Table for One in Transylvania

     Cooking for one is a struggle at times since most often we cook too much or can't divide a recipe for 4 people down to one without coming up short. Recipes rarely account for those of us flying solo so I think it's worthwhile to point out that I mostly eat alone.  I love to share a meal but most times I don't have the option, so I got used to cooking for one or going to cafes and restaurants on a date for just moi, not reading a book or clinging to my phone, enjoying my own company and the meal in front of me.


     In my old neighbourhood there was a little restaurant owned and operated by a Romanian husband and wife. I ate there on a regular basis when I felt like good, homey comfort food. I sat alone by the window and watched people glide by while I sipped on my wine (or sometimes goldshlager). Johanna, the hostess, server and co-owner, would talk with me and top up my glass without me even knowing it. She was always happy to chat about her family back home in Romania, her husband in the kitchen, and the latest boots/coat/scarf she had bought. Dracula aside, I loved Transylvania without ever having traveled there.

     The food was the key: simple, hearty and reminiscent of my good eastern European friends from where I grew up. I loved the chicken paprikash, yam-stuffed perogies, and homemade sauerkraut with bacon. However, my all-time favourite dish was the schnitzel. I've always longed to recreate it for myself at home, however I haven't been terribly successful since I wrestled to get the breading and seasoning right.

   When I found Transylvania Flavour Restaurant was closed, I was determined to celebrate the cuisine and muddle my way through a made-at-home schnitzel for one (with leftovers). Pork will be better than chicken as chicken breast dries easily and lacks flavour, so pork is not only cheaper but also tastier.  Also, I decided to go wild and make my own sauerkraut which pays off if you have the patience. These recipes celebrate a solo smorgasbord of fine food for any time you fancy a trip overseas.

For the Sauerkraut:
⦁    1 head cabbage of choice (I used red)
⦁    1.5-2  tablespoons coarse salt
⦁    1-2L water

1) Rinse the cabbage well to avoid contamination and chop into thin ribbons. It's easiest to quarter the head first; be sure to discard the tough stem.
2) In a large bowl mix the salt and chopped cabbage with your hands, massaging the salt into the ribbons. Let sit for at least 5 minutes before repeating the mixing  process and add more salt if necessary. The cabbage will soften and wilt a little.
3) In a large mason jar or glass container, pack the cabbage in. Fill with water, just enough to cover the packed cabbage.
4) With the cabbage submerged, place a clean dish cloth or cheesecloth over the mouth of the jar/container. Use a loose rubber band to to hold the cloth in place and prevent outside contamination as the fermenting process begins while allowing easy exit for the gases produced.
5) Let sit for 3-10 days, tasting the kraut once a day after day 3 to achieve the sour score you prefer. Bubbles, foam and even a little mold is normal in this process.  Punch down the cabbage with clean hands every day to keep the floating cabbage bits submerged.
6) When the sauerkraut tastes perfect to you,  transfer the cabbage into a clean jar or container with some of the fermenting liquid. It should keep covered for up to a month in the fridge depending on storage conditions.

For the mashed potatoes:
⦁    5 medium size yellow potatoes
⦁    salt to taste
⦁    butter to taste

1) Scrub the potatoes well under cold water.
2) Cut the potatoes (with skins intact) into bite-sized pieces.
3) Place potatoes in a pot and cover with water until potatoes are submerged. Add enough salt to make the water slightly salty to taste.
2) Bring to a boil, uncovered, on high heat. When boiling, turn heat to a simmer and cover. When potatoes are soft to a fork piercing (about 15-20 minutes), drain and set aside covered. Reserve about 1 cup of potato water for the gravy.
3) Add butter and mash until the desired consistency is reached. Adding  a little milk or sour cream will give the potatoes a richer texture.

