Fresh Cheese Dumplings

You need to plan ahead a bit to make these sweet cheese dumplings (at least 7 hours), but they're worth it!



Ingredients:

• 8 cups milk
  
• 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
  
• 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
• 4 cups water
  
• 4 cups sugar*
  
• 2 tablespoons rose water, light blue agave nectar or other flavouring
  
• extra virgin coconut oil for deep frying

Notes/Substitutions/etc.:

* Don't worry, you won't actually eat this much sugar! It's needed for a syrup bath, but most of the syrup will be left over and can be stored for re-use.

Directions:

Place milk in a large pot and heat gently, stirring to prevent scalding, almost to boiling.
Remove from heat and add lemon juice, one tablespoon at a time, stirring well after each addition.
Once the curds start to separate out, stop adding lemon juice and continue to stir for 4-5 minutes.

Line a large sieve with four layers of cheesecloth, then strain the milk mixture through the cheesecloth.
Rinse curds with cold water to wash off the sour taste.
Allow curds to drain for 4-24 hours.

Once curds are dry and crumbly, scrape them out of the cheesecloth onto a clean, dry work surface.

Knead the curds until they hold together in one smooth mass.
Sprinkle flour and salt onto cheese and knead again for 2-3 minutes to distribute evenly.
Roll the dough into long ropes, cut into sixteen pieces, and roll each piece into a small ball.

Dissolve sugar into water in a large sauce pan.
Bring to a rapid boil, then lower heat to maintain a strong simmer.
Add eight dumplings to the syrup and simmer for 10 minutes.
(Set the remaining eight balls aside, covered, to prevent drying out.)

(Don't disturb the dumplings while they're simmering as this may tear them. Just let them float around the pan as they will.)

Remove syrup pan from heat and add the flavouring agent. The dumplings will have absorbed some of the syrup and expanded.

Allow dumplings to sit in syrup for two hours.

35 minutes before simmered dumplings are ready, add 2 inches of coconut oil to a deep fryer or other deep-sided frying pan.
Heat the oil to 325°F.
One by one, gently add the reserved dumplings to the hot oil.
Using a wooden spoon, gently turn the dumplings so they cook evenly on all sides.

Once the dumplings are golden on all sides (after 2 to 3 minutes) remove them from the oil using a slotted spoon and add them to the syrup bath with the simmered dumplings.

Soak fried dumplings for 30 minutes.

Serve dumplings warm, at room temperature, or chilled.

Cheese Curry

A hearty cheese curry which comes together quickly.



Ingredients:

• 4-10 hot peppers (chiles or jalepenos)
  
• 1-2 yellow onions
  
• 1 1/2 cups water
  
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
  
• 2-4 tomatoes
  
• 1 garlic
  
• 150 grams chevre

Directions:

Mince chiles and garlic.
Thinly slice onions.
Dice tomatoes.
Bring chiles, onion, water and oil to a boil in a medium-sized pan.
Cover, reduce heat and simmer strongly for 15 minutes.
Add tomatoes and garlic and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
Crumble the chevre into the pan and simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring to incorporate the cheese well.
Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve over rice, garnished with sprigs of cilantro.

Pesto Zucchini Pancakes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups zucchini
  
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  
• 1/2 cup pesto
  
• olive oil for frying

Directions:

Grate zucchini using fine cheese grater.
Place zucchini in a collander and allow to drain for one hour.
Mix zucchini, flour, pesto and eggs together until well combined.
Coat bottom of frying pan in oil.
Drop spoonfuls of batter onto hot oil.
Cook until lightly browned (~ 2 minuts per side).
Serve immediately.

Curried Red Lentil Soup

An easy, hearty soup which can be prepared in under an hour thanks to the quick-cook properties of red lentils.

Ingredients:

• 2 yellow onions
  
• 1 lb carrots
  
• 1 garlic
  
• 1 heaped tablespoon hot curry paste
  
• 2 cups red lentils
  
• 1 can (796 ml) no-salt-added stewed tomatoes
  
• 1 can (540 ml) chick peas
  
• 4 cups herb broth
  
• cilantro
  
• olive oil for frying

Directions:

Peel and slice thinly onions, carrots and garlic.
Add curry paste and stir fry in olive oil until vegetables are soft.
Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Enjoy.

Scallop Croquettes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
  
• 1 cup carrot
  
• 1 yellow onion
  
• 2/3 cup flour
  
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• 1 oven roasted garlic
  
• 1lb scallops
  
• fresh parsley or cilantro
  
• flour, eggs and bread crumbs for coating
  
• olive oil for frying

Directions:

Dice onion.
Chop carrots finely in a food processor.
Melt butter in a frying pan.
Add onion and carrot. Cook until softened and onions are translucent.
Add flour. Cook for one minute.
Add milk, incorporating thoroughly.
Remove from heat. The mixture should be a thick paste at this point.
Purée scallops and garlic in food processor.
Chop herbs.
Fold puréed scallops, garlic and herbs into mixture.
Refrigerate mixture one hour or more.
Shape scallop mixture into small patties.
Coat each patty in flour, then quickly dip it in a beaten egg, then roll in bread crumbs.

Heat oil in a large frying pan.
Cook croquettes until they are browned on both sides and heated through. (Approximately two minutes per side.)
Serve with Lemon Tarragon Cream Sauce.

Lemon Tarragon Cream Sauce

This delicate yet flavourful sauce is excellent with seafood.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon butter
  
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh tarragon
  
• 1 cup whipping cream
  
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions:

Chop tarragon into small pieces.
Melt butter in a small saucepan.
Add cream and tarragon.
Heat gently, bringing mixture to a boil.
Simmer until sauce is reduced by half. (Approximately 5 minutes.)
Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.
Serve immediately.

Stilton, Apple and Parsnip Soup

A hearty winter soup with a delicious medley of flavours.



Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
  
• 1 garlic
  
• 1 bunch leeks
  
• 1lb parsnips
  
• 3-4 large apples
  
• 1/2 cup apple wine
  
• 3-4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  
• 1 oven roasted garlic
  
• 300g Stilton cheese
  
• 2 cups light cream or half & half

Directions:

Melt butter in large pan with lid.
Mince garlic.
Dice leeks (whites and "solid" pale green portion of shoots).

Cook garlic, leeks and butter until leeks are translucent. (Approximately 5 minutes.)
Remove pan from heat and allow to sit, covered, for 5 minutes.
Peel and dice apples and parsnips.

Add apples, parsnips, wine and stock to pan.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until parsnips are tender. (Approximately 20 minutes.)

Add oven roasted garlic.
Crumble cheese into soup and stir until cheese is melted.
Purée soup in a food processor.
Return mixture to pan.
Add cream.
Heat gently until soup is hot.
Serve immediately.