Peanut and Cheese Loaf

For two weeks in May, my husband and I visited England together. We visited London, Charlbury, and Stratford-Upon-Avon. During our stay in Charlbury, we were housed in a lovely little spot called the Stable. The Stable is a self-catering cottage with full amenities, including an oven and stove top. During some of the rainy days, I would take the opportunity to shut in and do a bit of cooking.

The Stable's owners had thankfully supplied the building with cook books--we didn't have internet access, so the cook books were my only way of finding recipes. I found this one and made it once, then made a couple of alterations so it suited my purposes more!

Prep time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Cost: About $10

Ingredients
-1/3 cup chopped peanuts
-1/3 cup chopped mushrooms
-1/2 cup breadcrumbs
-1 tbsp dried mixed herbs
-1/2 onion, chopped
-1 small potato, grated
-1 medium carrot, grated
-3/4 cup grated cheddar
-2 eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, then spoon into a greased loaf tin or ring mold. Cook in oven for 40 minutes.

TIP: Sprinkle some extra cheddar on top for an extra cheesy taste. Garnish with salad ingredients if on its own--see picture for what I did with nasturtiums. Try substituting with cashews for a "meatier" texture.

This dish is ridiculously easy and is a fantastic substitute for meat loaf. It's very filling and one loaf will serve a large slice for 4 people. Double it up for an easy potluck offering.

A quick blog-related note: I know I haven't been updating much, but we recently moved into a house and I've been cooking up a storm, so more updates should be coming before long.

Using your noodle

Being on a constant fiddlehead binge of late, I knew a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to make a pasta dish with fiddleheads next. I'd tried them as a side dish and in a soup, and it was time to mix them in with a pasta. What I produced was a light-tasting dish that was filling and satisfying, and of course beautifully cheap! If you look at the picture to the right, you'll see that it's also got a cute curliness to it. (Matching bowl not included!)


Prep time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4-6 people
Cooking time: under an hour
Difficulty: moderate
Cost: Under $10

Ingredients

-spaghetti noodles
-fiddleheads
-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
-1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
-1 tsp. lemon juice
-1 tbsp. basil
-salt and pepper, to taste
-1 tsp. white wine (optional)

Start by chopping the garlic. Cook very slowly on low heat in 1/2 tsp. olive oil, the lemon juice, and the white wine, if you opted for white wine. Add a sprinkle of salt. Allow to cook until the garlic becomes plump and golden brown.

While the garlic is cooking, prepare and cook the fiddleheads in the fashion I mentioned before. When they have finished, briefly cook them (only for about five minutes) in the garlic.

Boil the spaghetti until it is cooked to your liking, then strain it. Add 1 tbsp. olive oil and 1 tbsp. basil, and toss until the basil is evenly distributed. After, toss in garlic and fiddleheads as well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add some parmesan cheese if you want!

And there you have it. A lovely spaghetti dish with lots of omega-3 fatty acids and tons of flavor. The secret lies in slow-cooking the garlic so it soaks up the lemon juice and wine flavors, which complement the piquant garlic perfectly.

Now then, if you're a little confused by the whole process of cooking fiddleheads, I've created a very handy video guide. The only downside is that you have to put up with my inane prattling for about five minutes. I put some music in to make it marginally entertaining for you. Enjoy!



I will also be updating the "how to cook fiddleheads" post with this video so you can see my ugly mug every time you search for how to make fiddleheads. Do have fun.

This will probably be my final fiddlehead post until next year, as fiddleheads are sadly almost out of season, and thinking up another recipe probably requires more brain power than I have available.

Feisty Fiddlehead Soup

The other day, I taught you a method to clean and cook fiddleheads that results in some tender, tasty little greens. Today I'm going to make use of that method to make a colourful soup with a creamy potato base.

This dish takes awhile to make, so keep that in mind when you decide to cook it. You'll want to start it early in the afternoon in order to have it ready for supper.

Prep time: 1 hour
Serves: 2-4 people
Cooking time: 2-3 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Cost: Under $20

Ingredients

-3 or 4 large potatoes, chopped
-1 carrot, finely chopped
-1-2 cups fiddleheads
-3 green onions or mild leeks
-4 cloves garlic
-2 cups (soy) milk
-5 cups water
-salt, pepper and spices to taste
-1 tbsp. cooking oil of choice
-1 tbsp. butter or margarine
-2 bay leaves
-1 stalk celery, finely chopped

Start by washing the potatoes and peeling them (if you wish. I didn't peel mine because potato skin is very nutritious and will add texture to the soup), then chopping them and boiling them.

