Fiddlehead cashew stir-fry

Here's a great tasting fiddlehead recipe I came across recently on a fun website: fiddleheads.ca. These folks (located on the west coast of Canada) sell fiddles, bows, books about fiddling, violin lessons, etc., and they've posted a few great fiddlehead recipes. This one is quick & easy!

Fiddlehead cashew stir-fry

2 cups fresh or frozen fiddleheads

1 cup snow peas
1 cup diced carrots (coins)
1 cup fresh beansprouts
1/2 cup chopped brown mushrooms
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 Tbsp butter or oil (butter is richer)
1 tsp fresh ground ginger root
Garlic & tamari soy sauce to taste

Wash and prepare the fiddleheads by removing the fuzzy fronds and cutting off any dry ends. Prepare other vegetables and ginger. Preheat butter or oil in wok or sautee pan, medium heat. Stir-fry the fiddleheads for 10-12 minutes (longer for frozen) until the fiddleheads take on a vibrant green shade and are soft (fully cooked, not crunchy!).

Cook longer if the fiddleheads are at all crunchy. Add carrots, peas, mushrooms, cashews, ginger garlic and soy sauce. Add beansprouts last. Cook another 1-2 minutes until all veggies are cooked but not too soft. Serve with rice or fine rice stick noodles. Enjoy while listening to classical violin music

Veggie Haggis for Rabbie Burns day!

Time to dig out my kilted skirt and haggis recipe in preparation for one of the many Burn's night celebrations around the Bay of Fundy. As you may have figured out by now, I'm pretty much a pescetarian (a vegetarian who eats fish) so the prospect of partaking in the "chieftan o' the puddin' race" at our annual event is challenging. Luckily, the Vegetarian Society of Scotland offers this fine organ-free alternative:

Vegetarian Haggis Recipe

100g/4oz onion, peeled & finely chopped 15ml/1tbsp sunflower oil 50g/2oz carrots, very finely chopped 35g/11/2 oz mushrooms, finely chopped 50g/2oz red lentils 600ml/1pint vegetable stock 25g/1oz mashed, tinned red kidney beans 35g/11/2 oz ground peanuts 25g/1oz ground hazelnuts 30ml/2tbsp shoyu ( soy sauce) 15ml/1tbsp lemon juice 7.5ml/11/2tsp dried thyme 5ml/1tsp dried rosemary generous pinch cayenne pepper 7.5ml/11/2 tsp mixed spice 200g/8oz fine oatmeal Freshly ground black pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C, 375°F or Gas Mark 5 2. Sauté the onion in the oil for 5 minutes, then add the carrot and mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes. 3. Now add the lentils and three quarters of the stock. 4. Blend the mashed red kidney beans in the remaining stock, add these to the pan with the nuts, shoyu, lemon juice and seasonings. Cook everything, well mixed together, for a further 10 to 15 minutes. 5. Then add the oatmeal, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, adding a little extra liquid if necessary. 6. Turn the mixture into a lightly oiled 1lb loaf tin and bake for 30 minutes. 7. Serve with mashed neeps and tatties.

If you plan to celebrate this Scottish poet's birthday on January 25 but don't feel up to making haggis from scratch you can always order it canned (both original & veg) from MacSween's in the U.K. For last year's musings on Burn's Night, see my post Time and Tide.

Oat Cakes & Ice Cakes

Ice cakes in the harbour make me think of oat cakes in the cupboard, so I thought this was the perfect time to share my grandmother's secret Scottish Oat Cake recipe from the 'old country'. If you live down here by the Bay you'll automatically know that oat cakes are not actually 'cakes' but rather a type of cookie.

Scottish Oat Cakes

3 c. unbleached white flour or whole wheat flour
3 c. rolled oats
1 c. sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 c. cold butter
about 3/4 c. cold water

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter to fine crumbs. Add enough water to moisten. Roll to the depth of a woolen blanket. Cut in traditional diamond shapes. Bake at 350 degrees F for 7 to 10 minutes. Longer time = crisper cookie. Enjoy a chunk of cheddar cheese with this heritage recipe. Makes lots so share some with a friend!

