My Hornby Island Kitchen

The Prettiest Food Ever

2012-01-18T07:30:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the art of haute cuisine bugs me. I let all of the world's food issues block the enjoyment of a painterly dish. We can't change all the world's problems. We do what we can. We try to live consciously. .... so why not just enjoy the beauty .... This has to be the prettiest food I've ever seen - even in Japan - and the Japanese are the emperors of beautiful food....

Orange Peel Heaven

2012-01-08T14:20:00.000-08:00

jar of powdered peel & some freshly grated tangerine peel

This year, instead of expanding my horizons, I'd like to find better and more interesting ways to use the ingredients I already know and love. One of the things I'm going to do is save my orange peels.

If I'm paying a whopping premium to get the organic, non-waxed, non-sprayed, individually coddled, hand-picked and lovingly packed oranges - I'm going to be eating ALL of that orange! This means actively using the peel. Apart from making candied peel, there is also a new (to me) use for this wonder of nature: dried and powdered peel.

I save my orange peels and tuck them under the wood stove to dry out in a large flat platter. Once they're crunchy I put them in the coffee grinder (a really well-cleaned one) and grind them to a fine powder. The powdered peel is said to store almost forever and have a whack of powerful properties. Seems a little orange peel in your tea pot (green, black, or roiboos tea) is not only flavourful but can also lower your cholesterol. It can also be used to stimulate a waning appetite, say after that sledgehammer flu that went around here over Christmas. Other more obvious uses would be to put a little powdered orange peel in with baking, with sugar for dessert topping, or used in a rub for poultry.

Also, the colour orange has always created an atmosphere of positively charged, forward moving energy for me. I love eating oranges, I love looking at oranges, and I love how both the colour and the fruit make me feel. There's going to be a whole lot 'o orange in my year to come.

Seville orange season is coming up. So in addition to the marmalade, consider putting a little peel aside for grinding into magic orange dust!

Traditional Tortiere and Christmas Cake

2011-12-07T07:59:00.001-08:00

Tis the time of year for reposting the Christmas staples. This is a time honoured recipe I have enjoyed every year of my life, except perhaps my toddler years. Tortiere is traditionally eaten on Christmas eve, after midnight mass ... right before bed. No wonder no one sleeps... And who wants to!

Christmas cake, on the other hand, may be eaten at any time of the season, day or night. I make mine in February when I'm organized and September if I'm less organized. A few months is really all it needs to soak in the Brandy and turn into spongy yumminess. Merry Christmas!

Extra Deluxe Rice Crispy Squares

2011-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

It's November. Dark when you get up; dark when you have supper. In fact, it's dark most of the time in between too. So having an extra special treat once in a while is really the only reasonable survival suggestion accessible to everyone throughout this season-with-no-light.

I was introduced to Rice Crispy squares in my adulthood. This year is the first time I've ever made them. Too bad they're the easiest sweet possible to make on the stove.

Yeah - 1/4c butter, 1tsp vanilla, one bag of marshmallows, 6c Rice Crispys. Melt the butter, toss in the marshmallows, stir until melted, add vanilla, add the Crispys, stir until fully mixed with the marshmallows, turn out into shallow baking dish and let solidify. That's it. But my version makes this horribly seductive snack almost acceptable to eat.

Same basic recipe but add only 2c of Rice Crispys and replace the rest with chopped almonds, dried apricots, cranberries, currants, chopped walnuts and toasted sunflower seeds. Serving suggestions: cut yourself one giant square, eat with a hot cup of coffee (with whole cream and sugar too, if you like), sitting in your favourite chair, reading a new book - kindle or paper, you choose. Let the Season of Indulgences begin.

Pear Sorbet

2011-10-02T16:31:00.000-07:00

Pears from Susan's tree

There is more fruit on one fruiting tree than any one household could reasonable eat before it all goes bad. Pears are a particularly sensitive fruit this way because they seem to ripen all at once within an hour of each other. One minute they are too hard to pick, next they are on their way to going bad. So if you have a pear tree loaded with fruit - you are on high alert and called to action at a moment's notice!

This basket full came to us from a woman on island who has multiple fruit trees and many other fall ripening vegetables. It's a season of plenty all right. Plenty of planning, canning, drying, chopping and giving away the bounty.

What to do with so many pears that will not live to see the end of the week? Cut 'em up, chuck 'em in the freezer! And then what? I like pears, but I don't love them. What would we actually do with bags full of them?

This is a recipe from Jamie Oliver's cook book Jamie's Italy (p. 276).

3/4 c sugar
1c water
2 1/2lb soft pears (peeled, chopped)
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4c grappa (or to taste) (We used Chartreuse because we didn't have grappa)

Pale gold yumminess - right out of the freezer

Dissolve the sugar in the water, bring to boil. Then reduce heat, simmer for 3 minutes. Add pears to this, simmer for 5 minutes then remove from heat. Add lemon juice. Cool this mix a little and then puree in a food processor or blender (like we did). Sieve the mix (to remove bits of peel or core) into the serving dish you want use. Stir in lemon zest and alcohol to taste. Careful not to add too much alcohol or the sorbet won't freeze. Whisk the sorbet every half hour until it stiffens up to an icy consistency. A sorbet consistency in fact. Serve with a biscuit, garnish with a sprig of mint - or a pear leaf if you have them.

I have not traditionally been a fan of pears, but I have to say - this is the best sorbet I have ever eaten. Ever. The flavour is completely unexpected; a combination of clear pear flavour but then the blending with citrus and a little alcholol edge take it up to a level that puts it safely in my top shelf of favourite recipes.

Fresh Herb Salt

2011-07-21T20:15:00.000-07:00

Last summer I collected sea salt from sandstone ledges not far from my home. Puddles form in high tide, the tide recedes, salt soaks into the rocks and is dried to a crust in repeated cycles of pooling and evaporation. It's a fairly rough salt, filled with little sea shells, bits of kelp and other low tide ocean goodies. I had been using this salt primarily for stocks, then I had a better idea.
I decided to put my Hornby salt into gourmet service. With my Braun hand mixer at the ready I loaded the mixing cup with one large clove of garlic, 2 small sprigs of rosemary and 6 small sage leaves. A bit of whirring, mixing and tossing gave me a nice little lump of wet herb salt that packs an incredible punch. We'll just see if I don't fully harden every artery in my body because of this most delicious home-grown, home harvested delicacy. Tonight I made olive bread with this salt and the very idea of using salt that I harvested in home baked bread will make this loaf particularly artisanal - and worth having with wine ... as a meal by itself....

Blue Cheese 'n Tortellini

2011-07-21T20:00:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I revisit the urge to talk about great leftover meals. This is one of those urges. Leftover barbecue salmon, 6-minute Parmesan stuffed tortellini, crushed blue cheese chunks, yellow and red peppers, a little arugula, rapini tops in flower and fresh yellow cherry tomatoes. Yummo.

Cook tortellini, just before it's finished, add the peppers to soften, wilt arugula in the water seconds before straining the pasta. Add in crumbled blue cheese, warmed salmon bits. Top with fresh rapini flowering tops and fresh tomatoes. Crushed pepper, a little olive oil to taste - and the final topper: freshly made herb salt.

Quinoa - NASA Approves

2011-05-26T19:38:00.000-07:00

I recently read that quinoa was made known outside of Bolivian borders by NASA. Seems when they were looking for the perfect food stuff for space missions,quinoa made the cut. Because of the grain's current popularity, the population of Bolivia is increasingly unable to afford eating the very grain they've cultivated for centuries. Why? We're eating it. Quinoa has become a large export grain putting it out of reach of the average Bolivian.

It seems strange that we pay so little for this grain and yet Bolivians can't afford to buy it at all. Something's not right. Where can we buy Fair Trade grains?

Despite the rocky politics with this (and so many other) food stuff, I still love - and will still eat it. So many ways to enjoy quinoa and this is just one of them: two cups of quinoa, one yellow pepper, one large Spanish onion, 1/3 cup each of chopped pistachios, sunflower seeds and slivered almonds. You have to soak quinoa and rinse it well or else you'll have a bitter tasting grain. While you soak - pan brown the nuts, put aside. Brown the diced onion in a little butter, add the diced yellow pepper and cook until just a little soft. Then once you've cooked the quinoa, toss all ingredients together. It's a very simple savoury salad.

And - it keeps. Two days later I added a handful of chopped herbs (mint, oregano, garlic scapes, sage, parsley) with a little olive oil and course salt. I will now enjoy this grain with full awareness that I'm lucky to have it.

New Nettle Soup

2011-03-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

An annual ritual for many here on Hornby is picking the precious herb Urtica dioica, otherwise known as stinging nettle. This is an ornery herb to love, but love it I do. Besides, most of my favourite people are also a little prickly.

Picking them doesn't differ greatly from picking blackberries. You come out with injuries but it's a small price to pay. I harvested these nettles from a large open field up the mountain from where I live. A whole field full of free vegetables! Yippee!

New Nettle Soup
2L chicken stock
1c quinoa
1c wild rice
1/2 c dried pine mushrooms
(shitake mushrooms would also be great)
1/3c pine nuts
2 cloves garlic
1/8c butter
1lb fresh nettles

Soak mushrooms in just enough water to cover them. When soft, remove the mushrooms from water and chop into 1/2" pieces. Keep the water. Rinse the quinoa and rice then combine in soup pot with 2L chicken stock. Bring to the point of boiling, then reduce heat and steam grains until done. In a separate pan, melt butter, saute garlic, mushrooms. Brown just a little then deglaze the pan with the mushroom water. Add mushrooms to stock and grains.

In just enough water to cover the fresh nettles, puree the nettles in a blender. Add the puree to the stock mixture, simmer for at least an hour. I didn't add cream to this batch, but that is an option. Season to taste with fresh pepper and sea salt... and feel the rejuvenating effects as you enjoy!

Best Olive Oil in the World Alert

2011-02-09T20:05:00.000-08:00

I've written about this olive oil before, but it is now February and the newest shipment of Amelia Oil is on its way to Vancouver. This olive oil is the best, freshest olive oil available - as far as I know - on the West coast. It tastes like nothing else on the shelves.

Read about the oil, its origins and most importantly - how you can get some through the link above. The mother-daughter import team also bring in an herbed salt that is one of the items I like to give to people as a stocking stuffer.... I stock up this time of year.

Supreme Seafood Soup

2011-02-05T16:57:00.000-08:00

All local seafood in a locally made bowl - by yours truly

We have a great tradition of cooking for new moms and their families here on Hornby. When a new baby is born, we cooking-ones schedule ourselves in an orderly fashion to supply the new family with a complete meal - cooked, delivered and served.

It was my turn Friday and I decided to make a seafood soup for this family of seaside dwelling divers and their new baby girl. (Baby participated via her mom).

I had made a salmon stock by simmering a giant sockeye salmon head (thanks Dan), tail and trimmings together with about 2 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp black pepper corns, two shallots, a small sprig of fresh ginger, a whole head of garlic, and a bay leaf.

Directly into the 2L of stock (after 12 hours of simmering) I put finely chopped vegetables: one fennel bulb, 2 medium carrots, 3 large celery stalks, one yellow and one red pepper. I then put about 500gms cooked salmon, 100gms candied smoked salmon and simmered until the vegetables were soft(ish).

Even the compost from this soup fixin's is beautiful.

At the very end, just before serving, I put in 12 shelled spotted prawns (tails on), 12 quartered local scallops and a couple of hands full of butter clams that we dug here on the island (thanks Dan). Finish with a pint of whole cream... a little seasoning with sea salt, sprinkle with the chopped leafy fennel greens and mm mm good! This is a heavenly soup. I especially love the sweetness the candied smoke salmon adds. Delish! Adding a little more seafood, a few more veggies and a bit of thickening tapioca, this would be dreamy on a bed of basmatti rice.

Crackers 'n Cheese makes a great supper...

