Lamb Stuffed Peppers and Easy Chocolate Mousse on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

 This morning on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod, I'll be presenting the following recipes.  Wonderful freshly ground lamb is available to order at Millad's Supermarket on Notre Dame in Winnipeg.  Wonderful tomato paste is available there as well.  Just try the Tat tomato paste.  HUGE difference.

The peppers that I used were two varieties, sweet yellow and red peppers and hot green chilies.  These are available at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market on Saturday and at The Forks Farmer's Market on Sunday from Fertile Farms.  They also have huge fresh fava beans, eggplant, etc.

For the Chocolate Mousse, I used Fair Trade dark chocolate callets and, for a Provençal taste, a floral local honey by Bee Projects, Neighbourhood Honey (Wolseley).  Very creamy honey, available at The Forks Farmer's Market and biweekly at the downtown Hydro Building Farmer's Market.

Lamb Stuffed Sweet and hot peppers

For the peppers and filling:
1 lb ground lamb (I used freshly ground Halal Lamb from Millad’s Supermarket on Notre Dame)
1 red onion, medium dice
2 - 3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbs Turkish Baharat, or preferred seasonings
salt, to taste
olive oil
2 tbs pomegranate molasses (optional, or 1 tbs tamarind)
mixed peppers (I used yellow and red sweet and green hot peppers from Fertile Farms, available on Saturday at St. Norbert’s Farmer’s Market and Sundays at The Forks Farmer’s Market)

Grill peppers with olive oil over the BBQ or under the broiler.  When the skins begin to darken and blister, remove from the grill and let cool.  This makes peeling the peppers easier.
In a saucepan, sauté chopped red onion until translucent.  Add the ground lamb and seasonings and cook on medium heat until the lamb is browned.  Remove from heat and stir in the pomegranate molasses.
Peel and seed the peppers.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a saucepan, heat up for the sauce, 2-3 tbs good tomato paste (Tat, from Millad’s is excellent), 1 cup water, 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp dried or fresh oregano, optional 1/2 cup good red wine.  Pour into baking dish.  Fill peppers with lamb mixture and place on top of the tomato sauce.  Cover baking dish and bake for 30 - 45 minutes.  Serve hot or warm.

Enjoy!

Easy Rich Chocolate Mousse

2 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream
12 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
5 tablespoons honey (I used the floral Neighbourhood Honey of Wolesley by Bee Projects, available on Sunday at The Forks Farmer’s Market)

Stir 3/4 cup cream, chocolate and honey in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Cool, stirring occasionally.
In large bowl, beat 1 1/4 cups cream until soft peaks form. Fold cream into chocolate mixture in 2 additions. Divide mousse among eight 3/4-cup ramekins. Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours.
Whip remaining 1/2 cup cream to firm peaks. Spoon a dollop of cream in center of each mousse.

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!