Flour Tortillas

These of course go really well with Refried Beans, Ensalada de Col, Red Rice, Chocolate Chilli, or Black Bean Chilli, sour cream, cheese and, oh, anything else that would make a good burrito or enchilada. You can make the dough well in advance and refrigerate before you're ready to use it. 

3⅓ cups (460g) white flour 

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

⅓ cup neutral vegetable oil or lard

Up to 1 cup warm water

1. Combine the dry ingredients, then make a well in the center and add the oil and up to ¾ of the water. Stir well until all dry ingredients are incorporated and the dough begins to come together to form a shaggy ball. Add some more water if it seems like it isn't sticking together.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 1 to 2 minutes or until the dough is nice and smooth. 
3. Divide into 16 equal portions (about 50gr) and form each piece into a ball. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes (or as much as 2 hours).
4. When ready to cook the dough, heat a large pan over medium heat. 
5. On a floured surface roll each dough piece into a rough circle, about 7 to 8" inches in diameter (don’t stack uncooked tortillas on top of each other or they will stick together).
6. When the pan is hot, place one dough circle into the pan and allow to cook 45 seconds to 1 minute or until the bottom surface has a few pale brown spots and the uncooked surface is bubbly. If browning too fast, reduce the heat a bit. If it’s taking longer than a minute to see a few pale golden brown spots on the underside of tortillas, increase the heat a bit. Flip to other side and cook for 15-20 seconds. The tortillas should be nice and soft but have a few small brown spots on the surface. Sometimes they will puff up, don't worry, they'll be delicious.
7. Cover with a towel and keep warm until ready to serve. Easily saved and re-heated on a dry pan until soft again.

Nettle Ravioli

A bit of fancy for spring's first fresh greens. Stinging nettles are full of nutrients and blah blah blah. Most importantly, they are tasty! For seasonal cooking, what's left in your stores that can go with the first of the year's fresh food? I came up with this earthy, grounding recipe that's also a li'l bit fancy. The pine nuts can be replaced by other locally grown nuts like walnuts or hazelnuts. As with many substitutions, you may have to adjust the quantity a bit to balance the flavors to your liking.

Pasta dough

2 cups flour (or try 3 oz flour per egg)

3 eggs

pinch salt

Filling

50g by weight stinging nettle leaves, tough stems removed

1 clove garlic

25g by weight of pine nuts

1 egg

salt and pepper

a little oil

Sauce

1/4 cup (2oz/58gr) butter per 16 ravioli

1 clove garlic, pressed

1 Tbsp snipped fresh sage, oregano, Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, and/or chives or 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Garnish

Ground black pepper

Grated parmesan

Pasta - part 1

1. On a board or the counter, make a mound of flour, sprinkle on the salt, create a bowl in the centre of the flour mound, crack in the eggs and start combining with your fingers. You should end up with a very dry dough, almost cracking. Cover and allow to rest for 1 hour. 

Filling

1. Simmer all the nettles in a little water for ten minutes then drain. 
2. Put the nettle on a strong paper towel or tea towel, fold the towel to make a bag around the nettle, and twist to squeeze out the excess water. The nettle should be a little clump of just moist, pressed material when you're done. Chop finely.
3. Roughly grind the pine nuts.
4. In a small bowl whisk the egg. Mix in the chopped nettles, pressed garlic, pine nuts, salt and pepper.
5. Heat a small non-stick pan, add a little oil, and dump in the egg and nettle mixture. Cook just until the egg starts to solidify.
6. Set aside while rolling out the pasta.

Pasta - part 2

1. After the hour of rest, knead the dough for about 10 minutes before rolling out the pasta.
2. Divide the dough into two balls and roll as thin as you can (1/8" or thinner) or run through the pasta machine up to the thinnest setting. If the dough is sticky when you're rolling it, there isn't enough flour, so sprinkle some on, fold, and run it through again until it becomes a nice smooth sheet.
3. To stuff the ravioli: lay out one sheet of pasta on a floured surface. Evenly space out small lumps of the filling allowing plenty of room of virgin dough to make a good seal. Brush around the filling with water.
4. Lay the second sheet of pasta on top, smoothing out and pressing gently to make the two sheets touch around the stuffing and seal with the help of the dampened bottom sheet (this last bit can also be done after cutting the shapes).
5. Cut out the ravioli in circles or squares with a knife or pasta cutter. Press out any remaining air bubbles and be OCD about pressing the edges a lot.
6. While bringing a large pot of salted water to a simmer, prepare the sauce.

