Polish Sorrel Soup

Saturday was market day and Toronto is definitely a great place to visit the markets.  One of my favourites is the Evergreen Brickworks Farmer's Market.  It's more than just a market - it's an experience and it's impossible to leave there without feeling enriched somehow.  The vendors are all first class, extremely friendly and great educators.  It's not possible to go to the market without struggling over which slow food vendor you want to satisfy your taste buds with.  This should only be my worst first world problem.  On the trip to the market my friends and I talked at great length about the amazing breakfast crepes and how long the lineups were but so worth the wait.  Frankly, there isn't a vendor there who isn't worth the wait - seriously

When we were in Poland it was always pretty easy to find unique soups with a bit of a sour twist to them.  I had no idea what the main ingredient was but found out it was sorrel.  I found a recipe for this interesting  Polish Sorrel Soup  from Barbara Rolek, Eastern European Food Expert.  Barbara is my "go to" person for all things Eastern European.  But, let me tell you - this is not a grocery store item one finds easily.  I had all but given up when, as I walked through the market....voila .... sorrel!!! I'm sure the vendor thought I had really lost it; who gets so crazy over finding sorrel.  For those who aren't familiar with this ingredient I looked it up on Wikepedia:

 "Sorrel soup is a soup made from water or broth, sorrel leaves, and salt.^[1][2] Varieties of the same soup include spinach, garden orache, chard, nettle, and occasionally dandelion, goutweed or ramsons, together with or instead of sorrel.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} It is known in Ashkenazi Jewish, Belarusian,^[4]Latvian,^[6] Lithuanian, Polish, Russian,^[1][2] and Ukrainian^[3][5] cuisines. Its other English names, spelled variously schavel, shchav, shav, or shtshav, are from the Proto-Slavic ščаvь for sorrel. Due to its commonness as a soup in Eastern European cuisines, it is often called green borscht, as a cousin of the standard, reddish-purple beetroot borscht.^[1][4][3][5] In Russia, where shchi (along with or rather than borscht) has been the staple soup, sorrel soup is also called green shchi.^[7][8] In some cookbooks it is called simply green soup.^[2]

Sorrel soup usually includes further ingredients such as egg yolks or whole eggs (hard boiled or scrambled), potatoes, carrots, parsley root, and rice.^[1][2][9] A variety of Ukrainian green borscht also includes beetroot.^[8] In Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian cuisines, sorrel soup may be prepared using any kind of broth instead of water.^[1][2] It is usually garnished with smetana (an Eastern European variety of sour cream).^[1][2] It can also be akosher food. It may be served either hot or chilled.

Sorrel soup is characterized by its sour taste due to oxalic acid (called "sorrel acid" in Slavic languages) present in sorrel. The "sorrel-sour" taste may disappear when sour cream is added, as the oxalic acid reacts with calcium and casein."

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large peeled and sliced carrot
• 1 bunch fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 peeled and cubed medium potatoes
• 1 chicken or vegetable boullion cube
• 1/2 pound fresh sorrel, washed, stemmed as for spinach and chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped fresh dill or parsley
• 2 hard-cooked eggs cut into quarters

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes

• Total Time: 65 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings Polish Sorrel Soup

PREPARATION

1. In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, place 6 cups cold water, carrots and parsley. Bring to a boil and add bay leaf, potatoes and boullion cube. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter and sauté sorrel for 10 minutes. Transfer to the soup and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Remove bay leaf. Fork blend sour cream with flour and temper with a few ladles of hot soup. Transfer tempered sour cream to soup, stir well and simmer until thickened and just under the boiling point. Adjust seasonings.

1. Portion soup into heated bowls and garnish with chopped dill or parsley and egg quarters.

We finished all the shopping and it was time for our crepes - delicious as always and really quite filling.  I have a friend who is at the market every week.  He's an Italian from Venezuela who has this passion for all things Spanish.  If that didn't confuse you, he's now planning to go to Morocco and expand his offerings with Moroccan flavours.  Jose Arado who is the owner and main chef at Pimenton   is a total joy to be around and has a forever smile on his face and a big hug waiting for you when you come his way.  I hadn't seen him in a while and was very excited to treat me to one of his creations.  Don't forget, I'm full from the crepe but Jose's enthusiasm is spell binding and there's no way to say no.  He brought me this dish of organic greens with Spanish chorizo sausage topped with a soft cooked egg over the top and a home made hot sauce that was entirely "to die for".   Of course I ate it knowing full well I was going to be full beyond belief.

If you didn't click on Jose's site above make sure you do and watch the you tube video. You'll see an array of Jose's creations, his presence at the market and get infected by the amazing Spanish music and his love of food.  Enjoy!!

