Pumpernickel Bread

Who has not enjoyed pumpernickel bread? It appears at almost every gathering with spinach dip in the hollowed out loaf as a now classic appetizer. Pumpernickel bread is rich and filling with a lovely comforting, earthy flavour . Traditionally pumpernickel is a German rye bread that gets its colouring and flavour from a 16 to 24 hour bake time in long, narrow covered pans at 120ºC (250ºF) in a steamed-filled oven. American style pumpernickel, the one most of us are familiar with gets its colouring and flavour from the addition of coffee, cocoa powder and molasses and whole wheat flour is added for the gluten along with yeast. Caraway seeds may or may not be added for additional flavour. The traditional shape for American pumpernickel is a round loaf that gives elongated oval slices. The best part about American pumpernickel is you don't have to wait 24 hours to enjoy it!

Pumpernickel Bread

The aroma of pumpernickel bread baking will have your mouth watering in anticipation. While it pairs nicely with spinach dip, my favourite way to eat pumpernickel bread is spread with cream cheese. The two play against each other creating a yummy comfort snack.

Pumpernickel Bread

1⅔ c milk
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp molasses
2 tsp sea salt
2⅓ c unbleached flour
1 c whole wheat flour
¾ c dark rye flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp instant coffee
2 tsp instant yeast

Place the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl of the KitchenAid^® stand mixer. Using the dough hook, mix ingredients on speed 2. Combine the wet ingredients in a large measuring cup. Continuing on speed 2, mix in the wet ingredients until the dough leaves the side of the bowl. Adjust with a little extra unbleached flour if the dough is too wet. Knead on setting 2 until dough is smooth and elastic. Unplug mixer. Remove dough hook. Shape dough into a round. Cover and set in a warm spot to rise until double. Punch down the dough. Shape into a round loaf. Place on silpat lined baking sheet. Let rise until double. Bake at 190ºC (375ºF) until golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Caramel Corn

Goodness, I had a few things I wanted to talk about today as I've been rather busy in the kitchen then I remembered that I promised to write about the absolute best ever caramel corn you have ever tasted. If you like Cracker Jacks you will absolutely love this tasty little snack. It is so very easy to make and considerably cheaper than store bought. Be sure to make extra as it will not last long! It does store well so you can easily make up you own homemade bags of treats.

Caramel Corn

Pictured is the caramel corn I made today, ready for snacking and packing into gallon bags. I make up a large batch using the Whirly popper. I've changed the original recipe so much that it is more my recipe than anything else. This comes out almost identical to store bought Cracker Jacks without the prize. I used to package this in small zipper style bags along with a small prize when my kids were younger. For best flavour use butter not margarine but you can reduce the salt by using unsalted peanuts. And be sure to use only pure vanilla. Sorry but artificial vanilla extract just won't work.

Caramel Corn

4 qt popped corn
1 c unsalted peanuts

2¼c brown sugar
½ c light corn syrup
½ c water
½ c butter
2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp pure vanilla

Pop the corn (directions here). Stir in the peanuts. Put into oven at 300ºF to keep crisp. In a large saucepan, combine all remaining ingredients except vanilla. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the syrup reaches soft-crack (290ºF) stage. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla. Remove the popcorn mixture from the oven. Working quickly stir in the syrup and mix will until kernels and peanuts are well coated. Continue stirring to break up. When cooled, package into vacuum bags the seal but do not vacuum or into vacuum cannisters.

Spinach & Mushroom Pockets

Last night I made spinach & mushroom pockets for dinner. Store bought food pockets are readily available in grocery stores with the most common filling being pizza ingredient based. They come frozen, sealed in cello wrap then packaged into a box using 6 or 12 to box. They are marketed as pizza pockets or pizza pouches. The price starts somewhere around $4.99 on sale and higher when not on sale. Essentially there is a limited variety of fillings, preservatives, salt, sugar and over packaging. So why limit yourself when food pockets can easily be made at home with quality ingredients for a fraction of the cost? The filling possibilities are endless, limited only by your imagination. Even the dough used can be changed for a different taste. An inexpensive dough press kit streamlines making food pockets easy. Make extra and flash freeze after cooking for home made convenience quick meals.