2010-12-27T15:43:00.000-08:00

..... when the crackers are straight from the oven and the cheese is artisanal. This recipe, which I found in the food section of the NY Times (on-line), is so simple I can recite it from memory:

1c all purpose flour, 4 tbs unsalted butter, 1/4c milk, cream or half 'n half, 1/4tsp salt (I chose chipotle salt, but is there any end?), 1/4c freshly grated Parmesan.

Pre-heat the oven to 400F. Put all these ingredients in a bowl, mix thoroughly. If the dough is too dry, add a little speck more milk until the dough stays together but is not sticky. Then roll out the dough to about 1/2" or less. (That's what the recipe recommends, but at that thickness, what you have is thin unleaven bread). I rolled it out to about an 1/8th inch. Sprinkle with salt or garlic or cheese - or all three if you want to go nuts.

Bake for 10 minutes or until browned. Remove from oven, let cool - or not - and serve with the stinkiest, yummiest cheese you can find. Beer or wine chaser recommended; the company of good friends - mandatory.

Brandy Soaked Fruit Cake

2010-11-21T19:07:00.000-08:00

If you are one of the great unfortunates who has never cultivated the taste for fruit cake, you are missing out. Your misfortune is probably based in your never having tried a really good fruit cake. This stupendous recipe is a family favourite and my decision to repost is a spectacular display of sloth. But this recipe is worth a second look - and this time - make it. It's easy. And it's such good cake you will evermore be a fruit cake convert. And you can thank me with cash donations, cheques or a bouquet of flowers. Your choice. Here's to a season opener with pizazz. Share it with friends and make enough to put away a loaf until next year. Soak it monthly with Brandy and you will never disparage fruit cake again.

Mushrooms, Bread and Thou

2010-11-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

This fall Doug and I went into the woods with book in hand and hunted for edible mushrooms. Many people here on the island hunt them; no one will divulge their "patch" whereabouts. And now that I have found one of my own - mum's the word. These chanterelles were simmered in a little butter and eaten as a side with ... bread.

Together with my new hunter gatherer skills I've developed a taste for home baked bread. This recipe is one I've have for about a year, but it was just too scary to try. What if it failed? What if it didn't rise? Could I withstand the disappointment? It's the famous New York Times No Knead Bread recipe. Embarrassingly easy to make considering how long it took me to try. Not only have I made this basic recipe, I have added a 1/4 cup of chopped fresh rosemary together with 1c chopped green olives to the dry ingredients. This is one of the very best olive breads I have ever eaten anywhere.

Of course, to reward myself for being a big brave girl... I purchased a 2L red Le Creuset pot in which to bake the sacred loaf. Works like a charm! How could it not?

And as a last word on the sacred and most delicious mushroom TED Talks presents:

"Mycologist Paul Stamets studies mycelium and lists 6 ways that this astonishing fungus can help save the world. Cleaning polluted soil, creating new insecticides, treating smallpox and maybe even the flu … in 18 minutes, he doesn’t get all the way through his list, but he has plenty of time to blow your mind"

Time for Work!

2010-03-29T17:09:00.000-07:00

This blog was a great way to fill open time while my studio was being built. Now, my studio is built and I am loving working till all hours. So this blog may lay dormant for a while. I invite you, my 3 dedicated viewers, to look through the hundred or so recipes here and visited those you haven't yet tried. Enjoy! One day soon I'll post something new and yummy!

Beef and 18 Bean Soup

2010-01-14T18:12:00.000-08:00

I have forgotten what blue sky looks like. This is the time of year on the West Coast where we all start to sprout gills and get that fishy pall. So, this is a hearty soup day.

In a spectacular bit of planning, I put these beans on to soak yesterday morning. Some of the beans don't need any time at all to hydrate, and others could use an extra day. So what typically happens with this mix is some of the smaller beans, like lentils, become part of the thickened broth.

I used 2c of this bean mix, 2 small New York steaks (on sale at the Co-op!) cut into cubes, 1 whole onion, 2 bay leaves, 4 small potatoes, 3 large carrots. I'm also a new committed fan of Pacific Natural Foods Soup. For this soup I used 3L of their French Onion.

Put the beans, whole onion, 3L of broth of your choosing in a slow cooker. While this is starting to simmer, cube the beef and brown it in a fry pan before adding it to the slow cooker. Rough chop the potatoes and carrots. If you cut them too small they'll turn to mush by the end of the process. You can always add them in the last hour of cooking as well.

Set the cooker to 'high' and you'll have a well stewed soup by the end of the day. Season, remove the whole onion, dig in. Great for when you're moping in the weather and just want to eat without a lot of work.... and then curl up with a book or a good movie... and hot chocolate....

Meyer Lemon Tapenade

2010-01-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

Last summer I got a small Meyer lemon tree and it has been sitting in the window of my studio soaking up the sun... what little of it we have this time of year. The teeny lemon that was on the tree when I got it actually ripened. To celebrate my first lemon, I used it in my mom's tapenade recipe.

We don't actually have a set recipe for this dish, but here is what we normally use for a gathering of 8 - 10 people: 4c pitted black olives, 1c feta cheese, 1/4 grated Parmesan, 1 tbsp anchovy paste, 1 tsp capers, 1 lg clove garlic, 1 tsp grated lemon rind, olive oil to bind, juice of 1 lemon, 1/2c chopped parsley. These quantities should be adjusted to taste. I sometimes like a few more capers or a little more garlic.

Personally I prefer a tapenade with a little texture, as opposed to a smooth paste. Mix together the olive oil, anchovy paste, lemon juice, garlic, lemon rind, and Parmesan. Rough chop the olives, crumble the feta and chop the capers. The two sets of ingredients are then mixed together. At this point I usually add a little more olive oil and Parmesan. Served on a small tasty cracker or a little bite of crusty bread - taste bud buster. All hail the Meyer Lemon!

Turkey Barley Soup

2009-12-31T12:52:00.000-08:00

One of the reasons I love having a traditional meal of turkey at Christmas is all the turkey stock I make on Boxing Day. Instead of making the usual turkey soup this year, I made a hearty version of barley soup with stock, a little left over gravy, a spoonful of dressing I couldn't bear to chuck, and, of course, the usual carrots, onion and turkey. Add a pinch of my new truffle salt and - ho ho holy great soup!

Festive Fruit Salad

2009-12-25T12:03:00.000-08:00

After an evening of the richest tortiere, quite a bit of chocolate, egg nog, Christmas cake and the like - a palate-cleansing, liver-lovin, good for the tummy and soul fruit salad really hit the spot.

Our co-Christmas Eve celebrants, Pete and Judith, brought this beautiful festive fruit salad to share. It's mango balls, pink grapefruit and - my personal favourite- pomegranate seeds.

Happy Holidays!!

Canadian Olive Oil

2009-12-23T11:20:00.000-08:00

Ok, this is jumping the gun a bit. But the myth is true! There really is an olive grove on Pender Island, and it really is producing olives. I had heard this story about 7 years ago and nobody I've asked from Pender was able to corroborate! Thank you DG for your investigative nose. And here is photographic proof!!

Best Cook Books of the Decade

2009-12-23T08:32:00.000-08:00

Even though the decade isn't quite up (last minute entries?) this list popped up on my radar.

TED Takes on Food

2009-12-21T14:15:00.000-08:00

For those of you new to TED, you're in for a treat. TED used to be a little more focused on science and technology, but they've expanded horizons to include just about all innovation and social contribution on a significant scale. And now - they are honouring a chef! I just got this email today:

Dear Global TED Community,

We're delighted to announce the TED Prize winner for 2010: the chef who's transforming the way we feed our children........

JAMIE OLIVER

The prize grants him $100,000 - and something much bigger: "a wish to change the world". He'll unveil the wish on February 10 at TED2010 and we, the TED community, will seek to make it come true.

Some key achievements:
- 12 television series, seen in 130 countries
- 10 cookbooks, translated into 29 languages, and sold almost 24 million copies in 56 countries
- His School Dinners/Feed me Better campaign pressured the UK government to invest $1 billion to overhaul school lunches.
- Founded the Fifteen Foundation, a social enterprise & chef apprenticeship for 18-24 yr olds. Based in London, it has been replicated through franchising in Amsterdam, Cornwall and Melbourne.
- A new TV series, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution USA, is to air on ABC in 2010, bringing Jamie's unique vision to America.

At the heart of Oliver's work is an assault on the obesity epidemic:
The CDC states that one in four Americans are considered obese. It is estimated that 43 percent of Americans, or 103 million people, will be obese by 2018. The cost of this epidemic, anticipated to reach $344 billion per year. It currently accounts for almost 10 percent of the yearly US health care costs, and that rate will rise to 21 percent by 2018. WHO’s latest projections indicate that globally in 2005 approximately 1.6 billion adults were overweight and projects that by 2015, that figure will rise to 2.3 billion.

From the New York Times..
“…this British celebrity chef has made it his mission in recent years to break people’s dependence on fast food, believing that if they can learn to cook just a handful of dishes, they’ll get hooked on eating healthfully. The joy of a home-cooked meal, rudimentary as it sounds, has been at the core of his career from the start, and as he has matured, it has turned into a platform.”

Black Truffle Sea Salt

2009-12-21T10:16:00.000-08:00

My great friend Jules gave me an early Christmas present this year. Being a cool product connoisseur, Jules closely investigated the heaps of great concoctions Jean-Pierre ships from show to show this time of year. This year the star of said shows was JP's Truffle Sea Salt. A teeny pinch of this potent salt was the all the punch my chicken wild rice soup needed to take it to a new flavour depth. Highly recommended. Check out his web site and hit the order NOW page!

Traditional Canadian Christmas

2009-12-16T19:26:00.000-08:00

Last year I bared all. Both my major Christmas staples were posted for all to see, read, cook and serve. Because they are near and dear to my heart, I'm going to do a re-post and link up to Grandma Rolland's Tortiere, and Grandma Mary's Dark Fruit Cake. Many have said this tortiere is the best they've tasted, and many more have said the fruit cake made their eyes roll back into their heads... in a good way.

Tortiere springs from Quebec, where this hearty festive meat pie originally consisted of game meats in the early days of long cold winters. The Fruit Cake, this recipe anyway, hails from the fruit cake traditions of southern Italy, where everything is dark... rich... and flavourful! Christmas would just not be the same without both of these dishes somewhere on the tables of my friends and family. Fruit Cake makes an appearance in early December, but the Tortiere is classic Christmas Eve. Any suggestions for a wine for this spicy meat pie?

Neither Foodie Nor Photographer

2009-11-17T15:53:00.000-08:00

I just like cooking. I don't want to spend all day learning new blogging tools, or getting the right shot in the right light. I just want to cook good food for my hubbie and friends and then share what I do in the blogging forum.

Quality ingredients, fresh spices and herbs, a sharp knife - and I'm good to go. I love the exotic deli experience, and I do love trying the new and adventurous. But when it gets right down to it, I just love simple good food made with sound intention and love of the art.

Why the declaration? I've been surfing the food blogs a bit lately and there are some fancy pants sites out there. This isn't one of them. Just so you know, on this blog I only share the food I make for a small group of friends and for my small family. It's not foodie food, just good eats.

Blue Cheese 'n Greens

2009-11-16T17:51:00.000-08:00

Nothing mind-blowingly original about this salad. But I always forget how much I love giant chunks of blue cheese with a mixed salad. This one has slivers of yellow pepper, celery, mixed greens and tomatoes. And of course there are handfuls of chunked blue cheese. A little squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of sea salt and I'm in salad heaven.

Mm Mm Primordial Soup

2009-11-05T19:24:00.000-08:00

From start to finish, I laughed out loud at Julia Child making Primordial Soup at the Smithsonian.

Apple Buckwheat Pancakes

2009-11-01T10:09:00.001-08:00

Leaving fruit sitting on trees is a hard thing to do. There are old orchards owned by no one anymore; the trees stuffed with apples. There are apple trees by the beach full of tiny sour apples that are little flavour explosions. But we can only make so much apple juice and bake so many strudels...This morning I made buckwheat pancakes with little chunks of apple and pear. I also replaced the liquid in the recipe (use any pancake recipe) with apple juice and added a 1/4tsp of cinnamon. I softened the fruit a little in a shallow pot and compensated for the liquid from the simmered fruit in the batter so the pancakes wouldn't be too runny. These were really sweet, very hearty pancakes well steeped in the best Canadian maple syrup. It is coming on winter!

