• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 3 cups rolled oats (do NOT use instant oats)
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil or margarine
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a non-stick skillet over medium heat, toast the coconut until it is fragrant and lightly browned. Keep on eye on this and stir frequently because it will quickly go from brown to burnt. Put the coconut in a large mixing bowl and toast the oats until warmed. Combine the coconut, oats, brown sugar, honey, oil, cinnamon and salt and spread out on a baking sheet. Bake the granola until your house smells like a comforting bed and breakfast, about 20-25 minutes. Allow granola to cool, then break apart into chunks and store in an air tight container. Add additional ingredients if desired, such as toasted nuts or seeds or dried fruits, after the baking process to prevent burning.

On Halloween I’d pour my pillowcase full of assorted treats onto the floor and sort them into piles. There was a pile for chips, a pile for chocolate bars, a pile for rockets (which are apparently called Smarties in the US?), a single toothbrush and then a mound of the inedible candies like those “chewy” caramels, anything that didn’t come in a wrapper (poison! LSD!) and Goodies. Goodies, to me, are the most god awful candy creation ever devised by man. In case you are unfamiliar with this confection, as I suspect we may only unleash such things on Canadian children, goodies are a candy-coated licorice flavored candy. To me, there’s something about it that’s akin to making chocolate covered brussel sprouts. That is, if there is a proper way to introduce licorice to a child, this is definitely not it.

It was during this time in my life, when my palette was particularly vulnerable to such a viscous onslaught, that I developed a pronounced hatred for the flavor of licorice and all things licorice flavored. Red licorice however was always a favorite of mine, being used from everything from snack to makeshift straw. Red licorice is flavored with cherry and/or strawberry and is really not licorice at all though, sort of like how white chocolate is a pale impostor of actual chocolate.

In my teenager years, where I first started fostering a passion for food and cooking, is when I discovered fennel. Fennel Seed…

1 pound lean ground beef
2 medium onions, chopped
1 small head cabbage, cored and chopped
5-1/2 ounces tomato paste
6 cups beef broth
1/2 cup long grain rice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon brown sugar
salt and pepper

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and fry until no longer pink, then add the onions and cabbage and a pinch of salt.
2. Reduce heat to medium and cook until cabbage is softened, about 10 minutes.
3. Transfer contents to a soup pot and add tomato paste and beef broth. Bring to a boil and add the rice, cinnamon and brown sugar. Cook until rice is tender, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 8 servings

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon ghee
1 medium onion, sliced
2 pounds skinless chicken pieces
6 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup ground cashews or almonds
1 dried red chili
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 green cardamom pods
1 teaspoon ginger puree
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2/3 cup plain yogurt
salt and pepper

1. Heat olive oil and ghee in a large pot over medium heat and add the onion, sautéing until tender.
2. Add the chicken and fry until lightly browned on all sides, then add the tomatoes and a generous pinch of salt.
3. Grind together cashews, chili pepper, garam masala, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, garlic and bay leaf. Stir the spices into the yogurt.
4. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until sauce has thickened and chicken is tender, about 45 minutes.
5. Serve over rice and garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.

Makes 4 servings

1/4 cup warm water
1/3 cup honey
2-1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup warm whole milk
1 tablespoon ground coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons butter, melted
4 cups flour

1. Whisk together warm water and honey in a small bowl, then stir in the yeast. Allow to proof for 5 minutes while preparing other ingredients.
2. Combine the egg, milk, coriander seed, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a large bowl, beating until smooth.
3. Stir the yeast mixture into the egg mixture, as well as 5 tablespoons of the butter. Gradually incorporate the flour until it becomes a smooth dough. Add more flour if necessary.
4. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, at least 5 minutes. Place dough in a clean bowl greased with the remaining butter and cover with a damp towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
6. Punch dough down and form into a round. Transfer to a baking sheet and allow to rise for 10-15 minutes while the oven is warming. Bake until the crust is a light golden brown and the loaf sounds hollow when you tap on it, about an hour. Allow to cool before slicing.

Makes 8 servings

1 cup butter, cubed
1 small onion, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger puree
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 black cardamom pod
1 cinnamon stick
1 whole clove
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, being careful not to brown.
2. Once melted, raise heat to bring the butter to a boil and stir in the onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. Reduce the heat to a simmer and leave uncovered until the milk solids have separated, about 30 minutes.
3. Strain the clarified (clear) part of the butter and discard the milk solids.
4. Heat prepared butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown lightly on both sides, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until chicken is cooked through to center and juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Serve with excess butter from pan.

Makes 4 servings

1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger puree
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
3 cardamom pods
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
1 tablespoon ground coriander seed
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced

1. Place onion, ginger, garlic, almonds and poppy seeds in a blender. Add yogurt to make a smooth sauce.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the cinnamon and cardamom, cooking until fragrant.
3. Brown the chicken, then stir in the yogurt sauce, coriander and nutmeg.
4. Add the mushrooms and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook covered until chicken is cooked through to center and tender.

Makes 2 servings

2 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon whole allspice
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 whole green cardamom pods
2 whole black cardamom pods
12 whole cloves
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons turmeric
1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound lamb, sliced
5 ounces tomato paste
12 cups chicken broth
19 ounces canned chickpeas
1 cup yellow split peas or lentils
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

2 eggs
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon harissa

1. Lightly toast cumin seed in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, then combine with rest of spice mixture into a mortar and pestle or spice grinder until fine. Set aside.
2. Heat a large soup pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Lightly brown the onions, then add the garlic, stirring to combine.
3. Stir in the prepared spice mixture, lamb and tomato paste, then add the chicken broth, raise heat and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until lamb is very tender, about an hour and a half.
5. Add the chickpeas, lentils and cilantro and cook until tender, about another hour.
6. When soup is ready to be served, beat eggs with lemon juice and stir in the harissa. Blend a tablespoon or two into a serving of soup to serve.

Makes 6 servings

3 pound bone-in lamb leg
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
20 whole cloves
salt and pepper
water

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cut 3/4" slices into the fatty side of the lamb leg. Rub lamb with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper, oregano and cinnamon, placing cloves into the slices in the flesh.
3. Place lamb on a roasting rack into the oven until the outside is well seared, about 20 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and add a bit of water to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking until a meat thermometer can be inserted into the center and register 140 degrees.
5. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, you can use the pan drippings to make a gravy or as jus mixed with a bit of fresh mint, salt and pepper.

Makes 8 servings

4 six ounce pork chops
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven broiler to high.
2. Rub pork chops with cinnamon, brown sugar and pepper.
3. Place pork chops on a baking sheet and place about 6" under the oven broiler. Allow to crisp and caramelize on one side, then flip and cook the other side.
4. Remove from the oven, tent with foil and allow to cool slightly before serving with Apple Sauce.