In Season Now! Chilled Roasted Beet Soup and Persian Carrots

As featured this morning on Beverley Watson's CBC Weekend Morning Show.

1.Chilled Roasted Beet Soup

4-5 large Beets
1 head roasted garlic
1 large yellow onion, medium chopped
2-3 tbs good olive oil
1/4 cup champagne or sherry vinegar
1/2 - 2/3 cup orange juice
2-4 cups vegetable or chicken stock

On a hot BBQ or in oven, roast peeled beets wrapped in foil until soft, turning to prevent burning. Roast garlic at the same time.

In a large skillet or soup pot, sauté onion in olive oil on medium heat until soft and translucent. Add cut up beets and squeeze out garlic into pot. Sauté until vegetables have softened. Add soup stock and season with salt and pepper to taste. If using golden beets, use white pepper.

Remove soup from heat and add orange juice and vinegar. Using an immersion blender or food processor, purée until smooth. When soup has cooled, chill in refrigerator at least over night. Top with a dollop of Creme Frâiche and sprinkle with a few threads of saffron.


2.Persian Carrots

4-5 medium carrots, sliced on the diagonal
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tbs butter
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup chopped dates (wonderful fresh dates found at Halal Meats and Specialty Foods on Maryland)
1 inch grated fresh ginger
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs brown sugar

In a sauté pan on medium high heat, sauté onions in butter until beginning to soften. Add sliced carrots and stir. After a few minutes, add the raisins, almonds, dates, ginger and salt and pepper. Continue cooking for several minutes until the carrots begin to soften. Add brown sugar and reduce heat until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

In Season Now! Kerala Cabbage Thoren and Saag Paneer

(photo from www.pachakam.com/.../Indian%20Cooking.html, from left;
Carrot Thoran, Cabbage Thoran, Beetroot Thoran, Potato Thoran and Beans Thoran)
I found an image that illustrated the versatility of Thoran


As featured this morning on Beverley Watson's CBC Weekend Morning Show.
The first recipe is from Kerala, a Cabbage Thoren (dry coconut based
dish)

Cabbage Thoren
2 cups finely shredded cabbage
salt, to taste
2 tbs oil
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
2 tsp black gram dhal or urdad dal *
1 large onion, finely chopped
1-2 green chillies, sliced thinly in rounds
a few curry leaves *
1/2 cup finely grated coconut *

1. Heat oil in a pot on medium high heat and add the mustard seeds.
The seeds will pop. Then add the dhal and fry until it becomes golden
brown. Add onion, green chillies, curry leaves and sauté. When
almost translucent add grated coconut and stir for a few minutes.
2. Toss in the cabbage and add salt to taste. Gently sauté until
water has been absorbed or evaporated.

Note: red and green chillies have a lovely appearance. Cauliflower,
beans, carrots and other vegetables can be prepared similarly.

Enjoy!

Saag Paneer

1-inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
6+ cloves of garlic, peeled
1 fresh hot green chili, sliced roughly
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tbs "curry powder" spice blend (I make my own but several excellent ones are available commercially)
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
~ 4 tbs vegetable or olive oil
6-8 cups chopped mixed greens (spinach, kale, chard, beet greens, sorrel, arugula, mustard greens, etc)
1 - 2 chopped tomatoes
1 cup yoghurt
1 tbs butter (optional)
salt, to taste
paneer (homemade or available at Dino's on Notre Dame in block or frozen)
1 tsp brown sugar

Place the ginger, garlic and green chili into a small blender with a few tablespoons of water and purée until you have a smooth paste. In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil and add the onion. When the onion is translucent, add the spices and cook on medium heat until the spices are soft. Then add the chopped tomato and the ginger, garlic, chili paste. When they have softened, add the greens, slowly so as to let them cook down and stir all together. Add the salt. When the greens have cooked down, add the yoghurt, butter if desired and remove from heat. Using an immersion blender or a blender, mix all of the ingredients into a purée. Return to heat and add the fried or non-fried paneer. Cook slowly with a lid so as to not have the hot vegetables bubble up and burn you.

Serve with rice or naan or other flat breads.

Enjoy!

