Published by City Farmer, Canada's Office of Urban Agriculture

Cob Oven Cooking Event at City Farmer

Recorded live at the City Farmer garden on August 21, 2004 and played on CBC radio on August 29, 2004.

This Week On CBC Radio's North by Northwest

Tune in Sunday to hear the City Farmer show, recorded on location at the City Farmer garden in Vancouver. Guests include James Barber, Eve Johnson and Assefa Kebede cooking in the cob oven...plus picnic tips from a new book called The Urban Picnic and a conversation with the queen of the compost hotline about her new book.ÊÊÊ

Here are recipes from the City Farmer visit aired on Sunday August 29.

Recipe from James Barber, the Urban Peasant:

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes And Eggs

If you use free-range eggs, the bright orange yolks will contrast nicely with the mashed potatoes. If you're baking this in a conventional oven, set it for 375 F (190 C).

4 pounds (2 kg) Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
1/4 cup (50 mL) butter
1/2 cup (125 mL) buttermilk
3/4 cup (175 mL) finely chopped parsley, divided
2 tablespoons (30 mL) prepared horseradish
Salt and pepper to taste 12 large free-range eggs

Cook the potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, then drain. In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add buttermilk and heat to at least room temperature. Mash the potatoes, adding the butter mixture, 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the parsley, the horseradish, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread the potato mixture in a greased 15x10-inch (38x25.5-cm) cookie sheet or jellyroll pan. Make wells for the eggs at even intervals, and break the eggs into the wells. Season with salt and pepper, and bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes, or until egg have cooked. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

Recipes from Eve Johnson, author of Eating my Words:

Fearless Pizza Dough

Make the pizza dough ahead for the best flavor - after a day or two it develops a sour taste and cooks into a thinner, more bubbly crust. Half a recipe makes enough pizza for two people as a main course, four to six as an appetizer. For convenience, I divide the dough when I make it, and store it in plastic bags in the refrigerator. Allow the dough to come to room temperature before shaping. The recipe for this pizza dough is in my book, Eating My Words.

4 cups (1 L) all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. (30 mL) instant yeast
2 tsp. (10 mL) salt
1 tsp. (5 mL) sugar
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) water (see below for temperature)
3 tbsp. (45 mL) olive oil
Preheat the oven to 500 F (260 C).

In a large-capacity food processor, fitted with a steel blade, combine the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Measure the water, checking that the temperature is 125 to 130 F (50 to 55 C). Add the oil to the hot water. With the motor running, gradually pour the hot water mixture through the feed tube. Process, adding up to 2 tablespoons (30 mL) cold water until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes. Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Each piece will make one 12-inch (30-cm) circle, or one 15x10-inch (38x25.5-cm) oblong - think cookie sheet. Top as desired. Bake for 8 minutes, then slide the pizza from the pan directly on to the oven rack. Bake an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until bottoms of crusts are crisp and golden.

Caramellized Onion And Nigella Seed Pizza

This pizza plays two onion flavors against each other - the sweet, mellowness of caramelized onion and the slightly sharper bite of nigella, which is sometimes called black onion seed. You'll find nigella in East Indian grocery stores, usually sold under the name kalonji.

1/2 pizza dough recipe
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 - 2 tablespoons (15 - 30 mL) olive oil
1 teaspoon (5 mL) grainy mustard, or more to taste
1 teaspoon (5 mL) nigella seeds

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, then add the onion and cook over medium heat until onion is soft, and has turned light brown. Divide the pizza dough into three small balls. Roll each out into a circle about six inches (15 cm) in diameter. Spread with mustard, top with caramelized onion and sprinkle on nigella seeds. Bake at 500 F (260 C) for 10 to 14 minutes in a conventional oven, 5 to 10 minutes in a wood-fired oven.

Tomato, Basil And Bocconcini Pizza

For a pizza, the best bocconcini to use is the supermarket sort that's sold in plastic tubs. More expensive bocconcini from an Italian deli has too much liquid, and will make your pizzas soggy. I make my own, very simple pesto by whizzing fresh basil and olive oil in my mini-food processor and freezing it in tablespoon-sized packages.

1/2 pizza dough recipe
1 tablespoon (15 mL) pesto
1/4 cup (50 mL) tomato pizza sauce
4 bocconcini, each cut into three slices

Divide the pizza dough into three small balls. Roll each out into a circle about six inches (15 cm) in diameter. Spread each circle with pesto, then with tomato sauce. Divide the bocconcini slices between the pizzas. Bake at 500 F (260 C) for 10 to 14 minutes in a conventional oven, 5 to 10 minutes in a wood-fired oven.

Recipes from Assefeh Kebedeh of Nyala Ethopian Restaurant in Vancouver

Bobotie

South African dish

cup pot barley
2 cups water
1tbs olive oil
1 large onion chopped
1 LB extra lean ground beef or lamb or vegetarian burger meat or tofu

4 tbs. lemon juice
2 tbs. curry powder
cup raisins
10 driedÊÊapricots, chopped or 1 apple sliced
2 tbs. mango chutney *ÊÊor 1 tbs. brown sugar
2 large eggs beaten
1 cup skim milk
12 blenched almonds chopped 5 bay leaves

ÊCook barley in water for 1hr or until cooked heat oil in heavy sauce pan. Add onion and saute until soft. AddÊÊ(beef or lamb or vegetarian burger mix or tofu) , barley, lemon juice, curry powder, raisins, apricots and chutney. Cook gently for few minutes. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to 11by17 inch sallow baking dish. Beat together eggs and milk season with salt and pepper. Pour over the mixture. Sprinkle with almonds and insert bay leaves into the mixture. Bake at 350f for 25 min. or until top is golden brown and almonds are toasted.

Traditionally Babotie is served with yellow rice. Rice cooked with cinnamon sticks, turmeric and raisons.

Lamb Tagine From Morocco

Tagines, which are named after the pots in which they are cooked. A typical Tagine contains some kind of meat (mainly chicken or lamb) along with potatoes, carrots and a smattering of other vegetables, all cooked in the same juices.

2 lb. lamb
Oil for sauteing
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 large onions, chopped
1 tsp. Black pepper
Salt for taste
2 tblsp. Paprika
3 cloves garlic, chopped
lb. carrot
lb. green beans, strung and halved
(Other vegetables optional)
1 tsp. Parsley, finely chopped
tsp. Saffron or turmeric
tsp cinnamon

For the garnish

1 onion, sliced
Oil for sauteing
cup raisins
2tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Pepper

ÊCoat the Tagine with oil and place the meat over med. heat. Brown the meat on all sides. Lower the heat to simmer: add onions, tomatoes, spices and little water. The remaining vegetables are added to the Tagine and simmer until the meat is fork tender. To prepare the garnish: first saute the onions in oil until light brown. Add the raisins, cinnamon and pepper. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, Then add water and bring to boil. Reduce heat slightly and cook until liquid begins to thicken. Serve by ladling sauce over the stew. Eat with fresh bread or rice

City Farmer's Cob Shed - It has a Living Green Roof

Sculptor, George Rammell, donates Haida artist Bill Reid's clay to our cob project. "The clay I provided belonged to Haida artist Bill Reid. It provided the form for many of Bill's sculpture projects including the Whale at the aquarium, and the huge bronze Spirit Canoe at the airport."

City Farmer's Green Roof on the Cob Shed

Photos of the roof planted, our goat, and Arctic roof gardens from long ago.

Green Roof on our Cob Garden Shed (see Cob Oven and Cob Slideshows 1 and 2 as well)

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