Greek Spiced Baked Shrimp

Greek Spiced Baked Shrimp
Recipe adapted from Epicurious.com

There is only one word to describe these Greek inspired shrimp - Nostima (delicious)! I loved the richness of the flavours and spices in this dish. Give it a try, you'll love it. Enjoy!

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon hot red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 (28-ounce) can chopped tomatoes in juice
Pinch of sugar
1 1/4 pound large peeled and deveined shrimp
2/3 cup feta, crumbled
1/2 cup kalamata olives chopped
2 tablespoons chopped oregano

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

2. Cook onion and garlic in oil with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in spices and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add chopped tomatoes with juice and sugar and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Season shrimp with 1/8 teaspoon salt, then stir into tomato sauce. Transfer to a 2-quart shallow baking dish and top with feta and olives. Bake until just cooked through, 18 to 20 minutes. Serve sprinkled with oregano.

Accompaniments: crusty bread or steamed white rice; a green salad

Apple Strudel

Apple Strudel
Recipe by Rick Rodgers

For this month's Daring Baker's challenge we were asked to make Apple Strudel. I addmit it, at first I was a little worried about making and stretching the strudel dough. It ended up being so much fun! By the time my dough was stretched, I was completely covered in flour. I wish I had taken a photo of the stretched dough but I didn't think of it until the strudel was in the oven. D'oh!

The pastry was really good but I wasn't completely thrilled with the recipe for the filling. I didn't think it was sweet enough and the apples were too dry. I really want to make this pastry again and try it with a savoury filling.

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

Apple Strudel was definitely challenging. Thank you Linda and Courtney! Enjoy!

Serves: 12

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons golden rum
3 tablespoons raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, divided
1 1/2 cups fresh bread crumbs
strudel dough (recipe below)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 pounds tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (use apples that hold their shape during baking) * I used granny smith

Directions:
1. Mix the rum and raisins in a bowl. Mix the cinnamon and sugar in another bowl.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the breadcrumbs and cook whilst stirring until golden and toasted. This will take about 3 minutes. Let it cool completely.

3. Put the rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with baking paper (parchment paper). Make the strudel dough as described below. Spread about 3 tablespoons of the remaining melted butter over the dough using your hands (a bristle brush could tear the dough, you could use a special feather pastry brush instead of your hands). Sprinkle the buttered dough with the bread crumbs. Spread the walnuts about 3 inches (8 cm) from the short edge of the dough in a 6-inch-(15cm)-wide strip. Mix the apples with the raisins (including the rum), and the cinnamon sugar. Spread the mixture over the walnuts.

4. Fold the short end of the dough onto the filling. Lift the tablecloth at the short end of the dough so that the strudel rolls onto itself. Transfer the strudel to the prepared baking sheet by lifting it. Curve it into a horseshoe to fit. Tuck the ends under the strudel. Brush the top with the remaining melted butter.

5. Bake the strudel for about 30 minutes or until it is deep golden brown. Cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Use a serrated knife and serve either warm or at room temperature. It is best on the day it is baked.


Strudel Dough

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cups unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons water, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus additional for coating the dough
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

Directions:
1. Combine the flour and salt in a stand-mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix the water, oil and vinegar in a measuring cup. Add the water/oil mixture to the flour with the mixer on low speed. You will get a soft dough. Make sure it is not too dry, add a little more water if necessary.
Take the dough out of the mixer. Change to the dough hook. Put the dough ball back in the mixer. Let the dough knead on medium until you get a soft dough ball with a somewhat rough surface.

2. Take the dough out of the mixer and continue kneading by hand on an unfloured work surface. Knead for about 2 minutes. Pick up the dough and throw it down hard onto your working surface occasionally.
Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it to a plate. Oil the top of the dough ball lightly. Cover the ball tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to stand for 30-90 minutes (longer is better).

3. It would be best if you have a work area that you can walk around on all sides like a 36 inch (90 cm) round table or a work surface of 23 x 38 inches (60 x 100 cm). Cover your working area with table cloth, dust it with flour and rub it into the fabric. Put your dough ball in the middle and roll it out as much as you can.
Pick the dough up by holding it by an edge. This way the weight of the dough and gravity can help stretching it as it hangs. Using the back of your hands to gently stretch and pull the dough. You can use your forearms to support it.

4. The dough will become too large to hold. Put it on your work surface. Leave the thicker edge of the dough to hang over the edge of the table. Place your hands underneath the dough and stretch and pull the dough thinner using the backs of your hands. Stretch and pull the dough until it's about 2 feet (60 cm) wide and 3 feet (90 cm) long, it will be tissue-thin by this time. Cut away the thick dough around the edges with scissors. The dough is now ready to be filled.

Artos: Greek Celebration Bread

The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge: No 2. Artos: Greek Celebration Bread

Each week I am making a bread recipe from Peter Reinhart’s wonderful book, The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. The second bread in the Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge was Artos: Greek Celebration Bread. The Greeks are always celebrating something. Any excuse to get together with friends, family and great food. We should all be a little more Greek.

There are several variations of this bread, each one for a specific celebration. I chose to do the Christopsomos version. It is traditionally served at Christmas and has a 'unique bread-dough cross laminated on top of a round loaf'.


