In Season Now! Pea Shoot Pesto and Rhubarb Slush Cocktail

(photo by Karen)

Recipes as featured on Beverley Watson's CBC Weekend Morning Show this morning with Agatha Moir.

Pea Shoot Pesto
Ingredients:
1/4 lb fresh, young pea shoots
1 bunch chives, chopped (or spring onion)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup toasted pinenuts
salt
pepper

to serve:
1 lb hot cooked pasta (try Nature's Pasta!)
1/2 lb peeled, grilled shrimp (optional)(simple recipe follows)
garnish: additional pea shoots

Directions:
Place the pea shoots, chives, garlic, cheese, olive oil, pinenuts salt and pepper in a food processor or blender, pulse until a thick paste forms. Toss with 1 lb cooked pasta, additional pea shoots and shrimp.

Yield: about 4 servings

A basic Pesto recipe is so easy to adapt to many available herbs. I love Arugula Pesto as well. For Arugula, use some spinach in the mix to round out the flavour of any particularly peppery variety as well as a splash of lemon juice. For Basil Pesto, I like to use Sweet, Vietnamese, Purple, and many other varieties in the mix to make a complex flavour.

One can use Pesto for a variety of applications as well. I love it in pasta but I often use it in other soups and sauces as well as stuffed in Chicken Breasts, or stuffed in Lamb Chops. When you are letting your BBQ’d steak rest, spoon a small amount onto the steak and let it melt into the grilled meat.

Enjoy!

Simple Grilled Shrimp
1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled
1 grapefruit, zested and juiced
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup vodka
2-3 tbs. olive oil
salt and pepper

In a non-metallic bowl, mix grapefruit juice, zest, garlic, vodka, olive oil and salt and pepper. Add peeled shrimp, cover and refrigerate for at least one hour. Place marinated shrimp on a hot grill, cover for a minute and then turn when pink with some grill marks. Remove from grill and enjoy as an appetizer, main course or to top the pasta dish.

Enjoy!

Ruth's Rhubarb Slush

1 qt. Fresh rhubarb
1 qt water
1 cup sugar.
Stew the rhubarb & sugar. Strain. Add 1 can of frozen lemonade. Pink lemonade adds color. Put into an ice cream pail & add 1 26 oz. Bottle of Vodka. Keep in freezer. When ready to serve fill glass ½ full of rhubarb mixture & add ginger ale or seven up. Enjoy.

Pickerel Recipes

Sweet Lake Winnipeg Pickerel is now in Season until July 10th. Recipe as featured on Beverley Watson's CBC Weekend Morning Show.

1. Parchment Paper Fish
Per Fillet:
1 fillet Pickerel – now on sale at Gimli Fish
1/2 carrot, peeled and then peeled into strips
1/2 leek whites, julienned
pinch sea salt
pepper to taste
3-5 basil leaves, chiffonade (use your favourite herb)
parchment paper
spray olive oil*



Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place fish on top of very lightly oiled parchment paper. Place basil, carrot, leek and pinch of salt and pepper on top of fish. Lightly spray with olive oil. Seal paper and place in oven or on top of grill for up to 20 minutes in the oven, depending on thickness of fillet. If using a BBQ, place fish on upper level and not directly over the heat. The fish is so delicate. Paper will puff up. Remove and serve immediately.

*I like to use a truffle oil olive oil blend.

Enjoy!

2. Tomato Saffron Poached Pickerel

(Makes 4 servings)
1 shallot minced
1 tbs olive oil
1 chopped tomato
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon Saffron*
1/4 red pepper flakes
1/2teaspoon thyme
3 tablespoons tomato puree
1 cup dry white wine
¼ cup orange juice (makes a very fresh flavour)
4 fillets Pickerel
Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté shallot in olive oil and cook until translucent. Add tomato, Saffron, garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, tomato puree and wine. Cook on medium heat until well incorporated. Add Pickerel Fillets on top of sauce. Cook on high for a minute (varies by thickness of fish) and turn fish pieces over. Continue cooking until fish begins to flake. Remove from heat and serve.

Enjoy!

Birthday celebrations menu

Thank you to Ivan from the Pritchard MLCC for the excellent wine and port pairings.

~ Birthday Celebration Menu 60 Guests ~

1. Sashimi Spoons One bite Ahi Tuna Sashimi with grilled Udon, soy sauce, ginger and wasabi.
Pairing: Sashimi Spoons.... this is a big flavour opener, with a lot of different textures and power notes, so I would suggest to match this with a lager beer, #8583 Grolsch Lager, or a sparkling white, either # 803361 Willm Blanc de Noir or #7451 Simmont- Febvre Brut. The lager beer has a decent double hopped Euro style to it that would stand up to the spiciness of the dish and the sparklers would contrast the "hot" nature with crisp notes. Personally, the Willm would be my choice.

