Focaccia

This is my mother’s recipe for Focaccia. It is always perfect and easy to make. I am proud to share her recipe with my readers.

Focaccia is a fun food for me to make because I can add whatever topping I want. It is great for a crowd as well since the dough can be prepared ahead of time.

There are two ways you can knead the dough, you can either do it by hand or the stand mixer.

I have listed a few suggested toppings.  My favorites are fresh tomatoes, basil and bocconcini cheese (mozzarella cheese).

Remember, fresh salad and herbs shrink down to half size so go with plenty. If you want them to stay green, add them 5 minutes before the cooking time ends.

Oven 450 to start.  Turn down to 425 after 5 minutes of cooking

1 cup warm water

pinch sugar

1 1/2 tsp regular yeast

2-3 cups of unbleached all purpose flour

extra olive oil

·      Stir the sugar and yeast into warm water and leave it to foam, about 5 minutes.  Stir again.

·      Add the flour 1/2 cup or so at a time and beat in well until the dough can be kneaded.  

·      Start kneading the dough and adding flour just enough to keep it from getting sticky.  You can do this right in the bowl or turn the dough out onto the counter.  

·      Knead for 5 minutes.  Return dough to the bowl or leave it in the bowl.  You might have to wash it out if there is lots of dough on the edges.  Otherwise it will rise fine even if the bowl isn't pristine.

·      Brush top of the dough with extra olive oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and cloth towel.

·      Let rise 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.  The longer the dough rises the thicker and softer the crust will be.  If you like a thinner, chewy crust let it rise less time. 

·      Cover your hands with olive oil.

·      Turn dough out onto pizza pan, cookie sheet or something similar and press into a round.  The thinner the dough is spread the thinner the crust will be.  If you want it nice and thick just make a smaller round. 

·      Push thumb or finger into the dough all over to make depressions.  Spread a thin layer of olive oil.

·      Top with whatever you like. Below are few ideas you can try.

·      Bake for 15 to 18 minutes total.  Turn pan around after 10 minutes.

·      You can either eat as it is or dip it with something.

Suggested toppings:

·      Olive oil

·      Olive oil mixed with pesto and or Dijon mustard

·      Salt and pepper

·      Herbs such as basil, savory, thyme, oregano (fresh or dry)

·      Sun dried tomatoes

·      Tomatoes (seeded and diced)

·      Fresh pepper

·      Anchovies

·      Fresh bocconcini cheese (mozzarella cheese)

·      Swiss cheese

Or anything else you can think of.  

Dip

·      A bit of olive oil in a dish then add kind of vinegar such as balsamic or raspberry.

Udon Noodles with Ground Turkey and Miso Sauce

I love Udon Noodles! They are one of my favourites there is something delicious about the thick white noodle. For some reason I always become excited when I decide to make something udon. For this recipe you can either use dried or fresh udon noodle.

I am using ground Turkey because it doesn’t give out as much fat as other ground meat. I wanted the flavor of the miso sauce to come through. However you can use other ground meat if you like.

I used Awase miso paste for this recipe, it is mix of white and red miso. You can find it in any Asian grocery. You can also use white or red miso paste.  This is a very tasty and healthy dish.

1 leek

1/2 oz fresh ginger, peeled

canola oil

13 oz ground turkey

1/2 cups vegetable stock

1 tablespoon sake

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons mirin

1- 1 1/2 tablespoons superfine sugar

4 tablespoons Awase miso

1 leek – to garnish (optional)

small cucumber – to garnish (optional)

fresh or dried udon noodle

·      Finely chop the leek and ginger. (you can either cut by hand or use a food processor).

·      Add a little oil to a skillet and heat. Then fry the leeks and ginger until they release an aroma. Add the ground turkey and brown.

·      Mix the stock, sake, soy sauce, mirin, sugar and miso paste together and add to the ground turkey, gently cooking until it thickens.

·      Chop the leek for the garnish into fine 2 inch-long julienne and leave to soak in water for a few minutes, then drain thoroughly and set aside.

·      Cut cucumber in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and cut first into 2 inch-wide pieces, then into fine strips.

·      Cook the udon noodles according to the instructions on the package.

·      When cooked, drain and rinse under cold water to remove any stickiness. Drain thoroughly.

·      Place the noodles on the plates, and pour the sauce on top. Garnish with the strips of leeks and cucumber.