Preparation

Food pockets have a bit more in the way of preparation. First decide on what kind of filling you want. In this case I decided I wanted to use ground beef and spinach so the rest of the ingredients just fell into place. Any ingredients that need cooking before filling the pocket should be cooked then cooled. This adds to the prep time however, you could use home canned or frozen fillings that will save time when making food pockets. Quick starts like home frozen browned ground beef with onions also speed up the prep time. Once the filling is prepared it is time to make the dough. I used my standard pastry dough for the spinach & mushroom pockets. A quick prep tip when using pastry doughs is to take an afternoon and make a few batches. Cut into the appropriate size round. Stack the rounds with a piece of wax paper or parchment in between each one then freeze. Thaw as needed.

Pictured are the food pockets as they are being made. The dough is placed into the form with the filling in the centre. Then the form is closed to form the pocket. The pocket is removed from the form and placed on a baking sheet. I used a silpat on the baking sheet.

Spinach & Mushroom Pockets
recipe by: Garden Gnome

1 lb lean ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
1 rib celery, chopped fine
½ c green pepper, finely chopped
7 oz (198 g) fresh spinach
500 ml roasted tomato sauce
1½ c shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp Herbs de Provence
olive oil
2 x pastry for 10-inch two crust pie

Brown the ground beef in little olive oil. Drain and set aside. Slice the mushrooms then sauté in a little butter or olive oil, set aside. Wash spinach and steam. Remove from steamer basket. Chop. Gather into a ball and lightly press with hands to remove excess liquid. When beef, mushrooms and spinach are cooled, mix together by hand in mixing bowl. Prepare vegetables. Stir into the beef mixture. Stir in herbs. Stir in half of the roasted tomato sauce. Shred cheese and set aside. Prepare a double recipe for the pie crust (link in recipe). Divide the dough into four equal sized pieces. Roll out the dough to about an eighth inch thick. Cut the dough with the bottom of the dough press to form large rounds. Place a round in the top of the dough press. Place 2-3 tbsp of the filling in the centre of the dough. Top with cheese. Wet the edges of the dought. Close the press to form a sealed pocket. Remove pocket and place on silpat on baking sheet. Bake at 350ºC until golden brown.

Yield: 18

Spinach & Mushroom Pockets

The spinach & mushroom pockets were well worth the extra prep work. They had a lovely flavour and were quite filling. I served them with roasted tomato sauce in a dipping bowl. The recipe made 18 pockets so after dinner, I packaged a couple for my husband's lunch and froze the rest.

In terms of cost, the homemade pockets were less expensive. Store bought on sale at $4.99 works out to 41.5¢ each while the homemade worked out to 33.5¢ each. The most expensive ingredient was the ground beef but really the ground beef could easily have been reduced or even substituted with black turtle beans. While I was making the pockets, several ideas for fillings came to mind. I will post these as I make them.

Canning Dry Beans & Road Trip

No I have not dropped off the edge of the world but thanks for the concern. My husband and kids arranged for me to be able to make a solo trip to visit our newest grandbaby for a couple of days then visit with our oldest (16 months) grandbaby for a couple of days. It was last minute planning so I didn't have a chance to post a message. Sorry about that.

Canned Dry Beans

I've been in serious stock-up mode. Some of the foods I'm stocking up on like dried beans are being vacuum sealed for storage while the rest is being canned. The reason for home canning your own beans aside of economics is you end up with a superior product to store bought. At the same time you can season the beans exactly as you desire so you have a personalized end product. Finally, you create a low salt, preservative free convenience product. Realize that busy people want convenience food ingredients or simply a pour & heat meal sometimes but that is no reason why you can't make your own.

