February 23

Poussin or Cornish Hen Veronique

2 double Poussins or Cornish hens double means that they are 8-10 weeks old and are large enough to serve 2 people.

2 fresh tarragon or fresh thyme sprigs

25g(1oz) or 2tbsp butter

60ml (4tbsp) white wine

grated rind and juice of ½ a lemon

15ml(1tbsp) olive oil

15ml(1tbsp) flour

150ml(1/4 pint) chicken stock

115g(4oz) seedless green grapes, cut in half if they are large

salt and black pepper

chopped fresh tarragon or thyme leaves to garnish

Preheat your oven to 180C/350F.

Put the herbs inside the cavity of the bird and tie into a neat shape.

Heat the butter in a heavy deep pot, and brown the birds lightly all over.

Pour over the wine, season and cover.

Cook in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until tender.

Remove the birds from the pot and cut in half with a pair of kitchen scissors, removing the backbone and small rib cage bones.

Arrange in a shallow oven proof dish (that will slide under the broiler).

Sprinkle with the lemon juice and brush with the oil

Grill until lightly browned. Keep warm.

Mix the flour into the butter and wine into the pot and blend with the stock.

Bring to the boil, season to taste and add the lemon rind and the grapes, reduce to a simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Spoon the sauce over the birds and finish with your chopped fresh herbs.

Recommended: 100% Pinot Noir Mercury, France

Roast Tenderloin of Beef with Mustard Butter

2 ½ lb(1.25kg) beef tenderloin

1-2oz(25-50gr) butter

For the Mustard butter

4oz(125g) Butter

1tsp Whole grain mustard or home made

1 teaspoon finely chopped parsley

And a squeeze of lemon juice

Now preheat your oven to 325F/170C

Place the joint of beef in a roasting tin with the butter.

Put in the centre of the oven and roast allowing 1 hour for a rare joint or 1 ½ hours for a medium rare.

Baste often to keep the joint moist.

In the meantime you can prepare your butter.

Cream the butter, add the mustard, parsley and squeeze of lemon.

Spoon the butter onto a square of kitchen foil and shape into a fat roll twist the ends so it looks like a Christmas cracker.

Chill until firm.

To serve, cut the meat into thick slices and top with a slice of the mustard butter.

Take the juices from the roasting tray, skim off most of the fat and melt into it a little cube of meat glaze.

Whisk it up with a knob of butter and serve as an extra, separate sauce.

Recommended: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2000, Vintage Wolfblass, Australia

Dark Chocolate Ravioli with White Chocolate and Cream Cheese Filling

175g(6oz) plain flour

25g(1oz) cocoa powder

Salt

30ml(2tbsp) icing sugar

2 large eggs beaten

15ml(1tbsp) olive oil

10% cream and grated chocolate, to serve

Now for the filling:

175g(6oz) white chocolate, chopped

350g(12oz) cream cheese

1 egg plus 1 beaten egg to seal

To make the pasta, first sift the flour with the cocoa powder, salt and icing sugar onto a clean work surface.

Make a well in the centre and pour in the eggs and olive oil.

Mix together with your fingers.

Knead until smooth.

Alternatively, make the dough in a food processor, then knead by hand.

Cover and rest for at least 30 minutes.

To make the filling:

Melt the white chocolate in a heat proof bowl placed over a pan of simmering water.

Take off and leave to cool slightly.

Beat the cream cheese in a bowl, then beat in the chocolate and the egg.

Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle.

Now we need to cut the dough in half and wrap 1 portion in saran wrap.

Roll the pasta out thinly to a rectangle on a slightly floured surface, or use a pasta machine.

Cover with a clean damp cloth and repeat with the remaining pasta.

Pipe small mounds (about 5ml/1tsp)of the filling in even rows, spacing them at 4cm/1 ½ inch intervals across one piece of the dough.

Using a pastry brush, brush the spaces of dough between the mounds with the beaten egg.

Using a rolling pin, lift the remaining sheet of pasta over the dough with the filling.

Press down firmly between the pockets of filling, push out any trapped air.

Cut the filled chocolate pasta into rounds with a serrated ravioli cutter or a sharp knife.

Transfer to a floured tray and leave for 1 hour to dry out, ready for cooking.

Bring a frying pan of water to the boil and add a few of the ravioli at a time.

Stir to prevent them from sticking together.

(ADDING A FEW DROPS OF BLAND OIL TO THE WATER WILL HELP TOO).

Simmer gently for 3-5 minutes.

Recommended: Taylor Fladgate, Vintage Port

Wine recommendations made by Dave Burke, "the wine guy" at the Willow on Wascana, Regina.

 

February 17

Spices!

Jerk Pork

There is no specific English meaning for the word Jerk in this Jamaican speciality.

Jerking is said to be a secret Arawak Indian method of cooking pig.