Fall Arugula Pasta

2009-10-31T17:04:00.001-07:00

This summer it was impossible to keep up with watering my meager herb garden. At a certain point I just surrendered and left the little souls to make do with humidity... which there was precious little of. So today, when I was planting bulbs for my giant "lily forest", I was thrilled to discover the arugula had made a come-back.

So how to best use arugula without other salad greens? I decided to toss the leaves with hot pasta, this wilts them nicely without cooking them. In addition, I topped it with thinly sliced hot salami and shallots, which were lightly pan fried in a little olive oil. I also added some roasted pine nuts, chopped green olives, shaved Parmesan cheese and a little drizzle of organic olive oil. Very, very satisfying!

Tomato Paste

2009-10-25T17:03:00.001-07:00

One image that will stick in my mind forever - and ever- is the mounds of smoothed tomato paste in the street markets of Palermo, Sicily. It made me swoon. Culinarily speaking...
And apparently, making tomato paste isn't complicated, you just have to reduce, reduce, reduce. But there are many recipes, many takes on this traditional food stuff. I made more of a puree that didn't involve removing seeds or centers, just because I couldn't bare to throw that much of the tomato away. I roasted all this in the oven instead of reducing it on the stove top. When it was done it was a very flavourful addition to some roasted squash, and really tasty on bbq ribs too.

I cut up a dozen Roma tomatoes, 8 cloves of garlic, and one shallot - all grown on Hornby Island. I held off on adding herbs so the paste would be more versatile. Adding fresh herbs to a particular dish is something I like to play with at the time of cooking. These tomatoes were roasted until they were close to paste-like in consistency (with a little help from the hand-held blender). I froze cubes of the mix to use as I need it. Viva Sicilia!

Chicken Sausage Stew

2009-10-18T17:43:00.001-07:00

Not a conventional stew, mind you. More of a 'melange', if you will... We have come to love the sausages made at Brambles, a local shop with a great artisan meat counter. Their meat sourcing is local and their sausages in particular make a great frozen pantry item to squirrel away from town trips off Hornby in to Courtenay.

These sausages were spicy Chicken, which I fried in a pan, then chopped into four sections, added chopped peppers, button mushrooms and finished with a heaping of local spinach. In a side pot, I boiled some russet potatoes and had this sausage mix over potato pieces. It was flavorful, satisfying and took about 15 to make. Sticks to yer bones too!

Autumn Borcht

2009-10-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

My ancestors are not from the climes that produced this hearty soup. I first tried Borcht in adulthood as part of my panculinary exploration. It's not one I make frequently, and I don't really know why not. The ingredients are root cellar keepers available in every small corner store in Canada. It's quick, cheap and tasty. What could be better?

I looked at a bunch of traditional recipes on line and pulled together a recipe that I thought would work for me. I diced: 4 large beets, 3 medium russet potatoes, 3 stalks celery, 1/3 large head red cabbage, and one medium onion. In a 10L soup pot, saute the onion in a little butter and olive oil. When the onions are a little clear, add the rest of the ingredients and stir until they are all a little partially cooked.

Add 1L beef broth (organic beef broth is now readily available in Tetra packs if you don't have any made), top up with water until all the vegetables are covered. Add 1 bay leaf, some chopped thyme. My own addition to this traditional mix is just a teeny dash of truffle oil - just to give it a little savory edge. Simmer for at least an hour. Save some for tomorrow. This amount will easily serve 8 as a main.

Garnish with a dollop (size of your choosing) of sour cream and chaser of vodka for cultural validity! Спасибо и вам! (Cheers!) And for dessert - organic fruit from our neighbour's garden. Life is good.

Green Bean Toss

2009-10-15T19:28:00.001-07:00

It's amazing how long green beans keep in the fridge. I'm a terrible one for buying too many vegetables and now it's clean up time. So these green beans were stir-fried in a little olive oil and butter with crushed garlic. I added chopped tomatoes, softened them a bit, then added some toasted slivered almonds and a sprinkle of hemp seeds. Both my stomach and my vegetable drawer thanked me.

Last Chance Fresh Salad

2009-10-13T17:27:00.001-07:00

Produce tends to thin out a little on Hornby in the winter. We do get the bananas, grapefruit and oranges that make their way up from California, but we're talking about fresh local (or close to local) produce here. It is October after all.
So in a celebration of all my favourite salad ingredients, here is a super basic salad: 3 peppers of differing colours, 2 large cucumbers, 4 Roma tomatoes, and a heaping helping of Parmesan shavings. All the veg (or fruit, depending on your preferred terminology) is cut into big triangular pieces for maximum bite impact. I also made up a scape pesto salad dressing with 1/3c scape pesto, 1/3c olive oil, 1/3c apple cider vinegar. Farewell summer. Hello autumn. Officially.

G 'n T Fraser Valley Cranberry Sauce

2009-10-12T16:17:00.001-07:00

This recipe was inspired by a visit today to our local distillery. It's amazing that on an island this small we would have such a dense collection of highly skilled and talented artisans, not the least of which is Island Spirits Distillery, home of Phrog Gin.

No visitors come to our home without getting the requisite tour and extensive product sampling at the Distillery. Today was no exception. Visitors here for Thanksgiving got the tour with Peter, one of the distilling masters.

Phrog Gin is the best gin on the planet - and the rest of the world will find that out soon enough. It is a sipping gin. It makes the best gin and tonic you'll ever drink, and, I thought I'd try a little in a new cranberry sauce recipe I've been experimenting with.

When you look at the list of botanicals in this gin, you'll see how suited they would be to a cranberry concoction.... not to mention a little shot on the side.

I used 2c organic Fraser Valley cranberries, 1/2 an onion (caramelize in olive oil/butter, deglaze the pan with half a lime), 1/4 tsp orange oil, 1 tbsp light honey and 1oz Phrog Gin. Let simmer until the berries are soft, add a little arrowroot to thicken if you like - and bottoms up over turkey, roast chicken or I think maybe even with roast pork.

As a note of interest, our cranberry harvest in British Columbia has been profiled in a publication first released this weekend called The Fort, which is being published and compiled by CBC's Mark Forsythe. Mark has brought together a collection of really interesting stories about historic Fort Langley, and this Thanksgiving issue focuses on the indigenous local fruit: the cranberry.

Toasty Granola

2009-10-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

My young brother-in-law used to be a bit of a rocker. A few years and two children later he reported that his transformation to suburban dad was complete: he had bought a minivan.

I have to report that I experienced a similar revelation today. My transformation to Gulf Island life is complete: I have made granola. I made granola and I enjoyed making granola. There. I've said it.Now, it's not that there aren't plenty of pre-made granola options, goodness knows. The local bakery makes one and the Co-op brings in a number of them. My motivation was pure housekeeping. My pack-rat, Tupperware filling neurosis finally caught up with me. I had to get rid of bags of nuts and fruit before it all went stale. Whenever I do a 'town run' I come back with 4 more pounds of 'supplies'. Time to stop the madness.

In a stainless steel bowl I mixed up 1c each of: raw hulled sesame seeds, toasted pumpkin seeds, pecan pieces, raw sunflower seeds, walnut pieces and chopped whole raw almonds. In another bowl I mixed 1/2c blue agave, 1/2c maple syrup, 2 tbsp hemp seed oil (natch), 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1c brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. In a third bowl I assembled: 1/2c raisins, 1/2c chopped dried cherries, 1/2c chopped dates, 1c shredded coconut (which I toasted separately) and 1/2c cranberries.

Blend the syrup, oil, cinnamon and sugar together and then stir this into the nut mixture making sure to coat all the nuts. Put about an inch or so of the mix into the bottom of three shallow baking pans to allow the ingredients to toast quickly. Bake at 375C stirring the granola every 10 minutes or so to cook evenly. I use the convection option on my oven and it toasted up in about 30 minutes.

Cool the granola on cookie trays until it is cold to the touch. Break up lumps and mix the granola together with the fruit. Serve liberally over yogurt and let the sun shine in baby.

Spanish Tortilla

2009-10-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

.... but cheating just a little. In the late 80s I was lucky enough to spend a whole year in Spain. I read Spanish literature, studied Spanish art and architecture. I also ate.

One of my favourite Spanish dishes that was good hot or cold was Tortilla, which is distinct from the understanding of the word in Mexican cuisine. The Spanish Tortilla is a stove-top big fat potato omelet. Basically.

I customize my tortilla to accommodate my penchant for (read: addiction to) Parmigiana Reggiano. Traditionally the tortilla is made with eggs and fried potatoes. It's a dense, stick to your ribs dinner that is relatively inexpensive. My tortilla begins on the stove and ends in the oven, mostly because I don't have the cookware to make it the way a Spaniard would.

So, thinly slice 4 small potatoes leaving the skins on, thinly slice 1 whole onion. I also finely sliced two whole sweet peppers as well. All of this is lightly fried in a little olive oil/butter combination in a fry pan. Then, in a bowl, I crack 5 eggs, add only a 1/4c of milk, beat lightly and put the egg mix into a shallow non-stick glass pan. When the potato mix is softened and a little brown, add it to the eggs, submerging the solids into the liquids evenly. Top it all off with coarsely grated Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of powdered chilies. Ten minutes at 375C(ish) and deliciosa.

Venison Barley Soup

2009-09-29T15:59:00.001-07:00

If you don't have a slow cooker, get one. The easiest, heartiest, yummiest winter meals are made in the one-pot-wonder.

Monday I put a 3lb roast in the slow cooker in the morning. Set on 'warm' from 7:30 a.m. until 3 p.m., when I added 4 roughly chopped carrots, 1 chopped onion, and 4 medium russet potatoes. At 5 p.m. the roast was browned and cooked perfectly. If you can't get home until supper time, just steam up your veggies when you get home - you'll have a Sunday style dinner on a Monday night.

For the soup, all I did was add 2L water to the drippings at the bottom of the slow cooker, 1c dry uncooked pearl barley, 3 cubes of beef demi glaze, chopped remaining venison, chopped remaining veggies and one whole chili pepper. The soup cooked on 'warm' all night and by the following morning, soup was ready for packing for lunch. If I'd spent an afternoon adjusting the herbs and spices, I could not have made a better soup. Stick to yer ribs.

Ratatouille - the movie and the dish

2009-09-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

Two fun things have happened in rapid succession: I have been introduced to Julia Child's cooking, and I saw the Disney production Ratatouille. A late comer on both counts, I know.

In combining both new (to me) experiences, I was inspired by the fun-loving rat (Remy, not Julia) to make a dish I have long admired: yes, ratatouille. The basic ingredients vary depending on whose recipe you follow. But the ingredients I used all came from Hornby Island and I restricted myself to using all local foods, with the exception of the olive oil and salt.

I will just link to the J-Child recipe I found, since I did follow it to the letter. I cubed where she sliced, this is the only difference. And I used a less glam pot than her fancy-pants French cookware too, I'm pretty sure. Nevertheless, it was an excellent side dish to the turkey breast I pan fried. Bon appetite!

Ginger Soya Jelly Fish

2009-09-23T19:42:00.001-07:00

Friends of ours visited us here on Hornby and were wildly excited about the marine bounty available for the picking. They harvested a feast of oysters and brought along a giant jelly fish to add to the banquet.

The jelly fish was blanched in boiling salted water until it was slightly opaque and a little chewy, much like the consistency of squid. The dipping sauce was a combination of finely julienned ginger and green onions in a bath of soya sauce. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed jelly fish - if only for the novelty factor!

Sicilian Sardines

2009-09-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

Or at least, Sicilian Sardines the way I remember them. The last vacation Doug and I went on together (before began the mammoth undertaking of building our own house) was a trip to Italy. Our favourite food region - hands down - was Sicily.

