Tasty Tangents

Food, life and other morsels

May 22, 2009
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Potato salad with sott’aceti

Potato Salad with Sott'aceti

Potato Salad with Sott'aceti

My neighbour gave me this recipe for a delicious and simple potato salad, with a twist. It calls for sott’aceti, which literally translates to ‘under vinegar,’ and is a mix of pickled cauliflower, carrots, onions, celery, gherkins, olives and red peppers. At the grocery store they’d be called ‘Pickled Italian Style Vegetables.’ I use the Unico brand, but it doesn’t matter, and you have the choice of hot or mild. One of these days, I will try this recipe with variations on the pickled theme, but it’s just so good the way it is.

Ingredients:
-8 Yukon Gold potatoes (or at least one per person, depending on size)
-1/4 cup olive oil. to taste
-a 750 mL jar Pickled Italian Style Vegetables, chopped, reserve liquid
-fresh chopped chives, to taste
-salt and pepper, to taste

Clean and cut potatoes into 2 inch cubes (about 8 cubes per half potato). Boil in salted water until fork tender. Drain. In bowl combine potatoes, fresh chives, olive oil, salt and pepper. Chop pickled vegetables and add to bowl, along with about 1 cup of the liquid from the jar. This acts as the acid part of the salad dressing. A lot of this recipe is about your taste preferences, so feel free to add things gradually, especially the oil, pickled vegetables and liquid from the vegetables, and taste it as you go along.

May 21, 2009
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Ain’t nothing but a trifle

Summer berry trifle

Summer berry trifle

If you have the right ingredients around, you can make a dessert that looks really complicated and tastes delicious, but it is actually very simple. We were having some neighbours over for dinner, so we put together a tasty trifle, that is very fruity and summery. But we used all the conveniences our pantry and freezer could provide.

What I used:
-1 frozen Sara Lee Pound Cake, cut into 1 inch squares
-1 package Jell-O Vanilla Instant Pudding
-1L tub of Cool Whip
-1 cup washed strawberries, quartered
-1 cup washed blueberries
-juice of 1/2 lemon
-1/4 cup granulated sugar
-a dash of Peach Schnapps
-2 tablespoons shaved chocolate (or some cocoa) to garnish

First follow the package directions to make the pudding. In a separate bowl, toss together the blueberries, strawberries, sugar, schnapps (substitute your favourite liquor here, or skip it altogether) and the juice of the lemon (you could easily throw the zest in too).

Next, using a clear bowl or trifle bowl (something see through with straight sides is ideal), layer half the diced cake, then half the fruit mixture, half the pudding, and about 1/3 of the Cool Whip. Repeat the layers. Top it with the shaved chocolate. Voila. Pretty, summery and quick.

Never be afraid to try similar substitutions. Use whatever fruit you have around, try it with chocolate pudding, use ladyfingers or sponge cake, use orange instead of lemon juice, or make it in individual servings by using tall glasses. Happy non-baking!

May 20, 2009
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If I had 1,000,000 Flavours

Ben and Jerry's 'If I had 1,000,000 Flavours' from the outside and inside.

Ben and Jerry's 'If I had 1,000,000 Flavours' from the outside and inside.

After seeing media coverage here and here of the new ice cream flavour ‘If I had a Million Flavours,’ I knew I had to try it. Described as chocolate and vanilla ice cream with peanut butter cups, chocolate covered almonds, chocolate covered toffee and white chocolate chunks, it seemed to be a chocolate and nut lover’s paradise (read, heaven for me). It also doesn’t hurt that the Ladies are donating their cut to support the ABC CANADA Literacy Foundation.

While I didn’t think it would be out yet, I got lucky and found it on a hunt of the local grocery store on the May long weekend. And boy was it worth it, despite big price tag (nearly $7 for the tiny tub) and the hefty 300 calorie count per half cup. I personally think it could do without the white chocolate, but I guess they wanted to keep all their chocolate flavours covered. So if you’re a chocoholic like I am, it might be worth a try of this super-rich ice cream.

May 17, 2009
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Sweet potato fries

Montana's Sweet Potato Fries

Montana's Sweet Potato Fries

Hubby had a craving for sweet potato fries. He doesn’t often have major food cravings, entirely unlike me, so it’s always a good idea to satisfy his cravings as soon as possible. On this occasion we opted to go to Montana’s Bar and Grill, one of several restaurant chains that serve the fries, mostly out of convenience, but also because you can get some fairly reliable good food there. Their crinkle cut version is served with a creamy mayo-based ‘ancho garlic dip.’ It is served in one of the most fun ways I’ve seen, in an entirely unpretentious measuring cup. Needless to say the craving was satisfied, but more importantly I was reminded that serving this creatively can be fun and doesn’t need to be expensive.

May 14, 2009
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Balanced meals

Ginger and Garlic Salmon with Rice, Broccoli raab and Bruschetta

Ginger and Garlic Salmon with Rice, Broccoli raab and Bruschetta

Lots of colour and variety on your dinner plate make for not only a good looking and appealing meal, but often also a well-balanced meal. A serving of protein, two servings of grains and two to three servings of vegetables and fruits has always been my goal when it comes to a proper dinner. Plus you get a little bit of oil and a little bit of milk, in the form of cheese, maybe. The protein for this meal was baked salmon with garlic, ginger, chives, s&p and a drizzle of olive oil and lime juice. For veggies, broccoli raab sautéed with garlic and olive oil, and diced tomato with salt, olive oil, basil and crushed garlic. The grains were rice (I know brown rice would have been better, but the white rice was nice for a change) and toasted, sliced Italian crusty buns.