Traditional Recipes

Sesame Naan Bread: A Cast Iron Skillet Recipe

January 10, 2020 by Sylvia Rose 2 Comments

It’s time to pull out the cast iron skillet and learn how to whip up a batch of this sesame naan bread. It’s the perfect accompaniment for those winter soups and curries!

CAST IRON SKILLET SESAME NAAN BREAD

If you’ve never had naan before, it’s kind of like pita bread that’s found in many Eastern cuisines.

When I think of naan, Indian is the first cuisine that comes to mind, but it’s one of many.

Traditionally, naan is baked in a tandoor oven, but since I don’t have one of those in my kitchen, I always turn to my trusty cast-iron skillet whenever I’m making a batch. This is also the case when I make flour tortillas and breakfast biscuits, so naan bread is a natural fit.

If you’re new to the world of cast iron cooking, you might want to read up on how to use cast-iron cookware, but if you know your way around cast iron, please, continue. Of course.

It’s also possible to use whatever pan you wish, but I hope you give cast iron a shot!

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How to Make Madeleines: a Classic French Recipe

December 13, 2019 by Sylvia Rose 4 Comments

Madeleines are delightful buttery little cakes with endless flavour possibilities. Learn how to make these classic treats to go with your cup of coffee or to share with a friend.

MADELEINES IN THE TRANSPORTER

Madeleines may have never come across my radar until later in life had I not watched The Transporter back in 2010.

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This action-packed Jason Statham film includes a scene involving these buttery little cakes that are baked in special seashell moulds.

Ever since then, I’ve been obsessed, much to my husband’s (Big Papa’s) confusion. He doesn’t understand how I can be over the moon with something so simple.

That’s what I love about them though.

There’s beauty in simplicity, and often, I find, the simplest recipes are the most delicious. By the way, here’s that Transporter scene I’m talking about:

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A French Canadian Tourtière Recipe

December 6, 2019 by Sylvia Rose 4 Comments

This French Canadian tourtière is the taste of the holidays for many Quebecers. A flavourful beef and pork filling wrapped in a flaky pâte brisée pie crust, how can anyone go wrong?

There’s a region in Québec that’s a couple of hundred kilometres north of the famous St. Lawrence River, up the Saguenay River, called Lac St-Jean. I have family who live there and if they hear someone call a meat pie that isn’t from Lac St-Jean a tourtière, they are quick to disparage it.

There are tourtière recipes out there that are branded as Lac St-Jean style, but really, everyone’s recipes are so different that it’s hard for me to understand what makes that a tourtière, and my tourtière a meat pie.

By the way, here’s some food history for you. The name tourtière comes from the cooking dish these pies used to be prepared in, and the dish itself is of French origin.

Oh, and just so you know, this is not a tourtière from Lac St-Jean, nor is it in that style. It’s a French Canadian tourtière. The family can flay me later.

RELATED: Bacon and Sauerkraut Quiche

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Victory Borscht: An Easy Oil-Free Wartime Recipe

September 27, 2019 by Sylvia Rose 12 Comments

Victory Borscht is a winner in more ways than one. This jewel-coloured beauty of a soup is rich in flavour and completely oil-free. Let’s dive into the history behind this simple, hearty recipe and then learn how to make it yourself!

A GLIMPSE INTO WARTIME FRUGALITY

Let’s rewind to a time often glamorized for its style, gallantry, and grace: World War II. Although people lived with an elegance we rarely see today, they also lived with scarcity. Here, in a world full of abundance, we often overlook how resourceful our great-grandmothers had to be.

Frugality is a word that makes some folks cringe, but during WWII, it was a necessity, not an option. The women of that era didn’t have the luxury of being wasteful—they had to be creative and self-sufficient. Learning from them can teach us valuable skills we can apply today.

RELATED: WWII Food Rationing Tips

VICTORY BORSCHT RECIPE VIDEO

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Quick and Easy Escargot Appetizers

September 20, 2019 by Sylvia Rose 7 Comments

Whether you love them or hate them, there’s no denying that escargots are a classic appetizer. If you’re a fan of cheesy garlic slugs, then you’ll want to learn how to make these quick and easy escargot appetizers!

LOVE AT FIRST SNAIL

The first time I ever had escargots, I was four.

I didn’t understand that they were snails, but even if I had, I wouldn’t have cared a stitch. They were cheesy, garlicky, chewy and delicious. What wasn’t to love?

From that moment on escargots were my favourite appetizer, but they were hard to come by for a German-Canadian child. Because there was a paucity of snails in my youth, I elevated them up in my mind as something to be sought after.

There’s something elegant about being served escargots, don’t you think? After all, they’re a delicacy!

EASY ESCARGOT RECIPES (A VIDEO)

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Easy German Currywurst for Oktoberfest

September 10, 2019 by Sylvia Rose 2 Comments

German currywurst recently marked its 70th anniversary, and it’s no small wonder why! This convenient and delicious street food can be found everywhere you go in Germany. No Oktoberfest party should be without it!

Eating German currywurst with chopsticks

MEET MY SPECIAL GUEST!

If you caught the video for this post or for my spätzle post, then you’ve already met my mother. That’s her in the picture below! Isn’t she radiant? Her name is Petra and she’s taught me everything I know about German food.

I didn’t think I would need her expertise in making currywurst, because it’s such a basic preparation, but as it turns out, I was wrong.

She’s been enjoying German currywurst since the ’70s and has curry ketchup in her blood. I was foolish to think I wasn’t going to learn something from her!

When most people reach for the ketchup, relish and mustard to dress their sausages, she’s the outlier with her currywurst.

Presenting German Currywurst for Oktoberfest

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