saving the best to last

When I was little I remember Dad going to a restaurant in the little village of Breslau, Ontario. Eventually he became friends with the chef who shared his recipe for ribs and pigs’ tails with my Dad. I still make this recipe from time to time. As you can see from the photo, my little guy loves these.

sauce for ribs

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons worchestershire sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup apple juice or water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon dry mustard powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon celery salt

Pre-cook the ribs for 2 hours at 375°F. Mix the sauce ingredients together and pour  over the pre-cooked ribs. Bake at 375°F for an additional 1/2 hour.

Those of you who follow my wilderness cooking blog already know that I love quinoa (pronounced keen-wa). This ancient mother grain from the Incas is a complete protein and has a wonderfully nutty flavor. While I haven’t tried this recipe yet, it really appeals to me.

The recipe can be found at Food Done Right.

balsamic veggie sauté

Today was an incredibly sunny and beautiful spring day. The kind of day that is perfect for grilling. Bryan (that’s my husband) decided that we should have some nice New York style strip loins done on the barbeque with baked potatoes, peaches and cream sweet corn and a side of mushrooms.

Well, as you know, I like to play in the kitchen so instead of just mushrooms we ended up with the following…

balsamic veggie sauté

This would also be a great side to make when car camping too. While we had this with steak it would be completely delicious in a wrap with some grilled chicken and a little provolone cheese.

1 – 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2/3 cup onion, sliced
2 cups white mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup green pepper, sliced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
2 cups baby spinach

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized sauté pan. Add the onions and cook until they become translucent and start to show some color. Add the mushrooms and green peppers. Continue to sauté for a few minutes and add the balsamic vinegar. Let simmer until the vinegar reduces by half and then add the tomatoes. Cook for a few more minutes then add the baby spinach, turn off the heat and cover the pan until the spinach wilts.

It’s that time of year again. This coming Sunday morning the house will be filled with the aroma of Easter bread being baked. This is one of my favorite bread recipes. I’ve never had anything like it and I have never come across a similar recipe.

grandma Carlo’s Italian easter bread

makes 2 loaves

mini loaves of bread

My sister Margaret married Larry who had a wonderful Italian Grandmother. Grandma Carlo made this savory easter bread for Sunday brunch. She would serve it with grilled pork chops, hard cooked eggs and red wine. We’d sprinkle “easter spice” on the eggs which was a combination of the spices from the bread put into a little salt shaker. I still carry on this tradition with my own family even when I can’t be with my sister and her husband for the holiday.
 
step one

6 room temperature eggs
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon yellow food coloring
                                
Combine the above ingredients and set aside.

step two

1 envelope traditional yeast
1 cup lukewarm water
1 teaspoon sugar

Dissolve the sugar in the water. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and sugar mixture and let rest in a warm place, for 10 minutes.

step three

Add 1/2 cup vegetable oil to step one.

step four

Mix step one and step two together. Add 2 cups all-purpose flour and beat until smooth. Add about 3 more cups of flour to make a soft dough. Knead until firm and elastic. Lightly oil the dough and cover. Let rise, in a warm place, for 1 hour or until double in bulk.

step five

Punch the dough down and divide into 2 equal portions. Let rest for 15 minutes. Oil the dough a bit more and shape into oiled loaf pans. Let rise, in a warm place, for 1 hour.

step six

Bake at 400ºF for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the loaves from the pans and brush the top of each one with melted butter. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

the red chasseur

Every year we host a Fall Outdoor Gathering for a large group of backpackers and canoeists in Algonquin Provincial Park. The first year we did this we had a chili cook-off and my friend Alison made a chili that was just a little bit different than the traditional style of chili I am used to.  The flavor was vibrant and dish delicious.

What I remember, other than the great dish, was that Alison actually brought her red chasseur to cook her chili in. Imagine — taking a beautiful piece of kitchen gear like that car camping! I teased Alison the entire weekend. Not about her bringing such a wonderful vessel but that I was going to take it home with me. I ended up buying my own.

After the event Alison sent me the recipe for the chili she made and it has now become a family favorite. I liked it so much that I bought the cookbook that the recipe came from, Looneyspoons, by sisters-in-law Janet and Greta Podleski.

grocery cart chicken chili

from the Looneyspoons Cookbook © 1997 Janet and Greta Podleski
makes 6 servings

One man’s junk is another man’s treasure! This super-spicy creation is based on a recipe that was found in an abandoned grocery cart at the side of a dirt road. Yes, we’re serious, and no, we’re not garbage pickers.

1-1/2 cups chopped red onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (about 1-1/4 pounds)
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) tomatoes, undrained, cut up
1 cup tomato-based chili sauce
1-1/2 cups low sodium, reduced fat chicken broth
1-1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon each Dijon mustard and “lite” Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon each cayenne pepper and  black pepper
1 can (15 ounces)  red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 ounces)  white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese (2 ounces)

Spray a large sauce pan (or nice red Chasseur) with non-stick spray. Add onions, garlic, green peppers, and jalapeños. Cook over medium heat until tender, about 7 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients, except kidney beans and cheese. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add kidney beans and cook 5 more minutes. Ladle chili into individual bowls and top each with a sprinkle of cheese.

