Ten More Bites

Gateau de Vully salé (savoury Vully tart)

Gateau de Vully is a speciality from the French-speaking western part of Switzerland. While the sweet version (topped with cream and grated sugar cubes) is more common, after yesterday’s referendum the salty version better suited my mood.

Unable to find an English recipe for a savoury Vully tart online, I had a go at translating a French one with the help of Google Translate. This resulted in a few puzzlers, such as “form a lace around the cake” or “streak the dough with a roulette”, but I forged ahead nevertheless… Continue reading →

Tags: bacon, cream, yeast breads

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories Baking, Euro 2016 food, Switzerland

Borscht

24 Jun

This is Mum’s borscht, which I grew up eating – she got the recipe from a Ukrainian neighbour who lived on our street.

I had a strong childhood aversion to beets. I didn’t like the sweetness of them, and remember hating how beet juice would seep into everything else on your plate.

Maybe that’s why I never minded borscht. For one thing, it was sour. Plus the seeping was a done deed, and everything stained a consistent shade of purply red. Continue reading →

Tags: beets, cabbage, carrots, dairy-free, dill, gluten-free, onions, vegan, vegetarian

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Euro 2016 food, Fern's Food, Russia, Soup

Romanian marinated mushrooms

23 Jun

I grew up eating what we Canadians called antipasto – a mixture of fish, vegetables and olives marinated in a sharp tomato sauce – and these Romanian mushrooms reminded me of it.

While I really liked them, the rest of the family had their reservations. Lyra hated the mushrooms but loved the sauce, Nova found them too spicy, and Adam thought they were too acidic. Continue reading →

Tags: dairy-free, gluten-free, mushrooms, tomatoes, vegan, vegetarian

Comments 8 Comments
Categories Euro 2016 food, Romania, Side dish

Kladdkaka (sticky chocolate cake)

22 Jun

I’ve been meaning to make a kladdkaka for a while. I live with a houseful of pudding lovers, and I expected this would go down a treat. Apparently, it’s very popular in Sweden, and it’s easy to see why. Dense, gooey, chocolatey – what’s not to like? Continue reading →

Tags: cake, chocolate, vegetarian

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Categories Baking, Dessert, Euro 2016 food, Sweden

Turkish pide

21 Jun

Pide are Turkey’s answer to pizza, and surprisingly easy to make. The dough came together in minutes, and by the time I’d made the toppings, it was risen and ready to roll.

I went with two traditional toppings – spicy ground meat and spinach and cheese – but there’s definitely scope to experiment here.

I divided the dough into four pieces, and made four largeish pide, but you could just as easily make six individual ones.

Note that the recipe below is for the amount of filling you need if you plan to make both types of pide. If you want to make only one, either freeze half the dough to use another time or double the quantity of filling. Continue reading →

Tags: beef, Middle Eastern food, spinach, vegetarian

Comments 12 Comments
Categories Beef, Euro 2016 food, Main, Pastry/Tarts, Turkey

Herring under a fur coat (shuba)

20 Jun

Herring under a fur coat – now there’s an original name for a salad… Chopped herring is buried beneath layers of vegetables and cooked egg, as snug and warm as if it were under a fur coat.

Having looked at a number of recipes online, I chose this version because it seemed relatively light, with just a thin spread of mayonnaise on top, instead of each layer.

Some people make a large mound of salad and decorate it (similar to salata de boeuf), while others create individual portions using ring molds. I liked the idea of making it in a glass bowl so you could see the layers. Kind of like a herring trifle…;-) Continue reading →

Tags: beets, carrots, dill, eggs, gluten-free, herring, potatoes

Comments 5 Comments
Categories Euro 2016 food, Russia, Salad

Tarator (Cold cucumber and yogurt soup)

19 Jun

Tarator is a chilled yogurt and cucumber soup that is eaten throughout the Balkans. Apparently, it’s considered to be hangover cure, though I’ve yet to test that claim.

It’s very refreshing, and dead easy to make. I’d happily have a jug of tarator in the fridge for quick lunches on hot summer days.