Gingerbread Biscotti

Folks around the Bay of Fundy still use both molasses and ginger in ginger cakes, molasses cookies and ginger snaps. Ginger arrived here during the golden Age of Sail and good ole molasses (from the West Indies) arrived along with it.

I'm quite sure ginger & molasses aren't traditional Italian biscotti ingredients so I had to make up this biscotti recipe on my own. Took awhile to perfect because I insisted on adding molasses to what is normally a fairly dry cookie recipe. The result is a gingerbread biscotti true in taste, if not in form, to Fundy's traditional sweet treats.

Gingerbread Biscotti

3 c all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
3 tsp ground (powdered) ginger
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup blackstrap molasses
1/3 cup chopped crystalized ginger

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and spices.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, butter, and molasses.
3. Stir wet into dry until a soft, sticky dough forms. Transfer dough to lightly floured surface. Form into smooth ball (adding a bit more flour if necessary to reduce stickiness).
4. Divide dough in half. Roll each into logs, approximately 12 inches long. Transfer to ungreased baking sheet.
4. Brush logs with egg white; bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
5. Remove, let cool for 15 minutes. Transfer logs to cutting board. Using a sharp unserated knive, cut diagonally into 3/4 inch thick slices. (To make biscotti longer, cut slices at sharper angle).
6. Stand cookies upright on a baking sheet, leaving space between them. Return to oven for 2nd baking for 20 minutes at reduced heat of 325 degrees F.
7. Cool biscotti on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely. Biscotti will keep for a month in an airtight container in the fridge.

Cranberry Orange Biscotti recipe

Just starting to dig out Christmas cookie recipes and thought I'd share this one for cranberry-orange biscotti. Certainly cranberries are well known for their connection to Christmas but in our house oranges also have a place of honour.

Growing up on a Bay of Fundy farm in the 1940s my father remembers receiving only a single orange per year: the one in the toe of his Christmas stocking. Now, of course, oranges are available year round courtesy of cross-border imports from the U.S.A.

Cranberry Orange Biscotti
(makes 2 dozen)

3 1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup whole almonds
1 cup dried sweentened cranberries
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup white sugar
2/3 cup melted butter
4 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
4 tsp finely grated orange rind
1 egg white, slightly beaten

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, almonds and cranberries
2. In a seperate bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract and orange rind.
3. Stir wet into dry until a soft, sticky dough forms. Transfer dough to lightly floured surface. Form into smooth ball. Divide dough in thirds. Roll each into logs, approximately 12 inches long. Transfer to ungreased baking sheet.
4. Brush logs with egg white; bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
5. Remove, let cool for 15 minutes. Transfer logs to cutting board. Using a sharp unserated knive, cut diagonally into 3/4 inch thick slices. (To make biscotti longer cut slices at sharper angle).
6. Stand cookies upright on a baking sheet, leaving space between them. Return to oven for 2nd baking for 20 minutes at reduced heat of 325 degrees F.
7. Cool biscotti on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and cool completely. Biscotti will keep for a month in an airtight container in the fridge.

Recipe for sun-dried starfish

Take two (or more) starfish washed up on a Bay of Fundy beach after a wild & windy tide.

Lay out starfish "sunny side up" on your patio table or deck.
Place on newsprint initially if they are gooey.

Bake in full sun for 8 hours, flipping to the other side about half way through.

Lightly brush to remove seaweed or loose rocks.
To lighten, leave in sun an extra couple days.
Once dry, bring inside for decoration.

P.S. Do not eat - bleck!!

