STEMS & FORKS

Beautiful musings of flora and fare.

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Ratatouille Tian

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This recipe post was sponsored by Paderno Kitchenware.

4 Piece Ceramic Bakeware Set from Paderno Kitchenware
44.5 cm x 26 cm x 7 cm large rectangular baker Serves 6
Paderno Square Baker (26 cm x 21.5 cm x 6.3 cm) Serves 3
PADERNO Signature Ceramic Bakeware Set, 4-pc

Ratatouille Tian

Best served with fresh baguette or your favourite loaf of bread.

Serving Size:
6
Time:
1 1/2 hours
Difficulty:
Easy

Ingredients

  • 8 roma tomatoes 
  • 2 medium zucchinis
  • 2 medium eggplants
  • 28 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 3 shallots diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 orange or yellow bell pepper diced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 3 fresh basil leaves chiffonade 
  • Salt and pepper to taste 
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to garnish before baking

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Wash, prepare and cut all your vegetables and set aside. 
  3. In a non stick pan over medium high heat, warm up 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
  4. Sauté the shallots, 3 cloves garlic minced, thyme and diced pepper for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Add the whole can of diced tomatoes and turn heat down to low. Allow to reduce about 10-12 minutes or until most of the water has cooked off. 
  6. Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants into thin slices about 3 mm.
  7. Pour the sauce into your Paderno large rectangular bakeware (44.5 cm x 26 cm x 7 cm) from the Paderno Signature Ceramic Bakeware Set.
  8. Alternate the sliced vegetables in the pan in lines or a circular direction. 
  9. Sprinkle with the chopped basil leaves, and salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Drizzle 2 tablespoons over the vegetables.
  11. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour, removing foil for last 15 minutes. 
  12. Allow to sit for 10 minutes at room temperature before serving. This allows the juices to get reabsorbed.
  13. *Divide all the ingredients above by half to make it a serving for 3-4. Use Paderno Square Baker (26 cm x 21.5 cm x 6.3 cm) from the Paderno Signature Ceramic Bakeware Set.  

Curried Potato and Parsnip Soup

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Paderno Wooden Spoon and Paderno Variable Speed Immersion Blender

This post was sponsored by Paderno Kitchenware. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

And just like that, the summer break is over, the kids are back in school and we find ourselves pulling our duvets out from the cedar closet. It’s my favourite time of year. That time sandwiched between summer and fall when the evenings are chilly enough to start serving hot soups with bread and slurp by an open fire. 
 
This curried potato, parsnip soup is the perfect weeknight soup. It’s fast and easy to prepare…20-25 minutes tops. And it’s full of potassium, rich in antioxidants, fibre and vitamin C. Typically cream is used for potato soups however this recipe calls for plain Greek yogurt. Use low fat plain Greek yogurt to make it less calorie rich. 
Any powdered curry should work here. I tend to like a bit of heat and thus used 1 tablespoon. Feel free to reduce this to 1 1/2 teaspoons to make the curry flavour mild. Be creative with toppings. Pictured here i used croutons and crème fraîche then sprinkled with some fresh dill and toasted walnuts. Alternatively you can use are pea shoots, pumpkin seeds, chevre, parmesan or bacon bits. 

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Tahini Maple Syrup Brownies

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The post was sponsored by Metro Ontario. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Peanut butter, dry roasted nuts and my childhood favourite, Pirate peanut butter cookies. I loved peanuts and anything peanut. However, as of 2008, I have not had any peanuts. That was the year we discovered my daughter was allergic to peanuts and was classified as anaphylactic. 

The first question I always get from young mothers is, “How did you find out?”. My daughter was 2 years old and a typical toddler. She was a super picky eater when it came to meals. In retrospect, this was a good thing. The day we found out was when I decided to share my peanut butter and jam sandwich. It was a first for Moineau. She took one bite and spat it out with disgust. Moments later, she broke out with a rash around her mouth. After seeing an allergist and getting tested, it was official. She was severely allergic to peanuts.

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Raspberry Beet Smoothie Cake

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This post was sponsored by Paderno Kitchenware. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Paderno’s Power Blender with the Vortex Blade System, Paderno’s Maple Cutting Board and Paderno’s Immersion Blender .

A few years ago, I remembered travelling by train and talking to a few tourists from Germany about the unbearable scorching heat we were experiencing at the time in the south of France. They teased me that the humidity was probably a warm welcome, considering the arctic conditions I must endure back home here in Canada.

That’s right…arctic conditions. 

Paderno’s Richmond Cake Server.

It’s 30 C temperature plus humidity here in Southern Ontario.  Which means I try to keep the oven off, dishwasher running at a minimum and stick my head in the freezer as often as possible. Snacking consists of cold coffee, smoothies, and ice cream. And definitely loads of fresh local berries. 

Which is why this Raspberry Beet Smoothie Cake made with Paderno’s Power Blender is my go-to cake to battle our humid hot summers. I tend to omit the word “beet” when asking the kids if they want some “raspberry smoothie cake topped with whipped cream.” And to be completely honest, you don’t taste beets. Rather a smooth, sweet, crunchy and icy treat. 

Paderno’s Richmond Cake Server.

The beautiful thing about using Paderno’s Power Blender is the Vortex Blade System. It ensures a smooth and consistent result every time. No undesirable chunks of beets that kids may potentially bite into. Instead, a creamy, perfect texture. The blender itself is super easy to use. There are pre-set functions and manual speed settings for smooth operation and accurate controls. There’s even a smoothie function!

