Northern Kitchen: Basic Ingredients
If you are living in a remote community and your grocery shopping routine includes a six hour drive or an over night trip, here is a list of handy ingredients to stock your cupboards.
This list is by no means comprehensive, but if you are anything like me - big on taste and short on cooking talent - having some of these items will help you get through the long winter months.
FROZEN:
- berries of all sorts - even though these are expensive, you save money by having less wastage
- pre-cooked shrimp and scallops
- peas and corn - the big bags
- prepackaged food - bacon wrapped scallops, lasagna and spring rolls have been life savers when invited out to a party
- frozen spinach and pie tarts
DAIRY:
- cheese in big blocks can be cut down and frozen into smaller packages - just make sure to date the packages - while the cheese can get crumbly, it can be used in soups, grilled cheese sandwiches, on salads and in casseroles very easily
- powdered milk - use this for your coffee, tea and cooking to reduce your costs if your family is big on milk
- canned/condensed milk
- powdered whipping cream
You can also stretch your fresh milk by adding a portion of powdered milk liquids.
PASTA/BREADS:
- rice noodles, angel hair, linguine, couscous are nice changes to regular spaghetti, macaroni and lasagna
- sturdier crackers that you can melt cheese on or use for dipping
CANNED GOODS:
- pumpkin, pineapple, peaches, pears, unsweetened apple sauces
- chickpea, various soups (cream of mushroom, tomato)
- clams, instant coffee (i.e., for icing on a cake)
- pizza sauces (little cans) and chili
- black sliced olives, artichoke hearts, various salad dressings
- refried beans, tuna and salmon
COOKING SUPPLIES:
Stock your cupboard with the usual cooking supplies, and then some such as:
- walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, soy nuts, sesame seeds
- olive oil, vegetable oil, white vinegar, red wine vinegar
- cheap margarine for cooking (can be frozen - buy the packages with the individually wrapped portions)
- corn syrup, black molasses
DRIED GOODS:
- raisins, cranberries, apricots, apples
- coconut, icing sugar, lentils,bread crumbs
- instant jellos and puddings, instant cookie, muffin and cake mixes (that don’t need eggs)
- shake and bake mixes
CONDIMENTS:
- soya sauce (big bottle), oyster sauce, black bean sauce
- hot sauce (if you’re that kind of eater), ginger, capers
- pre-mixed spices for chip dip
- lemon juice from concentrate (a big jar, not a piddly little plastic shaped lemon…)
SPICES:
- onion powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, garlic powder, all spice
- prepared seasons such as seasoning salt, mixes for fish and meat
MISCELLANEOUS:
- disposable roasting pans, cooking sheets and other like containers that could get “lost” if you are attending a community event and contributing a dish
Lazy Man's Pizza
ALL THE FOOD GROUPS…
If you don’t have the inclination to make pizza dough or can’t get the dough at your local gas station, this recipe is good for a change in snacks. The problem with this recipe is that if it is only you, you will then have a whole can of pizza sauce to deal with. Pre-heat oven to 350 or so depending on your toppings and oven settings.
INGREDIENTS:
- slices of toasted rye bread - as many as you need
- small can of pizza sauce (will make about 7 - 10 pieces of rye pizza slices)
- finely chopped capers (to taste)
- froze pre-cooked shrimp and drained canned pineapple (if you want)
- grated mozzarella and feta cheese to taste
- other pizza toppings that you may have available (left over chicken, pepperoni, chopped onions, peppers etc…)
PUTTING IT TOGETHER:
- toast the rye bread slices
- put it together as you would a pizza and arrange on an ungreased cookie sheet
- put in the pre-heated oven for about 7 - 12 minutes depending upon your oven.
I have tried using the broil feature, but found that I just didn’t have the attention span to watch it so that it wouldn’t burn.
Quesadillas North of 60
This is actually really easy to make and you can customize the quesadillas to individual tastes.
INGREDIENTS PER QUESADILLAS:
- soft tortilla - the bigger ones - they would fit into your frying pan
- a very small handful of cooked diced chicken or finely sliced steak
- grated mozzarella cheese (about a handful or two depending on how cheesy you like it) - chedar will do in a pinch
- 4 - 6 finely chopped capers if so desired
- steamed brocolli and/or cauliflower (about a handful altogether)
- drizzle of olive oil for the fry pan for each quesadilla
- jar of salsa and/or sour cream for toppings
PREPARATION:
- heat the fry pan and the olive oil (not too hot) and then brown one side of the soft tortilla
- once the one side is golden brown, turn it over and put your ingredients onto half of the tortilla (proporations will depend upon what you like, but make sure not to get the ingredients too close to the edges - otherwise, it is messy to clean up and hard to turn over)
- fold the other half over top of the mixture and let the whole thing brown on the bottom (about 2 - 3 minutes)
- turn the entire tortilla over and let that second side brown as well.
Variations include using finely sliced peppers, onions, crumbled feta cheese, left over turkey etc…
Cheater's Seafood Chowder
This is a quick dinner soup for when you have unexpected guests drop in and is a variation off of the classic “Nail Soup” or “Stone Soup” fairy tale. You add the ingredients to your taste and to the amount of hungry mouths you are feeding.
If you follow the recipe below, it makes enough soup for about 4 - 6 people depending on how big your bowls are or how hungry your crowd is.
INGREDIENTS:
- can of cream of mushroom soup (I prefer the brand names)
- can of clams - use the clam juice instead of milk or water
- one diced carrot (make them smaller)
- a handful or two of frozen corn (I have not tried canned corn, but I would recommend that you drain the corn before putting it in)
- one diced potato that has also been microwaved in a covered bowl until they are not so hard)
- a handful or two of frozen scallops and a handful or two of frozen shrimp
- a can of tuna including its juice if you need it
It does not need salt because of the canned ingredients.
Northern Basic: Acorn Squash with Dried Cranberries and Apple
Vitamin C and fibre in the winter months…
This is a tasty little meal for two and good in the winter time when you haven’t been able to get some of those fresher fruits and vegetables.
Pre-heat the oven to about 300 - 350. Cooking time once in the oven is about 50 minutes, but watch it carefully if you have a finicky stove.
PREPARE THE SQUASH:
- one small acorn squash cut in half with the seeds/pulp removed
- slice the bottoms off a little bit so that they don’t fall over and then microwave the two halves for about 5 - 7 minutes (uncovered)
PREPARE THE FILLING:
- soak one medium chopped up apple and a handful or two of dried cranberries in a couple tablespoons of lemon juice while you prepare the sauce
- drain the excess lemon juice off into the sauce pan and then lightly coat the mixture in flour before spooning into the squash
PREPARE THE SAUCE:
- mix a tablespoon or so of butter or margerine (not lard or oils of any sort) with the same amount of brown sugar and a bit of cinamon
PUT IT ALL TOGETHER:
- put the filling into the squash
- pour the mixture over the exposed squash first and then drizzle the rest over the filling
