Salted Cod with Coconut Cream

Bacalhau is the Portuguese name for cod and refers to dried and salted cod. It is Portugal national dish.
Salting and drying meat and fish was the only method of preserving meat and fish until the artificial refrigeration began somewhere in the 19th century!

For a long time cod was caught exclusively off the shores of Newfoundland (North Atlantic coast) mainly by Portuguese, but also Spanish and Basque fishermen. It was widely available and affordable until the collapse of the cod stocks. The fish was salted and sun-dried ashore and was part of the basic Mediterranean diet. Before the advent of supermarkets you could see dried cods hanging by the tail in front of each grocery store.
Children loved to tear up pieces and eat them!
As you can imagine every country around the Mediterranean has more than one recipe to prepare the salted cod.

I have created my own baked recipe inspired by the Portuguese Bacalhau com Natas (Salted Cod with Cream.) It is a simplified version made with coconut milk and cream instead of dairy cream. If you're dairy-intolerant, this is an excellent alternative to cows' milk with the addition of the coconut's subtle sweetness.
It is very easy to make and the result is absolutely exquisite!

If you have never cooked Salted Cod, this is a simple and good recipe for a first try. I hope you will like it as much as I do!

Ingredients
1 pound salt cod fillets
2 pounds of potatoes, peeled and and sliced (I used Yukon Gold)
1 can (14 fl oz.) coconut cream
1 cup coconut milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups grated cheese (I used Jarlsberg)
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1. Soak the salted cod fillets in water for 24 hours, changing water 2 or 3 times (rinse well and drain every time.) Keep the cod in the fridge.



2. Parboil the cod for 5 minutes in water. Drain and let cool.
3. In the meantime, peel, slice and parboil the potatoes for 5 minutes. Drain.
4. Preheat the oven to 375 degF.
5. Flake the fillets into small pieces, removing any bones and skin. Feel for the bones using your hands. Set aside.
6. Butter an ovenproof dish generously. Layer half of the potatoes over the bottom. Top with the shredded cod evenly and add the remaining potatoes. Dont' worry if the potato slices break up. It won't affect the taste or the final look of the dish.



7. Pour the coconut cream and milk over the potatoes distributing it evenly. It should almost cover the top layer of potatoes; Add more if necessary.
8. Dot with pieces of butter. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
9. Take out of the oven, sprinkle the grated cheese and bake for another 15 minutes or until it is slightly golden. After that time, if it hasn't browned, turn on the broil and grill for 5-8 minutes, keeping an eye in the oven to avoid burning it.

I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do!

Tips

1. You should not need to add any salt to this dish. However, I suggest that you taste the cod and adjust the salt accordingly.
2. You can use any cheese : Cheddar, Swiss, Emmenthal, Gruyere.
3. You can substitute coconut cream for coconut milk. It will be slightly less rich tasting and have less fat.
4. As far as buying coconut milk, I personally like to buy organic coconut cream and milk.
5. You can use olive oil instead of butter.

Roasted Turkey Breast

It took me a couple of trials and errors to find out the secret of roasting a delicious turkey! It is super easy to prepare but you have to brine it overnight or at least for a few hours. It drastically improves the flavor. Brining is the process of soaking the meat in salty water.
We are only three in the family, so a whole turkey would last us for one month. I find the turkey breast is a great alternative. Even then we have turkey for 3 meals, which is not so bad compared to friends who complaint they eat leftovers for 2 weeks !
A turkey breast is also easier to brine as you need a pot large enough to cover the meat with the brine.

Ingredients
5-6 pound turkey breast (with bones and skin)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3-4 garlic cloves crushed (1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon thyme leaves

Brining
1 gallon cold water
1/2 cup salt
Combine the water, salt in a large pot. Stir to dissolve the salt.
Immerse the turkey breast, cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight.
When you are ready to cook the meat, remove the turkey breast from the brine, rinse and pat dry.