2. Spanikopita Triangles made with spinach, feta, mushrooms and pine nuts.
Pairing: Spanikopita Triangles.... this is a Greek Mediterranean dish that I think has a lot of earthy tones to it. A nice white dry will do nicely here. Pick either #541185 Sandhill Pinot Blanc or #497248 Trius Unoaked Chardonnay. Two Canadian wines from opposite sides of the country. The pinot blanc has a good fruity aromatic and mouthfeel that would compliment the earthiness of the dish and the fresh melon/apple of the chard will contrast the veggie components.

3. Sautéed Pickerel Cheeks sautéed pickerel deglazed with Vermouth and garnished with Arugula Pesto .
Pairing: Sautéed Pickerel Cheeks.... nothing but a firm German style here! Being on a Canadian kick, I picked either # 234583 Cave Spring Riesling or # 142893 Sumac Ridge Gewurztraminer. Here you need, I think, a bit of sweetness to balance the herb and woodiness of the vermouth. Either deliver, but again, my pick would be the Cave Spring. The water that irrigates the vineyard falls over a dolomite escarpment that literally injects the grape with minerals and flintiness. This wine loves fish textures.


4. Cheese platter with fresh Dates A variety of cheeses served with baguettes.
Pairing:
4. Cheese platter with dates....... a different direction. Something from the Iberian peninsula. I would go with either # 270363 Castillo de Alamasa or #7121 Tronco Tempranello reds. I am assuming that most of the cheese will be either mid or old in nature, so a mid bodied, fairly fruity red is in order.

5. Bouché pastries filled with Shitake and Porcini mushrooms

6.Lemon Almond and Gingerbread Orange Biscotti

Pairings: Bouche Pastries and assorted Biscotti.... both these dishes have earthy components, the mushrooms and the almonds, so a "earth Mother" style of wine. A burgundian type. Either #3855 Sileni Pinot Noir or #591313 Malivoire Gamy. The "barnyard", loamy nature of either of the grapes will match the flavours of the dishes but there will be enough acid in the respective wines to add a bit of a bite to the finish. Personally, the Sileni Pinot Noir is my pick... New Zealand is the "hot" area now.

7. Chocolate Sin Torte with ganache icing
Pairings: Chocolate Sin Torte..... here you will need a bit of power and sweet to round out the evening. Three picks... a nice brown ale, #512756 Morocco Ale, #271585 Fonseca BIN 27 porto, or #801209 De Bortoli Tawny Port. The ale has a nutty and slightly tart nature that would contrast the tortes. It would highlight the chocolate flavours. The ports would be ideal. If there are any cigar people there, the tawny is choice. The woody aromatic and finish matches a good Cuban any day!


8. Coffee

9. San Pelligrino Water

Surprises: Golden Caviar and Smoked Salmon
Ahi Tuna, Pickerel Cheeks, caviar and smoked salmon from Gimli Fish

Weekend Morning - Local Asparagus 2 ways

I'll be featuring recipes and sources for local produce and products for the Summer on Beverley Watson's CBC Radio show, Weekend Morning

There is some lovely local asparagus now available. These lovely asparagus spears were grown near St. Malo, Manitoba. The first recipe is my one and only microwavable recipe that can be easily adapted to grilling the asparagus as well.

1. Simple Asparagus

1 bunch Asparagus, washed and bottom ends snapped off
1-2 lemons, zest only (nice alternative is zest of grapefruit)
Healthy drizzle good Sesame Oil
1/2 - 1 tsp water
ground White Pepper
few pinches sea salt or Fleur d'sel

Place washed asparagus in a microwavable dish. Drizzle sesame oil over spears. Zest lemons over asparagus spears and sprinkle on white pepper and salt. Optional: one could also sprinkle sesame seeds over asparagus as well. Add a bit of water and cover dish with microwavable plastic wrap with a small air vent. Cook in microwave for about 2 minutes (each microwave oven is different).

Serve immediately. You can sprinkle more zest over the asparagus spears after cooking as well.

Enjoy!



2. Wrapped Asparagus in Phyllo


1 package Phyllo pastry (thaw in package and cut into quarters)
1 bunch Asparagus spears, washed, ends snapped off and cut into appetizer-sized lengths
1/2 cup chevre
White pepper and sea salt to taste
melted butter to brush onto pastry

Options: ground nutmeg, lemon zest, pesto, etc. Have fun with it.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Covering the phyllo strips with a dampened cloth, use one or two sheets at a time, place a spoonful of the seasoned Chevre onto one end of the pastry. Place one or two cut asparagus spear pieces onto the chevre and roll closed the length of the pastry. Place on baking sheet and repeat until finished asparagus spears. The asparagus can poke out of the pastry at either end. Between every few completed rolls, brush with melted butter to prevent pastry from drying out. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes, or until browned, depending on oven.

Serve as an appetizer or party fare.

Enjoy!

Lamb, Morel Mushrooms and Eggplant

(Photos by Karen)
We enjoyed some wonderful Manitoba Lamb. This dinner used rack of lamb but chops are also possible. If using New Zealand lamb, cooking time is reduced as the parts are smaller.

