Ingredient: lemon

Dumpling Wrapper Shrimp Ravioli w/ Lemon Garlic Butter

Most experts believe that dumplings were invented by a Chinese medicine practitioner. As legend tells it, it was a difficult winter, and many were experiencing ill effects from the cold. To help people warm up, he used mutton, herbs, and chilis and wrapped them in dough, then steamed them to bind everything together and keep them warm. These steaming, pillow-like treats helped people overcome the cold weather, while the herbs worked to improve blood circulation and prevent frostbite.

‘Dumpling’ is broad term that spans across cuisines and can vary greatly depending on where you’re eating. Typically, in Asian cuisines, a dumpling is a thin wheat-based dough filled with meats, or other proteins, and vegetables before being folded up and either steamed, boiled, or fried. Today we have an incredible variety of shapes, sizes, tastes and styles. The main difference from country to country is the preferred fillings and how the dough is folded.

Homemade dumplings are a labor of love! And there is nothing else quite like them. Even though making dumpling wrappers from scratch is not as difficult as it is often made to seem, commercially sold wrappers are a super convenient option when time is of the essence.

By purchasing generic dumpling wrappers, also sometimes referred to as ‘dumpling skins’, you’ll have a world of flavors to play with. Typically made with wheat flour and round in shape, store-bought dumpling wrappers can be steamed, boiled in soups, or fried.

These dumpling wrapper shrimp ‘ravioli’ are easy to make and the lemon garlic butter adds such a great flavor boost.

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 Dumpling Wrapper Shrimp Ravioli w/ Lemon Garlic Butter
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Cuisine Asia
Keyword dumpling wrapper shrimp ravioli w/ lemon garlic butter
Servings
Ingredients
Cuisine Asia
Keyword dumpling wrapper shrimp ravioli w/ lemon garlic butter
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Ravioli
  1. In a saucepan, sauté shrimp meat in butter for a few minutes until just cooked.
  2. In a bowl, combine all but 1 Tbsp of the beaten egg (reserve the Tbsp for later). Strip thyme & discard the stalks, add leaves to the bowl with parmesan, breadcrumbs, salt & 1 tsp of lemon juice. Chop shrimp meat fine & add to bowl; mix well.
  3. On a work surface, lay out 18 dumpling wrappers. Carefully divide shrimp filling between them. Moisten the edges with remaining egg, lay a second wrapper on top & seal around the edges by pressing firmly, making a crimped border with a fork.
  4. If making ahead of time, you can refrigerate the ravioli at this stage. Just lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper & cover with plastic wrap.
Cooking
  1. In a large saucepan, bring 2 liters of water to a boil. Cook ravioli in small batches for about a minute or two, drain.
  2. Melt butter & minced garlic on a griddle, add 1 Tbsp lemon juice & a little lemon zest. Add cooked ravioli & sauté just until lightly browned. Serve.

Garlic Chicken over Creamy Artichoke & Lemon Ravioli

Canadians embrace food – we value family traditions, global trends, and local ingredients.  Like our food, families across Canada are evolving.  Blended, single-parent and multi-ethnic families have become part of our modern mosaic which echoes our growing tastes and preferences.  But what has stayed the same is our love of pasta.

Almost nine in ten households have pasta in their pantries or freezers. What’s more, it’s a good, simple food in an industry striving to meet the demands of today’s health-minded families. Along with being healthy, consumers have become more concerned with the origins of their food products, larger processors are typically viewed as not being local, due to the volume of ingredients they require to keep up with demand. But that’s not always the case.

My inspiration for this meal came from some special ravioli Brion & I had picked up at our favorite Italian Store. I wanted to showcase it in an herb garlic chicken meal but I was real interested to learn that the producer of this pasta was from right here in our province of Alberta. Here is just a bit of info I learned from the ‘Let’s Pasta’ website.

Situated in Lethbridge’s industrial area, Let’s Pasta has been producing the freshest and finest pastas for the last 24 years, using exclusively Southern Alberta Durum Semolina wheat. This wheat is grown on two local farms and processed at P&H Milling, mere minutes from the pasta facility.  In fact, those wheat farmers have an actual dedicated bin at P&H Milling, so there is always a steady supply available for Let’s Pasta.  All their pastas, which include tortellini, ravioli, and gnocchi, are also made using local cage-free eggs. This connection to their local agricultural community is at the root of all their operations, driven by the firm belief of growing with their farmers while supporting sustainable agriculture for future generations to enjoy.

Let’s Pasta uses only whole, real foods in their fillings, no preservatives, no additives, no flakes, or by-products. Just good, old fashioned ingredients like potatoes, butternut squash, pork, and spinach.  Now obviously the lobster and crab they use isn’t coming from Alberta, but they are from the Canadian Atlantic, and the Pacific region.  All their fillings are made by hand in their test kitchen, where they also try out new recipes all the time to add to their lineup.

