A Canadian Foodie:

First of all, there are some very traditional foods in this area, and as basic as bread is the chicken soup that is served at the beginning of almost every meal. This soup is made by boiling the entire chicken, then using the meat for something else. The broth is richly flavourful, and can be duplicated only by the best of the free-range organic chickens found in our Farmer’s Markets at home. There are very few vegetables in this soup. It is all about the broth and the nourishment of the farmland. This particular time, Lori, Vanja’s sister-in-law, included knedle. This is a very specific kind of noodle-dumpling. Pava, Vanja's mother, makes hers with the chicken liver. It is deadly delicious, and I am not a liver fan at all. This one was very pillowy and mild made with eggs and white semolina (griz). A wonderful, perfect, and admittedly expected welcome home for Vanja!

Then, a rolled ground meat mixture with smoked prosciutto, cheese, and dill pickles. Apparently this is her own creation, but clearly inspired by the traditional rolled meats with cheeses from the region. She also made some potatoes with spinach in a bechamel type of cream and some roasted red peppers with cheese and the same type of cream (flour and milk). Hard boiled eggs decorated her mashed potatoes and an oven roasted chicken (the one boiled first, for the soup) was served with a really delicious mushroom gravy. She served some shredded cabbage and the traditional Serbian Salata: red peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onion. A really delicious, and nutritious meal so satisfying either hot, or cold.

See this happy and very appreciative brother?

And then, at the beginning, and the end of the meal, one would never forget to serve, or to partake of the sljiva: the home distilled plum brandy found in every home and offered to every guest throughout the entire country. Just one whiff of this stuff put me in a tizzy for a few minutes!

No room for the kolac (cake) that was made with tender loving hands. Not sweet at all, but creamy, and a lovely treat with coffee later!

Laku noc! Good night. What a long and satisfying day. XO

I remembered reading a recipe for a soup similar to this in my dentist’s office, and wandered how effectively my Thermomix could toast the spices. The answer: very effectively! I couldn’t wait to get home and try it out. I just love the nibbley texture the spices give this soup, and the explosion of flavour I take pleasure in when I burst into a plump and juicy little spice seed. I am really happy with these flavours, the nutritive value, and the fact that there is virtually no fat in the entire soup. I really enjoy it with my homemade yogurt, though!

Spicy Tomato and Chick Pea Soup

Servings: 6                   Prep Time: 5 min.                         Cook Time: 18 min.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. of yellow mustard seeds

• 1 tbsp. of fennel seeds

• 1 tbsp. of coriander seeds

• 2 tsp of cumin seeds

• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 10g olive oil

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 19 ounce can of garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained

• 1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes, not drained

• 400g chicken stock

• 2 red peppers, roasted, peeled, and seeded

• freshly ground pepper, to taste

 

Instructions:

1. Toast the first 5 ingredients in the TM bowl for 4 minutes at 100°C on speed 2; remove and set aside

2. Place the garlic and onion in the TM bowl and chop for 3 seconds at speed 7; scrape down the sides of the bowl, re-add the spices, add the olive oil and sauté for 3 minutes at 100°C on speed 2

3. Add the salt, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, and the stock; cook at V for 10 minutes on speed 3

4. Add the roasted pepper and puree for 30 seconds at speed 8, until desired consistency

5. Serve hot with a dollop of homemade yogurt

If you are familiar with the flavours of the spices, you will know if this recipe will appeal to you, or not.

I love how quick it is to whip something this yummy up with my favourite kitchen appliance!

And out tradition of celebrating growing older and wiser together continues as I have the privilege every year of hosting Cathy’s Birthday. I cannot remember how many years ago this started, or how it evolved that she and I always do one another’s Birthdays, but it has been many years. My first one was hosted by Marie in 1992. I remember that distinctly because I hadn’t celebrated my own birthday since I was 8  - with a party, anyway. So, through the years we have celebrated some 30ths, some 40ths, some 50ths, and some 60ths. We are a diverse, but close knit little group and we have evolved through the years. The hostess provides the main part of the main course. Everyone else brings a part of the meal. When we were younger, and our children were younger, we would just have a potluck and everything would work out. It didn’t really matter, anyway, as the children had to be fed, and so usually this was a later in the evening affair and not thought of as a meal. However, it very soon became the meal as it was clear there was always such a display of culinary delights that everyone didn’t eat all day to ensure the possibility of tasting it all. Now, we plan it. Appetizer, soup or salad or both, the veggies and whatever else with the main, and the dessert. I think it is just a coincidence that everyone in the group has always been on the cutting edge of what is happening foodwise and most are adventurous cooks. So, it is always a great experience to learn and share from one another and to get together to chat up a storm and laugh the night away.

I made the Meatball Lollipops with the Coconut Peanut Dipping Sauce for the early arrivals, and Dalene brought the sure-to-please-all Spinach Dip in the round loaf. Her recipe is the best I have had. I will have to get her to share it with us!