Not that we’re overburdened with those in the UK… It’s probably best to make your tarator on the day and hope the thermometer hasn’t plunged by the time you were planning to serve it…;-) Continue reading →

Tags: cucumber, gluten-free, vegetarian, yogurt

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Albania, Euro 2016 food, Soup

Schnitzel

18 Jun

Schnitzel was on the menu pretty regularly when the girls were small. Kids generally love breaded food, and it was a safe dinner option for playdates. (I once made a little girl cry by serving her a bowl of chickpea pasta soup…)

While veal is the traditional schnitzel cut in Austria, I’ve never used it myself. Chicken, turkey, or pork – they’ve all been pounded flat, dipped in egg, and rolled in crumbs and shallow-fried round here. Continue reading →

Tags: chicken, dairy-free, pork, turkey

Comments 5 Comments
Categories Austria, Chicken, Euro 2016 food, Main, Pork

Cherry bubble cake (třešňová bublanina)

17 Jun

With a daughter called Nova, I would have chosen this dish for its name alone. For a girl whose first word was “cakey”, cherry bubble cake is tres Nova, indeed… 😉 Continue reading →

Tags: cherries, vegetarian

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Baking, Breakfast, Czech Republic, Dessert, Euro 2016 food

Cabbage rolls (holubtsi)

16 Jun

Cabbage rolls are the most Ukrainian of dishes, but they are also very Canadian. After all, Canada is home to more than 1.2 million Ukrainian-Canadians, – the world’s third largest Ukrainian population (after the Ukraine itself and Russia).

Where I grew up, buffets and potluck suppers always featured platters of cabbage rolls alongside the baked ham, potato salads, scalloped potatoes and tuna casseroles topped with crushed potato chips. Everyone seemed to adore them – everyone except me… Continue reading →

Tags: beef, cabbage, dairy-free, gluten-free, pork, rice

Comments 11 Comments
Categories Beef, Euro 2016 food, Pork, Ukraine

Potato pancakes with sauerkraut (zemiakové placky)

15 Jun

This Euro 2016 challenge has made me aware of how many eastern European teams are competing – the menu plan for the next month is a bit cabbage-tastic. Potatoes are well represented too – and Slovakian potato pancakes feature both.

Seasoned with majoram and garlic, these differ from the potato latkes I usually make. Unlike latkes, they also include a significant quantity of flour, resulting in a breadier pancake.

Continue reading →

Tags: dairy-free, potatoes, vegetarian

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Categories Euro 2016 food, Main, Slovakia

Cod with egg and butter sauce

14 Jun

Iceland’s presence in Euro 2016 is a dream come true. Much as I’d like to see their unlikely success continue, it seemed expedient to fit an Icelandic meal into the schedule early on.

After some research, I settled on roast cod fillets with egg and butter sauce. It was delicious, and couldn’t be simpler to make. Continue reading →

Tags: butter, cod, eggs, gluten-free

Comments 3 Comments
Categories Eggs, Euro 2016 food, Fish/Shellfish, Iceland

Barmbrack

13 Jun

Barmbrack is a traditional Irish bread made with dried fruit that has been steeped in tea. Often served on Halloween, I chose it to represent Ireland in our Euro 2016 food challenge.

There are both yeast and quick bread versions of barmbrack – I decided to make a yeast one using a recipe I’d clipped from a magazine years ago.

I soaked my fruit in the morning, planning to bake mid-afternoon, in time for the Ireland-Sweden match, but the dough had other plans… Continue reading →

Tags: British food, currants, raisins, vegetarian, yeast breads

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Baking, Euro 2016 food, Ireland

Ulster fry

12 Jun

Along with champ, the Ulster fry is Northern Ireland’s main claim to culinary fame. What sets it apart from the usual British fry-up is the griddle breads – soda bread and potato farl – that are cooked along with everything else in a single pan, absorbing flavour (and fat) from the meat. Continue reading →

Tags: bacon, British food, eggs, sausages

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Breakfast, Eggs, Euro 2016 food, Northern Ireland, Pork

Glamorgan sausages

11 Jun

We’d intended to eat these Glamorgan sausages as a late family lunch before settling down to watch the Wales v Croatia match. However, events overtook us and I ended up spending most of the day at the hospital with my youngest daughter. Continue reading →

Tags: bread, British food, Caerphilly cheese, eggs, vegetarian

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Euro 2016 food, Wales

Salata de boeuf

10 Jun

I first encountered salata de boeuf when we visited some friends over the Christmas holidays, and were treated to a generous spread of Romanian delicacies. Continue reading →

Tags: carrots, dairy-free, eggs, gluten-free, parsnips, peas, potatoes, vegetarian

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Euro 2016 food, Romania, Salad

Introducing Euro 2016 food

10 Jun

When World Cup fever struck the house in 2014, I came up with the big idea of cooking something from each of the 32 competing nations.