The two farms that provide the Durum Semolina Wheat for Let’s Pasta, Saunders Farms (near Taber) and Neveridle Farms (near Lethbridge), grow for a program called Shepherd’s Grain, a collective that promotes no-till, direct-seed farming so they can renew and preserve the land for generations to come – theirs and yours. Each grower is certified by Food Alliance™ for sustainability and complies with their strict standards for land improvement. They even have a traceability program that reinforces their commitment to renew the relationship between consumers and the farmers who grow their food.

From the facility, Let’s Pasta’s products make their way into retailers throughout Alberta, and across Canada.  Not only are they available at select major retailers like Safeway, Sobeys, Federated and Calgary Co-Ops in Alberta, but you can also find their products at specialty shops like The Italian Centre Shop in Edmonton and Calgary, The Italian Store (also in Calgary) and Italian Bakery’s Mercato in St Albert. 

Having lived in Lethbridge years ago, I found this all quite interesting not to mention what great ravioli it is!

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 Garlic Chicken over Creamy Artichoke & Lemon Ravioli
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword garlic chicken over ravioli w/ heirloom tomatoes & cheese sauce
Servings
Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword garlic chicken over ravioli w/ heirloom tomatoes & cheese sauce
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Halve and peel shallot, then thinly slice lengthwise. Halve tomatoes. Zest 1 TBSP zest from lemon, then halve. Grate mozzarella on large holes of a grater. Finely chop chives.
  2. Put panko & a large drizzle of olive oil in a large pan. Place over medium-high heat. Toast, stirring, until deep golden, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Wipe out pan. Heat another large drizzle of oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel; season with salt and pepper.
  3. Add chicken to the pan and cook until done, 5-8 minutes per side. Remove from pan & let rest on a plate. Set pan aside. Place shallot and 2 Tbsp garlic herb butter in another pan. Heat over medium-high heat. Cook until softened, 2-3 minutes. Pour in milk & add 1 chicken bouillon cube . Bring to a simmer.
  4. Whisk Italian and mozzarella cheeses into pan with milk. Stir in juice from half of the lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Adjust heat to low. Meanwhile, add ravioli to pot of water, lower heat, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until al dente, 2-4 minutes. Reserve 1½ cups cooking water, then drain. Stir ravioli, tomatoes, peas, and ¾ cup cooking water into sauce in pan. Simmer until just thickened, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Add more cooking water as needed to loosen pasta sauce. Set aside. Place thyme sprigs, ½ cup water, and remaining chicken bouillon cube in pan used for chicken and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Pour in any juices released by chicken. Let reduce slightly, 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in remaining garlic herb butter & juice from lemon half (if you wish). Season with salt and pepper. Discard thyme sprigs.
  6. Arrange pasta mixture on a platter and sprinkle with panko, Parmesan, lemon zest, chives, & chili flakes to taste. Thinly slice chicken on a slight diagonal and arrange over pasta. Spoon pan sauce over chicken; sprinkle with remaining chives.
Recipe Notes
  • Garlic Herb Butter:
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • dash of black pepper
  • 1 -1 1/2 Tbsp freshly chopped herbs (such as rosemary, thyme, chives, parsley or sage)

Lemon Saskatoon Berry Pudding Cake

Pudding cake is kind of a magical concept that lies precisely at the intersection of cake and pudding. When you mix it, it looks like a very light cake batter. But, as it bakes, it separates into two layers. The top is the lightest cake ever and the bottom (in this case) is an intense lemon pudding with some fresh ‘seasonal’ saskatoons.

Of course, overtime, there have been many versions of this classic dessert developed, all of which are no doubt delicious. You have to love a dessert that practically garnishes itself, right?! Sometimes, old recipes really are the best.

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 Lemon Saskatoon Berry Pudding Cake
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword lemon saskatoon berry pudding cake
Servings
Ingredients
Saskatoon Berry Compote
Pudding Cake
Course dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword lemon saskatoon berry pudding cake
Servings
Ingredients
Saskatoon Berry Compote
Pudding Cake
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Saskatoon Berry Compote
  1. In a small saucepan, combine berries, sugar & 1 tsp lemon juice; heat until bubbling. In a separate dish, combine cornstarch & water; pour into berry mixture. Stir until thickened & remove from heat.
Pudding Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter 6 ramekins (or a 10-inch glass dish). Divide the saskatoon compote between the ramekins; set aside.
  2. Grate 1 Tbsp of lemon zest. Squeeze 1/3 cup lemon juice. Set aside.
  3. In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt & 2/3 cup sugar. In another bowl, whisk together YOLKS, milk, lemon zest & juice. Add to the flour mixture; whisk until completely blended.
  4. In a bowl, beat WHITES until soft peaks form; add the 1/4 cup sugar slowly & beat until medium peaks form. Whisk 1/4 of the whites into flour mixture; our this mixture over the remaining whites. Whisk together using a folding technique to keep from deflating egg whites.
  5. Pour the batter into ramekins & place them into another larger pan. Fill the bottom pan with water as high as it can go without floating the ramekin dishes.
  6. Bake for 25-30 minutes depending on the size of ramekin dishes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
  • I flipped my little puddings over so all those pretty saskatoon berries could sit on top.

