Welcome to Island Cooks!
Amherst Island is famous for its good food and great cooks. Island Cooks is a new feature of the Udder Morning Show, and the following is a collection of favourite recipes from our show. Keeping watching here for new recipes as our guests share their recipes and ‘some’ of their secrets.
December 31, 2012
Peanut Butter Suet – For the Birds – Janet Scott/Eloise Gowan
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
2 cups oats
2 cups cornmeal
1 cup lard
1 cup white flour
1/3 cup sugar
(bird seed , nuts, dried fruit)
Melt lard and peanut butter
Stir in rest
Pour into containers
Cool and store in freezer
Serve in a wire mesh basket
October 22, 2012
Vi’s /Beth’s Rice Pudding – Beth Forester
1 quart milk
1 quart water
1 ½ cup white sugar
½ cup oleo (margarine or butter)
Combine all ingredients and heat to boil.
Add: 1 cup long grain rice- stir- cook on medium heat approximately 45 min, or until thick.
Beat 2 eggs with enough water to make one cup liquid.
Remove pudding from heat and add egg mixture- but- before adding this egg mixture- put some of the hot pudding mixture (a cup or two-or three-) to egg mixture. Then add the rest of the egg mixture to the hot pudding.
Put on the heat again just to finish cooking the egg mixture.
Add 1 tsp. vanilla and raisins if you wish (about ¾ to 1 cup).
Pour into a 9”X 13” pan (or whatever bowl you wish!). Sprinkle top with cinnamon.
September 10, 2012
Saskia’s Vanilla Bean Ice Cream – Saskia Wagemans
Ingredients
2 1/3 c whole milk
2 1/3 c heavy cream (35%)
1 whole vanilla bean pod
3 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1 1/8 c sugar
2 t pure vanilla extract
Combine milk and cream in a heavy bottomed saucepan.
Split vanilla bean in half lengthwise. Scrap seeds out of pod and put pod and beans in the milk and cream mixture.
Bring to slow boil over medium heat, reduce to low and simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
Combine eggs, egg yolks and sugar and beat on medium speed till mixture is smooth and pale yellow about 2 minutes.
Remove vanilla bean from milk and cream mixture. Add about 1 cup of this to the egg and sugar mixture mixing slowly. Be careful to add the hot to the cold in a slow steady stream.
Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium low heat stirring constantly. Cook until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Transfer custard to a bowl and stir in the vanilla. Cover with Saran directly on top of the custard. Chill custard completely!
Pour custard into freezer bowl of ice cream maker and mix for about 30 mins. Ice cream will be soft and creamy. Put in freezer for a firmer texture!
Take out of freezer about 15 mins before serving!
Eat lots and enjoy!!!!!
For a very rich and decadent ice cream, you can use half and half in place of the whole milk!
For chocolate ice cream, add 1 1/8 c cocoa to the egg mixture and 12 oz of chopped bittersweet chocolate When you combine the egg mixture and the milk cream mixture.
August 20, 2012
Vicki’s Pulled Pork – Vicki Keith
Ingredients
2 – pork roasts
2 – red onions sliced
1 – can of coke
1/2 cups peach juice
2- bottles BBQ sauce
1/2 bottle chili sauce
Place pork roasts in slow cooker with coke, peach juice and onions.
Cook on high for 4-5 hours
Mix 2 bottles of BBQ sauce and 1/2 bottle of chili sauce and heat on stove top.
Drain juice from slow cooker.
Use two forks to shred pork.
Stir in BBQ mixture
Cook in slow cooker for another 30 – 45 minutes.
Serve on it’s own or on a bun.
July 16, 2012
Green Soup, Pea and Ginger – from Madhur Jaffrey’s book- Indian Cookery
- Elizabeth Barry
This is a wonderful soup, can be served hot or cold. Serves 4.
In a large pot:
Simmer 30 mins or ‘til the potato is soft:
4 oz chopped peeled potato
3 oz onion chopped
2 pints chicken stock
3/4 inch cube ginger,
1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
2 tsp ground cumin
Meanwhile: Roast some cumin seeds in small pan, but don’t let them burn.
When the potato is soft, fish out the cube of ginger, and discard it.
