3Bs Funky Palate – Interesting Tasty Recipes From Around The World

January 25, 2016January 28, 2016

Old School Focaccia Bread

This recipe is kindly shared by Claudio who tells us it came from the old country. Thanks so much for letting us in on the secret.

Ingredients:

6 c flour (white) or if using a kitchen scale it is equal to 1 Kilo

3 c water

2 1/2 teaspoon yeast (not instant)

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon of honey

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Preheat the bowl by filing it with warm water for approx. 10 minutes (outside of bowl should be warm to the touch). Claudio used a metal bowl. Add 1 cup of warm water, the yeast and sugar to the bowl. Then cover with a tea towel and let stand for 20 minutes to half an hour to activate the yeast. It will become foamy.

Mix the final 2 cups of warm water to the mixture along with the olive oil and honey. Mix flour, half the salt and half the oregano in a separate bowl. Then mix half of the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Add the remaining dry mixture to the wet bowl.

The dough should be be very sticky. Oil a rectangular baking pan that has a lip. Add parchment paper and oil that as well. Pour the dough into a baking sheet.

Claudio says we need to corral the dough down and push it to the edge of the pan using oiled hands.

Wrap pan with plastic wrap and put it into a preheated 200 Fahrenheit oven- leave the oven door slightly open. Claudio told us that was a cheating way to make the dough rise faster instead of waiting and waiting since it usually takes about 2 hours to rise.

We left it for about an hour and it rose almost to 3 times its size. Remove the plastic wrap carefully.

Claudio’s technique involves his technical bread tapping which is essentially tapping the dough with your fingers to imprint them in the dough. Oil your fingers for this process. Yes all those imprints are essentially fingerprints – who knew! Looks like it is serious business.

Mix 1/4 cup olive oil and a bit of water. Use a brush for the oil mixture to brush the oil on the dough – starting at the edges and working your way in.

Mix remaining oregano and salt. You can also add other herbs that you would like to have on it or garlic powder. Spread the mixture everywhere on the dough.

Preheat oven to 425 Fahrenheit. Cook for 15 minutes then drop the temperature to 400 and cook for another 20 minutes. When the bread pulls away at the edges and is golden brown it is done.

Put the bread on a wire rack. I did not have this so we used a bread board and then added a tea towel underneath so it wouldn’t get moist at the bottom. Enjoy this yummy bread with a dip or just by itself.

November 23, 2015November 24, 2015

Nicholas Bacon Surprise

Picture of finished product – oops should have taken the picture before eating some.

Ingredients required:

2 375 g bacon packages

2 loaves of white bread

1 284 ml can Campbells cream of mushroom soup

Cut crusts off bread.

Presentation is everything as per Nicholas.

Then flatten with a rolling pin – we got really inventive and used a wine bottle instead.

Spread cream of mushroom soup on each slice of bread.

Cut bacon slices in half and wrap around bread creating rolls.

Then put them on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes, turn and bake for another 10 minutes.

The 2 bacon appetizers together we made that day. Is was a bacon kind of cookoff.

November 1, 2015November 1, 2015

Creamed Kolrabi

Another recipe by Irmgard nicknamed Creamy Kraby.

Ingredients:

1 cup 2% milk

2 kohlrabi diced

1 heaping tablespoon of flour

1 beef bouillon cube

pinch of pepper

Add the first 2 ingredients together.

Turn on high , when it starts boiling turn down to low. (A tip from Mike – Put a wooden spoon on the lip of pot, it won’t boil over.)

Add 1/5th of a cup of the hot water to the flour.

Then add the beef bouillon and a pinch of pepper, then stir.

Bring back to boil and then cook on medium for 20 minutes.

You then have yumminess.

April 19, 2015April 19, 2015

Guacamole Bruschetta

Ingredients:

1 French baguette

2 Cloves garlic, cut in half

4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 Avocados, chopped

⅔ Cup sweet onion, finely chopped

½ Cup chopped cilantro

4 Tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed

1 Teaspoon sea salt

½ Teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 400˚ Fahrenheit.

