Natural Highs............

After the Omnivore Hundred post it makes a person think about how much more in life there is to experience in and out of the culinary world. Dolores at Culinary Curiosity had me thinking with her MEME of Natural Highs . There is so much in this world to experience. In my half century I have experience many highs and lows but this MEME makes you see all that has enriched your life so far...and that there is so much more to experience!!!!

Mixed Green Salad with Beets and Pecans - "Out, Out Damn Spot"

Mixed Green Salad with Beets and Pecans

I found this recipe deep in the recesses of my unpublished posts. Do you love or loathe beets? What have beets done to done deserve their widespread hatred? Perhaps it's because they tint your hands, counter tops and cutting board red and they stain your clothes. "Out, out damn spot"; laments Lady Bellini Valli. Wear gloves and an apron or better yet roast your beets. When you boil them they loose their beautiful ruby tones and become palid and sickly looking.

The Omnivore's Hundred

Lulu over at Mama's Taverna put me in touch with this quiz...and I am always one to jump on the bandwagon. It’s a list, put together by Andrew from Very Good Taste, of 100 things he thinks “every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life.” As Lulu says, "It’s not meant to be a list of the world’s best foods; it includes strange stuff like whole insects. It’s just Andrew’s personal idea of the variety of foods that should be tried at least once in a lifetime".

How many of these things have you tried? I have tried 68% so am not as "worldly" as I thought...but I am not dead yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Omnivore’s Hundred

"Here’s a chance for a little interactivity for all the bloggers out there. Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.

Here’s what I want you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at http://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/ linking to your results. "

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros (sorry don't eat eggs)
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile (in Florida..or is that alligator)
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue (LOVE!!!!!!)
8. Carp (Bottom feeder...ewwwww)
9. Borscht ( beets are a fave)
10. Baba ghanoush (a great way with eggplant)
11. Calamari (I have been jigging for squid at 4:30 AM in Newfoundland)
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart (in Toronto)
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle (truffle oil only)
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes (peach wine;also dandelion wine- but that's not a fruit)
19. Steamed pork buns (Chinatown here I come)
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries (blackberries, raspberries, lowbush blueberries, mountain strawberries, partidgeberries, bakeapples....)
23. Foie gras (poor little ducks)
24. Rice and beans (Jamaica 'mon)
25. Brawn, or head cheese (revolting)
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper (too hot!!!!!!!!!!!!)
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava

30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas (even my friends dog eats them)
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl ( not a sourdough bread bowl)
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float (root beer is not my thing)
36. Cognac with a fat cigar (don't smoke, don't intend to)
37. Clotted cream tea (clotted cream but not in my tea)
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O (Jell-O shooters!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat (Jamaica again)
42. Whole insects (NEVER!!!!!!!...oops I did eat chocolate covered ants once)
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel (blah)

49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut (Sorry but give me Timmies)
50. Sea urchin -tastes like the ocean bottom...just my opinion
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine (are you Canadian Andrew?)
60. Carob chips (mom used to buy them at the health food store!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
61. S’mores (let's go camping!!!!!!!!!!)
62. Sweetbreads (I'll try anything once - just don't appreciate the texture)
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs (does it taste like chicken?)
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (what about Beaver Tails or Langos?)
68. Haggis (I was piped in carrying a haggis once on Robbie Burns Day)
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini (my favourite - you must be Canadian Andrew or at least American)
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky (great snack)
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers (nasturtiums are wondeful in salads; candied flowers are good too)
89. Horse (not to my knowledge)
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam (so 60's)
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish (another bottom feeder)
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake (now does this taste like chicken?)

+68%...better get cracking on some of the others. I thought I was pretty adventurous...oh well.........

Bifteki Yemista: Stuffed Burgers with Feta & Herbs

What's in a name?

As you can see we couldn't wait to dig in no matter what this dish is called!!!!I had read that this is often translated in Greek restaurants as "steak". But while it is definitely made of beef it is more of a burger than a steak....although what about Salisbury Steak which is also made of ground beef? I am also told that this is not the case so I'll go back to being confused...wink...wink...

I do know that "Yemisto" is Greek for "filled" or "stuffed". Take away the feta cheese, and you have just bifteki.

It is not quite a burger and not a steak burger because this requires a bun....at least in my humble opinion....which leads to more confusion...insert photo of Val scratching her head here. The bottom line is I will have to have the opinion of my Greek friends for this one because I also sometimes see it as biftekia with an "a" as well. (I am a little less consfused thanks to my blog sister Ivy who tells me biftekia is plural..yay I can have more than one!!!!!)

Nevertheless...whatever you want to call it...or not... it is a wonderful addition to any meal!!!!! I will stick to "Stuffed Burger with Feta and Herbs".....Val's translation.

The recipe calls for grilling but the bifteki can be cooked on the stovetop as well. It's the perfect meal for the last few warm summer evenings of the season.