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Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Eggs

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This post is Sponsored by Gwillimdale Farms. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Whenever I see potatoes, I think of Vincent Van Gogh’s “The Potato Eaters.” The first time I saw this dark, murky impressionistic painting, was in 2nd grade in an Encylopedia Brittania book. AKA the Wikipedia of the ’70s and ’80s. I was so taken by its hard reality; the wrinkled, stained hands, the sunburnt skin, and tired, hungry faces. 

Eventually, when I was old enough, I read the background behind the sombre painting, and I was even more moved. 

The Potato Eaters by Vincent Van Gogh

“You see, I really have wanted to make it so that people get the idea that these folk, who are eating their potatoes by the light of their little lamp, have tilled the earth themselves with these hands they are putting in the dish, and so it speaks of manual labor and—that they have thus honestly earned their food. I wanted it to give the idea of a wholly different way of life from ours—civilized people. So I certainly don’t want everyone just to admire it or approve of it without knowing why.”- Vincent Van Gogh.

 The concept of working the land with one’s hands to nourish oneself and others to survive, resonated with me for years. To live “honestly.”  

Not much has changed since 1885 when the Dutch post-impressionist painter created this masterpiece. Farmers are still toiling the land but on a much larger and faster scale to keep up with demand. 

This post is in partnership with Gwillimdale Farms. Operated since 1903, family owned and operated by the humble and hardworking John Hambly, wife Cristina and his children.  4th and 5th generation farmers, Gwillimdale currently farms on 1000 acres of fertile lands on the Greenbelt of Bradford, Ontario.  

Their specialty: root vegetables. Parsnips, onions, carrots, beets and potatoes. 

And in all sincerity, their produce is impressive. Always crisp carrots, fresh potatoes, and firm parsnips. Gwillimdale not only grows their produce, but they also harvest, clean, pack, and distribute directly from their farm to your local grocer. They are, without a doubt, one of the finest root vegetable producers in the province.  I’m so honoured to be sharing this simple brunch recipe with you to showcase their humble, versatile and beautiful vegetable; the humble Solanum tuberosum, aka the potato.  

Bon app!

Visit Gwillimdale Farms for more information and/or recipe ideas.

Instagram: @GwillimdaleFarms

Facebook: @GwillimdaleFarms

Twitter: @GwillimdaleFarm

Crispy Smashed Potatoes with Eggs
Serves 4
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
1 hr
Ingredients
  1. 1.5 kg or 8-10 medium Gwillimdale Farms Potatoes washed and scrubbed (approx 150 g per potato)
  2. 6 tablespoons unsalted fresh butter
  3. 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  4. a few sprigs of (purple) basil
  5. 2 cloves of fresh garlic
  6. 4 large fresh eggs
  7. Salt and pepper to taste
  8. Parsley to garnish (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 425 F
  2. In a large pot, add the potatoes, a tablespoon of salt and add water until it covers all the potatoes.
  3. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes until potatoes have softened through (25 minutes if using smaller potatoes and 35 minutes if using large potatoes)
  4. Drain the potatoes in a colander and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes for the excess water to dry/drip away.
  5. Meanwhile take the two garlic cloves and give it a pound with a knife so that they split open.
  6. Place the garlic, the sage and the butter on a baking tray about 12 x16 inches or so on the stove top at medium heat and allow the butter to melt for about half a minute.
  7. Transfer the potatoes to the baking tray and smash them with a potato masher until about 1 inch thick.
  8. With a basting brush or spoon, make sure the tops of the smashed potatoes are all coated with the butter.
  9. Drizzle the 2 table spoons of olive oil over the smashed potatoes.
  10. Sprinkle salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
  11. Bake for 35 minutes or until golden and crispy.
  12. Remove tray from oven and position your potatoes to create “walls” to contain your eggs.
  13. Add your 4 eggs in between the smashed potatoes and bake for another 2-5 minutes depending on how well done you’d like your eggs to be. Keep an eye on your eggs!
  14. Remove from oven, sprinkle the eggs with salt and pepper and parsley to garnish.
Notes
  1. Feel free to spray your potatoes with vinegar or sprinkle with chili flakes or drizzle with siracha sauce. Be creative!
STEMS & FORKS https://www.stemsandforks.com/

Mochi Balls with Fermented Organic Blueberries from Chile

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This post was sponsored by Fruits From Chile. All thoughts and opinions are my own

If you didn’t get it right with your new year’s resolutions this month, don’t worry. There’s another new year coming up on February 5th 2019 and you can start anew! With the Lunar new year just around the corner, I thought these Mochi Balls filled with lacto fermented organic Chilean Blueberries would be perfect to ring in the new year and provide a second opportunity to become healthier and kinder to one’s body and mind. 

Lacto-Fermented Foods:

So we all know how naturally fermented foods provide healthy probiotic bacteria. Stuff that’s good for our gut. Studies have shown that the natural probiotics created from fermentation also increases vitamin content thereby boosting our immunity naturally which helps fend off the flu and cold. (source) Consuming fermented foods are also safer to consume than raw as the lactic acids essentially kill off the bad bacteria such as E-Coli. (Source) And it has been proven time and again that improving gut health aids digestion thereby helping promote healthy body weight. It doesn’t stop here. There are a plethora of reasons lacto fermented foods are good for us. 

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