This led to a month of meals that expanded our food horizons and introduced us to new flavours, ingredients and cuisines. Some have become family favourites – Japanese chicken karaage or Brazilian brigadieros come to mind – while others are less likely to be repeated…

Eventually Colombia claimed the title, its mouthwatering barras de limón seeing off Nigeria’s fiery beef suya.

As before, we’ll start by eating each country’s food on a day that they are competing. (Though unless I correctly predict every team that progresses to the knock-out stage, we’ll end up eating for some countries after the fact.)

We’ll score the dishes as we eat, eventually awarding our own Euro 2016 winner.

Tags: football

Comments 1 Comment
Categories Euro 2016 food

Chicken marsala

8 Jun

With a mushroom hater in the family, chicken marsala had fallen out of my repetoire. I’m glad I gave it another try, because it’s a simple and delicious mid-week meal, and proved to be a big hit all round. (According to Lyra, “the mushrooms are easy to see and avoid.”) Continue reading →

Tags: chicken, gluten-free, Italian food, marsala, mushrooms

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Chicken, Italy, Main

Sourdough bread

5 Jun

I grew up eating homemade sourdough bread. My dad got bitten by the sourdough bug (metaphorically, of course), and eventually built up a little business selling his extra loaves to colleagues and neighbours. He installed a second oven in the basement, doubling his output to four loaves a day. Continue reading →

Tags: bread, sourdough, vegetarian

Comments 10 Comments
Categories Baking, Canada

Guacamole

3 Jun

Guacamole is one of those things it should be impossible to get wrong. Mash and season a ripe avocado, serve with tortilla chips – the shortest recipe ever.

And yet, there is so much lousy guacamole out there, it seems worth writing a few words on the subject. Continue reading →

Tags: avocados, dairy-free, gluten-free, Mexican food, Tex-Mex, vegan, vegetarian

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Dip, Mexico, USA

Nanaimo bars

26 May

Nanaimo bars are a national institution in Canada. I’d always assumed these delicious bars of nutty, creamy, chocolatey goodness were first in Nanaimo (a town on Vancouver Island) – and research bears this out.

Loved across the country, there was even a knockout round in the first season of MasterChef Canada where competitors had to make desserts inspired by Nanaimo bars. Continue reading →

Tags: chocolate, Christmas, coconut, walnuts

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Baking, Canada, Dessert, Fern's Food

Salad olivieh

18 May

I’ve made salad olivieh before, but this version is a knock-out. The roasted fennel and mustard seeds add lovely warmth to the dressing, and the Greek yogurt makes it less cloying than dressings made with mayonnaise. Continue reading →

Tags: chicken, gluten-free, Middle Eastern food, Persian food, potatoes, yogurt

Comments 9 Comments
Categories Chicken, Iran, Salad

Lamb-pistachio burgers

12 May

The addition of pistachio nuts adds richness and texture to these lamb burgers.

Sometimes I roll this mixture into meatballs to fill pitta breads, or form it into kebabs to grill on the barbeque. Continue reading →

Tags: lamb, Middle Eastern food, pistachios

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Iran, Lamb, Main

Sourdough starter

4 May

Sourdough bread baking is on the rise (pardon the pun). To get in on the action, the first thing you need to do is acquire some sourdough starter.

There are three ways to go about this. The easiest way is to get some from a “culture-d” friend (like me). You can order dried starter culture through the mail, which should arrive with instructions on how to activate it. Or you can make your own. Continue reading →

Tags: sourdough culture, sourdough starter, vegetarian, yogurt

Comments 17 Comments
Categories Baking, Canada, Fern's Food

Cheese saganaki

1 May

I can still remember the first time I tasted cheese saganaki (pan-seared Greek cheese). Having finished university, my then boyfriend and I were spending the summer travelling round Europe before moving from Vancouver to Toronto so he could start a law degree.