Thank you Ivan for the wonderful Tunisian wine recommendation, Chateau Defleur Carignan-Syrah, 2005. It is a perfect match.



I frenched or prepped the rack of lamb by cutting between each rib and trimming the fat. Then I put the lamb in a ziplock bag with 2 tablespoons of Ras el Hanout, sealed and rubbed the meat with the spice blend. I let it marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours. Drizzle olive oil over rack of lamb. Sear or grill rack of lamb over high heat on all sides and then roast in a 400ºF oven for 12 - 18 minutes, depending on the size of the rack of lamb. Let rest after roasting for 5-10 minutes.

Morels and Cocktail Tomatoes

2 cups fresh Morel Mushrooms
2 pints Cocktail Tomatoes
1 head roasted garlic
1/4 cup Vermouth
3 tbs butter
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp white pepper
pinch of sea salt

Sauté morels and tomatoes in butter over medium heat. When tomatoes start to split, add cloves from roasted garlic and season with the nutmeg, pepper and salt. When cooked through, add Vermouth and reduce over heat. Enjoy!

Imam Baldi


Using Japanese Eggplant, I peeled three strips off of each eggplant, placed on a baking dish and drizzled olive oil over the eggplant.



Next, grill eggplant until the berry is soft and cooked through.



Split open the eggplants and spoon the rich tomato sauce into each eggplant.
4 Japanese eggplant (peel off 3 slices of outer skin length-wise around the eggplant)
olive oil (for frying and flavour)
Rich tomato sauce (recipe follows)
cilantro (optional)

Rich Tomato Sauce

1 tin crushed tomatoes (organic fire roasted is nicest)
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp dried
1 tsp chopped rosemary
1 tbs olive oil
1/4 cup red wine
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp brown sugar (to reduce acid of tomatoes)

Preheat oven to 350°F. On the stove top, preheat olive oil in sauté pan. Carefully brown egplants on all sides. This takes some time. One option is to prepare the eggplant on a BBQ by drizzling olive oil over the eggplants prior to grilling. Remove eggplants from pan and place in a baking dish. Let eggplants rest. Split open the eggplants and spoon in the rich tomato sauce into each eggplant. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and drizzle with good olive oil. Bake for up to 30 minutes. Imam Baldi can be enjoyed hot, cold or room temperature. Serve with bread.

Enjoy!


Blood Orange Reduction
2-3 shallots, minced
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup chopped blood oranges or marmalade (I used blood orange marmalade)
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tbs butter
1/4 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté shallots in olive oil until translucent over medium heat. Add the blood orange marmalade and incorporate. Stir in the white wine, thyme and butter and salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Blend with an immersion blender. Return to heat to low. Spoon over grilled meats.

Dinner is served!

Fiddleheads - their own posting this time around

Fiddlehead Ferns with Brown Butter and Pancetta


One of the special treats of spring are fiddlehead ferns, which grow wild along mossy stream banks. They are simply the immature leaf fronds of ostrich fern plants that have not yet opened. Fern leaves are poisonous once they open and can only be enjoyed in this early stage, when they taste like a cross between artichokes and asparagus.

After a fiddlehead is removed from the stalk, the cut end starts to turn brown. Be sure to trim back the stem (about 1/4 inch) to the healthy green section before cooking.

Kosher salt
3 pounds fiddle head ferns, trimmed and washed
1/4 lb chopped pancetta
6 tablespoons brown butter
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly nutmeg


1. In a large pot bring 2 quarts water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil. Fill a medium bowl halfway with ice water. Drop the fiddleheads into the pot and cook for 1 minute. Drain the fiddleheads in a colander, then submerge in the ice water until completely cool. Let the fiddleheads drain well in a colander and wrap them in a clean kitchen towel to dry.
2. Slowly brown butter in a large skillet. Bring up to higher temperature and cook chopped pancetta.
3.Heat for a minute or two until they are warm, then divide the fiddleheads among the plates. Serve at once as a side dish or on Chinese soup spoons as an appetizer.

Enjoy!

Fiddleheads are available at DeLuca's on Portage.

Sunday's Event

Escargot, Ahi Tuna, Oysters and Calimari all available at Gimli Fish on Dufferin in Winnipeg.

Sunday's Menu
Surf, Turf and more of the Earth

Surf
Ahi Tuna Udon Spoons
Oysters Rockefeller
Calimari with Chipotle Aioli
Escargot with Pesto Butter

Earthy
Porcini Mushroom Consommé

Light on the Earth
Avocado, Grape Tomatoes, Balsamic Reduction

Turf and More Earth
Bison tenderloin with Ras el Hanout and Blood Orange Reduction
Roasted Yams
Turkish Eggplant with Yoghurt

Heavenly Delights
Pavlova with Meyers Lemon curd

Within Earth's Orbit
Assorted Cheeses with Montreal Baguettes and Fresh Dates