Flan De Naranja; Orange Flan

(6 servings)

The other day I came home with a variety of oranges, tangerines and tangelos. They were all on sale and I couldn't help myself. I have been peeling and eating most of them, but I had enough to try a Spanish orange flan recipe I spotted online a while back. I loved that it contained no milk or cream; only juice and eggs.

I made mine with freshly squeezed juice and reduced the amount of sugar the recipe called for because my juice already seemed sweet enough. I also added the zest from one of the tangelos to the juice and let that sit for a bit. I have been using a microplaner in place of my conventional zester with terrific results. The zest I obtain from the microplaner is so fine, there's more surface overall creating a pungent citrusy fragrance/flavour from the oils in the peel.

This flan was delicious and exceeded my expectations, however the next time I make this I will use 6 ramekins instead of 1 larger dish. I think the single servings will make a nicer presentation.

adapted from a recipe at tusrecetasdecocina.com

1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp water
2 - 3 tbsp honey, to taste
2 cups freshly squeezed orange, tangerine or tangelo juice
about 1 tbsp orange, tangerine or tangelo zest
4 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 325°F

Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the bottom of a *small (1 qt.) ovenproof dish. Sprinkle the water over the sugar until the sugar is soaked evenly. Place the dish into a microwave and cook for about 1 1/2-2 minutes on high to start and then about 15-20 sec. intervals until the sugar becomes a nice **medium brown colour. Remove (the dish will be very hot) and swirl the sugar mixture so it coats the entire bottom and sides. Set aside.

*or use 6 ramekins in which case it might be easier to make the syrup over the stove top in a pot.

** Watch the syrup carefully because once it begins to change colour, it will darken rapidly. I use a low powered microwave and I check the syrup every 15 seconds once it begins to change.

Combine one tablespoon of honey with the juice. Add more if needed. Stir in the zest and set aside.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl until the yolks and whites are well combined. Whisk in the juice mixture.
Pour the mixture through a sieve carefully into the baking dish with the caramelized sugar. Press the zest with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much flavour as possible. Cover the top with a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper cut to fit.

Place the baking dish into a larger baking dish and fill with hot water about 1/2 way up the side of the flan dish. Place into oven and bake/steam for about 50-65 minutes or until the flan has set.

Allow to cool completely. Loosen the edges with a sharp knife, and dip the bottom of the dish into hot water for about 30 seconds. Carefully invert the flan onto a serving platter and serve.

Cheese & Onion Enchiladas with Beef Chili Sauce

(4-5 servings)

My cheese and onion enchiladas aren't photogenic after I remove them from the oven, but they are tasty and I always look forward to eating them. I have no idea what restaurants do to make theirs look attractive.

1 tbsp olive oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped (about 1 1/2 lbs)

1 tbsp coconut oil or a high heat oil
1 lb lean ground sirloin
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups beef broth
2 tbsp concentrated tomato paste
2-3 tbsp chili powder, to taste
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp oregano
3 tbsp masa harina or corn flour
salt, if needed

hot water
8-9 corn tortillas
the reserved and cooled sauteed onions
1/2 lb Queso Oaxaca or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
1/4 lb cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)
1/2-1 jalapeno pepper, washed and thinly sliced

Heat the olive oil in a large non stick skillet over a medium flame and add the onions. Saute them, stirring from time to time until they are a nice golden hue; about 20 minutes.

Place the onions into a large mixing bowl and leave to cool.

Wipe out the skillet, set over a high flame and add the coconut oil.

When the oil is hot add the ground sirloin and fry, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until it has browned nicely.

Lower the heat and stir in the garlic. Cook for about a minute, then pour in the beef broth. Stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, coriander and oregano. Simmer the sauce for about 12-15 minutes, giving it a good stir once or twice.

Sprinkle the masa harina over the sauce and stir until everything is evenly combined. Simmer for another minute or two until the sauce has thickened. Check and see if it needs salt. Remove from heat.

Spoon a little more than half of the sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Fill a bowl or pan large enough to hold the tortillas with hot water; from the tap is fine.

Place two tortillas into the water at a time and leave for about a minute until they have softened.

While the first two tortillas are soaking in the water combine the two cheeses. Set aside about 1/4 cup of cheese and add the rest to the cooled onions. Toss to combine.

Fill each tortilla with about 1/8 of  the onion and cheese mixture. This will be a generous amount of filling. Place a few slices of jalapeno pepper over each one and roll up.

Place each enchilada into the casserole dish with the seam side facing down. Keep adding another tortilla to the water after you finish rolling one up, until they are all done. When all of them are in the casserole, spoon the remaining sauce evenly over the top and sprinkle the reserved cheese over that.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until the casserole is bubbling hot.

Remove from oven and serve.