Directions for cooking

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degF.
2. Mix the butter, garlic and thyme in a small bowl.
3. Gently loosen the skin from the breast meat with your fingers and spread the garlic butter on the meat as shown on the picture.



4. Spread the remaining evenly on the skin. Season the whole breast with pepper.
5. Place the turkey breast, skin side up, in a roasting pan.
6. Roast the turkey for half hour.
7. Lower the temperature to 350 degF and continue cooking until the skin is golden brown and until an instant-read thermometer (or a meat thermometer) reads 165 degF when inserted into the thickest areas of the breast. To be sure test in 2-3 different places. It should take 1 to 1.5 hour long.
8. When the turkey is done, cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Tips

1. Preparation- bring it to room temperature before cooking.
2. Cooking- If the skin is over-browning, cover it loosely with aluminum foil.
3. Serving- while the turkey is resting, make a sauce : sauté, 1 or 2 french shallots (alternative : 1 oignon) and sliced mushrooms in a pan using the turkey drippings. Add few tablespoons of heavy cream or coconut cream. Spoon this sauce over the sliced turkey.

Makroot A Looz (Almond Sweets)

This is a delicious traditional Algerian cookie, mostly served for special occasions.
There are many variations of Makroots or Makroods. In general they are cut in diamond shape and can be made of semolina dough stuffed with either almond meal or date paste.
This flourless version is made of thinly ground almonds, sugar, lemon zest and eggs. Its texture resembles that of marzipan all covered with bright icing sugar. It is a must-have wedding cookie.
Typically they are about one inch thick and 3 inches long , but I prefer a smaller size.
I like to make to make them at least once a year during the holidays, not only because my family loves them but because they are so easy and quick to make. 
The recipe I am providing is slightly different from the traditional one. It is tailored to my own taste.
If stored in a well sealed container, these cookies will keep for few weeks. 

Ingredients
3 cups almond meal
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg white (with yolk reserved)
Zest and juice of 2 lemons
3 cups icing sugar
2-3 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven at 350 degF
2. Mix the almonds, granulated sugar and lemon zest in a bowl
3. Make a well and add the egg white. Mix with a spoon or fork. The almond dough should hold well together (not too dry, not too runny.) If you find that it still breaks apart, then add 1 teaspoon of egg yolk at a time
4. Separate the dough in 2 or 3 portions (whatever is easy for you to work with).
5. Sprinkle work surface with cornstarch so the dough doesn't stick to your working surface. Roll out each piece into a ¾ inch thick rope and press gently with your palm. Cut in a diamond shape.
6. Finish shaping the diamonds one by one by hand, pressing the edges and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.
7. Bake 12-14 minutes. Let cool completely.
8. Prepare three bowls that are wide enough to dip the cookies easily.
9. Pour the lemon juice in bowl #1. Separate the confectioner’s sugar into bowls #2 and #3. This is because the first sugar bowl will get lumpy after the first dipping. To have a nice white finish, you have to dip it into a dry batch.
10. Lightly dip each cookie in the lemon juice (#1) then toss into the icing sugar (#2). Coat well and pat to remove the excess.
11. Place on a cookie sheet and repeat the operation for all the cookies.
12. Coat a second time with the icing sugar in bowl #3 to get a nice snow white color.
13. Place on the cookie sheet and let dry.

Variations

1. You may replace the lemon juice with orange blossom water or homemade syrup.

Panettone

First attempt at Loretta Sebastiani recipe.

It took time and patience to do it, but the weather contributed a lot. It was and still is extremely cold, so the only thing you want to do is to stay warm inside, near the oven! I read Loretta's recipe 2-3 times before trying it. The steps were clear, the tips very helpful, nothing was missing.

I prepared my yeast on Friday evening and put it the oven not heated, without the light on. Just before going to bed, I checked it and it was rising nicely. However in the morning it was all flattened. I was going to throw it away and then I decided to go ahead with the next step and see if I could recover it. It worked perfectly.

I used a "Charlotte" mold, which I covered with wax paper. My husband is not a big fan of candied fruits and raisins, so I used only 1/3 cup of raisins that I soaked in orange blossom water.