Harvest Vegetable Stew

Bay of Fundy farm markets are burgeoning with lots of veggies any time from June onward. Once the autumn weather turns chilly here though my thoughts turn to root & cruciferous veggies. This Harvest Stew recipe is "Vegetarian Thanksgiving in a Pot" so the perfect recipe to share between Canada & U.S. Thanksgivings:

Harvest Vegetable Stew
6 T butter
4 med leeks
1 lb onions
3 1/5 oz parsley root (optional)
4 minced garlic cloves
1/2 t thyme
2 bay leaves
rosemary to taste
1 lb button mushrooms
1 med turnip
2 1/2 c dry white wine
3 T Worcestershire sauce
1 lb russet potatoes
1/2 lb brussels sprouts

3 T flour
3 T butter
2 c hot veggie broth
2 T wine vinegar
3 T molasses
3 t paprika
dash Tabasco
salt & pepper

Melt butter in large pot. Trim and chop leeks & onions. Scrape & thin slice parsley root. Saute with herbs til leeks start to gold. Wash mushrooms and halve if large. Dice turnip in 1/2 dice. Add mushrooms, turnip, wine and W sauce to pot. Stir and lower heat. Dice and peel potatoes, wash & trim sprouts. Add to pot, cover. In another pan, melt rest of butter, add flour. Cook roux for a few minutes, add hot veg broth, stir quickly with whisk. Add vinegar, molasses, paprika, and Tabasco. Stir again til smooth, add to stew.

Simmer, covered, for about 1 hr. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve hot with dollop of cranberry sauce. P.S. brussel sprouts taste great here (even if you don't usually like em!)

Recipe credit: The Vegetarian Epicure, Book Two.

Raspberry, Goat Cheese & Pecan Salad

Farm markets around Bay of Fundy are burgeoning with fresh produce now that summer is at its peek. My Bay of Fundy travels this week took me to the town of Wolfville, Nova Scotia where I stocked up on all kinds of fresh & organic farm items. It was fresh raspberries that drew me there in the first place and whoa, did I get lots of chubby, ripe, local raspberries. Perfect for making this awesome summer salad:

Raspberry, Goat Cheese & Toasted Pecan Salad
1/2 pecans
3 c assorted greens (try young beet greens or arugula!)
4 oz herbed goat cheese
1 c fresh raspberries

Toast pecans in 375 degree oven for 10 min. Let cool. In large salad bowl toss greens with Raspberry Dressing. Divide greens into four servings, top with pecans, crumbed goat cheese and raspberries.

Raspberry Salad Dressing
1 small red onion, diced
1 Tbsp dijon mustard
1/3 c raspberry vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp orange juice
3/4 c olive oil
Salt & pepper
Whisk all ingredients but oil. Add oil, whisk to cloudy.
Makes about 1 1/2 c dressing
(to morph this into a creamy dressing, add 1/2 to 3/4 c raspberry yogurt)

Chocolate biscotti

Seems I hadn't posted this chocolate biscotti recipe afterall when I posted the cranberry-almond and gingerbread biscotti recipes a few Christmases ago. They make a nice 'set' and, at this time of year, I make mini-versions for the Christmas tea circuit.

Chocolate Chunk Biscotti
1 1/2 c white flour
1/2 c cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chunks
2 eggs
3/4 c sugar
1/3 c melted butter
2 tsp vanilla (plus optional: dissolve 1 Tbsp instant coffee granules in vanilla)

Mix dry ingredients in one bowl. Mix wet in another with whisk. Add liquid to dry. Mix until soft dough forms. Transfer to lightly floured surface. Form into a smooth, non-sticky ball. Divide dough in half; roll each into foot-long log. Transfer to baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, let cool on pan for 30 minutes. Transfer each log to cutting board; cut diagonally 3/4 inch thick. Stand cookies upright with space between them on cookie tray. Bake again for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on rack.

Cranberry-pecan loaf

Just like most families, we've got some traditional recipes that we haul out for the holidays. I've previous posted my chocolate, cranberry-orange and gingerbread Christmas biscotti recipes, but just realized I hadn't yet posted this one.

