Monthly Archives: October 2022

Vegetable Pancakes

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Stella was insistent that I get my recipe for vegetable pancakes on the blog right away so she could make them at home with Hayley!  Such a quick, easy and delicious way to have a meal on the table in minutes, these are great for lunch, dinner or snacking.  I usually make a pile and they warm up quickly in the toaster oven.  They are a bit of a mash up of Korean pajeon, Japanese Okonomiyaki and Chinese scallion pancakes (even a bit like my zucchini fritters!)

I will get a better photo, but Stella didn’t want me to wait, she loved them so much!

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup potato starch or cornstarch

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt

1 egg

3/4 cup very cold water

4 cups very thinly sliced or julienned vegetables

oil for frying

Whisk dry ingredients together, then stir in egg and water. Add in all your vegetables and stir just to combine.

Preheat oven to 300 to keep the pancakes warm as you cook them.

Heat oil in frying pan, and drop in 1/4 cup amounts, flattening them out slightly. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy. You will have to do this in batches, so keep them warm in a 300 oven until you have them all fried. Don’t crowd the pan or they will steam rather than fry.

I first tried this recipe as Korean pancakes, adding some chopped kimchi as well as a bit of the juice, but ended up using it for many different vegetables.

Serve with dipping sauce:

1/4 cup soya sauce

1 tbsp vinegar

1/2 tsp sesame oil (I like toasted)

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp hot sauce (such as sriracha)

Stir together and set aside for service. Taste and adjust for your personal preference.

Use whatever vegetables you have in your fridge! It really is a fridge clean out in the best possible way.
Okay, so i have more than 4 cups vegetables … ha ha … you only need enough batter to hold it all together!
Make sure you don’t crowd the pan – it takes very little oil.
Flip when nice and crispy, and a golden brown.
These ones had fresh shrimp and lots of chives.

Quick Focaccia

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There is something about making breads that just feels like a win.  Focaccia always does that!  The very best focaccia recipes allow for the dough to rest anywhere from hours to days.  If you are like me, some days you are driving home from work thinking focaccia would really boost dinner TODAY.  Not 3 days from now.  This recipe is for those days.   If you’ve got a little over an hour, you’ve got enough time to pull this off – and trust me, it’s easy.  No intensive kneading or stand mixer necessary!

  • 2 Tbso olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp fresh herbs – I used basil, parsley, rosemary, oregano and thyme. minced

Mix well and if it looks a little herb heavy, add a bit more olive oil. Set aside.

  • 3/4 cup warm water (the perfect temperature for blooming yeast is between 105-115)
  • 2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast (1 pack)
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil

Top with flaky sea salt and more fresh rosemary.

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Proof yeast and sugar in 3/4 cup warm water – 105-115 degrees F until foamy and active.
  • In a bowl, combine flour, salt.
  • Add in yeast mixture & olive oil, and mix to get it all together.  You may need to add a couple tablespoons more warm water.  You want this to be slightly sticky.
  • Cover and allow dough to rise for around 30 minutes.  The time isn’t as important as that you need to let the dough to pretty much double in size.
  • Add 1 -2 tbsp  olive oil into small baking vessel – either  9 x 7 inch sheet pan, or this also works well in an 8 x 8 square baking pan. You want a fair bit of oil here, rub it all around the sides of the pan as well.
  • Add dough and stretch to fit pan, if dough springs back, let it sit, covered, for 5 minutes and try again.  The rest helps the gluten to relax.
  • Once dough has been stretched enough to fit the baking sheet, allow to rest (covered) for 30 minutes.  Honestly, do whatever time you have – I find this to be fairly forgiving.
  • Dampen your fingers and dimple the dough like you are playing a piano.
  • Drizzle herbed olive oil over dimpled dough and allow it to fill in the dimples, I like to be generous with the herb oil mixture.
  • Sprinkle on some flaky sea salt and more fresh rosemary that isn’t all minced up.
  • Bake for 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Once out of the oven, allow to rest on a cooling rack to keep the bottom crusty as well.

So many ways you can serve this;

  • Use it as an appetizer with a charcuterie board
  • Fresh out of the oven with simple oil and vinegar
  • Try it with your best olive oil and my dukka recipe, (If you’ve never tried dukka you are in for a treat!)
  • Completes a soup or salad meal
It’s October and this is what my herb garden still looks like!
Ready to go, and this herby oil smells so fresh – today I added in some roasted garlic.
Ready for the oven – love the way those little dimples fill up, I think those pockets of oil help crisp up the top.
You just know how good your house smells – it’s ready to dunk in your soup.

30 minute Broth for Asian Soup

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Need a quick, easy but delicious dinner idea? Here you go – this broth is amazingly flavorful for so few ingredients and can be packed with whatever you have in your fridge.

Sloan took this photo of her own bowl – I love a recipe that allows everybody to fashion their own meal the way they want to eat – a sure fired winner for picky eaters!
  • 6 cups chicken broth (use veg broth if you. are looking for a vegetarian night!)
  • 4 flattened but not minced garlic cloves  – left whole
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, sliced
  • 4 green onion ends, white part only
  • 3 tbsp light soy sauce (or low sodium soy sauce)
  • 1 tbsp sugar 
  • 3 tbsp Shaoxing (chinese cooking wine)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil

This is one of the quickest broth recipes I’ve ever made, and it is absolutely delicious. Ready in only 30 minutes, that gives you enough time to prep all the delightful ingredients you want to complete your lunch or dinner.

Heat a little neutral oil in a deep pot and lightly toast the garlic cloves, ginger slices and white parts of green (spring) onions. As soon as they are lightly roasted, add the broth, soy sauce, sugar, Shaoxing, and sesame oil. Bring to a gentle boil, and then turn down and simmer for 30 minutes. You can do this as early as you like and just keep it warm until you are ready to eat. When ready to serve scoop out the aromatics and you have a lovely clear broth to enjoy with as many fill ins as your bowl can hold.

Serve with: Any or all of the following!

  • Cooked ramen, udon or egg noodles
  • Vegetables (cooked in the broth if you like!)
  • Fresh bean sprouts
  • Cooked wontons
  • shredded chicken
  • cooked seafood

Garnish your bowl with the slivered green onion tops, toasted sesame seeds and cilantro. Serve alongside hot sauce and hoisin sauce if anybody wants to add a bit more punch.

I usually have another pot of boiling water on the go that I first cook the noodles in, then lightly blanch vegetables (bok choy, spinach, bell peppers, zucchini, snap peas). Frozen wontons (purchased or homemade) can also be cooked in this water. I find that if you cook everything in your seasoned broth it dilutes the seasoning and results in a cloudy broth. Both still good, but you may need to adjust seasonings.

Use whatever you like to create your own bowl – we love a combination of lightly cooked and fresh vegetables, as well as plenty of herbs – top it all with peanuts or cashews, sesame seeds and more herbs.
Don’t forget a drizzle of chile oil if you like the heat!