You will find a lot of tips at Loretta's blog.

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons of instant dry yeast
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 yolk
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1.4 ounces) assorted candied fruit
1/3 cup raisins
1 tablespoon orange blossom water to soak the raisins(or plain water or rum)
3/4 cup water

Mold: 7in diameter and 4in high

Directions
Step 1: the day before

1. Mix 1/3 cup of flour and 1 teaspoon of instant yeast.
2. Add 1/4 cup water and mix well. Dissolve all the lumps well with your fingers until a smooth dough. Cover and let rise all night. I store it in the oven.

Step 2: next morning-9am

1. The volume should have more than doubled. Don't worry if it has flattened.
2. Add 1/2 cup of flour and knead the dough for few minutes. If it's too sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour.
3. Transfer the dough into a larger bowl.
4. Cover the bowl and let it rise. I put it in the oven with the light on for 4 hours. The light keeps the oven just warm enough to help the dough rise.
5. Take the butter out of the fridge.

Step 3: afternoon - 12pm

1. In a saucepan, dissolve the sugar in 1/2 cup water. Let it simmer around 20 minutes on a low heat and reduce to obtain a light syrup. Let it cool.
2. Soak the raisins in warm liquid until soft (I put them in the microwave for 30 seconds).

Step 4: afternoon - 1pm

1. Beat the eggs and yolk and add the cooled syrup beating continuously.
2. Drain the raisins and flour them so they don't stick together. If you are using candied fruits, use the same technique.
3. Line the bottom and sides of your mold with buttered parchment paper.
4. Put remaining flour and the second teaspoon of yeast in the dough machine and mix well.
5. Add the dough prepared in step 1 and 2, and the butter. If the butter is not soft enough, microwave it for 10-20 seconds.
6. Turn the machine on.
7. Pour in the egg and syrup mixture.
8. Knead for 10-12 minutes.
9. Add the raisins and candied fruits and knead another 2 minutes.
10. The dough should be soft.
11. Transfer to the mold and let it rise. Again I put it in the oven with the light on. It should reach the edge of the mold.

Step 5: afternoon - 4pm

1. Pre-heat the oven at 400 degF.
2. Bake 30 minutes then lower the heat to 350 degF and bake another 10 minutes.
3. Let it cool, transfer to a plate and dust the surface with sifted icing sugar.

Tamina

Tamina (pronounce it ta-mee-na) is an Algerian sweet usually served to celebrate a birth. It is very easy to make and uses ingredients found in every Algerian household : semolina, honey and butter. The semolina must be roasted. My mother always had few cups toasted as a backup, in case some unexpected guests showed up and she had nothing to welcome them with. She would then melt butter and honey, add some roasted semolina and there she had something to offer to her guests in less than 5 minutes! 
The choices for decoration and flavoring are endless. You may decorate with spices, almonds, pistachio, or other cake decorating sprinkles.

Ingredients
1 cup (220g) coarse semolina
½ cup (110g) butter
1/3 cup (110g) honey (or a little less)
Cinnamon to decorate

Directions

1. Fry dry the semolina in a frying pan over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon until it’s golden (15-20 minutes).
2. Melt the butter and honey in a saucepan over low heat.
3. Add the semolina, stir thoroughly for 3-5 minutes. The mixture must be fluid but not too runny. Note that it thickens slightly when cool.
4. Remove from heat. Pour in small plates. Smooth the top and decorate with cinnamon.

Rustic Triangle Bread

At one point in time I was making fresh bread almost every day. I would make the dough during the week-end, cook one loaf or two the same day. I would shape the remaining dough in small balls, floured and threw them in ziplock bags in the fridge. Every evening, as soon as I get home from work I would take a couple of balls, shape them as naan breads and let them rise, while I start my supper. Just half hour later they are ready to be baked and in no time they were on the table. Having fresh bread on the table at every meal is wonderful!
We were eating too much bread and I was using only all-purpose flour, which is not the healthiest flour! So I started experimenting with various flour combinations. I have to say when you are used to eat light and fluffy white bread, it’s difficult to switch to“harder” flour overnight; you have to introduce them progressively. But I think I am getting there.
Here is a recipe that makes beautiful and tasty bread.
I used a stand mixer to prepare the dough.