Fresh fish, produce, and lots of lemon seems to define the Sicilian cuisine. So when sardines turned up at the fish shop in Buckley Bay, I decided to scoop up a couple. They were hard to resist at a grand total of $3.75 for two fish. And they are an environmentally sound fish choice.

Sardines are quite a strong tasting fish and a little goes a long way. They are a larger fish than I had originally thought. My previous experience with sardines was the tiny 3" variety that are readily available in tins. These Pacific Sardines are about 9" from head to tail, quick to clean and easy to cook.

If I were to barbaque this delicate little fish, I would have left the head and tail on, but I wanted to serve them on a bed of egg noodles, like we had had them seaside in Sicily. I cleaned them, took off the heads and tails, squeezed a little lemon on them and let them sit for about 5 minutes. I dried off the fish then dredged them in a little flower with finely chopped parsley and a little grated lemon rind in the flour. In the bottom of a fry pan I put a little olive oil, heated the pot to a fairly high heat, added a little chopped garlic then cooked the fish. They cook in about two minutes. Because they are such a thin fish, you have to be careful you don't pulverize them with too much handling.

When they were cooked I removed them from the pan and added into the same pan half a finely diced red onion, about a 1/4 cup of chopped parsley and a chopped half fresh tomato. This mix was softened and heated through. Egg noodles went onto the plate, cooked sardines laid over top, and the tomato mix spooned over the fish. I didn't tell Doug I was going for a Sicilian dish, but the first thing he said when he tasted it was "Italy". Bingo.

Sweet Corn Chowder

2009-09-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

Now that fall is upon us, it's time to get back to my favourite food group: soups. This chowder is a staple and easy to have all ingredients on hand for the quick 'pantry' soup fix. It's a recipe I've been working on for a few years, changing a little every time I make it. I'm sure imaginative cooks could alter even more to suit it to their tastes.

In a deep soup pot, brown 8 chopped rashers of lean bacon. Add one chopped onion to this once the bacon is fully browned and most of the water evaporated. If you use lean bacon, you'll have very little fat and this bit of fat adds heaps to the flavour. Brown the onion, add a 1/4tsp smoked paprika, then add 5 or 6 small diced potatoes. Simmer this set of ingredients for a little while before adding 2-14oz tins of creamed corn and one tin of water.

I simmer this mix for a few minutes before adding 2c chicken stock (from the freezer) and an optional 2 cubes of beef demi-glaze (which I will be posting a recipe for shortly). Add a bay leaf, two large sage leaves, chopped chives and simmer all of this on a medium low heat for as long as you can, or at least until the potatoes are cooked through.

This soup, like most, is best the next day. Finish with one cup of cream, freshly ground pepper and a handful of roasted pine nuts (if you like). Serve with sourdough buns. Oh my...

Food Art and Culinary Patriotism

2009-09-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

If you were to create the Canadian flag in a food substance, how would you do it? What red and white foods would you use? Have a look at this. Flags of the world in food!

Rosemary & Rock Salt Almonds

2009-08-18T18:40:00.001-07:00

A new friend introduced this new appi and it may become a mainstay. Blanched almonds roasted in a little olive oil with crushed fresh rosemary, topped with any exotic rock salt you like. Serve in a great bowl - like this one made by my friend Marc Lemieux at Black Dog Pottery in Kingston, Ontario...

Blue Cheese Potato Salad

2009-07-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

Potato salad is such a summer staple, but the mayo version has run its course as far as I'm concerned. There are so many more interesting ways to make a great cold potato dish.

This salad uses two types of new potato: Yukon and Idaho. Leaving the skins on for maximum flavour, I just drizzled a dressing of olive oil and blended Stilton cheese over them - quantities will depend on how much you like blue cheese. Then I added a sprinkle of chopped parsley and topped it all with finely grated Parmesan and toasted pine nuts. A twist of sea salt and course pepper is all you need to finish.

Spaghetti al Nero di Seppia

2009-07-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

Or, Squid Ink Spaghetti, which sounds more palatable? This is one of my favourite pastas just because it's so different. It is durum wheat pasta infused with squid ink. I don't find it particularly fishy if fishy at all. The real deal - pasta cooked with fresh squid ink - is actually quite tangy (I've read). The prepared dried version really is jet black before cooking and lightens up a few shades when done.

This pasta is available at most Italian shops in bigger centers and I always replenish my stash when I go to Vancouver. It gives a little more drama to an ordinary veggie toss. I pan fried a couple of yellow courgettes, an orange and red pepper, a few snow peas with a good dollop of scape pesto. I also added a handful of chopped greens: parsley, chives, arugula. Post photo we added some grated Parmesan and some fresh chopped tomatoes. Made me happy just looking at it. All veggies grown in BC, all greens from my garden, the pasta - well - one of my small indulgences.

Food is Culture

2009-07-08T20:57:00.000-07:00

You might be wondering when I plan to get off this quasi political rant... well, in short, never. But I will return to recipes soon enough.

I wanted to share - at least in photographic form - bread with you. Food blogs are a strange new take on sharing food through the written word and here's one word in particular to consider in the context of food as culture: companion. The struggle to get out from under over-zealous food regulations means more than just stickin' it to the man. It means making connections within your community with people who participate in your life at your table.

Here's an image of loaves of bread cooked in a wood fired oven here on Hornby. It was still warm when I bought it... and there could be so much more of all this. Artisanal food production adds so much to our lives, don't ya think?!

Who to contact to protest food oppression!

2009-07-07T19:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, that might be a little dramatic, but we are talking about local butter tarts, local brownies, local oysters, fish, poultry and possibly even greens!

AND, here's a story: a Duncan poultry farmer used to have a butcher service come to his farm to ethically, humanely and properly butcher the chickens. His chickens lived well and died well. His former stat of 2% utility birds rose abruptly to 25% when regional laws dictated his chickens had to go to a central abattoir to be butchered. How is that even legal under the animal protection laws?

So this is who you should contact in protest with your story of your Farmers Market or food production woes:

Kevin Falcon, Minister of Health Services, at: HLTH.Health@gov.bc.ca
Steve Thomson, Minister of Agriculture and Lands, at: AGF.Webmaster@gov.bc.ca
Kevin Krueger, Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, at: tca.minister@gov.bc.ca

Cut 'n paste kids. May Gaia be your guide!

Buy Contraband: Eat Local - if you can....

2009-06-28T18:02:00.000-07:00

In the summers here on Hornby Island, a lively and spirited Farmers' Market becomes the focal point of Wednesday and Saturday mornings. Local farmers sell edible bouquets of roses and lettuce, weavers sell one-of-a-kind willow baskets, jewellers, potters and clothiers set up shop with other wonderfully crafted items. Underpinning our woodland market is the cup of coffee and freshly made scones, fresh from the oven focaccia and fig jam, as well as the freshly made and piping hot churros - an extruded doughnut dusted in crystals of sugar. But these delectables have fallen victim to the scourge plaguing Farmers' Markets all over the world: the health inspectors who represent over-vigilant health ministries.

We have very little in the way of an outdoor food culture in Canada. Why? We're over regulated. We're antiseptic addicts of the bacteria-free, sterilized silly, supermarket governed, big box purveyors of what we've come to accept as food. If it's not shiny clean it must be disgustingly dirty. If it's not regulation conforming, it will probably kill us. The fact of the matter is that food poisoning is the territory of big restaurants and large food manufacturers, not the small scale cook making a few brownies to sell at a Farmers Market. We are over governed and it is keeping us culturally sterile.

A young woman holding an oyster lease on Hornby Island cannot sell her oysters on Hornby without first sending them off island to be inspected. Chickens must be butchered off island then brought back here to sell. We can't buy fresh unpasteurized milk or cheese (legally) and all this flies in the face of the movement to Buy and Eat Local Food. Our regulations are out-dated and at odds with the new food consciousness rapidly developing in British Columbia and, in fact, around the world. We have to let government know that we don't need commercial kitchens to trust our food sources - we know the individuals making the food personally. We've been to their kitchens.

As for the tourists who visit the islands and have not had the chance to see our kitchens, adults can make choices for themselves and for their children. If it doesn't look good, don't eat it. Caveat emptor - but rest assured, we cook for our friends and families in our kitchens. Our food is fine. Let us eat our local food, prepared by local people who are making their own way in these tough times. Let government know you can think for yourself. Let them know you want to support local food purveyors don.mcrae.mla@leg.bc.ca

Warm Potato Salad

2009-06-27T17:38:00.001-07:00

If the hot weather had persisted, tonight's barbecue would have included a cold new potato salad. But it turned rainy and chilly, so I adjusted the menu accordingly.

I took a quarter of a red onion, half a yellow pepper and lightly sauteed them in half 'n half olive oil and butter. That mix was set aside and in the same pan I toasted some pine nuts. All these ingredients were then put into the bottom of a wooden bowl, the cooled and previously cooked new potatoes were mixed in and topped off with finely sliced fresh green onion. A couple of twists of sea salt - Bob's yer uncle.

Strawberry Pistachio Tarts

2009-06-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

I am not, nor have I ever been, anything close to a baker. Having admitted this, you'll notice the travesty of store-bought tart shells. The shame. The horror.

Yeah, whatever. These tarts took 15 minutes tops to make and that's good enough for me and my sweet toothed honey.

I cut up about 5c of fresh strawberries, stewed them for a couple of minutes until they were soft. I added a big dollop of honey, about a 1/3c of pistachios, let them soften just a smidgen, thickened the batch with arrowroot, put a heaping tablespoon into each of the tart shells and - just like that - we (after 20 minutes in the oven) had a fine St. Jean Baptiste Day dessert! Sante'!

Herb & Pine Nut Pilaf

2009-06-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

I've come to realize a theme in my cooking, thanks to this blog. I seem to like to cut things up into tiny pieces and mix them together - not exactly a mind-blowing revelation, I know. But it is definitely a pattern. So, in keeping with the pattern, here is another dish with bits of things chopped up and combined.

Pilaf has an ancient and fascinating history that stretches across Asia and well into the Mediterranean. Having a rice cooker makes it super quick and feels like cheating when you consider the generations who have gone the mile to bring this dish to their families.

This pilaf is a simple one and it only takes about 20 minutes to cook from start to finish. I used one cup of basmatti rice, three brown mushrooms, 1/3c pine nuts, a handful of freshly pick scapes and a variety of fresh herbs: basil, oregano, rosemary, parsley and some lemon thyme.

My pilaf is not traditional by any stretch, but it fits most of the bill. The rice was cooked with a couple of cubes of frozen chicken stock added to the cooking water. I also added 4 small chopped scapes. In a frying pan, while the rice was cooking, I sauteed the chopped mushrooms with another 4 chopped scapes. When they were cooked through, I put them aside and toasted the pine nuts. The herbs were finely minced and kept fresh. Once the rice was done, I mixed in the nuts and mushroom mix and let it all stand warm in the rice cooker. Just before serving I added a little olive oil and the minced herbs. A little coarse salt to finish and you've got not quite a Jordanian grandmother's pilaf, but pretty close.

Bbq Chicken & Brie Baguette

2009-06-19T18:16:00.000-07:00

One of our favourite Friday night fast foods is a grilled sandwich that is both delicious and quick to make. You will need some sort of meat or veggies to barbecue, a small wedge of brie cheese, some pesto, mayo and chopped greens.

I used chicken breast strips, scape pesto, chopped arugula and parsley (from my tiny garden). The chicken cooks as quick as can be and the baguette can be toasted on the bbq as well. I lathered both sides of the baguette with pesto and toasted them a little face down. Then I turned them right side up and placed sliced brie on one side, closed the bbq lid and let the cheese melt. When the chicken was done, it was placed on top of the melted brie and sprinkled with chopped greens. Next, lay on a little (or a lot of) mayo, close your sandwich and open your chops!

Breakfast of Champions

2009-06-18T18:43:00.000-07:00

My all time fave breakfast is genuine Huevos Rancheros Tex Mex style, ideally at a tiny roadside diner in the desert. But I am here in the rain forest and have to come up with my own satisfying first meal of the day. One that I am particularly fond of is eggs - sunny side up - on toasted olive bread topped with a spicey tomato sauce. Whenever I am making a batch of tomato sauce (that stews for at least 24 hours), this is what I have for breakfast. Possibly my second favourite breakfast.

