It has been a great pleasure to grow plants in our plot at Terra Nova for artist materials, but also for ingredients for using in our Victory Gardens for Diversity Recipes.
Lois Klassen and I showed our audience some of our culinary creations inspired by the vegetables and fruits grown just a few feet away from the little Red Barn. We are indebted to our super volunteer Barry, who weeded and watered the plots all summer. Thank you so much!!!!!
First up: Lois's beautiful focaccia made with potatoes and beets from our garden. It's a hearty, chewy snack, or a light lunch all on it's own.
Potato & Rosemary Focaccia
Lois Klassen
- 2 medium potatoes (the one for the dough should
be 150 grams; the other can be substituted for baby potatoes for a nice
display on the surface of the bread)
- 2 1/4 tsp yeast (1 packet)
- 2 c flour (plus more for kneading)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp honey
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2/3 c lukewarm water
- Optional - 2 or 3 other root veggies (a carrot
and/or a small beet; onions)
- Optional – 2 cloves crushed garlic
- A sprig of fresh rosemary or a 1 tsp of dried
rosemary
- Optional - ½ tsp wild fennel seed
- Optional – ½ c grated asiago cheese
-
Instructions
Boil one of the
potatoes until tender. Drain, remove skin and mash well or pass through a
potato ricer.
Sprinkle yeast
over the warm water and allow to “bloom” (about 5 minutes).
After mixing
the flour and salt together, add the yeast, honey and mashed potatoes, mix and
then knead into a flat ball. Put a tablespoon of the oil into a clean bowl.
Place the ball of dough into the bowl and turn it over a few times so that it
is completely coated with oil. Let it rise in a warm place until it is double
in size (1 hour).
In the
meantime, par-boil the other potato and other veggies. Cool them with a cold-water
rinse. Slice them into ½ cm thick slices.
Line a pizza
pan with parchment. Press the risen dough evenly over the pan. Arrange the
sliced veggies over the top. Sprinkle with garlic, rosemary and fennel seeds.
Top with grated cheese if you like.
Allow to rise
again for 20 min.
Meanwhile
pre-heat the oven to 400F (200C).
Bake for
approximately 20 minutes until the dough is cooked and the surface is slightly
browned. Serve warm or cold or toasted.
Lois is a wonderful story teller and she told us the tales of two different approaches to making borcht: Martha Klassen's encouragement to use whatever is on hand, and Margaret Dragu's strict guidelines to her preferred ingredient list. Lois's warm tangy broth was like a kind familial embrace of its own. Much needed in these stressful times. Let's all make borscht!
Harvest
Borscht
“… you can
use as much or as little of the cabbage, carrots, beets, [tomatoes] and
potatoes as desired…” Martha Klassen
2 liters
meat or veggie stock (preferably home-made)
1 fall
cabbage (any kind) or a big bag of oversized Swiss Chard leaves
2 large
carrots
1 medium
beet
1 potato
1 onion
2 bay
leaves
10
peppercorns
1 star
anise
1 large can
diced tomatoes (or 3 cups of chopped garden tomatoes)
Fresh dill
(or 2 tsp dried dill, or quantities to taste)
2 tbsp
vinegar or lemon juice
2 tsp sugar
Salt &
pepper to taste
Make 2
liters of meat stock from left over beef or pork bones, or a veggie stock.
Strain and set aside. If you are using bones, pull of any meat that might be
left on the bones and shred it to add back to the soup at the very end.
Shred and
chop the veggies. In a soup pot, add the stock and everything except the dill,
vinegar, sugar and s&p. Simmer for about 30 minutes. After cooking, add
dill, vinegar, sugar and s&p to taste and bring back to a simmer.
Serve with
a dollop of yogurt or sour cream in each bowl, if you like. This soup is of
course better after aging for a day or two in the fridge. It can also be made
in larger quantities and kept frozen in quart jars for future meals.
Adapted
from “Borscht (Cabbage Soup)” in Martha’s Traditional Favourites by
Martha Klassen, Self-published for her family in 2017.
One of my favourite recipes is Lois's fig platz. I have made it with plums, like my grandma used to bake it, and with fresh figs. It was wonderful made with grapes from Lois's back yard and ground cherries from our garden at Terra Nova.
Fig Platz
(or, modified with other fruit)
Lois
Klasses
2 ½ c flour
2 tsp
baking powder
1 ½ c white
sugar, divided
½ tsp salt
1 c butter,
cold and cubed
2 large
eggs
1 tsp
vanilla
¾ c milk
2 tsp
orange zest (lemon is a good substitute)
Ripe fresh
figs (about 20) cut in half (top to bottom); or 2-3 cups of seedless backyard
grapes or ground cherries; or other fruit (for the classic “platz” use stone
fruit like prunes, plums, apricots or peaches that are cut open with stoned
removed)
Preheat the
oven to 350’ F. Line a cookie sheet or 10x15 inch jelly-roll pan with
parchment.
