Barley Kichadi - PUBLISHED

https://www.plattershare.com/recipe/barley-khichdi/?utm_campaign=yummly&utm_medium=yummly&utm_source=yummly

1 - Very good flavour but I ended up cooking the barley and lentils by accident (just wanted to speed up soaking but the water was too hot) and the end result was a very soupy consistency. In recognizing my mistake, I looked at cooking instructions for the barley and even though I didn't follow them, they were a bit weird so I went back to my Ayurvedic cookbook and made some changes to try for next time.

2 - This time, I did not soak the barley and lentils first, but I did use the revised cooking time. I also used tinned tomatoes instead of fresh. For the first, the consistency was much better, but while Ben and Paz liked it, I felt that it was a bit dry, so next time I'll soak the barley for an hour, first. Secondly, the tinned tomatoes worked just fine, therefore I'm indicating that fresh (preferred) or tinned tomatoes can be used. Oh, finally I used lemon balm (3 sprigs) and it seemed to work.

3 - I will graduate this to a Test 1 even though I didn't do the actual cooking. Paz made it, and it turned out quite nicely. I soaked both the barley and the lentils and it worked well.

4 - This has become a standard recipe, therefore is ready to graduate La Mouffette Gourmande.

1 cup pearl barley  (soaked for an hour then drained)

1/2 cup yellow mung dal OR red lentils

2 Tbsps mild veg oil or ghee 

1/2 tsp mustard seeds 

1/2 tsp cumin seeds  

1 onion, finely chopped 

10 curry leaves 10 OR lime zest (from 1 lime?) OR fresh lemon balm

A pinch of asafoetida (aka hing)

1/2 inch fresh ginger, grated or chopped finely

3 to 4 green chillies, chopped finely

1/4 tsp turmeric powder 

2 tomatoes, finely chopped (or 10oz tinned)

3 cups water 

1 tsp salt or to taste

Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

2 Tbsps lemon or lime juice 

OPTIONAL: carrot, peas, fresh beans or any other vegetable of your choice

1. Soak barley and pulses for at least 1 hour in plenty of water. Drain the water away before using in the recipe. 
2. Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium flame.
3. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When they pop, add chopped onions and sauté.
4. Add curry leaves, hing, ginger and green chilies. Stir fry for up to 2 minutes, or until onions become translucent.
5. Add chopped tomatoes and cook till they become soft.
6. Add the soaked barley and moong dal and mix well. 
7. Add 3 cups of water and salt. Allow the water to come to a nice boil.
8. Lower the heat and cover to cook.
9. Cook for 15 to 20 50 minutes to an hour or until the barley is well cooked and the water is fully absorbed.
10. Add more water if required, if you feel the barley is not cooked enough. 
11. Remove from heat and serve, sprinkled with lemon juice and garnished with chopped coriander leaves.
12. Serve barley khichdi with yogurt or as it is.

Wheat free Cornbread - Untested

 https://lamouffettegourmande.blogspot.com/2021/11/straightforward-cornbread.html

Try substituting flour for barley flour.

Pumpkin Chutney - Untested

https://www.pumpkinlicious.com/pumpkin-chutney.html

1 cup malt vinegar

1/2 - 3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup vinegar extra

1 onion - approx 70g chopped

Dates - 50g chopped in half

Pumpkin - 300g chopped in small dice

1 tablespoon cornflour

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon powdered mustard

1. Make a paste with the cornflour and spices by adding the extra 1/4 cup vinegar and mixing until there are no lumps.
2. Heat the vinegar and sugar and stir until dissolved. Add the onion and pumpkin. When they are soft, add the dates and cook until they are soft too, stirring often.
3. Add the spice mixture and simmer until the chutney thickens.
4. Pour into hot jars and cover.

Pork Belly with Lentils - Untested

https://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/laura-calder/pork-belly-with-lentils-1959261

For several years I've avoided Laura Calder recipes, and I'd like to exorcise that demon. It's attached to feelings of shame and disappointment. When we were still living in downtown Vancouver, I was so excited about her show, really the only cooking show I've ever really liked. I so much enjoyed her take on things, at least the take presented by the persona in the show. Ben encouraged me to send her a fan letter and to invite her to dinner if ever she was in Vancouver. I doubted anything would come of it but I thought, meh, why not give it a try? A while later, in my fandom I looked for interviews with her, and found one done in Montreal II think), where she described receiving an invitation by a guy in Vancouver and described it as 'creepy' because it was an invitation to his and his partner's home. I have no idea if she was referring to me, but ever since, I've felt this shiver of shame run down my spine to think that my invitation might have made someone feel uncomfortable. I mean, I get it, some strange man inviting her to his place for dinner and all, but anyone who knows me would be, like, 'grrrrl, really?!?' I wish I'd followed my gut feeling and never sent that letter. Anywho, I continue to enjoy her recipes when I come across them, and I enjoy preparing the variations I've come up with from the ones I've already adopted. I suppose I should focus on that, on the gift she's given us with her lovely ideas.

