Quinoa: Not just for keeners

You won't find many kitchens that stock it. You may not find many folk who can pronounce it. (For the record, it's keen-WAH.)

But I predict you'll soon be seeing more and more of this grain-like goodie. And not just because of its pleasant, nutty flavour or fluffy texture.

Long a staple in the Andes, quinoa is gaining recognition as a smart choice, nutritionally speaking. Indeed, in their recent book, Lieberman and O'Connor identified it as one of "The 10 things you need to eat".

High in minerals, high in fibre, high in protein (complete protein at that).  Low in fat.  All in all, a great scorecard.

Heck, NASA's even researching quinoa's potential for use in long-distance space missions. How can you go wrong?

Sarah's quinoa  

Ingredients

• 2 cups veggie broth
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 onions, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• white wine
• cooking sherry
• olive oil (cold-pressed is best)
• parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Bring broth to boil in medium pot. Add quinoa, simmering (covered) for 12 minutes. Then, extinguish heat and let rest (covered) for 15 minutes.
2. Simultaneously, saute onions in oiled saucepan. Add wine and sherry as needed to keep onions from sticking. Add garlic after about 15 minutes.
3. Add quinoa to onions and garlic. Stir. 
4. Serve hot, with olive oil, ground pepper and freshly grated parmesan. 

But, you might be asking, is this a snack?

Well, for us it is. The dish is certainly tasty enough to enjoy on its own. And Fred, never one to get hung up on presentation, will keep a bowlful in the fridge, spooning some up whenever he so feels.

For the most part, though, quinoa would be considered a sidedish, as you would serve brown rice or couscous, alongside a main course. It goes great with vegetables and, of course, white wine.

Holiday fruitcake

Fruitcake is one of the classic holiday snacks. Sadly, many folk equate fruitcake with those factory-made, dye-infused cinderblocks that have been sodium-sulfited to within an inch of their pseudo-Christmasy lives.

(Did you know that a common ploy is to stuff "fruitcake" with bits of melon rind and other compost fodder that have been colored to resemble cherries? Nasty.)

I gather that many people are reluctant to bake their own fruitcake, believing the process to be complicated. But it's not. Not at all.

This recipe comes via my mother. Of course, I've given it twists of my own, substituting canola oil for butter, and multigrain flour for plain.

Another twist: customizing my selection of dried fruit. I avoid the artificial coloring in cherries and mixed peel by going for apricots, cranberries, currants, dates, figs, pears, and such. (Although, in this instance, I did add a few cherries and bits of peel to appease the guests I'm expecting).

This is perhaps the one cake that Fred digs. He's a lad who truly enjoys his fruit.

Mamma's Fruitcake

Fruit mixture

• 6 1/2 cups dried fruit (diced)
• 1 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp cloves
• 2 tsp allspice

Flour mixture

• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 cups multigrain flour

More stuff

• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (e.g. walnuts)
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 3 Tbsp rum (preferably dark)

Directions

1. Assemble fruit mixture in large saucepan. Stir well, then boil for 5 minutes, stirring as needed.
2. Cool fruit mixture thoroughly.
3. Assemble flour mixture in large bowl. Stir well.
4. Stir fruit mixture into flour mixture.
5. Stir in nuts, eggs and rum.
6. Bake at 275°F for 1 3/4 hours in large, covered, cast-iron pot. (For ease of removal, line pot with parchment paper.)
7. Cool for one hour.
8. Remove onto cooling rack (run knife around sides if needed) to continue cooling.
9. When thoroughly cooled, wrap in plastic wrap and tinfoil. Store in a cookie tin.

That's all there is to it. But remember, for an optimal taste experience, allow your cake to sit for a month before serving.

Salmon toasts

When you think of winter luxury foods, smoked salmon might not immediately come to mind. You may wish to think twice.

Salmon is one of my favorites. I love the rich flavor — on Atlantic salmon, in particular. The peachy-pink color also tickles the senses.

Because I don't often choose smoked fish, I consider smoked salmon as being somewhat indulgent, suitable as a winter treat. In other words, perfect for yesterday afternoon's snack.