I’ve been on a bit of an Italian food kick of late so I thought I would share this recipe. It is one of my favorites and if I do say so myself; delicious.

Italian wedding soup

wedding soup

© 2006 Laurie Ann March
makes 6 to 8 servings

Italian wedding soup is, by far, one of my favorite meals on a cold and rainy day. It is a light meal yet fulfilling and very soothing.

1/2 pound ground chicken
1/2 pound ground veal
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
3 tablespoons minced onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 1/2 quarts chicken broth (homemade is best)
2 cups spinach or escarole – packed, rinsed and thinly sliced
1 cup very small pasta

In a medium bowl, combine the meats, eggs, bread crumbs, cheese, basil, garlic and onion. Shape mixture into small balls and set aside.

In a large stockpot heat chicken broth to boiling; stir in the spinach (or escarole), pasta and meatballs. Return to boil; reduce heat to medium. Simmer, stirring frequently, for 6 minutes or until pasta is al dente, and meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot with freshly grated parmiggiano-reggiano cheese and Italian bread.

a home version of the recipe from A Fork in the Trail ©2008
makes 2–3 hearty servings

Italian for “little ears,” orecchiette has a shell-like appearance and holds delicate sauces well. If you cannot find it in your grocery store, you can use baby shells or linguini. I like to use a good quality extra virgin olive oil in this dish.

orecchiette with clams

Chop garlic finely. Shave Parmesan cheese. Set both aside. Boil salted water and add the pasta. When the pasta is about halfway through cooking start the clam sauce in another pot or frying pan. Heat 2 tablespoons each of butter and olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for a few moments, over medium heat, being careful not to brown it. Add 1/4 cup white wine and lemon juice. Let simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the clams and parsley and heat through. Drain the pasta when it is al dente. Meanwhile season the clam mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir gently to coat. Garnish with plenty of shaved Parmesan.

A magazine called Get Out! Outdoor Adventure in the Ohio River Region used a recipe from my book A Fork in the Trail called Banana Breakfast Bars in their March issue. It is a filling a decadent treat for the trail that you make at home for a grab-and-go breakfast. The beauty of this recipe is that it makes a great bar for other activities too. It will give you energy for that bike ride on the city trails or working in the garden.

Here is the recipe.

banana breakfast bars

© 2008 Laurie Ann March
this recipe is an excerpt from the book A Fork in the Trail

makes 10–12 servings

This is another one of those make-at-home recipes where the bars seem to disappear before the trip.

1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
3 ripe bananas
3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup malted milk powder, such as Ovaltine, or chocolate-flavored protein powder
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins or chocolate chips (or 1/2 cup of each)

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Mix the butter and sugar together in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Beat the egg and pour it in the bowl. Mash the bananas in a separate bowl, add them to the eggs, and mix well. Stir in the oats, salt, and milk powder combining well. Add the walnuts and the raisins or chocolate chips and stir to combine.

Line the tops and sides of a 9 x 9 inch baking pan with a single piece of parchment paper. Then butter the top of the paper. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake at 350º F for 1 hour. After the slab has cooled, cut it into bars and wrap them in waxed paper. Place the wrapped bars in a ziplock freezer bag. These bars freeze very well for several months.

Tip: To make the parchment paper easier to manage, place a little butter in the bottom of your pan and then place the parchment paper in the pan. The butter underneath with hold the paper in place, making it easier for you to butter the top of the paper.

It’s been months since I’ve blogged on craveable. Many things have been going on — everything from working on my next book to some medical issues.

I’ll be posting new ideas, recipes and wine finds over the coming months.

tomato salad

This isn’t a recipe but it is one of my favorite lunches. Sometimes I make it as a course for a dinner. So what’s in it? Sliced tomatoes, bocconcini, fresh whole basil leaves, and some wickedly delicious hot peppers. Then it is drizzled with some good olive oil, seasoned with some cracked pepper and kosher salt and served with a nice slice of Italian bread.

It looks very pretty on the plate and it is healthy. The hot peppers are from our friend Antonietta. If I am not mistaken the plants came from her Mother in Italy. Every year Antonietta harvests the peppers from her garden and packs them in olive oil. She gives a few jars to my brother-in-law and he always saves one for me because he knows how much I love these firey peppers. They are much hotter than a jalapeño pepper.

Yum! Definitely craveable!

Our dear Italian friend, Antonietta, makes these at holiday time. A few years ago she graciously shared the recipe with me. These cookies are delicious and gluten free.

Of course, I’ll be making a batch of amaretti really soon. When I do, I’ll post a photo or two.

amaretti cookies

1 1/2 cups sugar (and 1/3 cup extra sugar for rolling)
1 whole egg
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons cocoa powder
3 ounces almond extract
3 1/2 cups finely ground almonds
whole almonds

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Beat the whole egg and the egg whites with the sugar. Add cocoa and almond extract and mix to combine. Then add the ground almonds. Form into small balls and roll in sugar. Push a whole almond into the top of each cookie. Bake for 15 minutes.

Note: If you can’t find ground almonds you can grind your own. Start with whole almonds and grind to a very fine meal but not to the point they become a paste. If the almonds are too coarse your cookies with flatten.