Angie brought the “Stone Soup Salad”. What is that? Well, she brought a big and beautiful variety of immaculately cleaned leaves from her garden. Then she asked if I had ingredients for the dressing. I asked her what she brought to go onto the salad. She giggled her addictive sly little giggle and answered, “nothing” in between her titters. Hmmm. Ok. I will make the dressing, and I have a purple onion. So, out came the purple onion and then Janet B arrived with a red pepper and a bag of caramelized pecans. Angie was elated. Apparently she and Janet had spoken on the phone about the salad, and everything Janet suggested to add to it, Angie didn’t have. So, Janet brought some ingredients for Angie to add to the salad. So, the red pepper was sliced up with the onion. Oh, I also have some cherry tomatoes. In they went.

Then the dressing:

all whizzed through my Thermomix, and voila: Stone Soup Salad! Everyone raved, so it must have been delish. Fairytales do come true.

After all arrived with a flurry of hugs and kisses and chatter, we sat in the dining room to toast the Birthday Girl and to eat the most amazing soup I have had in ages: a Pear and Watercress Soup that Janet H brought. I have asked her for the recipe and will make it and post it later. It is divine!

Then came the main: Salmon Mouse with Mango Sauce, Coconut Rice, and Steamed Vegetables with the Stone Soup Salad.

As this is a Food Blog, I am focusing on the food, but it is the friendships that are the main attraction of these special evenings.

There is Angie, the brilliant creator of the "Stone Soup Salad"! XOXOXOXOX!!

The dessert was not a Birthday Cake. Instead, I attempted Panna Cotta. Not successful. So, I did it again and decided to leave out the mould and just poured it over the berries instead. Another “to do” still on my list of Yet to Accomplish.

 

How blessed I am to have such amazing friendships. How blessed I am to share in the lives of each of these valiant women. How blessed I am to have a friend like Cathy. She gives me her time, her expertise, and whatever it is I need or ask -  unwaveringly - without a second to think about whether she can or not. She just does. So, Happy, Happy Birthday my dear friend. Thank you for enriching my life.

Raspberries are my favourite fruit. They are truly the jewels of the harvest. The only thing on Earth better than a sweet tart sun-hot raspberry exploding flavour into my mouth is a cool raspberry, exquisitely refreshing, on a hot summer day. So, this simple little idea comes from two places: my grandma and her fresh spring strawberry gelatine pie, and the perfect little chocolate cups (below) filled with fresh berries at Godiva Chocolates in the Grand Sablon in Brussels when we started our private chocolate tour there a couple of years ago.

One day I found the little tart shells, and quivered with delight. Then they sat in the cupboard waiting for me to have some time to play. This spring I rolled up a batch of my traditional Christmas shortbread and pushed a little into each little tin while watching a good program on TV. A finicky and timely process unless you are otherwise engaged. I baked them, and stored them for filling later on.

And yesterday was “later on” as I was hosting Cathy’s Birthday this year. I just mixed up my maternal Grandmother Maude’s little recipe for glaze, but far less: about 2 tablespoons of raspberry Jell-o powder, one tablespoon of sugar, and a teaspoon of corn starch with a half a cup of water. I then brought it to a boil over medium heat until it thickened and came clear. I dipped each berry in it, and carefully placed it back on the tart with a toothpick. Easy peasy, and pretty.

Well, after a big day at work, Lauren and Ragan’s Father Figure (as they affectionately call him), came stumbling through the door deliriously sleepy. Our good friend was to come over for a bite, so I had the light meal prepared. Not our usual Sunday fare, but not our usual Sunday.

  

However, FF slept until 8. Good friend called, and was sleepy, too, so this little snacky Sunday meal perfectly hit the spot. Yesterday, at the farmer’s market, I picked up some of Irving Farm’s Bacon and was surprised to see it was not smoked. It is dry cured, British style with no added water. This package is one pound and is $8.00. Worth every delectable penny. Glad I bought two!

I asked why not, and the answer was simply, “Because I don’t have a smoker.” No matter. It tastes like candy. Oh, my goodness is it ever yummers, and I don’t even eat meat! Can you see the crispy bits mixed with the softer bits? I did just a little crispy for added texture.

I had made up the roasted corn and black bean filling a week prior for a soup base (see the soup at the end of the recipe), so it was the perfect opportunity to use what I had stored away in the freezer.

Add Monterey Jack Cheese, green onions instead of cilantro (Father Figure hates it), and voila!

Fry on a very lightly oiled pan with a weight on top. I use a brick.

Garnish with sour cream and salsa. Nutritious, delicious, local and To-Die-For. Well, I may not be so modest, but then again, it is the bacon that adds the je ne sais quoi! Chewy, and richly flavourful and fun.