Recipes and recipe books
“If only it would rain” is the main topic of conversation in our community this spring. We try to enjoy the beautiful warm spring days, only to have it tempered by the fact that we need rain and not warm summerlike conditions.
We remind ourselves not to worry about something that we have no control over. We know every year has different weather and conditions can quickly change. Rain will come and only time will tell us when. Maybe when this goes to print, farmers’ faces will be smiling, including mine.
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A wacky cake
Dear TEAM: Years ago I had a chocolate wacky cake recipe. It probably had other names. I know cocoa, baking powder, flour, sugar and baking soda were stirred together in an 8 x 8 inch (20 x 20 centimetre) cake pan. The ingredients were leveled off, then three holes were made with vinegar in one, oil in the second and I think warm water in the third. It was almost never fail. My eight-year-old son made this cake very often and he’s now 39 years old. I cannot find this recipe. Would you or some of your readers have it? – F.M., Kenosee Village, Sask.
Dear F.M.: We have the recipe you requested. It is fun for all ages to make.
Wacky cake
Sift into ungreased 20 x 20 cm cake pan:
11Ú2 cups flour 375 mL
3 tablespoons cocoa 45 mL
1 cup sugar 250 mL
1 teaspoon baking soda 5 mL
1Ú2 teaspoon salt 2 mL
Level off and punch three holes in the dry ingredients. Into one hole pour one teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla. Into the second hold pour one tablespoon (15 mL) vinegar. Into third hole pour six tablespoons (90 mL) melted margarine or cooking oil. Over all the ingredients pour one cup (250 mL) cold water.
Mix well with a fork. Bake for 25 minutes at 350 F (180 C.)
Stir-fry
As you become more familiar with cooking in your wok, you will increasingly enjoy its versatility. Almost any combination of vegetables and thin tender slices of meat can be cooked quickly.
After heating a small amount of oil in the wok, add previously prepared foods in sequence, beginning with those that require the longest cooking.
The cooking, which combines the principles of steaming and sauteing, is continuous, rapid and accompanied by constant stirring. Cook each vegetable just until slightly crisp to maintain maximum color and flavor.
A favorite at our house is the following stir-fry.
Pork stir-fry
3Ú4 pound pork, 375 g
sliced 3 mm thick
across the grain
1 tablespoon 15 mL
minced ginger root
1 tablespoon oil 15 mL
1 1Ú2 pounds 750 g
asparagus or
broccoli, cut into two inch
(five cm) lengths
1 small onion, halved 1
lengthwise and finely
sliced to form half rings
1Ú2 cup water 125 mL
1Ú2 pound small 250 g
whole fresh or
canned mushrooms
1 teaspoon soy sauce 5 mL
1Ú3 cup cold water 75 mL
1 tablespoon 15 mL
cornstarch
salt and pepper to taste
Stir-fry pork and ginger in one tablespoon (15 mL) oil. Add vegetables and stir-fry until onions start to turn color. Add water, then mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cover for three minutes. Asparagus should still be crisp. Add soy sauce. Mix cold water and cornstarch. Add slowly, stirring constantly until gravy thickens. All the starch mixture may not be necessary. Serve immediately with rice.
Source: Saskatchewan Pork Council.
Wild and wonderful books
From the best-selling authors Helen Webber and Marie Woolsey of Blueberries and Polarbears and Cranberries and Canada Geese (books described in our column in past issues), comes three new cookbooks, titled the Wild & Wonderful series. Each book provides information about its topic, along with a wide range of recipes. The books are small, 51Ú4 x 81Ú2 inches, and sell for $5.95 each. They are described as “small affordable books designed for easy preparation, using good basic ingredients,” and I would agree.
The authors do most of their berry picking near their hunting and fishing lodges, located by the shore of Hudson Bay, near Churchill.
Wild & Wonderful – Blueberries – I learned from this book that British Columbia is the major producer of cultivated blueberries in Canada, with Nova Scotia and Quebec the major producers of wild blueberries; and that when buying fresh blueberries, choose containers that are free of moisture, as moisture accelerates decay. For this reason store blueberries unwashed in the refrigerator and wash just before using.
I’ll include a recipe from the book that you might like for camping.
Giant blueberry pancake
1 cup flour 250 mL
1 teaspoon baking 5 mL
powder
1 tablespoon sugar 15 mL
1Ú2 teaspoon salt 2 mL
3Ú4 -1 cup water 175-250 mL
1Ú2 cup blueberries 125 mL
vegetable oil
Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Mix it in a plastic bag (heavy ziplock) if you are going to take it on the trail.
Add enough water to make a runny but fairly thick batter. Fold in the blueberries. Add water and berries just before making the pancake.
Heat about two tablespoons (25 mL) of oil in a heavy frying pan. Pour in all the batter and cook as a pancake, turning when the underside is well browned.
Cut the pancake in wedges and serve with butter or margarine, honey, brown sugar or jam.
Wild & Wonderful – Cranberries – Tempting recipes fill this little book, ranging from cranberry waldorf salad to cranberry custard pie, as well as cranberry juice, vinegar and ketchup. Dried cranberries are a tasty and nutritious snack that can also be used in baking and sauces. To make your own, follow these directions from the Wild & Wonderful – Cranberries cookbook.
Dried cranberries
1Ú2 cup sugar 125 mL
2Ú3 cup water 150 mL
3 cups fresh 750 mL
cranberries
(12oz./350 g bag)
Combine sugar and water in a small pan. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved, about four minutes.
Wash cranberries; pat dry. Cut berries in half. Leave wild berries whole, as they are smaller.
Combine berries and sugar syrup in a bowl. Let stand for two hours or up to overnight. Drain berries and reserve syrup.
Spread berries over lightly greased baking trays. Bake at 175 F (80 C) for one hour. Pour reserved syrup over berries and stir to coat well. Bake for another two hours, until dried and wrinkled looking, but still slightly soft and flexible. Smaller berries dry more quickly; remove as required.
Let stand uncovered in a dry, cool place overnight.
Store in an airtight container. Dried cranberries can be stored at room temperature for up to a year.
Note: One cup (250 mL) of dried cranberries equals approximately 21Ú2 cups (625 mL) of fresh cranberries.
Wild & Wonderful – Goose and Game – The goal of this book was to “provide the best possible range of goose and game recipes in a small affordable book designed especially for hunters and everyone who loves the flavor of goose and game.”
For many of the recipes, moose, deer, elk, caribou or any available wild game can be used. Goose and duck are featured in the first half of the cookbook.
To order any of these cookbooks, contact: Blueberries & Polar Bears Publishing, Box 304, Churchill, Man., R0B 0E0, 1-800-490-2228 or check bookstores.