You will need:

3lb or 1.5kg of pork fillets, thickly sliced.

and for the marinade you will need:

4 red chillies (hot peppers), diced

2 onions, diced

1 large piece root ginger, peeled and grated

4 tablespoons of hot chilli paste, you may find it called Sambal Oelek in some speciality stores

125 vegetable oil

1 teaspoon of all spice

4 tablespoons of soya sauce

1 teaspoon garlic salt

3 bay leaves

In a blender or food processor, blend the chillies, onions and ginger.

If you couldn’t get the chillies and are using a chilli paste instead, then just blend the onions and ginger.

Add all the other marinade ingredients and mix well.

Rub over the pork, cover and marinade overnight.

Remove the pork from the marinade and barbeque over hot coals, or roast in an oven preheated to 180C that’s 350F until the pork is well cooked.

Pour the marinade into a small saucepan, add the water and simmer gently, stirring to prevent burning.

When the pork is cooked, serve the sauce separately.

This can be served by itself, or as a meal with salad and sweet potatoes or rice or a thick bread.

As a variation, sprinkle small portions of cinnamon sticks, dried basil or some other herb on the barbeque coals so the pork absorbs these flavours.

Potato Bondas

This takes us on a journey through northern India.

It makes a wonderful snack or starter and they keep for several days, so it is worth making quite a lot at a time.

The Bondas are supposed to be very spicy, so they are particularly good to eat on cold snowy days.

This recipe has been considerably toned down to make a milder version, if you want to spice it up again, just add more chilli.

You will need:

oil for deep-frying

2.5lb or 1kg of potatoes, cooked and mashed

2 tablespoons of sunflower oil

half a teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of sugar

4 teaspoons of shredded coconut

5-10 green chillies, finely chopped

2 pinches of hing, better known as asafoetida.

(This is a flavouring obtained from a giant like fennel like plant that grows mainly in Iran and India. Its used in many Indian dishes and can be found in powdered or lump form, in Indian markets or shops. It has a feted garlicy smell, and should be used in very small quantities).

2 inch piece of root ginger, very finely chopped

1 teaspoon of sesame seeds

1 teaspoon of garam masala

(garam is Indian for warm or hot and this blend of dry roasted, ground spices, from the colder climbs of northern India, add a sense of warmth to both palate and spirit. There are as many variations of garam masala which may contain up to 12 spices as there are Indian cooks).

juice of 1 lime

a handful of cilantro leaves, chopped

For the batter you will also need:

6 tablespoons of gram flour ( this is a flour made from ground chickpeas ) and is also known as BESAN

a pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of ground turmeric

1 teaspoon chilli powder

Mix all the batter ingredients together in a bowl, adding a little water a spoonful at a time until a thick paste forms.

Heat the oil for deep frying.

Mix all the rest of the ingredients together and mould by hand into balls about the size of a golf ball.

When the oil is hot enough to cause a drop in the batter to sizzle and bubble rapidly, dip each ball of mixture in the batter and deep-fry in 2-3 batches, turning regularly until golden brown all over, about 5-10 minutes.

Drain on kitchen paper and serve hot or cold.

For convenience, the balls may instead be flattened out a bit and shallow-fried, turning once.

Jungle Curry

Jungle curries, from the northern part of Thailand are characterized by strong flavours and the absence of sweet coconut milk so often used in the south.

in this recipe the red curry paste can be made in advance and stored in the fridge.

You will need:

4 tablespoons of sunflower oil

150g or 5oz baby corn, cut down the middle lengthwise

2 small red peppers, de-seeded and thinly sliced

8oz green beans, cut in half

8oz button mushrooms, cut in half

2 small heads of broccoli, broken into florets

350ml stock

1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce

1 dessertspoon brown sugar

salt

lime juice

for the red curry paste you will need:

4 hot red chillies

4 garlic cloves

2 lemon grass stalks, thinly sliced, you can fined these in the ethnic aisle of most grocery or speciality stores.

2 inch cube of ginger, peeled and chopped

half a teaspoon of salt

1 dessertspoon of coriander seeds, dry roasted and ground

First make the red curry paste by blending all the ingredients in a food processor.

Heat the sunflower oil in a wok and, when its hot, add the red curry paste.

Fry for a few seconds, stirring constantly. Add the vegetables, still stirring constantly until they are well coated with the paste and starting to soften.

Pour over the stock and the soy sauce.

Add the lime sauce and sugar.

Simmer until the vegetables are just soft but retain a little bite, adding more water if necessary.

Finally add salt to taste.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and thinly sliced red chillies. Serve with rice or noodles.

As an alternative, you can add meat to this recipe, just after you first heat the red curry paste. For extra kick, if you really like it hot and spicy, leave the meat marinating in the paste overnight, and then follow the recipe as described.

Mango Delight

If the season and purse allows, fresh mangoes make this dessert.

After slicing them, gently scrape off every bit of flesh next to the stones. Though they will not be in neat pieces, they will add a lot to the flavour when mixed with the custard cream base used in this dish.