Nothing particularly Bay of Fundy-ish about this loaf (though we do have wild and cultivated cranberries growing around the bay) - it's just a nice, festive loaf to give as a Christmas party hostess gift.

Cranberry Pecan Loaf
3 c white flour
1 1/2 c sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/8 c shortening
2 tsp grated orange peel
1/2 c orange juice (or, if using dried cranberries add an extra 1/4 c orange juice)
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 c coarsely chopped cranberries (fresh or frozen) or dried cranberries
1 1/2 c chopped pecans (or mixed nuts)

Sift dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until well blended. Mix peel with juice and egg. Add liquids to dry, mix to just moisten. Fold in berries and nuts. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 - 45 mins for fresh or frozen cranberries, 10 minutes more with dried cranberries. Let cool overnight for easy slicing. Makes one large loaf or two small (such as with my twin toblerone-shaped pans, pictured above).

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares

One of my favourite treats to offer returning relatives on Thanksgiving weekend is pumpkin choc chip squares: proof that anything takes better when chocolate is involved!

Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Squares
2 1/4 c. white flour
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking sode
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
4 beaten eggs
1/2 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c butter
2 c. pure cooked pumpkin (canned OK)
1 c. mini chocolate chips

Sift first 5 ingredients together in one bowl. Mix wet ingredients in another bowl. Combine. Fold in choc chips. Cook in a 9 x 13 pan, 325 degrees F, for about 45 minutes.

Peach & plum bruschetta

There's a voluminous amount of yellow plums on our old plum tree again this year. A few years ago I made up this bruschetta recipe as a way of using up too many plums! Both plums and peaches are readily available from Bay of Fundy farm markets at through late August and September.

Peach & Plum Bruschetta
6 ripe field tomatoes, fist-sized
4 to 6 ripe peaches, peeled
6 to 8 ripe plums, leave skin on
1/2 large purple or red onion (or use green onion stems if you don't like onions)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp or more ground cinnamon
1.5 tsp or more ground nutmeg
2 tsp dried basil
salt to taste (about 1/2 to 1 tsp)
fresh black pepper to taste
TOP:
grated fresh parmesan cheese
2 loaves French baguette, narrow or wide

Remove and discard seeds from tomatoes. Small dice all fruit & veg. Toss in bowl with seasonings. Adjust salt & pepper to taste. Spread layer of bruschetta mix on bread slices, top with grated parmesan. (Toast slices baguette first if you don't like your topping to soak the bread). Broil at low heat til heated through. Make more than you think you'll need....they're addictive!

Recipe for Cullen Skink

In case my last post ignited your interest in trying Cullen Skink, here's the recipe:

Cullen Skink
A large smoked haddock (weighing around 2 lb - you can get many varieties of smoked fish at markets in the Bay of Fundy region)
1 medium onion, finely chopped.
2 cups (900ml) milk
2 tablespoons butter
8 oz mashed or small chunked potato
Salt and fresh pepper
1 bay leaf
Chopped parsley
Water
Triangles of toast

Cover the smoked haddock with water, in a shallow pan, skin side down. Bring to a boil and simmer for 4 or 5 minutes, turning once. Take the haddock from the pan and remove the skin and bones. Break up the fish into flakes, return to the stock and add the chopped onion, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Strain, remove the bay leaf but retain the stock and fish. Add the milk to the fish stock and bring back to the boil. Add enough mashed or soft potato chunks to create the consistency you prefer (don't be afraid to make it rich and thick!). Add the fish and reheat. Check for seasoning. Just before serving, add the butter in small pieces so that it runs through the soup. Adorn with parsley, serve with toast triangles. Auch, yah!

Blueberry lavender scones

My small veg and herb garden is coming along nicely; it's responding well to our 25-30 degree sunny June days and foggy evenings. Like many folks in our gardening zone, I struggle away with indoor potted herbs all winter only to breath a sign of relief when summer's warmth arrives.