In a large
bowl mix flour, baking powder, 1 c of the sugar and salt. Cut in the butter
until the pieces are the size of small peas. Set 1 c of the crumbed mixture
aside for the topping. In a small bowl, mix eggs, vanilla and milk. Stir the
wet ingredients into the crumbed mix. Stir in the zest. Spread the mixture into
the pan. Arrange the figs (or other large fruit) with the open side in rows; or
sprinkle the smaller fruit in an even layer over the batter. Large fruit should
be close but not touching so that the cake can be cut into individual pieces,
each featuring half a fruit piece, for serving.
Make the
topping by mixing the reserved crumb mixture with the remaining ½ c sugar.
Sprinkle the topping evenly over the fruit.
Bake for
40-50 minutes, or until browned and the toothpick comes out clean. Once cool,
cut into dessert-sized squares, each featuring a fruit half (if using large
fruit).
Adapted
from “Fig Platz” by Lois Klassen in Flavours of Vancouver complied by
Sheila Peacock and Joan Cross (2005, Douglas & McIntyre)
And here's Lois's adaptation for those who would like a gluten free version of the platz.
Recipe: Gluten Free Platz
- 1 cup white rice flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cold butter
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1/2 cup golden brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups of fruit (I used ground cherries sprinkled
in a layer on the cake base for this demo; figs, prunes, plums or peaches
that are cut in half with stones removed and arranged in rows with the cut
side up makes the classic “platz”).
Crumb
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/8 cup melted butter
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350F. Line an 8×11.5 pan with
parchment.
In a large bowl, combine the rice flour, baking powder
and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. I just
do this with my hands….seems to do the job well!
In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, brown sugar and vanilla. Stir
into the rice flour mixture.
Pour into prepared pan and cover evenly with the
fruit.
Combine the crumb ingredients in a bowl and sprinkle
over the fruit and batter.
Bake for 30 minutes or until the base is nicely
browned.
Adapted from “Gluten Free Guide to Niagara” by Irene and
Chelsea (https://glutenfreeguidetoniagara.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/recipe-gluten-free-platz/ )
It was a chef named Danilla that got me addicted to the
snack called samosa chaat. It’s usually made with samosas, and some delicious
toppings: chutneys and crunchy bits. So I’ve basically taken the ingredients
and made my own deconstructed version. It’s nice for an afternoon snack or even
a light lunch. Chickpeas are a good source of fiber and protein and also
contain calcium, folate, vitamin b6, vitamin c, iron, magnesium, phosphorus,
potassium, and zinc.
Deconstructed
Samosa Chaat: a riff on a South Asian street food
Madame Beespeaker
Pastry
Crackers
½ cup AP flour
1/8 cup plus ½ cup spelt flour
1/2 tsp salt
½ c butter cut into small cubes
¼ cup cold water.
2 tsp curry powder (I use a French vadouvan blend)
½ tsp peppercorns, cracked
1 tsp coriander seeds, cracked
Mix flours together with the salt. Use your fingers or a
pastry cutter to blend the butter with the flour until it makes pea sized
pieces.
Add the cold water and knead the dough until the
ingredients are combined and hold together.
Divide the dough into four pieces and roll each piece into
a rough circle, 1/8 inch thick. Cut into square using a knife, or use a
heart-shaped cookie cutter.
Bake at 375 F for ten minutes until lightly browned.
Salsa Verde aka Green Chutney
For the recipe I used garlic and walking onions grown in
my own garden, but you can use regular white onions, or whatever you've got on
hand. This salsa is great in soups and stews and you can use it as a condiment
for anything that appeals. I hope you are enjoying this wonderful harvest
season!
1 lb tomatillos
1 cup chopped purslane (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c chopped onions
4 cloves garlic
juice of one lime
4 seeded jalapeno peppers
Optional: cilantro and or mint to taste
Simply put the cleaned and chopped ingredients in a food processor and blend to
the desired texture.
Deconstructed
Samosa Filling
5 small potatoes
1 14 oz. can chick peas
Garnish
1 bunch fresh cilantro
salsa verde and chutney
plain yogurt or raita
Peel and boil the potatoes until they are fork tender.
Drain and cool.
Drain the chickpeas. You can save the liquid in the tin
(aka aqua faba) for other recipes.
Rinse the chickpeas in a strainer. Put the chickpeas in a small pan with
½ cup of water and 1 tbs chopped cilantro. Simmer for five minutes over medium
heat (or longer if you prefer a softer texture). Drain.
Before serving, reheat the chickpeas and potatoes. Cut the
potatoes into bite-sized cubes and fry with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Fry
the chickpeas in olive oil until heated through.
Put a portion of potatoes in a bowl and spoon on some of
the chickpeas. Add some of the crackers on top and spoon on some
chutney/salsa/raita.
And that's a wrap! Thanks to everyone who came to our workshops and we hope that these recipes become your own family favourites! From our heart to yours, please take care of yourselves and nourish your heart, belly, mind, and soul. Bee safe, bee kind and bee calm.
Photo by Crystal Lee