You will need:

2 fresh ripe mangoes or, if you can’t get fresh, then 2 450g tins of mangoes

2 tablespoons of custard powder

2 tablespoons of sugar

150 ml of milk

1 teaspoon of ground cardamom or ground all-spice

150ml heavy cream

2 tablespoons shelled unsalted pistachio nuts, lightly crushed

Drain one tin of mango slices and puree them in a blender. Now drain the other tin and coarsely chop the mango slices. If using fresh, peel, slice and chop the fresh mangoes. Puree half, leaving the other half chopped.

Mix the custard powder and sugar together, gradually add the milk and blend well. Cook over a low heat until the consistency resembles whipped cream.

Stir in the ground cardamom or all-spice and remove from the heat.

Gradually add the mango pulp to the custard mix, stirring all the time.

Whisk the cream until fairly thick, but still at pouring consistency. If you buy really thick heavy cream, there is no need to whisk it.

Stir the cream into the mango mixture and gently stir in the chopped mangoes.

Transfer the mango mixture into a serving bowl and top with the crushed pistachio nuts. Serve hot or cold, your choice.

 

February 10

Aphrodisiacs for your Valentine!

Grilled Oysters

3-4oz of grated blue cheese

6-8oz of fine breadcrumbs

12 fresh oysters, shucked. That simply means the top part of the shell has been taken off.

Pre-heat your broiler on a low setting

Mix the cheese and the breadcrumbs together in a bowl

Place the oysters, still in their hard shell, on a baking sheet and sprinkle the cheese and crumb mix, evenly over each one.

Slide the tray into the middle part of your oven so as not to have the oysters too close to the heat, otherwise the crumbs will burn too quickly.

When the crust is a nice golden brown, the oysters are ready.

You can suck them out, but you will probably be coughing with the toasted breadcrumbs in you throat, so I would eat them with a fork.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

1lb of fresh asparagus

8-10 strips of bacon

Wash and trim the asparagus spears. You want to trim at the bottom of the spear off because it can get hard, fibery and chewy.

Cut the bacon strips in half, cross ways.

Wrap one half strip around each asparagus spear, leaving tip and end exposed.

Lay on cookie sheet with sides and bake in a pre-heated 400F or 200C, for 20-25 minutes or until the bacon is cooked.

Serve warm or at room temperature. It makes about 16-20 spears.

Now the good thing with asparagus, if just to eat with your fingers and have fun.

Banana Fritters

1.5 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking powder

A quarter teaspoon of baking soda

A quarter teaspoon of salt

Three quarter cup of water

4 firm bananas

5 cups of vegetable oil for frying

In a large bowl, combine one cup of the flour with the baking powder, soda and salt.

Gradually blend in the water and beat with a whisk until smooth.

Cut each banana, crosswise, into three pieces. You should have 12 pieces altogether.

Coat bananas with remaining half a cup of flour.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over a high heat.

Dip the banana pieces in flour and water mixture, coating well.

Cook 4-6 pieces at a time until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes should suffice.

Drain on paper towels.

Serve drizzled with honey or maple syrup. In fact to get things really sweet for your sweet serve warm with my own white chocolate ice cream, you will find that under November 11th.

Strawberry Shortbread and Vanilla Cream Towers with a Raspberry Coulis

And you will need a heart-shaped pastry cutter for this, to make it truly special for Valentine’s

First for the shortbread:

4oz of butter or margarine

2oz of fine sugar

8oz all purpose flour

Cream the fat and sugar and work in the sifted flour with the hand, knead well.

Roll out a good quarter inch thick and cut into the heart shapes.

Prick neatly and bake in a moderate to warm oven, about 350F-180C until pale fawn in colour and crisp.

Dredge with castor sugar while still warm.

The shortbread should take about 20-30 minutes all together to make and you should make about 24-30 biscuits, depending on how large your cutter is.

For the vanilla cream, you will require:

a half a pint of whipping cream

half a fresh vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence

a quarter cup of fine sugar

Pour the cream into a bowl with the scrapped seeds from the vanilla bean and whisk.

When the cream starts to thicken, gradually add the sugar until all is incorporated and the cream is thick.

So now we need strawberries, fresh or frozen is good for this, if you are using frozen though you need to defrost them first.

Slice the strawberries and set aside on a plate.

Now a coulis simply means thick puree or sauce. For the raspberry coulis you will need :

a cup of frozen rasberries, go with the frozen because the fresh are way to expensive right now for the amount you get.

a quarter cup of icing sugar

water to thin

Place the rasberries and the icing sugar in a blender and puree.

Add a small amount of water if necessary.

Now you have all the components you want to construct this beautiful dessert.

Place one heart shaped cookie on a plate and spoon on top some of the vanilla cream.

On top of the cream spread some sliced strawberries, about four or five slices should be enough.

Add another cookie on top of the strawberries, another dollop of cream, more strawberries and top with one cookie.

Drizzle with rasberry coulis and serve!

A variation on this is to melt a small amount of plain chocolate and dip the edges of the cookies in the chocolate before you layer them.

Reserve some of the melted chocolate for drizzling if so desired, with the raspberry coulis.

And to make things even easier so you don’t have to waste too much time away from your lover is to use cool whip and just add some vanilla flavourings.

