Beef Cheeks! Wildfire Farms makes it so easy.

Beef cheeks are so wonderful and tender when slowly cooked or done in the Instant Pot.  These, I made slowly in the oven, on a bed of sliced onion, half of an orange, thyme, garlic, bay leaves, good tomato paste, red wine, and a bit of water.  I coated the beef cheeks with grainy mustard, and cooked covered, at 300ºF for 3 hours.  I cooked them with the lid off, for one more hour.  We then pulled the meat apart with forks and combined with the sauce with the orange and bay leaves removed.

If you are preparing these in the Instant Pot, set the meat setting to 30-40 minutes. 

Beef cheeks, and other great cuts of meat, are available at Wildfire Farms at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market.

I served these pulled beef cheeks on top of latkes, with a dollop of sour cream, and a drizzle of hot sauce.

An Autumn Harvest tradition - Stuffed Peppers

What's for dinner?  Bags full of peppers, excellent ground beef, tomatoes, spices, rice, etc.  This is a Turkish version of stuffed peppers.  Well, they likely originated the dish.

Come to the St. Norbert's Farmer's Market on Saturday between 8-3PM for many of these wonderful ingredients!

Turkish Stuffed Peppers

 2 cups basmati rice
1/4 cup Zereshk (Iranian currants, aka Barberries)
drizzle olive oil
pinch salt
3 1/2 cups water

Prepare rice ahead of time.  Zereshk can be found at Millad's Supermarket on Notre Dame in Winnipeg.

1 lb ground beef
1 onions, sliced
1 + tbs Turkish Baharat
3 chopped tomatoes (I used roasted tomatoes that were still soft and juicy)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
salt, to taste
 1/2 cup good tomato paste, also available at Millad's Supermarket on Notre Dame

Sauté the onions until soft in a drizzle of olive oil.  Brown the meat and add the Baharat.  Add the remaining ingredients and some water or wine to dilute the tomato paste a bit.  Mix with the cooked rice and set aside.

Depending on the sizes of the peppers, up to 12 peppers, cored from the top.  In the baking dish, mix tomato paste, water, Turkish Baharat (about 1 tsp), and a pinch of salt, to cover the bottom of the dish at least 2-3 cm.  Fill each pepper and place, upright, in the baking dish.  Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350ºF for at least one hour.  Remove foil and continue baking until peppers have browned.

Serve hot or warm.  Enjoy!

Father's Day made easy and delicious for CBC's Weekend Morning Show

Today on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Nadia Kidwai, I presented the following dishes to make Father's Day easy and delicious.  Many of the ingredients are found at the St. Norbert's Farmer's Market.  Steak and Eggs with grilled asparagus. 

Steak and Eggs

1 ribeye steak per person  (wonderful ribeye steak from Wildfire Farms, and available at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market)
Dijon Mustard
Birch Syrup (very versatile Birch Syrup is available at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market from The Canadian Birch Company)
salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil, drizzles
1 egg per steak (Nature's Farm carries the most wonderful golden yolk eggs!  Available at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market)

Mix enough Dijon mustard and Birch Syrup to cover both sides of each steak.  Cover the steaks and let sit at room temperature until ready to grill, cool in the fridge if a longer period of time.

Heat the grill to medium high heat.  Drizzle olive oil over the steaks and place on a hot grill.  Let cook for 2 minutes before turning, not flipping, so as to create grill marks.  Let cook for two minutes more and flip.  Repeat cooking for two minutes, turn for grill marks, and let cook for another two minutes.  Remove from grill and let rest for about 5 minutes.  Season while resting as the meat will be open to absorbing more flavours.

Serve with a soft cooked egg, over-easy or sunny-side up on top of the steak.  The yolk creates a creamy sauce-like texture over the steak.  Or, if you prefer, place the soft egg over the grilled asparagus.

Grilled Asparagus

1 bunch asparagus, bottoms trimmed  (I used Fertile Farm asparagus, available at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market)
drizzle good sesame oil
lemon zest
seasoned sesame seeds
salt and pepper, to taste

After flipping the steaks, add the asparagus that has a good drizzle of sesame oil on it.  Let cook for two minutes and flip.  Remove from the heat and add lemon zest, and seasoned sesame seeds.

Enjoy!



 

Foraging for food on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

On Saturday Morning, I will be presenting the following recipes for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Nadia Kidwai.  I'll be using dandelions for which I foraged.  They are considered organic, as, I've never used cosmetic pesticides in my own yard.  They are thoroughly washed, however.  I've used them with Chinese greens (Gai Lan) in one dish, and as a Chimichuri on Wildfire Farms (see what I did there?) beef ribeye.

