Lazy buns with Currants & Orange Zest

My mom has been making a version of these scone-esque buns since I was a kid. They were originally called ‘Easy Buns’, but my dad used to have a naughty habit of writing smart ass name changes on her recipe cards when she wasn’t looking. Somehow, his new name just stuck. Not only are these dead simple to make (and only 15 minutes to bake), they also lend themselves well to a wide variety of other flavour combinations. The following version is embellished with orange rind and currants, but they taste equally delicious with berries, cheddar and green onion, lemon zest and toasted fennel seeds, candied ginger……..

June’s Lazy Buns

2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp sugar
½ t salt
¼ cup butter, softened
1 cup milk
grated zest of 1 orange
½ cup dried currants

Preheat oven to 400*. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or a fork and knife. Mix in the milk, zest and currants. Drop batter onto a greased cookie sheet, forming about 10 individual scones. Bake for 15 minutes. Serve warm with butter and jam.

Left: Outstanding in the Field founder Jim Denevan. Right: My beets from summer 2009

O.k., so Jim Denevan isn’t really my bf. In fact, we have never even met….. but if he could just get a look at these beautiful beets I grew in my backyard garden last summer, I know that he would love me back.

Artist, surfer, chef and creator of the innovative ‘Outstanding in the Field’ touring dinner company, Denevan’s operation tours North America for 6 months each year, timing its events with the bounty of each region’s harvests. Starting in California and traveling as far North as Alaska, all distances are covered in a red 1963 flexi bus. These festive, unique dinner parties are hosted outdoors, at the very farms that have grown the ingredients for that same evening’s menu. These events offer diners (100 plus per seating) an unforgettable culinary experience that connects them directly to their food source and also to the farmers and food artisans responsible for making such top quality abundance possible.

Former chef of Santa Cruz’s Gabriella Café, Denevan has released a cookbook sharing some of his thematic menu creations, as well as those contributed by some of the guest chefs who have participated at various dinners along the way. ‘Outstanding in the Field- a farm to table cookbook‘ is a inspiring, drool inducing  read that makes one want to run outside, raid a vegetable garden and cook something delicious. This Marinated Roasted Beets recipe is a simple, gorgeous looking dish. Denevan suggests serving combined with a mixed green salad, tossed with crisp spring vegetables or paired with pickled trout.

Marinated Roasted Beets

1 pound red or gold beets, tops removed
1 tbsp vegetable oil
kosher salt
3 sprigs thyme or 1 sprig rosemary
1 small shallot, minced
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 375*. Scrub the beets and pat them dry. Place them in a small baking dish, toss them with the vegetable oil and season with salt. Add the thyme sprigs to the pan along with about 1/3 cup water. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Roast in the oven until the beets can be easily pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes for medium beets. Remove the foil and allow the beets to sit at room temperature just until cool enough to handle.

To make the marinade, in a small bowl combine the shallot and vinegar and set aside to macerate for 10 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and slowly whisk in the olive oil until well combined.

Peel the beets. Cut the beets into 1/8” rounds or 1/4″ wedges and place them in a medium bowl. Pour the marinade over the beets and stir gently with a wooden spoon to thoroughly coat the beets with the marinade. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

I have no idea what was going on with my inner carnivore last weekend, but I found myself consuming alarming amounts of lamb, sausage and meatloaf in a very short period of time. With my incisors now retracted, I have come to my senses. Now it is a mostly vegetarian diet that I seek.

This recipe had been sitting in my office for weeks, patiently waiting to be attempted. It came from a January Vancouver Sun article in which Mia Stainsby wrote about the local underground restaurant scene. One of the haunts that she covered is a vegan themed affair, situated in a private house ’somewhere in East Van’. The Secret Supper takes bookings on Sunday nights, divided into an early and later seating. And the menu prices are reasonable- just $20 for a 3 course meal.

This lentil dip is dead easy to make. If you can fry an onion and operate a food processor and a can opener, then you definitely have what it takes to make what I feel is one of the best dips ever. With the ‘cheesy’ flavour provided by the nutritional yeast and the sweet zing from the balsamic vinegar…. it is now my official favourite meat-eater-redeeming recipe. I suggest trying it warm, as the flavours become even more pronounced.

Caramelized Onion Lentil Dip
(Makes about 2 ½ cups)

1 onion, medium dice
1 T extra virgin olive oil
½ t salt
½ t chili powder
½ t cumin powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 t balsamic vinegar

Bring a frying pan to medium heat. Add olive oil and wait one minute. Add onions + salt and sauté, stirring occasionally until they are translucent and lightly browned. Add the garlic, cumin and chili powder. Fry for one minute. Add the vinegar and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove pan from the heat.

In a food processor add:

2 ½ c (1 can) cooked lentils, drained and rinsed
2 T tahini
1 T nutritional yeast
1 ½ t balsamic vinegar
juice of ½ lemon
¼ t fresh ground pepper
caramelized onions (above recipe)

Blend in food processor for 1 minute. Stop machine to scrap down the inside with a rubber spatula. Continue to blend for 2 more minutes, until dip is smooth and creamy. Serve with your favourite bread or crackers.

