Four delicious recipes you can try this holiday season
I know the holiday season is here when I begin to see Christmas Pillsbury cookies at Fortinos. During my first year at McMaster University, my friends and I went through over a dozen boxes of Pillsbury cookies and it was always an intense battle to get our hands on them at the grocery store. I still remember the smell lingering in our communal kitchen all throughout December finals.
I’ve never been much of a baker myself but during the pandemic I have been cooking and baking more fresh food. This year I’m especially looking forward to making winter holiday treats for my family and friends. I’ve gathered below a few beginner and budget-friendly recipes from friends and fellow Mac students.
The Recipe: London Slices
The Chef: Una Pasagic, a human behaviour student, shares her Bosnian family holiday recipe.
Ingredients:
Dough:
300 grams all-purpose flour
200 grams unsalted, room temperature butter
120 grams sugar
Two egg yolks
One teaspoon baking powder
Zest of one lemon/ orange
Filling:
Four egg whites
200 grams sugar
210 grams coarsely ground walnuts
Apricot or strawberry jam
*Allergy warning: walnuts
Directions:
Dough:
Mix flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whip butter and sugar together until slightly fluffy.
Add the butter and sugar mixture to the large bowl with flour then combine the ingredients by hand.
Add yolks and zest to the bowl then combine ingredients by hand.
Set dough aside to make filling.
Filling :
Whip egg whites and sugar until fluffy.
Fold in 150 grams of walnuts.
Assembly:
Spread the dough onto a large rectangular baking sheet pan. The dough should only cover the base and does not need to go up to the sides of the dish.
Spread a layer of jam, enough to cover the surface of the dough.
Add the layer of filling and top everything with 60 grams of walnuts.
Bake at 375 ˚F for a maximum of 25 minutes.
Let it set after removing it from the oven.
Once set, cut into rectangular pieces and serve.
The Recipe: Vegan brownies
The Chef: Emma Sood, a student studying psychology, neuroscience and behaviour, shares her favourite vegan dessert recipe.
Ingredients:
One stick of butter
One teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
One tablespoon of flaxseed meal
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 ˚F.
Line a muffin tin with a paper liner.
Prepare flax eggs by mixing 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal and 3 tablespoons of water stirred to a smooth, gel-like consistency in a small bowl and let it rest for a couple of minutes.
Melt vegan butter in a mixing bowl. After stir in flax eggs, brown sugar, vanilla extract, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Whisk to combine.
Add all-purpose flour. You can fold in chocolate chips, nuts or fruits at this point.
Scoop the batter into the muffin tin until three-fourths full and bake on the middle rack for around 24 minutes. It could be a little less or more. Look to see if the brownies start to pull away from the sides of the tin.
Remove from the oven and let the brownies rest for a couple of minutes. Enjoy!
The Recipe: Toblerone cookies
The Chef: Subin Park. This is a recipe I learned from a friend. You can never have too many chocolate chip cookies!
Ingredients:
30 grams Toblerone
¾ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
½ cup sifted icing sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups flour
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 ˚F
Coarsely chop one chocolate bar into quarter-inch pieces (approximately 1/3 cup). Set the remaining chocolate bar aside.
In a mid-sized mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat butter until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in vanilla and salt.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in one cup of flour until just mixed.
Stir in remaining flour and chopped chocolate bar pieces until mixed.
Scrape dough into an ungreased eight-inch square baking dish. Lightly flour fingers then pat mixture into an even thickness.
Use a fork to pierce the dough in one inch increments.
Finally, chop the remaining chocolate bar and sprinkle over top of the dough.
Bake on the lower rack at 300 ˚F until the edges are deep golden and the centre is pale golden for 35 to 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately cut into 16 squares.
Cool completely in the pan. Once cool, store in an airtight container in a cool place or refrigerator for up to two weeks.
C/O Visual Stories on Unsplash
A&C editor shares a recipe for red pepper, cherry tomato and mushroom gnocchi
When I moved back to Hamilton earlier this year, I was really looking forward to cooking for myself again. This gnocchi recipe is one of my favourite things to make, because it’s full of vegetables, comes together quickly and also often makes more than enough leftovers for a busy week. It’s also the perfect recipe for students who have come back from reading week and are now busy with assignment deadlines and midterms to study for.
Like store-bought gnocchi, the recipe is also versatile and it’s easy to make adjustments depending on what other ingredients you have on hand or how much time you have. For example, if I’m in a rush or when they’re not in season, I substitute some tomato sauce for cherry tomatoes, adding it after the red pepper and gnocchi. Or if you want to add some leafy greens, you can omit the cherry tomatoes and add some chopped baby spinach after the mushrooms.
As it is, provided you can find vegan gnocchi, the recipe is also vegan, though if you like you’re welcome to add cheese or some chicken to it as well to suit your tastes. My sister loves this recipe and she’ll often add heaps of Parmesan to her servings, though, to be fair, she does that with just about every food she can. Feel free to make as many substitutions as you wish and to make the recipe aligned with your tastes.
The Chef: Arts & Culture Editor, Nisha Gill
Ingredients
One large red onion
One package mushrooms
One red pepper
One package cherry tomatoes (or a jar of pasta sauce, if you’re in a rush)
Two to three Tbsp of olive oil
Three to four cloves of garlic (or three to four tsp of store-bought garlic paste, if you’re in a rush)
Pinch each of salt and pepper
One package (500g) store-bought gnocchi
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Yield: 3 - 4 servings
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Chop a large red onion, mushrooms and a red pepper. Set aside, each in a separate bowl.
