The Rural Voice, 2019-09, Page 51mandoline slicer. These slicers can
be purchased at various price points
and with a number of features. Mine
has a fold out leg so that is stands on
an angle and is large enough I can
slide a chopping board underneath. It
has an adjustable height blade and a
few different types of other blade
attachments. The most important part
is the safety guard that you use to
push the vegetables and it should be
used at all times as the blades are
quite sharp. This is not a tool to let
the kids use, or for older kids, only
with an attentive adult present. That
being said this is a time saver tool. I
can slice up all the veg for this
casserole in a matter of minutes, and
end up with slices of an even
thickness. Now nothing says you
can’t do the slicing with a knife
yourself, or in a food processor
(though I never find they work as
well as they should for vegetables)
but I always get excited to see the
neat stack of sliced vegetables when I
use the mandoline. Is that just me?
Oh well.
Garden Bounty
Stove Top Casserole
Thinly slice a couple of onions
and three or four new potatoes. I find
new potatoes hold together a bit
better for this, but use what you have.
I also slice all my vegetables in
advance of the cooking so they are
ready to add as I go.
In a large heavy bottomed pan
sauté the onions over a medium heat
with a splash of olive oil until tender
and then add the potatoes cooking
and turning gently until they are
lightly browned. Then I spread them
evenly across the bottom of the pan,
season with a bit of salt and pepper,
and turn the heat to medium-low.
Then I add my pre-sliced
vegetables in layers. I like to use up
what I have, and at this time of year I
always have zucchini. Layer that
with some sliced peppers,
mushrooms, sliced or crushed garlic,
thin sliced carrot and/or celery, and
maybe throw in a few beans or snap
peas if you still have some. Add salt
and pepper to taste as you go. This is
another recipe like the granola bars
where I use what I have and what my
favourite flavours are at the moment.
I also nip out to the herb garden and
gather handfuls of flavour – basil,
tarragon, summer savoury, thyme,
and parsley whatever combinations
you like. You can certainly add some
dried herbs but be a bit more cautious
as they have stronger, concentrated
flavour. I give it a good glug of olive
oil all over the top and check the
temperature to make sure the bottom
is not burning. It is tempting to add a
bit of water or stock, but most
vegetables contain a lot of water so
not really necessary. Top all of this
with several large sliced tomatoes
(off season it is easy to open a large
can of good tomatoes to add instead,
just adjust your seasoning). Season
again and cover to simmer gently for
about half an hour, checking
occasionally. My pot has a big glass
lid and this is super helpful to keep
an eye on things. Serve this hot with
or without a meat dish. Although a
nice crusty loaf of bread would not
go wrong.
If you do get a quiet moment to
yourself in September, why not put
your feet up with a cup of tea and a
muffin? In August, as I write this, I
have just managed to snag some
lovely wild blueberries, but the great
thing about blueberries is that they
freeze so well and are available all
year round!
Wild Blueberry Muffins
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup sugar (if you like a sweeter
muffin you could increase this to ½
cup)
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ cup milk
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
Topping – 2 tablespoons softened
butter, 2 tablespoons brown sugar
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
fahrenheit and prepare 12 muffin
cups (grease or paper liners)
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and
set aside. Combine yogurt, milk, oil
and vanilla. Add the egg and mix
well. Pour wet ingredients into the
dry and stir until all is incorporated.
Add the blueberries and carefully
fold. Spoon batter evenly into muffin
cups. Blend the softened butter and
brown sugar into a paste and place a
lump of this on each muffin, it makes
a lovely sweet top, but is entirely
optional.
Bake for 18 minutes. Let cool
slightly then remove from pan. The
combination of flours adds a nice
flavour and they are not too sweet. I
recommend you enjoy outside with a
beverage and a good book, because it
will be winter all too soon. ◊
September 2018 47
Recipes
Or Joanne at 905-339-6748