Mom's Eccles Cakes

My Mom has always done a lot of (British) baking over the years and a favourite is her eccles cakes (along with her mincemeat tarts and her pies:). I finally got the recipe from her and here it is; enjoy!

 

English Eccles Cakes were named for the town of Eccles in Lancashire, and was a popular pastry in the seventeenth century. However, these cakes were banned—along with mince pies—by the Puritans in 1650. In fact, Oliver Cromwell decreed in an act of Parliament that anyone found eating a currant pie would be imprisoned (for gluttony). Luckily, by the time of the Restoration, the cakes were once again popular.

 

Ingredients:

 

Half pound of puff pastry

 

2 oz  Demerara sugar (brown)

2 oz butter

4 oz currants

2 oz peel

Roll pastry 1/4” thick.

Directions:

Cut rounds about 4” diameter

Warm butter – mix with sugar peel and currants.

Put tsp in center of each round,

Wet edges, draw together and seal

Turn over.  Roll to desired size.

Make two or three small cuts across middle.

Brush with white of egg and sprinkle with sugar(white)

 

Bake for 15 to 20 mins  400 degrees.

Swiss Chard and Quinoa, Chickpea Toss

I had a big bunch of Swiss Chard that I wanted to make sure that I used tonight, so I put this recipe together and it was delicious. It is a vegan recipe if you sprinkle nutritional yeast (instead of grated Parmesan cheese) over top of it. We devoured it, so I would say it makes 2 large sides.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 a sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tsp dried red hot chili peppers
1 large bunch of Swiss Chard, rinsed & drained well, stems removed and greens chopped into small pieces (I use kitchen shears as it makes the job a lot easier). It looks like an awful lot of chard, but once it cooks down you'll see that it is not all that much.
1 can of chickpeas (540 ml or 19 oz) rinsed and drained
1/2 cup of cooked quinoa
1/4 cup of walnuts, chopped
freshly ground Parmesan cheese (or nutritional yeast if you are vegan) (about 1 level tsp per serving is plenty---just enough to give a little zing of flavour)

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onions for a few minutes until soft; toss in the garlic for one minute and saute; spread the onions and garlic to the outside area of the pan and add the other 1 tbsp of oil and allow to heat up. Toss in the Swiss Chard and mix in with the onions and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally.
2. Stir in the salt, pepper, chili peppers and quinoa. Allow to cook for about 2 more minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and gently stir in the chickpeas. Sprinkle the walnut pieces on top. Once plated, pass the Parmesan cheese as a garnish.

Kale and Roasted Sweet Potato Soup

Ingredients:

-1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
-2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
-1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
-3 cups  chopped kale
-2 diced sweet potatoes (if you have some left-over roasted ones it gives more flavour)
-1 large roasted beet, chopped
-3 cups low sodium, low fat vegetable or chicken broth
-2 cups water
-2 cups cooked pasta (rotini or penne)---this is optional and use whole wheat!
-salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
-crushed red hot chili peppers and Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions:

1. In large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute onion until soft; add in garlic and saute for one minute.
2. Add the kale and allow to wilt while stirring. Add the broth and the potatoes. Reduce heat and simmer until all flavours are blended, about 20 minutes. If you are using uncooked sweet potatoes cook until they are soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cooked pasta if you are using it.
3. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chili peppers and cheese.