putting on the pounds

eat all of this and you surely will put on pounds! but a little piece here and there never hurt anyone ;p

there are many versions for this pound style cake. this one works. it's also scaled down (by me) to a more reasonable size. the original was massive! a good "snacking" cake, this is sure to please and uses the "secret" ingredient of lemon-lime flavoured 7 UP (if you don't have 7 UP, you can use any other similar carbonated drink).

i've made it so that this version is parve, or without any dairy or animal products. the original uses butter and lots of sugar — this one is less sweet. if you like you can switch over to just butter but i can't vouch for results.

the (original) recipe calls for lemon extract/essence which may not be accessible to everyone. if you can't get this replace it with a tablespoon or two of lemon juice and 1 tbsp of finely grated lemon zest.

to get a nice lemony flavour without adding excess liquid, i add something called 'sour salt' which is essentially citric acid crystals. see the links in the ingredients list to read about it.

in any case, this is a nice cake and worth the time to make it. it has a great interior texture and a sweet mouth-puckering icing! it will disappear quickly :)


7UP pound cake with lemon drizzle

makes 1 regular sized loaf (8 - 12 servings)

ingredients:

for cake:

1/2 c margarine (1 stick or 125 ml)
1/4 c crisco/vegetable fat [shortening] (60 ml)
2 eggs
3 tsp lemon extract (don't use less)

1/4 tsp "sour salt"* (use it if you can get it)**
1 c sugar
1 1/2 c AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt

1/2 c 7 UP drink (not diet!!)

*don't exceed this amount as it is very pungent and effective :)
**replace with 1 - 2 tbsp lemon juice & 1 tbsp grated lemon zest

lemon drizzle:

1 tbsp margarine
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 c icing sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice (as needed)

method:

grease and flour a regular sized loaf pan and preheat oven to 350 F (325 F if using glass pan).

cream margarine and shortening until well blended.

add eggs one at a time until completely incorporated.

mixture will seem curdled at first. whip to buttercream texture for about 3 minutes.

add the lemon extract or whatever you're substituting. mix again.

in another bowl, mix dry ingredients together.

add half to buttercream.

blend and add 1/4 c of 7up.

blend again and repeat with rest of dry and wet ingredients.

add batter to prepared pan.

bake for 1 hr 10 min approximately. test with a toothpick. do not overbake. let sit 10 minutes and then remove from pan.

let the cake cool completely before making the icing. it will take about 1 1/2 hrs.

make lemon drizzle:

mix together completely softened margarine with 1 tbsp of lemon juice and the icing sugar.

make a thick paste. adjust amount of icing sugar if necessary (different countries have different qualities of same product).

add more lemon juice to make a thickish but pourable drizzle.

pour over completely cooled cake.

enjoy!

sunday morning breakfast

notice the unbreakable concentrated look.....

while i'm dreaming of waffles, someone else is dying for poultry!

kitchen essentials — basic vegetable broth

one of the essential items in any good kitchen is stock [broth], be it from an animal source — like chicken, beef or fish — or from vegetables. a vegeterian stock is easier and faster to make than one like chicken and can almost always be used in any recipe you are making, especially if you follow kashrut.

the following recipe will take about one hour to cook and leave you with a very good tasting vegetarian stock which can be used right away or divided up and frozen in either half cup or one cup portions (some people like to freeze their stock in ice cube trays). freezing your broth is a good idea as you always have some on hand.

an advantage to making your own vegetable broth is that you can decide what flavours you like and control the level of salt and seasonings. in addition, this particular one which i found years ago in some book someone lent me (name of it now long forgotten!), and uses up common vegetables we often have, many of which are laying around in the vegetable bins of our refrigerators.

you can use whichever vegetables you want but be wary of those which are said to leave bitter aftertastes or distinct strong flavours. this also goes for various herbs like parsley (leaves vs stems controversy). people have differing opinions about this topic. go with what you think tastes good and those which you like. different countries have different parameters for which flavours are "good" — in the end, it's a matter of personal tastes. an interesting thing about this recipe is the use of caraway seeds. believe it or not, it makes for a great enhancement and does not leave any distinct caraway (i.e. strong) taste.

an important thing about making this stock provide maximum flavour is the way you prepare your vegetables. this was not part of the original recipe but something i incorporate into most stocks i make which are vegetable based. since most of the flavours are sealed within the vegetables themselves, just throwing them in the soup pot whole or even large chunks does little to extract their essences. cutting root vegetables (the main ingredients in this recipe) lengthwise to expose the most of their inner surface allows for maximum amount of extraction; cross cutting onions and garlic almost to the root ends does the same thing and allows them to be fished out later in their whole state. as a final note, this recipe adds the cleaned skins of the onions to give the stock its golden colour. remove the outer loose skins and wash them well and them wash the skins which cling to the onions before cutting them as mentioned above (keep them attached!).


all purpose easy vegetable stock

makes ~ 8 cups (2 L)

ingredients:

vegetables:

2 large carrots
3 stalks celery
1 good and ripe tomato (leave whole)
2 large parsnips (essential!)
2 medium/largish onions
1/2 head garlic cloves (keep attached)

seasonings/herbs:

2 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp sugar
20 black peppercorns
1/2 - 1 tsp caraway seeds
2 bay leaves

parsley (italian flatleaf type)
small amount of dill, if wanted

method:

wash all your vegetables well and prepare them.

from the carrots, celery and parsnips, remove the root tops. you can peel the carrots and parsnips if they need it or you prefer them that way (if you want to keep them for another purpose later, them peel them).

cut the celery into large chunks and set aside.