The reason that I went with wild and foraged flavours is because A Rocha will be holding a guided tour of Winnipeg's West End on Saturday, June 2nd from 2-3:30PM to find edible plants just waiting to be discovered and eaten.  They will meet at St. Matthew's Anglican Church at 641 St. Matthews Ave.  To RSVP, please send an email to scott.gerbrandt@arocha.ca.   Dress for the weather.

Dandelions are loaded with Vitamins A and C as well as being a great source of dietary fibre.  More photos tomorrow!

Dandelions!

Dandelions with almonds and Scallions

1 large bunch dandelion greens or a combination of greens(a few cups) (I have a variety of greens available today from Fertile Farms at St.Norbert’s Farmer’s Market)

3 tbs olive oil

3-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

4 scallions, thinly sliced

½ cup blanched almonds, toasted

salt, to taste

Bring to boil a large pot of water.  Drop greens in and blanch, stirring for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then drain in a colander and rinse with cool water.  Drain and press out on a towel.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Add garlic, then scallions, stirring until brown.  This happens quite quickly so have the greens ready and cook for 1-3 minutes.  Add almonds and season.  I like to add some dried red chilies. 

Sichuan variation:  Prepare the greens, with Chinese broccoli, and leave long.  Heat sesame oil with chilies and garlic.  Add greens and season with soy sauce.  Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.  Can also add tofu to this dish.  A pinch of sugar may be to your tastes as well.

Grilled Ribeye with Dandelion Chimichuri

Good for 4 Ribeye steaks (These are from Wildfire Farms and available at St. Norbert’s Farmer’s Market)

1/4 pound dandelion greens

2 large garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning Ribeye Steaks

2 packed tablespoons chopped oregano

1 tablespoon lime juice or white vinegar

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided

Freshly ground pepper

Trim the greens up to where the leaves start and wash well, picking out any remaining buds or grass you might find. Set aside.

Process the garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt together in the work bowl of a food

processor until finely chopped. Add the dandelion greens and the oregano, and pulse until the greens are finely chopped, scraping the sides with a soft spatula if necessary. Add the lime juice and 1/4 cup of the olive oil and pulse to blend. Season the mixture to taste with additional salt and pepper, if necessary, and transfer to a small bowl. Drizzle 1 tbs olive oil over the top and set aside.

Rub the remaining two tsp olive oil over the Ribeye and season with salt and pepper.

When the grill is hot, cook the steak to the desired doneness.  I like rare but I made these 4 minutes per side, changing to make grill marks, every two minutes.

Let the meat rest on a cutting board for a few minutes.  Slice hot and spoon the chimichuri sauce on top.

Enjoy!

Women producers and Cinco de Mayo on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

This morning, on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with guest host Bruce Ladan, I featured women-owned and operated local producers.  Starting with the great Mexican halibut that is in season for Cinco de Mayo!  The wild caught halibut is available at Gimli Fish.  I also served a seasoned flatbread, using the wonderful pizza dough from Old Church Bakery.  This was topped with Ribeye from Wildfire Farms.  Life made easier and delicious by these amazing women.

Baked Mexican Halibut

1 1/2 lbs. halibut fillets (cut into 4 - 6 pieces)

1 large fresh tomato, seeded and chopped

2 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1/8 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

4 green onions, sliced thin

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped (garnish)

1 lemon, sliced or cut into wedges (for serving)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350º.

Cut halibut fillets into four - six serving pieces. Place in single layer in a 9” x 13” baking dish.
In a small bowl combine chopped tomato, lime juice, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, chopped cilantro,  sliced green onions, minced garlic and salt. Mix well and pour over fish.

Bake for 20 – 25 mins. Fish should flake easily when tested with a fork.

 Old Church Bakery flatbread

With wet hands, spread pizza dough to desired thinness on a baking sheet with either parchment paper, a Silpat, or cornmeal.  Sprinkle a generous amount of spices blend and flake salt on the dough.  I used Duq'qah, an Egyptian blend.  Drizzle generously with olive oil and bake at 450º until done, ~ 10-15 minutes.

