Spicy Black Bean Twice Cooked Potatoes

We bought a bag of very cheap white potatoes from a grocery store along Fraser St, something like $1.49 for a bag. It was on sale because some of the bags were wet. I found one bag that was not wet and I made sure I pad dry the potatoes with paper towel when I got home.

Ingredients

  • 4 to 5 medium yellow or white potaotoes, scrubbed and cut into bite-sized chunks
  • salt to taste
  • 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon five-spice powder
  • canola oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, smashed and coarsely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon chili flakes (depending on your tolerance for heat)
  • 2 tablespoons black beans
  • 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine or rice wine
  • 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 bunch of green onions, sliced diagonally

Source: this recipe is adapted from The Woks of Life

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Korean Glazed Potatoes (Gamja Jorim)

I like the sweetish Korean potato banchan whenever I dined at a Korean restaurant.

Ben noticed that I like Gamja Jorim and he searched for the recipe to make this side dish for me. He is sweet, just like this dish.

Ingredients

  • 4 medium potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, rinsed well to remove starch
  • 1 large onion, cut into 1 cm chunks
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons corn syrup
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • toasted sesame seeds, optional
  • chopped green onion, optional
  • 3/4 cup water

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Lentil Mushroom Stew over Mashed Potatoes

The main course for this vegetarian theme meal at the Caring Place Community Kitchen was a Lentil Mushroom Stew over Mashed Potatoes.

This is a very hearty meal. Minoo also suggested that we baked this into a casserole. Just lay the mashed potatoes at the bottom of a baking dish, topped with the lentil mushroom stew and then with grated cheese. Baked until golden brown. Sounds delicious.
Ingredients
Mashed potatoes ingredients

  • 1 pound yellow or Russet potatoes, peeled and coarsely diced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons vegetable broth or milk

Mushroom Lentil Stew Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped shallot
  • 2 cups cremini (or button) mushrooms, sliced
  • pinch of salt and pepper each
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (or rosemary) or use dried ones
  • 2/3 cup dry green lentils, rinsed and drained; To improve digestibility, soak the lentils overnight in cool water.
  • 2 to 3 cups vegetable broth
  • Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced, optional
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste, optional


Source: Caring Place Community Kitchen
Serves 4
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Stacked Potato Gratin

The South Arm Multicultural Community Kitchen made a side dish of Stacked Potato Gratin.

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Minoo shared this recipe of Stacked Potato Gratin just in time for Thanksgiving as we met the week before Thanksgiving.

Ingredients

  • 2 kilograms large potatoes (about 5)
  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried ones
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt or to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • paprika for sprinkling on top, optional

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Source: South Arm Community Kitchen

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Leek and Potatoes Soup

Minoo picked a theme of leek for this week’s South Arm Multicultural Community Kitchen.

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The first recipe is Leek and Potatoes Soup from Jamie Oliver. We served the soup as it is. Alternatively, you can pulse the soup using a hand blender or liquidizer until smooth.

Ingredients

  • 2 carrots, peel and dice
  • 2 sticks celery, dice
  • 2 medium onions, chop
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 400g leeks, chopped
  • 400g potatoes, dice
  • olive oil
  • 2 organic chicken or vegetable stock cubes
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

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Source: Jamie Oliver

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Causa (Peruvian Potato Dish)

The main dish that D’nis shared in the South Arm Multicultural Community Kitchen is a Peruvian Potato Dish called Causa.

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Here is what D’nis shared with us about her country of origin:

Peru is a country located in South America, with a population of 29 million. It has a democratic government. The area covers 1,285,216 km square. Peru borders Ecuador and Columbia to the north, Brazil to the east, Bolivia to the south-east and Chile to the south. On the west is the Pacific Ocean with 3,000 km of coast. Peru in area is about 20 percent larger than British Columbia and has about 30 million inhabitants. Peru became an independent country in 1821, many years before Canada.

The geography varies from arid plains of the Pacific coast to the peaks of the Andes Mountains and the tropical forests of the Amazon basin.

The main spoken language is Spanish, although a significant of Peruvians speak Quechua or native languages. The mixture of cultural traditions has resulted in a wide variety of expressions in fields such as art, cuisine, literature and music.

Potatoes, tomatoes and corn are originally from the Andes, a gift to the world. Peru has more than 3,000 varieties of potatoes.

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The above dish is called Causa Rellena con Atun/Palta/Huevo Duro which is Yellow Potatoes with Tuna, Avocado and Hard Boiled Eggs. The name Causa comes from the Incan Quechuan word “Kausaq”, meaning “that which gives life”. During the colonial period in Peru, the newly arrived Spaniards adapted many of the native food and combined them with the food they brought from Europe, creating the distinctive Peruvian cuisine that exists today. Causa is one of these hybrid dishes: a combination of the ancient potato, avocado and aji amarillo that are all native to Peru, and the lime and garlic  imported from Europe. Hearty yet refreshing, cool yet mildly picante, Causa is an intriguing mix of the abundant flavours found in the region.

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Ingredients

  • 8 Yukon Gold potatoes (about 2 to 3 pounds)
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 limes, juiced
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter
  • 2 can tuna, drained
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • chili paste to taste
  • parsley for garnishing

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Peru is famous throughout South America for its food. As a major fishing nation, fish is abundant. The primary ingredients found in nearly every Peruvian dish are rice, potatoes, pork, lamb, and fish. Most of these meals include one of the different kinds of aji, or Peruvian hot pepper. The main variety are yellow aji pepper, red aji pepper and red rocoto pepper.