Ingredients
Starter
½ cup all whole wheat flour
½ cup rye flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
1 cup room temperature water

Dough
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup spelt flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons instant yeast
½ cup luke warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

Step 1
1. Mix all the starter ingredients. Let the starter rise until it doubles volume (1-1.5 hours). Note that the rising duration depends a lot on the ambient temperature.

Step 2
2. Put all the dry dough ingredients in the dough machine and mix well.
3. Add the starter.
4. Turn the machine on.
5. Add the water little by little. The dough should be moist. If it is too hard add 1 or 2 tablespoon of water.
6. Knead for 13 minutes.
7. Cover and let it rise for 1 hour or until it doubles volume.
8. Tap it down to release air. You will obtain a flatten dough
9. Roll up the dough into a log of around 20 inches long.
10. Flatten it to approximately 1 inch then cut 10 triangles for medium pieces.
11. Let rise for another 45 minutes.
12. Make some steam by adding water to a hot baking dish that you place in the lower rack of the oven. This will help keep the bread moist.
13. Spray with water and bake 25 minutes in a 450F pre-heated oven.

Oatmeal Raisin and Walnut Cookies

It's the most requested oatmeal cookie recipe at the office. These cookies are good for any occasion. The walnut give them just enough crunch to make them fancy.

Ingredients
¼ cup butter softened or margarine
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1.5 cup oatmeal
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
A pinch of salt
¼ cup raisins
½ cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons water


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Soak the raisins in the water. Cover and microwave for 20 seconds.
3. In a large bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until creamy.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda and salt. Add to the creamy mixture.
5. Stir in the oats, raisins and walnuts and mix well.
6. Drop teaspoons of dough onto ungreased cookie sheet (or parchemin lined) around 2 inches apart.
7. Use a wet napkin to flatten slightly.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are golden.
9. Let cool around 2 minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer to wire racks to cool.

Potato-stuffed tomatoes

During summer, I love to cook without meat. Stuffed vegetables are my favorite: tomatoes, peppers, zucchinis, eggplants. Usually I make stuffed tomatoes at least twice during the season. Most of the people would bake them  for 30-45 minutes, but I like them well cooked, slightly caramelized, so they are not acidic. Sometimes I let them bake for more than 3 hours.  The day after the taste is even better. Like most vegetarian dishes the more they are re-heated the better they taste. This is my mother’s recipe and all my family loves it! I hope you will love it too.

Ingredients
9 medium ripe tomatoes
4 medium hashed potatoes (around 4 cups)
1 egg
2 garlic cloves crushed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon parsley ciseled

1/8 cup butter (1 ounce or 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons olive oil + extra for drizzling
4 cups shredded cheese (gruyere, emmenthal or Jarlsberg)
5-6 basil leaves

Directions
Preparing the tomatoes and the sauce

1. Cut the top of the tomatoes leaving an inch. Scoop out the pulp and put in a pan over medium heat. Try to remove most of the seeds. Salt and invert the tomatoes on a large plate and let it drain.
2. Cook the pulp over medium heat to make a sauce (around 20 minutes). Season with salt and pepper.
3. Pass the sauce through a moulinette or a sieve to remove the seeds add the basil leaves and set aside.

Preparing the stuffing

1. While the tomatoes are draining and the sauce is cooking, shred the potatoes in a food processor, and cook in the microwave for 3-4 minutes or until just tender.
2. Remove and transfer to a large bowl. Add the salt, pepper, garlice and butter and stir to melt.
3. Add the cheese, egg and parsley. Mix well.

