Recipes with Julie Van Rosendaal: Showing love through food

It's so ingrained in us to connect with each other through food, not only to show love, but to show support, to nourish, to comfort and to celebrate with each other.

Baking for someone is the ultimate act of love, and soup is a common gesture when a loved one is sick, or casseroles for friends who are struggling or grieving.

Even seemingly small gestures can be grand acts of love; making something gluten-free or vegan for a friend, leaving dinner in the fridge, packing your partner lunch, leaving a gift on a doorstep, learning a family recipe.

We talked about these ways to show love on the Calgary Eyeopener this week, and I shared a few dishes inspired by such stories.

Bolani

Last year some friends were helping a family relocate from Afghanistan to Calgary, and they organized a dinner to welcome them.

The spread was amazing, and it included this Afghan bolani — soft flatbreads stuffed with various fillings, like potatoes and winter squash

This recipe is adapted from Parwana: Recipes and Stories from an Afghan Kitchen, by Durkhanai Ayubi and Farida Ayubi.

Ingredients

Dough:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp instant or quick yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• vegetable oil, for frying
• yogurt, to serve

Filling:

• 2 cups (approximately) roughly mashed potatoes or cooked winter squash
• finely chopped onion, raw or sautéed
• crushed coriander seed
• pinch red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium bowl, stir the flour, yeast and salt to combine. Create a well in the center and slowly add only enough warm water to just wet the ingredients, mixing with your hands in a circular motion to distribute evenly, then add the oil.

While continuously mixing, slowly add the remaining water (you might not need it all, only enough to form a firm dough) and knead until the dough is firm.

You may need to slightly adjust the amount of water or flour to achieve the right consistency.

Shape the dough into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover with a tea towel, and set aside to rest for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

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Divide the dough into six to eight pieces and shape each into a small ball with your hands. Place them on a tray lined with parchment paper with a couple inches between them, cover with a tea towel and set aside to rest for another 10 minutes, or until doubled in size.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out a ball of dough into a circle about four inches in diameter.

Once rolled, place about ¼ cup of filling on one half of the circle and spread it evenly to cover half, leaving a half-inch border.

Fold the other half over the filing to form a semicircle and press the edges together to seal. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

LISTEN | Julie Van Rosendaal describes how she shows love through food:

Add enough oil to cover the base of a tawah, griddle, or heavy-based frying pan, and heat over high heat.

In batches, lift the bolani carefully into the pan and fry, turning once, for four minutes each side, or until golden brown and crisp.

Transfer to a board lined with paper towels to soak up any extra oil, then serve immediately with chutney and/or yogurt for dipping.

Serves: 6-8.

Ceri's Pineapple Cake

There was always a pan of this pineapple cake on my friend Robyn's kitchen counter when she was growing up.

Her mom recently passed away, and she plans to make it for her memorial.

A friend typed it up to share with other friends, so we will all think of Ceri when we bake it. And now we can bake it for Robyn, too.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 398 mL can crushed pineapple
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt

Sauce:

• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup butter

In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, eggs and pineapple. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add to the sugar mixture and stir just until blended. The batter will be thick!

Spread in a greased or parchment-lined 9x13-inch baking dish or Bundt pan and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until golden and springy to the touch.

To make the sauce, bring the sugar, milk and butter to a simmer in a saucepan, and pour over the cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. It will seem like too much liquid — it's not!

Cool at least slightly (you can still eat it warm) before serving.

Serves: About 20.

Vegan Lemon Poppyseed Cake

My friend, Helen, recently veganized the lemon loaf cake she's known for at parties and gatherings to accommodate a vegan friend at our book club.

It was fantastic, and no one knew the difference!

If you like, you can drizzle this with a sweet-tart lemon syrup soon after it comes out of the oven; bring 2:1 sugar to lemon juice to a simmer, then pour it over the still-warm cake.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 1 cup non-dairy milk (such as coconut, almond or oat)
• 1/3 cup canola or other vegetable oil
• Grated zest and juice of a lemon
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 to 4 tbsp poppyseed

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a smaller bowl (or large measuring cup), whisk together the milk, oil, grated lemon zest and juice, and vanilla.

Add to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Stir in the poppyseed.

Pour the batter into a greased or parchment-lined 8x4-inch loaf pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden and springy to the touch. Let cool before slicing.

Serves: About 8.