The glaze on the bread crust is made with water, sugar, honey and lemon. It gives this bread a gorgeous shiny surface. This bread is scented with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and allspice. It smells amazing. I added some raisins, dried cranberries and toasted walnuts. I can't wait to make this one again.

This bread will be going to my nieces who are half Greek. I hope they like it as much as I do. Be sure to check out what the other challenge participants have done.

Next week: Bagels!

Fresh Basil and Tomato Salsa

Fresh Basil and Tomato Salsa
Recipe by Dragon

Ah, the sunshine! Warm weather is here and it's really starting to feel like spring. We've had a few nights without frost so I will finally plant my herb garden this weekend. I can't wait to have access to fresh herbs whenever I want. Herbs, like the basil I used for this salsa. I know that traditionally, salsa is made with cilantro or parsley but I love the flavour of basil with tomatoes. Try it, you're going to love this salsa too. Enjoy!

Makes: 2 cups

Ingredients:
3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced small
1/2 small red onion, diced small
1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced into thin strips
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
zest of one lime
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon of chili pepper paste (more if you like it spicy)
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
2 teaspoons extra olive oil
Pinch of sugar

Directions:
1. In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well.

2. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Anadama Bread

The Bread Baker’s Apprentice Challenge: No 1. Anadama Bread

Nicole over at Pinch My Salt came up with a fun idea. She decided to make every recipe in Peter Reinhart’s wonderful book, The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Bread. Well, a few people asked to join her and soon Nicole had a tribe of over 200 bakers ready to take up the challenge. I am one of them. :)

Nicole says, The goal is to push our boundaries, learn new techniques, and introduce ourselves to breads we might otherwise never have a chance to taste. It will be fun, it will be challenging, it will be frustrating, but ultimately it will be rewarding!

I couldn't have said it better myself. I'm looking forward to challenging myself with recipes like rye bread, brioche and bagels. Every week (or so), I will be attempting a new recipe from the book and posting my results. I won't be posting the actual recipes, so if you want to follow along, please get a copy of the book. It is a real treasure and should be in every foodie's library. Also, check out the progress of the other participants. Show them some love and encouragement.

The first recipe I tried was Anadama bread. Anadama is a traditional New England bread made with flour, corn meal and molasses. The molasses gives this bread a wonderful, subtle sweetness. The outer crust is thin and not too hard and the inside is soft and sweet. Perfect!

The hardest part of making this bread was the kneading. I kneaded the bread for a good 12 minutes before the dough was perfect. I twittered that I was going to have arms like Michelle Obama by the time I finished all the recipes in the book. Heather from Flour Girl, replied that I should rename the bread "Michelle Obama Anadama". I think that has a nice ring to it.

The second hardest part of making this bread was waiting for it to be cool enough to slice into. Really hard! I loved the smell of this bread as it baked. It filled my kitchen with a warm sweet scent. I'd wear it like perfume if I could bottle it. The recipe gave me 3 loaves of bread. Each loaf was golden brown on the outside and soft on the inside. I'd say my first challenge was a success. I can't wait to start the next one. Come back and see how I did next week.

Chicken Fusilli Pasta and Roasted Pepper Sauce

Chicken Fusilli Pasta and Roasted Pepper Sauce
Recipe by Dragon

I picked up some gorgeous peppers at the market yesterday and I knew immediately how I wanted to prepare them. I've been making this roasted pepper sauce for a while now and it's always a hit when I serve it to friends and family. There is a little time required to roast and prepare the peppers but it is completely worth the effort. Roasting peppers enhances their sweetness. You can substitute the chicken with shrimp, beef and even tofu. You can also mix up the peppers but I'd stay away from the green ones for this dish. Enjoy!

Serves: 2 mains or 4 sides

Ingredients:

2 red peppers, cut in half and remove seeds
1 yellow pepper, cut in half and remove seeds
1 orange pepper, cut in half and remove seeds
2 1/2 cups fusilli pasta
2 chicken breasts, cut into large dice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes (or less depending on your taste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Splash of white wine (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 heavy cream
1/2 cup green peas, thawed if frozen
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Grated parmesan to garnish

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees or broil.

2. On a cookie sheet, place peppers and drizzle each one with olive oil. Make sure each pepper is well coated in olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Char the peppers in the oven, turning them until the skin is completely charred. Place peppers in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap. The steam will loosen the skins. When the peppers are cool, scrape the skins off with a knife, cut into large pieces and set aside.

3. In a large pot of salted boiling water, add pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta and reserve.

4. Heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and sprinkle with a little salt and fresh ground pepper. Cook the chicken until it is brown on all sides. Set aside and keep warm.

5. To the sauté pan, add the onions, chili flakes and garlic. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Add a splash of white wine and cook until the wine has evaporated. Add the reserved peppers, chicken broth and cream. Bring to a boil and remove it from the heat.

6. Purée sauce in a blender (hot liquid, be careful!) until very smooth, about 1 minute.

7. In the pan used to cook the pasta, combine the cooked pasta, pepper sauce, peas and cooked chicken. Toss gently to coat the pasta and warm the peas. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed.

