Leftover Mashed Potato & Chive Patties

Here's one of my favourite uses for leftover mashed potatoes and they are always a hit. Growing up my mom would make these with onions and just S and P.  I have jazzed up the seasoning a little. The measures are approximate. I served them above with a green salsa verde made with tomatillos and fresh garden chives. Sour cream or thick Greek yogurt is also great.  They are also very good with chutney or even humble ketchup. Lots of options with this easy and versatile recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

Makes approximately 8 1/2 cup - 125 ml patties
3 cups (750 ml) mashed potatoes, leftover
1/3 cup (175 ml) plain yogurt
1 egg, medium, beaten
1/4 cup (60 ml) each minced parsley and sliced chives
2 Tbsp (30 ml) flour - I like chickpea or brown rice flour but if you don't need a GF version any flour will do
Optional: salt, pepper, curry powder, paprika etc.
Vegetable oil for frying

METHOD:

1. If you don't have leftover mashed potatoes then cut potatoes in about 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes. Smaller pieces cook faster.  I leave the peel on for extra fibre and nutrients.  Wash in cold water. Add to medium pot.  Cover with cold water and lid and bring to boil over medium high heat. Uncover, reduce heat and cook on low boil until potatoes are fork tender. Drain potatoes.  Mash with the yogurt in a large bowl.

2. Top potatoes with the beaten egg, minced parsley and chives. Mix well. Sprinkle with flour and mix again. I like to use my "clean" hands.

3. Divide mixture into eight using a scant 1/4 cup (60 ml) measure for each patty. Use your hands to shape into patties about 1/2 inch (1.25 cm) thick. Set aside on plate.  In the picture below I used 1/2 cup measure (125 ml) as I wanted them bigger for less frying and less oil as we were working in the garden.

4. Add oil to a large non-stick skillet and heat over medium high heat. You can use more than one skillet if you wish to cook them all at one time. I use 2 Tbsp (30 ml) to start and add more as needed. You could use non-stick pan but I prefer the cast iron pan.  Arrange patties in pan. Fry until golden brown about 5-7 minutes per side. Add more oil along the way if needed.

5. Serve patties topped with your choice of garnishes and condiments.

Tomatillos growing in my Nipissing garden.

NUTRITION FACTS (per patty or 1/8th of recipe):  110 calories, 6 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 25 mg sodium, 125 mg cholesterol, 12 g carbohydrate, 1 g fibre, 1 g sugar, 3 g protein.  %Daily Values: 6% vitamin A, 25% vitamin C, 6% calcium, 4% iron.

Yours in good taste,
© Nancy Guppy, RD, MHSc

http://nancyguppy.com/

Chive Blossom Vinegar

This chive blossom vinegar is a beautiful pink and has a good onion, garlic flavour.  It makes wonderful salad dressing and it is especially good in a home-made Caesar dressing.  Below are chives gone wild from the old homestead out in the back forty (well back seven actually).  

First, collect the the blossoms by separating from the the stalks.  An easy way to do this is to place your fingers between the stalks, palms up, and pull upwards.  This should give you a handful!  You will need a few cups to make a liter (quart) of good strength chive vinegar.

If you want your chives to last well into the fall cut them straight across at the base with a sharp knife.  They regrow quickly.  This stops them from going to seed and dying back.

Rinse blossoms under cold running water to remove any small pests or dirt.  Leave on a clean towel to air dry.  Stuff them into a clean bottle, blossom end up.  Fill jar with white vinegar and cap.  White wine vinegar or unflavoured rice vinegar works well.  You can flavour other vinegars like red wine or cider with chive blossoms but you won't get to see the pretty pink colour.  

The pretty pink vinegar below on day one... not much infused yet.  Leave to steep in cool dark place.

Add more vinegar in 24 hours if necessary as the blossoms will absorb some and you want to keep them covered.  The blossoms will eventually turn the vinegar a beautiful pink and lose most of their colour.  This should take 4-7 days.  Then, strain vinegar and discard blossoms.  Don't keep the blossoms in the vinegar or it will start to taste to skunky!  Keep refrigerated for up to 6 months.  Use in the "Chive and Honey Vinaigrette" I posted  - or any way you like flavoured vinegar.  That's it!  Super easy.