Barley Tabouleh

2009-06-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

My fledgling garden is not much more than a few sprigs of parsley, a patch of oregano, some marjoram, thyme, mint and a few straggly garlic stems. But it IS a garden and I take great pride in my new found green streak.

Limiting as it is, I determined what supper was going to be this evening by having looked at my little parsley plant, which is quite happy and producing a full new branch almost daily. The first thing to spring to mind was tabouleh. I substituted barley for bulgar wheat (because I have barley and don't have any bulgar ...)

My choice of veggies for this alternative non-traditional talbouleh was determined by what local produce they had at the co-op. So I bought some green beans, a small zuccini, a hand full of mushrooms and some tomatoes. In a pan I softened up the finely diced mushrooms, beans and zuccini in a little olive oil and butter. (If you haven't read up about Amelia's Olive Oil in this blog, get in on the best olive oil in BC.) I put one cup of pearl barley on to cook in the rice cooker (1c p barley - 2c water), let the veggie mix cool while I chopped up two medium sized tomatoes.

When the barley was cooked and cooled, I mixed the veg, tomato, the juice of 2 lemons, a 1/4c or so of chopped parsley, a 1/3c or so of chopped mint - drizzled a little olive oil over top, crushed some course salt and - presto! A hearty salad that was nutritious, delicious and low GI to boot. This recipe was enough for a substantial main meal for two or a small side dish for six.

Chickpea Summer Salad

2009-06-13T16:55:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I pull an Iron Chef on myself. I forget to pick up produce at the Farmers Market, even though I'm there as a vendor every Saturday from 11 - 2. Then I get home and realize I have next to nothing in the fridge.

Today's challenge: one can of chick peas, 1/2 bag of frozen edamame, 1 zucchini, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 orange pepper, 1/2 Spanish onion, 2 stalks celery ... 'what could she possibly make'? I figure if you cut everything up small enough, it blends better and you can always pull it together with a dressing. So that's what I did. Everything is about chickpea size and I dressed this salad with a simple vinaigrette, chilled it then delighted in the simple pleasures of cleaning out my fridge in a yummy way.

Grilled Red Snapper

2009-05-23T19:39:00.000-07:00

There really is no barbecue season anymore. People are throwing cuts of everything on the grill from January through to December, but summer is when you get to sit outside and enjoy it all al fresco.

This red snapper was great with a little squeeze of lime (it's on everything I cook these days) with a sprinkle of steak seasoning - essentially chili pepper, black pepper and onion. It worked really nicely on the fish. What was also great with this grilled treat was a dollop of Doug's excellent salsa on the side.

Served with the fish was yellow, red pepper, shallot mixed in with freshly steamed basmati rice. I tossed the peppers and shallot with a little cumin in hot oil and added it to the rice as soon as it was cooked. Then I chopped up one whole fresh tomato and some cilantro added cold just before serving. Eat sitting in the evening sun for maximum enjoyment.

Spring Seafood Salad

2009-05-21T17:26:00.000-07:00

With all the seafood available locally, it's hard not to include some in at least two or three meals a week. As the evenings get longer and the weather warms, it's time to consider patio dinners.

In a bowl filled with fresh squeezed lime juice and the juice of one orange, soak a halibut steak, 1/2lb scallops and 6 prawns. Let them soak for a couple of hours so that they are almost cooked (Ceviche style). When you're ready to eat, drain off most of the lime juice and lightly fry the halibut in about a teaspoon of butter with a teaspoon of olive oil. Because the seafood is almost cooked before you start, all you really want to do is lightly brown the halibut, then add the prawns and scallops. When the prawns turn pink and scallops go opaque, they're done.

Remove the seafood, thicken the liquid with tapioca or cornstarch, whichever you prefer, adding a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Then add the sauce to the seafood mixing it all up so each piece is coated. Cool the fish to at least room temperature and then refridgerate until it's chilled.

Arrange greens, avocado, cherry tomatoes, red and yellow peppers on a plate. Heap the seafood in the center, sprinkle liberally with chopped cilantro and crushed salt. Enjoy with a glass of crisp white - or frothy chilled beer and dream of months of similar meals to come!

Sweet Fruit Fish Curry

2009-04-03T17:55:00.001-07:00

This is a curry for those new to or suspicious of curry. It's very mild, quite sweet and could be served to the most reluctant pallet. It's also essentially a 'pantry' meal that you can prepare in 20 minutes flat.

Put a cup of mixed fruit (mine was left over fruit salad: strawberries, mango, pineapple, orange, apple) a cup of plain yogurt, one 400mL tin of creamed coconut and one whole banana into a blender. Adding the banana both thickens and sweetens the sauce.

I blended these ingredients into a creamy consistency and then added two Asian Home Gourmet packets of yellow curry, which I always have in good supply.

This time I made fish, but this fruit curry would be terrific with beef, lamb or chicken as well. I cooked the fish until it was half done, then added the curry sauce and finished the cooking process.

To complement the sweet fish I made basmatti rice with a few currants, a stick of cinnamon and a sprinkle of cumin seeds. It was all quite floral, sweet and tasty. If I'd planned days in advance I would have bought a nice bottle of white wine to go with it all. A pantry I keep. A wine cellar - in another life.

Guaranteed to Please Mac 'n Cheese

2009-03-24T19:45:00.000-07:00

Last week I cooked for 20 kids at the Hornby Fire Department's annual Cadet Camp. At first the kids weren't very enthused about having mac 'n cheese - not very exotic. But this version of their old favourite went over like a bucket of puppies.

I decided to use rotini instead of macaroni. There's more surface area to catch the cheese (my perspective) and it wiggles (their perspective). For the sauce I used a basic white sauce and added grated cheddar cheese.

For a 6-person batch (or 12 kids) take two tablespoons of butter, melt in a sauce pan. Add three tablespoons of all purpose flour a bit at a time stirring into the butter with a wooden spoon. Cook this on a low heat until the flour starts turning just the darker side of white. Then add 3 cups of milk - very slowly at first stirring constantly until the flour is absorbed into the milk. When all of the roux (flour and butter paste) is absorbed into the milk, raise the heat to just above medium add 3 cups of grated old cheddar adding only one cup at a time and waiting until the cheese has melted into the hot milk, again stirring constantly.

I added cubes of fried black forest ham (sweet ham) to the kids' version and used chorizo in the man-child version. Guaranteed to please rotini and cheese. Serve with love.

England's Changing Pallet

2009-03-03T19:13:00.000-08:00

Today I read a really interesting article about England, which in my mind has never been the epicurean center of the planet - but then again - neither was Canada. Until now. It seems that England has rediscovered food and handily enough, they have the cool architecture to house it. This article makes me want to go on a walking food tour of England! British Cuisine? Canadian Cuisine? Why not?

2009-03-01T16:45:00.001-08:00

When I get a bit too busy to dedicate any time at all to dinner, I can count on Doug to pull us through. This is one of my favourite 'Doug' meals: the bbq white fish wrap.

It is a type of burrito that includes bbq white fish (we used Ling cod), grated cheese of your choosing, salsa (this one made by Doug) and a whole wheat wrap.

Doug's salsa is a combination of chopped tomatoes, one chopped avocado, cilantro, with chopped green onions, a dash of chipotle paste with a teeny bit of tomato paste. Adjust the quantities of these ingredients to taste. Half of the mix is blended smooth in the blender, the remaining half of chopped ingredients is then stirred in with the blended ingredients. Serve with a good locally made beer.

Smoked Salmon Fritata

2009-02-19T21:10:00.000-08:00

I tend to be a bit of a pantry hoarder. So realizing I have several tins of smoked salmon, it seemed time to put at least one of them into service.

This fritata was made almost exclusively with items from the pantry and the freezer: 1c frozen corn, 1c peas, one egg, 1c chopped pepper (that I always have a frozen bag of), and one tin of smoked salmon with about a cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

Basically, mixed all ingredients together, bound with one egg, season, simmer on a low setting in a frying pan with the lid on. This fritata was so flavourful we didn't need any salsa or other condiments to spice it up. I served it with asparagus. Delish.

Ambercup Squash Soup

2009-02-11T14:52:00.000-08:00

Vegetables become precious to us when we have tried to grow them. The operative word here is 'tried'. Red, yellow and orange peppers are widely available now, but once green was the only pepper you could find in most grocery stores when I was growing up. Pumpkin was the only squash you could find, and then it was only at Halloween. I really am dating myself.

Now a full spectrum of veggies gets shipped from warmer climes. This is both good and bad. Great for me because I love the variety. Bad for the distance they travel by truck - or plane. However they get here, I'm glad to have them this time of year. Nice to be able to stave off scurvy with something other than tree resin. We do tire of pine sap tea in the Canadian winters.

This soup is meat and meat stock free. It is strictly vegetables and I am amazed at how flavourful it is. In the oven I roasted 1 yam, 1 ambercup squash, 6 red peppers, 1 yellow onion. When all the veggies were soft, I put them in a 5L pot, covered with water, brought it to a boil and immediately simmered for about an hour. I blended the veggies smooth with a hand blender, right in the pot. I tasted the mix before adding anything else - and found it didn't need another thing. Not salt, not pepper - nada.

Orange Rice Pudding

2009-02-09T16:36:00.003-08:00

I'm on a bit of a citrus run lately. This time it's a simple, but rich, rice pudding with citrus topping.

I made this for 8, so I started with 2c of basmati rice, 1/4c currants, 1/2 vanilla bean, ground cinnamon (to taste), cook this together in a rice cooker 0r stove top if you prefer.

When the rice is cooked add 1c milk, 1tbs butter, 1 lightly beaten egg, 1tsp orange oil, and one heaping tablespoon of honey, mix thoroughly and let sit. When the rice has cooled a little more, but still warm, add another cup of milk. This gives you a creamy rice pudding. If you want it drier, leave out the last cup of milk.

I cut up 1 orange, 1 sweet lime, 1/2c walnuts, 1/2c pistachios and a handful of hemp seeds to top the pudding. This makes a semi-sweet and fully nutritious dessert. I think a little cool Canadian Ice Wine might go nicely....

Pork Loin Roast in Sweet Lime Marinate

2009-02-09T14:57:00.000-08:00

Cooking meat has never been a strong suit with me. For one four-year period in my life I swore off meat. But I was young, and that was long ago. Now, after being a carnivore for most of my adult life, I'm looking into what it takes to cook meat like a pro. Because I won't eat meat that isn't organic, the cuts tend to be expensive. Expensive meat means paying attention to how it's prepared.

An ancient copy of the Joy of Cooking offered up the cooking schedule of preheating the oven to 450, then reduce the heat to 350 when you put the roast in the oven. Cook the roast uncovered for 30 - 35 minutes per pound or until the internal temp reaches 185. Other books say this internal temp should be 155. The concern here is that the pork be cooked through. But in Canada, we are trichinosis free. (See here.) So I'm thinking you cook pork just past pink.

I made a citrus soak for this roast with my new favourite fruit, sweet lime (thanks for the intro Amanda). These are a small round yellow citrus fruit that look like smooth robust lemons. They are not. The skins of these lemons bear the distinct nostalgic scent of Lemon Pledge furniture polish (child of the 60s), but the fruit is sweet and not remotely sour. Apparently they are native to South Asia and recently they appeared at our local market. Hurray.

So - handful of currants, juice of 4 sweet limes, 5 chopped dried apricots, a little s & p, marinate the roast (this one is 1.8lbs) for a few hours, maybe over night. Cook as instructed by The Joy, let rest for 10m. Enjoy in the company of loved ones.

Vanilla Extract with Organic Beans

2009-02-09T11:31:00.000-08:00

Vanilla is not the plainest flavour by a long shot. It is subtle, soft, elegant and not a flavour that screams at you. Sometimes vanilla is just what you need.

