British Isles
Le Quebecois Mini Pies
We were recently asked by another spice company to change the name of our Montreal Steak Spice because they owned the rights to the name. Well, okay….
We had to brainstorm a new name, take the labels off of jars in gift sets, redo the store displays, and adjust our website all in a very short amount of time. We were busy! While all of this change was taking place, I recalled a quote by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, ‘We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise we harden.’ Change can be good, our store displays are fresh and new our website got a nice update, we have a fantastic new name for one of our earliest blends and an outstanding recipe to go with it. Introducing……Le Quebecois Steak Spice (applause, applause)!
Paying homage to the Canadian Provence were the blend originated, Le Quebecois Steak Spice showcases both the French flair for deft seasoning, and the British love of beef. While usually associated with steak, we tried it in these vegetarian mini pies with great success – you know how how we love to play with our food! Bon appétit.
Le Quebecois Mini Pies
Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a deep skillet over medium heat
- Add onion to pan and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes
- Add chard stems and celery, cook about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Add chard leaves, raise heat to medium high and cook, stirring, until wilted, about 4 minutes
- Add scallions, arugula and herbs. Cook for two minutes more and transfer to a collander
- Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as you can
- Transfer to a bowl and mix in cheese, zest, eggs, salt, sugar and Le Quebecois Steak Spice
- Lay out a sheet of filo, cut into 12 squares and brush with olive oil
- Lay the oiled squares into the cups of a muffin tin
- Repeat, alternating the angles of the squares so that they cover the sides of each muffin cup, until you have 5 layers of filo
- Fill each cup with herb mixture and fold excess filo over the edges of the filling
- To top each cup, make another 5 layer filo piece, cut in a round, and place atop of each cup
- Brush lightly with olive oil and bake for 40 minutes until the filo turns golden brown
- Serve warm or at room temperature as an an appetizer or an accompaniment to roast lamb or beef
Tasmanian Pepperberry Berries
The Tasmanian Pepperberry is a rare find, native to Australia and wild harvested in limited quantities. There are a dazzling array of flavors in that little pepperberry! It has many uses, but one of our favorite ways to use it is in all kinds of infusions, such as honey, oil and alcohol. (An added bonus – it adds a pinkish-purplish color to your infusion.) Tasmanian Pepperberry-infused honey is easy to make and can be used for any recipe that calls for honey. We found that when mixed in with fresh strawberries, blackberries and raspberries, it makes a heavenly combination perfect for brunch or dessert. Try it on waffles, french toast or pancakes, or better yet…liberally pour it over ice cream, then sit on the front porch and enjoy the lazy summer afternoon. We won’t tell…
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Put the honey into a small pan and heat on low until the honey has become more "liquid". Pour into a bowl and add the ground Tasmanian Pepperberry, mixing well. All to cool before you add it to the berries. (You can make the infused honey ahead of time - make double, so you have extra to use for other things.)
- Put the berries into a big bowl. Whisk together the cooled honey, orange juice and alcohol (if using) in a small bowl. Pour over the berries and gently toss. (It's ok if some of the berries get smooshed.) Let sit at room temperature for about an hour, stirring occasionally (to help the berries "break down" a bit - that just makes it taste even better).
- You can serve this for any meal or snack. This tastes just as good on pancakes as it does on ice cream or even just mixed in with Greek yogurt.
Caraway Red Ale Mustard
Mustard is easy to make, but it also requires a little patience. If you let the mustard sit for a few days for the flavors to meld together, you will be rewarded with a fine, flavorful mustard to make your sandwiches, burgers and hot dogs extra special.
Caraway Red Ale Mustard waiting patiently for the grilled meat to be done.
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together the mustard seeds and powder, caraway, water and red ale. Transfer to a covered container and let sit for 24 hours in the refrigerator.
- Combine the mustard/ale mixture with the salt, brown sugar and worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Then put in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. You can then transfer this to a jar and it will keep in the refrigerator for a few months...if you haven't used it all before then!
Tikka Masala Lamb Skewers
We’ve all had Chicken Tikka Masala but why not do grilled lamb skewers instead? We used our Tikka Masala blend in the marinade and in making the sauce. This dish is full of flavor…and disappears quickly.
Grilled Tikka Masala Lamb Skewers over rice…it tastes as good as it looks!
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine lamb pieces, Tikka Masala, salt and yogurt together, mixing well. Transfer to a large resealable bag, squeezing out the excess air and seal. Put the bag in a container (in case it leaks) in your refrigerator for at least an hour. Give it a 'squish' every once in a while to make sure that every piece of the lamb is coated.
- If you're going to grill the lamb, get your barbecue grill set up and ready to go. You can also pan-sear these, or use a grill pan to cook the lamb.
- Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onion and saute until slightly brown. Then add the garlic, ginger, and salt. Stir occasionally, cooking until the onions are cooked through. Now add the Aleppo Pepper and Tikka Masala, stirring several times to thoroughly mix in. Mix in the canned tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has reduced slightly and the color has deepened. (This should take about 15 minutes.) Add the coconut milk, thoroughly mixing it in, and reduce heat to low. This will let the sauce thicken while you're cooking the lamb skewers.
- While the sauce is reducing, take the bag of marinated lamb out of the refrigerator and put the lamb onto a plate. Thread the lamb onto your skewers (leave as much of the yogurt mixture on the lamb as possible - that's "flavor"). Grill (or saute) the lamb until the meat is browned and cooked to your desired doneness.
- You can either spoon the finished sauce over your skewers (as seen in the picture). Or, you can remove the cooked lamb from the skewers and add to the sauce, cooking for an additional 2 or 3 minutes, to let all of the lamb goodness permeate the sauce. Then serve over steamed rice. Either way, use mint or cilantro leaves for garnish - they will enhance the flavor of the dish. And it looks pretty, too.
Madras Curry
Ever notice how curry tastes better the second day? It’s because the flavors have combined into something greater than the sum of the parts. The ingredients, especially the spices, must be painfully fresh. Always cook within the season’s availability. Winter is the domain of root vegetables and warming spices, whereas summer is filled with lighter fare and bright, fresh flavors. We used chicken, peas and our Madras Curry for this recipe, but try substituting any mix of vegetables, meats, or regional curry powders.
Madras Curry with Chicken and Peas
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Using a mortar and pestle (or small food processor), make a paste of the garlic and ginger.
- Add oil to pan, then chicken pieces. Cook until chicken is browned on all sides, then add onion and garlic-ginger paste. Stir frequently until the onion, garlic and ginger start to get some color, about 3-5 minutes. Add curry powder and saute for a minute. Stir in salt, diced tomatoes and coconut milk. Lower heat to medium, cover and simmer about 5 minutes.
- Cook the chicken until it is fork-tender and no longer pink inside. Raise heat to medium-high, 3-5 minutes, or until sauce starts to thicken. Add peas and cilantro, stirring to heat through, 2-3 minutes.
- Serve immediately over rice, and enjoy! (And hope for some leftovers for lunch tomorrow...)