Malt Whisky Truffles

This recipe should make about 25-30.

200g or 7oz of plain dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces.

150ml or two thirds of a cup of heavy cream

3 tablespoons of malt whisky

4oz or three quarters of a cup of icing sugar

cocoa powder for coating

Melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stir until smooth and then cool slightly.

Using a wire whisk whip the cream with the whisky in a bowl until thick enough to hold its shape.

Stir in the melted chocolate and icing sugar, mixing evenly, then leave until firm enough to handle.

Dust your hands with cocoa powder and shape the mixture into bite sized balls.

Coat in coca powder and pack into pretty cases or boxes.

Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days if necessary.

Normandy Coffee

2 cups strong black coffee, it needs to almost be like espresso strength, so if using a perculator, go with little water and lots of coffee granuals.

2 cups of apple juice

2 tablespoons of brown sugar to taste

3 oranges, thinly sliced

2 small cinnamon sticks

a pinch of ground all spice

a pinch of ground cloves

a cinnamon stick to serve

Bring all the ingredients to the boil over a moderate heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes.

Strain the liquid in to a preheated flask or serving jug. Pour into cappuccino-style cups, adding a cinnamon stick to each, if you wish.

This recipe could be made into an alcoholic drink if one-fourth of the apple juice were replaced with Calvados, added when the heat is reduced to simmer in the beginning of the recipe. Do not allow the Calvados to boil.

 

February 3

Super Bowl Fun!

Hot Wings

First for the hot wing sauce, you need:

1 cup of Frank’s cayenne pepper hot sauce

A third of a cup of vegetable oil

1 teaspoon of granulated sugar

1 and a half teaspoons of cayenne pepper

Half a teaspoon of garlic powder

Half a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, you know Lea and Perrins!

An eighth of a teaspoon of coarse ground pepper

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons of water

2 teaspoons of cornstarch

Combine all the ingredients except the egg yolk, water and cornstarch in a small saucepan.

Heat the sauce over a medium heat until boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for five minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and allow it cool, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

While the sauce cools, vigorously whisk the egg yolk with 2 teaspoons of water in a medium bowl for about 2 minutes or until colour is pale yellow.

Whisk in cornstarch until dissolved.

Drizzle the hot sauce into the egg yolk mixture in a steady stream while rapidly whisking.

This will create a thick creamy emulsion that will prevent the oil from seperating.

Cover the sauce and chill until it is needed.

Now for the wings:

20 chicken wing pieces

6-12 cups of vegetable shortening

And on the side some celery sticks or carrots and as this is your home and it is Superbowl weekend, beer!

Heat shortening in your fryer to 350F or 180C.

Drop the wings into the shortening and fry for 10-12 minutes or until the wings are turning light brown.

Remove wings to a rack or paper towel to drain for 1 minute.

Put the wings into a plastic container with a lid, add a quarter to a third of a cup of your sauce, add the lid and give it a good shake.

Pour wings out onto a plate and add celery, carrot and some ranch sauce if you desire, on the side, and enjoy with a touchdown! Oh and get the napkins ready!!

Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza

Dough:

1 package of active dry yeast

2 teaspoons of sugar

1 and a quarter cups of warm water

2 and three quarters of all-purpose flour

Half a cup of yellow cornmeal

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 teaspoon of salt

Topping:

1 cup of pizza sauce

12oz shredded mozarella cheese

Half a pound of ground beef, cooked and crumbled

Half a pound of Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled

Half a pound of pork sausage, cooked and crumbled

Half a cup of Pepperoni, diced

Half a cup of bacon, diced

Half a cup of ham, diced

A quarter of a pound of mushrooms, sliced

1 small onion, sliced

1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced

2oz of grated Parmesan cheese

For dough:

Sprinkle yeast and sugar into warm water in small bowl; allow to stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

Mix flour, cornmeal, oil and salt in a large bowl; make a well in the center and add yeast mixture.

Stir to form a soft dough, adding more flour if necessary.

Turn onto a floured board and knead until dough is supple and elastic, 7 to 10 minutes.

Transfer to a large bowl, cover and let rise in a warm spot until dough has doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough. 

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 13-inch circle.

Transfer to an oiled 12--inch pizza pan, folding the excess over to make a small rim.

Spread with pizza sauce, sprinkle with all but a handful of the mozzarella cheese.

Now this is the fun, easy bit. Sprinkle with meats and vegetables. It doesn’t have to look fancy, just throw it all in.

Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
 
Let rise in a warm spot about 25 minutes.

Heat oven to 475F or 240C degrees.

Bake pizza until crust is golden, about 25 minutes.

Let stand for five minutes and serve. You’ll want to serve this with knives and forks, as deep-dish pizza usually is because it can get messy and gooey!

Rice with Tomatoes "All-Indiana" style

You need:

1 cup of rice

Seven to eight large large juicy tomatoes

A handful of breadcrumbs

Salt and a little allspice

Method:

Wash and boil the rice.

