and cream is stiff.

Fill cooled tartlets with rasberry jam.  Serve with a dollop of blueberry cream and garnish with whole blueberries.

Lemon squares & birthday cake

I have come to an important conclusion.  When life gives you lemons, make lemon squares.  No more lemonade.  Lemonade out, lemon squares in.  Such a delightful dessert to enjoy.  Bite-sized lemony bliss.  Add a dusting of powdered sugar and you have gourmet-worthy fare at a fraction of the effort typically required.  Also, I have a hard time drinking lemonade in the winter.  It's just not a winter beverage.   

Today was uncharacteristically warm despite its February date.  We had an "adventure" in the great outdoors.  M found an empty snail shell, a rock and a couple leaves which we brought home in our "adventure bag".  (This adventure bag is a very highly sophisticated and rather elegant paper bag.)  The leaves were used in a crayon rub drawing and the shell and rock were washed with soap and now sit on the table waiting for a project.  Currently, I have too many ideas simmering and cannot afford to go off on a (yet another) tangent.  Also, having two young children is a death-sentence for free time.  My crafts and projects, by necessity, must either involve little hands, or be limited to late-night hours.  I'm sure it's not hard to guess which of the two I prefer...

J's birthday was this past weekend and we had a nice quiet party with the family.  I like low-key birthdays.  Less work for me.  Of course, that sentiment is probably based more on the fact that we just got over a miserable bout with the flu.  No matter.  The birthday was fun.  My favourite part was the cake.  To be more specific, the cake icing.  I would love to try and describe it, but I'm not sure my brain is running on all cylinders so I'll give you two words: marscapone cheese.  Amazing.  Mix it with a little milk and powdered sugar (and possibly a pour or two of lemon extract) and you have perfection.  Forget buttercream - too heavy and rich.  Creamy, light, elegant, whipped marscapone cheese...  

I don't have a picture of the whole finished cake.  I was a little preoccupied fielding sticky fingers away from the piece de resistance.  It was a simple design (read: no skill required) - just various-sized polka dots sprinkled around the top and sides.  

Anyhow.  My children are in bed and my eyelids are sliding lower and lower.  It's been a long day and I have no doubt that tomorrow will follow suit.  I bid you a sleepy goodnight.  

LEMON SQUARES
*Taken from Tanya at Desserts Easy & Quick who took it from Allrecipes.com

Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cups powdered sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

Lemon topping:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 Tbsp flour
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup powdered sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Grease two loaf pans or 9 x 13" baking pan.  Combine all ingredients for the crust in a large bowl and mix until they form a uniform dough.  Pat dough into prepared pan(s). Bake for about 15 minutes until slightly golden.

While crust is baking, whisk together all ingredients for the topping until frothy.  Pour mixture over hot crust.  Continue baking for another 20-25 mins or so until light golden brown.  Let cool for 10 minutes, then finish cooling on a wire rack.  Cut into bite-sized squares and dust lightly with powdered sugar.

The eternal

There are times where I look around me and feel the transience of everything.  Seasons change, buildings crumble, empires fall, colours fade, people die.  Nothing material lasts forever.  

This feeling pulls my spirit, like a magnet with metal, to the invisible world.  When I step outside into the vast darkness of night, a thick blanket of untouched snow covering the ground and muting my footsteps into silence, while all around not a sound can be heard - not even the gentle acceptance of the ground as it embraces the white flakes falling from the sky - then I glimpse the eternal and I think:

"Whom have I in heaven but You?  And there is none on earth that I desire besides You.  My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."  (Psalm 73: 25-26)