Easy BBQ Feast for Father's Day! On CBC's Weekend Morning Show

Yesterday I had the joy of presenting some new ideas that I'm developing for the market, in time to enjoy for Father's Day, on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Nadia Kidwai.

The lovely beef striploin came from Wildfire Farms and the pizza dough is available on market days at Old Church Bakery.  Easy and delicious!  The rub is a Baharat (spice blend) that I've added ground pumpkin seeds and smoked paprika to to make a Manitoba version of Duq'qah, an Egyptian spice and ground nut blend for meats and flatbreads.  I'll be bringing this to market very soon.

For the flatbread, 1 bag pizza dough from Old Church Bakery, divide into 2-4 pieces and, with a bowl of water to wet the fingers, pull and spread onto a silpat or parchment papers.  Spread a spoonful of the Duq'qah onto each flatbread, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and drizzle with olive oil.  Bake in a 450�F oven or on a hot grill until done, 4-7 minutes, depending on oven or grill. 

For the steaks, in order to get a crust, lightly coat each steak with Dijon mustard and then coat with the Duq'qah.  Season with a slight amount of salt.  Prior to grilling, drizzle olive oil on each steak.  Grill to preferred doneness, I recommend rare, but...  Let the meat rest for about 5 minutes before slicing. 

I topped these flat breads and steak slices with a bit of onion jam, but garnish as you like.

Ribeyes and Birch Syrup BBQ sauce for Father's Day on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

 This morning on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod, I presented the following ideas for a Father's Day BBQ with Manitoba Ribeye from Wildfire Farms, and incredible Birch Syrup BBQ Sauce from the Canadian Birch Company, both available readily at the St. Norbert's Farmer's Market.

 

Central ingredient from @CanadianBirchCo in Chef Karen Peters rib eye steak. All their products are amazing. #cbcmb pic.twitter.com/BcUPNrsj8X

� Terry MacLeod (@terrymacleod) June 18, 2016

Father�s Day BBQ!  Easy to impress!

Wildfire Farms Ribeye Steaks (Ribeye is tender and has better flavour as, even though it is low fat, it has more fat than tenderloin so has more flavour.  It is situated next to the tenderloin and, along with Striploin or New York Strip, has the most flavour)Available at the St. Norbert�s Farmer�s Market
Canadian Birch Company BBQ Sauce (http://canadianbirchcompany.com/)Available at the St. Norbert�s Farmer�s Market

Roasted or baked sweet potato (for the meat and potatoes Dad to give better health benefit)
Butter and balsamic drizzled over sweet potato, with a sprinkling of sea salt

Saut�ed mushrooms for steak
crumbled blue cheese for steak. 
Optional:  soft fried egg for on top of steak

Saut� whole or sliced mushrooms in a bit of olive oil or butter.  Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Deglaze with White Wine, Mirin or Vermouth.

Enjoy!

Happy Father�s Day!

July 4th Burger Roundup

A few years ago Serious Eats released this amazing, comprehensive guide called the United States of Burgers, and apparently I was super unhappy with Washington's representative burger. I wrote a post about it when the article was released, and never ended up hitting publish. With the 4th of July just around the corner, there's no better time to resurface a ton of awesome all-American burger inspiration. Aside from Will Smith saving the world from aliens, what's more American than a burger on Independence Day!? USA, USA!


In addition to the Burgers of America, here are a few recipes, old and new, from around the interwebz for your July 4th cookout/picnic/bbq/get-together/pool party/food-fest. 

• My ode to the 50th (and most tropically amazing) state, Hawaiian sliders with grilled pineapple (pictured above). 
• This turkey banh mi burger is fusion at it's best (just like America!). 
• These chorizo garlic shrimp burgers are Mexican-inspired, along with 95% of food I love in the US. 
• And these Xi'an style lamb burgers are Asian-inspired, along with 95% of food Evan loves in the US. 
• These Carolina burgers with mustard bbq sauce are pledging so much allegiance to the flag of the USA.
• These are packed with fried mozzarella, caramelized peaches, balsamic drizzle, and stars-and-stripes forever.
• Jessica basically deserves a spot on Mt. Rushmore thanks to these goat cheese-guac numbers and these smoky sweet bacony beauties.
• Bev should probably join her, and bring these queso turkey burgs and these chipotle black bean ones!
• These sexy bacon burgers are totally all-American, even though Sarah's Australian. 
• Remember when I made homemade everything burgers? You can do it too, for your country!

And, because it made me laugh when I re-read it, here are my original thoughts/crazy grumblings on the Serious Eat's article. Enjoy!