In a separate pot, boil and strain the tomatoes, and season with the salt and allspice.

Take a baking-dish and put in layers of rice and tomatoes, building up to about thee quarters the way up.

Now as the is really the boys weekend, I suggest, you add in a layers of all the meats that were used in the deep dish pizza.

Layer in bacon, ham, pepperoni, ground beef and Italian sausage.

When the dish is near full, sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.

Bake in a moderate oven about 350F or 180C for about 30 minutes.

Take out serve in bowls and you have a hearty warm dish, to enjoy for the Superbowl.

Cuban Ham Croquettes from Miami

2 teaspoons of butter

A small onion, diced

A cup and a half of flour

A shot of sherry

A teaspoon of nutmeg

Half a tablespoon of chopped parsley

A pound of ground ham

One cup of breadcrumbs

A cup of water

One egg yolk

Salt and pepper

Method:

In a large pan, melt the butter, add the onions, and sauté until translucent.
 
Stir in 1/3 cup flour to make a roux (a roll) -- add more butter if necessary to make a smooth roux. Gradually whisk in the milk to form a smooth sauce.

Continue cooking until the sauce thickens. Your sauce needs to be very thick -- like wallpaper paste! Whisk in nutmeg, sherry, and parsley. Fold in the ground ham and one cup bread crumbs.

Let simmer for five minutes on low heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary -- the ham probably has enough salt already.

Spoon the mixture into a baking pan and refrigerate until well chilled -- at least one hour. NOTE: The mixture needs to be firm enough to form into rolls. If your mixture is too soft or sticky, add some additional bread crumbs.      

Shape the ham mixture into logs about 3/4-inch thick and three inches long.

Make an egg wash by beating the eggs with water until frothy in a small bowl.

Combine the bread crumbs and flour in a second bowl; add salt and pepper.

Dip the logs in the egg wash and roll the logs in the seasoned bread crumbs. Dip a second time and re-roll in bread crumbs.

IMPORTANT: Cover logs with plastic wrap and refrigerate for two to three hours. (You may also freeze for later use, or use the freezer to quickly chill them.)

Sauté the croquetas in hot oil -- about 350º F or 180C, a few at a time, three to four minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. You may also cook them in a deep fat fryer.

January 27

Morel Mushroom Soup

Half a teaspoon of saffron threads

2 tablespoons of canola oil

6 tablespoons of minced shallots

2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic

15oz morels, cleaned, trimmed and sliced

6oz white mushrooms, sliced

Eighth of a teaspoon of curry powder

A third of a cup of finely diced peeled carrots

A third of a cup diced peeled turnip

2 tablespoon/half a stick of butter

Method:

Bring half a cup of chicken stock to the boil in a saucepan and add the saffron, set aside to steep.

In a thick bottomed pan, heat the oil over a medium-low heat, add the shallots and garlic, stir for one minute.

Add a third of the wild mushrooms and all the white mushrooms.

Fry until the mushrooms release all their liquids, that usually takes about 8 minutes.

Add the curry powder and continue to saute until the mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes.

Add the saffron mixture and six cups of stock

Simmer for a further 15 minutes

Remove from the heat and strain out the cooked mushrooms

Place the mushrooms in a blender with one cup of the mushroom broth and puree until smooth

Return the puree to the saucepan with the mushroom broth and bring back to the simmer for 15 minutes and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Mushroom Gougere

Now I am going to give this in two parts, the first is the pastry, the second the mushroom twist.

Gougere is flavoured choux pastry that is piped into a ring shape before being baked. A gougere can be served hot or cold as an hors d’ovre or snakc.

You will need:

4oz all purpose flour

Half a cup or 250ml water

An eighth of a teaspoon of salt

2oz of butter or margarine

1 egg yolk

2 eggs

Method:

Sift and warm the flour.

Place water, salt and fat in a pan, and bring to boiling point.

Remove from heat, add flour all at once and beat well (using a wooden spoon) over the heat again, until it becomes a smooth paste and leaves the side of the pan clean.

Remove from the heat and egg yolk immediately and beat well.

Add the other two eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly between each addition.

It is important to get the first of the egg in while the mixture is hot enough to cook it slightly, otherwise it becomes too hot.

Pipe into ring moulds.

Bake in a fairly hot oven, 400-425F, 200-220C until golden brown.

Now onto the mushroom part, you will need:

800lb or one and three quarters of mixed wild mushrooms, examples chantrelles, morels and just see what is in stores during the season you make this.

1.5oz butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 small chilli, finely chopped

2 tablespoon coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley

Salt

A cup of heavy cream

Method:

Clean the mushrooms by scrubbing them with a small, soft brush.

Don’t wash or peel them unless absolutely necessary.

Cut them into bite size pieces.

Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan and briefly fry the garlic and chilli.

Add the mushrooms and stir-fry over a high heat.

Once they begin to soften add some salt and the parsley and the cream.

Bring to the boil, simmer until thickened and serve in the middle of your choux pastry ring.