Shrimp Spring Fling

 I recently bought delicious looking shrimp that was on sale! I decided to have shrimp for dinner. But I wanted something green to go with it. I decided on using the snow peas and it worked great! Next decision – what sauce? I chose ginger and rice wine because they go well with any seafood, they help reduce any seafood smell which some people don’t like even if they enjoy the taste it helps take off the smell of the shrimp. It is better to mix the rice wine with the shrimp before cooking it so it can absorb the flavor better. You can use dry sherry instead. I felt something was missing, I decided to use ketchup and imagine my surprised when it came out very pretty and tasty!

Being a bit creative is fun.

1 teaspoon peeled grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 pound large or medium shrimp, shelled and deveined

2 tablespoons canola oil

¼ pound snow peas, ends snapped off and strings removed, cut in half on the diagonal

2 tablespoons ketchup

·      In a medium bowl, whisk together the ginger, wine, cornstarch. Add the shrimp and mix well.

·      In a wok or stir-fry pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over the medium heat until hot but not smoking. Test by dipping the end of the snow pea into the oil; it should be sizzling.

·      Add the snow peas and stir just until they turn darker green, about 30 seconds.

·      Remove the peas and put on the plate

·      Add the remaining oil to the same pan and heat over medium high heat. Stir the shrimp mixture, add it to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the shrimp turn opaque and pink, 1 to 2 minutes

·      Stir in the ketchup and stir for about 30 seconds. Return the peas to the pan and mix for another 30 seconds.

·      Remove from the heat, transfer to the dish and serve immediately.

Egg Drop Soup

This is one of my favourite soups, it is very easy and simple to make. You only need 4 ingredients and about 5 minutes of your times then you are good to go.

This is a classic Asian recipe that is popular throughout the Asian world. I think the key to its success is how easy it can be prepared and the wonderful swirling, golden yellow colour of the egg is very attractive. It looks good and tastes fantastic. This is a fun soup to eat.

In this recipe I used chicken stock but you can use any stock or broth and it will still taste great.

2 to 3 eggs

3 ½ cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon potatoes starch or corn starch

• ·      Beat the eggs in a bowl
• ·      Mix the starch in 2 teaspoons of cold water and set aside
• ·      Warm the stock in a saucepan. Add the soy sauce and mirin.
• ·      When the stock comes to a boil, stir in the starch, it will lightly thicken the soup
• ·      Stir in the eggs and then remove from the heat to ensure the eggs are not overcooked
• ·      Serve immediately

Oyster Sauce

I am posting this blog for my best friend who is allergic to shellfish. She asked me what she can use as  a substitute it with.

 You can use a vegetarian version of oyster sauce, it is made using mushroom to provide the deep, earthy flavor. Mushrooms, especially the oyster mushroom, have high level of umami flavour, it is similar to the real oysters.

Oyster sauce is great to use for various things including a dressing for noodles, vegetables and stir fries, or as base for other sauce and marinades.   

Stir-fried tofu with fresh mushrooms in oyster sauce

I love the Chinese way with stir-fried food. It is very time saving and can be used for anything. Whenever I need to clean out of my fridge, I usually do a stir-fry because it is easy and will taste good. The best pan to use is a wok but you can also use a regular frying pan.

Hint for successful, stress-free stir-frying; put the food in the pan according to which ingredients take longest to cook. Hard ingredients such as root vegetables and cabbage, are to be cooked first, with the delicate fast-cooking ingredients such as snow peas and bean sprouts added last.

I decided to use tofu for my first stir-fry recipe blog because it is very healthy and easy to make. Don’t let word “tofu” scare you, it might sounds disgusting but it is full of protein, if you cook it right, it won’t taste bland. I hope you come to enjoy it as much as I do.

I used weight for this recipe but you can change to cup measure on this website: http://www.onlineconversion.com/cooking.htm.

6 ounces white mushrooms (you can use any types of mushrooms)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed with the side of the knife and peeled
2 sliced unpeeled fresh ginger
1 ½ pounds firm tofu, drained and cut into ½ inch cubes
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons sesame oil

1.     Trim the mushroom stems and slice ¼ inch thick
2.     In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, wine, sugar, oyster sauce and 1 tablespoon water
3.     In a wok or stir-try pan, heat the oil over the high heat, add the garlic and ginger and stir until the aroma is released. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring until they turn a darker colour, about 2 minutes. Decrease heat to medium high, add tofu and soy sauce mixture and cook, stirring gently but constantly for about 3 minutes. Stir in the scallions and cook for about 30 seconds more. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened. Drizzle with sesame oil and mix well. Remove and discard the garlic and ginger. Serve immediately.
4.     Enjoy!