This is a recipe of hers I've never made before, which I remember finding interesting on her TV show. Given that I have a lot of pork belly to work with at the moment, it seems like a perfect opportunity to try it.

For the belly

1 (3-pound) pork belly (not cured)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 lrg carrots (280gr), peeled and cut into large chunks on the bias

3 onions (500gr), quartered

1 cup apple cider

Few fresh thyme sprigs

2 bay leaves

6 black peppercorns

1/4 cup honey

2 Tbsps Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp cider vinegar

For the lentils

1 cup French green lentils (du Puy lentils)

1 shallot

1 bay leaf

1 fresh thyme sprig

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Score the fat on the belly and season both sides with salt and pepper. Make a bed in a roasting pan with the carrots and onions. Lay the pork belly on top, skin-side up. Pour over the cider and a cup of water. Cook 30 minutes to get the fat running. Stir together the honey and Dijon with a spoonful of water. Brush the mustard mixture onto the fat, and lower the heat to 325 degrees F. Continue cooking, basting occasionally with the honey, for 3 hours.
3. An hour before the belly is done, start the lentils. Rinse the lentils in cold water, drain, and put in a saucepan with 1 1/2 cups water, the shallot, bay leaf and thyme. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer gently until tender, 30 to 40 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure no more water is needed. Drain the lentils, and season with salt, and pepper. Set aside to reheat later.
4. Remove the belly from the oven when it's done, and transfer to a baking sheet. Return it to the oven at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes to crispen the skin.
5. Meanwhile, drain the juices from the roasting pan into a measuring cup, reserving the vegetables and keeping them warm. Pour the fat off the juices, using some to moisten the lentils and saving the rest for another use. Deglaze the roasting pan with the vinegar and reduce to a glaze, then add the cooking juices and cook down for a minute or two. Reheat the lentils gently.
6. Slice the belly and serve with the vegetables, and with the pork-fat moistened lentils.

Baboche (p'tit blanc) - Untested

Apparently this is a distilled liqueur (moonshine) that was made at La Baie du Tonnerre in my home community, way back when. How curious! Some unpacking is required. The original recipe is written in the typical blend of the area's dialect of French and English. 

12 days

chaudiere de 5 gallons

3 sacs de 2k de sucre

1 corn syrup (1L?)

1 petit croc "Original" de levure

18-21L d'eau tiede

laisse pour un minimum de 12 jours

faire bouillir

laisse passer la premiere vapeur(?)

laisser la fin (lie du vin)

peut ajouter oranges ou autre fruit pour la saveur

recette originaire des maritimes

Pork Belly and Lentils, braised - Testing

https://recipes.sainsburys.co.uk/recipes/one-pot-roast-pork-and-lentil-braise

1 - Abso-LUT-ely delicious. I finally found a recipe I really like for cooking fresh pork belly with lentils. I'm sure there are others, and I will try them, but this was really great. I doubled the amount of lentils but did not increase any of the other ingredients, except for the water - I ended up adding a bit of water after the first 45 minutes, but I'm not sure how much, so I'm starting with an extra 1/2 cup. I liked it that, at the end, the lentils weren't swimming in broth but were just juicy. I'm looking forward to making this again!

2 - I had no carrots and substituted dijon for wholegrain mustard, and it was still delicious.

3 - Successful again, but last time I put in the whole 2 1/2 cups water and felt like the pork belly was swimming. Made it again with less water, only to cover the lentils, and added water later in the cooking, and they come out partially cooked, part of them still a bit crunchy. So it isn't until covered, it's actually a precise quantity. Maybe 2 1/4 and check half-way through to add another 1/4?

4 - Keeping it simple. the 2 1/2 cups stock works just fine. Moving this one on up to Test 3.

5 - Nope, and I'm forgetting the testing system. I have questions all the way through and I've been graduating it, which is wrong. Once I have perfected it, then I can graduate it to reproduce 3x. If I have questions or if one of the reproductions fails, it should be demoted back to the Testing phase. This has to go back to the testing phase. It's good as it is, but I don't like how the mustard glaze seems to run off into the watery broth when I just dump it on. I think I should return to the original recipe and alter how adding the water is explained. Some water just to cover the lentils to start, then add more halfway through the baking process, I think.