Top: Lamb Burger (with Mint + Feta Yogurt Sauce and Caramelized Onions)

Above:  Mother and Baby Girl @ FarmgirlFare.com

I’ve been making these lamb burgers for a few years now. Note that they are doubly delicious if you have access to a grill or bbq. Sadly, our Weber is a little under the weather at the moment, which forced me to fry last night’s patties in a pan. Still, they scored high on the yum factor, elevated further by the extra flavours of fresh mint, parsley, green onion, garlic and soy sauce mixed in with the meat. But it is the final fixin’s of caramelized onions and a mint and feta yogurt sauce that really put these burgers over the top. When they are fully assembled on a lightly toasted bun, they are tall, tasty and drippy….. not for the faint of heart and definitely not for a first date.

Lamb Burgers with Mint + Feta Yogurt Sauce and Caramelized Onions

Lamb Patties:

1 lb ground lamb
½ c fresh mint, roughly chopped
1/3 c fresh parsley, roughly chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced
½ c bread crumbs
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T tamari
salt + pepper

Using clean hands, mix all until well combined. Shape into 4 patties. Cover and keep in the fridge until cooking time, or start to cook them right away.

Mint + Feta Yogurt Sauce:

1 c plain yogurt
½ c crumbled goat feta
1/3 c fresh mint, roughly chopped
1 green onion, thinly sliced
fresh ground black pepper
Caramelized Onions:
1 large yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 T extra virgin olive oil
¼ t salt

Bring a frying pan to medium heat. Add oil and wait one minute. Add the onions and sprinkle with salt. Saute the onions, stirring often, until they are really soft and golden brown. Remove from pan and onto a small plate.

Assembly:

You will need 4 fresh hamburger buns. Cut them in half and place them on a cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 325*. Start to fry, grill or bbq the lamb patties, cooking to desired doneness. Meanwhile, when the oven is up to temperature, place the buns on the centre rack, leaving in until just lightly toasted. Place each bun on a dinner plate, adding one patty to each. Next top with sliced tomato, a good scoop of the Mint + Feta Yogurt Sauce, and some of the caramelized onion. Note that arugula leaves are also a nice garnish to add to this.

Elk!

Panfried Oysters to start…. plucked from a secret beach locale somewhere in Courtenay, B.C. (Served with homemade Tartar Sauce + fresh squeezed lime juice and homemade apple cider for sipping)

Brent’s Elk Stroganoff.

It was back in June of 2008 (‘A Garden Good Enough to Eat’) that I first had the pleasure of meeting Moira and Brent. This highly inspiring d.i.y. couple continues to do everything from growing heaps of their own food to hunting for and butchering their own meat and packaging unique blends of tea.

Three weeks ago, Moira and Brent came to Vancouver for a visit with my good pal, Heather (Heather is Moira’s sister). When Heather phoned to invite me for dinner, it was explained that Brent would be preparing a very special meal….. fresh oysters which they had gathered themselves followed by Elk Stroganoff. And, yes, Brent had killed the elk himself. And, no, it was not with a hunting rifle but, rather, with a cross bow (the first and only arrow killed the animal). On B.C.’s Vancouver Island, elk hunting season had opened on Sept. 10 2009 and closed on Dec 15. It was not until December 14 during a heavy snow, a mere day before the end of the season, that he finally killed a 550 pound cow elk, after spending about 26 of the previous 30 days ‘on the hunt’.

When killing an animal for food, a successful hunt is only the beginning of the process. In the case of this particular elk, the first step was to gut the animal on site. The animal was then hung outside to age for 14 days. This vital step allows enzymatic breakdown of protein to occur, resulting in meat that is far more tender than when it was freshly killed. Finally, it was time to butcher the elk. Brent chose to do this himself (he also gave half of the meat away his friend, a fellow hunter who had not been quite so lucky during the hunting season). Nothing went to waste. Lastly, the trim was sent to a local butcher who used it to make them gluten free elk sausage, as he had agreed to using the rice flour bread crumbs they provided. 

Brent witnesses the enzymatic breakdown of protein.

As you can imagine, our feast that evening was not only delicious, but also extremely unique. It was such a treat to be included in their fine company, while also being fed their beautiful food. When I asked Brent if he would be willing to share his recipe, here is what he had to share…..

Brent’s Elk Stroganoff:
(The night of our elk feast, the stroganoff was served with rice, roasted butternut squash and a fresh spinach salad and an Apple and Saskatoon Berry Crumble for dessert. Yum! Roar!)

Brown meat (about 4 ½ lbs hind roast) separately. Remove from pot. Add onions and caramelize. In clay pot add meat, onions, 5 kinds of peppercorns, red wine, black currant port, elk demi glaze (made from elk stock, in turn made from elk bones), porcini mushrooms, marjoram, oregano, juniper berries, salt and pepper. Cook in the oven in a heavy cast iron enamel pot (with lid on) @ 350* for about  3-4 hours, adding cream near the end. If stroganoff becomes too dry, add extra water to achieve desired consistency. At serving time, taste and adjust seasoning.