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!

Easy BBQ Feast for Father's Day! On CBC's Weekend Morning Show

Yesterday I had the joy of presenting some new ideas that I'm developing for the market, in time to enjoy for Father's Day, on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Nadia Kidwai.

The lovely beef striploin came from Wildfire Farms and the pizza dough is available on market days at Old Church Bakery.  Easy and delicious!  The rub is a Baharat (spice blend) that I've added ground pumpkin seeds and smoked paprika to to make a Manitoba version of Duq'qah, an Egyptian spice and ground nut blend for meats and flatbreads.  I'll be bringing this to market very soon.

For the flatbread, 1 bag pizza dough from Old Church Bakery, divide into 2-4 pieces and, with a bowl of water to wet the fingers, pull and spread onto a silpat or parchment papers.  Spread a spoonful of the Duq'qah onto each flatbread, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake in a 450ºF oven or on a hot grill until done, 4-7 minutes, depending on oven or grill. 

For the steaks, in order to get a crust, lightly coat each steak with Dijon mustard and then coat with the Duq'qah.  Season with a slight amount of salt.  Prior to grilling, drizzle olive oil on each steak.  Grill to preferred doneness, I recommend rare, but...  Let the meat rest for about 5 minutes before slicing. 

I topped these flat breads and steak slices with a bit of onion jam, but garnish as you like.

Spring Fling on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

Tomorrow morning on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with interim host Nadia Kidwai, I will be presenting the following recipes.  I love pea shoot pesto!  It tastes like Spring!  These recipes are very easy to prepare and are made with local ingredients.  Microgreens from Fresh Forage, Quinoa from Tamarack Farms are both available on Saturday at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market.

Happy Spring!

Turkish Pizza Dough
1 tbs dried yeast (instant yeast)
1 tsp sugar
2 tbs (+) warm water
2/3 + cup Greek style yoghurt (I usually use Astro's Balkan Yoghurt)
1/4 cup olive oil
10 ounces bread flour (I use Prairie Flour and it works out to be a heaping 2 cup measurement, with potentially adding more, depending on the climate of the day)
1/2 tsp sea salt
olive oil

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and set aside in a warm place for about 10 minutes until frothy. In another small bowl, whisk the yoghurt and olive oil.

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast and yoghurt mixtures. Use your fingers to work in the flour and form a smooth ball. Transfer to mixer and knead with a dough hook on low speed for 10 - 15 minutes until very smooth and shiny. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp tea towel and let rise for 2 hours or doubled in size.

I use this pizza dough all of the time because it is both easy to prepare and has a great result.  I can always have it in a container in the fridge for making personal sized pizzas when needed.  This is actually something that I need almost daily for my 6 year old’s meals.

Pea Shoot Pesto (using snap pea microgreens from Fresh Forage Microgreens, available at St. Norbert’s Farmer’s Market on Saturday)
Ingredients:
1/4 lb fresh, young pea microgreens
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 pine nuts or almonds (for nut allergies, try toasted pumpkin seeds)
salt
pepper

Directions:
Place the pea shoots, chives, garlic, cheese, olive oil, nuts salt and pepper in a food processor or blender, pulse until a thick paste forms.

Use on pizza, pasta, grilled fish or shrimp, toast, etc.

Enjoy!

Quinoa Salad with Microgreens and Lemon vinaigrette

2 cups cooked quinoa (I used Tamarack Farms quinoa, available on Saturday at the St. Norbert’s Farmer’s Market) Cooking ratio is 2:1 water to quinoa and you can cook in broth or with spices

1-2 tbs pesto of your choice

Olive oil, to tastes

Spring Mix Microgreens (available from Fresh Forage Microgreens on Saturday at St. Norbert’s Farmer’s Market)

Lemon vinaigrette (1 part lemon, 2 parts olive oil, herbs such as oregano, salt and pepper, 1 crushed garlic clove optional)

Toss the cooked quinoa with pesto and a drizzle of olive oil.  When serving top with a generous amount of Spring Mix Microgreens and drizzle with lemon vinaigrette just before serving. 

Enjoy and Happy Spring!

Benefits of Microgreens:  http://markitonutrition.com/sprouts-microgreens/

Benefits of Quinoa: https://authoritynutrition.com/11-proven-benefits-of-quinoa/

Herbed Pizzas for CBC's Weekend Morning Show!

This morning I presented some lovely local products for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.   

This artisan pizza dough from Old Church Bakery, is remarkably light.  It feels as though it would float away.  You don't need to roll it, just press it out with your fingers.

The fresh herbs are wonderful! Fertile Farm has wonderful products at the market.  Grilling the Spring Onions makes them mellow and sweet.  The Sorrel is so lemony, just divine!

Herbed Pizzas

1 bag Artisan Pizza dough (from Old Church Bakery, at St. Norbert’s Market)
olive oil
Spring Onions or Sorrel (from Fertile Farm, at St. Norbert’s Market)
Pesto of choice for sauce.  I’m using basil arugula today, also optional to use only olive oil, salt and pepper
Shaved or grated parmesan cheese

You can bake this on a BBQ grill, with or without a grill sheet.  The Pizza dough is so light, it doesn’t need rolling, just spread it out with your fingers.  Spread on olive oil or pesto to the base of the pizza and top with your favourite toppings.  I love using grilled Spring Onions as it brings out the sweetness of the greens.  I simply drizzled olive oil over the Spring Onions and grilled on the grill sheet until a bit charred.  You can do the same with the Sorrel or put it on the pizza dough fresh. 

Bake on the covered grill until done or bake in the oven at 450-500ºF until to desired doneness.

Enjoy with some crisp white wine or local beer.

Enjoy!

Pizza

Hard to make it look good on a photo but this homemade thin crust pizza has a spicy tomato base, roasted red pepper, white and oyster mushrooms, soprassata and spicy capicolla meats topped with parmesan and Appenzeller cheeses. It bakes quickly at a 450º F oven on a large pizza stone. The vegetarian pizza had the spicy tomato base, roasted red pepper, artichokes, white and oyster mushrooms and borganzola cheese.

We leave the stone in the oven on the bottom rack at all times to have balanced heating in the oven for other items.

Crusty Pizza Dough Recipe (makes 2 large thin or 1 large regular crust)

2 1/4 - 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (95ºF - 105ºF) *
1/2 tsp salt**
2 tsp olive oil
2 1/2 - 3 1/2 cups unbleached organic flour
Cornmeal for pizza stone

*can substitute half of the water with your favourite beer
**we often use cracked pepper and smoked paprika as well as sea salt

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed bowl. Allow to proof. Add salt, olive oil, and 2/12 cups flour. Using a dough hook on mixer, mix for one minute. Add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Knead for 2 minutes. Finish kneading on lightly floured board until a springy elastic texture. Place in oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from draft, until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Remove pizza stone from oven and sprinkle with cornmeal. It will smoke slightly. Place rolled out pizza dough on stone and cover with favourite sauce and toppings. Sauce recipe to follow.

Spicy Pizza Sauce

1 medium onion
1 head roasted garlic
2 tbs good olive oil
1 large tin organic tomatoes (crushed)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup red wine
1 tsp crushed chillies
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil pesto (optional - recipe to follow)
1 tbs brown sugar (cuts the acid and balances flavours)
1/4 tsp dried chipotle peppers
pinch sea salt

In a medium saucepan on medium heat, saute slivered onion in olive oil. When translucent, add tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium low. Add spices, garlic and red wine. When cooked through, you can blend sauce using an immersion blender.

Use sauce on pizza or for pasta. Enjoy!