Tomatoes are added to the recipe so as to allow the body to access the rich iron and other nutrients in the greens. Otherwise, the body would not absorb them.


* Wonderful spices, flat breads and other ingredients are available at Halal Meat Centre & Specialty Foods at 206 Maryland Street, Winnipeg and at Dino's Grocery Mart at 460 Notre Dame Avenue
Winnipeg

In Season Now! Grilled Caesar Salad and Garlic Scapes ideas.

(photo from Flickr)

This morning on CBC's Weekend Morning Show, hosted today by Laurie Hoogstraten featured some local greens including Romaine lettuce heads for Grilled Caesar Salad and Garlic Scapes, which can be used in a wide range of recipes.

Grilled Caesar Salad
4 whole Romaine Heads – serves 4


Place whole Romaine lettuce heads in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season. Place over a very hot grill and close BBQ. Turn and score lettuce head completely and then return to large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss with some of the following Caesar salad dressing, leaving heads whole. Serve whole Romaine lettuce head, one per serving.

Linda’s Classic Caesar Salad Dressing
1 oz Anchovies (approx 2) – I use anchovy paste
1 Tbls Fresh garlic, pressed
1Tbls Dijon mustard
½ Tbls Worcestershire sauce
1 Egg yolk, coddled
½ cup Good quality virgin olive oil
1 tsp Lemon juice
2 Tbls Red wine vinegar
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup Seasoned croutons
Freshly ground pepper.

Place anchovies and fresh garlic in wooden salad bowl. Crush into fine paste.
Add Dijon & Worcestershire and stir.
Add egg yolk, stir. SLOWLY add olive oil while continuously stirring.
Add lemon juice, red wine vinegar and ½ the parmesan. Stir.

Garlic Scapes
Garlic scapes are the tender curvy greens that grow from the hardneck variety of garlic. The greens eventually straighten but are at their best when still curly. Cook as you would asparagus with a mild garlic flavour.

Garlic Scape Pesto
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp. fresh lime or lemon juice
1/4 lb. scapes
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt to taste
Puree scapes and olive oil in a food processor until smooth. Stir in Parmesan and lime or lemon juice and season to taste.

Fried Scapes

Cut scapes to green bean size and saute them in butter and salt for six to eight minutes. During the last minute of cooking add about 1 tsp. of balsamic vinegar.

Spinach and Scape Frittata
3 Tbsp. olive oil
10 eggs
1 cup (1/2 lb.) chopped raw spinach
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped basil
1/2 c. finely chopped garlic scapes
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl mix all ingredients except oil and scapes. Heat oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet on the stove. Add the scapes and saute until tender on medium heat for about five minutes. Pour egg mixture in skillet with garlic and cook over low for three minutes. Place in oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until top is set. Cut into wedges and serve.

Enjoy!

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

This Sunday's Dinner

This Sunday we are hosting a small event. The menu will include:

Kerala Shrimp
Turkish Yoghurt Eggplant
Porcini Mushroom Consomme
Elk Ribeye OR Rack of Lamb with Ras el Hanout
Roasted Vegetables AND/OR watercress arugula salad

Slow Cooker Recipe - Lamb with ras el hanout and shredded cabbage

The Slow cooker or Crock Pot is being used more and more these days. Try this recipe using lamb shoulder and shredded red cabbage and spice it up with some Ras el Hanout.

Lamb with Ras el Hanout and Shredded Cabbage

1 lamb shoulder (I used Manitoba lamb)
1 head red cabbage, shredded
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs Ras el Hanout
1 bunch Chard, cut chiffonade style*
1 head garlic, peeled
2-3 chopped tomatoes (I also added a handful of sundried tomatoes)
1/4 cup chopped dates **
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup red wine
1-2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp sea salt

Put shredded cabbage, chopped tomatoes, chard, dates, apricots, vinegar, stock, red wine, garlic and salt in Slow cooker and turn on.

In a skillet, sauté the onion until translucent in 1 tbs olive oil. Add the Ras el Hanout and sauté until soft. Add to slow cooker and mix ingredients.

