SOURDOUGH BAGELS

 

With having sourdough starter I am always willing to try a new recipe. I have been reviewing sourdough bagel recipes over the past few weeks. Some recipes require more prep time including an overnight rise in the fridge. A long rise in the fridge helps with the fermenting process to give the sourdough its classic flavour.

I decided to make this recipe from baked-theblog who call these bagels a New York style bagel (New York style sourdough bagels). I made mine more of a Montreal style bagel which includes a smaller bagel, larger hole and you use honey or sugar in the boiling water to poach the bagels. There are many debates that go on about which bagel is better.

There are a few things that make bagels different from rolls or buns:

• They are poached before baking which gives them the chewiness and a soft crust. You don't want a bagel to have a crusty texture like a typical sourdough bread. 
• They also don't rise as much as other breads. 
• Part of the joy of eating the bagel are the seeds coated on the bagel.  
• Lastly, they are more dense.

Not everyone is a bagel fan. If you want to learn more about the science of making bagels, this link provides the detail.

If you plan to make this recipe, you need to factor in the time for all of the steps. From the time I put the ingredients into the mix master to knead the dough to putting in the first tray of bagels to bake, it took over 25 hours. The recipe advises that it makes eight to ten bagels, I made 15 of them. I used three kinds of seeds to coat the bagels - poppy seed, black sesame seed and everything bagel. If you don't have a large fridge or a second fridge it may be difficult to make these bagels as the trays are kept in the fridge for a minimum of 12 hours. I had these bagels in the fridge for 20 hours. 

They are a delicious bagel and I will be making them again, but not a weekly basis!

Here are some photos to show some of the steps.

Bagel dough is divided up into 15 and resting. 

 

Bagels ready for the first rise

 

 After rising for 20 hours in the fridge.

 

Poaching the bagels in boiling water with baking soda and sugar.

 

 

Ready to bake.

 

Out of the oven and cooling.

Bagels made using this recipe.  New York style sourdough bagels

QUICK AND EASY WAR WON TON SOUP

For an easy supper, I like to make my version of chicken war won ton soup. It does require a little bit of planning if you want to first make some chicken stock using a boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs. You can make this soup meatless by skipping the chicken and chicken bouillon and using vegetable mini won tons. The vegetables used in the soup can vary based on what you have in the fridge. I use frozen chicken cilantro mini won tons that I buy from Costco. They are a perfect size. I added about 16 mini won tons but you can add more to the soup. If you have leftover soup, you may need to add some water the following day when you heat it up as the noodles and won tons will have absorbed some of the liquid. 

INGREDIENTS:

Broth

One pound of boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs

Medium onion, chopped

8 cups of water

1 tsp salt

Vegetables

One large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced or chopped

One celery stick, chopped

3 mushrooms, chopped

One small zucchini, finely chopped or sliced into noodles using a vegetable peeler

Large handful of fresh green beans, chopped into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces

One cup to 1 1/2 cups of chopped cauliflower or broccoli 

1/2 coloured pepper, chopped

Seasonings

One garlic clove, minced

2 tsp tamari sauce

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce (can use salt instead)

1 tsp chicken bouillon powder (optional) 

16 mini won tons ( I add them frozen)

100 gram or 3.5 ounces of angel hair pasta broken in smaller pieces or vermicelli noodles

Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Using a large soup pot, add the water, chicken, onion and salt. Heat the contents to a boil and then simmer for an hour. Remove the cooked chicken and place in a bowl to cool for a little bit.

 

Taste the broth and add the seasonings. I add some chicken bouillon powder to increase the chicken flavour. 

Add the chopped vegetables to the broth. Cut the cooked chicken into small pieces and add back to the soup. Stir the contents of the soup and taste the broth to see if it needs anymore seasoning. Adjust if required. Heat to a boil and then lower the temperature to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft. 

When you are close to serving the soup, add the mini won tons and noodles. Heat the soup to medium high and once it starts to boil reduce the heat to low. Cook for six to seven minutes. Add the chopped cilantro. Makes four large servings. I like to add some additional soy sauce to my own bowl of soup. 

PASTA WITH GROUND BISON AND VEGETABLES

 

An individual serving.

I decided to make a healthy version of a cheesy vegetable and ground meat pasta dish for supper tonight. I used chickpea rotini pasta, lean ground bison and a small amount of cheese.  I added some oat milk to create some creaminess along with the cooked pasta water.

As I usually buy and freeze ground meat in one pound or 454 gram packages, I didn't want to make a larger recipe that serves four to six. I cooked the full pound of thawed ground bison, used half of it for this recipe and will use the remaining half in another recipe over the next few days. With storing it in a container in the fridge, it will keep for a few days.    

The pasta dish turned out to be cheesy enough with the amount of cheese added. The DH and I both liked the meal.

INGREDIENTS: 

125 grams (4.5 ounces) of dry pasta 

 

250 grams (around 1/2 pound) ground bison (or other ground meat) 

1 tbsp olive or other oil

1/2 large onion, chopped

4 large mushrooms, chopped

1/2 coloured pepper, chopped

2 large handfuls of spinach

1/2 tsp of oregano

salt and pepper to taste

 

cooking water from pasta

1/3 cup milk or nut/plant milk

 

1/4 cup shredded cheese - mozzarella, cheddar or other favourites

2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese   

DIRECTIONS:

 

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions to al dente. Drain and set aside.

2. Using a large saute or frying pan, on medium heat, cook the bison or other ground meat, breaking it up in the pan. Add the oregano and salt and pepper based on taste. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes until it is no longer pink. Transfer the meat to a bowl or container. 

3. Add the oil to the frying pan, heat on medium high heat and add the chopped onions, mushrooms and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium or medium low and saute the vegetables until soft. Add a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking water if the vegetables are sticking to the pan. Add the cooked ground bison to the pan, combine with the vegetables and cook for a few more minutes. Add the milk and combine.

4. Add the spinach to the frying pan and combine. If the mixture is looking dry, add a little bit of the pasta cooking water. Cook the spinach down and stir after a few minutes. You may need to add some more salt and pepper to the mixture based on taste.  

5. Transfer the pasta, bison and vegetables to a serving bowl. Add the cheeses and mix well. Ready to serve. Makes up to 3 servings based on appetite.