**Stuffed Burgers with Feta & Herbs (Biftekia Yemista)**

2 pounds of lean ground beef
1 medium onion, grated or minced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 teaspoons of dried Greek oregano
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon of sweet paprika
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of dried breadcrumbs
-------
Stuffing:
1/2 pound of feta cheese, finely diced
1 tablespoon of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/4 cup of spring onions, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced

Yogurt Feta Sauce

1 cup of strained yogurt
1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
******************
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground beef, onion, olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper, paprika, eggs, and breadcrumbs. Work together by hand until well blended. Form into 12 thin patties.
In a small bowl, combine the feta, parsley, spring onions, and garlic, and stir until well blended.

Using 1/2 of the filling mixture place a spoonful of the cheese mixture in the middle of 6 of the meat patties. Place the remaining 6 patties on top, pinching around the edges to seal well.

Mix the remaining 1/2 of the stuffing mixture with 1 cup strained yogurt asndf 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Grill the burgers over medium coals for 6-10 minutes per side and serve with the herb yogurt.

Alternative cooking method: Heat 2 T of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed frying pan or skillet and cook the burgers over medium heat for 6-10 minutes, testing for doneness.

Serves 6

I also saw a similar bifteki on the blog Porcini Chronicles . Check it out. You will be glad you did!!!!!!!!!

Autumn Broccoli & Apple Salad

When did the season change? There is definitely something in the air that tells me that fall has arrived. The leaves have not started to turn colour, nor have the days become cold but there is something in the air nevertheless. Perhaps it is the fact that it is dark when I get up in the morning and the last rays of sun duck behind the mountains much earlier. So what is it? The nights are definitely cooler and the air just has that autumn scent. The farmers markets and fruit stands are overflowing with copious amounts of late summer fruits and vegetables. Autumn is my favourite time of the year, so, perhaps I am hurrying it along a little. For every leaf that turns its autumn hue to the cloudless skies and for every whisper of a cooling breeze my heart skips a beat.

Autumn is a time for change. Mother nature puts everything to a dreamless sleep waiting for Spring to come again. As you know I worked at a camp for disabled and mentally challenged children over the summer which in itself was a very rewarding experience. Now a new chapter begins at a new doctors office working in the field of opthalmology. It may seem like a new beginning but it feels more like coming home and settling into a comforting job that I enjoy after a long absense. Something like renewing a friendship with an old friend whom I haven't seen in years.

So in the theme of comfort I am submitting this delicious salad to this months vegetarian blogging event No Croutons Required . The founders of this event are the talented duo Holler of Tinned Tomatoes and fellow Canadian Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen. Each month they are looking for our vegetarian soups or salads with the theme for this month being FRUIT. Both of these ladies follow a vegetarian and healthy lifestyle which is evident in each of their feature stories. They have heard me say this before but they are both such sweeties that I have to participate in their event as often as I can...and I will say it again!!

In this recipe I steamed the broccoli for a very short period of time. You are welcome to keep the broccoli raw but I find that sometimes the broccoli will have a slightly bitter taste that steaming seems to eliminate. The added bonus of steaming is that it gives the broccoli a gorgeous bright green hue. So welcome home with a broccoli salad.......................

**Autumn Broccoli & Apple Salad**

1 head of broccoli

1 carrot, diced

1/2 red pepper (purple, yellow or green would be fine)

1/4 cup red onion, finely diced

1 Granny Smith apple, diced

1/2 cup dried cranberries

3/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise

3/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt

1-1/2 tsp sugar

1-1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

*********************

Bring a large pot of water, salted with a teaspoon of salt, to a boil. Add the broccoli florets. Cook 1-2 minutes, depending on how crunchy you want the broccoli. 1 minute will turn the broccoli bright green, and leave it still pretty crunchy. 2 minutes will cook the broccoli through, but still firm. Set your timer and do not cook for more than 2 minutes, or the broccoli will get mushy. Drain the broccoli and immediately put into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Let cool and drain. Dice broccoli stems and all.

In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, carrot, green or red peppers, apple, cranberries and onion. In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, yogurt, sugar, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Just before serving, sprinkle with toasted almonds.

Blackberry-Mascarpone Cheese Crepes

Blackberry-Mascarpone Cheese Crepes

When you hear the word Blackberry do you think of THIS?????????????....

The Blackberry was developed by the Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM) and delivers information over the wireless data networks of mobile phone service companies. My brothers long term girlfriend works there in Waterloo. I want to work there too for all the free stuff and their modern methods of treating their staff.

Now... living in British Columbia when I think of blackberry I think of THIS....

"Oh, blackberry tart, with berries as big as your thumb, purple and black, and thick with juice, and a crust to endear them that will go to cream in your mouth, and both passing down with such a taste that will make you close your eyes and wish you might live forever in the wilderness of that rich moment." - Richard Llewellyn