Hey guys, I need to tell you about how crazy I am. Warning: this involves hamburgers.

So... I'm a crazy person. Unless you're Evan or my parents or my sister or my friends... or my cat... you might not know that about me. And even though I just mentioned my cat, I'm not talking about crazy-cat-lady type crazy right now (though I am that, too). I don't even know what kind of crazy this is... state-hamburger-pride crazy, perhaps?

I'll preface this with the fact that I love Serious Eats, and I love J.Kenji Lopez-Alt's burger articles (um, his fake shack burger... perfection). What I don't love, however, is when a totally random burger and random fry sauce (that I'm assuming everyone outside of Washington state also uses...it's basically Thousand Island dressing, people!) is declared Washington's state burger. Not necessarily Washington's best burger, mind you, but our most iconic, or the burger that most represents our state. Ok, so this is where my crazy comes out. I'm like, weirdly, irrationally upset about this. I complained so much that a friend told me "maybe it's time to write to your congressman."  

But c'mon! What about a Deluxe burger from Dick's Drive In!? Dick's was voted most-life-changing burger by Esquire, people! It beat favorites like In-n-Out and Shake Shack! That is state burger material! Or what about the bacon jam burger from Skillet or the bacon burger from Red Mill? Ok, too Seattle-centric? How about Burgerville!? It's a fast food joint founded in SW Washington that's known for its commitment to local resources and environmental sustainability... if that doesn't represent our Earth-friendly-recycling-crazed state, I don't know what does. What about something with wild mushrooms or salmon or apples on it, for crying out loud!? Gah!

How did this travesty happen!? Breath Amber, Breath. See...crazy-town.

Now, look at these burgers, and go a little nuts yourself.

Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs with Artichoke Jalape�o Dip

It's Memorial Day and that means it�s officially (unofficially?) grilling season! I�m extra stoked for summer this year, because our place has a tiny little yard, which we�ve spent the last month transforming into a patio oasis (with tons of help from Kyle, Benson, and Kel). 


Evan, Biscuit, and I have been spending every spare second outside. When you rent and live in the city, your own private outdoor space can be hard to come by, so we feel super lucky and happy with what we have, small as it may be. We have room to plant a few veggies, we have a crow that stalks Biscuit out there, and also, I watched a caterpillar build his cocoon! It�s basically a wildlife refuge/science class/jungle/nature hike/farm/wilderness retreat. 

We kicked off grilling season on our new little patio with bacon wrapped hot dogs! With artichoke jalape�o dip! Hot dogs aren�t really my favorite, but when you add cool, creamy, spicy, bacony elements, I�m all in. 

Oh, and Evan wants you to know that he's trying to get a #dadbod this summer (ie: that perfect mix of beer belly & sort of sometimes goes to the gym). Unfortunately for him, he has amazing metabolism and muscle definition that he has no right to have, no matter how many beer and bacon wrapped hot dog-filled weekends he has. Unfortunately for me, I have terrible metabolism. I basically have enough #dadbod for the both of us. 




Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs with Artichoke Jalape�o Dip
This makes a pretty big bowl of dip, which is great hot or cold, with chips or crackers.

For Dip
1 8oz package cream cheese, softened (room temp)
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
2 cans artichoke hearts (not marinated), drained & chopped
1/4 cup diced/canned jalape�os
garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste

Stir together cream cheese, mayo, and sour cream until combined and smooth. Stir in cheese, artichokes, and jalape�os. Add garlic powder, salt, and black pepper to taste. I usually use about 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Can be made a day ahead and kept refrigerated in an airtight container.

For Dogs
Hot Dogs
Bacon (1 slice per dog)
Buns
Dip
Mustard
Sriracha
Diced white onion

First, soak some toothpicks in water (the longer they soak the less they�ll burn). Wrap each piece of bacon around a dog, and secure the ends with a soaked toothpick, otherwise when they cook, the bacon will shrink up and not stay wrapped. Fire the grill to medium-high heat, and cook bacon-wrapped dogs until bacon is slightly crispy and cooked through. You�ll need to keep an eye on them and use caution, as the bacon grease dripping will cause some flames. Turn and move often to avoid fire hazard. Heat buns on grill until just toasted. 

To assemble, put a big scoop of artichoke jalape�o dip in the bun, top with dog, yellow mustard, sriracha, and a sprinkle of onion. Follow my blog with Bloglovin

BBQ Chicken two ways on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

This morning I presented the following two BBQ chicken dishes for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.   Very easy to prepare in advance and impress at the grill.