Add and simmer 2- 3 minutes:
5 TB fresh coriander chopped
1/2 fresh green jalapeno chopped
10 oz frozen little peas
3/4 tsp salt
some pepper
1 TB lemon juice
1/2 tsp those roasted cumin seeds
In Cuisinart: process the soup until smooth. Or use a wandy thing.
Put into clean pot, add some cream and re-heat to serve, or serve cold.
Serve with unsweetened natural yogurt and coriander (fresh) as garnish.
Don Newgren’s Recipe / Beef fillet
This is primarily a marinade recipe that works fantastically well with either a large beef fillet,
individual steaks, pork tenderloin, or a rack of lamb
Marinade / Ingredients
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup Dijon – not too hot (I use Maille)
3T balsamic vinegar – cheapest
1 T coarsely crushed peppercorns
2 T soy sauce
6 garlic cloves, peeled, and crushed through a press – or reduce to preference
2 T minced fresh rosemary
1 beef tenderloin or 4 fillets welltrimmed 8-10 oz each
Preparation
Combine all of the above marinade ingredients into a bowl and whisk till blended
Cover the fillets /steaks in a zip-lock freezer bag and cover completely with the marinade.
Either refrigerate overnight or prepare and let sit three hours before cooking at room temperature.
Cooking
Preheat oven to 400 – 425 degrees – remove most marinade from the meat
Heat a cast-iron fry pan to hot.
Place the meat or 4 fillets (sans marinade) in pan and sear well on all sides.
Place cast iron pan into the oven
Check ‘doneness’ after 6– 8 minutes – monitor the ‘doneness’ until just right
Note:
1. I think the cast-iron pan is easier, although I have
used a fry pan and transferred fillets to an oven dish
2. Meat continues to cook after coming out of the Oven – but tends to stay tender.
3. This marinade is also great for Pork Tenderloin and Lamb Racks
Skip the searing part and simply roast for about 12 – 15 minutes
at 400 degrees (pork) – slightly pink inside.
(6 – 8 minutes for lamb)
T = Tablespoon
June 11, 2012
Peanut Butter Squares
Bottom:
1 cup peanut butter (not No-Name)
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup corn syrup (not No-Name)
Mix together and microwave for one minute
Stir and add: 1 cup Rice Krispies and 1 cup Corn Flakes
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp cream
vanilla and salt to taste
Microwave for 4 minutes, stir and microwave another 3 minutes
(until it boils more than 1” up the side of the bowl)
Beat until it starts to cling to the side of the bowl.
(this topping takes some experimenting with the times)
For a larger batch, I double the bottom and triple the topping
Curry Cheese Appetizer
8 oz. cream cheese
1 Imperial cheese (red container)
1 1/2 – 2 tsp curry powder
Mix above ingredients together and spread in dish
(any shape, approx. size of a pie plate)
Topping
Chutney or Red Pepper Jelly or something similar
Sliced green onions
Slivered almonds
Raisin, or dried currants (or both)
Dorothy Babcock – June 11, 2012
June 4, 2012
Chunky Pizza Soup
The only thing better than a slice of pizza on a cold winter’s day is a steaming hot bowl of pizza soup. Serve with crusty French bread or quick and easy Cheese Cookies
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup slivered sweet green pepper
1 can (28 oz) plum tomatoes (undrained)
1 cup beef stock
1 cup thinly sliced pepperoni (about 5oz)
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; stir-fry onion, mushrooms and green pepper until soft but not brown. Add tomatoes, stock, pepperoni and basil; cook until heated through.
Ladle soup into 4 ovenproof bowls; sprinkle with cheese and broil until cheese is bubbly.
OR microwave 1-1/2 minutes until cheese melts.
Makes four servings
Cheese Cookies
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp milk
Cream butter and cheese, mix in flour, then milk; shape into a ball.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/8″ thickness. Cut into 1-inch rounds. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet; prick each cookie twice with a fork.
Bake in 350 F oven for 10 – 12 min.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Shirley Miller – June 4, 2012
May 28, 2012
NEW ENGLAND BAKED BEANS
3 cup dry navy beans
2 tsp dry mustard
1 med. onion, chopped
2 tbsp dark molasses
1 cup ketchup
1 tbsp salt
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 lb bacon (optional)
1) Use method of choice to soften beans. (Either soak overnight, add water to cover and simmer until tender, approx. 1 hr. OR cover dry beans with water, bring to boil for about 2 min., cover and let stand for 1 hour, simmer until tender, about 1/2 hour.) Put in crock pot.