While the potatoes are boiling, prepare your fiddleheads using the method I suggested last time. Proceed to cook them as I described also. TIP: Make sure they are fully cooked but don't over-cook, or you'll risk losing flavor!

Finely chop the garlic cloves and saute them in oil in a frying pan until they are just brown. When the potatoes have finished boiling, mash them and add some milk and butter/margarine. When the garlic has been sauteed, add it to the mashed potatoes. Transfer potatoes to a large pot. Chop the leek/green onions and add them to the mashed potatoes. Finely chop the carrots and celery as well and add them, too.

Pour the water, milk, and add spices into the pot with the mashed potato mixture. Stir well. Simmer over medium heat and add fiddleheads. Cover and leave to simmer, careful not to boil. Continue to add herbs and spices to taste.

This should result in a creamy and flavorful soup. TIP: If the soup is not quite as thick as you'd like, try adding some instant mashed potatoes as the soup is cooking.

Autumn Harvest Pie

Yesterday was Thanksgiving here in Canada, and while most families were spending hours cooking turkeys, I opted for a Tofurky meal instead.

My fiance unfortunately didn't get the chance to have a home-cooked meal with his family this weekend, so I decided to whip up something extra special for him. I had been toying with the idea for a few weeks, and I decided that this was the perfect opportunity to try it. What resulted was a vegetarian, Thanksgiving version of a shepherd's pie that I have dubbed Autumn Harvest Pie. This takes all of your standard Thanksgiving dinner components and puts them together in one convenient dish.

Prep time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4-6 people
Cooking time: 2-4 hours (ingredients cook separately as well. Amount of time depends on whether or not you have more pots than I do!)
Difficulty: Moderate
Cost: Under $20
Classification: Vegetarian, easily made vegan

Ingredients

- 1 medium-sized squash of choice (I used buttercup)
- 5 potatoes
- 2 large carrots
- 1 small onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 5-6 slices Tofurky deli slices (if you want a thick layer of Tofurky, use a whole package)
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- sprinkle nutmeg
- 2 slices bread
- 1/4 cup (soy) milk
- butter or margarine
- 1 can vegetarian-or-vegan-friendly gravy
- 3 tbsp. cooking oil of choice (e.g., olive oil)
- herbs and spices of choice (e.g., garlic salt, chives, oregano, basil, dill)

Tools
- Numerous pots and pans with lids
- casserole dish

Directions

Begin by cooking squash. Cut and separate the flesh of the squash, and boil. Mash the squash with butter/margarine and (soy) milk. Add half the cinnamon and nutmeg, and (optional) 1/2 tsp. of brown sugar. Coat the bottom of the casserole dish with the squash, then sprinkle the remaining cinnamon and nutmeg on top.

Next, chop the cloves of garlic and place in a pot with the cooking oil. Cook on low. Chop carrots while garlic is cooking, then add in. Chop onion, then add and turn up the heat a bit. Put the cover on and continue to cook until carrots are tender.

While this is cooking, shred Tofurky into very small pieces and coat the layer of squash. See the picture on the right for how it should look. Do this until the layer of squash is completely covered by shredded Tofurky pieces.

Now is a good time to preheat the oven to 390 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place potatoes in a pot with water. I left the skins on, because the skin is very nutritious, and it also adds nice colour to your dish. Bring to a boil, then cover. Cook until tender. Remove from heat, drain. Mash with butter/margarine and (soy) milk and some salt. Whip until potatoes have a uniform, creamy texture.

Layer carrot, onion and garlic mixture on top of the layer of Tofurky.

Now, for my favourite part: open the can of gravy and pour evenly over the carrot layer. It should look like the picture to the left.

Layer mashed potato carefully over the gravy. This part can be sort of tricky so take care while spreading the potato over top.

Finely crumble bread into small pieces and sprinkle on top of the potato. This is considered the "stuffing" part of your meal so feel free to add a small amount of cooked onion or celery as well, if you wish. Go nuts with the spices! Sprinkle them on top.

Bake uncovered on lower rack for 20 minutes. You'll know it's ready when the gravy is bubbling steadily over the crust. Breadcrumbs should be very crispy as well.



Leave to sit and cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy with cranberry sauce if you wish!

Suggestions

- This is a great way to get rid of bread heels. I used the heel of the loaf for both slices of bread and it made a fantastic crispy crust.
- If you have to reheat it later, use your oven or toaster oven. Don't use the microwave or your breadcrumb crust will go soggy.
- You can add other vegetables if you have a really deep casserole dish and are feeling adventurous. Turnips or green beans would go nicely.

This is a recipe of my own invention so please let me know what you think of it. It turned out EXACTLY the way I planned on the first try so I was very pleased. In my experience, it tastes even better the day after.

Bon appetit!