Mushroom Rarebit

2 puffball mushrooms

12oz butter

10oz flour

3 pints of milk

Grated cheese of your choice

Half a pint of Guiness

Cut the puffballs into steaks and set aside.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat.

Stir in the flour to make a smooth paste.

Slowly stir in the milk and Guinness.

When it is nicely mixed in to a thick cream pour over the mushroom steaks and sprinkle with the cheese.

Grill and enjoy!

Chantrelles Preserved in Sweet Vermouth

(This is strictly for tru mushrooms lovers, it is for desserts!)

Makes enough to fill a 500g/1lb jar.

1kg, 2 and a quarter fresh chantrelle mushrooms

1 litre and 1 and three quarter pints of sweet vermouth

Small piece of cinnamon stick

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons refined sugar

Apricot liqueur, to cover

Carefully clean the mushrooms, with a fine brush.

Put the vermouth in a pan with the cinnamon, salt and sugar and bring to the boil.

Add the mushrooms and keep them pressed down with a wooden spoon to ensure they are submerged in the liquid.

Boil for 15 minutes or a little longer if necessary, depending on size.

They must be completely cooked; taste one to see if it is cooked in the middle.

Drain the mushrooms, the vermouth, unfortunately has to be discarded, and put them on a very clean cloth to cool and dry.

Try not to touch them with your hands.

Put them in a sterilized jar with a sterilized spoon, pressing them down gently with the spoon.

Pour over enough Apricot liqueur to cover the mushrooms completely and then seal the jar.

Once opened, keep them refriedgerated and always under liquid.

Use just a few to decorate desserts.

January 20

All-Purpose Stock

All together 450g/1lb onions, carrots, celery and leeks, all sliced.

1kg, 2lb cooked or raw bones, raw meat trimmings, giblets and bacon rinds. Basically whatever you have left over from a roast dinner, whether it be turkey, chicken, beef or lamb, you can create a stock.

You also need salt, four peppercorns and a bay leaf.

When you begin to make the stock you want to retain a piece of onion skin for a brown stock.

Put the bones and meat trimmings into a large pot or saucepan.

Cover with cold water and add half a teaspoon of salt for every 1.1 litres of water used or 2 pints if you are working off pints.

Heat slowly to a simmering point.

Add the other ingredients.

Simmer, uncovered, for at least 3 hours.

Strain and cool quickly by standing the pan in chilled water.

When cold, skim off the fat.

Use as required.

Stew

One and half pounds of stewing steak, some grocery stores have great deals on stewing steak that you can packet up, freeze and thaw when needed.

2 large carrots

2 large turnips

1 large onion

1.5 oz of fat

1.5 oz of flour

1.5 pints of water or stock

Salt and pepper

First you want to wipe the meat, cut of any superfluous fat and cut the meat into neat pieces.

Cut the vegetables into dice or Julienne strips and keep in water until required. Julienne is thin strips, like matchsticks almost.

Heat the fat into a saucepan and when smoking hot, fry the meat until lightly browned on both sides, then remove from the pan.

Slice the onion and fry until lightly coloured.

Add the flour, mix well, and cook slowly until a nice brown colour.

Add in all the other diced vegetables along with the water or stock.

Stir until boiling.

Season with the salt and pepper, put the meat back in and cover with a tightly fitting lid and simmer gently for about 2-2 and a half hours or until tender.

You can serve this potatoes or rice or maybe simply a hot buttered dinner roll.

The ingredients I have supplied will serve about 6.

Dumplings

1 cup or 250 ml of all-purpose flour.

Half a cup or 125 ml of suet. If suet isn’t available, which it generally isn’t I’ve found, then I use vegetable shortening, which you can find in most baking aisles.

1.5 teaspoons or 7.5 ml of baking powder

Salt and pepper

Water to bind

So all we need to do now is mix these all together into a smooth dough.

Now you can add all sorts of different flavourings to your dumplings from fresh or dried herbs like thyme or rosemary or any number of spice variations like cumin or chilli powder

I recently discovered that adding a nice chunk of blue cheese into the mix really put a great twist to my dumplings especially when cooked in a steak and kidney stew.

Once our dough is formed mould into small balls about 2 inches in diameter and when the stew you have made is about a ½ hour from being cooked just drop the balls in and replace the lid.

The dumplings will gently cook by steaming in the juices of the stew.

Bouillabaise

You need two and a half pounds, one and a quarter kilograms of assorted fish. Living in Saskatchewan it can be tough getting different varieties of fish but goes with your favourites and what’s out there.

You also want 8oz of shellfish, like shrimp and mussels.

3-4 tablespoons of olive oil

3 fat cloves of garlic, crushed

2 large onions, chopped

2 sticks celery, roughly chopped

1lb or 500g of tomatoes, peeled and roughly chopped

bouquet garni, (small bouquet of herbs of your choice, tied together).

2 pieces of orange peel

4 pints of boiling water

Pinch of salt, freshly ground pepper

2 potatoes, peeled and sliced

1-2 tablespoons of chopped parsley to garnish

Now with all these ingredients, first clean and prepare the fish, make sure there are no bones or scales

Cut the larger fish into steaks, cutlets or steaks, the smaller fish into, obviously smaller pieces.