BBQ Chicken

4-8 chicken thighs (or pieces), skinned

1 heaping tbs good Dijon mustard
1 heaping tbs ketchup
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbs molasses
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika
drizzle olive oil
1 oz bourbon (optional)
1/4 tsp dried chipotle (or chopped with adobo sauce from a tin)

Mix the marinade together and set chicken pieces in to marinade, at least a few hours.  Heat grill to high heat and place on grill, ~ 2 minutes per side, turning.  Longer time if bone in chicken.  Baste with marinade.

If using the marinade as a sauce, Cook up to boil for at least a minute, adding more bourbon or other liquid such as apple or pear juice.

Enjoy the BBQ!

Grilled Pomegranate Chicken thighs with Ras el Hanout
(serves 2 for 4 chicken thighs)

2 tablespoons Ras el Hanout*
1/2 cup pomegranate molasses** (can also use pomegranate juice)
1/4 cup good olive oil
splash orange blossom water (optional)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch salt
1/4 � 1/2 chopped peel preserved lemon*
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs

Mix first 7 ingredients together well to blend in the olive oil. Place chicken thighs in marinade in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 1-4 hours. Place chicken thighs on a hot BBQ for up to 4 minutes a side, turning NOT flipping every two minutes for grill marks.

Let meat rest and enjoy with grilled Naan bread, salad, rice, etc.

*Ras el Hanout can be used as a spice rub for your BBQ meats, in vegetable stews (recipe in blog), on roast chicken, lamb, goat, etc.

**Orange blossom water, pomegranate molasses and preserved lemon are available at Halal Meat Centre and Specialty Foods at 206 Maryland and Dino's Grocery Mart at 460 Notre Dame Avenue in Winnipeg.

Mexican-style Pita Cheeseburgers

It�s a cheeseburger! It's a taco! It�s a pita sandwich! It�s a quesadilla! It�s a burgerpitacodilla! Or something. You guys! What is this thing!?

I saw these lamb pita burgers on Bon Appetit, with the meat cooked right inside the pita, and couldn�t stop thinking about how rad they looked! But, I haven�t been feeling the lamb lately, ever since this weird thing happened with my mom�s dog. The other day my ma got Daisy a fresh lamb bone from the butcher, for her birthday. When Daisy smelled the lamb bone, she flipped out. Like, started shaking and whimpering, and ran and hid. Totally afraid of it. So I did a Google search and apparently this is a thing! A lot of dogs are afraid of the smell of lamb! I read one thing that said it�s because the strong gamey smell of lamb makes dogs think that you�re cooking and hurting living animals, like dogs, and it freaks them out! This was just a comment on a forum, so I mean, it could be total BS, but weird, right!? Ugh. So anyway, I�m just not feeling lamb at the moment� solidarity with my dog-sister. 

But, it�s sunny outside, people are starting to break out their grills, and it�s only a few weeks until Cinco de Mayo. So I�m definitely feeling cheeseburgers and Mexican food, all day every day! 

Here we mix plain ol� ground beef with some Mexican spices, pepper jack cheese, and grated onion, and spread into a pita! See the gratuitous raw meat photo above! The whole thing gets smashed together and thrown on the grill, and served with guac. The meat is moist and cheesy from the grated onion and pepper jack, and the pita gets all crispy on the outside and kind of melts together on the inside. Also, I read in the original Bon Appetit article that you can spread the meat mix on the pitas ahead of time� how perfect is that!? When it�s fiesta time, the work is basically done! Get your burgerpitacodilla on! Pitacodillaburger? Quesapitacoburger? I don�t know. Just do it! 

Pita Cheeseburgers, Mexican-style 

Makes 6-8 full pita burgers

1 lb ground beef (not the leanest, I used about 85/15. An 80/20 would work too)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Scant teaspoon salt

Fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoon grated white onion (about 1/4 of a large onion)

2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

1 cup grated pepper jack

6-8 pitas

Serve with guacamole, sour cream, bean dip, salsa, etc. 

Mix together ground beef through cilantro until well combined, and then stir in the grated cheese. Slice open each pita, so that you have two rounds for each one. Spread about 1/4 cup of beef mixture on half the pita, in a thin layer, all the way to the edges, and top with remaining pita half. Press together firmly.

Heat grill over medium-high heat, and grill each side for about 4 minutes, until beef is cooked through. 

To cook inside on an oven-safe grill pan: preheat oven to  400 degrees. Heat grill pan on stovetop over medium-high heat, and grill prepared pita for about a minute on each side just long enough to get grill marks, then put the whole pan in the oven for about 4-5 minutes, until beef is cooked through. 

Burger and Beef Tajine on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

This morning I prepared the following dishes for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry Macleod.  Easy to prepare and enjoy at any time of the year.

