The Main Menu: Warming flavours help to welcome the cooler weather

By JAN MAIN

It’s definitely fall! Time for cozy dinners and warming flavours — soups, stews and hearty fare of all sorts.

With that in mind, I have chosen a selection of dishes that can be altered a variety of ways to suit the contents of your refrigerator and to be flexible with any food bargains that may be available to you when you are out shopping.

All of these recipes can be made in advance and frozen for future meals.

Enjoy the luxury of our recent harvest and choose the foods that set your taste buds tingling!

A Curry of Pork and Apples

Pork continues to be the most economical meat in the supermarket.

Make the most of it in this tasty everyday curry which can be jazzed up for company with accompanying bowls of condiments – a chutney, toasted coconut, lemon and lime wedges, yogurt, cashews or peanuts.

Serve with steaming basmati rice cooked with a cinnamon stick and bay leaf for added flavour – recipe follows.

This is an ideal “entertaining stew” because for best flavour it needs to be made a day ahead of serving and re- heated. Serve with the condiments suggested and a raita (cucumber salad).

1/4 cup (50 mL) vegetable oil
2 cups (500 mL)chopped onions, about 2
2 tbsp (25 mL) freshly grated peeled, ginger – root
1 tbsp (15 mL) curry powder
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Pinch of cayenne pepper or to taste
2 lbs (1 Kg) pork butt or pork chops or lamb or chicken cut into 1- inch (2.5 cm) pieces
3-4 cups (1 L) tomato juice
2 cups (500 mL) 2 or 3 apples, peeled and sliced
1 cup (250 mL) raisins or chopped dates or chopped apricots, washed and dried

In large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat.

Add onions, ginger, curry, garlic and cayenne. Cook for 5 – 8 minutes or until onions are softened.

Stir in your chosen meat: pork, lamb or chicken, and cook stirring frequently about 10 – 15 minutes or until browned.

Stir in 3 cups of tomato juice. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer covered for 30 minutes.

Stir in apples and dried fruit; simmer another 15 – 20 minutes or until meat is tender. Add extra tomato juice if sauce is too thick. Serves 4.

Basmati Rice

Basmati rice has a distinctive, delicate taste which reminds me of popping corn – very enticing. It is the perfect companion to this stew.

2 cups (400 mL) basmati rice, rinsed well in several changes of water and let stand in room temperature water about 10-15 minutes. Drain and follow directions
3 cups (750 mL) water
1/4 cup (50 mL) butter
1 each, cinnamon stick and bay leaf
1 tsp (5 mL) salt

Once you have drained the rice, bring a saucepan with the measured water, butter, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and salt to the boil.

Add the drained rice, bring back to the boil, put lid on, and cook until water has been absorbed and rice is cooked about 5-10 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick and bay leaf and serve at once or keep covered until ready to serve with stew.

Cucumber Raita

Raita is a cooling yogurt salad made with whole milk yogurt and a variety of chopped vegetables such as cucumber and/or tomatoes flavoured, if you choose, with black mustard seeds and a variety of herbs such as dill, mint, coriander, parsley or chervil.

You can take your pick of flavours for this as some people have a dislike to coriander because to them it smells and tastes yucky! (So be warned before adding. Feel free to make it the way you wish!)

1 cup (250 mL) whole milk plain yogurt
1/2 English cucumber thinly sliced with skin on
Additions such as chopped mint and/or coriander or parsley

In a bowl, stir together yogurt, cucumber slices and chosen additions.

Cover and refrigerate. May be made several hours before serving. Makes 2-4 servings.

Any Vegetable Soup

This is about the simplest soup ever!

You can make it with carrots or sweet potato or leeks and potato or broccoli or cauliflower.

First, decide which vegetable flavour you want and which one do you have on hand. Then add the remaining ingredients; for example, for carrot soup here is the recipe below.

Tip: Canned milk is an excellent example of calcium – because the milk has been concentrated during the processing it actually gives you twice the calcium content of regular milk and a rich creamy taste and texture without the fat of whipping cream. It makes a gorgeous “creamy” soup with none of the fat calories.

2 lbs vegetable chosen such as carrots, peeled and chopped
Common Ingredients:
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1-2 celery stalk, chopped
4 cups (1 L) chicken stock (1 box)
1-2 bay leaves
1 tsp (5 mL) each, thyme and salt
1/4- 1/2 tsp (1 mL-2 mL) fresh black pepper
1 large can evaporated milk – whole or 2%
1/4 cup (50 mL) of garnish such as fresh chopped parsley or coriander

In a large saucepan add: carrots, onion, celery, chicken stock, bay leaf, thyme, salt, and pepper.

Bring to boil over medium high heat and cook until vegetables are very tender about 20 -30 minutes. Check to make sure they are tender. Discard bay leaf.

Add mixture to blender or food processor or use a stick processor to blend until smooth. Stir in canned milk.

Taste adjust seasoning and serve piping hot with garnish if desired. Makes 4-6 servings.