Tuna Rice Salad

(4 servings)

If you are looking for alternatives to potato and pasta salads, consider making a rice salad. In addition to being a nice change, they are relatively easy to make and will keep refrigerated for a couple of days.

5-6 cups lightly salted water
1 cup white long grain rice
1 5oz tin tuna packed in water, drained and flaked
3-4 small dill pickles, diced
1/4 large red onion, diced
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
2 tbsp pimentos, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
salt, if needed

Bring about 5 -6 cups of lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in the rice and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Rinse the rice under cold water and drain. Place into a salad bowl.

Add the tuna, pickles, red onion, dill and pimentos. Drizzle the olive oil over the mixture and squeeze the juice from half a lemon to start. Grind pepper over everything and toss.

Check and adjust the seasoning as you toss the salad, adding more lemon juice, ground pepper or chopped dill, as needed.  I usually don't add more salt because the rice was simmered in salted water and pickles are usually salty as well, but check just in case.

This salad will keep refrigerated for a few days, just bring to room temperature and fluff up with a fork.

Aloo Gobi; Potato & Cauliflower

(Serves 2 as a meal or 4 as a side)

There was a time whenever I went to an Indian restaurant with a group of friends, Aloo Gobi would be one of the dishes we would order to share. I've had several versions of it, some dryer than others, spicier or combined with peas or spinach. I love to add peas to mine primarily for their colour and they just seem to compliment the potatoes and cauliflower.

As is the case with most things I prepare in the kitchen, this dish is always slightly different depending on which spices I happen to have on hand. I didn't have mustard or coriander seeds today, so I used their ground counterparts instead. If you prefer something hotter, then trade out the jalapeno pepper for a serrano or even a habanero, if you can stand the heat. Lately I have been leaving the seeds in my jalapenos; quite an achievement for this wimpy Canadian!

2 tbsp ghee, clarified butter or olive oil, if vegan
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground mustard seed
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt, to taste
1 large tomato, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup water
1 lb new potatoes, scrubbed and cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 large cauliflower, about 1 lb
1/2 cup frozen peas
small handful cilantro, chopped


Heat the ghee in a large skillet or saucepan with a tight fitting lid. When it's hot, add the cumin seeds and fry for a minute or two. Reduce the heat and stir in the garlic and minced ginger. Stirring the mixture, fry for another minute or so.

Stir in the coriander, turmeric, ground mustard, garam masala, and salt. Add the diced tomato and chopped pepper. Adjust the heat to keep things from burning, cook this mixture until the tomatoes begin to break down.

Stir in the water and the potatoes. Cook the mixture for about 3 minutes then stir in the cauliflower. Cover the pan or skillet and lower the heat. Cook for about 10-14 minutes or until the vegetables are almost done.

Remove the lid and stir in the frozen peas. If the mixture is watery, then increase the heat and cook while stirring until most of the liquid has evaporated. If the mixture is on the dry side, then leave the heat on low and cook until the peas have heated through.

Stir in the cilantro and serve either as a meal with cooked rice or as a side with a larger Indian meal.

Mushroom & Red Wine Sauce

(about 4 servings)

Mushrooms are in season in Texas at the moment and on sale practically everywhere I've seen them. I grabbed a little over a pound to make this quick and easy sauce. Every time I make this, it's a bit different. You can swap out the rosemary for thyme or sage. You can add finely chopped shallots along with the garlic and lastly if you prefer something a bit richer then stir in a tablespoon or two of heavy cream right at the end taking care not to let the sauce come to a boil after you do so.

Regardless how you make it, the finished sauce is great with meat or poultry or over a bed of rice or pasta. Listed below are the ingredients for the way I made it this time. I used beef broth, but you can replace that with mushroom or vegetable broth for a vegetarian meal.

3 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 lb mushrooms, cut up or sliced
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup beef, mushroom or vegetable broth
splash of wine
1 tbsp corn starch
salt, to taste

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add the garlic and fry for about 30 seconds.

Add the mushrooms and increase the heat slightly. Fry the mushrooms while stirring them until they begin to let go of their moisture. Stir in the rosemary and pepper.

Pour in the red wine and broth. Simmer the mushrooms briskly for about 6-10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by about one third.

Combine the splash of wine with the cornstarch until the mixture is smooth. Stir in a few tablespoons of hot liquid from the mushrooms and then pour all of it back into the skillet. Stir until the sauce has thickened; about 1-2 minutes.

Check seasoning and add salt, if needed. Remove from heat.

Serve as a side with meat or poultry or over a bed of rice or pasta.

Buttercrunch Lettuce and Mandarin Orange Salad

(4 servings)

The very first time I tried this salad in Toronto what seems a lifetime ago,  I couldn't get enough of it. It was so good I had to restrain myself from licking the plate! I've altered the salad slightly over the years by reducing the amount of olive oil the original recipe called for as well as swapping out the canned mandarin orange slices in heavy syrup for fresh ones.

