Using the oven on a cold winter day to make hot flavourful meals and baking warms up the home, the senses and the body. The following recipes would be good to make ahead and freeze to take along for a ski or sledding weekend.
Chicken mushroom lasagna
Yield: six servings.
This recipe is a good way to use up left over chicken or turkey.
- 10 lasagna noodles, uncooked
- 1 tbsp. salt 15 mL
- 2 c. boneless chicken, cooked and chopped 500 mL
- 1 tsp. salt 5 mL
- 1/2 tsp. pepper 2 mL
- 1 tsp. garlic powder 5 mL
- 2 tbsp. chopped parsley 30 mL
- 1 tbsp. canola oil 15 mL
- 1/2 medium white onion, finely chopped
- 1 c. mushrooms, sliced 250 mL
- 1/2 c. celery, sliced 125 mL
- 1 c. carrots, grated 250 mL
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- *2-284 mL cans cream of mushroom soup
- 1/2 c. water 125 mL
- 3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese 750 mL
- 1-8 oz. pkg fresh spinach, chopped 227 g
- 2 c. ricotta cheese 500 mL
- 1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese 125 mL
- *Use two 410 millilitre jars alfredo-style pasta sauce in place of the mushroom soup and water.
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Preheat oven to 350F (180C).
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt. Add lasagna noodles and cook eight to 10 minutes or until al denté. Drain and cover with cold water to prevent noodles from sticking together.
Place chicken in a bowl, add salt, pepper, garlic powder and parsley, toss to combine.
Heat oil in frying pan, add onions, celery and mushrooms, stir constantly until mixture is just starting to brown, add garlic and carrots, cook one to two minutes. Remove from heat.
Add cream of mushroom soup and water, stir to combine.
Chop spinach, place in a large bowl, add ricotta and parmesan cheeses, stir to combine.
In a 9 x 13-inch (22 x 33 cm) baking pan, spread about a quarter of mushroom mixture on bottom.
Lay lasagna noodles to cover sauce, edges overlapping. Trim noodles to fit with kitchen scissors.
Add chicken mixture to remaining mushroom soup mixture.
Spread half of chicken mixture on top of noodles, sprinkle with one cup (250 mL) of mozzarella cheese.
Add another layer of noodles, cover with spinach and ricotta-parmesan cheese mixture.
Add another layer of noodles, cover with remaining chicken mixture. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake 50 to 60 minutes, until top is brown and bubbly.
Cool 15 minutes, slice and serve with a salad and garlic bread.
This dish freezes well. To reheat, put in 350F (180C) oven for three hours covered with foil remove foil and continue heating until top is brown and bubbly.
Rhubarb saskatoon berry pie
This is a good recipe to use some of those fruits that are tucked in the freezer.
- 4 c. rhubarb, chopped 1 L
- *2 c. saskatoon berries 500 mL
- 2 tbsp. water 30 mL
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice 15 mL
- 3/4 c. sugar 150 mL
- 1/4 tsp. almond extract 1 mL
- **1/4 c. minute tapioca 60 mL
- 1 egg white
Pastry for double crust pie, see recipe below
*Blueberries can be substituted for the saskatoons.
**Use 1/4 c. tapioca starch (60 mL) in place of minute tapioca. It is similar to cornstarch and is sold with the Asian foods. An equal amount of cornstarch can also be used.
Exact proportions of fruit can vary depending on what is available.
Place saskatoon berries, water and lemon juice in a saucepan. Simmer about five minutes. Do not boil saskatoons as the skins will toughen.
Add rhubarb and simmer another five minutes. Mix sugar and tapioca together to combine. Add to fruit mixture along with almond extract, mix until sugar is dissolved.
Brush interior of pie shell with egg white to prevent bottom crust from getting soggy.
Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell. Place on top crust. See pastry recipe below for instructions on how to join top and bottom crust.
Bake at 425 F (220 C) for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 F (180 C) for another 30 to 35 minutes until juice is bubbling. Adapted from Alma Copeland’s recipe.
Tenderflake pastry
This is an easy pastry to work with. Great for tarts and pies.
Yield: three nine-inch (22 cm) double crust pies or six pie shells.
- 6 c. cake or pastry flour 1.5 L
- or
- 5 1/2 c. all-purpose flour 1.375 mL
- 2 tsp. salt 2 mL
- 1 lb. cold lard 500 g
- 1 tbsp. vinegar 15 mL
- 1 egg
- cold water
Mix together flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in lard with pastry blender or two knives until mixture resembles coarse oatmeal.
In one cup (250 mL) measure combine vinegar and egg. Add very cold water to equal one cup (250 mL).
Gradually add water to flour and lard mixture, stirring with a fork. Only add enough water to make dough cling together.
Gather into a ball and divide into six portions. Cover and refrigerate one to two hours to chill.
Roll out each portion on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper to about 1/8-inch thickness. Gently roll dough around rolling pin to transfer to pie plate. Starting at middle of dough gently press into pie plate and up sides.
For a fruit pie, dough should extend 1/2 inch (one centimetre) beyond edge of pie plate. Use kitchen scissors to trim dough to shape.
Roll out top crust, cut out a decorative shape in middle of crust to allow steam to escape. Place a pie plate face down on crust and trim pastry to size, with a sharp knife.
Use a little water to moisten edge of filled pie shell. Roll top crust onto rolling pin and gently roll onto pie filling, adjust to centre. Fold overhanging bottom crust over edge of top crust, using fingers to press edges together and turning up slightly. Folding bottom crust over top crust seals the edge to keep in fruit juices.
Gather up pastry scraps and re-roll. Line pie plates with remaining pastry, place in a plastic bag and freezer for later use or wrap unused portions of dough and refrigerate or freeze. Adapted from Tenderflake lard package recipe.
Oatmeal cookies with date filling
This recipe is adapted from Jo Anne Vitek of Edmonton. It is one of her favourites that her mother use to make. Yield: 30 three-inch cookies or 15 filled sandwich cookies.
- 3/4 c. butter 175 mL
- 1 c. brown sugar 250 mL
- 5-6 tbsp. milk 75-90 mL
- 1 tsp. vanilla 5 mL
- 1 1/2 c. flour 375 mL
- 1 1/2 c. oatmeal 375 mL
- 1 tsp. baking soda 5 mL
- 2 tsp. baking powder 10 mL
- 1 c. pitted dates, chopped 250 mL
- or
- 375 g pkg. pitted dates, chopped
- 1/4 c. water , or more if needed60 mL
Cook chopped dates and water in a saucepan until soft and thick stirring constantly, set aside and cool.
Beat butter until fluffy, add sugar, milk and vanilla, and beat until well mixed.
In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients until well combined, add to butter mixture and stir together, dough will be sticky. With floured hands, form into a ball and place on well-floured parchment paper and roll to approximately 1/4-inch (.5 cm) thickness. Cut in circles and bake on lined cookie sheet, in a 350 F (180 C) oven until lightly brown, about eight to 10 minutes.
When cookies are cooled, add date filling to bottom of one cookie, top with a second cookie to create a sandwich. Freeze or refrigerate extras because they soften quickly.
Betty Ann Deobald is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and a member of Team Resources. Contact: team@producer.com.