Woefully misled by a guidebook called something like Europe on $10 a Day, we’d spent a lot of nights sleeping rough or on overnight trains, and buying cheap food in markets and bakeries to make our money go further. Greece was the first country we could actually afford to eat out.

Continue reading →

Tags: cheese, graviera, Greek food, halloumi, kasseiri, kefalotyri, vegetarian

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Greece, Side dish

Chicken tortilla soup

28 Apr

There are so many versions of chicken tortilla soup – some light and lime-fragrant with bits of chicken and tiny squares of tortilla like some sort of Mexican miso soup.

Others so packed with meat and beans and peppers and tortilla strips that you could do the perform a Mexican hat dance on the surface. Continue reading →

Tags: avocados, chicken, limes, Mexican food, tortillas

Comments 1 Comment
Categories Chicken, Mexico, Soup

Lemon bread

25 Apr

What I now recognise to be a mighty close cousin of the British classic lemon drizzle cake, went by the more modest name of lemon bread round ours.

Christmas baking aside, lemon bread was my hands-down favourite out of everything mum baked. I particularly adored the way the lemon syrup crystallised on the crust before seeping down to creating that thin layer of sticky citrusy goodness. Continue reading →

Tags: lemon drizzle cake, lemon loaf, lemons, quick breads, vegetarian

Comments 5 Comments
Categories Baking, Canada, Dessert, Fern's Food

Beet borani (borani chogondar)

20 Apr

Borani are Persian dips or side dishes of thick yogurt combined with vegetables and herbs. I’ve come across aubergine, spinach, and courgette before, but beet borani was a new one.

Beets are so often paired with sharp flavours like vinegar or lemon, which masks their flavour, but that’s not happening here. Just the mild tang of the yogurt, and woodsy dried mint to play against the earthiness of the beets.

Beet borani is most startlingly gorgeous fuschia colour – the girls adored it on sight. Having made it with both raw and cooked beetroot, I’m surprised at how little difference cooking makes to the taste or texture of the finished dish. Continue reading →

Tags: beets, gluten-free, Middle Eastern food, mint, Persian food, vegetarian, yogurt

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Dip, Iran, Side dish

Turkey burgers

17 Apr

Turkey burgers can be pretty dry and tasteless, and it taken some experimenting to produce one I’m happy to eat. I opt for ground turkey thigh mince instead of breast, and add cheddar and anchovy for extra fat and flavour.

Topped with lettuce and tomato, and served in a homemade hamburger bun with a side of sweet potato fries, you have a fresh take on the classic burger and fries. Continue reading →

Tags: American food, turkey

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Main, Sandwich/Wrap, USA

Hamburger buns

14 Apr

Store-bought hamburger buns are always a huge disappointment. It seems such a shame to go make fabulous patty, top it with fresh veg and a slice of good cheese… then stick it between two washing-up sponges.

So I forgo the bun, but that’s not entirely satisfying either. With a bit of planning, you can make a batch of hamburger buns that are so delicious, you might decide to forgo the patty…;-) Continue reading →

Tags: vegetarian, yeast breads

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Baking, USA

Lemon mint

11 Apr

We spent Easter in Bahrain visiting friends, where we were introduced to a drink called lemon mint. One glass and we were hooked, ordering it at every opportunity.

Lemon juice and fragrant mint are blended with ice to make a lovely, refreshing pick-me-up. The key is not to over-sweeten the mix – add just enough sugar to take the edge off the lemon’s sharpness. Continue reading →

Tags: dairy-free, gluten-free, lemons, Middle Eastern food, mint, vegan, vegetarian

Comments 7 Comments
Categories Bahrain, Drink

Penne amatriciana

8 Apr

Pasta amatriciana is a classic Roman dish made with guanciale (cured pork cheek), tomatoes and chilli. Traditionally made with bucatini, I prefer it with penne and seldom use another pasta.

Guanciale being thin on the ground in these parts, I make mine with pancetta or even chopped bacon. Continue reading →

Tags: bacon, Italian food, penne, tomatoes

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories Italy, Pasta

Harissa chicken with bulghur wheat pilaf

10 Mar

I much prefer cooking bone-in, skin-on chicken and seldom buy chicken breasts. Too often they turn out dry and tasteless – and cost more as well.