Peel and scrub the shellfish.

Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan and gently fry the garlic, onions and celery until pale and soft.

Add the tomatoes, bouquet garni and orange peel, pour in the boiling water, bring back to the boil and stir whilst boiling hard for 3-4 minutes until the resulting basic soup has slightly thickened.

Now turn down the heat and add the softer fillets of inexpensive fish.

Add a pinch of salt, a good shake of pepper, top with potato slices and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Now add the larger fish and continue to simmer for 10 minutes, then add the shellfish.

Simmer for a further 5 minutes or until the fish has softened and the mussels have opened, if you are using them.

Using a perforated spoon, transfer the fish, shellfish and potatoes to a large warm serving dish, or divide among 8-10 shallow soup bowls.

Strain the remaining soup through a colander or sieve and pour it over and around the fish.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve straight away with a slice of garlic bread.

Provide knives, forks and soup spoons along with a side plate for the discarded mussel shells and any left over fish bones you may have missed from the bigger fish pieces.

Shiro Wot (Vegetarian Stew from Ethiopia)

500 ml or a quarter of a pint of boiling water

250 g or half a pound of peanut paste, you can gets this ground from health food stores, or if you can’t get this, use peanut butter.

4 tablespoons of butter

1 onion diced

2-3 red hot chilies, diced

Salt to taste

250 g or half a pound of sweet corn

250 g or half a pound of root and green vegetables of your choice.

250 g or 8oz of pumpkin or cabbage, this is optional and up to you to include

1 big banana cut into 6 rounds

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

Method

Blend together the boiling water and peanut paste and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based saucepan over low heat and saute the onions and chilies for about 5 minutes.

Stir in the blended peanut paste, season and simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.

Stir regularly to prevent sticking.

Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the vegetables are cooked and the sauce has thickened.

If using green vegetables, add them only in the last five minutes, so they don’t overcook.

Serve with rice or by itself.

 

January 13

Candied Trout

This has a one week process.

4 Trout filets

Half a cup of coarse sea salt

6 cups of brown sugar

2 cups of fresh sliced ginger

Place the filets, skin side down on a wire rack, the type of thing that cookies are put on to cool, and then place that on a cookie sheet or equivalent flat tray.

As the fish is elevated this will help drain the oil away.

Place sliced ginger over the filets and under them so they are well coated with the slices.

Cover the filets with the salt and sugar.

If 6 cups isn't enough, more sugar can be added, but don't add any more salt than the half a cup.

Then refridgerate.

Every day repeat the salt and sugar process covering the filets.

Make sure to drain the excess syrup that will have collected.

Continue doing this for one week or until the fish is firm and is a deep red colour.

You will want to do a quick taste test and check the filets aren't too salty. If they are, you may want to soak them for a few minutes to rinse off some of the residue.

The fish is now ready to eat and is cured.

Flake or fan out the filets on your plate and serve with sour cream as a dip.

Rye Onion and Mushroom Strudel

4 cups of caramelized rye onions (more on that in a moment)

4 cups of cooked mushrooms

2 cups of soft goat cheese (If you can't find this in stores, try half a cup of goat cheese and half a cup of cream cheese).

Salt and pepper to taste

Sheets of phyllo pastry

A small bowl of melted warm butter

First you want to make the caramelized rye onions first.

Yellow onions are fine to use or an onion of your choice.

Slice thinly.

You simply put them in a pan, with a touch of butter and saute.

Near to the end of the process when the onion is becoming soft, simply add a shot of your favourite rye, quickly burn off the booze which will leave a nice flavour to the mix.

Now back to the strudel.

Take the first four ingredients and mix into a bowl until a sweet light brown mixture comes together. Make sure no chunks of cream cheese are seen.

Take three sheets of pastry and butter each layer, putting them on top of each other.

Make a log with the mixture, with a girth about the size of a toonie.

Roll the pastry over it and seal with a quick swipe of warm butter.

Bake in the oven at 325F, 163C until golden brown.

Serve sliced.

Thanks to Chef Mo Mathieu from the Willow on Wascana for the above recipes.

 

January 6

Peak Performer

Never underestimate the power of pears, which there is an abundance of in stores right now. Few people understand the nutritional value that may be found in a ripe pear of any variety. And the juice adds a unique flavour to this juice.

Even just sniffing the wonderful aroma of this juice sets the stage for a real feel-good day. If you are feeling sluggish on a dreary and snowy Monday morning, then the soluble fibre, together with the rich supply of sugars, are just the thing to aid digestion and provide instant energy.

You will need:

12 grapes, black or white

4 unpeeled pears

2 unpeeled, uncored and quartered apples

2 slices of peeled pineapple, this should be fresh pineapple, not tinned because we don’t get the syrup that the pineapple comes in. If you have no choice make sure you drain your slices well or find an unsweetened variety.