Lentil Kale Potato Soup

I think "R" is starting to influence my cooking.  I find myself looking for lentil recipes more often and, in fact, when I got an email from him with a picture and a link to Hummusapian's recipe for Lentil Kale Potato Soup, I was in the process of creating my own lentil dish.

Growing up in a European meat and potato focused home, a lentil would never have made it into the grocery bag.  To this day I'm sure my mother would shrug her shoulders if I asked her what a lentil is.
The superstar quality of this fibre and iron rich bean is worthy of paying attention to.  Spend a few minutes browsing through the Lentils Canada site.  So much information and great recipes too.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 cup dry lentils (not red), rinsed and picked over
4 cups vegetale broth + 1/2 cup water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp coriander
1 large potato, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 bunch kale, ribs removed and chopped finely (or half a bag of thawed from frozen kale)
salt and pepper to taste

Instruction

1.  Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.  Add onion, celery and carrots and sauté until softened, about ten minutes.
2.  Add lentils, broth, water, salt, garlic, cumin and coriander.  Stir together and bring to a boil.  Once soup has reached  a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
3.  Add chopped potatoes and simmer, covered for 15 more minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.
4.  Add kale and simmer covered for 5 more minutes or until kale is wilted.
5.  Remove from heat and stir in red wine vinegar.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

This is one of the better pictures "R" has taken of late.  The plate is actually centred in the photo.  I tried to salvage the clarity but we need to work on the photography skills.

Potato and Spring Onion Soup

Life has been incredibly busy in so many good ways.  The only problem with being so involved in many things is that making meals sometimes just takes a back seat.

We spent this past Thanksgiving long weekend at the cottage.  This was our second annual effort at the cottage and it was incredible.  The leaves are in full colour and temperatures are changing  A 20 lb turkey had hardly any leftovers and the whole family togetherness was so meaningful.  We laughed alot this past weekend.  My sister makes her own wine so needless to say wine was in great supply.
My friends used to say to me that being a grandparent is the best club in the world to join.  Intellectually it's easy to understand so agreeing with my friends was pretty natural.  I just returned recently from visiting Psychgrad, "R" and the babies.  I would often sit, play with or watch the grand babies and think to myself "you know, it really IS the best club in the world".  Nothing makes me laugh as hard, worry as much or love as deeply as being able to be part of their lives.   It amazes me how much work being a parent of a toddler and an infant is.  I guess as time goes by we forget, especially so when it's a labour of love.

"R", with all his teasing is really an amazing husband and dad.  He's always looking for new and healthy combinations and loves his soups   He loves the hearty and thick soups that are a meal in a bowl.  R's new recipe came from Saveur ; Potato and Spring Onion Soup and it looks like a keeper.

A thick slice of fresh rye bread and this soup for dinner would for sure do it for me.  Tell me you wouldn't want a bowl?  The pureeing, although it makes a lot of soups look alike is a great way to pack the veggies in especially for a toddler who doesn't like vegetables AT ALL.

 

INGREDIENTS

2 bunches spring onions (scallions), trimmed
4 tbsp. sunflower or vegetable oil
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION 

1. Cut scallions in half crosswise, dividing white and green parts. Coarsely chop white parts and set aside. Finely chop green parts and set aside separately.

2. Heat oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onions and chopped white parts of scallions and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until soft, 8–10 minutes. Add potatoes and stock and season to taste with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are soft, 30–35 minutes.

3. Allow vegetables and stock to cool slightly; then, working in batches, purée them together in the jar of a blender or the work bowl of a food processor until very smooth. Return purée to pot and cook over medium heat until hot. Adjust seasonings. Garnish soup with reserved scallion greens.

Cream of Potato Soup with Garlic Scapes and Swiss Chard

I mentioned in my last post that my favourite son in law will occasionally send me an email asking for new recipes.  I'm glad that he enjoys cooking and actually he's pretty good at it.  What I particularly like about R's style is that he doesn't cut corners.  He reads the recipe, gives it consideration, makes sure he has all the ingredients and if he doesn't, goes out to get them and spends the time and gives the energy into creating his works of art.  A good attitude goes a long way so I'm always happy to help resource what he's looking for.

This time R sent out an SOS because they had an overabundance of scapes.  I went through my Pinterest boards and sent him about 6 or 8 links to chose from.  After consideration, he chose
Cream of Potato Soup with Garlic Scapes and Swiss Chard.

Now, in my last post I also mentioned that R goes to great lengths to get to me.  For That Girl's sake
I'm sharing R's response to me after he sent me a link and a picture and suggested I post it on the blog..