This past November I got some amazing organic vanilla beans from Jean Pierre, owner and creator of Maison Cote. My kitchen is filled with Jean Pierre's creations: chipotle salt, rose petal pepper, porcini balsamic - it goes on and on. Vanilla beans are a relatively new addition to Jean Pierre's ever growing inventory and I've adding them to his collection in my pantry.

The vanilla beans were pressed into service right away using JP's recipe for extract - beans soaked in vodka. We like the Luxsosawa brand of vodka for mixed drinks, so this is the brand I used for my vanilla. Unbelievably easy. This is what it looks like at week 3. I love the idea of using my own vanilla extract, but there are many other uses for these beans. A small piece simmered in milk or cream would add a wonderful touch to a dessert. I would simmer a piece in milk for hot chocolate too. Many many applications...

Waldorf Salad with Fennel

2009-02-07T13:05:00.000-08:00

The Waldorf is such a refreshing salad with juicy celery and crunchy apples, but I thought I could up the fresh factor a notch. I added chopped fennel as well as a couple of drops of orange oil in the mayonnaise dressing.

There are many recipes with different additives to the mayo, such as creme fraiche, sour cream, even cream cheese. I chose to go with straight mayo with the orange oil addition just to lighted the calorie load.

So for this salad chop (tradition says juliene) a bulb of fennel and 4 stalks of celery into 1/4" pieces, chop 5 apples (I used Fuji) into 1" pieces , 1.5c whole walnuts coarsely chopped, add 3/4 cup of mayo with 1/2tsp of orange oil, a pinch of fine salt, stir, chill. With some very good Quebecoise cheese, and a crisp white wine or cider, this would also make a great dessert.

Olive Oil Alert

2009-02-05T14:49:00.000-08:00

Longer ago than I care to remember, Doug and I went to Italy. Some of the most memorable days of the entire trip were walking through food markets in the medieval streets of Palermo, Sicily.

Tomato paste lathered into peaks, mounds of glistening olives interspersed with freshly picked lemons and aromatic sprigs of rosemary were just some of the mouthwatering buys. There were whole sword fish cut into massive steaks just crying to be barbecued. It made us weep. The Sicilian food markets are some of the best in the western world, and Sicilian food is the best we had in Italy.

Those were the days before digital photography was in our lives. So I've included this image of peppers and eggplant from my 'stock' collection of food images... just to have a small surrogate taste of Italy. We'll go another time and take so many pictures it'll take us days to edit... and months to lose the kilos we plan to gain.

But one Italian connection we have here on the coast is Amelia Olive Oil. This is the freshest olive oil available in Canada and is brought in by a mother-daughter team in West Vancouver as soon as the harvest is complete and the oil expressed.

Amelia Olive Oil has been shipped from Amelia, Italy and will be landing on our shores late February. Word from the orchard is this is an exceptional year. Anyone who has not experienced fresh olive oil should give this one a try. It has won a number of tastings and anyone I've introduced this oil to says it's the best they've tasted. Potere lei piace! (May you enjoy!)

Local Super Duper Sausages

2009-02-04T16:26:00.001-08:00

I know, I know. How interesting is this?! There is a local sausage maker set up in a 'locals only' market over in Courtenay. Their meats come from the Tannadice Farm in Comox, which is not a certified organic farm, but does practice high standards in animal care.

Brambles Market has a fair produce section, being January, it will only improve as the growing season expands. The cheeses are those found throughout the lower mainland and beyond, (good but not uncommon brands), and there are myriad artisanal food products whose clever packaging can be spotted at every fair from Kris Kringle to Circle Craft... but the meat counter... is special.

These sausages, among many other varieties, are made on the premises and are delicious. Why not a photo of the finished product? Who hasn't seen a cooked sausage? Unlike most other sausages, the meat in these is not so much a paste as it is finely chopped pieces. You feel the texture in them when you cut them and, of course, when you chow them down.

What's cool about these guys is they LABEL their products with the type of sausage within the freezer wrap. How many times have I gone to specialty meat shops only to bring the packages home and have to guess the contents. No more.

Prociutto Wrapped Ling Cod

2009-02-04T10:46:00.001-08:00

I don't have an image of this one. It was eaten too quickly. Have a look here at the New York Times recipe section where I got this absolutely delicious recipe.

Classic Southern Italian Meatballs

2009-01-30T17:40:00.000-08:00

One of my fondest memories of my mother's cooking is her amazing meatballs, which she would serve under a thick blanket of her amazing sauce, over a plate of rigatoni. This pasta is a heavier thicker pasta, and typically a small handful is all you need. Rigatoni and meatballs was the favourite meal of my youth.

These meatballs (there are dozens of variations around the world) are a recipe popular in southern Italy, in Sicily as well as Calabria. It was an inventive way to use cheaper cuts of meat and a way to encorporate meat into sauce.

I usually make a whole bunch of meatballs and freeze some. My batch involves 2lbs med lean ground beef, 2lbs ground pork, a handful of chopped parsely, 5 cloves of chopped garlic, a cup of grated Parmesan, and one egg. I season the meatballs with ground pepper with chilies to give them a little kick. I mix the ingredients thoroughly by hand, using a crushing motion with all five fingers. This much meat usually makes about 20 meatballs. I generally use 3 per portion.

I make larger meatballs because I find they stay moist inside while the browned outer skin soaks in the tomato sauce. So taking a small pinch of the meat, I scoup a little less than a quarter cup of the mixed ingredients and roll it into a ball. Putting a little olive oil on your palms prior to rolling makes compacting the meat easier and coats each meatball just a little. Some people like to deep fry meatballs, but I find that process just a little too greasy. I bake them in the oven making sure to turn them frequently so I don't end up with meatcubes.

They should just be browned on the outside for a few minutes in a hot oven. The rest of the cooking happens when simmering them in the sauce before serving. Serve with your pasta of choice, lots of good Parmesan and heaps of culinary love.

Cauliflower Soup

2009-01-26T16:06:00.000-08:00

This is one of the easiest, tastiest soups I've ever made. Put a head of chopped cauliflower, fennel tops, a small head of cabbage, 4 garlic cloves and 1/4c butter covered with water in a tall pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer until all the veggies are soft.

Blend the veggies with a hand blender, simmer until most of the water has evaporated, add at least one cup of grated Parmesan, let melt, and - presto - excellent almost instant veggie soup. One hint: don't use purple cabbage (mine was begging to be used.. I should have resisted) unless you want a soup that is a slightly unappetizing lavender colour.... But it is still absolutely scrumptious.

Barley Stuffed Orange Peppers

2009-01-24T14:51:00.000-08:00

Oh I do love colour in cooking. I don't have a picture of the finished version because we're about two months away from having enough day light to do evening photography. So these fresh bright peppers will have to serve to inspire.

These peppers were stuffed with a cooked mixture of pearl barley, chopped pine and porcini mushrooms with toasted pine nuts. The barley was cooked in a rice cooker then sauteed in a little garlic butter with the former ingredients. Also, I added a handful of grated parmegian cheese to bind the lot and seasoned with roughly crushed pepper and sea salt.

Cook the peppers in a covered casserole until a little soft, but sort of al dente. Mushy stuffed peppers don't do it for me. Orange peppers are my favourites to stuff, mostly because there just aren't many bright orange foods - other than carrots. I served them with a basic white sauce, but a little salsa or some sort of chipotle drizzle would be interesting too.

Butter Roasted Coffee

2008-12-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

A number of years ago, a good friend of mine brought me some very exotic coffee for my birthday. It was only sold in one boutique in Vancouver that imported primarily silks, but also this incredible coffee. Drinking butter roasted coffee became a Christmas morning tradition.

The boutique went out of business and that was the end of our source for this unique bean. Until now. Independently of each other, Doug and I were searching the Internet for on-line distributors and we both landed on the same site. I was going to surprise Doug for Christmas with this coffee, but decided there wasn't enough time for them to deliver by Christmas day. Doug thought differently, thankfully, and our Vietnamese Butter Roasted Coffee arrived December 24!

If you've never tried these beans, and if you love coffee, I strongly recommend giving this coffee a try. It is the richest you'll ever drink, reasonably priced and, it seems, delivery is prompt and reliable. Cheers! (This luscious mug - perfect for strong coffee- made by Mississippi potter Matt Long.)

Christmas Fruit Cake

2008-12-21T14:41:00.000-08:00

People who say they don't like fruit cake... have never eaten real fruit cake. In their defense, much of what is passed off as fruit cake in Canada is dry, old, under treated cake with bits of sweet stuff in it. The fact of the matter is there are many variations of fruit cake from all over Europe. Even the Romans made a type of fruit cake with pomegranate seeds and barley mash.

My wedding cake was a fruit cake (this recipe) and we ate the very last piece on our 10th anniversary. It even had a little tiny bit of marzipan icing on it. If you tend your fruit cake and 'water' it regularly, the cake will keep for years. This is what makes it perfect for very special occasions. You can celebrate weddings, anniversaries, births, birthdays for years with the same cake - if you're into it.

We always called it Christmas Cake in my family. My grandmother made it and my mother improved on it. The only way I have improved on my mother's cake is that I can leave it alone for 10 months to properly cure.... instead of invading the stash... and that's all I'll say about that...

This is a very dark fruit cake; darker still because I've aged this cake for over ten months and soaked it repeatedly with brandy. I don't mind that the green and red cherries don't show up.. it's rich and gooey. Admire the Christmas tree if you need a colour fix.

Ingredients in groupings:
This is an old recipe with Imperial measurements that you can convert here.

Fruit Group:
2c Thompson raisins
1c currants
1c chopped dates
2-8oz packages glace cherries (green, red - you choose)
1-8oz package of chopped mixed candied peel
1/2c blanched almonds
1/2c Brandy

Dry Group:
2c all purpose flour
1/2tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1tsp ground cloves
1tsp allspice
1tsp cinnamon

Liquid Group:
3/4c molasses
3/4c apple juice

Binder Group:
1c butter
2c lightly packed brown sugar
6 eggs

Process:

Combine the Fruit Group, soak in the Brandy and let stand overnight. When you're ready to make the cake the next day (or soak longer with more Brandy) preheat oven at 275. Grease an 8x8x3" pan, line with parchment paper and grease the inside of the paper.

Dredge brandied fruit mixture in 1/2c flour and set to the side. Sift the dry ingredients into their own bowl. In a separate bowl, blend the Binder Group: cream 1c butter and gradually beat in 2c lightly packed brown sugar and the 6 eggs, one egg at a time. In yet another bowl, mix the Liquid Group of molasses and apple juice. It's best to slowly whisk the apple juice into the molasses. Finally, add sifted dry ingredients to the binder mixture alternately with the molasses mixture. It's advisable to add 1c dry, whish a little, the add one cup wet and whisk again. Mixing these three groups together in small quantities will result in a thick liquid without lumps. When these two sets of ingredients are blended, fold in flour dredged fruit ensuring all the fruit is well coated with cake mix. Turn this mixture into the two pans.

Bake at 275 for 3 - 3 1/2 hours or until they pass the cake test - toothpick comes out clean. This cake is very dense, so cooking it slowly ensures the bottom doesn't burn. When the cake is done, remove from pan and lift off paper when it's still a little warm. Cool the cakes thoroughly and drizzle an ounce of brandy onto each. Wrap in cheese cloth, seal in foil and repeat the brandy drizzling once every two or three months. Take care not to saturate the cake though. The idea is to have a moist cake, not pudding, ten months or so down the road.

To go the mile with this cake you could always add a marzipan icing, which is readily sold in lots of stores these days. I find it a bit over the top of the sweetness charts and prefer to have just a small piece of unadorned cake with a very strong cup of delicious coffee... with rum. Merry Christmas, Happy Channuka, Salubrious Solstice!

Traditional Quebec Tortiere with Ontario Chili Sauce

2008-12-21T13:33:00.004-08:00

This time of year everyone dusts off the cook books and digs out traditional recipes for festive cooking. We celebrated Christmas in my family, but mostly we celebrated Christmas Eve.

In Quebec the tradition of Reveillon (accents missing, pronounced more or less: reh-vay-yon but meaning 'waking') is a party that starts in the afternoon and goes well past midnight. The only thing to disrupt the eating and drinking is midnight mass, which is of course the focus of the night.

