| Last updated at 4:58 PM on 10/11/09 |
Food for Nov. 11 
Warm up with some favourites
MARGARET PROUSE 
The Guardian
It’s a rare year when the weather is fine on Remembrance Day in Prince Edward Island. On the contrary, it’s more likely that cold winds will blow rain or even snow when wreath-laying ceremonies take people outdoors on Nov. 11.
Most people like to warm up with a hot drink after getting chilled outside on Remembrance Day or any fall day. Instead of a cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate, you could drink some hot cider to help you warm up.
It’s easy to make, by simmering fresh apple cider, or even apple juice, briefly with a few whole cloves and cinnamon sticks. Some like to sweeten it slightly with a few spoonfuls of brown sugar or add some cranberry cocktail for a hot cranapple drink.
On cold days, it’s nice to have a few ideas for warming dishes that you can make quickly using a few ingredients that you can keep on hand.
One example is corn chowder. There are hundreds of ways to make it, but here’s the way I do it. You can be very flexible with the ingredients: add chopped celery if desired; omit the bacon if you don’t have any on hand; or replace the evaporated milk with either low-fat or homogenized milk.
CORN CHOWDER
2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and cubed
2 slices bacon, cooked crisp, and crumbled
1 onion, chopped
1 can (398 mL/14 oz) creamed corn
125 mL (½ cup) evaporated milk
125 mL (½ cup) low-fat milk
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Cook potatoes until tender, but still firm, in a little boiling water. Drain.
Cook bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, crumble, and set aside. Pour off most of the fat, leaving just enough to cook chopped onion until tender.
Combine creamed corn, cooked potatoes, cooked onion, evaporated milk and low-fat milk. Stir in crumbled bacon. Taste and add pepper if desired. Serve hot.
Corn chowder goes well with fresh biscuits, which take very little time to prepare and bake. Here is the recipe that I use.
For a tasty, higher-fibre version, use half whole wheat flour and half all purpose flour. Note that biscuits made with whole wheat flour will be a bit more compact than those made with 100 per cent all purpose flour.
Tea Biscuits
425 mL (1 ¾ cups) all purpose flour
20 mL (4 tsp) baking powder
15 mL (1 tbsp) sugar (optional)
50 mL (1/4 cup) cold butter
175 mL (3/4 cup) cold milk
Preheat oven to 220 C (425 F). Combine flour, baking powder, and optional sugar in a large mixing bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives.
Stir in cold milk quickly with a fork to make a soft dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead gently 8-10 times.
Roll the dough 1.5 cm-2.5 cm (1/2-1 inch) thick, and cut with a floured cookie cutter. Place biscuits close together on an ungreased baking sheet. Prick each with a fork several times and brush the surface lightly with milk.
Bake 10-12 minutes, until biscuits are firm and surface is lightly browned.
Here is another soup that is ready in less than an hour. The ingredients are easy to keep on hand for occasions when a bowl of hot homemade soup is just what you want. Adjust the amount of chili powder to suit your taste. If you potted a parsley plant and brought it inside for the winter, here’s a use for it.
20 Minute Tortilla Soup
15 mL (1 tbsp) canola oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small zucchini, diced but not peeled
10 mL (2 tsp) chili powder
1 mL (1/4 tsp) black pepper
750 mL (3 cups) vegetable stock
796 mL (28 oz) diced tomatoes
540 mL (19 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large flour tortilla
25 mL (2 tbsp) minced fresh cilantro or parsley
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat; fry onion, garlic, zucchini, chili powder and pepper, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
Add stock, tomatoes and beans; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut tortilla in half; cut crosswise into thin strips. In a large skillet, toast tortilla strips over medium-low heat, stirring often, until crisp and golden, about 8 minutes.
Ladle into bowls. Garnish with tortilla strips and cilantro.
Makes 4-6 servings.
If you’re looking for something sweet to warm up with, you can bake fresh apples in less than an hour.
Baked Apples
From Roblin, Lynn and Bev Callaghan: “Suppertime Survival” Published by Suppertime Survival, Toronto, 2005.
6 medium apples, unpeeled
75 mL (1/3 cup) packed brown sugar
2 mL (1/2 tsp) cinnamon
15 mL (1 tbsp) soft margarine
Lightly grease a 25 cm (10 inch) glass pie plate or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Core apples; score around middle with sharp knife. Place in pie plate.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon; spoon into centre of each apple. Top each apple with 2 mL (1/2 tsp) of margarine. Add 50 mL (1/4 cup) of water to pie plate.
Bake, uncovered, at 180 C (350 F) for 45 to 55 minutes, or until apples are tender. Serve warm.
Margaret Prouse, a home economist, can be reached by writing her at RR#2, North Wiltshire, P.E.I., C0A 1Y0, or by e-mail at prouse@pei.sympatico.ca.
|