For the Schnitzel:
⦁    2 pork chops, bone removed
⦁    1 cup dry bread crumbs
⦁    1 teaspoon paprika
⦁    1 teaspoon dried parsley
⦁    1 teaspoon salt
⦁    1 teaspoon pepper
⦁    pinch red chili flakes
⦁    zest of one lemon
⦁    3-5 tablespoons flour
⦁    1 egg
⦁    Splash of water or milk
⦁    Olive oil
⦁    1 clove chopped garlic
⦁    1/4 lemon

1 )Place the pork chops in a thick plastic bag or between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound until the chops are about 1 cm thin.  If you don't own a tenderizer or meat mallet, as I do not, use something blunt and heavy to beat the meat. For me, my own two fists work pretty well, not to mention the tension it relieves! I also salt the meat lightly before tenderizing to add flavour and accelerate the softening of the sinewy or tougher parts of the meat. Make sure the chops are dry before starting the breading process so pat down the parts with paper towel.
2) Mix the breadcrumbs, paprika, parsley, chili flakes, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a shallow pan. I use pie dishes or cake pans for the breading process as long as they are big enough to douse a flattened chop.
3) In another shallow pan or bowl,  beat an egg with a little water or cream.
4) In a third pan, spread the flour evenly over the bottom. Let the breading begin!
5) Heat olive oil in a large fry pan that is big enough to house two chops.  The trick here is to use enough that the schnitzel cooks in a few millimeters of oil but is not submerged.  Medium to high heat  should work but the temperature depends on  the stove top and cookware at hand.
6) Throw the garlic in the oil. If it bubbles and sizzles, it's the right temperature. If it burns quickly turn the heat down.
7) Breading: you should have one dry hand and one wet hand. This means that you will use one dry hand to coat the chop in flour. Using the other hand, you will douse the same chop in the egg mixture and then use the dry hand to transfer and coat it with the breadcrumb mixture. Do not press breadcrumb mix into the chops if it doesn't stick as you would like it to, just sprinkle the crumbs on wherever the breading is lacking.
8) When the oil reaches the right temperature, as your garlic will tell you, place the breaded chop in the pan. Cook 3-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your schnitzel. It should brown nicely without becoming too dark.
9) Repeat until all meat is cooked.
9) Let rest 5 minutes before serving, you can keep the pieces warm in the oven if you are making larger batches, however it's best to eat it sooner rather than later.
6) Squeeze the lemon over the schnitzel before serving

For the Sour Cream Gravy:
⦁    leftover oil and garlic from cooking schnitzel
⦁    2 cloves garlic, chopped
⦁    2-3 tablespoons sour cream
⦁    1-2 cups chicken stock (dissolve stock powder or boullion cube in reserved potato water)
⦁    1 teaspoon dried parsley
⦁    1 teaspoon thyme
⦁    salt and pepper to taste

1) Let the leftover oil in the pan cool to medium heat, stirring to lift cooked crumbs etc from the the pan.
2) Add the chopped garlic and cook for about 1 minute.
3) Add the parsley and thyme and cook for another 30 seconds.Add as much chicken stock as there is oil in the pan. Stir vigorously to remove everything cooked to the pan.
4) Whisk the sour cream into the pan before adding salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to a boil before reducing to low heat.
5) Add chicken stock if the sauce is too thick, or more sour cream if the sauce is too thin. Salt and pepper to taste.
6) Simmer for 10-20 minutes, stirring often to maintain a smooth consistency.

For the peas and onions:
⦁    1 cup frozen peas
⦁    1/2 onion, chopped
⦁    1 tablespoon butter

1) Heat a small pot on medium heat. Melt the butter and add the onion.
2) Cook the onion until soft. Add the peas and a splash of water and stir.
3) Reduce heat to low and cover until peas are steamed, about 2-3 minutes.

Serve all of the above together for a hot and hearty dinner. Leftovers can be served the same or the schnitzel can be served warm on a crusty bun with mustard, sauerkraut and tomato for lunch the next day.

Rosemary Ginger Turkey Soup

Serves: 4-6
Time:
Stock: 4-6h
Soup: 30-45 min

It's no secret that Thanksgiving is possibly my very favourite holiday. For me, you can't ask for a better day than one filled with cooking and tasting that culminates in the pure expression of feasting with family and friends. Yes, a turkey dinner with all of the trimmings is where it's at in October.

However, an almost equally good day is the day after the feast: the day full of turkey sandwiches and the promise of leftovers to come. Sprawled out this last Monday with a turkey bun in hand, gravy aplenty, I ruffled my brow and thought "Turkey leftovers recipes....it's gotta be soup this week!" With my turkey bone graveyard sitting idly by, I set out to soup it up.

