… or lunch if you want. Haven’t posted a recipe for a while. So here are a few dishes I made recently. Ontario is again under a “Stay at home” order due to the dire hospital capacity situation triggered by the explosion of Covid-19 variant infections; it’s rainy outside so I am directing my energy in kitchen.
Roasted turkey sausages with fennel and onions
You can use any type of sausages for this quick oven dish. For a meal for two I used half a fennel bulb and a medium sized onion. Any onion will do, but if you have red if will make for a colourful presentation. I used thyme and rosemary but either one will be enough.
Oil the bottom of a small pan and arrange thickly sliced onion and fennel. Salt, add herbs and toss well. Arrange the sausages on the top. Preheat oven to 400F to 425F (depending on your oven) and bake for about 20 to 25 min or until sausages are cooked.
Scoop the fennel and onions in a serving plate and arrange the sausages on the top.
I wasn’t sure if Alex would like the fennel taste so added a clementine and half a mango as a decoration around the dish. Sprinkle with chives, freshly cut from my garden and the green sprigs of the fennel. The fruits’ taste actually blended nicely with the rest and made a really delicious combination.
Next day I tried it with skinless and boneless chicken thighs with the other half of the fennel bulb. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (or other spices you may like). I used my seven Moroccan spices mix, a fond memory from our last international travel in January 2020, just before Covid hit.
The thighs have to be relatively thin to bake in the same time as the fennel and onions. It took about 25 min in my small Gemini oven on 425F for the chicken to cook.
Arrange on a plate and sprinkle with finely chopped chives and the fennel greens.
It is simply delicious!
Asparagus wrapped in sole filet
This is another fast an easy dish to make. Depending on the thickness of the asparagus and the length of your filets, for 4 filets you’ll need about 16 spears of asparagus.
For colour I also added slices of red bell pepper. Orange or yellow will be good too.
Wrap 4 spears of asparagus and 2 slices of red pepper (the proportion is really up to your taste).
You can use kitchen twine to hold the wrap/roll, but I was just too lazy for this and used toothpicks instead. Again, salt and pepper would be just fine, but I used my seven Moroccan spices.
Arrange in a pan that you have already oiled. Preheat oven to 400 or so and bake for about 20 min.
Serve with homemade roasted potatoes or rice if you prefer. You can sprinkle chives, dill or parsley on the top.
Lovage and potato soup
Years ago, I bought unknow to me seedling from the garden centre. It was labelled as lovage, with an explanation that it is similar to celery.
It grew into a huge plant after the first few years. And it is one of the first plants that, together with the sorrel, pop up in my garden each Spring. I use it in soups and salads and as additions to stir-fry or other vegetable mixes. One can use it in pasta or add as a herb to meat dishes. It is still uncommon in Canada and some may need to adjust to the strong aroma while cooking it. This was the case the other day. I had the fennel with chicken thighs in the oven while cooking the soup. The mix of fennel and lovage aroma created a really exotic atmosphere in the kitchen. Alex found it too strong and went for a walk. When all was done though, he really enjoyed the soup.
It is really simple recipe and if it wasn’t for the stay-at-home order, I’d invite a few of you to come and pick some up. What you need:
I used 4 medium-sized potatoes and a handful of lovage, a small onion, 2 tbsp of olive oil and salt to taste.
Preparation is not different from any potato cream soup.
Chop, then stew the onion in the oil, cube the potatoes and add them to the onions. Add salt. Add water enough to cover the potatoes and boil on medium heat for about 10 min. Add the chopped lovage and continue boiling until the potatoes are cooked. Puree with a hand blender. Add water or milk to the consistency you want and simmer for another 5 to 10 min, while stirring it.
Bon appetit!
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