Cut French baguette diagonally into ½ inch slices. Place the slices onto a baking sheet.

Place in oven for three minutes. Take out of oven, flip slices over, and toast in oven again for three more minutes.

Take toasts out of the oven and rub garlic onto each toast piece (with the cut side down so that the garlic oil will seep onto the bread). Then brush the tops of the toasts with olive oil.

In a large bowl, combine chopped avocado, cilantro, onion, lime juice, salt, pepper. Toss gently to combine flavours.

Spoon mixture onto toasts and serve.

March 23, 2015March 29, 2015

Apple Crumble Cake

Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit

Ingredients for cake batter:

1 extra large egg

1 cup flour (Oma used liquid measuring cup for this)

3 1/2 to 4 gala apples

1/4 of a pound of butter (unsalted)

1/4 teaspoon Dr Oetker roma roma (rum flavoring) (this can found at a deli or a grocery store that sells speciality baking goods)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

To Make Batter:

Mix butter, rum flavoring, sugar and egg with a fork.

Then add baking powder and mix.

Add flour into the mixture and continue mixing.

Butter a round pan (approx. 8-9 inches), then put mixed batter into the pan.

Ingredients for Crumble Topping:

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar powder

1/4 cup of flour

1/4 butter

To Make Crumble:

Knead all ingredients except butter – add butter a little bit at a time until you have a crumbly texture- you may not

need all the butter to accomplish this or if you have added too much butter add a bit more flour. Oma says if there is too

much butter in the mixture it will be too crunchy.

To complete the apple filling:

Core apples, then cut in thin slices. Apple slices should be added to batter standing them up side by side. As per Oma it

does not make any difference what the pattern is to the cake just make sure the slices are close side by side.

Add the crumble topping.

Bake for 50 minutes.

Oma’s fun tips for this recipe:

When we asked about measurements several times, Oma stated, “I have to see!”, so we measured everything she “saw”.

She also said, “The batter should not be punchy”, which after some discussion we translated to mean “not over mixed”.

March 9, 2015March 23, 2015

Oma’s Homemade Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

Half a leek

Half a parsnip

5 to 6 Chicken drumsticks (antibiotic free)

6 Cups of water

Half of a small cauliflower (save some of the greens from the cauliflower as well) – yes it is Oma’s secret

1 Quarter of a small yellow onion

2 Small carrots

3 Cloves of garlic (if using regular garlic). If you would like to use Russian garlic will need to use less as the flavour is stronger.

2 Chicken bouillon cubes

2 Handfuls of small thin egg noodles (see picture below)

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Mince garlic.

Use the bottom 6 inches of leek for recipe. (I didn’t know this and was always using the tops for the soup).

Peel leek so you can wash the dirt out of the layers. (Yup another thing I learned). Slice.

Peel parsnip and mince.

Cut carrots in thin circles.

Mince onion.

Cube cauliflower heads – do not add the stalk but coarsely rip a few small pieces of the greens.

Remove skin from the chicken thighs, then wash chicken in cold water.

Add all of the ingredients except cauliflower together in a pot.

Bring large pot to boil.

Then cover and cook for 20 minutes on medium heat.

Remove drumsticks from pot. Cut the meat off 3 of the drumsticks and chop it into bite-sized pieces. Return chopped meat to soup. Save the rest of the drumsticks for snacks.

Add cubes of cauliflower and the secret cauliflower greens to pot. As per Oma this adds a bit of colour – who would have thought. Don’t forget to add the salt and pepper to taste.

Add the noodles and bouillon cubes to soup mixture.

Cook for another 15 minutes on low and viola you have yummy homemade chicken soup.

February 24, 2015March 2, 2015

Drawn Butter Gravy with Scrunchions

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of Butter

1 Onion

1\2 pound of Pickled Pork Fat Back

1 Tablespoon and 1 Teaspoon of Corn Starch

Cut Pork into small thin pieces and fry until nice and crispy.

