Easy Vietnamese Lemongrass Cornish Game Hen (but you can also use Chicken)

 A Cornish Game Hen seems to be just the right size for two.  It takes less time to cook, and, in the sharing, adds a romance to the meal.

This Lemongrass marinade can be used on chicken, parts or whole.  The ingredients are readily available, and, if you have people that don't like cilantro, there is none in this recipe.

Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken

1 Cornish Game Hen (Or chicken)

1/4 cup lime juice

3 tbs fish sauce

pepper, to tastes

2 tbs brown sugar

2 tbs canola oil (I admit to using olive oil)

1 tbs soy sauce

4+ cloves garlic

2+ stalks white parts of the lemongrass, chopped (I used frozen, chopped lemongrass)

1 shallot, or half of a red onion

Blend all of the marinade ingredients and let the hen marinade for a few hours, in a non-reactive container.

Grill, or sauté hen, on medium heat, turning to brown on both sides, until tender throughout.

Serve with salad, and a wedge of lime, to squeeze over the hen at the plate.

Enjoy!

Light Rye Bread, not to be taken lightly

 A similar recipe has been posted to my refrigerator for years.  Finally, I've made it, loved it, and made it again.  This is adapted from the Robin Hood recipe, for the flour ratios. 

Light Rye Bread

 

 4 tbs honey

1 tsp sugar

2 1/2 cups warm water (test on inside of wrist)

5 tsp dry yeast (I used Instant yeast)

1 tbs salt

2 tbs oil

6 - 8 cups flour (1:1 ratio of white to dark rye flour)

4 (ish) tbs cornmeal (optional, for baking sheet)

Glaze (optional)

2/3 cup cold water

1 tsp cornstarch

Dissolve honey and sugar in the warm water in the mixing bowl.  Sprinkle yeast on top and let stand for 10 minutes.  Mix in salt and oil and slowly add the flours, mixed together, in the mixer with the dough hook.  Knead on low spead until the dough is soft, leaves the sides of the bowl, and is not sticky.  

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter or board, and knead a few minutes longer.  Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover.  Let rise in a warm place until doubled. 

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. (200ºC)

 Punch the dough down and turn out the dough.  Cut into two equal pieces and form loaves, tightly, so as to not have large air pockets or spring apart.  Place loaves onto the cornmeal on a baking sheet, cover, and let rise until doubled.   Make slashes into the loaves and let rest for a few minutes. Glaze, if wanted.

The Glaze:  Combine the water and cornstarch in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil, whisking and let cool.  Brush the entire surface of the loaves with glaze just prior to baking.

Bake at 400ºF  (200ºC) for 25 minutes or longer.  Test bread by knocking on the bottom of the loaf.  If there is a hollow sound, the bread is ready.  If not, bake for a longer time. Cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Duck, Duck, Duck

 Last weekend was Canadian Thanksgiving.  As we are all having smaller gatherings in the time of Covid -19, I prepared a duck instead of the traditional turkey dinner.  I did make Bubbat though, as a part of tradition.

I will definitely do this again!  Just perfect!

Brined Duck three ways

1. Brine, breast, and sauce.

  I made Oolong tea and cherry juice in a large container, salt, sugar, with thyme, savoury, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, and bay leaves. And ice and water to cool down. You can use the smokier Lapsang Souchon tea, and the tannin will cut the fattiness of the duck.

Then I added the duck that I had cut the neck and spine out of, and scored the meat. I let that chill for a day.

Then, pat it dry and I pieced it. I slow roasted the drumsticks and I seared the breasts in olive oil, on both sides until firm. I removed them from the pan to rest and added the fat to the drumsticks.

In the wiped out pan, I sautéed a sliced shallot in olive oil, and added cherry preserves, Dijon mustard, port and a little red wine,rosemary, and butter. Salt and pepper.

Sliced the breasts on a bias and it was awesome!

2. Legs/drumsticks

In a 250ºF oven, I placed the brined duck drumsticks in a casserole dish, with rosemary, thyme, and a little olive oil.  I roasted these until the meat started to come off of the bone.  I let it cool and rest.  This can be enjoyed with lentils as a cassolet,  with duck stock in risotto, polenta, wonton soup, etc.

3. Duck Stock

Roast remaining duck bones with good tomato paste until browned.  Place in a large stock pot with onion, carrots, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper, star anise, and carrots.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Simmer for several hours, all day.  Let cool and strain.  Enjoy with polenta, risotto, wonton soup, etc.

Happy Celebrations!  Enjoy! 