I decided to do up about half the beans I bought from my last purchases for canning simply to take the new canner for a run. I canned all the beans in 500 ml jars. The yield was 5 jars pinto beans, 4 jars black eyed peas, 5 jars oriental mix beans*, 4 jars white kidney beans, 6 jars black turtle beans and 1 jar mixed beans. The dried beans all came from the Bulk Barn, a Canadian bulk food store. This is one of my favourite stores for buying dried foods as I buy in the amounts I want not the amounts deemed by the food industry. This ends up not only saving money but because there is considerably less packaging is environmentally friendly. I managed to find a couple of interesting new items. One of the new items was an Oriental bean mix consisting of a beans and lentils mix. This store also sells organic and health food products at comparable prices. As with all grocery stores though, you really do need to know your prices.

Lunch

We stopped in Port Credit, Ontario to enjoy the beautiful sunny day as we walked along the pier. There were a fair number of Mute and Whistler swans as well Canadian geese. Even though the swans visit us almost daily at home, I never tire of watching them! After our walk, we stopped at Lake Affect Patio Bar & Grill for lunch on the outdoor patio. The nachos came topped with cheddar cheese, tomatoes, onions, green peppers, red peppers, yellow peppers, red onions and black olives served with salsa sauce and sour cream. We also ordered two pounds of chicken wings with four separate sauces: hot, homicide (serrano), honey garlic and barbeque. The wings were large and meaty, nicely fried for a crispy skin yet tender meat. The adults enjoyed a draft beer with mine being Sleeman Cream Ale, a Canadian premium microbrewery beer made in Guelph, Ontario while grandbaby sipped contentedly on cranberry juice. Grandbaby loved the variety of vegetables as well as the nacho chip and enjoyed the chicken include a lick of hot sauce! This child is destined to be a true food lover. At 16 months of age any food is fair game!

Golda's Kitchen

Anyone who has read this blog knows I do a lot of canning. I have to order some products online because they are not carried locally. So it is with ClearJel starch, a modified corn starch that is the only thickening agent currently approved by the USDA. I use ClearJel for home canned pie fillings, gravies, stews, soups and sauces because it retains a smooth consistency during heat processing. Up until the past year or so, I was buying ClearJel from Bernardin but they are now selling it through Golda's Kitchen in Missausaga, Ontario. I've ordered from them several time so it was nice to actual visit one of their stores.

I love shopping kitchen stores and seriously could have dropped a lot of money in there yesterday. I restrained myself since I was travelling home by rail but I found several items I simply must have! So I've been browsing their website today and will be placing an order shortly. Their shipping and service are very good! I am also planning on going down to take a couple of their cake decorating workshops as well as a cooking class or two under Chef Gérard Jeantet if possible. A couple of my kids did workshops through the Culinary Art School of Ontario and really enjoyed them so I'm planning to do the same now the weather is nicer for travelling. Workshops are from 1-4 pm on Saturdays so I'll get to spend a bit of time with the grandbabies as well.

Purchases

Purchases at Golda's Kitchen included ClearJel, citric acid, a deviled egg platter (perfect for the upcoming meet the baby party), a magnetic lid lifter (not shown) and a dough press set. The ClearJel, citric acid and lid lifer are for canning.

The press set is by Progressive International. Basically these are dough forms. You open the press then cut the dough with the bottom edge of the dough press to cut circles. The dough circles are then placed in the press, fill and sealed ready for cooking. This will be a quick way to make pocket sandwiches and fruit filled turnovers. Please check back for ways I use the dough press set.

Popcorn

Popcorn is the all round, ideal snack made popular by movie theaters but a staple of North American life well before that. The only kind of corn that pops is Zea mays everta, a special kind of flint corn. As with all good things methods were developed to automate the popping of corn with the first steam-powered popper developed by Charlie Cretors in 1885. In 1959 ConAgra Foods began marketing JiffyPop^® a prepackaged ready to pop corn using an aluminum pan covered with a folded aluminum foil lid that expanded as the corn popped. Enterprising manufactures came out with hot air poppers and finally microwaveable bags however, they have never really replaced the best way to cook popcorn. Pre-packaged ready to pop microwave popcorn has been implicated as a potential health risk, something to consider when there are easier ways to make your favourite snack.