The Sauce

1. In a medium saucepan, heat the butter to a froth and cook about 4-5 minutes. 
2. Add the pressed garlic and continue cooking and stirring over medium heat until the butter is lightly browned, another 2-4 minutes. 
3. Remove from heat and stir in the herb(s).

The Big Finish

1. Reduce the heat under the boiling water and let it slow to a gentle simmer. Carefully drop in the ravioli and cook until they rise to the surface and puff up (3-4 minutes). 
2. With a slotted spoon remove the ravioli and put directly in the sauce, covering each of them with the butter sauce before dropping in the next one.
3. Plate the ravioli, drizzle any remaining sauce on top, and garnish with fresh ground pepper and parmesan.

Ensalada de col (Mexican spiced coleslaw)

Goes very well with Refried Beans!

½ cup chopped cilantro

½ of a small onion (2oz/62g) chopped, preferably red

½ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

2 Tbsps lime juice, about one lime

1 Tbsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

4 cups (400gr) shredded cabbage (can be a mix of different brassicas, shredded)

1. Put everything except for the cabbage in a mason jar and shake like a cocktail. The succussion will emulsify the ingredients very quickly. Allow the dressing to sit while prepping the rest of the salad so that the flavors can combine. 
2. Combine dressing with the cabbage and serve. You can also do this the day before and allow for the cabbage to wilt a little in the dressing.

Boules de Noël - Chocolate wrapped peanut butter balls

Holidays are filled with family recipes. I have many favorites, but few that I actually make. This is one that I love to make. The peanut butter center has a lovely consistency, and the soft walnuts and chewy dates complement each other very well. No fancy chocolate - it melts in your fingers so you're forced to lick it off

Centre

1/2 cup icing sugar (75g)

1 cup peanut butter (250g)

1 cup finely chopped cooking dates (140g)

1 cup finely chopped walnuts (110g)

1 Tbsp butter (15g)

1 tsp vanilla

1. Mix ingredients together until uniform. 
2. Roll into small balls and put on wax or parchment paper and let set in the refrigerator. Makes about 30.

Chocolate covering

250 grams semi-sweet chocolate

1. Melt together in bain marie, allow to cool slightly, then dip balls to cover. Set on wax or parchment paper and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate to avoid sticking.

Pork Pot Pie with Dumpling Topping

1 Tbsp fat (veg oil or lard)

8oz pork loin cut into ¼" pieces
1 lb fresh sausage in 1" pieces or crumbled, to taste (I use Italian sausage)

½ tsp salt

Black pepper to taste

1 Tbsp fat (veg oil or lard)

½ onion (4oz/115g) chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup flour

¼ cup brandy or cognac (whiskey will do in a pinch)

3 cups chicken broth or stock 

¼ cup heavy cream 

2 medium carrots, sliced 

8oz potatoes, cubed smallish

OPTIONAL 1½ cups fine chopped kale or cabbage

1. This is a one-pot meal so be sure to have a pot big enough to contain the filling and allow for the dumplings to rise and spread. 
2. Heat the pot for a few minutes then add the fat. Brown the cubed pork and set aside. 
3. You should have at least 2 Tbsps. of fat from cooking the meat. If not, add some butter or more lard. 
4. In the hot leftover oil, cook the sausage. 
5. When the excess moisture from the meat has mostly evaporated, add the onions and garlic to the sausage, stirring until soft and transparent. 
6. Stir in the flour until completely combined. Take the time to brown the flour in the fat to cook away pasty raw flour taste. Pour in the cognac or brandy or whiskey and combine, stirring constantly until the sharp alcoholic aroma leaves the liquor and is reduced, at least by half. The bottom of your pot will likely be dark brown with cooked-on fond. This is great! 
7. Add the chicken broth and cream, and stir to combine. If it looks a bit lumpy, don't worry, it'll smooth out during the simmering. You can also spend some time loosening some of the fond by scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.
8. Add the browned pork (and the kale if using) and bring to a simmer and braise until the pork is fork tender, about ½ hour. 
9. Stir in carrots and potatoes. Return to a simmer and cook another 15 minutes before adding the dumplings.