This recipe couldn’t get any easier, just shove all your ingredients through the juicer and enjoy.

Thinking about this, if you chop up well and put in the pineapple, grapes or even the pear, depending on what variety you choose, you may get away with putting this in the blender, with perhaps a dash of orange juice.

Jungle Jive

That is the name of this smoothie, which you can do in your blender. Plus this is a good one for the kids too if you can never get them to eat their fruits and vegetables.

Drink this for breakfast followed by some wholegrain cereal or wholewheat toast with honey and you won’t be craving donuts or a danish by mid-morning.

You will need:

150 ml of pomegranate juice, that’s about half of those small bottles. I know there are pomegranates still in stores, not only is it a hassle, but you may find the seeds are just too hard for the blender.

1 mango, peeled and stoned

5 oz frozen yogurt, try and make it low-fat and go with whatever flavour you want, although plain is probably best to allow the fruit flavours to come out.

1 cup skimmed milk

Put it all in the blender and enjoy!

When you can get them, normally late spring and summer time, passionfruit can be used instead of pomegranate, in order to really jungle jive. You need to cut them in half and scoop out the flesh with the seeds.

Turkish Chicken Wraps

For this recipe you will need:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast

2 garlic cloves

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Half a teaspoon of ground all-spice

A quarter cup of thick plain yoghurt

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp olive oil

4 wholewheat pita breads

and maybe some sliced lettuce of your choice and tomatoes for serving

Now there with this recipe also is a Cilantro Aioli.

Aioli is a strongly flavoured mayonnaise from the Provence region of southern France and is a poplar accompaniment to fish, meat and vegetables.

To make this you will need:

3 garlic cloves

2 egg yokes

The juice of one lime, or to taste

1 and a half cups of peanut oil, this can be substituted for a different type of oil like grapeseed oil or an extra virgin olive oil, if you have a peanut allergy.

Finally, a small handful of fresh cilantro leaves, chopped.

Now with the egg yolks, the aioli makes this dish a little fattening, so you can decide to treat yourself or go with a different type of low fat dressing of your choice.

So now you have the ingredients what to do with them.

First put the chicken into a non-reactive dish. You want to do that so as not to have a dish that reacts with acidic ingredients like the lemon juice. So have a glass or white porcelain baking dish is best.

Crush the garlic, with a pinch of salt, then mix with the spices, yoghurt, lemon juice, oil and black pepper. Coat the chicken evenly with the mixture.

Cover and let marinate in a cool place for 1-3 hours, turning occasionally.

To make the aioli, put the garlic, egg yolks and lime juice into a blender or mixer and mix briefly. With the motor running, slowly pour in the oil until the mixture becomes thick and creamy. Season and transfer to a bowl.

Cover and chill if desired. Stir in the cilantro and serve within 30 minutes. Which we can do as we move back to the chicken.

Lift the chicken from the marinade. Grill for 7-8 minutes each side. Turning once. I normally take a baking tray and cover with foil and grill the chicken on that, but you can use a George Forman, or other kind of grill that you have.

Remove from the grill, cover and let rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Meanwhile, warm the pitta breads on the side of the grill rack for 30 secs each side. Open up the pockets and stuff with your lettuce and tomato. Lay the chicken inside and add some aioli and enjoy a healthy snack that isn’t your normal run of the mill chicken salad sandwich.

If you are vegetarian you could try the marinade on some peppers, zucchini and eggplant and grill those instead of a meat.

For those who perhaps aren’t watching their weight, you can easily try some of the flavoured pittas like black olive and sundried tomato to make this dish even more enticing.

Cod with Spiced Orange Marinade

This I love, because it can be turned into a very healthy dish with the sides it can be served with and has very little cooking time once the marinade is made.

Plus we all need a treat now and then so this is alcoholic to give it come kick.

4 cod steaks, or however many you are serving, about 6oz each

Chopped fresh fennel herb for garnish

Lime wedges for serving

For the marinade you need:

A quarter up of orange juice

A quarter cup of dry vermouth

A quarter cup of hoisin sauce, easy to et in the Asian aisle of your grocery store.

A quarter up of soy sauce

1 garlic clove crushed

Half a teaspoon of ground cumin

Half a teaspoon of Chinese five-spice powder

Freshly ground black pepper

Now with all those ingredients:

Lay the cod again, in a non-reactive dish, just large enough to hold them. Glass or porcelain baking dish will do.

Make the marinade by mixing all the ingredients together. It doesn’t have to be a blender or mixer and bowl and spoon will do.

Pour this over the cod and turn the steaks to cover evenly, then cover the dish and lt marinate in a cool place for 2-3 hours.

Lift he cod from the marinade, keep the excess, and grill on an oiled rack for 4-5 minutes on each side, brushing occasionally with the marinade.

Serve garnished with chopped fennel and accompanied by lime wedges.

I like to serve with brown rice and stir-fried vegetables, which only require a little bit of Pam spray or equivalent to cook, barely any oil is used, to make a delicious and healthy Chinese inspired dish.