In the same skillet, on medium high heat, add 1 tbs olive oil and brown lamb shoulder on all sides. Nestle lamb into the vegetable mixture in the slow cooker and cover. Cook overnight or throughout the day until the lamb meat falls off of the bones. Remove meat from the slow cooker and de-bone or trim any extra fat. Place lamb pieces back in the slow cooker and keep hot until serving with baked potatoes or rice.

Enjoy!

*To cut chiffonade style for leafy vegetables or basil, stack leaves in line on top of each other. Roll tightly and cut in thin slices from tip to end. Loosen the cut leaves.

**I used fresh dates from the Halal Meats and Specialty Foods Store on Maryland but you can use most varieties of dates.

Options:
chopped carrots or parsnips
leave out red wine from cooking if you don't cook with wine but watch the moisture Perhaps try Verjus, also available at Halal Meats and Specialty Foods Store on Maryland.

Reposting with new information!

These gorgeous squash were grown by Kelly Ditz, recent MESA Honorable Mention Award winner and amazing produce grower.

To buy directly from Kelly, please pre-order by calling (204)772-5486 for his full produce list which includes; Butternut, spaghetti, Turban, Boston Marrow, Sweetie Pie Pumpkin, Marina di Chioggia, Galeux D’Eysines, and Boston Marrow, Amish pie Pumpkin, Mandan Banquet, etc

He also provides much of the vegetables for Elkhorn Resort and Spa.






1. Marina d'Chioggia Gnocchi from Vegan Visitor





1 1/2 Cups Marina Di Chioggia Pumpkin, about 1/2 roasted
1 Russet Baking Potato, baked in it’s skin
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Scant 1/2 teaspoon Dried Thyme Leaves
Pinch of Black Pepper & Nutmeg
1 3/4 Cups Unbleached All Purpose Flour, plus extra for rolling

Prick with a fork and bake the potato in a 350ºF oven for about 1 hour or in a microwave for 10-12 minutes, turning it over after 6 minutes.
Once the potato is just cool enough to handle, break it open and scrape the inside and continue to mash with the fork or a potato ricer.
Remove the roasted pumpkin from the skin. Place it in a sieve and allow it to drain as much extra moisture as possible.
Purée or pass the drained pumpkin through a sieve.
In a large bowl, mix the potato and the pumpkin purée with the remaining ingredients, adding in the flour 1/4 cup at a time.
Once the mixture comes together as a smooth, workable dough, transfer it to a flat board and cut it into eight pieces.
One by one, roll each of the pieces into 3/4″ diameter cylinders then cut them into 1/2″ pieces.
Using the back of a floured fork, push and roll each of the cut pieces down towards the end of the fork to create the ribbed gnocchi shape.
Roll in additional flour, if necessary and set aside.

Put a large pot of slightly salted water on to boil.
Once the water is rapidly boiling, drop the gnocchi in.
Cook only until the gnocchi begins to float, about 2 minutes, watching carefully being sure not to over cook.
Drain all at once or with a slotted spoon.
Serve immediately with butter, pesto, classic tomato sauce or toss with spinach and thyme.


2. Sautéed Squash with Pear

(photos by Karen)


1 small squash or pumpkin (size of a small cabbage)- NOT Spaghetti Squash
1 ripe pear
1 tbs. butter
drizzle olive oil
freshly grated nutmeg
1 oz Frangelico
salt and pepper

Cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Save seeds on paper towel to dry for planting in Spring. I used a small version of the bumpy salmon coloured squash in the top photo.

Cut seeded squash into four pieces to make peeling easier. Peel and slice into wedges. Heat a sauté pan to medium heat. Melt butter with a drizzle of olive oil. Place squash slices in pan and slowly cook for ~20 minutes or until soft and beginning to brown on both sides. Add chopped pear, salt and pepper. Turn heat to medium high after pear has softened and add the Frangelico. Allow the liquid to cook down a bit.

Can be prepared in advance and warmed up. A nice side dish for a wide range of holiday feasting.

Enjoy!

Kerala Chicken Curry

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 rounded tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
2-3 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 cup onion, thin, long slices
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ginger, thin slices
a few curry leaves *
1 tbs vinegar
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup first thick coconut milk from 1 cup dry unsweetened coconut**
2 cups thin second coconut milk **
3 sweet potatoes, small dice


(step 1)

Mix coriander, cayenne, turmeric and pepper together and set aside.