cut the parsnips and carrots lengthwise. make sure to do this! then cut them into large chunks and set aside.

take the loose skins (if any) off the onions and wash them and set aside. then take the onion with remaining skin still attached and cut it with a cross cut ALMOST to the ROOT end to keep it whole. set aside.

keeping it whole (attached), clean off the garlic. with a small paring knife make slits in all the garlic buds through the skins, and set aside.

if you are using other vegetables, decide what's best on how to prepare them.

measure out your seasonings and herbs and set aside.

in a large pot, place the vegetables and the seasonings EXCEPT the fresh herbs.

add 8 cups of water only and bring to a boil.

cook the stock on medium low covered for the first 30 minutes.

add the fresh herbs and cook for another 30 minutes.

remove the stock from the stovetop and let it cool down until it's warm.

strain the stock through a FINE sieve and either reserve or discard the carrots, celery or parsnips. the onion and garlic will be for the garbage.

at this point, taste the stock and adjust the seasonings (i.e. more salt/sugar).

use as necessary or freeze the rest.

enjoy!

bread of substance

a simple bread of portuguese origin, this recipe comes from a friend's mother who grew up in the verdant coastal region of galicia in spain and speaks gallego, one of the four languages of spain which is quite similar to portuguese. like the shared language roots, so are many of the foods. this is one of my friend's family's weekly breads usually enjoyed along side a soup or stew which is typically fish-based.

while eaten by almost everyone these days, traditionally this is the bread of peasants & "common people" — it is not a bread which is light and airy but rather one which is dense and substantial but in no way inferior. its heft comes from the ingredient which gives it its unique character: cornmeal (or traditionally corn flour).

according to my friend's mother, you can change to ratio of flour to cornmeal to suit your taste (how much?? big surprise she never measures! 'who needs a measuring cup?', she asks). this also applies to the amount of salt and sugar in the loaf. as a note, i have found that using too little salt/sugar leaves a very bland loaf of bread. that in mind, you'll need to fiddle a bit with the ratio of water if you do decide to change ratios of flour and cornmeal. some recipes for this bread also call for ingredients like rye flour or corn flour. when my friend ramon's parents first moved to canada, they could only find (italian) corn meal and therefore used that instead. his mother says to process or place in a blender and try to grind it as fine as possible. cornflour is more appropriate, yellow or white, if you can get it. cornmeal gives a heavier end result.



broa
portuguese / galician cornmeal (cornflour) bread

yellow from the cornmeal or flour, this moist loaf is hearty and substantial on the inside and crisp and crunchy on the outside. it goes well with soups and stews or simply just with some salted butter. the loaf keeps well for a day or two. if you like, give it the brazilian twist by adding fennel seeds.

ingredients:

dry mix:

1 1/2 c super fine granulation yellow cornmeal*
1 1/2 - 2 1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 - 3 tsp sugar

2 - 3 or even 4 tbsp olive oil (or melted margarine/butter)**
1 1/4 c boiling water

2 c bread flour (or if you have to, all purpose flour)

optional: 1 tsp fennel seeds (brazilian version)


yeast mixture:

1 tbsp regular active dry yeast (not rapid rise)
1 tsp sugar
1/4 c warm water


*the cornmeal should be superfine. place it in a blender or processor and get it as fine as possible; otherwise, use cornflour:

*you can use cornflour instead but don't add the boiling water to it. mix it with the AP flour and add lukewarm water instead. adjust as need as absorption rates will vary.


**if you add more oil/butter, you'll need to add a little extra flour

method:

place the sugar and yeast in a small bowl.

add the warm water and let the yeast prove for 15 minutes.

while waiting,

in a large bowl, place the cornmeal, salt and sugar and mix. you can add the oil to it also or add it to measured boiling water.

add the boiling water (and oil) to the dry mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed.

set aside and let cool for 10 minutes.

this is done because of the granulation of the cornmeal. if using cornflour do not do this step. just blend it with the flour and proceed below.

the yeast mixture should be fully proved by the time the cornmeal is ready.

mix the yeast mixture into the cornmeal and stir well.

add 1 cup of flour and stir.

add the next cup of flour and stir again and, with your hands, mix it until you get a ball of dough.

place the dough on a surface and knead it for about 8 to 10 minutes. you may need to add a little more flour while kneading. it will be slightly tacky.

place the round of dough in a greased bowl and in a warm place, well covered, for 1 hour.

punch down the dough and make into a round. the dough will be soft.

preheat your oven to 400F. i use a clay baker which is made to cook bread and put it in the oven for the full hour before baking. if you want, you can approximate the same thing with a cast iron (le creuset type) pot with a lid that is safe to go in the oven.

otherwise, cook as you would any other bread and place in the oven on a baking sheet when the dough has proved.

if cooking the regular way, place the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet which has been sprinkled with cornmeal. cover the dough and let rise again for one hour. i use a bowl to cover the dough and give it a shape while it rises; if you do this, make sure that the insides of the bowl are well oiled so the dough does not stick to the bowl when you remove it. it will be fairly flat.

if you are putting the bread in the clay baker or cast iron pot (more difficult as it has high sides), place the parchment on a sturdy cutting board so as to make the transfer simple. cut around the proved loaf to rid of excess parchment before placing in oven.

before putting in the oven, you can finish it off in the following ways:

*rub some flour over the loaf and bake (the loaf will crack on top);
*use water to coat the surface and then slash (use an X or # or + design);
*sprinkle a mixture of kosher salt with a little sugar over the loaf.

bake the loaf (covered if using the clay baker or le creuset) for 45 minutes, approximately.

let the loaf cool completely before cutting.

enjoy!