2) Add remaining ingredients and cover with additional water if necessary.
3) Put strips of bacon over top if desired.
Cook in crock pot for about 6 hours on low setting. Time will vary depending on your appliance.
WHITE BEAN SOUP
1 1/2 cup dry navy beans
8 cup homemade vegetable or chicken stock
2 tsp olive oil
1 potato, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup small soup pasta
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp hot red pepper flakes
1) Cover beans with cold water, soak overnight and drain well.
2) Heat oil in Dutch oven. Add garlic, onion and hot pepper flakes and cook gently for a few min. without browning.
3) Add beans and stock. Bring to boil then simmer gently for about 1 hr. until beans are tender.
4) Add diced potato and cook 10 min. longer or until tender.
5) Add some additional stock before adding the soup pasta, then cook an additional 10 min.
6) Season with pepper.
Note: A nice touch is to add a dollop of salsa on top of the soup just before serving. It adds colour and flavour.
For more information on Beans, check out this link: www.whfoods.org
Bonnie Caughey – 28 May, 2012
May 21, 2012
Chicken Paprika
4-5 lb. roasting chicken, cut in 10 pieces (2 breast, (ea cut in 1/2) 2 legs, 2 wings, 2 thighs)
1 – 1.5 large yellow onions, minced
1 bell pepper, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 – 1.5 cups diced, canned tomato
1 cup good qualitychicken broth, preferably homemade
1/2 cup dry white wine
s&p to taste
2 tablespoons paprika (or 1 T reg, 1 smoky)
3 tablespoons veg oil
1 cup sour cream
Season chicken with salt and pepper and, in large 12 in skillet, brown chicken in the vegetable oil very well for 10-15 min on med heat, you may need to do this in batches if your skillet isn’t big enough for one layer.
Remove with a slotted spoon leaving the oil in the pan.
Mince onion and bell pepper in a food processor (if you have one).
Over med heat, fry onions and pepper in veg oil for 5-10 min till caramel brown, stir occasionally and do not burn.
Add tomato and garlic and fry for 2 more minutes.
Add white wine, chicken broth and paprika — stir until uniform.
Add chicken pieces back in, cover skillet and simmer on low heat for 30-40 min until chicken is cooked. (175 degrees)
Remove cover. If more than1/2-3/4 liquid remain, remove chicken and reduce liquid. Otherwise, add sour cream. Stir well and heat very gently. Do not allow chicken to boil once sour cream is added or it will curdle.
Serve at once over noodles, dumplings or rice.
Chimichurri
This is a terrific condiment for any red meat, especially when BBQ’d
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1/2 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 Cup Yellow Onion; finely minced
2 – 6 cloves garlic finely minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley; chopped
2 1Ž2 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried red chili pepper (add more if you want some kick)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
a bit of sage, rosemary, marjoram, chives, and/or lemon zest depending on your taste
1/4 cup sweet red pepper; finely minced
3 bay leaves flaked
Mix all of the ingredients well (use a food processor if you like). Best to prepare ahead of time and let rest overnight to let the flavours mix and infuse the oil. However, tastes pretty good served right away too.
Shane Rhodes – May 21, 2012
May 14, 2012
Multigrain Seed Bread
Preheat oven to 375.
Two 8 ½”x4 ½” or 9×5” loaf pans, greased.
1 tsp granulated sugar
2 cups warm water (105-115F)
2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast (1 8g envelope)
¼ cup fancy molasses
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup Robin Hood oats
2/3 cup sunflower seeds, toasted
1/3 cup flaxseeds
1/3 cup Red River cereal
1 ½ tsp salt
3-3 ½ cups all purpose flour
Dissolve sugar in warm water in a large bowl. Sprinkle with yeast; let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in molasses and oil.
Combine whole wheat flour, oats, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, cereal and salt. Stir into yeast mixture. Stir in enough of the white flour to form a slightly sticky dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 8-10 minutes, adding enough of the remaining flour to make dough smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl and turn to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1-1 ½ hours.
Punch down dough. Divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf. Place in prepared pans. Cover with a tea towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Bake on bottom rack of oven for 25-30 minutes or until top is golden and loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove from pans and cool on rack.