Now, salmon and cream cheese is a popular combination. But I was inspired instead by Faye Levy's recipe to pair my salmon with avocado.

And bonus! Avocados are on sale this time of year. I snagged mine for $1 apiece.

Here's how I prepared my Salmon Toasts:

Ingredients

• avocado
• lemon juice (fresh is better, by far)
• rye bread
• smoked salmon (or trout)
• tomato
• onion
• capers
• black pepper

What to do

1. smash avocado in small bowl; add lemon juice to taste
2. toast bread; cut into 2x2" squares; spread with avocado mixture
3. add a square of salmon
4. top with tomato (fines slices), onion (dainty curves), capers (rinsed) and freshly ground pepper.

Making these prompted me to recall when we lived in Fiji. A friend had a backyard tree, from which we picked fresh avocados. Mmm.

Oh well, at least I found avocado on yesterday's grocery trip. They can't always be had around here. Why, even the rye or pumpernickle bread I prefer comes frozen, shipped here from 2000 miles away.

But hey, salmon is readily available. At least there's that.

Fred's pemmican: The How-to

This recipe makes enough pemmican for a day's worth of snacking. Or, with the addition of boiled water, it makes one super-hefty portion of hoosh, a.k.a. stew.

Put another way, this recipe approaches 1200 calories, half the daily allowance for a moderately active adult. Of course, the energy demands of backpacking may be considerably above "moderate".

Fred's pemmican

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. dried beef
• 4 oz. (8 Tbsp) butter (unsalted)
• 1 oz. twelve-grain cereal (uncooked)
• 1 oz. dried fruit and/or vegetables

Seasonings:

• 2 Tbsp onion powder
• pinch of garlic powder
• pinch of salt
• sprinkle of pepper
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• pinch of chili powder

Directions:

1. melt butter (gently) in saucepan
2. use food processor/blender to grind all solid ingredients (plus seasonings) into powder; scrape into medium-sized mixing bowl
3. skim (and discard) foam from surface of melted butter; pour butter into mixing bowl (but discard milk solids settled at bottom of saucepan)
4. mix well, then transfer into (greased) bowl or baking pan
5. press down firmly with back of spoon; cover with wax paper
6. place weight on top of waxed paper (to keep ingredients compressed; dried beans work well)
7. place in freezer for 1 hour
8. remove weight, then remove pemmican from bowl
9. cut into chunks of desired size.

If intended as snacks, go heavier on the dried fruit (apricots, cranberries, dates, figs, raisins, etc.). If intended as a main meal, go heavier on the dried vegetables (peas, carrots, peppers, etc.).

Should you choose not to dry your own ingredients, prowl any large grocery store. You may be surprised at how many options are available. In Canada, the Bulk Barn is a great source of dried produce. In the U.S., try Trader Joe's.

Package pemmican in ziplock bags. If you don't plan to consume it immediately, store in the freezer.

When prepared and stored with care, pemmican will easily last a number of months.

Fred's pemmican: The what of it

Last week I promised to talk about pemmican, a food that Fred prepares for our backpacking excursions. Let's get started.

First, what the heck is it?

Pemmican is a high-energy food, essentially a 50:50 mix of protein and fat. Originally developed by indigenous North Americans, its storability and compact form led to its use by trappers, soldiers and members of polar expeditions.

Traditionally, large game animals supplied the meat, which was dried and pounded into powder. The other major ingredient was tallow (rendered animal fat; sometimes from bone marrow).

Having contemporary means (a.k.a. the local grocery) available to him, Fred makes his pemmican with beef, which he dries himself, and butter, which he clarifies. He also folds in modest amounts of grains, dried fruits and veggies.

Don't know how all this sounds to you, but trust me, pemmican is perfectly yummy, and extremely satisfying. A little goes a long way — and that's exactly the point.

In other words, in the wilderness, it helps if you're not excessively burdened. You also want food that fortifies and provides a huge calorie count — you need all the energy you can get, for activity and for generating body heat.

Generally, we've eaten our pemmican raw, which is the no-fuss way to consume it (another plus for backpackers). But on our last trip, Fred prepared it as hoosh. That's Antarctica talk for pemmican in boiling water, i.e. turning it into a stew, more or less.