(step 2)

Fry mustard seeds in hot oil and saute onion, garlic, ginger and curry leaves in a larger cooking pot.


(step 3)

Move onions to the side and fry the spice mixture in the oil and stir for a few minutes.


(step4)

Add meat, vinegar, salt and stir for a few minutes.


(step 5)

Mix thin second coconut milk and cook. Close the pan with a deep lid with a splash of water. When the meat is done, add the sweet potatoes.


(step 6)

After the sweet potatoes are cooked, stir in the thick first coconut milk. When the curry thickens, remove from heat.


(step 7)

Enjoy with roti, rice, naan, etc.

* Curry leaves are available at Dino's Grocery Mart on Notre Dame.

** To make your own first and second coconut milk, measure out one cup dry unsweetened coconut into a blender and add one cup very hot water. Blend well and strain. This is your first coconut milk. Take the drained blended coconut and return to the blender. Add another cup or two of very hot water and blend very well again. Drain. This is your second coconut milk.

Rich Moroccan Soup

(soup starting to simmer - photo by Karen)

This recipe can be made with a rich meat or vegetable broth. If using a vegetable broth, I recommend making a hearty mushroom stock along with other vegetables. I like to add dried porcini mushrooms for that earthy flavour. If using a meat based stock, use a dark meat stock or make a very rich chicken stock. For this one, I used a stock from Elk meat and added a chopped elk ribeye steak to the mix.

1 large onion, thinly sliced
1-2 tbs good olive oil
1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced width-wise
3 medium carrots, cut into thin coins
1 1/2 - 2 cups medium dice sweet potatoes or yam
2 cups cooked chickpeas (Soak dry chick peas over night and cook until al dente in fresh water. If using tinned chick peas, rinse well in cold water to remove tinny taste)
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
2 tbs ras el hanout
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp brown sugar
salt, to taste
4-6+ cups rich stock
Optional: 1 chopped cooked steak or cooked roast meat
Also, use favourite vegetables such as a variety of peppers, cauliflower, parsnips, etc.

Saute onions on medium low heat in a soup pot with the olive oil until caramelized. Add chopped meat and zucchini. Add Ras el Hanout and stir. Add in remaining vegetables, chickpeas and garlic and stir. Pour in broth and bring to a slow boiling simmer. Add brown sugar and salt and let simmer until flavours are well incorporated.

Enjoy on a cool day for extra warming.

By Request - Bitter Gourd Vattichularthiathu - AKA Karela

(photo by 3Quarks Daily article)

Okay, Malayalam is a really difficult language but the food is phenomenal.
Bitter Gourd is also known as Karela. In Ayurvedic medicine, it is held to have blood sugar regulating properties.

1/2 kg bitter gourd
1 tsp chili powder (cayenne)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 cup onion, thin long slices
Salt - to taste
1/2 cup oil

1. Slit open the bitter gourd, remove the seeds and cut into thin round slices.
2. Mix it with chili powder, turmeric and salt.
3. Par cook the bitter gourd slices in 1/2 cup briskly boiling water.
4. Fry the onion pieces in hot oil until crisp and golden brown in colour. Lift out and drain.
5. Add a little more oil if required and fry the bitter gourd. When crisp, lift it out and drain.
6. Mix the onion and bitter gourd together and serve.

Enjoy!

MLCC Assiniboine Conservatory Fundraiser

(Google Images)

Last week I had the pleasure of preparing Nibbles and Noshes for a fundraising event for the Assiniboine Park Conservatory held at the MLCC. It is truly delightful to share recipes and food ideas with an interested group of people and to learn about plants from around the world. The following is what I prepared for that event. I will be involved in other events for the Assiniboine Park Conservatory and will post them here.

Enjoy!

Nibbles and Noshes

1) Mushroom Toasts

2 cups sliced fresh mixed mushrooms
1 head roasted garlic
4-5 Shallots, diced
2 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. Butter
1/3 cup cream
1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper
Crostini (sliced baguettes) or bouchés

Sauté shallots in olive oil until translucent. Add sliced Shitake Mushroooms and sauté on medium high heat until they begin to brown in the butter. Add roasted garlic, smoked paprika and white wine. Let cook down a little. Add cream and season to taste. Spoon onto crostini and toast in oven or into bouchés and serve while hot.