6 - The plan worked! Adding only enough broth to cover the lentils worked, and so did basting instead of dumping.

7 - I leave way too much of the pork fat after browning the belly pieces. As in, I don't remove any of it, and it turns into a meal that's far too heavy. If we were working as young Victorian farmers, the calories would be justified.

8 - Made it with less fat and it made all the difference. Much more digestible. I probably left 2 Tbsps of fat, I might be able to go up to 1/4 cup.

Timing: 2 hrs 10mins

1lb 6oz pork belly, uncured 

1 large onion, peeled and diced (10oz)

1 carrot, peeled and diced

1 celery stick, diced (or some lovage leaves instead)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 cup lentils

1½ + 1 cups vegetable stock

2 Tbsps. wholegrain mustard

2 Tbsps. runny honey or maple syrup

1. Cut the pork into 4 thick slices. Rub with plenty of salt and pepper. 
2. Heat a wide, oven-ready pot on medium-high for a couple of minutes (searing temperature is reached when a popcorn kernel pops). 
3. Place the pork belly to the hot pan about 1" apart, fat rind side down first. Sear on all sides, including the ends, until each side is well browned with a slight crust, about 3 minutes each side (total 18 minutes). Set aside.
4. Remove the hot fat and leave about 2 Tbsps to 1/4cup to cook the vegetables.
5. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350°F. 
6. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and fennel seeds to the hot pan and cook for 10 minutes until soft and fragrant. The veg should produce enough moisture to scrape up the fond that developed during the searing stage. 
7. Once the veg is soft, add the lentils and stir through, cooking for a further 1 minute. 
8. Pour in the 1½ cups stock. This should just cover the lentils.
9. Lay the pork on top, then cover and transfer to the oven and bake for an initial 45 minutes. 
10. Combine the mustard and honey (or maple syrup). 
11. Add the remaining stock, just to cover the lentils (about 1.5 cups). Baste the pork using about 1/4 to 1/3 of the marinade. Increase the temperature to 400°F. Place the casserole back in the oven, uncovered, and roast for a further 40 minutes, basting with the marinade every 10 minutes or until the marinade is all used up.

Gâteau grand-mère à la base de yogourt - Testing

https://thecafesucrefarine.com/french-grandmothers-lemon-yogurt-cake/

1 - A very good first try, and both Ben and I felt like something was missing. It could be that, next time I make it exactly as it's written below, that we'll love it. I don't know. But in the meantime, experimenting is interesting. 

    To Try : 

1.     replace at least some of the oil with melted and cooled butter
2.     add X amount of finely diced and rehydrated candied lemon or lime peel
3.     add something like the peelings in marmalade, whatever that looks like
4.     simply top the cake with marmalade?

½ cup plain yogurt or Greek yogurt

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3 large eggs

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsps baking powder

½ tsp salt

grated lemon zest from 1 medium-size lemon (or the equivalent in lime zest)

½ cup mild oil (such as sunflower grape seed, canola oil)

For the glaze:

¼ cup fresh lemon or lime juice

¾ cup of powdered sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
2. Prepare in advance the baking dish by generously greasing an 8-inch round cake; line the bottom with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and eggs, stirring with a wooden spoon until well blended.
4. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and zest, stirring just to combine.
5. Add the oil and stir well with a spatula to help get the sides. Don’t worry if at first it seems like the oil isn't mixing in, just keep stirring until you get a smooth batter.
6. Pour the batter into prepared pan.
7. Bake for 30 minutes before checking for done-ness - it's important not to overbake this cake. It's ready if the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. While the cake is baking, prepare the glaze by whisking together the juice and the sugar until it's perfectly smooth. Leaving it settle for a few minutes before whisking again helps. 
9. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes before turning it out.
10. While the cake is still warm, gently brush the glaze over all of it with a pastry brush until all of the glaze is used up. Some of it will drip off, but most of it will soak in. Allow cake to cool completely before serving. 

Brownie cookies - Testing

https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/chocolate-brownie-cookies/

1 - Um, no. The result using only oat flour was terribly grainy and crumbly, not gooey and smooth at all. The flavor was just fine. I will try one more time with flour instead, and not call them 'brownie' cookies.

1 cup oat all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

6 Tbsps oil

2 Tbsps milk 

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup chocolate chips

1. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. 
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients to form a batter. If the batter is too dry, add oil 1 tsp at a time until you get a unform dough. Wrap and put in the refrigerator to rest for 1 hour and up to 72 hours.
3. Roll into balls. 
4. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 F and grease a cookie sheet. Bake 9 minutes – they should look underdone when you take them out. 
5. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes to let them firm up. 