Putting everything together

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Stuff the tomatoes, cover with the top and place in a shallow baking dish generously oiled.
3. Sizzle more olive oil on the tomatoes.
4. Bake 80-90 minutes or until most of the liquid is evaporated and the tomatoes start to caramelize. Lower the oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Add 2 cups of the tomato sauce and cook another 30-45 minutes.

Note: if the liquid is evaporating too fast, lower the oven earlier and add the tomato sauce.

Kamut Bread

Kamut is an ancient grain that has been rediscovered not a long time ago. Its exact origin is unknown. One story says the grain was found in the tombs of the ancient Egyptian Pharaohs, hence the nickname "King Tut's Wheat ». Another hint is that "Kamut," or rather, "K-M-T" (pronounced with vowels elided) was the hieroglyphic designation for ancient Egypt.There are many other stories surrounding the name and the origin of the kamut wheat.

Some nutrition facts :
The grain itself is very high in protein. It also contains a high mineral concentration especially in selenium, zinc, and magnesium. This grain variety is considered a high energy wheat, and provides the body with more energy in the form of complex carbohydrates. Because of its low oxidation levels it loses little nutritional content when being ground and processed. Even though this wheat variety contains gluten, it has been found to be more easily digestible by people who may have slight allergic tendencies : Wikipedia. 

 For my first try, I wanted to make just one loaf with 50% kamut flour and 50% all purpose flour, but I made a mistake. I put twice as much liquid than I should have in the dough (frankly I don’t know where my head was). The dough ended up looking like a cake batter! I added around 1/3 cup all purpose flour, but it was still too soft to handle so I literally poured it in a bread pan like a cake. The bread turned out beautiful and very good! As you can see it has a creamy color.  My photographer couldn't resists tasting it before taking the picture!
 I used a stand mixer to prepare the dough. Here are the ingredients.

Ingredients
Starter
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup kamut flour
1 teaspoon instant yeast
2/3 cup water

Dough
½ cup all purpose flour
½ cup kamut flour
1 tsp instant yeast
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp margarine
1/4 cup warm milk

Directions

1. Mix all the starter ingredients. Let the starter rise until it doubles volume (around 2 hours).
2. Put all the dough ingredients, except the milk, in the dough machine.
3. Add the starter.
4. Turn the machine on.
5. Add the milk if necessary, little by little. The dough should be moist.
6. Knead for 10 minutes.
7. Cover and let it rise for 1 hour.
8. Punch it down to release air.
9. Shape it and let rise for another 45 minutes.
10. Bake 30 minutes in a 400F oven

Cheesy Zucchini Gratin

What I like about this dish is its simplicity. It’s perfect as a side dish for meat and a good way to get kids to eat more vegetables! The trick is to put more cheese on top and there you go.
I have zucchinis in the garden in summer time, so they are on the menu every other day. The zucchinis are light, high fibre and they are available all year long at a very good price.
This dish is ideal for weekday’s menu: it's ready in no time.
The zucchinis contain a lot of liquid so draining them is not enough. You have to dry them to avoid having a soggy dish. I usually put them in a pan on medium heat for around 10 minutes, but you can get around this step by adding 1 tablespoon of flour to the cream to absorb the excess liquid. In this case you do not have to dry them and therefore you save 10 minutes! Personally, I rather dry them.

Ingredients
2 lb zucchinis sliced
1.5 cup heavy cream
3 eggs
3 cups shredded cheese (gruyere or emmenthal or Jarslberg)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Steam the zucchinis until cooked to taste.
3. Drain and put in skillet on medium heat to dry.Don’t forget to watch them, you don’t want them burnt. You want to eliminate as much liquid as possible to avoid having a soggy dish.
4. In the meantime, beat the eggs in a bowl.
5. Add the cream and cheese. Mix well.
6. Add seasoning.
7. Transfer the zucchinis to an 8x10-inch baking dish.
8. Pour ¾ of the cream mixture on zucchinis and combine.
9. Spread the remaining ¼ cream evenly on top to make up the gratin crust.
10. Bake 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.