© Nancy Guppy, RD, MHSc

Chive & Honey Vinaigrette

Vinaigrettes are versatile.  You can use them as marinades as well as salad dressings.  I like to make my own as I can use what I have handy in the kitchen along with in-season herbs and vegetables from the garden.  Over the years I have found ways to create dressings that taste excellent while being lower in calories, fat and salt and have ZERO additives and preservatives.  

Notice I say lower in fat and not "no fat."  Eating oil with salad greens and other vegetables helps you to absorb the fat soluble vitamins such as beta-carotene (pre-vitamin A) and vitamin K.  Healthy oils are also beneficial as they help you stay full longer.


Traditional vinaigrettes are 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar (i.e., 3/4 cup oil to 1/4 cup vinegar.)  That is why they are so high in calories.  Play with this…. I mostly use 1 part oil to 1 part vinegar.  I admit I do like vinegar and do admit I have a "sour tooth."  Another good combination is 1 part oil: 1 part vinegar with 1 part white wine/stock/ juice or water.  Remember not to overdress your salad – ¼ to 1/3 c (60-75 ml) of vinaigrette should dress 8 cups (2 liters) of salad greens.

Makes 440 ml - 1 3/4 cups - about 30 x 15 ml servings

# volume	(# mL)	Ingredient
¼ cup	60 ml	Chives, green, finely sliced
½ cup	125 ml	Honey – I used Board’s garlic honey
½ cup	125 ml	Chive vinegar (recipe at this blog)
½ cup	125 ml	Olive oil, XV, cold pressed
1 tsp	5 ml	Dijon mustard, prepared

1.  Finely slice green ends of chives.  Set aside.
2.  Combine all ingredients in a glass jar.  Cover with lid and shake well to combine.  For a more stable emulsion and a creamier texture, process in the blender, food processor or use an immersion  blender (the stick.)  

Nutrients Per 15 ml (tablespoon)

Calories	50
Total Fat (g)	3.5
Saturated Fat (g)	0.5
Carbohydrate (g)	5
Fibre (g)	0
Sugar (g)	5
Cholesterol (mg)	0
Sodium (mg)	0
Protein (g)	0
%DV
Calcium	0
Iron	0
Vitamin A	0
Vitamin C	0

© Nancy Guppy, RD, MHSc

Sorrel & Lovage Soup with Carrot Mint Puree

This is not the prettiest looking soup but the contrast amongst the various flavours more than makes up for the appearance.

Sorrel and lovage are hardy, spring perennials and ones you can rely on to eat early. Sorrel has a unique sour taste that is refreshing in soup. If you don't have it you can still make this soup using another green like kale, spinach or Swiss chard. Lovage usually replaces celery but in smaller amounts as it has a stronger flavour.

This recipe makes 8 large servings - about 2 cups/500 ml each

1 Tbsp olive oil - 15 ml
1 onion, red, large, chopped
4 cups sorrel leaves, shredded - 1 liter
4 cups potatoes, diced - 1 liter
1/2 cup lovage, sliced (substitute celery) - 125 ml
1 bay leaf
8 cups vegetable broth, preferably home-made - 2 liters
1/2 tsp salt - 2.5 ml
1/2 tsp pepper - 2.5 ml

Carrot Mint Puree:
2 cups carrots, diced - 500 ml
2 cups vegetable broth - 500 ml
2 Tbsp garden mint, minced - 30 ml

Garnish: 1/2 cup chives, minced - 125 ml
1. Saute diced onions in olive oil over medium-high heat for approximately 5 minutes. Use a soup pot that has a lid. Then add the shredded sorrel, diced potatoes, sliced lovage and bay leaf and saute another few minutes. Add broth, cover and cook until the potatoes are tender.
2. Meanwhile make the carrot puree - cook diced carrots in broth in a small pot. Puree and season with finely minced gardent mint. Set aside.
3. Remove the soup from the heat and puree half of the soup. Return to heat and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. If you use a commercial vegetable broth you might not need the salt. Home-made is best!
4. To serve, ladel soup in bowl and place a scoop of the the carrot puree in the centre. Garnish each bowl with freshly snipped chives.

Optional additions: dill, garlic, oregano and/or rosemary. You can substitute lettuce, spinach or Swiss chard for all or some of the sorrel. Add a dollop of sour cream or yogurt as a garnish.

NUTRITION FACTS: 140 calories, 5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 520 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrate, 6 g fibre, 6 g sugar, 5 g protein. %Daily Values are 180% vitamin A, 60% vitamin C, 8% iron and 15% calcium.