Put cherry tomatoes in a baking dish or on a pan, drizzle with one to two Tbsp olive oil, sprinkle three to four cloves of garlic and salt and pepper. Mix and spread evenly across the pan.
Roast cherry tomatoes in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, checking periodically because they might sizzle a bit.
Meanwhile, cook store-bought gnocchi according to package directions.
Then, heat one Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When hot add red onion and cook for about four to five minutes. Add mushrooms, cooking for another two to three or until they've browned a bit. Add red pepper, tomatoes and gnocchi and cook for another four to six minutes.
Serve warm and enjoy!
It’s important to take breaks from studying and engage in activities you enjoy and find fulfilling. For seasoned chefs as well as those looking to improve their culinary skills, this quick recipe is the perfect way to get busy in the kitchen in between studying and enjoy a great meal!
Please comment down below with your twists on the recipe or let us know what recipes you would like us to see featured next in our next issue of In the Kitchen with Arts & Culture.
C/O Joshua Zuckerman
Feeding yourself on a student budget is difficult. It can be especially hard to find affordable meals that produce lots of portions. This Bolognese sauce recipe was made with student budgets in mind.
Our chefs this week have worked hard to create a recipe that removes dinner time stress from people's plates (pardon the pun), without sacrificing quality. Not only can it be made for under $20, but it can produce up to eight portions.
C/O Joshua Zuckerman
The Chefs: Matt Dunbar and Michael Abbott
Matt Dunbar and Michael Abbott spent the last 10 years building up their successful catering business, No Small Feast. But despite catering events for organizations such as Spotify, Microsoft and BMW as well as foreign dignitaries, they weren’t pandemic-proof.
The dynamic duo pivoted their business to survive during the pandemic. They launched Provisions, a frozen upscale comfort food line for home delivery to the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area.
C/O Joshua Zuckerman
The Recipe: Bolognese Sauce
Description:
This is the black-tie version of a classic Bolognese sauce. Even though you can make this recipe for under $20, it will taste like you need to add a few more zeros to the price tag. Makes easily enough for four portions, and another four that live in the freezer for another day. Add any pasta you would like or have in your kitchen!
Ingredients:
1/2 carrot, diced
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
100 g button mushroom
2 lb ground beef (lean)
2 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup of milk
1300 ml passata or pureed tomatoes (canned)
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup red wine
1 very small pinch cinnamon
1 bunch of basil
Directions:
Brown meat in a pan medium heat until you hear it start to sizzle and it sticks to the bottom
Remove meat from pan, add all vegetables and cook until onions are translucent, approx. 7-10 minutes, then add tomato paste, cook for another 2-4 minutes.
Add wine and reduce until almost fully reduced, approximately 7-10 minutes.
Add meat back into the pot, add milk and reduce by half, approximately 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes, bay leaf, cinnamon, salt
Simmer 90 minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking on the bottom.
Finish sauce with chopped basil.
If you really want to impress, drizzle some white truffle oil over the finished sauce when serving.
Photos by Kyle West
Influenced by Jackson’s ramen restaurant, Slurp Ramen, this recipe incorporates the fresh and high quality produce found at his fingertips at the Hamilton Farmers Market. While Slurp Ramen’s kitchen is steps away from some of the city’s best local produce, cheese and meat vendors, you too can be inspired by the ingredients and flavours of the downtown market. This recipe takes your instant ramen noodles to the next level by using parmesan cheese and pancetta from Sam’s Meat and Cheese and some fresh eggs. The instant ramen carbonara dish is student-friendly, serves two to three people and incorporates some Western influences for a quick, simple and delicious meal.
Jackson has over 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, spending just under half of that time traveling the world learning and experiencing cuisines from different continents. He spent a year in Asia, two years in London, England running a French restaurant and another year running a restaurant in Australia. He was part of the management team at The McEwan Group before opening up Slurp Ramen, a restaurant where he can express his love for local produce, community and ramen.
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Instant Ramen Carbonara Ingredients:
2 large free-range eggs
40 g parmesan cheese, finely grated
150 g piece of pancetta, skinned and chopped into cubes
3 packs of instant ramen noodles
1 clove of garlic, finely diced
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
spring onion, chopped
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Instant Ramen Carbonara Directions:
Cook the ramen noodles according to the packet instructions.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the parmesan using a fork. Season with salt and pepper and put it to the side.
Cut the hard skin off the pancetta and set it aside. Chop the meat into small cubes.
Rub the pancetta skin (if you have any) all over the base of a medium frying pan for added flavor or use one tablespoon of oil before placing pan over medium-high heat.
Add garlic to pan and leave it to flavor the fat for one minute before stirring in the pancetta.
Cook the pancetta for four minutes or until it starts to crisp up.
Reserving some of the cooking water, drain and add the ramen noodles to the pan. Toss well over the heat so it that it really soaks up all that lovely flavor before removing the pan from the heat.
Add a splash of the cooking water, toss well and season with salt and pepper.
Pour in the egg mixture, the pan will help cook the egg gently, rather than scrambling it. Toss well, adding more cooking water until it’s a glossy texture.
Serve with a grating of parmesan and an extra twist of pepper to taste. Finish with topped chopped spring onion.