But when I find myself with a packet of chicken breasts, this harissa chicken is a good way to go. The meat turns out tender and juicy, and is delicious served with the nutty, chewy bulghur wheat pilaf.

Continue reading →

Tags: African food, bulghur wheat, currants, harissa, Moroccan food, pine nuts

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Categories Chicken, Main, Morocco

Margarita brownies

6 Mar

A few weeks ago, I made a batch of chilli chocolate brownies to serve after a Mexican meal. While they were tasty (it’s hard to find a brownie I don’t like), the chilli flavour didn’t feel quite right at that point in the evening.

That sparked the idea of making margarita brownies (it’s also hard to find a margarita I don’t like…) Continue reading →

Tags: chocolate, limes, tequila, vegetarian

Comments 3 Comments
Categories Baking, Mexico

Twelve-bean soup

3 Mar

I’m naming this twelve-bean soup because that’s what I called it in Canada. Here in the UK, I have only ever found ten-bean mix. (I’m not sure which two types of beans have been omitted, but the soup seems none the worse for their absence.) Continue reading →

Tags: beans, dairy-free, gluten-free, rosemary, vegan, vegetarian

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Beans/Pulses, Canada, Soup

Fruit and vegetable tagine

29 Feb

Tajine, cous cous, tajine, cous cous, tajine… When visiting Morocco, you have to go out of your way to avoid eating one or the other – or both – pretty much every day.

In Morocco, a tajine is both a slow-cooked savoury stew and the conical pottery cooking vessel in which they are prepared. So strictly speaking, while drawing on the flavours of Morocco, this fruit and vegetable tajine is not a tajine at all.

It is delicious though, and less oily than most I’ve eaten, especially those featuring chicken or lamb.
Continue reading →

Tags: African food, apricots, courgette, dairy-free, dates, gluten-free, sweet potato, vegan, vegetarian, zucchini

Comments 9 Comments
Categories Main, Morocco

Indian beans on toast

24 Feb

Indian beans on toast is the happy result of one of those “what can I possibly make for dinner?” evenings. The kind where you’re that close to admitting defeat and ordering pizza.

But then you notice a couple of tins of cannellini beans you’d bought to have with the chicken breasts you forgot you’d already eaten, and decide that the onion with the shoots emerging from the top is still usable, and remember there are a few slices of sourdough bread in the freezer.

And with the last tin of tomatoes from the garage, you produce something that – while far from dinner party fare – is pretty tasty, if you do say so yourself.

Continue reading →

Tags: British food, cannellini beans, Indian food, toast, vegetarian

Comments 8 Comments
Categories Beans/Pulses, India, UK

Fish pie

18 Feb

Fish pie is a comforting dish, and one many British people associate with childhood. I can’t recall ever eating one before moving to the UK, but unlike Marmite or Jaffa cakes, you don’t have to grow up eating fish pie to enjoy it.

Making a good fish pie does require care and attention. There are several steps – and several pans – involved. I’ve streamlined my version over the years, arriving at a fish pie recipe where the final result justifies the effort.

Continue reading →

Tags: British food, cod, haddock, potatoes, prawns, salmon

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Fish/Shellfish, Main, UK

Sweet potato and carrot soup

15 Feb

This sweet potato and carrot soup comes together in no time, making a great choice for weekday dinner. The sweet potato gives it a silky smoothness that contrasts beautifully with the crunchy seeds. Continue reading →

Tags: carrots, dairy-free, gluten-free, seeds, sweet potatoes, vegan, vegetarian

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Soup, UK

Passion fruit chocolate truffles

11 Feb

One of the things I’ve always enjoyed about chocolates is the element of surprise. Shapes can be a giveaway – square toffees, dome-shaped cherries and so on – as is the printed guide when it exists. But until you commit and sink your teeth into a chocolate, you don’t really know what’s inside.

The acute disappointment of biting into a strawberry cream with its cloying taste of cosmetics. The outrage of a square chocolate unpardonably filled with fibrous coconut. The double delight of getting whatever chocolate you and your brother both favour after he went first and chose wrong…;-) Continue reading →

Tags: chocolate, cream, French food, gluten-free, passion fruit, vegetarian

Comments 7 Comments
Categories Dessert, France

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