Blueberry Custard Tarts w/ Candied Lemon Curls

This is a spring version of summertime fresh blueberry tarts. Even though we are a long way from blueberry season, nothing wrong with using some frozen ones. At our house we use a lot of lemons which means there are always lemon peels available. Candied lemon peel is an excellent way of using up the flavorful but not as tasty peel.

Candied or crystallized fruit, has been around since the 14th century as a method of food preservation. It seems to have started out in the Arab culture, being served at banquets. Candied fruit as a whole, would reach the west where they became the key part of some of the most well known cakes and breads of European tradition, such as Italian Panettone and German Stollen.

Candied lemon peels are a very versatile ingredient. Chopped up, they can be used in baked goods for a lemony flavor boost, whereas whole strips can be dipped in chocolate and used as an edible gift.

For my blueberry tarts, I thought some candied lemon curls would make a pretty garnish not to mention the additional flavor they give.

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 Blueberry Custard Tarts w/ Candied Lemon Curls
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American, French
Servings
mini tarts
Ingredients
Custard
Shortbread Crust
Blueberries
Candied Lemon Curls (MAKE ONE DAY EARLIER)
Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American, French
Servings
mini tarts
Ingredients
Custard
Shortbread Crust
Blueberries
Candied Lemon Curls (MAKE ONE DAY EARLIER)
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Custard
  1. In a small saucepan, bring milk to a simmer. In a bowl, whisk sugar, eggs, yolks, & cornstarch together until smooth. When milk is simmering, whisk half of it into the egg mixture then gradually add the egg/milk mixture to the rest of the milk.
  2. Return saucepan to the heat & cook, whisking constantly until very thick. Whisk in the butter & vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate. Be sure the plastic is touching the top of the custard to prevent it from forming a film over it. When custard is cooled & you are ready to use it, whip with an electric mixer for a couple of minutes.
Shortbread Crust
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, combine butter & sugar; cream well. Add vanilla & combine. In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture. Blend well. Divide dough into 8 portions. Press each portion into a 4 X 3/4-inch mini tart pan. Using a fork, poke some holes in the bottom of each shell. Bake about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven & cool before filling.
Blueberries
  1. In a saucepan, whisk all ingredients together & cook over medium-high heat until thickened.
Candied Lemon Curls
  1. Cut the ends off of the lemon. Carefully cut down ONE side of the lemon. Continue the same cut through the FRUIT of the lemon, stopping at the peel. Do NOT cut through the peel.
  2. Carefully open up the lemon & make more cuts through the FRUIT so that it will lay flat; remove the fruit from the peel. Turn the peel over & trim the edges & carefully remove all of the white pith from the inside of the peel. Cut the peel into strips about 1/8-inch wide.
  3. In a small saucepan, add sugar & water & bring to a simmer. Add peels & gently simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, lay peels on a cooling rack. Allow to cool slightly, then toss in a bit of granulated sugar. They will slightly curl as they cool.
Assembly
  1. Divide custard between tart shells, top with blueberries & garnish with candied lemon curls.
Recipe Notes
  • I find this recipe works the best if everything is made a day earlier than needed. That way each component has a chance to cool well before you assemble & serve.

Strawberry Yogurt Parfaits / Chocolate Cheesecake Squares

With Valentines Day almost here, I decided to do a prelude post with a few dessert ideas.

In the food industry, this day was always fun to prepare food for. Definitely a more intimate  occasion, all revolving around chocolate, ‘hearts’ and roses. Strangely enough, every time Brion and I have tried to go out for supper on Valentines we usually come home wondering why we did that. The restaurants were packed, the wait is long, the music is loud, etc, etc. Nonetheless, I’m always happiest if I can prepare a ‘special meal’ for us to enjoy at home. That being said, my choice of dessert for this Valentines Day are Strawberry Yogurt Parfaits with Chocolate Cheesecake Squares.  

The fresh strawberry compote has a nice lemony tang that pairs well with the creamy Greek vanilla yogurt. Brion isn’t much for cheesecake but just loves these chocolate cheesecake squares.

