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farm breakfasts are served in the morning and are limited only
by your diet and imagination!
If you have allergies please
let us know in advance. We are happy to serve vegetarian or
lactose or gluten free diets on request. Some of these are
wonderfully surprising as we are experienced with dietary
differences.
................................................................................................................................
A
cook who breaks the rules
by Cathie Coward
As
Published in The Hamilton Spectator
Shirley
Woods serves up her stuffed pork loin with chutney. Sauerkraut
in chocolate cake adds moistness, not bitterness, to this German
recipe.
Larry Woods is spoiled and he's not ashamed to admit it. His
wife, Shirley, learned how to cook just for him after they married
43 years ago today. She was a quick study. Even to bake a cake,
she doesn't follow the instructions.
In
fact, she breaks some rules and gets away with it. Shirley says
she hates to mess up more than one bowl when baking, so she
never follows recipe directions to mix wet ingredients separately
from dry, and then combine them. She just throws everything
together.
The
proof it all works out is clear in the divine chocolate sauerkraut
cake she served dinner guests recently. It's an old German recipe,
and Larry's right when he assures us ahead of time we won't
taste the sauerkraut. It just threads itself throughout the
cake, adding texture and moistness but no bitterness.
Shirley's
the quiet one of this Ancaster couple, who are grandparents
of 10.
"I brag about her all the time," says Larry, a self-employed
land surveyor. "She is able to do all kinds of things well.
She just jumps in and it turns out well."
He
warns there isn't enough space in this column to list all his
favourite dishes his wife makes. Shirley says prime rib, stuffed
pork and lamb chops are tops with her.
While
Shirley didn't learn much about cooking from her mother -- "she
overdid everything" -- she's passed on her culinary skills
to her four daughters. One is even a baker.
Since
she's not a recipe slave, Shirley found it hard to write out
recipes for this column. She made the dishes several times to
work it all out.
"I
rarely follow recipes. I cook by instinct. If we go out for
dinner, I'll have something I've never had before just so I
can come home and make it."
Larry
is the one who peruses the dozens of cookbooks on their shelves.
He finds dishes that intrigue him, often ethnic ones, and asks
Shirley to make them. She'll add her own twist.
Shirley
once owned her own business sewing dresses and skating costumes.
She now operates a bed and breakfast, Tranquility Base, out
of their home.
When
not in the kitchen cooking for guests, family or friends, Shirley
turns her attention to her other passion, making dolls.
Shirley's
Stuffed Pork Loin with Chutney
Makes 4 servings |
| |
For
the stuffing:
-
2 slices dried bread, diced or broken
-
6 to 7 dried apricots, slivered
- 1
1/2 tbsp (22 mL) finely chopped onion
- 1/8
tsp (0.5 mL) poultry seasoning
For the pork:
-
2 pork tenderloins
- 1
clove garlic
- Extra
virgin olive oil, for brushing
- 1/2
cup (125 mL) chutney (try peach and red pepper)
|
Combine
stuffing ingredients and moisten with 1 tbsp (15 mL) warm
water. Set aside.
Butterfly
pork by slicing tenderloins almost in half lengthwise
and opening them up flat.
Spread
stuffing along length of one flattened tenderloin. Reverse
second tenderloin and place on top of stuffing. Tie the
2 pieces together tightly about every 2 inches (5 cm),
keeping stuffing tucked in on sides and ends.
Cut
garlic clove in half and rub over both sides of meat.
Brush meat with oil on all sides. Allow to sit in fridge
for at least 1 hour.
Bake
in preheated oven at 375 F (190 C) for about 1 hour. Check
for doneness. Pork should be cooked to 150 to 165 F (65
to 73 C).
Remove
from oven, cut into slices and arrange on a platter. Heat
chutney and pour over pork. Serve immediately.
Approximate
nutrition per serving: 410 calories; 12 g fat; 49 g protein;
25 g carbohydrates; 2 g fibre. |
| |
| |
Shirley's
Sauerkraut Chocolate Cake
Makes a 2-layer cake |
| |
For
the cake:
-
2/3 cup (160 mL) butter OR margarine
- 1
cup (250 mL) brown sugar
-
3 large eggs
-
1 cup (250 mL) water
-
2 1/4 cups (560 mL) flour
-
1/2 cup (125 mL) cocoa
-
1 tsp (5 mL) baking powder
-
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
-
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
-
2/3 cup (160 mL) drained sauerkraut
-
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
-
3/4 cup (180 mL) jam (cherry is especially good)
For
the icing:
-
2/3 cup (160 mL) butter OR margarine
-
1/4 cup (60 mL) cocoa
-
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) icing sugar
-
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
-
1 tsp to 1 tbsp (5 to 15 mL) orange juice to moisten,
as required
|
| |
Preheat
oven to 350 F (180 C).
Blend butter and sugar. Beat in eggs. Add water. Slowly
add flour, 1/2 cup (125 mL) at a time, then cocoa, baking
powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in sauerkraut and vanilla.
Pour batter into two greased and floured layer cake pans.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in centre
comes out clean. Cool several minutes in pan on rack,
then remove cakes to cool directly on racks.
Meanwhile,
beat together icing ingredients, adding just enough orange
juice to get it to spreadable consistency. To assemble
cake, spread jam on top of one layer, then place other
layer on top. Ice entire cake.
Approximate
nutrition per serving (when cut into 12 pieces): 460 calories;
23 g fat; 6 g protein;63 g carbohydrates; 3 g fibre |