A variation of hoosh is called rubaboo (another great name). This is a stew made from pemmican and fresh odds-and-ends, gathered on site (wild vegetables, roots, fungi, herbs, and so forth).

I confess, I've yet to prepare rubaboo, but am looking forward to experimenting. I expect I'll resort to using berries and maybe a few edible flowers or leaves — there's little else available on the barrens where we tend to trek.

In any case, rubaboo will probably have to wait until the next growing season. From here on, I've got a fall, winter and spring of unadulterated pemmican and/or hoosh to look forward to.  And that's quite fine by me.

(Seems I've reached today's word quota. Next time, I'll cover the How-to of Fred's pemmican.)

Premier snackfood

Today, the Premier of our province made a surprise announcement: he is resigning from public office, effective next week. This was surely universe-shattering to many locals, as "our Danny" is revered more highly in these parts than any ten popes.

Truly. The last voter-approval rating I recall seeing came in at 93%.

So, to honor Danny Williams, national icon and scrapper extraordinaire, SnackCastle is pleased to report on what is likely to be a sorrowfully neglected topic over these next few days: his dining preferences.

A performer on a popular TV comedy series once maintained that the Honourable Premier's favorites included "waffles" and "flounder". But don't be fooled; that was satire.

Similarly, for the purposes of this exercise, we'll exclude from the Premier's menu all those individuals of whom it has been said, surely with grains of credibility, "that Danny Williams had Person X for lunch."

But enough. Exhaustive investigations by the SnackCastle Research Department have uncovered that Danny Williams's favorite meal is ... drum roll, please ...

... fish-and-chips.

And it appears that not just any fee-and-chee will do. Indeed, it is the world-renowned victuals from the venerable Ches's Famous Fish & Chips that have so captured Mr Williams's fancy.

The Premier recently confessed to a national publication that even after undergoing surgery to repair a leaky cardiac valve, he still enjoys the grease-drenched treat as often as once per week. (He even demonstrated how his preferred appetizer is a plate of onion rings!) Good on ya.

With that, joining the chorus of well-wishers, we extend our best to Mr Williams. Health, happiness and long may you continue to indulge your piscivorous proclivities.

You may have sprung from a small pond, Mr Premier, but you were never, never the small fish.

Easy as pie

Holidays are great, don't get me wrong, but they frequently require herculian measures: cooking a monster meal, spiffing up the house, hosting visitors, travelling, or so forth.

In short, a truckload of effort. And it's tempting to go overboard.

Before you find yourself over your head, take a breath. Do you really need to go all-out Martha?

Seriously, sometimes it pays to scale back. To simplify. To take the easier route.

If your Thanksgiving (or other holiday) celebration screams for a special dessert — or if you just plain come down with a craving — but aren't looking forward to upping your workload, here's a quick fix: a No-bake Berry Pie.

It's easy and healthy.

No-bake Berry Pie

Crusty stuff:

• 1 cup nuts (walnuts, almonds, macadamia, pecans, etc.)

• 1/4 cup oats

• 3/4 cup coconut (shredded, unsweetened)

• 1/4 cup dried fruit (figs, dates, apricots, raisins, etc.)

• 2 tsp honey

• pinch of cayenne pepper

• pinch of salt 
• 
  
• 1. Grind all ingredients in food processor
• 2. Press firmly into greased pie plate (back of a large spoon works well)

• 
  
• 2 cups berries (if frozen, thaw and drain)

• 1 banana

• 2 tsp lemon juice

• brown sugar to taste
• 
  
• 3. Pour filling onto pie crust
• 4. Refrigerate for 1 hour

Feel free to make modifications here, but beware of going too dry. Aim for a mixture that resembles a grainy pastry-dough, one with just enough stickiness — from dried fruit, honey, etc. — to hold it together.

To do:

Filling stuff

Again, modifications are encouraged, but best to keep the filling thick.

More To do:

If you really wish to go the extra mile, decorate with a few whole berries and serve with whipped cream, etc.

And that's it.

To reward yourself for time and energy saved, pour a nice glass of wine, put your feet up and look forward to enjoying your guests. And your pie.