Tip:
Enhance the appearance of any grainy loaf by brushing the top with milk and sprinkling with oats just before baking.
Beef Barley Soup
6 cups water
6 beef bouillon cubes
(I use half cubes and water and half beef broth)
28 oz canned tomatoes, mashed
2 cups shredded carrot
2 cups shredded potato
1 ½ cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup pearl or pot barley
6 cups water
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp thyme
3 cups cooked roast beef, chopped
Heat first amount of water and bouillon cubes in large pot. Stir to dissolve.
Add remaining ingredients except beef. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer slowly for about 1 ½ hours.
Add beef and simmer ½ hour more. Makes about 20 cups.
Hamburger Soup: Omit chopped roast beef. Scramble-fry 2 lbs lean ground beef. Add to soup half way through cooking.
(I cook the pearl barley separately and add it already cooked.)
Also, be careful watering down your soup too much. Taste it before adding too much water or salt.
Lemon Panacotta with Macerated Strawberries
1 pkg unflavored gelatin
1 ¼ cups whipping cream
½ cup granulated sugar
4 tsp finely grated lemon rind
1 tbsp vanilla
1 ¼ cups buttermilk
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
In a saucepan, sprinkle gelatin over 2 tbsp of cream; let set 5 minutes. Heat on medium-low, stir until dissolved.
In a separate saucepan over medium heat, heat remaining cream, sugar, lemon rind and vanilla until steaming. Remove.
Stir in gelatin mixture and buttermilk. For more color add a little yellow food coloring to the final liquid mixture.
Pour into eight 6 oz. ramekins. Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours. Make ahead – refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Run knife around edge of ramekins. Carefully turn out onto dessert plates.
Mix together sliced strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. Allow to set for approximately 10 minutes until strawberries release juice. Drizzle strawberries and syrup around panacotta.
Karen Fleming 14 May, 2012
April 23, 2012
Chewy flour less (gluten-free) chocolate cookies
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup dutch process cocoa (made with alkali)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 egg whites
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or 1 cup walnuts, toasted
Preheat oven to 300°F. Mix together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt. Gradually add egg whites, stirring with a spoon until mixture forms a dough. (Mixture should be thick enough to form into balls; if not add more powdered sugar and cocoa).
Add nuts; mix well. Form dough into 15 or so balls. Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake 16 to 19 minutes, until glossy and crackled. Cool completely.
Mayo Underwood April, 2012
April 9, 2012
Three Cheese Lasagne
1 pound ground beef (1 package of Veggie Ground Round can be used)
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 celery stalk
About 12 cooked lasagne noodles (You need 9 but I always break some)
Gluten free noodles are available)
1 pkg. sliced mushrooms
1 or 2 cans (680 ml.) chunky spaghetti sauce
1 500ml. container of cottage cheese
Grated cheddar cheese (about 500gm)
Grated mozzarella cheese (about 500gm)
Brown the meat, chopped onion, green pepper, mushrooms and celery in a fry pan. You can add chopped garlic if you wish.
Layer meat mixture, sauce and cheddar in bottom of 9×13 pan.
Top with 3 lasagne noodles.
Layer meat mixture, sauce, cheddar and 3 noodles again.
Next layer add container of cottage cheese, meat mixture and rest of sauce.
Top with noodles. This usually fills the pan. The cottage cheese can be mixed with 1 cup of drained, cooked spinach.
Spread lots of mozzarella on top of this layer of noodles and you can add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.
Add a sprig of parsley for looks and bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees F.
Janet Scott- April 2012
April 2, 2012
Favourite Lamb Recipes- Gwen and Paul Lauret
Paul’s Lamb & Anchovy Sauce
Leg or Rack of Lamb
Rub with sea salt & ground pepper & cook high heat 4500 F for 15 minutes & reduce to 3500 F until slightly pink.
Tent for several minutes & slice.
Anchovy Sauce
Put 10 to 15 anchovies cut into pieces in a small sauce pan over med. heat.
Add approximately 1 & 1/2 cups of beef broth & half a package of Club House Au Jus and cook for 45 minutes or until reduced to a semi thick sauce.
During cooking time stir & mash anchovies until they become part of the liquid.
Great over lamb and / or potatoes.
Gwen’s Lamb Shanks
Cook the day before serving to meld flavours.