 


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Strawberry Yogurt Parfaits / Chocolate Cheesecake Squares

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American, Greek

Servings


Ingredients
Strawberry Compote

Chocolate Cheesecake Squares

Course Brunch, dessert
Cuisine American, Greek

Servings


Ingredients
Strawberry Compote

Chocolate Cheesecake Squares

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!


Instructions
Strawberry-Yogurt Parfaits
  1. Rinse, hull & slice strawberries. Zest & juice lemon. In a small saucepan, whisk together sugar, water, lemon juice, zest & cornstarch. Add strawberries, mixing gently while bringing to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cool.

  2. In parfait glasses, spoon layers of strawberry compote & Greek yogurt. Garnish with a strawberry leaf if desired. Refrigerate until serving time.

Chocolate Cheesecake Squares
  1. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with 2 sheets of parchment paper so cheesecake can easily be lifted out later. In a small bowl, combine the graham crumbs, pecans & butter. Press into prepared pan; set aside. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar & sour cream until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Pour over crust.

  2. Bake at 325 F. for 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate until chilled. Freeze overnight.

  3. Melt chocolate & shortening; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Using parchment paper, lift cheesecake out of pan. Gently peel off paper; cut into 49 squares. Remove a few pieces at a time for dipping; keep remaining squares refrigerated until ready to dip.

  4. Using a toothpick, completely dip squares, one at a time, in melted chocolate; allow excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets; spoon about 1 tsp chocolate over each, reheating chocolate if needed to finish dipping. Let stand for 20 minutes or until set. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Yield 49 squares.

Orange Bread French Toast with Strawberry Compote

When I was 2 and my older sister was 6, my parents made a move to a farming community in southern Alberta. The farm my parents were able to purchase had been neglected for many years and took strong commitment and perseverance to renew the land and dwellings. The morning after we arrived, we had our first snow storm, which caught us without any coal. Fortunately my father was able to get some for our winter use. Soon after, Dad made a trip back to our old homestead. He drove the tractor pulling the combine all the way to our new farm with only one stopover in a city half way in between, a distance
of 231 km (144 miles).

One of my mother’s brother’s had gone ahead driving a grain truck loaded with what furniture and possessions my folks were trying to move. Along the way, being the truck was not covered, the metal lid flew off Mom’s flour storage container. Another traveler came upon it lying at the side of the road and stopped and hung it on a fence post. When my father making his long journey on the tractor came by and recognized the lid, picked it up and brought it the rest of the way home.

In the spring, my folks had to burn weeds and brush from 8-10′ (2-3 m) high in order to find a suitable area to plant a vegetable garden. ‘Mixed’ farming was truly a necessity as success was totally dependent on ‘Mother Nature’ when it came to grain crops.

Cattle, pigs and chickens all came into the equation, meaning my parents never had any part of the year that could be a bit more relaxed. As a teenager, I never realized what a special privilege growing up as a farmer’s daughter really was. Coming home on the school bus and having to do ‘chores’ seemed so boring as opposed to being able to spend after school hours with your friends. As I look back on those times now, it all comes clear as to how treasured and valuable those life lessons were.

My parents farmed until 1974 when they retired. They have since both passed away leaving my three sisters, one brother and I with many treasured memories.

I remember my mother making this orange bread loaf. I thought it was so unique because it used the fresh orange zest. The flavor was so distinct along with the bread being wonderfully moist. This recipe was one that has remained with me over the years, long after I had left my parents home. One year, on a holiday in Hawaii the restaurant we were at was serving orange loaf made into french toast complimented with a strawberry compote. I brought the idea home with me and used it numerous times over the years in my food service career. This year my husband and I enjoyed it on Valentines Day, but I’m sure you will find it great anytime.

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 Orange Bread French Toast with Strawberry Compote
Flavorful orange bread loaf with strawberry compote topping.
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 60 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Orange Bread Loaf
French Toast
Strawberry Compote
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 60 minutes
Servings
people
Ingredients
Orange Bread Loaf
French Toast
Strawberry Compote
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Orange Bread
  1. Peel oranges thinly and finely chop rind (zest). Boil with sugar and water for 10 minutes; cool Add egg and margarine Combine flour, salt, and baking powder Add flour mixture alternately with milk Pour into buttered 8 x 4 x 3 inch loaf pan Bake at 350 F for about 45 minutes or until bread tests done.
French Toast
  1. In a shallow bowl, beat eggs; whisk in the milk, salt and spices. Soak the slices of orange bread for 30 seconds on each side. Cook on hot greased griddle until golden brown on both sides and cooked through.
Strawberry Compote
  1. Rinse, hull and slice strawberries. Zest and juice lemon. In a small saucepan, whisk together sugar, water and corn starch. Add strawberries, mixing gently while bringing to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cool slightly. Serve with French toast. Top with French Vanilla Yogurt if desired.