One of my best memories of these years is the tortiere. Every family does this dish to their own taste, and doesn't stray far from the original recipe. I'll be making this recipe on Christmas Eve afternoon, so no pictures until then. What I like about my family's recipe is that it is very simple, but very rich. You can switch the meat up and keep the spices to get a similar pie without red meat.

Traditional Tortiere

1-9" uncooked pie crust of your choosing - top and bottom.

Filling: 1lb medium lean beef, 1lb medium pork (substitute dark chicken or duck), 1/2tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2tsp ground allspice, 1/4tsp ground cloves, 1/4tsp ground nutmeg, 1 bay leaf , 1 whole onion

Process:

In a large stainless fry pan, heat a little oil, saute the diced whole onion until the onion is clear. Then add all spices and immediately add the meat. Cook the meat until brown, add the bay leaf and then stew the beef for an hour or so in its own juices. This mixture is then thickened a little with either cornstarch or flour or arrowroot, whichever you prefer.

Have the pastry ready in the bottom of a pie pan, spoon in the filling, top the pie and twist up the edges. I usually cut out a fleur de lis in pastry and attach the motif on the top crust with a little egg white. This is to both decorate the pastry, making it festive, and also to bring a little visual tradition into the mix. What the heck.

Marilyn's Ontario Chili Sauce

Tortiere is best enjoyed piping hot with a sweet red chili sauce. In the Quebec of the 70s, we enjoyed the gourmet condiment of ketchup... but we have moved on since the 70s in oh so many ways.

My mother-in-law, Marilyn, makes the best condiment I've eatten with this tortiere. A perfect marriage, as it were. Here's the recipe for a big batch to can. I bet you could scale down the quantities for a one-meal deal.

Ingredients: Veg: 10lbs ripe tomatos, 6 large stalks celery, 4 large onions, 1 large green pepper, Brine: 2c white vinegar, 4c white sugar, 1/8tsp pepper, 2tsp mustard seed.

Process: Skin tomatoes and cut in large pieces. Chop rest of veggies finely. Add to tomatoes and sprinkle with 1/2 salt, let sit all night. Drain well in morning. Add the brine ingredients. Bring to a rolling boil for 15 minutes. Bottle in small canning jars and give to friends for Christmas.

Rooibos Chicken Stock

2008-12-07T19:39:00.001-08:00

What the...? I know, not a natural match. But I was reading about all the different Rooibos tea recipes and the health benefits of drinking Rooibos. I thought it might make an interesting stock addition and gave it a whirl. I made 2L of Rooibos tea and used it instead of water.

So into this mix went some strange stock fellows: a handful of dried currants, dried shitake mushrooms, 6 or 7 cardamom pods, one tangerine, a giant chunk of ginger and one small apple. Additionally, I added all the regular items like garlic, pepper corns, dried rosemary, bay leaf and one sweet onion.

The resulting stock is one that will suit a sweeter soup with sweeter ingredients like yam, sweet potato or make a great French onion soup base. Let me know if you try this and how you used it.

Chicken Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

2008-12-03T15:44:00.000-08:00

Looking back at the entries in this blog, I should rename the site 'Rachelle's Soups'. One day, perhaps in the spring, I'll make something other than food in a broth. For now, soups it is.

I started out this recipe making an old '70's fav, Chicken a la King. I remember having this comfort food on toast in the winter months. While I was pan searing the chicken thighs in garlic I decided to take a whole different route.

Ingredients: 6 chicken thighs, garlic, 2c wild rice, 1c chopped hazel nuts, 1c roasted sunflower seeds, 1c each : boleto, shitake, pine, portobello, black trumpet mushrooms, whole cream, 1c cooking sherry.

Cook the rice ahead of time and also put the mushrooms on to soak at least one hour before putting the soup together. Pan fry the chicken thighs in a little olive oil with garlic. When the mushrooms are soft, chop into bite-size pieces and stir into the chicken. Deglaze the pan with the mushroom soaking water, simmer until the broth is brown. Add the cooked wild rice, simmer for an hour. Finish with cooking sherry and cream, season to taste and serve with some yummy olive bread or biscuits. And don't forget to cherish your good fortune for having such a good meal before you.

Mushroom tip: There are lots of artisanal mushroom collectors selling packages of wild mushrooms for a tidy profit. I say good on them. But my wallet says shop at the Italian and Chinese shops too. Dried shitake mushrooms are dirt cheap in Chinatown and both boleto and black trumpet mushrooms can be found for very reasonable prices at Bosa's in Vancouver.

Beefy Barley Soup

2008-11-05T15:07:00.001-08:00

Food is important in this house. We pay a little more for quality, for organic and fresh. We go out of our way to get interesting ingredients from near and far. But dab nab it, I don't have all day to cook - except on the weekends.

So my repertoire of 'pantry' soups and quick dishes is quite extensive.and I think I'll share one of those while I'm creatively avoiding more studio work... in the freezing make-shift studio...

All these ingredients are keepers. This meaning that they are dry, canned or just always on hand. I covered the bottom of a 4L pot with olive oil, crushed 4 cloves of garlic into the heated oil and simmered. Then I added 2lb of organic ground beef (which I always have in the freezer) and browned. To the browned meat I added 1/3c of pearl barley, 1/3c of wild rice, one small can of garbanzo beans and one 28oz can of tomatoes, one tomato tin of water. I also added 1/3c of red wine, a chili pepper, a pinch of dried rosemary and two small bay leaves.

This soup simmered on the lowest setting until dinner time. The flavours melded, the barley and rice thickened the broth and this was a hearty warm soup that you can essentially take right out of the pantry. A little Parmesan cheese, a glass of wine - some fresh bread...

Instant Roast Pepper and Yam Soup

2008-11-05T08:38:00.001-08:00

Ok, 'instant' is pushing the definition a little. But this soup is really really quick to make... with a little forethought.

Fall is the uber busy season around my studio, so getting a decent meal together without an hour of prep is the main challenge. This soup is basically roast peppers, chopped yam and Tetra pack stock. Yes, you heard it here - canned stock. But this is a decent stock you can have on hand and not one that I make myself.

I buy lots of peppers and usually keep packs of them chopped in the freezer for quick use. Having a pack of soup stock on hand and yams in the veggie drawer made this a 15 minute soup from start to finish.

The night before I made the soup, I took 5 minutes to put a pack of chopped peppers in the oven. The next morning I put those peppers in a pot, chopped one yam, put 3 cloves of fresh garlic in the pot and covered the veggies with organic onion stock. I brought the soup to a boil then just let it sit until dinner.

Come supper time I blended the soft veggies with a hand blender, heated the soup and did not even need to season. It was very flavourful, quick quick and stick to your bones. Perfect busy fall soup.

Garden Tomato Soup

2008-10-12T16:16:00.000-07:00

This Thanksgiving weekend we had one of the last farmers' markets of the season. Among our local farmers is a wonderful elderly woman who takes enormous pride in her specialized produce. I always find some garden gem to buy from Pam and this weekend it was her heirloom tomatoes 'Principe Borghese'.

I bought 2 1/2 kilos of tomatoes from Pam, picked a bunch of oregano and basil from my own garden and added two cloves of elephant garlic from another local grower. The tomatoes were stewed into a soup without adding any water or broth. Once the tomatoes were liquified and cooled, I put them into the blender to make a smooth puree and shred the tougher tomato skins.

Into this pureed mix I added two small red field peppers with one chopped onion (both Pam's produce) that were sauteed in a little olive oil. I then added one cube of frozen pesto, a couple of fresh bay leaves and simmered the soup for a couple of hours. The result is a very refreshing tomato soup that's perfect to have a single hot cup of on a rainy fall day.

Saffron Crocus

2008-10-09T19:23:00.001-07:00

This, my friends, is my very first blossom in what I hope to be a saffron empire one day. Ok... empire is a bit rich. Maybe one really good paella per season will have to do.

This little purple goddess appeared yesterday morning. You're supposed to cut the blossom soon after opening and extract the saffron stigmas. But I didn't have the heart. So I simply got out the tweezers... and plucked the little red string jewels from the center of the flower.

Three little brilliant red orange stigmas were folded into a piece of paper and included with a birthday card to my mom. Here's hoping for more blossoms to come - so I can make a great Hornby Paella.

Beet Soup

2008-10-05T19:46:00.001-07:00

Every time I turn a corner on this island, someone has produced another fantastic bit of edible garden. This giganto beet comes from a friend's garden and had to be converted into soup.

I thought about making borscht, because that's what you do with beets, right? But I decided to just wing the soup and it yielded a fine result, probably not much different from actual proper borscht.

I took a 1/2L of chicken stock, a 1/2L of beef stock, one big onion and a few chopped porcini mushrooms ... can't escape the mushrooms these days... and one giant chopped beet. I just simmered all of the above together with a pinch of rosemary for about two hours, no sauteeing. The soup was mild but flavourful. One tablespoon of sage vinegar snapped the flavours into place and it was no work at all to make. Nutritious and colourful soup that is the second easiest soup in the world to make.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

2008-10-02T12:56:00.000-07:00

Almost everything about this soup was accidental. Two days ago I made a wild rice side dish (see below) that I served with roast chicken. I didn't blog the dish, but I should have because it was very tasty. The following day I reduced the chicken bones into a stock, but forgot about it on the stove. I ended up with only about 6 cups of very thick stock. What to do.

I soaked two cups of dried porcini mushrooms together with a small handful of black trumpet mushrooms.(Both of these varieties are stunningly cheap at Bosa Foods in Vancouver.) I soaked the mushrooms in just enough water to cover for about 4 hours.

In a pot I sauteed one whole onion in a little olive oil. When the onion was clear I glazed the pot with the chicken stock. In the blender, I pureed the mushrooms in their own soaking water and added one cup of sherry. I added this mix to the stock and simmered with one chili pepper for an hour. This is one of the most flavourful mushroom soups I've ever made. But to cap it off, I added the wild rice side dish I had made the day before. Very, very yummy.

Wild Rice with Nuts

Steam two cups of wild rice in a steamer. In a fry pan on the stove brown the following: 1/4c pistachios, 1/4c pine nuts, 1/4c slivered almonds. When the rice has finished cooking, add the nuts to the steamer and stir in. Let them sit for a couple of minutes to soften to the consistency of the rice and to blend flavours. I served this dish plain but a little pat of butter or a drizzle of olive oil with a bit of rock salt is a great hearty side dish with salmon, chicken or just about anything else.

Fall Equinox Vegetable Soup

2008-09-22T10:03:00.001-07:00

This is the first year I've grown my own vegetables here on Hornby Island. Our soil is non-existent and will take some building - but I did manage to coax 5 squash and a box of garlic bulbs from this otherwise rocky bowl in paradise.

Other gardens on the island are more fecund, having been tended for some 50-odd years, and their keepers do share the bounty at our local farmers' market. That's where I got these great orange beets.

I was feeling a lot like a fresh vegetable soup without a lot of waiting and fuss so this is what I did.

In a 4L pot I thawed some chicken stock and in that stock I put a head of raw cauliflower, yesterday's left over baked squash, a hand-full of orange beets, 3 cloves of garlic, a pinch of cumin seeds and a hand full of nori (see below). I simmered all of this at a just under a boil until all the vegetables were soft.

Then I added the beet greens to the hot mix and waited until they were wilted and then blended everything with a hand blender. To thicken the soup I added a can of chick peas which blended smooth and gave the soup a nice weight.

I finished the soup with 1/3c sage vinegar and 1/3c balsamic vinegar to give it some punch, as well as a whole fresh chopped red onion and a chopped fresh tomato. The onion gave it a fresh crunch and a bit of zest that adds to the overall vegetable flavour while the tomato brought it over to the salad side.

This soup tastes like a hot liquid salad instead of an older stewed soup and is a great alternative when you need something warm in your tummy but still want fresh vegetable goodness.

Why nori? It's a very easy way to secretly up the mineral and vitamin content of soup and if you don't add too much, you can't taste it at all. You might not mind the taste in a seafood soup, but it's not desirable in all soups.