Pasta alla Nerano - Magical Zucchini pasta that is creamy without cream

 

This amazing pasta dish is creamy, without cream, and so satisfying.  I used garlic and zucchini, from Heart Acres Farm CSA.  I used a good amount of Pecorino and Parmesan Regianno cheeses.

Pasta alla Nerano

1-2 zucchini, sliced in rounds

1 -2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 cup, or a good amount, of grated Percorino and Parmesan cheeses

Olive Oil, for sautéeing

salt, and white pepper, to tastes

Spaghetti, and some pasta water

Have your ingredients prepared and ready for the complete dish, aka, mise en place.  

Sauté garlic in olive oil until it starts to turn golden.  Place garlic and olive oil in a small blender container.

Sauté zucchini slices until they turn light brown on both sides.  Set aside and place 1/3 or sautéed zucchini into the blender container.

Cook pasta and reserve up to one cup of pasta water.  Drain pasta from the cooking pot but keep water hot in the pot, and set aside.  Blend the zucchini with 1/4 cup pasta water, salt, and white pepper.  Add pasta to the hot pan with a little olive oil and add the blended zucchini.  Put the remaining cooked zucchini in the pasta water and cook for a few seconds before draining and adding back to the pasta pan.  Add the grated cheese and cook down until creamy.  Add pasta water as needed.  

Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Turkish Treats: Fresh beans, marinated chicken, and rice pilaf

 Today is a day for Turkish Delights.  These dishes are so easy to prepare, when you simply get prepped.

Fresh green and yellow beans are in season now, and plentiful.  These are available from Fairlane Farm, on Saturdays at the Bronx Farmers Market.

Turkish Green Beans (Zeytinyağlı Taze Fasulye)

1 pound of fresh green beans or
1 pack of frozen green beans (either French style or Italian cut)
1 big onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, sliced or chopped
2 big fresh tomatoes, finely chopped, grated, or blended or 1 can of petite diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup hot water
salt

optional
1/8 tsp ground cumin
pepper/ crushed pepper
1 tbsp tomato paste

If you prefer beans with a bit of crunch and are not mushy, try parboiling the beans for 1-2 minutes in salted boiling water, drain and cook as follows but reduce cooking time.

-If you're using fresh green beans clean and trim them to 1 to 1 1/2 inch pieces.
-Heat the olive oil in a pan and cook the chopped onions and garlic until lightly brown.
-If you want to use tomato paste add it at this point and stir for a min.
-Add the beans and stir them until they slightly change color (app. 6-8 mins).
-Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 mins and then add sugar (cumin and pepper), water, and salt. -Cover the pan and cook with low heat until the beans are soft (30 mins with frozen beans - 45 mins with fresh ones).
I cook it for far less time as I don’t like very soft beans.

This is traditionally served cold, but it's good when it's warm too.

Enjoy! 

 

Rice Pilaf

2 cups Basmati Rice
scant 4 cups water
1 onion, thinly sliced, or shallots
pinch saffron
olive oil
salt
1/4 cup each of chopped nuts or pumpkin seeds, dried fruit, (such as barberry, currants, raisins, Afghani Tut, or chopped apricots)
A heavy bottomed pot

Heat the oil on medium high heat and add the saffron, to let it bloom in the oil.  Add the onion or shallots and sauté until brown,  Add the rice and coat with the oil.  Add salt, nuts and fruit. 

Turn the element on high and add the water.  Bring to a boil, stirring.  Cover, and set to medium low for 20 minutes.

Grilled Turkish Chicken (Serves 2-4 people)

4 Boneless skinless chicken thighs
2 tbs Turkish Baharat*
3-4 shallots, grated or one small onion grated
2 tsp lime juice
1/4 cup good olive oil
1/4 tsp paprika (can used smoked)
pinch salt and pepper

Combine Turkish Baharat, grated shallots, lime juice, olive oil, paprika and salt and pepper in a bowl. Place chicken thighs in the bowl and cover completely with the marinade. Place in fridge and let marinate for 6 hours. Grill 4 minutes a side on a very hot BBQ grill.

Optional:  Marinate a large amount of chicken pieces, skinned thighs and drumsticks, for example, and roast or grill.

Easy Steak Fajitas, local and lovely

In Manitoba, we produce such excellent beef, chicken, vegetables, etc.  I love to encourage people to get to know their producers and farmers, and fish mongers.  They want you to also have a great experience and an excellent product.

I used Sirloin Steak for this dish, but you can use many other different cuts of beef.  I purchased the steak from Fairlane Farms at the Bronx Park Farmers Market.  It was frozen, of course, so I put one steak on a metal baking sheet.  It thawed quickly.  The marinade is a quick marinade, so this can be made the same day.