Popcorn is a family favourite here with hot buttered popcorn being the most popular. While I have used many other methods for popping corn, the one I like the best is the Whirley popper pictured here. A Whirley popper is an aluminum pot with a clip on two hinged lid. The centre mechanism is geared so that when you turn the handle the stirring rod extending from the lid to the bottom of the pan turns to prevent burning. Popcorn made in a Whirley popper is tender and crispy. You can make at least twice the amount can be made than in a standard microwave popcorn bag in only three minutes! Who can resist the smell of freshly made, hot popcorn?

Popped

Method: Pour about 2 tbsp of vegetable oil into the pot and add one popping corn kernel. Cover the pot and place over heat on medium. When the kernel pops pour in about 1 cup of popping corn. Cover then turn the crank handle of the Whirley popper until the corn finishes popping. It will be a little stiffer to pop as the pot fills. If you do not have a Whirley popper, gently shake the covered pot until corn finishes popping. Do not allow the corn to scortch or burn as that will ruin the entire batch. Remove from heat. Pour popped corn into large serving bowl. Top with your favourite popcorn topping if desired.

For hot buttered popcorn: Melt about 1/3 c of butter. Slowly pour the butter over the popcorn while gently tossing the popcorn in the bowl. Sprinkle a little salt over top. Gently toss to mix the butter and salt into the popcorn.

Hot & Buttery

Did you know that popcorn is good for you? Plain, air popped corn has only 31 calories and 1.2 g fiber per cup. Oil popped corn has 55 calories and 1.2 g fiber per cup. So if you eat it plain, it is a low calorie, low fat filling snack. But you don't have to eat it plain! As mentioned we like it simple with melted butter and salt. Parmesan cheese sprinkled over hot popcorn is another good topping that packs a lot of flavour without adding a lot of calories. The other day I was doing a little stocking-up shopping and noticed in the spice aisle there were several different varieties of popcorn toppings in shaker bottles!

Be sure to check back as I will be post my tried, true and ever so good recipe for caramel corn next week. This is a must have recipe!

Some fun facts:

• a kernel that doesn't pop is called an Old Maid
• during the Depression popcorn sold for 5 to 10 cents per bag making it a luxury item
• popcorn consumption was three times higher during World War II because sugar was being sent overseas
• Nebraska and Indiana are the top producers for popping corn
• six locality claim to be Popcorn Capitol of the World (Valparaiso, Indiana; Van Buren, Indiana; Marion, Ohio; Ridgway, Illinois; Schaller, Iowa; and North Loup, Nebraska)
• popcorn is the official state snack of Illinois
• peak sales for home consumption of popcorn is in the fall
• the number one use for microwave ovens is popping corn; many newer microwave ovens have a popcorn button
• a kernel of corn can pop 3 feet into the air

Braised Beef Ribs

There have been a few new things going on in the kitchen but as you can see from the pictures, the new ceramic tile still is not installed. Instead it is sitting neatly in boxes by the kitchen entry between the kitchen and family room, right perfect for stubbing toes. I'm not impressed! Two new pieces of kitchen cookware have joined the kitchen while at least one has left.

Old & New

I have talked of my pressure cookers and canners before. After much debate I decided to splurge and buy a new All American 921 (21.5 qt) pressure canner from Pressure Cooker Outlet. There isn't a lot to go wrong on pressure cookers or canners except most models use gaskets. Gaskets wear out and need replacing which adds to the cost of operation. The gasket for my Mirro is not available locally so I ordered it online and always kept a spare on hand but I worried that at some point the gasket would not be available. So even though the Mirro performed nicely and was very dependable, it was the pressure canner targeted as leaving the kitchen first. The All American has an exclusive metal-to-metal seal that does not require a gasket.

Pictured are my old and new All American 921 pressure canners. All American has now gone to a weighted-gauge system so the new canner has a dial gauge and a round, muli-selection weighted-gauge. Unlike the Mirro, the weighted-gauge is one piece with three different drilled holes to set the weight at the appropriate psi. The dial gauge is used as a visual to keep the canner at pressure. Pressure is determined by the level of heat. Unlike the older All American there is no petcock and the dial gauge needs to be tested yearly which can be a problem in some areas. I've found anywhere that fixes radiators should be able to test the gauges but I think this is why All American gave up on the petcock. The old All American has a dial gauge and a petcock. It works like a charm and is ever so quiet but my concern is the overpressure plug is metal instead of rubber so if it ever blew it would act very much like a bullet! If I can replace the overpressure plug with one of the new rubber ones, I will continue using this canner as a back-up canner.