Your last post was mediocre. It didn't capture the emotion or the spirit of the salad. In order to mitigate the the risk of another mediocre post, I am instituting creative control on all future posts about my meals. Please prepare the post for my approval within three working days. Also, I want 80% of the revenues related to posts about meals I prepare.

In spite of the fact that I'm leaving the country tomorrow for a couple of weeks I did promise R to have this up before I left.  When he told me that this soup was a total keeper I was thrilled and am happy to share it with you.  It does look pretty delicious, if I say so myself.

Sorry R, I don't have 3 working days for you to execute your creative control .  AND, you can have 100% of all the revenues since there aren't any.

2 Tablespoons Butter (or olive oil for vegans)

5-6 Garlic Scapes

2 cloves regular garlic, minced

3 russet potatoes unpeeled, diced

4-5 Cups homemade vegetable stock (enough to cover potatoes)

1 bunch of Swiss Chard, stemmed

1 stem of fresh Oregano

1 Tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

1/2 of a Lemon

Kosher Salt to taste

Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1/4 Cup of Sour Cream (optional, but highly recommended)

Saute Garlic Scapes in butter for about 2 minutes. Add minced Garlic and diced potatoes. Stir and saute in butter or olive oil another 2 minutes, add some kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Add vegetable stock, bring to boil. Turn to low and cover- let simmer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, check to see if potatoes are done. They should easily be pierced with a fork. It's okay if they are a little over cooked because they are going to get pureed anyway. Add fresh Oregano, parsley, and chard. Let simmer on low another 5 minutes. Turn off heat. 

With an immersion blender, puree the potato soup, leaving some lumps. 

Season with Juice of 1/2 a lemon, salt and pepper to taste. Stir in 1/4 cup of sour cream.

Garnish with any combination of the following: fresh parsley, chive flowers, fresh ground black pepper, crispy bacon crumbles, or crunchy onions.

The picture would look even better if you used the good camera and not your Iphone :)

Zurek

Actorboy and I took a trip to Poland a few months ago.  The trip was planned to research our geneology and put together the missing pieces of our heritage.  Actorboy's motivation was also to create a piece of art that could be shown on stage.  This is an ongoing project and is currently being written.  We travelled with a videographer who literally filmed everything.  Thankfully, our videographer also speaks fluent Polish and was able to be our voice as well as interpreter.

One of my goals while in Poland was, of course, to make sure that I sampled as much authentic Polish food as possible.  One evening as we travelled from one city to the other, we stopped at a hotel restaurant.  Katka (the videographer) suggested that I try Zurek; a fermented rye meal soup.  I'd never eaten fermented soup before and although it sounded a little strange to me, I did want to know that I'd eaten it and understood what it was.

Every region in Poland seems to have its own version of this soup, some vegetarian but most made with a combination of a base broth infused with bacon, sausages, kielbasa, potatoes or derivitives of these combination completed with a rye starter much like sourdough and often served in a bread bowl.  At first spoonful, you definitely taste the sourness of the soup (in a good way) and it's very addictive.

The starter.  I did my research and although the starter is readily available everywhere in Poland, finding it at home was another story.  Thank heavens for you tube - you can find whatever you want on you tube.

For the starter:

1/2 cup rye flour
1 1/2 cup tepid water (boil first and cool to tepid)
3 cloves garlic (I mashed it with my chef's knife)
1 large bay leaf
3-4 black peppercorns
3-4 whole allspice

In a 1 liter mason jar, mix the rye flour with tepid water.
Add the remainder of the ingredients, give it a stir and cover with a piece of cheesecloth and fasten with a rubber band.
The starter should sit in the fridge for 5 days before preparing the soup.

As seems to often be the case for me, after I say I can't find something I end up somehow finding it and this was true with premade starter.  I found some in a Polish store (imagine that) and now I have it for the next time.

Soup:

1 1/2 - 2 liters vegetable broth
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 slice carrots
4 potatoes, medium dice
1 clove minced garlic
1 uncooked Polish sausage
1 length of kielbasa (I used a piece the length of a ruler, peeled and cubed)
4 boiled and peeled eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp marjoram

Add all the ingredients (except for the eggs) to the vegetable broth, bring to a boil, turn down and simmer until the meat is very tender - 40 min - 1 hr.
Take starter and mix it well and put through a strainer.  Discard the onion, garlic, peppercorns and allspice
Add starter, bring soup back up to a boil.  Turn back to medium and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
Serve with a halved boiled egg on the top.

