Market days still ahead.

Production day today, making Roasted Butternut Squash Mostarda with Cranberries, Apricots and Okanagan Cherries, Onion Jam, Mango Salsa and bread.  See you at the Downtown Hydro Building Farmer's Market on Thursday and the St. Norbert's Farmer's Market on Saturday.

Smoking Teriyaki Rabbit on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

This morning I presented the following recipe for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.  I had been noticing a number of posts on Facebook, inquiring as to where to find rabbits to eat.  Zinn Farms is one place, at the St. Norbert's Farmer's Market.  This recipe also uses tea from Daniel Song from Tea-Story.  I used the Lapsang Souchon tea, but Pu-er tea can also be used for its smoky quality.

Smoking Teriyaki Rabbit

1 cup Lapsong Suchon tea **– steep strongly
1 drizzle sesame oil
1 heaping tsp. Ground ginger
1 drizzle chili oil
1/4 cup Mirin (Japanese cooking wine)
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 tbs. Sugar or honey
1/8 tsp. Ground white pepper

1 Rabbit, pieced (Rabbit available at Zinn Farms at St. Norbert’s Farmer’s Market, Deluca’s and some major grocery stores)

Marinate rabbit in Tea/Teriyaki marinade for several hours, or overnight.  Preheat BBQ grill to medium high heat.  Grill, turning, until the rabbit meat comes off of the bones.  Brush with marinade while grilling.

Enjoy!

A rare evening of entertaining. A Labour Day traditional BBQ?

Last night I had the pleasure of having some lovely friends for dinner.  Great wine, good beer and wonderful celebration foods to share over lively conversations.  Perfect!

1. Appetizers:
Georgian Eggplant
Pesto Escargot
Tuna Tataki

2.  Mains
BBQ'd French Fries 
Roasted purple potatoes
Ras el Hanout Pomegranate grilled chicken
Lamb Shashlik

3.  Dessert.
Didn't make it that far.  :)

BBQ French Fries

2-4 potatoes, washed and then cut into thin fries, skin-on
Olive oil, to coat


Cut the potatoes into fries and soak for a while in very cold water.  When ready, drain and dry the potato pieces and toss with olive oil. 

On a hot BBQ grill, covered with a Cookina BBQ sheet, spread out the potatoes and cook, stirring, until potatoes are crisp and brown.  Remove from heat and toss with seasoning.  Serve immediately.

Farmer's Market Chowder on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

This morning, I presented the following recipe for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.  This was made all with items that I have from this week's farmer's markets and my CSA, Farm Share, Including the chicken stock.

Farmer’s Market Chowder

This can be prepared as a vegetarian option by omitting the bacon and using vegetable stock.

4 ears corn
1 lb tomatillos, husked (Binkley Farms - Sundays at The Forks Farmer's Market)
3-5 potatoes, cubed (God's Acres - Thursdays at the Downtown Farmer's Market)
1 leek, sliced
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup chopped slab bacon (Zinn Farms for Berkshire or Wildfire Farms for Beef Bacon!)
1 red pepper
1 Summer Squash, cubed skin on.
and/or 1 lb patty pan squash or zucchini, sliced or cubed
4 cups stock (vegetarian, chicken, etc)
1-2 roasted jalapeños
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
500 ml whipping cream (for heart healthy recipes, try one tin fat free milk)
salt, to taste

Roast or broil corn, jalapeños, and tomatillos for a few minutes per side.   When cooled, cut corn off of cobs. One method is to place cob upright in the middle of a Bundt pan and cut around. Sauté leek with bacon pieces until leek becomes translucent. Add tomatillos and soup stock.  Cook and purée, using an immersion blender, or leave chunky.  Add corn,  potatoes, red pepper and zucchini/and/or squash and combine. Add spices and bring to a boil. Simmer and cream. Season as needed.  Serve hot.

Enjoy!

To make chicken stock, keep the bones and neck of the chicken and put it it in a stock pot with a few cut up carrots, celery with leaves, 2-3 star anise, cut onions with skin on, 1 tbs peppercorns, 1 + tbs salt, water to cover, thyme, etc.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 3-8 hours.  Let cool and strain.  If you haven't strained the stock through a cloth, chill and remove fat before portioning to freeze or use.
Please note, using vegetable trimmings if you save them for stock but not Brassica, or cabbage family trimmings.  Those will leave a bitter, gassy flavour.