Purple Cabbage Coleslaw with Bacon

2008-09-16T15:46:00.001-07:00

Every once in a while one of my mom's recipes lingers in my thought process around dinner time and eventually I just have to make the dish. Lucky for me, my mother is the best domestic cook I've come across, so her recipes are a welcome pop-up.

This coleslaw was a standard right around the time we began to see purple cabbage - as opposed to the classic green - in the late 70s.

I've added a couple of seeds to the mix. I think if roasted sesame seeds and hemp seeds had been available at Steinbergs (the chain in Montreal at the time), we would have been eating them in this salad too.

Slice or grate a whole head of purple cabbage. Add as much chopped bacon as your conscience will allow. Toss in a small hand full of roasted sesame seeds and a liberal sprinkling of hemp seeds. Bind the whole lot with the following: equal portions of mayo and olive oil, add Dijon mustard (I prefer the whole seed type for this coleslaw) with coarse ground salt and pepper. Refrigerated, this salad will keep for a number of days and it's great to break out with grilled meats or sandwiches.

Lemon Basil Chicken on Rigatoncini

2008-09-04T19:24:00.001-07:00

When summer is over here on the island, it is fully over. The tourists leave on Labour Day weekend and that my friends is the end of that. It was summer. Now it is early autumn... but I will not lament this seasonal shift. No. I will cook autumnal dishes instead.

But really there's nothing particularly autumnal about this dish. Good any time of the year really. It's chunks of chicken thighs pan cooked in olive oil, garlic and chopped basil leavs. Cook chicken until brown, then deglaze the pan with the juice of one lemon. Then add the zest of that same lemon. Add enough tomato sauce to cover all the chicken and then some.

Cook up a pot of rigatoncini, which is a thicker, blunt ended version of penne. Serve this delicious pasta topped with the lemon chicken, garnish with a bit of chopped basil and thickly grated parmasan. Serve with a hearty red wine, sit out on the front step and wave to the jealous neighbours as they walk by.

Steamed Fish in a Pocket

2008-09-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

My good friends Jules and Ian had us over for dinner the other night and I was so impressed with the meal, I just had to share.

This recipe comes from an old Moosewood cookbook, and it will become a house standard at my place I believe. All the ingredients could be kept on hand. In fact, the whole thing could be prepared in advance, perhaps even frozen if you wanted , and pulled out in the a.m. to eat after a busy day in the p.m.

Here's how Jules summarizes the recipe:

Heat oven to 450F. Fold two 24"x 12" pieces of foil once, to make 2 double thickness squares. Layer 3/4c cooked rice, fresh chopped mustard greens or bok choy, fish, grated daikon, sliced shitake mushrooms and chopped green onions on each square.

Combine 1 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 minced garlic clove, 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari, 2 tsp dark sesame oil, and a bit of chili oil if desired - for kick. Pour half of this mixture over each serving then fold the foil into airtight packets.

Bake for 20 minutes. Taking care to avoid the steam that will be released, open a packet and check that the fish is cooked. Transfer to plates and enjoy!

A Hornby Island Signature Drink

2008-09-01T15:22:00.000-07:00

This time we've really done it. We've invented the newest, coolest, yummiest mixed drink ever: "The Sandpiper". Don't let the 'lightweight' name fool you. This drink was invented in the Sandpiper neighbourhood on Hornby Island by serious opportunivores and mixed drink experimentologists - all directed by yours truly.

We have roadsides filled with blackberries and each and every berry screams to be eaten or drunk, as it were. So here's the newest addition to the weekend relaxation cabinet in the order of appearance:

The Basic Simple Syrup

Take one litre of steeped Hornby Island Waterfront ProperTea (or any good quality hibiscus based tea), one litre of fresh blackberries and simmer at a near boil until the berries are soft, which was about an hour. Sieve out the blackberry fruit pulp and seeds (set aside to add to pancakes). Return liquid to the pot and add one cup of white sugar for each cup of liquid. It's important not to use brown sugar here or you'll end up with something very close to hot Coca Cola... trust me on this one.

Let the syrup cool.

The Alcohol

Even in high school I was repelled by this drink.... Malibu Rum - I kid you not. The Sandpiper is a combination of suntan lotion and geographic flora all signaling the bitter sweet closing of the tourist season.

The Extras

Ice, club soda and fresh lime juice.

The Drink

And now, ladies and gentlemen,

The Sandpiper

Put 4 or 5 square (ideally) ice cubes in a martini shaker. Pour over the ice in this order:

2 oz Malibu Rum
1 oz blackberry syrup
1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice

Shake until your hands get really cold and frost forms on the shaker. Pour into a tall glass and top up with soda water. Sit back, relax and enjoy the last of the summer days.

Savoury Blackberry Compote

2008-08-25T13:50:00.001-07:00

Late August is a great season. I can stock up on heaps of blackberries to be drawn upon in the bleakest months of our rainy winters. I can sit in front of the fire with my blackberries and ice cream; or I can blend the berries with myriad sauces and serve over any splendid cut of local lamb, beef or salmon.

Today I made a blackberry crisp in the oven while on the stove top I had a batch of savoury compote stewing. This is a topping you can serve with any meat - in my opinion.

It all starts with a little olive oil, crushed garlic, grated ginger, the zest of one lemon, whole black berries, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, a cup of maple syrup and a little salt and pepper. How savoury you'd like the sauce depends on how much mustard and garlic you use. Personally I like this sauce a little on the sweet side to balance the stronger flavours of lamb and beef. Also, for the most well-blended version of this sauce, wait to serve until a day or two later.

Fresh Field Pepper Stew

2008-08-23T17:42:00.001-07:00

The day I can grow field peppers like these in my garden will a true celebration. I love peppers. I love them with chopped sausage over pasta. I love them raw. I also love them stewed with tomatoes, green beans and fresh herbs over new potatoes.

A little crushed garlic in the pan, a few chopped fresh basil and oregano leaves, chopped peppers, chopped green beans and tomatoes - simmer the lot until a little soft but not mushy. Serve over new potatoes... or with chicken... or bbq fish... or have a big bowl full all on its own topped with a big pinch of grated Parmesan. Did I mention I love peppers?

Coconut Carrot Salad

2008-08-22T15:42:00.001-07:00

This is the second carrot salad I've posted this summer. I was looking for a bit of a twist on the standard, which is what I had hoped the last one would be. This is an even twistier twist.

What sets this one apart is the binder: pure, thick and ideally organic, unsweetened coconut cream. The thicker, the better of course because it's replacing mayonnaise.

I grated 7 big carrots, put in a hand full of each of the following: sliced almonds, raisins, cranberries, pistachios, roasted sesame seeds, chopped pecans. Add a little sea salt and this makes a very nutritious and almost dessert veggie and nut salad. Bind the whole lot with a big thick scoop of coconut cream and mix until coated. I think it would complement curry, chicken or stand alone for lunch just fine thank you.

Cold Bean and Pepper Salad

2008-08-15T13:49:00.001-07:00

I love a fresh vegetable salad that departs a little from the leafy greens. This one is crunchy, refreshing and very pleasing to the eye.

Three colour peppers chopped into bean size pieces: red, yellow, orange, together with a bag of frozen edamame peas, a tin of garbanzo beans (unless you plan ahead to soak), a finely chopped half a red onion, three stalks of celery, the juice of one lime and a couple of heaping tablespoons of scape pesto - mix, chill, chow down.

Sicilian Orange Salad

2008-08-11T16:43:00.001-07:00

Lord knows what the Sicilians would think if they saw this version of their beloved orange salad. I shudder at the thought... but here's my West Coast take on this classic.

Doug and I had the great good fortune of visiting Sicily about 5 years ago and I've never forgotten this salad. 'They' make it with chopped oranges, olives, capers and shredded onions with a balsamic and olive oil dressing. 'My' additions are the sliced celery and sunflower sprouts. Both the "pure" version and the "fusion" version are worthy of any summer dinner - inside or outside.

Play with the proportions. Some would rather not suffer the capers, others would prefer fewer onions. The main ingredient is tasty oranges despite not being within the 100 mile range. I'm using 2 mile celery and sprouts and I think that counts for something.

Bacon Bison Kabobs

2008-08-03T17:24:00.001-07:00

"Kill a Cow" Fridays have become an irreverent institution around here. We don't mince terminology... But our meat of choice is interchangeable.

This is by no means an original idea, but it bears repeating and repeating... bacon wrapped bison sausage with button mushrooms, orange and red peppers with red onions all drizzled with a little olive oil and s&p. Bbq till done. Eat with friends. It gets no better.

Sunny Carrot Salad

2008-08-03T16:09:00.001-07:00

Summer salads need to be fresh, picnic worthy and - overall - seasonal. But this salad only really has a single seasonal ingredient: carrots. This infraction is fully outweighed by the colour of the salad, which screams summertime!

So, grate as many carrots as you need per person, one handful each of dried cranberries and raisins, slivered almonds and pumpkin seeds. Add a tablespoon or so of salba, ground flax, hemp seeds with a little ground sea salt and just enough fresh mayo to bind the whole crunchy lot. Take it on a picnic by the beach for maximum enjoyment.

Post Photo: I added a whack of grated Parmesan cheese to the mix - this is very tasty. So those of you with blocks of Parmesan to cheerfully use up (you know who you are) here's an unexpected application.

Chipotle Chicken Salad x 2

2008-07-22T16:19:00.001-07:00

Two dished came from one frying pan today. I was making a chicken polenta salad for supper and made too much chicken. The overflow was transformed into a spicy chicken salad and both taste pretty good.

Supper chicken is simply chopped chicken breast, chopped polenta, an onion, a handful of corn kernels and a sprinkling of olives. I fried up the chicken with onion, added a dollop of chipotle sauce, then added the corn followed by the polenta. I'll cool the mix and serve it topped with feta cheese and a little grated parmesan on a bed of mixed greens.

Lunch chicken is the chicken with chipotle, a dollop of mayo, chopped celery - same as regular chicken salad but with just a little 'yo no se que'. Chicken overload? No such thing.

Yummo Gazpacho

2008-07-20T18:05:00.000-07:00

I was thinking of making this gazpacho with entirely fresh ingredients, but with the cost of organic tomatoes at sky high, knock-em dead prices, I had to resort to the canned variety. Using canned tomatoes isn't the end of the world though - the rest of the ingredients are fresh, mostly local and not a king's ransom.

Gazpacho is a perfect summer meal because you can make a big batch of it, like a hot soup, and leave it in the fridge. Unlike hot soup, there is no prep involved. Open fridge. Remove container. Serve oneself cold soup.

I looked at a number of recipes and played with what I thought suited my palate best. This is what I came up with.

One 100ml tin of tomatoes (giant cans)
1 yellow pepper
1 orange pepper
2 field cucumbers
5 green onions
2 cloves garlic
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
1/2 liter chicken stock (could leave this out)
shot of hot sauce like Tobasco
tbsp basil pesto

This list of ingredients makes a good couple of liters of soup. Play with the proportions and add any fresh summer vegetable with a bit of crunch. Green olives might be good in this too, but I don't have any on hand. Alas.

If I'd used fresh tomatoes, I would have chopped them finely. As it was, I pureed the tomatoes in the blender after having added all liquid ingredients and the garlic - which pureed nicely. Then I chopped the veg into tiny cubes, added to the liquid and chilled for about an hour before serving. Season with crushed pepper and sea salt, serve very cold and enjoy the sunshine!

Orange Quinoa Salad

2008-07-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

So much of our summer meals involve some sort of fresh fish. It's fun to switch up the salad types from seasonal greens to chilled grains.

This one is really easy. Put two cups of rinsed quinoa on to steam. Chop a 1/4c dried apricots, a shallot and 5 or so green onions, simmer together in a little butter. Add a hand full of dried cranberries and simmer until soft. Then chop another batch of green onions, but keep these raw.

When the quinoa is cooked, add the cooked and raw ingredients together with a cup of orange juice and a 1/4 cup olive oil. Season, chill - eat up.