Braised Beef Ribs

Last night I made braised beef ribs for dinner. These were long, meaty beef ribs with a fair amount of fat. I cooked on low heat (200ºF/95ºC) in the countertop roaster. I sprinkled with a little Montreal Steak seasoning, added a sliced onion, bay leaf and Worcestershire Sauce. Then I poured in about 1 cup of water and let them cook for about 3 hours before pouring a bottle of Diana Sauce. This is a sauce I use quite often when I want a quick sauce. I let the ribs continue cooking for another hour or so. The end result was very moist, flavourful ribs with meat falling off the bone. They really were good and got rave reviews however, they were fattier than I would have liked.

Through the miracles of Photoshop you don't have to look at the countertop that is still waiting to be replaced which would be bad except yours truly made a lot of marker marks for where the new sink is going. Anyway, I wanted to tell you the story behind this small platter. It is actually the base for my soup turine. When my kids (circa 1985) were quite young one of my hobbies was ceramics. I would bundle them (not telling how many) into the pram them walk to the ceramic shop where I would pick up two or three pieces of greenware then carefully make my way back home. Anyone who has worked with greenware can appreciate how easily it breaks. While the kids napped I carefully cleaned each piece then made the same trip the following day with the kids in tow to get the pieces fired while bringing back more. I made an entire eight piece setting of dishes including goblets, cream and sugar, salt and pepper and candlesticks this way. For years, the set was on display in a 1950's cabinet I restored then for the past almost 15 years the dishes have been packed away. I'm now bringing them back out for use always pausing to enjoy the memories they bring.

Plated

The braised beef ribs would have been wonderful even if served on paper plates. I served the ribs with basmati rice, corn and a tossed salad keeping the attention on the ribs themselves. The ribs were a real success, definitely the belle of the ball! They were from the beef quarter we recently bought.

Black Bean Quesadilla

When we were in Key West, we has quesadillas made with black beans so when I got home, I bought black beans and canned them. The idea was I would have a ready to use product for when I wanted to try duplicating what we had in Key West. Well now I have to tell you. I am seriously addicted to these beans! There were some left over from canning so I ate them. One jar for some unknown reason did not seal so I ate them. My newest snack is warming black beans, stirring in a little butter, sprinkling with salt. I'm going to have to can up another batch!

Quesadilla

The original way we were introduced to black beans was on a quesadilla in Key West. We are not huge bean eaters by any stretch of the imagination. I use navy beans for soup and baking, kidney beans for chili and mung beans for sprouting. That's it. But the black beans as we had them in Key West came so close to tasting like meat, I immediately thought this is something I would like to expand on. So last night I duplicated fairly close to what we had there.

Trust me on this one, you won't even miss the meat! These are very filling. They are great as a snack or appetizer. Cut into wedges they make the perfect finger food too!

Black Bean Quesadilla

6 whole wheat tortillas
1 500 ml jar black beans
1 small onion, chopped
1 c cheddar cheese
1 c sour cream
1 c salsa (home canned)

Lay 3 tortillas on a silpat on a baking sheet. Slightly mash the beans. Spread evenly on the tortillas. Sprinkle onion and cheese on top. Place another tortilla on top. Bake at 350ºF until cheese is melted. Remove from oven. Cut each quesadilla into quarters. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Risotto

Rice is always a nice variation from potatoes. There are many kinds of rice so the possibilities are endless and versatile. I will admit the majority of the rice I make is cooked using a rice cooker. Risotto is cooked on the stovetop. It takes a little more effort and a bit less time but the results are well worth it.

Risotto

Risotto has a rich and creamy texture from the starches yet the rice grains are al dente from the way it is cooked. A short-grained round or semi-round rice are best for making risotto. These inclued Arborio, Vialone, Nano, Carnaroli and Originario. Long grained rices do not make a good risotto because the grains stay separate. Minute rice also will not work because it won't absorb the liquid yet the grains remain separate.