I really enjoyed the soup although it wasn't as rich as the soup I had in Poland.  But, like I said initially, each region has its own version of Zurek (pronounced jsurek).  I also think that serving this soup in a bread bowl makes it even more delicious.

Curried Vegetable Bisque

I've always heard that having children and/or dogs is how you get to know your neighbours.  We don't have a dog, but certainly having a daughter and attending community events for children has given us the opportunity to meet more people in the community.

I remember growing up and knowing who lives in what house, ringing on the neighbours' doorbells without planning a play date, being involved in things at the community centre, etc.  That's the type of experience I'd like for E.  So, now I'm more invested in participating in the community and being a part of planning events within our community, which is transitioning from older couples to younger families.

One simple thing I did was start a neighbourhood Facebook group.  It's such an easy thing to do and already we have 90 members.  Communication has increased so much and I'm seeing that there are a number of people in my neighbourhood that are passionate about community building.

Recently, one of my neighbours planned a neighbourhood soup swap.  Basically, you make 6 one-litre jars of soup and leave with 6 different one litre jars of soup.  I went with 6 litres of vegetarian minestrone soup and I walked out with ginger-carrot, mushroom, broccoli-cheddar, harvest butternut squash, and curried vegetable bisque.

Truth be told, one mason jar cracked in my freezer and two didn't taste very good.  In fact, I had a hard time even eating one because the appearance and storage of it reminded me of an episode of Intervention when a woman purged in ziplock bags (sorry TMI).  I still have one left.  However, one soup was really good.  So, I got the recipe and made it for myself.

Curried Vegetable Bisque:
(Simply in Season)

5 cups tart apple (peeled and chopped)
2 cups onion (chopped)
2 cup red pepper (chopped)
1 cup zucchini (chopped)
1 1/2 cups carrots (chopped)
3/4 cups celery (chopped)

7 cups vegetable broth
3 cups of potatoes (chopped)
1/2 cups raisins
3 tablespoons curry powder

3/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

3 cups milk

1 1/4 cup milk powder (for a creamier bisque)
1/3 cup tomato sauce

2 cups cooked shrimp or chicken

1. Saute apple, onion, pepper, zucchini, carrots and celery in vegetable oil until vegetables are soft.

2. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of the broth, potatoes, raisins and spices. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring as needed, until potatoes are soft, 12-15 minutes.

3. Puree soup using a hand blender.
4. Add the rest of the broth, milk and tomato sauce. Reheat soup over medium heat until hot. Add in the cooked shrimp or chicken.

I made a slight variation on this recipe -- found here.  Whatever I did, it didn't taste as good as the soup I got at the swap.  It was too sweet.  Maybe it was the apples I used being too sweet.  In any case, I would try again but stick closer to the recipe.  Maybe even eliminate the raisins to cut down on the sweetness.

Cooking for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet with Black Bean Soup

A big thank you to Ulysses Press for sending me a copy of Cooking for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet written by Erica Kerwien.  This isn't a large book but it's packed with over 100 recipes that are sugar-free, gluten-free and grain-free.  Filled with appetite stimulating pictures, the recipes are truly a "must have" for those struggling with Crohns or Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), just to name a couple.

I admit I was a tad skeptical about the outcome of  the Black Bean Soup but it didn't stop me from trying the recipe.  Surprisingly, I had all the ingredients in my pantry - bonus!

2 Tbsp olive oil (or other cooking oil)
1 large yellow onion finely chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into coins
1 large celery stalk, finely chopped
1/2 tsp salt
4 medium garlic cloves minced
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tsp chili powder (I used more - love the bite of chili)
4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth or water)
1 Tbsp honey
1 red pepper, small dice
2 cups black beans either from a can (with no additives) or dried beans that have been rinsed and soaked in 4 quarts of water overnight,then washed and drained)
a few tablespoons of lime juice, to taste
sea salt, to taste

1.  Place the olive oil in a large saucepan (at least 6 quart size) over medium size.
2.  Place the carrots, onion, celery and salt in the saucepan and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion begins to turn translucent.
3.  Add the garlic, cumin and chili powder.  Blend well and cook for a few minutes.
4.  Add the broth, honey, red pepper and beans and blend well.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
5.  Ladle out half the soup to a blender.  Puree until smooth and then stir back into the soup in the saucepan.  (I blended the whole thing)
6.  Add lime juice and sea salt to taste and serve with your favourite toppings.  This soup can be refrigerated for a few days or frozen for later use.

This cookbook made a positive impression on me for a number of reasons:

1.  Bean soup is one of my favourite soups.  This version is unique in that I was able to identify so many different flavours.  The carrots added a sweetness that I really liked as it offset the slight amount of heat.  Adding a sour cream or creme fraiche topper introduced a sour in a good way.