This week the last of the Cutie California Mandarins were on sale at the supermarket. I grabbed a huge carton and some of them found their way into this delicious salad.

1 head buttercrunch lettuce, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
6 mandarin oranges
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3 tbsp crushed candied pecans
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp dried mustard powder
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 small avocado


Place the torn lettuce into a large bowl bowl.

Peel 4 mandarins and separate the segments. It's really not necessary to try to remove the membranes as the segments are quite small and it would probably be a pain to do so.

Add the mandarin segments, red onion and pecans to the salad bowl.

Juice the remaining two mandarins and combine the juice with the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey and mustard powder in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop each half out of the peel and dice. Drop the avocado pieces into the dressing. The juice and vinegar will prevent the avocado from discolouring.

When you are ready to serve the salad, empty the avocado pieces and dressing over the salad mixture in the large bowl and toss until everything is evenly combined.

Serve immediately.

Fried Shrimp Cakes

(3-4 servings)

Several years ago I sampled something similar to these cakes in an Asian restaurant. I tried to recreate them in my kitchen and although they were never quite the same, they were really delicious.

These savory clumps of shrimp and sweet potato are bound together with rice starch and egg and then served with a tangy and spicy sauce.

shrimp cakes
1/2 lb medium raw shrimp
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp garlic paste or minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1 sweet potato, about 12 oz
1 Serrano pepper
2 green onions, thinly sliced
salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup rice starch

dipping sauce
3-4 tbsp fish sauce
1-2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce
2-3 tsp fresh lime or lemon juice
1 tsp honey or more to taste
1/2 tsp sesame oil
reserved Serrano pepper, sliced

oil for frying

Clean the shrimp by removing the shells and then the vein which runs along the backs.

Place the cleaned shrimp into a bowl. Drizzle with the fish sauce and add the garlic and ginger. Toss the mixture until everything is evenly combined and the shrimp are coated. Set aside.

Peel the sweet potato and then shred it. Place into a large bowl.

Wash the pepper and then slice about 3/4 inch off one end and set aside for the sauce. You can either remove the seeds or leave them in depending on how much heat you like. Chop the pepper fine and add to the sweet potatoes. Add the sliced green onions. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and freshly cracked pepper.

Toss the sweet potato mixture until it's well combined.

At this point you can either roughly chop the reserved shrimp or leave them intact. I prefer to leave them as they are, but that does create a bit of extra work later on.

Add the shrimp and the marinade to the sweet potato mixture as well as the egg. Stir until well combined.

Sprinkle the rice starch over the shrimp and potato mixture and stir until everything is well combined.

Heat about 1/4 inch of oil in a large skillet until it is quite hot, (you might have to adjust the heat a bit after frying the first batch).

While the oil is heating up, make the sauce.

Combine the fish sauce, tamari, lime juice, honey and sesame oil. Begin with the smaller amounts and keep adding a bit of everything until you find a balance of flavours you like. You can always lighten up the sauce a touch by adding a tablespoon or two of water.

Slice the reserved Serrano pepper and add that to the sauce. Set aside.

If you roughly chopped the shrimp, then take a tablespoon of the mixture and carefully slide it into the hot oil. Pat it down a bit with the back of the spoon to flatten it out somewhat. Form a few more cakes taking care not to crowd them too much. If you left the shrimp intact, then scoop up a tablespoon of the potato mixture and then pick out a shrimp and place that on top. Slide both into the hot oil with the shrimp on top and flatten the cake out slightly in the oil with the back of the spoon.

Fry for about 2 minutes or until the bottom is nicely browned, then carefully flip them over and fry the other side for another minute or two. Remove with a slotted spoon and set on a plate lined with paper towels to drain while you finish the rest.

Serve with the sauce.

Quick Pasta Dinner for Two

(2 servings)

There are endless variations to this recipe which I have never tired of. This quick and easy reduced wine sauce will change slightly depending on what I have on hand. It might also contain capers, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes or olives.

about 5 oz dried pasta
1 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 anchovy fillets (or salt to taste)
3/4 cup red wine
1 tbsp double concentrated tomato paste
a few pinches red pepper flakes
freshly cracked black pepper
20-24 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2 tbsp heavy cream
1tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil and cook the pasta to al dente. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a deep skillet or small wok. Add the garlic and anchovies and stir for about a minute. Pour in the wine. Stir in the tomato paste, red pepper flakes and cracked pepper. Simmer for about 3 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes.

Simmer and allow the liquid to reduce by about half. Stir in the cream. When everything is well combined, taste the sauce and add salt, if needed. Lower the heat and keep warm if the pasta isn't ready.

When the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain it and add it to the sauce. Toss to coat the pasta evenly. 

Divide between two plates and sprinkle with the parsley and Parmesan cheese.