I used Arborio rice for the risotto and turkey stock for the liquid. When the risotto was al dente, I stirred in sauteed mushrooms. I omitted adding Parmesan cheese because I was serving the risotto with fish. The result was a nicely flavoured, creamy risotto accented with mushrooms.

Method: Chop 1 small onion then sauté with herbs (if desired) in a good layer of olive oil. Remove the onion and herbs leaving the oil in the pan. Stir in rice and sauté until the rice is translucent about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent rice from sticking. Return the onion and herbs to the pan. Stir in a third cup of warmed* dry white or red wine. When the wine has been absorbed, stir in a ladle of simmering broth. Add another ladle of both before the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding broth in this manner as the rice absorbes it until the rice barely reaches the al dente stage. Stir in a tablespoon of butter. If you want a richer risotto stir in a quarter cup of heavy cream**. Cover and let sit for 2 to 3 minutes. Just before serving stir in fresh grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Serve.

* Cold liquid will shock the rice causing it to flake on the outside and stay hard at the core.
** Risotto that has had cream added is called mantecato. It is remarkably smooth.


Pan Fried Perch with Risotto

We catch perch along with other fish for fresh eating and stocking the freezers. Then when we don't have fresh caught we turn to our freezers where several meals worth of we caught are are waiting. Last night I decided to continue on our fish theme using perch. Fresh perch is a family favourite. The small fillets have light almost sweet flavour. They are best pan fried but can be prepared other ways. What ever method you use, do not over cook as perch will dry out very quickly because of it's small size.

Perch is usually dredged in a light flour coating or can be dredged in cornmeal for a slightly textured coating. I used a slightly seasoned flour for dredging then fried the perch in a cast iron fry pan until golden brown. I served the perch with risotto and steamed rutabaga. I would have served with spinach but the rutabaga needed to be used up. It was a nice, mellow meal.

Butter Steamed Salmon

Steaming is one of my favourite methods for preparing cooked vegetables. It gives a nicer texture and maintains the flavour better than boiling. Normally I steam using a steaming basket in a covered pot and because I like the method so much, I have three different sized metal steamer baskets capable of steaming small to large batches. Steaming baskets come in a variety of sizes with some being collapsible for easy storage while allowing the basket to fit more than one size pot. Most electric rice makers come with a steamer basket and electric steamers are also available. The basics of steaming is simple.

Method: Place the food you want to steam in the steamer basket. Pour about 1-inch of water or stock in the pot. Put the filled steamer basket on the pot and cover with the pot lid. Bring the liquid to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low that will maintain the steam without the pot boiling dry. Steam the food to the desired tenderness. Remove from heat. The food is now ready to season if desired and serve.

However, food can also be steamed in a covered baking dish in the oven. This is one method I use for cooking salmon. Hmm, the last couple of entries have been about fish and come to think about it with the exception of yesterday when we were on the road for our second grandbaby's birth (read about it here) we have had fish daily for the past week. If you have been following this blog you will know I'm not a huge fan of heavily coated or seasoned fish.

Butter Steamed Salmon

Salmon has a strong flavour than perch or other white fish. It can handle stronger seasonings and the flavour of butter naturally enhances salmon. Steaming keeps the salmon moist and tender. Pictured is butter steamed salmon, steamed spinach and steamed Yukon gold potatoes. Any fish marries nicely with potatoes so when serving fish consider potatoes as the primary vegetable compliment. Pair with another vegetable, coleslaw (creamy coleslaw recipe here) or garden salad for a complete meal. Lemon is the perfect garnish that can be used to accent the fish flavour.

Method: What I do for steaming salmon is to place a couple of pats of butter (about 1 tbsp) in the baking dish along with the salmon. Sprinkle with a little lemon pepper. Cover the baking dish. Bake at 350º just until the salmon is cooked through.

What this does is steam the salmon using the butter and its own juices. It is important to make sure the lid fits tightly to keep the steam in and do not over cook. The end result is a mildly seasoned, moist, tender and flakey piece of salmon. So do try this method for cooking salmon. I'm sure you will be pleased!