© Nancy Guppy, RD, MHSc
http://nancyguppy.com/

Chives - a year of food by the season

I love that chives are one of the first perennials to come up each year and they quickly make it into my spring recipes. Chives bring back many good memories. My mother grew them at the side of our house under the leaking outdoor hose.

Its English name, chive, derives from the French word cive, which was derived from cepa, the Latin word for onion. Chives grow in grass like clumps and they like full sun. Often you can get a clump from a neighbour. They are a perennial and considered a pioneer herb. Both the slender, hollow stems and pink flowers are edible.

Many people associate chives with baked potatoes and sour cream. But the culinary uses are pretty much endless. I love them in omelets and scrambled eggs. They go great in biscuits and bread and help to garnish a salad or soup.... very tasty in potato pancakes! You can also puree with olive oil and make chive pesto.

Leaves/Stems: They have a garlicky onion flavour. Slice and use like green onions.
Flowers: If you allow yours to bloom they will produce large, pink, edible blossoms. The blossoms look nice in salads and they make a beautiful pink vinegar with a strong onion flavour. This vinegar makes a very good Caesar salad. The pompom flowers also look nice in flower arrangements.

I like to grow many clumps of chives and have some that I don't allow to flower. This way I am able to eat them until they get covered by winter snow. Cutting them often at the surface makes them grow back fuller. You can use scissors or a sharp knife - hold the stems in one hand and cut straight across below. You will have what I call a chive bundle.

Fresh Chive Bundles Freeze Well: keep them in the bundle, quick rinse and place in bottom of a zip lock bag freezer bag. Fold them in half if they are long. Squeeze the air out of the bag and squirrel them away in the freezer for use over the winter months.

NUTRITION FACTS (125 ml or 26 grams fresh chives): 10 calories, 0 g fat, 1 g fibre. % Daily Values: 20% Vitamin A, 25% Vitamin C, 2% calcium and 2% iron. A traditional nutrient analysis won't fully do justice as it doesn't show antioxidants etc.

MEDICINAL USE: the medicinal properties of chives are similar to those of garlic but weaker.

They contain numerous organisulplide compounds such as allyl sulfides and alkyl sulfoxides. They can have a beneficial effect on the circulatory system, acting upon it by lowering the blood pressure. As chives are usually served in small amounts and never as the main dish, negative effects are rarely encountered, although digestive problems may occur following over-consumption.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chives

Join me for a cooking class using chives and other fresh herbs. Dressings, Marinades, Herb Vinegars, Oils and More! will be held on Sunday May 17th
http://www.chapmanslanding.com/course_outline.asp?id=1&session=152

© Nancy Guppy, RD, MHSc
www.chapmanslanding.com

Chive, Garlic & Mint Raita

Raita is seasoned yogurt often served as a mouth-cooler when eating spicy Indian dishes. It also works as a healthy dip for vegetables and pita bread and is good as a side dish or condiment to grilled chicken or fish. The Greek version would be tzatziki.

Usually raita has grated cucumber with minced cilantro and/or mint. The photo here is showing raita I made for our "Tikka and Tandoori cooking class" with carrot, tomato and cilantro. My version today uses three things ready in my garden - chives, garlic shoots and mint. I vary my raita recipe according to what is available from the garden. I do like it best made with a fuller fat yogurt like 4% MF Balkan MF = milk fat.

1/2 cup fresh chives, minced - 125 ml
1/2 cup garlic shoots - 125 ml
1/4 cup fresh mint, minced - 60 ml
1 grated carrot, medium
1 cup yogurt, 4% MF - 250 ml
1 tsp cumin seed, roasted - 5 ml
1/2 tsp salt - 2.5 ml
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper - 1.25 ml

Mince herbs and grate carrot.
Roast cumin seed over medium high heat for a few minutes until lightly browned and fragrant.
Stir herbs and cumin into plain yogurt. Season with salt and cayenne pepper.
Garnish with fresh mint herbs. You can refrigerate or serve at room temperature.

Note: I have also used grated carrot or zucchini, finely minced cabbage and other vegetables in raita with good results. You will to have to adjust the yogurt and the spices based on the amount of ingredients.

NUTRITION FACTS (per 1/4 cup or 60 ml serving): 40 calories, 1.5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 75 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, 1 g fibre. %Daily Values: 8% vitamin A, C and calcium with 4% iron.

© Nancy Guppy, RD, MHSc
www.chapmanslanding.com