Sirloin Steak Fajitas 

1 sirloin steak

1 tsp chili powder ( I didn't have any, so I used Ethiopian Berbere chilies, and added cumin and cinnamon)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
olive oil, to make a paste

Mix the spices, garlic, and oil together.  In a bowl, coat the steak well, on all sides.  Let sit for at least 30 minutes.

In the meantime, prepare the rest of your dish.

1 red pepper, cored and sliced
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
drizzle oil
salt, to tastes
1/4 tsp + each of smoked paprika and ground dried chipotle
splash of Vermouth, to deglaze

Slowly cook the sliced onions in a medium heat in a saucepan with a drizzle of olive oil.  When they begin to get quite browned, add the sliced peppers and seasonings and turn up the heat to medium high.  When the peppers are slightly softer, deglaze pan with optional Vermouth.  Set aside for the assembly.

Heat pan or grill to medium heat, and cook steak, to rare to medium rare at most.  Let the meat rest.  The gorgeous steak that we used was 2" thick, so judge cooking time accordingly.  After the meat has rested, slice thinly, on the bias, to maximize tenderness.

Enjoy with warmed tortillas, onions and pepper mixture, cheese, avocado, sour cream, salsa,

etc. 

Bihon Pancit - an easy and versatile Gluten Free noodle dish from the Philippines

This dish from the Philippines is filling, addictive, versatile, and so easy to prepare.  You can make it vegetarian, with seafood, with chicken, etc.  The gluten-free rice noodles soak up the flavour and sauce.

Bihon Pancit
Chicken breast, bite sized pieces, chicken thighs, fish, shrimp, pickerel cheeks are wonderful (all optional)
1-2 tbs oil

1 onion, finely chopped
2-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
chopped vegetables (I used zucchini, carrot, spinach but chopped cabbage, beans or peas are common) (all optional)
1 bunch green onions, chopped into bite sized pieces
2-6 cups chicken stock, vegetable stock, or water
 2-8 tbs dark soy sauce
4 tbs oyster sauce
1 tsp sugar
8-16 oz rice noodles

If using chicken, brown the chicken and set aside.  Add the onion and garlic to the pan and sauté for a few minutes.  Return the chicken meat to the pan or wok and cook together for a few minutes and season with salt and pepper.   Add the chopped vegetables and sauté until starting to become tender.  Add the stock, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sugar.  Bring to a simmer and add other optional ingredients, such as pickerel cheeks or great New Brunswick Shrimp, both available at Gimli Fish.  Simmer on medium heat and add in the rice noodles.  Stir gently until all or almost all of the liquid has been absorbed.  Add water or more stock, if more liquid is needed.

Serve immediately or warmed later, with a squeeze of lime juice.

Enjoy!

Rice Pilaf - by request

Pilaf, pilau, rice.  There are so many ways to prepare rice.  In Korea, they cook and dry crispy bits at the bottom of the rice pot, to use for a kind of toasted congee for breakfast.  Turkey, has long held a tradition of excellent pilafs, using dried fruit and nuts, tomatoes, saffron, etc.  Iranian rice is exceptional with a crust, to enjoy.  The following, are some basics. 

Basmati Rice with dried orange and saffron

Basmati Rice with shallots, saffron, pumpkin seeds, and dried lemon

Rice Pilaf

2 cups Basmati Rice
scant 4 cups water
1 onion, thinly sliced, or shallots
pinch saffron
olive oil
salt
1/4 cup each of chopped nuts or pumpkin seeds, dried fruit, (such as barberry, currants, raisins, Afghani Tut, or chopped apricots)
A heavy bottomed pot

Heat the oil on medium high heat and add the saffron, to let it bloom in the oil.  Add the onion or shallots and sauté until brown,  Add the rice and coat with the oil.  Add salt, nuts and fruit. 

Turn the element on high and add the water.  Bring to a boil, stirring.  Cover, and set to medium low for 20 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Matcha Amaretti Cookies

My friend gave me some lovely Matcha tea powder and I thought that I'd try my hand at Matcha Amaretti cookies.  They look beautiful and are surprisingly easy to prepare.

Matcha Amaretti Cookies
2 1/4 cups almond flour
1 cup sugar
1 tbs matcha powdered tea
pinch salt
2 egg whites, soft peak (Nature's Farm eggs are fantastic!)
1/4 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp almond extract, or liqueur
icing sugar, to roll cookies in

Preheat oven to 300ºF.  Take two baking sheets, stacked, and place parchment paper or a Silpat on the top baking sheet.

Whip egg white and lemon juice to a soft peak.

Add to dry ingredients and mix well, until a sticky mess. 