4 to 6 lamb shanks.
Braise shanks & place in a large covered roasting pan in the oven at about 3500 F
Cover shanks with beef broth (homemade with beef bones is best or a bit of both homemade & processed.)
2 Bay leaves.
3 onions, slightly cooked
One or two cans of diced tomatoes with herbs & spices.
3 or 4 cloves of crushed garlic.
1/2 cup of red wine or to taste.
Salt & pepper to taste.
Cook until very tender approximately 4 to 5 hours.
You may reduce heat during cooking time. I usually cover for the first couple of hours & then remove cover.
As this slowly cooks the sauce becomes thicker. Add more broth if necessary. I like the broth to be a rich dark colour and may add a pkg. of Club House brown gravy mix, depending on flavour.
The following day warm the shanks in the roaster and add 1 or 2 cans of black beans depending on preference. Slowly warm this at about 325 F & serve over rice or potatoes.
HOT CROSS BUNS – Nancy Dunn
Old Fashioned Hot Cross Buns
1 envelope granular yeast (1 1/4 tsp.)
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 c. lukewarm water
3/4 c. milk scalded and cooled to luke warm (scalding not likely needed today)
1 tsp. salt
3-4 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp shortening
1 egg beaten
3 1/2 c. all purpose or bread flour
1-1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 to 3/4 c. fruit (raisins or currants & mixed peel [optional])
( I always soak my raisins or currants for ten minutes in hot water first as dried fruit will pull out some of the liquid from the batter and make the bread drier)
Beat dry ingredients into wet until too stiff to continue. Work in rest of flour adding fruit near end. Knead well until elastic.
Let rise in bowl covered with greased wax paper.
Punch down; shape into buns – I roll about 3/4 in. thick and cut with 3 in. cutter. Make cuts at right angles with sharp knife and let rise (after brushing with oil or butter).
Bake at 375 about 15 to 20 min. While still warm spread with glaze of icing sugar and milk (or butter icing) and remark crosses.
If you want less icing just mark the crosses or for a shiny glaze with no icing brush with sugar syrup part way through and at end of baking. (to make sugar syrup use equal parts sugar and boiling water and boil about 8 min. or do in microwave for a couple of minutes)
Note: this is obviously an old recipe where you soak the yeast for ten min.
If using quick or instant yeast just adjust the liquids accordingly.
Nancy Dunn
Easter 2012
Bread Machine Hot Cross Buns
1 1/4 cups milk
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. butter
1/3 c. sugar
1 1/4 tsp. salt
3 1/2 c. white all purpose or bread flour
1 to 2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
(add more or less of the spices depending on how spicy you like them!)
1 and 1/2 tsp yeast or one pkg. ( a pkg. is more than that so will rise faster and/or higher)
****************************
Select dough/pasta setting; start
At add ingredient signal add 3/4 to 1 c. raisins or currants (soaked in warm water for ten minutes, then drained)* and some mixed candied fruit (peel) if you wish. I usually add some cut up candied cherries too. Cut back on raisins if you add other fruit, keeping total fruit to no more than one cup.
****************************
When cycle is complete, remove dough to lightly -floured surface. If necessary knead in enough flour to make dough easy to handle. Roll out about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick and cut with 3 inch cutter ( or for mini buns a juice glass) and place on greased baking sheet.
Cover and let rise 30 min. or until double in volume.
Combine lightly beaten egg with 1 tbsp. water and brush on buns. With very sharp knife make crosses about 1/4 inch deep. (This is difficult to do on risen buns. Try using kitchen shears or dental floss or do it before they rise!)
Bake at 350 for 15 to 18 minutes and while still warm drizzle with glaze made with 1/2 c. icing sugar and 1 tbsp. milk and 1/4 tsp. vanilla or almond flavouring. An alternative to the icing is brushing half way through baking with simple sugar syrup (equal parts water and gran. sugar boiled together for a few min.) and again when taken from oven. This gives them a shiny glaze with fewer calories!
*Years ago an experienced baker told me that unsoaked dried fruit will rob the dough of moisture, thus making your bread drier so I always soak my raisins and currants first. After draining I usually dry them on paper towels but beware of getting soggy paper towel in the dough as you transfer them to the machine!
Nancy Dunn
Amherst Island Easter 2012
