v:gourmet

I know none of us want to admit this but we could all use a little more kale and collard greens in our life. They are probably one of the best things you can eat – like if you were stranded on a desert island or in the gulag in siberia and you could choose one food, kale would probably be a good choice. So instead of the “ho-hum, what do I do with this stuff?” – try this really tasty kale and olive pesto. I adapted it from fresh365 (who in turn adapted it from Gourmet) and immediately made a sandwich out of it on fresh olive baguette with roasted red pepper and arugula. Holy cow! Who said kale couldn’t be tasty and fun.

Did you know that guacamole was made by the Aztecs as early as the 16th century. The name – āhuacamolli – comes from an Aztec dialect, āhuacatl (=”avocado”) + molli (=”sauce”). There are umpteen versions of guacamole and I’ve found that people are very attached to their own particular approach. Me? Not so much. I love them all. I tend to agree with those that espouse the less is more approach but I totally appreciate the pimped up versions as well. The recipe below is fairly minimal so feel free to add some of the other classic additions such as chopped tomatoes and minced jalapeño peppers. But make sure to mash it. The one thing I am a little more strict about is that it has to be chunky. None of this puréed stuff. Serve with crispy crunchy taco chips or on a yummy open face gauc and tomato sandwich. There are no end of places to take this guac!

2 ripe avocados

3 limes

1/2 sweet onion, chopped finely

3 cloves garlic, minced

bunch of cilantro, chopped

sea salt

Peel the avocado and remove the pit. Throw in a bowl along with the juice of 3 lemons, chopped onion, minced garlic and chopped cilantro. Mash with a potato masher. Season with sea salt to taste. Presto. Done-o.

Now on the subject of crackers I have just one thing to say – make your own! There are recipes out there for crackers from scratch which I’m all for but admittedly have never tried. Instead we use the mounds of stale bread that accumulate in our house and simply slice them into thin strips and toast. Once golden brown from the oven we drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle them with sea salt and we’re done.

We’ve used baguette (our standard stand-by), olive boule, rosemary foccacia, you name it. It’s all good. And simple, straightforward, local, and delicious. Store bought crackers are great in a pinch but they are expensive, often have additional ingredients to preserve and protect and, have you ever noticed, they are usually shipped from California. Does that make any sense? Shipping boxes of what is essentially flour and water across the continent in tractor-trailors when there is plenty of about-to-be-moldy-local-bread in your own kitchen? Stale bread, oven, sea salt, olive oil. Done!

To go with the Spicy Honey Roasted Pecans, I have for you, my readers, Smokey Honey Roasted Almonds. Doesn’t sound too different? Well, they are. A world of gastronomy apart. Not really, but they are a nice compliment and are quite unique in their taste. Here’s the recipe. Roast and enjoy.

2 cups raw almonds

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp chipotle chili powder or smoked paprika

1 tbsp sel gris or other coarse salt

Preheat oven to 375

Mix all the ingredients except for the sel gris in a mixing bowl until the almonds are well coated. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake in a pre-heated oven for 5 – 8 minutes. The sugars will bubble and turn a darker colour.

Remove the almonds from the oven and stir with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle with sel gris and and let cool on the baking sheet. As they cool, the sugars will begin to harden. Serve on their own or add to a salad, pilaf, or tagine if they make it that far. The ones I made lasted about 7 minutes.

Want some nutty treats for the holidays? I have two – these spicy honey roasted pecans which are quite hot, and some smokey almonds which I’ll post next. Both are very addictive and will, I’m sure, disappear before your eyes. In fact, I had wanted a photo of these pecans in a cute little serving dish next to the olives and hummous but alas, Andrew ate them all before I could get them from stove to counter to table. Good thing the recipe calls for more (much more) spice mix than you need – I still have a bag of it so it will only take me a sec to whip up another batch!

Spice Mix :

3/4 cup (185 mL) natural cane sugar

1/2 cup (125 mL) chili powder (use less for a milder result)

1/4 cup (60 mL) sea salt

1/4 cup (60 mL) ground cumin

2 Tbsp (30 mL) paprika

2 Tbsp (30 mL) ground coriander

2 Tbsp (30 mL) fresh ground black pepper

2 tsp (10 mL) mustard powder

2 tsp (10 mL) ground cinnamon

Spiced Nuts:

4 to 6 cups (880 g to 1.2 kg) pecan halves

1/4 cup (60 mL) cold-pressed walnut oil

1/4 cup (60 mL) honey

3 Tbsp (45 mL) spice mix
Whisk together all spice mix ingredients in a medium-size bowl until thoroughly blended. Store in an airtight jar. This recipe makes 2 cups (500 mL) of spice mix, enough for about 10 batches of Spicy Honey Roasted Nuts.

To make spiced nuts, preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). In a large mixing bowl, stir together oil and honey and then add Spice Mix. Blend well, add pecans, and toss until nuts are well coated.

Spread pecans evenly on a greased baking tray and bake 10 minutes until nuts are golden. Allow to cool and serve at room temperature. Nuts will stay fresh for two or three days when refrigerated. Serves 12.

Slow-roasted, local, organic, fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes are summer in its physical, vegetable form, concentrated and packed into tasty sweetness. Honestly. I bought pounds, and I mean pounds, of organic cherry tomatoes from Vicki last year and slow-roasted them all. I was sick to death of slow-roasted tomatoes by the time I was done. Not sick of the taste. Sick of the process. But I used them through-out the year in pasta sauces, as a dip, on sandwiches, in salads. There is nothing quite like them for their taste and versatility. Of course by March I mourned their absence when I went to the freezer and found it empty. So this year I’m roasting more. Truckloads. I’ve started early, now that they are out, and will continue on until there are no more to buy. My freezer will be full and hopefully I’ll make it to Summer 2011 with some still staring up at me conjuring up memories of sun, heat, and long evenings drinking rose on the back terrace at the farm.

Tonnes of cherry tomatoes, any variety, cleaned and sliced in half

Lots of Basil

Lots of olive oil

Salt and pepper

Clean and halve cherry tomatoes. Put in a large mixing bowl. Make basil olive oil by mixing basil (any amount but I use lots) with olive oil in a food processor. Pour over tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spread on baking sheets and slow-roast in an oven heated to 250 degrees for about 4 hours until done to your liking. Let cool and start using them for everything. I store them in small ziplock bags and thaw as needed.