I got this recipe from Alive (Canadian Health magazine) awhile ago. It's an strange one that combines two great tastes: blueberry and lavender. This is when you need to remember that lavender is an herb (related to the mint family) and not a perfume! These scones are a bit odd but really quite endearing...

Blueberry Lavender Scones
3 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c sugar
1 T baking powder
1 t. dried lavender buds or 2 t chopped fresh lavender
1/2 t salt
3/4 c cold unsalted butter, diced
3/4 c + 1 T milk
1/4 honey (or maple syrup)
2 t vanilla extract
1/2 c dried blueberries
icing sugar for dusting

Oven at 375.

Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse meal. Stir together liquid ingredients in a separate bowl; add to dry ingredients. Mix just until dough comes together. Mix in dried blueberries.

Turn dough onto floured surface. Roll twice to 1 in thickness, each time folding in half (secret to a flaky scone). Roll dough into 3/4 in. thickness, cut into shapes. Place on cookie tray, brush with remaining milk, bake for 15 to 18 minutes until tops browned. Makes 12.

Fiddlehead soup recipe

During the next few weeks (while I'm scouring the woods for fiddleheads) I thought I'd post a few of my favourite fiddlehead recipes.

My fiddlehead soup recipe is a blend of traditional French vichyssoise and good old-fashioned Bay of Fundy fiddlehead soup.

Fiddlehead Soup
1/4 c butter
1 c white ends of leeks, seperated, rinsed, chopped
1/4 c flour
5 c chicken or veg stock
1 lb fiddleheads, cleaned
1 c parnsips, peeled & chopped
1 c celery, leaves & all, chopped
2 c milk
1/4 t (or more) grated nutmeg
salt & fresh pepper to taste

Melt butter in large soup pot. Add leeks, cook at low heat 'til softened but not brown. Blend in flour to make a roux; cooking for 2 minutes at low hear. Whisk in stock in batches. Add fiddleheads, parnsips and celery to pot. Bring to boil, stir, over med. heat. Lower heat, cover, simmer 20 minutes.

Puree soup in blender then return to pot. Heat through when ready to serve. Stir in milk and seasonings. Plain soy milk is an alternate to cow's milk. Not quite as smooth but still good. You may want to pump up the nutmeg & pepper to counteract the slightly nutty taste of soy milk.

(By the way, if you're not really into beating the forest for ferns, fiddleheads are available in produce sections of most Fundy grocery stores).

Maple chicken recipe

At this time of year, when maple syrup is so abundant around the Bay of Fundy, I don't mind 'wasting' a bit on some extra recipes, such as this simple but tasty maple chicken...

Maple Chicken
2.5 lbs chicken pieces
1/2 c maple syrup
1/2 tsp lemon rind
1/2 c chopped almonds
pepper
2 tsp lemon juice

Remove skin from chicken pieces. Place in shallow pan. Mix remaining ingredients. Pour over chicken. Bake uncovered at 375 F for 45 minutes. Taste occasionally!

Bay of Fundy Gingered Scallops

Last week I espoused the virtues of both Bay of Fundy scallops and our cherished flavour, ginger. No surprise then that I'd be inclined to combine them for a great result. Here's a favourite recipe from The Joy of Ginger cookbook (written by two gals from the region).

Foil-Baked Scallops with Ginger, Mushrooms & Water Chestnuts
1 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 c green onion, sliced thin
1 tsp (or more) grated fresh ginger
1 tsp lemon zest
1 c sliced mushrooms
1/3 c thinly sliced water chestnuts
1 Tbsp lemon juice
salt & fresh pepper to taste
1. tsp toasted sesame oil (plus more for brushing foil)
3/4 lb Digby scallops, halved horizontally
1 Tbsp fresh coriander
-------------
Cook garlic over med. heat in skillet for 1 min. Add green onion, ginger & zest. Cook while stirring for 1 minute. Add mushrooms & water chestnuts, cook, stirring for 2-3 min. or until all mushroom liquid has evaporated. Stir in lemon juice, salt & pepper.

