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Roots and


keepers Deep in autumn, fruits and


vegetables grown in the open have stopped growing in the shorter, colder days we experience in BC in the fall, so we need to finish digging up roots and harvesting winter-keeper produce to enjoy during the snowy, coldest months of the year.


Jude’s Kitchen JUDIE STEEVES


Comfort food is the order of the day, so root vegetables like potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, onions, carrots, garlic, horseradish and parsnips join the long- keeping produce like cabbage, winter squashes, Brussels sprouts, apples and some pears in taking their turn to be featured on our plates as the season’s freshest local offerings. With shorter days, we also turn to light up our spaces with unnatural options such as electricity and candles rather than letting the longer hours of darkness each day curb our activities, so it seems appropriate that the Festival of Lights, or Diwali – a highlight of the Indian calendar – is celebrated on November 7 this year. Sweets and light snack-


filled feasts are the foods traditionally featured during this multi-day festival, such as Aloo Tikki, made with potatoes and onions. Itmight be served as a street food in India. Popping up everywhere


are potatoes, onions and garlic, year-round products that are featured in every imaginable cuisine, from all cultures around the world, served in countless ways, and accompanied by every herb, spice and flavour you can think of. In China, the potato was traditionally not a staple as it was in the cuisine of England and France, but nonetheless, it has found a place in modern dishes. The onion has always been a feature of main dishes, often the scallion version of the onion family. Today, all cuisines of the


world have made their way to North America to become part of a fusion of flavours that are a hallmark of Canadian food. It’s part of what makes cooking here so exciting.


COUNTRY LIFE IN BC • NOVEMBER 2018


Celebrate Diwali on November 7 with a traditional Indian dish, Aloo Tikki. JUDIE STEEVES PHOTO ALOO TIKKI


These crunchy little bites are crammed full of flavour, which can be contrasted with a dab of sweet chutney to accompany them. I didn’t boil the potatoes first, but they would have held together better and formed a more-even little patty if I had, and then either grated or mashed them. Instead I grated two raw medium-sized russet potatoes and added the peas to them in a bowl.


1 lb. (450 g) grated potato


pepper 1/2 c. (125 ml) minced sweet onion 1 tsp. (5 ml) coriander


1/2 tsp. (3 ml) garam masala 4 tsp. 20 ml) fresh lemon juice


1/2 c. (125 ml) peas


2 tbsp. (30 ml) minced fresh ginger 1 tsp. (5 ml) black mustard seeds butter and oil salt, to taste


1 1/2 tsp. (8 ml) finely-minced jalapeno 1 tsp. (5 ml) cumin


1/2 tsp. (3 ml) turmeric 2 tbsp. (30 ml) flour or chickpea flour


• Mince the sweet onion and ginger and add the spices to them in another small bowl. • Melt a tablespoon or so of butter in a large, non-stick frypan and saute the onion, pepper and spices over medium heat until it is soft.


• Meanwhile, sprinkle the flour and lemon juice over the grated or mashed potatoes and peas and mix it in. Add the onion and spice mixture and a sprinkle of salt and mix well. • Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in the frypan and form small patties of the potato and onion mixture, pressing them down in the pan. Flip when each is brown on the bottom.


• Cook until the outside is nicely browned and crisp and then remove to a serving plate. A dollop of chutney is a good accompaniment.


• Makes a couple of dozen, depending on the size you make them. GARLIC & CHEESE MASHED POTATO MEATLOAF


This is not Shepherd’s Pie, although there are some similarities. It’s certainly a nice, easy meal in one dish and can be doubled for more people, or so you will have leftovers for lunches.


1/2 lb. lean ground beef 1 egg


2 green onions 2 mushrooms


1/4 tsp. (1 ml) hot sauce


2 tbsp. (30 ml) oat bran 1 slice whole wheat bread 1 c. (250 ml) spinach 1 garlic clove


2 Russet potatoes


1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese 1 garlic clove salt and pepper, to taste


• Pre-heat oven to 350° F. • Put ground beef in a medium bowl and add oat bran and beaten egg.


• Mince bread and add; chop green onions, spinach, mushrooms, minced garlic and hot sauce and add.


• Mix well and press into a loaf pan. • Bake for 35 minutes. • Meanwhile, boil and mash two Russet potatoes. Grate cheddar into them and add a minced garlic clove and season to taste. Mix well and spread over the top of the meatloaf, grate a sprinkle more cheddar over the top. • Reduce oven temperature to 300° F. and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes more. • Serves 2.


FRENCH ONION SOUP


Delicious as is, or make a grand table entrance served under dried or toasted French bread slices sprinkled with grated Swiss cheese. Run bowls under the broiler until the cheese browns and bubbles.


2 lb. (1 kg) onions 2 tbsp. (30 ml) oil 1/4 c. (60 ml) flour


1/4 c. (60 ml) dry sherry (opt.)


• Cut onions in half lengthwise, then slice them up, putting the flat side down to make slicing easier. Melt butter in a large, heavy soup or stew pot, add your choice of cooking oil, and when it's hot, throw in all the onions. • Sprinkle salt over it all, and stir together. • Cook the onions over low heat, uncovered, for half an hour or so, stirring occasionally to make sure none brown, until they're all limp and translucent.


• While the onions are cooking, heat about five cups (1.25 l) of beef stock and three cups (750 ml) of chicken stock, ready to add to the cooked onions. • Sprinkle flour over the onions and stir it in, cooking it for a few minutes.


• Add hot stock mixture to onions, increasing the heat and stirring until it all returns to bubbling. Reduce heat to simmer, partly covered, for another half hour or more, stirring occasionally.


• Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper and a dash of dry sherry, if desired.


2 tbsp. (30 ml) butter 1 tsp. (5 ml) salt 2 qt. (2 l) stock


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