Dust hands with a bit of the icing sugar and portion dough into 1"balls.  Roll cookies in the icing sugar and place on the baking sheet.  They can be placed closely together as the cookies do not spread.

Bake for 25 + minutes, or until set and crackled on top.  Remove from the oven and let cool. Remove from the pan and let cool further on a rack. 

The cookies will firm up further and are good for at least a week and then need refrigeration.

Enjoy!

Tuscan Soup with Farmers Sausage

This soup has become a household favourite lately.  Tuscan bean soup is a bowl full of comfort.  The beans make it rich and creamy, without cream, and the Tuscan flavours of sage really deliver the warmth.

Enjoy!

Tuscan Bean Soup with Farmers Sausage

1 medium - large onion, thinly sliced
3-5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 package farmers sausage, sliced (can use wonderful Italian sausages with fennel, for example, but this was on hand)
2-6 cups cooked beans (yes, that much variation because it is up to you what you like.  I used pinto beans, from dry, that I quickly cooked in the Instant Pot)
2-6 cups tinned chopped tomatoes (Because it is Spring and good fresh tomatoes are impossible)
3 red peppers (yellow, orange, also good, but green would change the flavour)
2-4 tbs chopped fresh sage, or crumbled dry.  (Beans can take a lot of flavour added)
1 tbs dried chilies (more or less, it is your soup)
Salt and pepper, to tastes.  Beans need salt
water, as needed
olive oil, to start sautéeing

In a large pot, sauté the onions and garlic.  Add the sliced farmers sausage and cook until mostly cooked through. Add the peppers and cook for 5+ minutes before adding the tomatoes and seasoning.  Simmer until the beans are well incorporated and breaking down.  Check seasonings and enjoy!  Lovely with bread.

Halal roasted lamb shank rubbed with Ras el Hanout and orange marmalade for Easter Dinner

Wonderful fresh lamb shank available now at the new location of Millad's Supermarket, located at 396 Notre Dame in Winnipeg.  This was so simple to prepare, with fantastic results!

1 lamb shank, enough for 4 people
2 tbs Ras el Hanout
2 tbs Orange Marmalade
good drizzle olive oil
1 tsp salt

Roast on a bed of veggies (here I have leeks, onion, carrots, red peppers) with water.

Mix the spices, marmalade, olive oil, and salt together and rub mixture over the lamb shank.  Let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours.  Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Place veggies in the bottom of roasting dish and the lamb on top, as pictured.  Roast for 20-25 minutes/lb, or, until the meat comes easily off of the bone.  Let the meat rest, and carve and serve.

Enjoy!

I served the lamb with the vegetables, puréed with cream, as a sauce, with pilaf and fiddleheads.

St. Norberts Online Farmers Market

Spice Blends now available at the St. Norberts Online Farmers Market!

 https://www.localline.ca/le-marche-st-norbert-farmers-market-coop

I will be offering my spice blends at the St. Norberts online Farmers Market.  You can order and pick up this Saturday at the market.  It is open from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM, with the first hour for seniors and additional needs.

Thank you for your support!  Please support local.  No food without farmers!

Tuscan Stew with Roasted Chicken

This is a rich stew, that is simple to prepare, with great flavours.  Perfect winter comfort.

Tuscan Stew with Roasted Chicken

6-10 chicken legs, back on, skinned
4-6 cloves garlic
2 tsp dried sage, or 2 tbs chopped fresh sage
1 tsp dried thyme
salt, to tastes
1 tsp pepper
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil

1-2 onions, sliced
olive oil, for sautéing 
4-8 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
2 tsp dried sage, or 2 tbs chopped fresh sage
2 large tins chopped tomatoes (because Winter tomatoes)
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tbs good tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock or water
1/2 cup white wine or vermouth
4-8 cups cooked white navy beans, (or try heritage beans from Berard Farms from the St. Norberts Farmers Market)
4-8 potatoes, cubed
4-8 carrots, in coins
salt, to tastes (a fair amount, as potatoes and beans need salt)

For the chicken; purée garlic, spices, salt and pepper, oil, and water and cover all of the chicken.  Easiest to do with gloves and a large bowl.  Set aside in the fridge to marinate.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

For the stew; Sauté the onions until translucent, and then add the garlic.  Add tomatoes and herbs and spices.  Let simmer for a while and add remaining ingredients.

Transfer the stew to a large roasting pan.  Place the chicken on top, submerging slightly. Roast, open, for at least 1 hour, or until the chicken is tender.

Enjoy, with toasted Focaccia.  Try crispy fried sage leaves, to garnish.

Pickerel Piccata, Oven Fries with Feta, Chicken burgers, and more.