Cut 2 pieces fo 12 x 20 inch foil, fold each in half (shiny side in) by bringing the short ends together. Unfold each pieces, brush centre with additional oil. Arrange half the scallops, just to one side of the fold line and top with the veg mixture. Sprinke with 1/2 tsp oil and 1 1/2 tsp coriander. Fold edges together to form sealed packets.

Bake packets in a baking sheet, mid-oven at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Transfer packets to plates, slit them open, disgard the foil. Serve with bread, rice or soba noodles.

Tips for Cooking Digby Scallops

Eeeeeek, I can't believe I've been Bay of Fundy blogging for a year and a half yet haven't shared my enthusiasm for Digby scallops. Digby, at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy on the Nova Scotia side, is world famous for its scallop fishery. Restaurants, fish markets and grocery stores across Canada and parts of the U.S. pride themselves in selling fresh and flash frozen Digby scallops. When buying for home use be sure to purchase either fresh or uncooked frozen scallops. (Pre-cooked frozen scallops are woody and dry).

Our sea scallops may be a bit bigger than others you've previously encountered but they're even more tender and flavourful. One of most common way we locals like to cook them is sliced (to even up the sizes) then fried in butter with minced fresh garlic and a bit of lemon juice squeezed over top. If you like your scallops to brown when cooked pat dry the moisture (with paper towel) on the raw scallops before frying them.

Be really careful not to overcook them. If sliced, they'll only take a minute or so to fry on medium heat. If whole, count on about 2 minutes per side. Overcook 'em and they'll be tough and stringy. (Give them to your dog or the seagulls and start all over - it's not worth it!)

Bay of Fundy dulse soup

I seem to have picked up the first cold of the season this week so dug out my vegetarian version of chicken noodle soup....Dulse Soup. I'm not sure from where this recipe originates - I might have said Scotland or Ireland (where irish moss and other dulse type seaweed is use for cooking as are oats) but the soy sauce negates that theory. Maybe it a Scot's version of miso?

DULSE SOUP

1 ounce dry dulse
5 cups water
1 tsp veg oil
1 med. onion, sliced thinly
1/2 rolled oats
2 Tbsp soy sauce

Rinse dulse briefly under cold water then immerse in fully in bowl of water. Place soup pot on med heat, add oil to heat, add onions. Cook a few minutes until strong onion smell fades. Add oats and stir a minute or so. Add dulse and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer with lid half off for 35 minutes. Remove from heat. Add soy sauce. Makes enough for 4 servings.

It really is good .... honest! For other posts about dulse, visit Drying Dulse on the Beach, Many Forms of Dulse, Got Dulse?, Do We Really Eat Seaweed?

Blueberry Grunt

A Bay of Fundy recipe collection would be incomplete without a recipe for Blueberry Grunt. Grunt (not to be confused with other blueberry desserts such as Crumble, Crisp or Buckle) is best characterized by floating dumplings. I've always been a fan of Blueberry Grunt but my admiration took a leap when I tried this particular recipe about eight years ago from The Joy of Ginger cookbook.

Blueberry Grunt
4 c wild blueberries
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c water
1 tsp ground ginger or more
2 c all purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 Tbsp cold butter
3 Tbsp candied or preserved ginger, chopped
3/4 c milk

- Boil blueberries, sugar, water and ground ginger in a large saucepan until juice is rendered, about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Cut in cold butter using a pastry cutter or knife. Stir in finely chopped ginger. Add enough milk to make a soft, sticky biscuit dough.
- Drop dough by tablespoon in the hot berry mixture. Cover tightly & cook 12 to 15 minutes. Serve with French vanilla fresh or frozen yogurt.

(Candied ginger is available in bulk at most health food stores or, if you are really keen you can make it yourself!)