2.  It's comforting and satisfying without being heavy.

3.  There is a large variety of really interesting recipes that I plan to try.

4.  The cookbook is still on my coffee table - that doesn't happen very often

5.  I come from a family of IBD, colitis and other intolerances.  I suspect this book will introduce some new recipes all around.

I only wish I had an extra copy for giveaway.  I'll have to ask the next time.

Vegetarian Minestrone Soup

First - let me start by announcing the winner of Lidia's Favourite Recipes!   

suburban prep

Congratulations!  I'll be contacting you right away.

_________________________________________________________

Today's post is also about an Italian recipe: minestrone soup.  All it took was seeing minestrone soup a couple of times on various blogs and some cold weather and I found myself with a serious craving.  I decided to make it when my parents came for a visit, last week.  

Thinking about this soup and having to make several meals for 6+ people (Actor Boy and his friend were in town too) inspired me to menu plan for the whole week.  I knew organization would be critical since making quick trips to the grocery store can be a big production with a baby in the winter (or any time of year).  I was so proud of myself, I even e-mailed this photo to Giz with the caption: Guess who is finished grocery shopping at 9am on a Saturday!

Okay -- maybe it's not that miraculous.  But we're usually Sunday night shoppers, just before the store closes, when the shelves are getting sparse.   Plus, I get excited about being able to do chores since most of my time goes to Ms. E.  Yup -- you know you're the life of the party when you get excited about being able to do household chores.

Anyway -- all that to say.  This recipe was a hit!  I'm already planning to make it again.

Vegetarian Minestrone Soup

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 cups water (I used 1L of vegetable broth)
2 cups diced zucchini (I used 3 medium)
1 cup diced carrot, peeled
1 cup canned cannellini beans or 1 cup you may use other white beans
3/4 cup diced celery
1 teaspoon dried basil or 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
28 fluid ounces canned plum tomatoes, dice and include liquid
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup uncooked ditalini or 1/4 cup elbow macaroni (used 1/2 of ditalini and may use more in the future)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
Add chopped onion, carrots and celery and sauté for 4 minutes or until just lightly browned.  

Add water/broth, zucchini, canellini beans, celery, basil, oregano salt, pepper, tomatoes and garlic. Bring to boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add macaroni, cover and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Adjust spices to suit your taste.

I also served with parmesan cheese, for people to add as desired.

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

I have such mixed feelings about the fall.  The colour of the leaves is so beautiful.  You get the days that are great for sweater weather (my favourite).  But, the days start getting shorter and then the time change hits and it eventually becomes dark by around 5pm here.  Don't even get me started on the cold weather, snow, freezing rain, etc*.  So, for now, I'm trying to squeeze in as much tree-gazing time as possible.  

Last week we got together with friends at the Arboretum. It's an area in Ottawa, on the Experimental Farm (land that is used for agricultural research) with a variety of trees.

In addition to some cute knitted sock and preserves, our friends gave us a bag of jerusalem artichokes that they were given from a neighbouring plot at their community garden.  

After looking around at various recipes that included jerusalem artichokes, I decided to make this soup recipe from Simply Recipes.  The only adaption we made is that we didn't have as many artichokes and we added two carrots.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 pounds jerusalem artichokes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 quart chicken stock (we used vegetable stock)
• Salt and black pepper to taste

METHOD

1 Heat the butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat and cook the onions and celery until soft, about 5 minutes. Do not brown them. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Sprinkle with salt.

2 Add the jerusalem artichokes and the chicken stock to the pot and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, until the jerusalem artichokes begin to break down, 45 minutes to an hour.

3 Using an immersion blender or upright blender, purée the soup. If using an upright blender, fill the blender bowl up only to a third of capacity at a time, if the soup is hot, and hold down the lid while blending. Alternately, you can push the soup through the finest grate on a food mill, or push it through a sturdy sieve. Add salt to taste.

Sprinkle with freshly grated black pepper to serve.

Verdict: The soup made for a nice warm lunch.  With the addition of the carrots, I found the soup to be a bit sweeter than I expected.  But, everyone enjoyed it.  For me, the most enjoyable part was being able to discover a bit about this jerusalem artichokes.

R's mom made these biscuits to go with the soup.  I asked her for the recipe and she said, "oh fit" and walked away.  I took this to mean that she doesn't have a recipe.  But I know she used flour, cream of tartar and baking soda.  Not sure what else.  

* I know I should talk about many of the great winter activities in Ottawa (canal, cross-country skiing, Winterlude, etc.), but for now I'm just going to wallow in a bit of post-summer pity.