Barley risotto with pumpkin and sausage - Test 1

https://blog.giallozafferano.it/soniamascioli/orzo-risottato-con-zucca-e-salsiccia/

1 - Ben and Paz are happy with all the ratios. I worry there's too much cream. The one recommendation we all agree on is that the pumpkin was cubed too big and a bit undercooked.

2 - Success! I cut the pumpkin into smaller cubes and used less cream on the first day, which I increased to re-heat it (successfully) on the second day.

2+1 Tbsps vegetable oil

1lb8oz pumpkin, peeled and cubed 1/4"

1 shallot small onion

1 chilli pepper or 1 pinch of red pepper flakes

1lb sausage meat (I use hot Italian sausage meat)

1 1/2 cups of light cream

1 + 1 oz grated parmesan cheese

240 gr of barley

4 cups vegetable broth

Salt and Pepper

Fresh parsley, chopped or lovage

freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat some oil in a fry pan (about 2 Tbsps) and sauté the pumpkin, onion and chilli.
2. While cooking, crumble in the sausage and cook until the meat is well browned.
3. Turn down the heat, pour in the cream and stir for a few minutes to get all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Continue to stir until the sauce thickens. Add 1 oz of grated parmesan, stir, cover and set aside until the rest is ready. 
4. Heat another Tbsp of oil in a pan to toast the barley. When it starts to become fragrant, gradually add the broth. Cover and cook for 30-40 minutes or until the barley is cooked but still chewy.
5. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pumpkin mixture, and pour the rest into the cooked barley along with a few sprinklings (about 2-3 Tbsps) of Parmesan, stirring gently to combine everything evenly. 
6. To serve, top each serving with some of the reserved pumpkin misture.
7. Sprinkle with some chopped parsley and a few good grinds of pepper.

LEFTOVERS 

To Reheat

Add more cream to reheat. The barley will have absorbed a lot of the moisture, so the extra cream brings it back to its previous sauciness. You will likely need much less than 1/2 cup of cream.

To Make Patties

1 - This was very good. It took me a couple of goes, since I started just with the risotto which easily crumble when I tried flipping, then just with egg, same problem, until I added a bit of flour. I did it all pretty much on the fly, so I'm not sure what the ratios are at this point. But it worked well.

Can easily be made into patties. Add 1 or 2 eggs (probably just 1) and a bit of flour (of course I'll want to standardize this). Heat some oil in a pan for about 3-5 minutes before starting. Make 75gr patties and fry in the oil until browned on both sides.

Vegetable soup with barley and sausage - Untested

https://cookpad.com/it/ricette/14407247-zuppa-di-verdure-con-orzo-e-salsiccia?ref=recipe&via=registration_app_download_intercept

4 1/3 cups water

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

2 sprigs rosemary (or, failing that, other preferred spices)

a few bay leaves

400g sausage

1/2 cup white wine

70g pumpkin, peeled and cubed

300g potatoes peeled and cubed

300g Savoy cabbage (white cabbage), sliced thin

Parmesan cheese rind

170g pearl barley

Pecorino romano (or parmesan)

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion, salt, pepper, herbs and bay leaves. Stir to coat and gently cook. 
2. Meanwhile, shape the sausage meat into meatballs. Add to the saucepan and turn up the heat to medium high, stirring often, until the sausage starts to brown. There should be browning stuck to the bottom of the pan.
3. Turn down the heat and add the wine to deglaze, scraping up as much as possible. When the wine has completely evaporated, add the prepared vegetables and mix until they reach temperature.
4. Add the water and the cheese rind and bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer. 
5. Cook for about 15-20 minutes before adding the pearl barley, add water if necessary. The barley cooks in about 30 minutes. 
6. Cover and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. 
7. Finish cooking and, before turning off, check the seasoning.
8. Serve, add a sprinkling of grated cheese (your favorite) to taste and serve hot.

Oyster Mushroom Ragout - Untested

https://www.peacefuldumpling.com/recipe/vegan-mushroom-ragout-lemon-tarragon

3 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced (170gr)

600g oyster mushrooms, sliced

3 tbsp dried tarragon

1 1/3 cups cream

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 lemon

salt, ground pepper

200g bulgur (or grits? or pasta?)

1. Prepare the bulgur according to package instructions, then set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Sauté the onions until fragrant, then add sliced mushrooms and tarragon.
3. Over high heat, fry the mushrooms for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add the rice cream and the garlic as well. Add the juice of the lemon and a little of the zest for more unique taste. Cook for 5 minutes over high heat.
5. Serve it over the bulgur.