Beef Burgers with Turkish Baharat
1 lb ground beef (excellent Halal beef is available at Millad�s on Notre Dame)
2 tbs Turkish Baharat
1 egg
pinch salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and form into 4-6 patties. Grill and serve with your favourite toppings or the following on a pita.


Yoghurt tahini sauce

1/2 cup good plain yoghurt
1 clove garlic, minced
3 heaping tbs tahini
2 tsp lemon or lime juice
pinch salt

Mix all ingredients together. The tahini will cause the sauce to thicken quickly. Use on grilled Pide or Naan or as a crudit� dip.

Enjoy!

Moroccan Beef Tajine

1 lb beef roast, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 tbs ras el hanout
1-2 tbs olive oil
1-2 tbs butter
good pinch saffron
2 large tomatoes, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 green peppers, seeded and diced
1/2 - 1 cup prunes
2-3 tbs honey
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup red wine
salt, to taste

Slowly saut� onions on medium-low heat with olive oil until they begin to caramelize. Stir in Ras el Hanout spice blend. Turn up heat to medium-high and add butter and saffron. Brown meat well on all sides and add tomatoes and other vegetables. Add broth, prunes and honey. Add red wine and salt and let simmer for 1-2 hours, depending on using the tajine and toughness of the meat. Meat should melt in your mouth when done.

Serve with flat breads, rice, couscous or bulgur.

Enjoy!

Grilled Stuffed Figs 2 ways and Glammed up Smokies for CBC's Weekend Morning Show

This morning, it was my pleasure to present a buffet of options on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.

Lucious and versatile, the fig can be grilled in a number of ways for a delightful amuse bouche.


Stuffed Grilled Figs

1 lb fresh figs
Parmesan reggiano
balsamic reduction

To make the Balsamic Reduction:

Heat a saucepan over high heat. Add a cup of balsamic vinegar to the pan and reduce liquid by half. Take pan off of heat immediately.

To make the stuffed figs:

While the balsamic is reducing, heat your broiler on high. Cut the figs in half lengthwise, (but do not cut all the way through). Stuff with Parmesan cheese, cheddar is also good (you can also then wrap the figs with prosciutto), place under the broiler for about 3-4 minutes or until cheese is browned. Serve with balsamic reduction drizzled over top.
Or:
Drunken Figs

1 package of dried figs
red wine such as Lambrusco works great as it is a sweet wine to begin with, but merlot, shiraz, zinfandel or pinot noir would work great too!

Place dried figs in a glass bowl, cover with wine. Place in fridge. DONE

Enjoy on their own, with ice cream, pound or angel food cake, etc.

Or:

Grilled figs stuffed with prosciutto and arugula

I also prepared Glammed up Smokies.  I used Italian sausages from DeLuca's on Portage Ave.  They make a wide variety but for today I presented Hot Italian, Fennel and Chicken sausages.

The condiments were Rhubarb Apple Chutney with Ras el Hanout, Caramelized onions with chipotle and beer, tomato chutney, kimchi, wasabi mayonaise, St. Andre cheese, roasted red peppers and Dijon mustard.

Rhubarb Apple chutney
-6 cups each chopped rhubarb and apples,
2-4 tbs ras el hanout,
1 1/2 cups white or brown sugar,
1/4 cup water, to start the cooking
pinch of salt.
2 tbs grated fresh ginger. 
May add a splash of vinegar before canning.
Cook until fruit is soft.

Use with whatever you like.

Enjoy the Labour Day Weekend!

Steaks with compound butter 3 ways on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

 This morning I had the pleasure of presenting the following 3 compound butters on strip loin steaks for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Ismaila Alfa. 

Grill steaks to your desired doneness, recommending rare but...  :)

To be put on grilled steaks as resting.

1. Roasted Red Pepper Saffron Butter

1 cup softened butter
1 roasted red pepper
2 good pinches Saffron
1 pinch salt

Skin and seed roasted pepper. Blend together chopped pepper, butter, saffron and a pinch of salt. Drop onto a sheet of plastic wrap or waxed paper and shape into a roll. Chill until firm.

For other prepared butters, try ripe mango, butter, lime and jalape�o flakes. Try flavours that you enjoy together or ripe locally grown fruit.

2. Chive Pesto Butter
1 cup chopped chives
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup + good olive oil

Mix all ingredients in a blender or food processor.  Mix with butter as with previous compound butters. 
Can use basil pesto, arugula pesto, etc.

3. Squash Butter (apple butter)
Mix apple butter preserve with softened butter. 

*I'm likely going to add some Ras el Hanout as well to this one.