Weekday meals that are actually relatively simple to prepare, if you have a few essentials on hand.  Winter pickerel, from Gimli Fish, is my favourite.  It is slightly pink and has a wonderful sweet taste. I will be referring to the fish as the local name, Pickerel, but it is also known as Walleye.

1. Lemony Pickerel Piccata

2-4 Pickerel Fillets, strip of bones cut out (Save for fish stock)
1/2 cup Panko crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Salt, pepper, and thyme for the crumbs
1 egg beaten into 1/2 cup milk or buttermilk
olive oil or butter, for frying the fish

2 tbs butter
drizzle olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
1/4 tsp dried thyme
juice of one lemon
1/2 cup cream
2 tbs cream with 1/2 tsp corn starch (to thicken the sauce and prevent splitting)
salt and pepper, to taste

For the Sauce; in a small saucepan, heat up butter and oil.  Add shallots and cook, until tender, on medium heat.  Add garlic, then creams.  Add lemon juice and seasonings.  Bring to a slow simmer and remove from heat until just prior to serving.

For the fish;  in one dish, beat an egg into the buttermilk. Place crumbs, Parmesan, and seasonings in another dish.  Soak the fish in the milk mixture and then coat with the crumbs.  Heat the butter in a pan and cook fish for a couple of minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fish.

Serve immediately with sauce.  Enjoy!  Pictured here with Oven baked fries with feta, and Korean Zucchini.

2. Korean Zucchini (simple!!!)

1 zucchini, sliced
drizzle sesame oil
1/2 tsp fish sauce
sesame seeds

Sauté zucchini slices in sesame oil over medium high heat.  Near the end of cooking, add the fish sauce.  Serve with sesame seeds on top.

Enjoy!

3. Oven Fries with Feta (by Ottolenghi)

3-5 medium potatoes, cut as thick cut fries.
1/4 cup + crumbled feta cheese
3-5 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
oil, to coat potatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 450ºF.  Parboil potatoes for 7-8 minutes and let drain well for 5 minutes.  Coat potatoes with oil, a good sprinkle of salt, and spread out onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 40 - 45 minutes.

5 minutes prior to finishing roasting the potatoes, cook garlic slices in olive oil until brown and drizzle over the potatoes.  Return potatoes to finish roasting  Toss with feta cheese and oregano.

Serve immediately.  Enjoy!

4. Duq'qah Chicken Burgers

1 pkg (~450 grams) ground chicken
1 egg
1 tbs + Duq'qah
1/2 tsp salt

Mix ingredients together and form into 4 patties.  I made oval shaped patties, to go with the flatbread.

In a hot pan with a bit of oil, cook chicken burgers on both sides, about 3-4 minutes each.  Remove from heat and let rest. 

I served these on flatbread made from my Turkish pizza dough, that I often have on hand, baked with asparagus spears, sautéed mushrooms and onions, and yoghurt tahini sauce.

Enjoy!

Easy elegance - Moroccan roast chicken and Korean Zucchini

Roast chicken is not a usual Tuesday dish, but it is so easy, why not?  It matched perfectly with the also easy side dishes of Korean zucchini and roasted sweet potatoes.  Blood Oranges are in season right now, so it added a wonderful colour and flavour to the dish.  Chicken stock is now simmering from the

Moroccan Roast Chicken

1 whole chicken
Dijon Mustard
Ras el Hanout
1 onion, sliced
1 yellow or red pepper, chopped
5-10 cloves garlic
1-2 sliced blood oranges (other oranges will do)
salt
olive oil
water

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  You will roast the chicken for at least 20 minutes/lb.

Clean the chicken of any bands, plastic, or gizzards.  The neck can be used in the roasting pan and for stock. 

Coat the chicken with a thin layer of Dijon mustard and then the Ras el Hanout (available through me or at D. A. Niels, Pollock's Hardware Coop, and Old Church Bakery).  Fill with garlic cloves, whole or chopped.  Season with salt and let chill in the refrigerator until needed.

In the roasting pan, place the sliced onions, some garlic cloves, and chopped pepper.  Place the chicken on top and arrange the blood orange slices around. Pour 1 + cup water into the roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil.  Roast for at least 20 minutes/lb, or until the drumstick moves freely and the juices are clear.

Let the roast rest for 10 minutes prior to cutting.  Enjoy with sides of roasted sweet potato and Korean zucchini.

Korean Zucchini

1 zucchini, sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, sliced
sesame oil
splashes of fish sauce
Mirin
drizzle of soy sauce

In a medium sauce pan, heat up a drizzle of sesame oil and start cooking the garlic and then the zucchini slices.  Stir and near the end of cooking, add the remaining ingredients. 

Enjoy!