Enjoy!

2) Soba Spoons

1 pkg Buckwheat Soba Noodles
2 tsp good Dijon Mustard
1 tsp grainy mustard
1-2 tsp good soy sauce
1 inch grated fresh ginger
2-3 tbs white vinegar
1/2 tsp white sugar
2 green onions, finely chopped
drizzle sesame oil

Cook Soba noodles in unsalted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain in cold water immediately. Drain completely. Drizzle with sesame oil to prevent sticking and set aside to chill.

In a larger bowl, mix grated ginger, vinegar, mustards, soy sauce, sugar, finely chopped green onions and a drizzle of sesame oil. When ready to serve, gently mix noodles with sauce. With a fork, twirl a bite-sized amount of dressed noodles and place on a Chinese soup spoon. Place spoons on a platter and serve.
Enjoy!

3) Ski Queen medley

Gjetost Goat Cheese
Roasted garlic
Toasted Pine nuts
Chopped cilantro
Baguette slices into crostini size slices or sourdough bread

Roast heads of garlic until fully caramelized. On a platter, place garlic heads or cloves, toasted pine nuts, chopped cilantro and brick or slices of Ski Queen Gjetost goat cheese.

To assemble, spread roasted garlic on bread topped with cheese, pine nuts and cilantro.
Enjoy!



4) Bison Carpaccio
Recipe By: Karen
Serving Size: 10
Preparation Time: 0:20

8 ozs tenderloin frozen
2 cloves garlic minced
1/3 c pomegranate molasses
1/3 c vinegar (shallot, raspberry, etc)
2/3 c extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp truffle oil optional
1/4 tsp truffle salt optional
1 tbsp fig preserve (or pear)

Mix last 7 ingredients together and set aside. Thinly slice tenderloin piece.
You can use bison, elk or beef tenderloin. Arrange slices on a platter and
drizzle vinaigrette over meat. Garnish with fresh berries or green onions.
Serve with baguette slices or water crackers.
Enjoy!
—————
Per serving: 128 Calories; 14g Fat (99% calories from fat); 0g Protein; 0g
Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 0mg Sodium




5) Spanikopita Triangles
Recipe By: Karen
Serving Size: 48
Preparation Time: 2:00

1 pkg filo dough
2 pkgs frozen spinach
1 white onions chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 c mushroom sliced
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp paprika
3 1/2 tbspsolive oil
1 1/2 c feta cheese crumbled
1 egg
pepper to taste
1/3 c butter
Thaw pastry in package. In advance, prepare filling. Sauté onion and garlic
until translucent. Add mushrooms and sauté. Add thawed spinach and
spices. Cook on medium-high heat until some of the water has cooked off.
Add grated feta. Mix in one beaten egg. Remove from heat and cool.
To prepare pastries: Heat oven to 350F. Dampen tea towel. Cut rolled
pastry into four equal parts and lay out on cutting board. Cover with
dampened towel. Melt butter and set aside with pastry brush. Fill pastries in
desired shapes (triangles, pockets, in muffin or cupcake tins, etc). Brush
pastries with melted butter before filo turns papery. Bake until golden, about
15 minutes.
—————
Per serving: 36 Calories; 3g Fat (77% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 1g
Carbohydrate; 10mg Cholesterol; 76mg Sodium

Tonight's Menu

I'm excited about the dinner that I'm serving for a small event tonight. Thank you Ivan from the Pritchard Ave. MLCC for the pairings.



Appetizers
• Fresh Oysters with Mignonette sauce
• Ahi Tuna Udon spoons
• Blue Potato latkes with crème fraiche and golden caviar
• Morel and Porcini mushroom bouchés


Appetizers and Salad Pairings
# 158493 Segura Viudas Brut... a dry sparkler from Spain. Nice fruit and not overly toasty.
# 6799 Emeri Moscato Sparkling..... a slightly sweet sparkler. The moscato grape has a slight orange / mandarin tone to it, which would be a nice compliment to the salad.
# 73783 Erban Spatlese QBA.... a revived German white that we had a few years ago, that got relisted. Slightly sweet with a great nose and round mouth feel.