Dumplings

1¼  cups flour

3½  tsps. baking powder

½  tsp salt

½  cup milk

1 egg

OPTIONAL : ½ tsp dry herb that complements the flavor of your sausage

1. Mix together dry ingredients just before adding to the pot. Letting the batter sit isn't good. 
2. In a separate bowl, mix milk and egg together. 
3. Dump wet over dry and mix briefly, only enough that the dry and wet are well blended. 
4. Divide dough into four portions and gently plop on top of the stew in the pot. 
5. Cover and cook 15 minutes. NOTE: Do not lift lid until done.

Plain old Tomato Spaghetti Sauce

Pasta with tomato sauce was an inexpensive  mainstay in my kitchen while in university. This is a slightly more fulsome version. Very good just on spaghetti and also good in recipes requiring a tomato sauce such as lasagna.

3 Tbsps. olive oil

1 medium onion (6oz/170gr) , chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

OPTIONAL ½ lb. mushrooms, sliced AND/OR 1 chopped green pepper

2 tsps. dry basil OR 2 Tbsps. fresh basil, minced

1 tsp oregano OR 1 Tbsp fresh oregano, minced

2 bay leaves

1½ tsps. salt, to taste

28oz (796 mL) canned tomato, diced or purée 

6oz tomato paste

2 Tbsps. red wine, to taste

¼ tsp black pepper

Optional - 1 medium tomato, chopped

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the onion and garlic to sauté. While the onions cook, chop and/or add the garlic, green pepper, optional mushrooms, basil, oregano, bay leaves and salt. Continue to cook until the onions transparent and very soft.
2. When the onions are cooked, add the tomato purée and paste, red wine, fresh tomato and pepper.
3. Cover and very slowly simmer for at least 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Before serving add the parsley.
5. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan

Zuppa di pasta e fagioli

Hearty and warming. I usually don't like pasta that get all fat and soggy, but in this soup it actually works. The starch from the pasta cooking in the soup makes the broth wonderfully silky, and the soft pasta works well with the beans.

1 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for drizzling

5 slices bacon (70gr), cut into lardons 

5 cloves garlic, smashed

1 small onion, roughly chopped

¼ tsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste

1 sprig finely chopped fresh rosemary

5 fresh plum tomatoes (10oz/285mg) or ½ canned, diced  

1 lb dry beans

    -  or 3 pounds fresh, shelled, preferably cranberry/borlotti beans

    -  for dried any larger bean like pinto or romano

6 cups water 

6 cups beef broth

2 bay leaves

1 piece parmesan cheese rind

1 tsp salt, to taste

½ cup (1oz/128g) grated parmesan, and more for topping

8 oz small pasta such as shells or ditalini or orzo

1 bunch (4 to 8oz) kale and/or chard, stems and ribs sliced thin, leaves chopped 

¼ cup roughly chopped fresh parsley

2 Tbsps. olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Lots of freshly ground pepper

OPTIONAL - Fresh Croutons

1. Heat the oil in a large pot (this makes lots of soup) and render the bacon until it's crispy.
2. Add the garlic, onion, red pepper flakes and rosemary. Cook until the onions soften.
3. Stir in the tomatoes and cook until they start to release their juices. 
4. Add the beans, water, broth, bay leaves and parmesan rind and kale stems and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the beans are tender, 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours.
5. Return the soup to a boil. Add the kale/chard leaves and the pasta and cook until the pasta is cooked.  
6. The soup should be thick and creamy; if too thick, thin with water until you get the consistency you want.
7. Remove the bay leaves and parmesan rind; add the salt, the grated parmesan, parsley and remaining 2 Tbsps. olive oil. Adjust seasoning to taste. Top with more olive oil and parmesan and a few grinds of black pepper.
8. Optional 'croutons'. These are not true croutons, just a quick and dirty version. Figure for 1 slice per bowl of soup. Double toast some bread until pretty dry (but not completely), butter while hot, and chop up with a knife. Garnish each bowl of soup.