Octopustew

Anita and I were surprised to find a whole frozen octopus at the local Walmart Supercentre (yes, I'm sorry, we actually went shopping at the evil empire). So off we went, in search of a recipe that would make use of this frozen tentacled beast. And while preparing the octopus was a slimy and slightly gross affair, the end result was a delicious stew of whiskey fired octopus and potatoes in a tomato and white wine base.














Octopus Stew

Ingredients

2 lbs Octopus
3 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Red Onion, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic - finely chopped
2 tbsp Whiskey
300ml White Wine
2 x 14 oz cans Chopped Tomatoes
1 Chilli Pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 tsp Paprika
1 lb Nugget Potatoes
Thyme, Rosemary to taste
4 cups Chicken or Fish Stock
Salt and Pepper, to Taste

Method

-Cut Octopus into large chunks, cover with water in pot, and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 45 minutes to tenderize Octopus. Drain and cut into bit sized chunks.
-Heat oil in large pan. Fry onion lightly, add garlic, then add octopus and fry for 2 minutes.
-Pour Whiskey over octopus and ignite. When flames die down, add wine and bring to boil. Simmer gently for 5 minutes.
-Stir in chopped tomatoes, chilli, paprika, potatoes, thyme and rosemary. Simmer another 5 minutes.
-Add chicken stock, season with salt and pepper, then simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
-Serve with bread.

Bon Appetit!

Nutella Chocolatey Explosion

I found a recipe for Nutella Cake in a mug that I wanted to surprise Anita with when she got home from Edmonton this afternoon. I followed the instructions faithfully (mix ingredients in a big mug, then microwave for 1 - 3 mins depending on wattage), but apparently a cake mixture can superheat after only 2 minutes in a microwave. The result was not unlike one of those baking soda and vinegar paper mâché volcano science fair experiments from grade 4 - messy.



Nutella Mug Cake

Ingredients

4 tablespoons self rising flour
4 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons Nutella
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

Method

Combine all ingredients in a large coffee mug.
Whisk well with a fork until smooth.
Microwave on high for 1 1/2 – 3 minutes. (Time depends on microwave wattage)
Top with whipped cream and a little chocolate sauce if desired.

The end result wasn't pretty, but it did taste yummy. My suggestion - microwave for 30 second intervals, check in between rounds so as to avoid the volcanic eruption.

The Mach Diner

I'd been wanting to try out a recipe for German pancakes for a couple weeks now, but we'd been so busy with travelling for leisure, travelling for work, packing and unpacking, and generally having no time to do so. Well finally, on this third day of our long weekend, I whipped up the motivation (and a batch of batter) to give it a whirl. I present to you: German Pancakes with cinnamon apples topped with icing sugar a la mode. Garnish with market fresh blackberries.



Recipe:

1 tsp canola oil
2 large eggs
3 large egg whites
2/3 cups flour
2/3 cups milk
1 tsp butter

Cinnamon Apples
1 tbsp butter
3-4 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored, cut into slices)
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup apple juice
1 tsp cinnamon (or to taste)
icing sugar (as much as you like)
Ice Cream

1. Heat oven to 450 deg. F
2. Grease pie pan, heat in oven for 5 mins.
3. Process eggs, egg whites, flour, milk, and butter in food processor until well blended.
4. Pour batter into hot pan, bake 20 mins. Reduce temp to 350 deg. F, and bake 10 mins or until puffy.
5. Prepare apples in skillet - melt butter, add apples, sugar, apple juice, and cook uncovered over medium heat for 10 mins until apples are soft (I like mine mushy, so add more time).
6. Cut pancakes into pie slices, top with apples, and dust liberally with icing sugar. Serve a la mode. Garnish with fresh fruit.

Cheddar Beer Bread

I'm on a bit of a yeast kick this week - my little yeasties are busy bubbling away in a cauldron as they ferment the 23 litres of water, malt and sugar into beer (check in with me a month later, and I'll tell you how the brew turned out). And then I decided I'd try out a Cheddar Beer Bread recipe tonight. Now all I need is to get a yeast infection, and my Yeast Triumvirate of Awesomeness will be complete...

Recipe:
3 cups Flour
3 tbsp Sugar
1 tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Oil
1 cup Grated Old Cheddar
1 can Room Temperature Beer

Stir flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Add oil and beer, mixing just until blended (dough will be lumpy). Bake in greased loaf pan @ 375F for 40-45 min. Crack a beer and serve. Delish!


Recipe stolen from an insert in the Calgary Herald.