Chicken, pork and lamb were introduced to Peru 500 years ago, when Spaniards came to America. Other ingredients, like potatoes, were already being grow in the Peruvian Andes and were taken by the Spaniards back to Europe.

Today, more than 200 varieties of potatoes can be found in the Lake Titicaca area. They range in color from purple to blue, from yellow to brown. Sizes and textures vary as well. Some are smalls as nuts, others can be as large as oranges.

Source: D’nis

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Swiss Chard Gratin

Minoo prepared 4 recipes for the South Arm Community Kitchen. This is my first time to the kitchen since it’s renovation. I love all the stainless steel appliances and the addition of a convection oven. It takes time to get to know where the pots and pans and utensils are stored in a new kitchen.

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The first recipe is a Swiss Chard Gratin. This is a healthier version to the regular potato gratin with the addition of Swiss Chard. You can use spinach instead. All the participants love this dish.

You can prepare this dish in advance and bake it when you need it. A great dish for potluck party and the color of Swiss Chard makes this dish very festive.

Ingredients

  • 2 large potatoes, peeled and quartered
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup diced onion
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 cups milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • salt to taste
  • ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 pinch of nutmeg
  • 1/3 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 1/2 cups shredded Swiss Chard

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Source: via Minoo

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Chickpea Curry (Chana Masala)

For the main course, Minoo prepared a Chickpea Curry for the spice theme. This is also known as Chana Masala in the Indian culinary term.

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This vegetarian curry is loaded with spices like garam masala, cumin and coriander. Minoo served this Chickpea Curry with brown rice.

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon garam Masala
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 1 1/2 inches piece of fresh ginger
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped coursely
  • 2 potatoes, cut into 1/2″ cubes
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 20 oz canned chickpeas
  • green chilies, finely chopped  (to taste)
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • fresh cilantro for garnishing

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Source: via Minoo

Yield 5 servings.

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Russian Cold Soup (Okroshka)

Iryna and Joanne partnered up to demonstrate at the Caring Place Community Kitchen. Iryna is from Ukraine. She demonstrated a very popular Ukrainian dish which originated from Russia. It is a cold soup dish called Okroshka. Iryna told us that she had been making this cold soup all her life. She served the Okroshka with toasted bread and a dollop of sour cream.

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Okroshka is a summer dish. It is a very refreshing soup. It is made with fresh diced vegetables. The fresh vegetables retain the vitamins due to no cooking is involved. Heat is the main culprit to destroy vitamins. The only vegetables that need cooking is potatoes. Of course, there is meat in this dish which needs cooking. You can add poached chicken, fish, ham or sausages to this dish.

Okroshka is usually made with cucumbers, carrot, a garden radish, parsley, baby dill, green onion, eggs, lemon juice, butter milk or sour cream or mayonnaise.  If you like to add meat, it has to be cooked and chilled. The ratio of meat and vegetables should be approximately half and half.

Iryna, thank you for sharing your favourite soup with us.

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Iryna shared with us something about her country, Ukraine. Ukraine is used to be part of Russia. It’s an European country. It is the biggest country in Europe after Russia. It claimed it’s independence in 1921.

Ukraine’s population is about 50 million. Ukrainian also speaks Russian and it’s language is similar to Hungarian and Poland.

Ukrainian’s winter is very harsh, between -20 to -35 Celsius and the summer can be pretty hot, as high as 40 Celsius.

Ukraine has no mountain except the border with Poland and Hungarian. Iryna is from the south of Ukraine which borders the Black Sea.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds chicken breast or sausages
  • 2 cucumbers, dice
  • 2 radishes, dice
  • 4 boiled potatoes
  • 6 hard boiled eggs
  • 1 bunch of green onions
  • 1 small carrot, boiled, dice
  • 1 bunch baby dill, chopped
  • 1 small tub of sour cream
  • 1 litre of butter milk or 1 small jar of mayonnaise
  • lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
  • salt to taste

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Iryna did not use the butter milk but she used the mayonnaise instead.  She brought the butter milk to show us the option.

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Radish is a root vegetable. It is related to mustard and turnip. Radishes are rich in ascorbic acid, i.e. Vitamin C, folic acid and potassium. They are a good source of Vitamin B6, riboflavin, magnesium, copper and calcium.  Radishes can be eaten raw and is often used in salad.

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The flavour of Okroshka is predominated by dill. Dill has fernlike leaves that are aromatic and used to flavour many food such as salmon, borscht, okroshka and pickles. Fresh dill loses it’s flavour rapidly if dried, however, freeze-dried dill leaves preserve their flavour relatively well for a few months.

Source: Iryna

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Fish Cake

Minoo started the South Arm Community Kitchen in 2011 with 3 recipes. The first recipe is a simple Fish Cake recipe adapted from Jamie Oliver.

Minoo used fresh salmon for this Fish Cake recipe. You can substitute the salmon with tuna  or crab. Leftover fish is great for this recipe too. Can salmon will make a very handy substitute from the pantry.

Ingredients

  • 300g potatoes, peel and dice (or use left over baked potatoes, scoop out the potatoes and discard the skin)
  • 100g salmon fillet, skin on and no scales on the skin, all bones removed
  • a small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
  • 2 green onions, green part only, finely chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 1 lemon
  • quick cooking oats
  • all purpose flour
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil

Source: this recipe is adapted from Jamie Oliver

Yield 4 cakes

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