Cut onion into small pieces.

Boil 2 cups of water – add onion to soften- cook approx. 10 minutes.

Melt butter, add cooked onion and 2 teaspoons of corn starch to thicken (or to taste)

This is used to top the cooked potatoes. Cook 5 lb bag of peeled potatoes. Boil till soft. Top with drawn butter gravy and scrunchions (fried pickled pork).

For an authentic east coast meal add Purity Hard Bread Biscuits and salt cod for a delicious yummy meal.

February 18, 2015March 2, 2015

Salt Cod East Coast Style

Ingredients:

8 or 9 pieces of 6 oz pieces of Salt Cod . Buy vacuum packed skin dried frozen fish.

Cover the fish with cold water for at least 8 hours. Drain and replace water making sure to cover the fish. Bring pot to boil for approx. 10 to 15 minutes.

It will be ready to serve with all the east coast trimmings.

This special recipe came from the Newfoundland member of our team who kindly showed us the proper way to make this and it was oh so delicious.

November 6, 2014March 23, 2015

Cheeky Chicken Schnitzel

Ingredients Required:

8 1/2 Boneless Chicken Breasts

1 Cup Flour

3 Cups Panko Breading (we used Japanese Style) or Regular Breadcrumbs

3 Large Eggs

1/2 Cup Milk

1/2 Cup Butter

Grapeseed Oil to cook Schnitzel

Salt and Pepper to taste

Parchment Paper (this will be used to pound Schnitzel Flat)

Approx Servings for 8

Pound chicken breasts so they are nice and thin (make sure you use parchment paper to cover it before pounding).

Beat eggs and then add milk in one bowl.

In another bowl add flour, salt and pepper to taste.

In third bowl add the panko breading.

Then dredge schnitzel in flour first, then dip in egg, then comes the breadcrumbs.

The schnitzel piece below was kind of strange in size as you can see but it worked.

Cook Schnitzel on low medium heat. Add a pat of butter on top (about a tsp to a tsp and 1/2). Cook for 5 minutes and then flip to the other side – add another pat of butter.

Thank you to our friend Leslee for contributing this recipe and sharing it with us.

October 27, 2014November 6, 2014

Spaetzle Noodles

My good friend Leslee shared this recipe with us and we had so much fun learning how to make this German Dish. They were delicious. This is a picture of the spaetzle and schnitzel we made a bit later.

Ingredients:

3 Dozen Large Eggs

13 Cups White Flour

1 3/4 Cups Milk (1%)

Aprox 1/2 cup of Butter to fry Spaetzle

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Approximately 36 Servings (can freeze some portions for later) – just defrost

Mix Eggs and Liquid First

Then add Flour slowly and mix. The dough should fall off the spoon and stretch before it falls. You may need to add a bit more flour or milk for this consistency.

Using a spaetzel maker makes it easier to make the noodles. Here is a video on the use of that making spaetzle. Alternatively you can roll the dough out and slice in thin strips to make noodles.

Boil a large pot of water to cook the noodles in . You will also need a cold bowl of water to put the noodles in to cool down immediately after taking out of the boiling pot.

Cook one cup of noodles at a time for one to one and a half minutes. Then take out noodles with slotted spoon and put into cold water. Then do another cup until all the batter is gone. (We cooked approximately 30 batches.)The noodles will float to the top when cooked. You can tell noodles are cooked when they don’t feel or look slimy. (If boiling water is trying to overflow when cooking add a bit of salt to stop it from doing that.)

We did have some noodles that were fails – here is the picture of those.

Refresh the cold water when needed and add more hot water if the water evaporates but do not add anymore batter until water starts boiling again.

The final step of this is to fry the noodles with butter so they are crispy and brown. Add pats of butter for a yummy taste. Accompany with Schnitzel for an authentic German meal. Adding Gravy to the noodles will be the icing on the cake.