Nourish the
Body • Mind • Spirit

Found Treasures – Foodie edition

Comments Off on Found Treasures – Foodie edition

I have three lovely spice mixtures from France – thanks to my sis-in-law, Joanne. And I’ve been meting them out, to make them last. But they are spices, so they won’t keep their flavor forever (although the metal containers seem to maintain the spices’ integrity pretty well) And seriously, as we enter, what is this, week 8? of the Covid19 lock down … it’s time to spice things up a little!

 

When we did the freezer “dig” a few weeks ago, I found some homemade turkey stock – so I grabbed that and a quick survey of the fridge turned up a little celery, a few carrots (apologies that they are US carrots, but some weeks there were no carrots at all in our grocery store, so catch as catch can!).  I had lots of onions and rice in the cupboard. Voilà – the makings of a simple soup.

 

So while we can’t be with our French family in Paris or our cooking school buddies in Bordeaux, as planned – we can have something made with spices from France’s Epices Roellinger.

 

I shall call this recipe:

Found Ingredients Soup

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in large pan (Dutch oven)

Sauté

  • 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
  • 4 carrots, chopped
  • Whatever celery you can scare up – it would be good to have at least 1 stalk

 

 

Stir in

  • 2 tsp Poudre Grande Caravane (or a mixture of your favourite dried spices)

The ingredients listed on the Epices Roellinger website are:

cardamom, fenugreek, cinnamon, ñora (Spanish paprika chili pepper), sesame, spices

  • ½ cup jasmine rice, until well coated

 

Add

  • 3 cups turkey stock

 

Bring to boil. Simmer for 25 minutes or until rice is cooked and spices have done their thing.

 

The house smelled divine when I made this! And the simple soup was given an upgrade.

 

 

Simple soup with exotic “nose”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What else did I find when I was looking for soup ingredients? You’ll never guess – a package of maple syrup flakes from Quebec  that I’ve been keeping for a special recipe. Time to make a special recipe I say! And in the freezer – blueberries! I had visions of a warm dessert dancing in my head (well the first servings were warm – this makes A LOT, so you can refrigerate or freeze some for later)

Maple flakes from Quebec

 

 

 

 

Quarantine Crumble

 

In bottom of well-greased 13X9 pan (you can use a smaller pan if you like taller crumble)

 

  • 1 600 g pk frozen blueberries
  • Juice and grated peel of ½ lemon
  • ¼ cup white sugar

 

Topping

  • 4 cups g-f oats
  • 1 cup maple sugar flakes (you likely won’t have those – so brown sugar)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp sea salt (if using unsalted butter, less if using salted butter)
  • 1 stick unsalted butter. Use a pastry cutter or 2 knives to cut in

 

Bake in pre-heated  350F oven (or 325F  if using a glass pan) for 40 minutes or until blueberries bubble (if they are frozen, it may take a little longer)

 

 

Loved the subtle maple flavour imparted by the flakes.

 

 

Have you found any hidden treasures in your freezer or pantry? Please tell me how you’ve used them.

 

Be well