My biggest challenge with turkey soup is getting a good stock, one that is high on turkey and low on watery. Without over-salting, how can you make a striking turkey stock for soup? I add ginger to give it a boot in the giblets for flavour. The combination of rosemary and ginger make this a beautifully flavoured soup, and I omit starches to maximize the veggies involved . The soup du jour is on, and it's hot hot stuff.

To make a great stock, try the following:

• 1 turkey graveyard (bones and carcass mostly picked clean), skin okay
• 5 sprigs rosemary
• 10 sprigs thyme
• 3 celery stalks, halved
• 1 large shallot or  medium onion, quartered
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 carrots, halved
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 3 cm of fresh ginger root, unpeeled, halved
• 2 cloves garlic, halved

1) Place all of the above in a large stockpot and fill with water until covered. If you can't stuff it all in to the pot, don't worry, as it cooks you can shove everything down. Otherwise break it apart into large pieces before starting the stock.

2) Cover and put on high heat. When boiling, reduce to low and simmer.

3) Let simmer for 4-6h. Depending on the taste, you may want to remove the lid partway through cooking to allow a reduction and concentrate the flavours if necessary. When it's finished, strain into a large bowl and let sit.

4) When cooled, scoop away the majority of the fat that forms on the surface. Should yield 1-2L of stock depending on the pot. Freeze, refrigerate, or continue on!

Soup Recipe

• 1.5L turkey stock (supplement with chicken stock if needed)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 1/2 large onion, diced
• 1/2 cup frozen green peas
• 1 leek, sliced (peel the outer skin away, use the white and light green stalk)
• 1.5 cups diced turkey (hopefully leftover!)
• 1 clove garlic, diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 5 sprigs rosemary
• 5 sprigs thyme
• splash of white wine
• salt and pepper to taste

1) Make a spice bag using mesh and place the fresh herbs inside. Otherwise be ready to strain them out at the end.

2) Heat the butter in a medium sized pot on medium heat.

3) Add the onion, celery, carrot, leek, garlic and ginger. Stir often until all veggies are soft.  Add chopped turkey and more butter (if needed) before cooking an additional  2 minutes.

4)Add the stock and wine. Stir and increase the heat to high. Toss in the rosemary and thyme bag.

5) When boiling, reduce the heat to  a low simmer. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper to suit your palate. Cover and let simmer for 25 minutes. Add the peas and stir for another 5 minutes.

6) Serve steaming hot with a crusty roll or heavy whole wheat toast (with butter of course).

You'll be gobbling this one down until you see the bottom of the bowl!

Chana Tadka Dal
Serves: 4
Cooking time: 2h using dry chana dal or lentils, 30 minutes for canned

Dal (said "doll") is the coziest curry I've ever had and possibly the simplest to make. An even simpler version (Dal Express) is one that uses canned lentils and regular butter, reducing the cooking time to about 30 minutes. Chana dal are more like yellow split peas and masoor dal is made with lentils. It may be tricky to find chana dal outside of specialty grocery stores so use lentils, tastes great both ways.

A friend I met traveling had just come from Nepal where she'd been trekking for months. When she told me she was sick to death of curries, having eaten dal every breakfast and lunch for months on end, I didn't really believe her. However, having said that, I space out my curry consumption. Just in case.

I've never been to India or it's immediate surrounds thus far, but I do live in a place where I am spoiled by a healthy amount of Indian restaurants which is how on a takeout order I came across this spicy stew. I've also eaten wildly delicious dal in SE Asia and it seems it's tasty on both sides of the Pacific.

All yellow curry powders are different as curry is a catch-all name for a combination of curcumin, tumeric, cinnamon and other ingredients so you may want to experiment. Curry can get old and stale, making it dull and flavourless so don't keep it longer than 6 months. I usually buy madras curry powder since it has a nice blend for my taste preferences.

This dish is very cheap to make, and it's high in fibre and iron so I cook up a pot on about once a week. If I feel a cold coming on I'll make a two or three-chili version and steam clean my respiratory system the best way I know how.  My whole apartment smells like a Curry Shack but that's what the chai tea at the end is for...and maybe a little incense too.