Wildfire Farms Ribeye

Rub steaks with desired amount of dry rub spice blend.  Here, I used Duq'qah.  Another tip is to first spread Dijon mustard over the meat for a nice crust.  Season, and drizzle with olive oil.  Grill or cook on medium to high heat for 4 minutes/per side, depending on thickness of the steaks, for rare.  Remove steaks from heat and let rest.  Slice on the bias and serve with flatbread and other toppings of your choice.

Enjoy!

Getting Cheeky on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

 Yesterday morning I presented the following dishes for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with guest host Laurie Hoogstraten.  

The wonderful ingredients are all available now at your farmer's markets.  The eggs for the köfte are from Nature's Farm,  the beef cheeks and ground beef are from Wildfire Farms, and you can often find me either through the blog or at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market.

It is not common at all to find beef cheeks, let alone beef shank in many large grocery stores.  Knowing your beef producer directly makes it possible to get parts of the steer that are delicious but not easily found otherwise.  The lovely beef today can be purchased at St. Norbert’s Farmer’s Market from Wildfire Farms.  Beef cheeks can also be incredible as a burger instead of ground meat.  Marinate in red wine and spices overnight and braise until tender.  Put the cheek on the bun with coleslaw, caramelized onions, chutney, etc.

Braised Beef Cheeks in photo and the "Cook like a Chef" workshop photo for cooking Wildfire Farms beef in St. Norbert's Farmer's Festival

Beef Cheeks

This is the adaptation of Tyler Florence’s recipe for Osso Bucco. The wine that he recommended using was Amarone.  

 This makes an elegant winter comfort meal.

1. Beef Cheeks or Osso Bucco (Make both as they cook the same in this dish):
 1 cup all-purpose flour
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Beef Cheeks (Available at Wildfire Farms at St. Norbert’s Farmer’s Market)

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1-3 tbs butter

1 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 lemon, zest peeled off in wide strips with a vegetable peeler
1 head garlic, cut horizontally through the middle
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bottle dry red wine
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can low-sodium beef broth (I had homemade chicken broth on hand instead)
1 (28-ounce) can whole San Marzano tomatoes, hand-crushed

Put the flour in a large shallow platter and season it with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Dredge the meat in the seasoned flour and then tap off the excess (extra flour will burn and make the dish off-tasting).

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and hit it with a 3-count drizzle of oil. Add the butter and swirl it around the pan to melt. Sear the meat, turning carefully with tongs, until all sides are a rich brown caramel color. Drizzle with a little more oil, if needed. (Do this in batches if the shanks are big and look crowded in the pot.) Remove the browned meat to a side plate. There will be a lot of flavor left over in the bottom of the pot. You're going to use that to create your sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Using the same pot, sauté the onion, celery, carrots, lemon zest, garlic, bay leaves, and parsley over medium heat. Cook the vegetables down until they start to get some color and develop a deep, rich aroma. Season with salt and pepper; add a little oil if needed. Nestle the meat back in the pot. Pour in the wine and let it simmer down for 20 minutes, until the wine has reduced by half. Reducing is key for intense flavor. Add the beef broth and tomatoes and stir everything together. Cover the pot and put it in the oven. Braise for 1 and a 1/2 hours. Then remove the cover and continue to cook for another 30 minutes. The sauce should be thick and the meat tender and nearly falling off the bone.
Remove bay leaves.

Enjoy!

2. Mini Köfte two ways  Moroccan and Turkish

Moroccan
1 lb ground beef (or lamb), Beef today from Wildfire Farms, available at St. Norbert’s Farmer’s Market
1-2 tbs Ras el Hanout (available St. Norbert’s Farmer’s Market)
pinch salt
1 egg (Nature’s Farm eggs are superb and available at St. Norbert’s Farmer’s Market)

Mix ingredients well together and form into patties or oblongs (Köfte shaped)

Grill over high heat until desired cooked state.  Let rest and serve with your favourite condiments such as Dijon mustard, caramelized onions, tomato chutney, soft egg, cheese, etc.  Served today with yoghurt tahini sauce.

Turkish
1 lb ground beef (Wildfire Farms at St. Norbert’s Farmer’s Market)
1-2 tbs Turkish Baharat (Karenfood at St. Norbert’s Farmer’s Market)
pinch salt
1 egg (Nature’s Farm eggs at St. Norbert’sFarmer’s Market)

Mix ingredients well together and form into patties or oblongs (Köfte shaped)

Grill over high heat until desired cooked state.  Let rest and serve with your favourite condiments such as Dijon mustard, caramelized onions, tomato chutney, soft egg, cheese, etc.

Enjoy!