Salad
• Roasted Golden beet with Spring baby greens and pomegranate vinaigrette

(photo by Desmond)

Surprise
• Pesto escargot

Entrees and Side Dishes Pairings
# 5793 Chocolan Carmenere ...... a merlot on steroids! Big and bold. Loads of dark cherry, spice and some smoke.
# 313825 J. Lohr 7 Oaks Cabernet or # 587956 Trius Cabernet Reserve.... I gave you two because the first may be out of stock. Either is great. Good backbone, smooth tannins and loads of fruit.
# 865634 A-Mano Primativo..... an Italian from the southern area. A direct cousin to the Zinfandel, spicy mid bodied and a bit peasant like. The tannins would be smoothed out by the Osso Bucco.
# 574236 Erdinger Dunkel Wiesbier..... a German porter style wheat beer. Has a sweet aftertaste and body that will compliment the side dishes and highlight the main .


Entree
• Elk Osso Bucco
• Imam Baldi (Turkish eggplant dish)
• Roasted sweet potatoes


(photo by Karen)

Dessert
• Dark Callabaut Creams with Pavlova and Manitoba Strawberry sauce

Dessert Pairings
# D.D. Leobard Iced Strawberry Dessert Wine.... will compliment the berry.
# 4976 Schmitt and Sohne BeerenAuslese..... a close cousin to an icewine. Sweet, creamy and really fruity. A fair bit of honey on the mouth. Will go with anything.

Cheese course
• Bleu des Causses
• Brillat-Savarin
• Cave-aged Gruyere
• Trappist
• Fresh Dates and Green apple slices
• Baguettes

With the cheese plate, you must go with a port. Nothing else will do! I suggest two styles.... # 271585 Bin 27 LBV Port or # 801209 De Bortoli 8 YR. Tawny. The Bin 27, the more traditional, has got great flavour and style and will match the robust cheeses with a sweet nature. The Tawny will be more woody and the " burnt " nature will bring out the texture and flavour of the selections.

Gingerbread Biscotti

(photo by Karen)

Gingerbread Biscotti

2/3 cup butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 tsp Frangelico (or try kirsch, or coffee liquors)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch sea salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Mix butter sugar and molasses until smooth. Add one egg at a time and mix. Add vanilla and liquor and mix until smooth. Combine dry ingredients and mix slowly into the wet ingredients until fully incorporated. Turn out dough onto floured surface and form into a large log. Divide dough into three pieces and flatten out each piece into rectangles onto a cookie sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Take out of oven and cut into biscotti pieces. Turn cookies and bake for 5-7 minutes at 300ºF. When cooled, drizzle melted chocolate or make a simple icing of icing sugar and liquor.

Enjoy!

King Salmon in Phyllo

(quick photo by Karen)

This gorgeous and beautifully marbled salmon filet seems to melt like butter. Normally, I do not buy farm-raised fish. This is an exception in many respects. This may become the first certified organic farm-raised fish. It is available now in January at Gimli Fish on Dufferin Ave. in Winnipeg. The quality of the fish lends itself to many preparations, including being sushi grade.

King Salmon in Phyllo with morel sauce (for 2)

2 King Salmon Filets
2-4 sheets phyllo
1-2 tbs melted butter
10 dried morels (reconstituted)
2-3 shallots, minced
drizzle olive oil
a few drops truffle oil (optional)
1/4 cup cream
1/4 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Sauté shallots in a pan on medium high heat with the olive oil and cook through until translucent and beginning to brown. Add the morels and stir until cooked through. Deglaze the pan with a bit of the white wine. Add the cream and cook until reduces. Add the remaining white wine and reduce. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cool.

Place salmon piece on one or two phyllo sheets. Spoon half of the cooled morel mixture on top. Fold phyllo over the salmon into packets. Place on a baking sheet and brush with butter. Bake at 400ºF for about 15 minutes until brown. Baking time depends on the thickness of the fish.

Enjoy!