8. Serve, garnished with some grated parmesan.

Cranberry Lemon Muffins

Cranberry Lemon Muffins
Recipe by Dragon

These are the muffins I made for the bake sale last week. I wanted something that would balance the sweetness of the cinnamon rolls. These muffins did the trick; a lovely combination of tart and sweet. I love it when the cranberries burst open while baking. Yum. Enjoy!

Makes 16 muffins

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons course sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease muffin tin or line with paper liners.

2. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and lemon zest.

3. Beat together bananas, eggs, brown sugar, butter, lemon juice and vanilla until blended.

4. Stir in dry ingredients until blended. Stir in cranberries just until combined. Spoon into prepared muffin cups, dividing batter equally.

5. Sprinkle course sugar evenly over tops of the muffins.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden.

Cinnamon Parry Rolls

Cinnamon 'Parry' Rolls
Recipe from Two Peas And Their Pod

I made these Cinnamon Rolls for a charity bake sale. They were so good that people were in a bidding war for the last few rolls. I can definitely say that these cinnamon rolls are MONEY! I loved the smell of my kitchen as they baked. They were warm and gooey and sweet and just a little bit of heaven. You must try them. Thank you Maria from Two Peas And Their Pod and her father for such a great recipe. Enjoy!

Makes: 24 rolls

Ingredients
2 pkg yeast, dissolved in 1 cup lukewarm water
6 tablespoon of shortening
1 cup sugar
7 cups flour or more as needed (it will take more)
2 cups hot water
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon salt
Softened butter
Brown sugar
Raisins
Cinnamon
Cream cheese and Buttermilk Frosting (recipe below)

Directions:
1. Add yeast to cup of lukewarm water and sprinkle in a little sugar. Set aside for about five minutes.

2. Add shortening, sugar, and salt to hot water and cool to lukewarm. Stir in 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast and mix again until smooth. Add in beaten eggs.

3. Stir in remainder of flour, a little at a time until no more can be mixed in. Remove the mixer attachment and knead by hand, adding flour until dough does not stick to the bowl. Remove from bowl and knead until dough feels satiny and looks smooth.

4. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes. Lightly knead and roll out into rectangular shape. Spread with softened butter. Sprinkle on brown sugar, raisins, and cinnamon. (make sure you use LOTS of brown sugar...you can omit the raisins, but my family loves them, and sprinkle on loads of cinnamon. we never measure but be very generous.)

5. Roll into one long roll. To cut use a piece of string or floss. Place on well greased pans and let rise until double in bulk. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake until brown-only about 5-7 more minutes.
After cooled, frost (see recipe below).

Cream Cheese And Buttermilk Frosting
Recipe by Dragon

Ingredients:
8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients until everything is blended.

2. Add more or less buttermilk depending on the consistency you want.

Chicken Lyonnaise

Chicken Lyonnaise

For this past weekend's Titanic themed dinner, we served a wonderful entree; Chicken Lyonnaise. Both the kids and the adults loved this chicken dish from the first class dinner menu. The book, Last Dinner On The Titanic, says the following about the dish:

This is one of the most delicious items on the first-class dinner menu. The sauce is from Lyons, considered by many to be the gastronomic capital of France, and employs two foods for which the area is renowned - onions from the Rhone Valley and poultry from Bresse.

I was worried that the chicken would come out dry but, I remained faithful the ingredients and the preparation in the book. I was wrong, the chicken turned out moist and delicious. We served this chicken with creamed baby carrots. Enjoy!

Serves: 6

Ingredients:
1/3 cup flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6 boneless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 small onions, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons tomato paste
Pinch granulated sugar

Directions:

1. In sturdy plastic bag, shake together flour, 1 tablespoon of the thyme, salt and pepper. One at a time, dip chicken breasts into egg, and then shake in flour mixture.

2. In large deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Place chicken in pan, skin side down. Cook, turning once, for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from skillet and place in 225-degree oven.

3. Reduce heat to medium, add remaining oil to skillet. Stir in onions, garlic and remaining thyme; cook, stirring often, for five minutes or until onions are translucent. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook onions, stirring often, for five minutes or until golden brown.

4. Add wine to pan; cook, stirring, to scrape up any brown bits, for about a minute or until reduced by half. Stir in stock, tomato paste and sugar. Boil for two minutes or until beginning to thicken.

5. Return chicken to pan, turning to coat, and cook for five minutes or until juices from chicken run clear.

Titanic Uplift Cocktail

Titanic Uplift Cocktail
Adapted from 1001 Cocktails

This past weekend, I got together with several friends for another Titanic Dinner, featuring dishes that were served on that fateful voyage. I'll be featuring some of these dishes all week.

We started the evening with this delicious cocktail. We don't think this drink was actually served on the Titanic but since it was named after Titanic, we thought this drink was appropriate. This drink is refreshingly sweet and I love the lime green colour. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 oz melon liqueur
1 oz gin
4 oz orange juice
Squeeze of lime juice
Lime to Garnish
Ice

Directions:

1. Shake and strain into a large martini glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lime slice.