Happy Thanksgiving! on CBC's Weekend Morning Show!

 Tomorrow I will be presenting these recipes on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.  I am so thankful for such an abundance of beautiful products here in Manitoba!  These dishes can all be prepared in advance, to make your Thanksgiving feast a celebration for all.  

I prepared Eye of Round Beef, because it is versatile and as an option from Turkey.  For other Turkey ideas, please look in my blog.

1. Wildrice pancakes

2 cups cooked wild rice (Black Duck Lake Wild Rice at St. Norbert�s Farmer�s Market)*

4 large eggs (I used Nature�s Farm eggs)

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup flour (optional to use wild rice flour or potato flour, for gluten-free alternatives)

� tsp ground nutmeg

Optional spices:  Cajun, Turkish, Moroccan, Italian blends

Olive oil

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.  In a hot skillet, heat oil and form pancakes.  Cook until crisp and brown on each side.  Enjoy as a side dish with cranberry sauce or relish, chutneys, etc.

*I boiled the wild rice in a pot of water for 40 minutes, then drained the water.

2. Walnut fig orange stuffed Eye of Round roast

1 3 lb eye of round roast beef (Wildfire Farms at St.Norbert�s Farmer�s Market)

Optional marinade:  � cup red wine, rub with Ras el Hanout, salt, to taste, drizzle olive oil, 1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

Filling:  � cup walnuts, chopped , zest of one orange, juice of one orange, � cup chopped dried figs (or other dried fruit), 1 egg, salt and pepper, � cup chopped parsley

Dijon Mustard, to coat roast

Cut open an eye of round roast to lay flat.  Marinate overnight, if desired.  Remove from marinade and reserve liquid.  Lightly coat both sides of roast with Dijon Mustard and place filling inside, roll and tie roast.  Preheat oven to 350F.  In a large pan, sear roast to brown all over and place in baking dish.  Bake with liquid over chopped onions and carrots for 20 minutes a pound for rare meat.

Let meat rest before cutting.  Enjoy hot or cold.  Prepare a sauce with drippings by pureeing and cooking, adding a bit of butter and red wine.

Chef's Notes:  You can also cook the roast in a slow cooker for fall apart tenderness.  If cooking rare, slice thinly after resting the meat.
 

Enjoy!

3. Solberry CurdTarts

� -3/4 cup Solberry Puree (Available at Co-op stores and Vita Health)

1/2 cup butter (I used Notre Dame butter)

1 cup sugar

3 eggs (I use Nature�s Farm eggs, available at the St. Norbert�s Farmer�s Market)

Mix sugar, eggs and Solberry in a bowl

Melt 1/2 cup butter in a double saucepan over a very gentle heat.

Gradually add 1 cup sugar, 3 beaten eggs, the grated lemon zest and the Solberry.

Stir until thickened.

Put into sterilized jars while still hot and cover with wax paper, pressing the paper on the surface of the lemon curd. (If using curd for Lemon Meringue Pie/tarts, cool in fridge), or cool in a container until needed.

Enjoy in tarts, as a spread, with meringue, over pavlova, etc.

Pickerel Cheeks and Wild Rice with Saskatoons on CBC's Weekend Morning Show!

 This morning I presented the following recipes on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.  The Pickerel cheeks, wild rice and saskatoons are all available at Gimli Fish.

Pickerel Cheeks (easy)
1 lb pickerel cheeks
2 tsp butter
1 bunch fresh sorrel (or other favourite fresh herbs)
salt and pepper, to taste
splash Mirin, to deglaze pan (can use Vermouth or for non-alcohol uses, apple or pear juice)

Saut� pickerel cheeks on both sides in melted butter with herbs over medium high heat. Deglaze and season with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately.

 Pickerel Cheeks (difficult)
Same as above but wrap each pickerel cheek as a package in the sorrel leaf and tie with a chive.

Enjoy!

Wild Rice with Saskatoons (serve hot or cold)

1 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed
4 cups water

1 onion, thinly sliced or fine dice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup Saskatoons
1/4 cup toasted nuts (pine nuts, almonds, pecans, etc.) optional
Salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 tbs favourite spice blend (Ras el Hanout, Baharat, Cajun, Herbes d�Provence)  Today I�m making it with Herbes d�Provence

Cook rice by bringing to a boil and then simmering for 45 minutes or until most of the rice has curled.  In a pan, saut� onion in olive oil over medium heat.  Add in all ingredients.  Mix rice and seasoning together in a bowl.  Serve hot or cold.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato, Pear, and Wild Rice Salad

It's officially fall, and that means you can officially wear boots and scarves and order pumpkin spice everything, shame free. It also means I can start making dishes full of fall flavors like pears and roasted sweet potatoes. I really think sweet potatoes are going to be my go-to this fall, sort of like corn was all summer. I just love sweet potatoes so much. As is evident here and here. 

Amanda always welcomes fall with a pear and pecan salad that has a creamy yogurt-honey-lemon dressing. I decided to make that salad, but add in some heartiness with wild rice (actually, I used forbidden black rice, which is super fun), sweet potato roasted in coconut oil, and aged white cheddar. Bleu cheese would absolutely work here too (um, maybe both!?). 

This salad also holds up well for lunch the next day! Just layer it in a jar so that your dressing is on the bottom, and your arugula is on the top. And leave your pecans out, so they stay nice and crunchy. 

Who says you can't welcome fall with a salad!?

Sweet Potato, Pear, and Wild Rice Salad

Exact amounts for roasting the sweet potato and making the dressing are below. For assembly, just use proportions that work for you. I like to use equal parts rice, sweet potato, and arugula, then add in a handful of everything else. 

1 large sweet potato or yam, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

Salt & Pepper

Wild rice of your choice, cooked and cooled

Chopped fresh pear

Honey yogurt dressing (recipe below)

Toasted pecans

Diced red onion

Shaved or cubed aged white cheddar

To roast the sweet potato, preheat oven to 400, toss cubes with coconut oil, spread out evenly on a baking sheet, sprinkle salt & pepper, and roast (flipping once) for 30-40 minutes, until golden and slightly crispy on the outside, and creamy-tender on the inside. Watch to make sure you don't burn them. Cool.

To assemble, toss together cool roasted sweet potato, cool wild rice, pear, arugula, and a spoonful of dressing. Top with pecans, red onion, and white cheddar. Serve with fresh ground pepper. To assemble in jars, add a scoop of dressing, followed by rice, sweet potato, arugula, cheese, and pear. I like to bring onion and nuts in separate containers or baggies--the nuts so they don't get soft, and the onion so it doesn't overpower the whole salad. Refrigerate until lunch time, then either toss and stir in a bowl, or eat straight out of the jar. 

Honey Yogurt Dressing

3/4 cup plain yogurt

3 tablespoons honey

Juice from 1 large lemon

1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

Salt & Pepper

Whisk yogurt, honey, lemon juice, and chives together until smooth. Add salt & pepper to taste.