Dal Ingredients:

⦁    1 cup of dried yellow chana dal or red lentils, rinsed well
⦁    2 tablespoons ghee or butter (see below)
⦁    1 medium onion, chopped
⦁    1 to 1.5 tablespoons curry powder
⦁    250mL or 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
⦁    1-2 sliced red Thai chilies (optional)
⦁    Fresh cilantro/coriander for garnish (optional)

Prepare the ghee:

1) Heat 125g or 1/4 cup butter over medium heat in a small saucepan.

2) When lightly boiling (foam and bubbles appear on the surface), reduce to a simmer for 6-8 minutes. Milk solids will be stuck on the bottom of the cooking pan and a light white foam on the surface . Skim off the white foam and pour that glorious golden grease into a glass jar or small bowl. You will use half for the dal and half for the tadka. Is there anything butter can't do?

Prepare the Dal:

1) Heat the ghee (or butter) in a medium pot on medium heat.
2)Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chilies and cook until the onions are softened.
3)Add the curry powder to the onion, and fry for 1-2 minutes. You want to cook the curry so that it becomes aromatic, but not burnt and bitter.
4) Add the chana dal or lentils to the curry and onion mix and cook together for another minute or two.
5) Add 125mL of stock to the pot and stir. Try to remove the solids from the bottom and sides of the pot by stirring and cooking for an additional minute. This will help bring the curry flavour into the chana or lentils and begin to soften them.
6) Add the remainder of the stock and stir well.
7) When the dal begins to boil, cover and turn the heat down to simmer it on low heat.
8) Cook until soft, like pea soup, about 1.5-2h, stirring occasionally. You may need to add more water or stock (according to your salt preference) over the course of cooking to maintain a thin stew consistency.

Prepare the Tadka:

⦁    1-2 tablespoons ghee
⦁    2 tablespoons onion, minced
⦁    1 clove garlic, minced
⦁    1 teaspoon cumin seeds
⦁    1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
⦁    1 tsp dried red chili flakes

Heat ghee in a small pot or pan. Cook cumin and chili flakes for 2 minutes until aromatic. Add the fresh garlic, onion and ginger and cook for 30 seconds more.

Serve the dal with the tadka drizzled over it. Garnish with a large pinch of fresh cilantro/coriander.

This can be eaten over steamed rice and/or with naan or roti.

 

I like to finish my meal with a cup of hot chai tea, a black spiced tea, as a dessert and palate cleanser.  Chai tea brands have a variety of blends so read the ingredients and choose one that suits your tastes.

 To Prepare the Chai:

⦁    3 cups or 750 mL water
⦁     6 black chai tea bags
⦁    1 cup or 250mL milk or cream of choice
⦁    1 cinnamon stick (optional)
⦁    honey to taste

1) Bring the water to a boil in a medium pot.
2) Add the teabags and cinnamon, and reduce heat to low. Steep for 10 minutes.
3) Add the milk and stir until heated.
4) Sweeten with honey, pour into mugs, and serve.

Hurry That Curry: Dal Express

The lazy day dal.

⦁    1 can of lentils, drained and rinsed
⦁    2 tablespoons butter
⦁    1 medium onion, chopped
⦁    1 to 1.5 tablespoons curry powder
⦁    250mL or 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
⦁    1-2 sliced red Thai chilis (optional)

 1) Heat the butter in a medium pot on medium heat.
2)  Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chilis and cook until the onions are softened.
3)Add the curry powder to the onion, and fry for 1-2 minutes. You want to cook the curry so that it becomes aromatic, but not burnt and bitter.
4) Add the lentils to the curry and onion mix and cook together for another minute or two.
5) Add 125mL or 1/2 cup of stock to the pot and stir. Try to remove the solids from the bottom and sides of the pot by stirring and cooking for an additional minute. This will help bring the curry flavour into the lentils and begin to soften them.
6) Add the remainder of the stock and stir well.
7) When the dal begins to boil, cover and turn the heat down to simmer it on low heat.
8) Cook until soft, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You may need to add more water or stock (according to your salt preference) over the course of cooking to maintain a thin stew consistency.

Serve with tadka and cilantro/coriander as desired.