Recipes

The day after Halloween, you don't need sweet - you need spicy!

Spicy Peanut Pumpkin Soup

By Angie Quaale

November 1, 2020

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp unsalted Butter
• 4 cups canned Pumpkin Purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 1 medium sized Cooking Onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup Peanut Butter (crunch would be great but whatever you have will work)
• 8 cups best quality Chicken Stock
• 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp freshly grated Ginger
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/2 - 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper (depending on how spicy you like it)
• Freshly ground Black Pepper & Salt to taste
• Fresh Cilantro, roasted Peanut, and toasted Pumpkin Seeds for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

• In a soup pot over medium high heat melt the butter, add the onion and the garlic - sauté until translucent but not brown. Add the spices (except the salt & pepper) and the brown sugar - stir those into the butter, allowing them to coat the onions and garlic. Add the peanut butter and melt it into the spiced onion mixture - stir in the pumpkin purée and gently whisk to incorporate. Add the chicken stock and season with salt & pepper.
• Cook the soup over medium heat for 30-60 minutes allowing the flavours to meld and mellow. Right before serving taste and re-season with salt & pepper if necessary. Ladle the hot soup into individual bowls, garnish with chopped peanuts, roasted pumpkin seeds and fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.
• Note: If it's too spicy for someone in your house, stir in a little sour cream to reduce the heat. You can also add some leftover chicken into the bottom of the bowl or use a veggie stock if you want a vegetarian version of the soup.

These recipes are for a class I am teaching tomorrow - its a quick lunchtime class for 24. It's going to be delicious and I will make extras so I have leftovers for a day or two! This was our Day 9 feature in our 12 Days of Recipes in 2011 - it's been a favourite of mine for a long time.  -Angie.

Thai Pumpkin Soup

By Angie Quaale

October 7, 2014

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon Well Seasoned Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 4 shallots, chopped
• 2 tablespoons
• Thai red curry paste
• 2 ½ cups chicken stock
• 4 cups peeled and diced pumpkin
• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 bunch fresh basil leaves
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
• salt & cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions:

• In a medium saucepan, heat oil and butter over low heat. Cook garlic, shallots, curry paste in oil until fragrant (be careful not to burn the garlic). Stir in chicken stock, coconut milk, and pumpkin; bring to a boil.
• Cook until pumpkin softens. With an immersion blender, or in a blender, blend the soup in batches to a smooth or slightly chunky consistency, whatever you prefer. Serve with fresh basil, cilantro leaves & toasted pumpkin seeds as garnish.

Roasted Bacon Steak with Sweet Potato Latke, Spinach, and Hellish Relish

By Chef Deniz Tarakcioglu

Oct 29, 2020

Ingredients:

• 4 x 3oz thick cut smoked bacon steak
• 50ml maple syrup
• 1lb sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 85ml cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 5ml black pepper
• 200ml Well Seasoned Olive Oil
• 1lbs baby spinach
• Hellish Relish to taste

Instructions:

• First squeeze any excess moisture from the sweet potatoes if there is any. In a large bowl combine sweet potatoes, scallions, flour, eggs, black pepper and season to taste with salt.
• Heat up the vegetable oil to 250F, spoon 50ml of mixture into hot oil and flatten to 3" with a flat spatula. Fry until done and golden brown on both sides. Drain the excess oil on paper towels keep warm.
• In a medium pot heat up 25 ml olive oil with 50 ml water and cook the spinach covered until just wilted, season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Heat up a large skillet and sear bacon steaks on high heat until nicely caramelized and hot through, add the maple syrup to the pan and reduce with steaks until sticky. Serve with latkes, spinach and hellish relish to taste.

Curried Red Lentil Koftas with Harissa, Belgian Endive and Hellish Relish

By Chef Deniz Tarakcioglu

Oct 29, 2020

Ingredients:

• 300ml red lentils
• 275ml fine bulgur
• 50ml lemon juice
• 30ml cumin seeds, lightly toasted
• 30ml coriander seeds, lightly toasted and coarsely ground
• 40ml harissa
• 30ml favourite chili paste
• 30ml tomato paste
• 50ml each of, parsley, mint, coriander, green onions, finely chopped
• 100ml Well Seasoned olive oil
• Hellish Relish, to taste
• Belgian endive leaves
• 2 preserved lemon or any favourite pickle, minced

Instructions:

• Cover the red lentils with cold water and simmer on medium heat until all the lentils are cooked very soft.
• Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until a coarse paste forms.
• Add the bulgur, mix well, cover with a tea towel and let it cool to room temperature. Once cooled it should be a sandy mixture.
• Mix everything in a large bowl and season with salt as well.
• Form into small balls and serve on endive leaves, garnish with hellish relish and minced pickles.

We continue to snuggle into a month long theme of pumpkin flavoured everything! Enjoy this high protein breakfast parfait after a brisk walk in the morning, or as a spicy wake up reward after escaping from your warm duvet. No pumpkin spice? Try our own recipe!

Pumpkin Breakfast Parfair

By Angie Quaale
October 25, 2020

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Greek Yogurt
• 2/3 cups Pumpkin Purée
• 2 tsp. Pumpkin Spice
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 cup Granola
• 1 cup cooked Quinoa
• Pecans for garnish

Instructions:

• While the quinoa is cooking, mix yogurt, pumpkin, and pumpkin spice together.
• Fill the bottom of 2 glasses with the granola. Spoon 1/2 cup of yogurt pumpkin mixture into glass.
• Once quinoa is finished, season with cinnamon and let cool in the fridge for 15 minutes.
• Once cool, add 1/2 cup quinoa to parfaits, then top with remaining greek yogurt. Sprinkle with pecans and serve.

Crispy Mussel Po’Boy with Spicy Remoulade and Pickles

By Chef Deniz Tarakcioglu

Oct 22, 2020

Ingredients:

• 1 lb mussels, bearded and scrubbed
• 100 mL mayonnaise
• 1 stalk of celery, diced small
• 50 mL gherkins, chopped fine
• 3 cloves of garlic, puréed
• 2 shallots, fine diced
• 2 french sandwich loaves
• 1 large tomato, sliced
• 2 dill pickles, sliced
• 30 mL horseradish
• 30 mL favourite hot sauce
• 1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 300 mL flour
• 200 mL buttermilk
• 330 mL ice cold soda water
• 1 lemon

Instructions:

• Shuck the mussels with an oyster knife and marinade them in buttermilk at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat your oven to 300F, and warm your bread for 20 minutes whole.
• In a medium sized bowl combine, mayonnaise, gherkins, celery, shallots, garlic, hot sauce and horseradish. Season to taste.
• Whisk the soda water and 250 mL of flour until it is a loose batter.
• Fill a heavy bottom pot with 3’’ clean frying oil and heat up to 360F.
• Dust all the mussels with left over 50 mL flour until no there is no wet spot.
• Dip in the batter and fry until golden around 2-3 minutes. Drain on a paper towel and season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Dress the bread with spicy remoulade, lettuce, tomato and pickle slices. Top with fried mussels and serve.