Farmer's Market Chowder on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

This morning, I presented the following recipe for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.  This was made all with items that I have from this week's farmer's markets and my CSA, Farm Share, Including the chicken stock.

Farmer�s Market Chowder

This can be prepared as a vegetarian option by omitting the bacon and using vegetable stock.

4 ears corn
1 lb tomatillos, husked (Binkley Farms - Sundays at The Forks Farmer's Market)
3-5 potatoes, cubed (God's Acres - Thursdays at the Downtown Farmer's Market)
1 leek, sliced
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup chopped slab bacon (Zinn Farms for Berkshire or Wildfire Farms for Beef Bacon!)
1 red pepper
1 Summer Squash, cubed skin on.
and/or 1 lb patty pan squash or zucchini, sliced or cubed
4 cups stock (vegetarian, chicken, etc)
1-2 roasted jalape�os
� tsp ground nutmeg
� tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
500 ml whipping cream (for heart healthy recipes, try one tin fat free milk)
salt, to taste

Roast or broil corn, jalape�os, and tomatillos for a few minutes per side.   When cooled, cut corn off of cobs. One method is to place cob upright in the middle of a Bundt pan and cut around. Saut� leek with bacon pieces until leek becomes translucent. Add tomatillos and soup stock.  Cook and pur�e, using an immersion blender, or leave chunky.  Add corn,  potatoes, red pepper and zucchini/and/or squash and combine. Add spices and bring to a boil. Simmer and cream. Season as needed.  Serve hot.

Enjoy!

To make chicken stock, keep the bones and neck of the chicken and put it it in a stock pot with a few cut up carrots, celery with leaves, 2-3 star anise, cut onions with skin on, 1 tbs peppercorns, 1 + tbs salt, water to cover, thyme, etc.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 3-8 hours.  Let cool and strain.  If you haven't strained the stock through a cloth, chill and remove fat before portioning to freeze or use.
Please note, using vegetable trimmings if you save them for stock but not Brassica, or cabbage family trimmings.  Those will leave a bitter, gassy flavour.

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

Tiki Party: Rumaki

You can�t have a tiki party without some classic tiki snacks! Have you ever had rumaki? We had it all the time when I was growing up, which is why I knew my ma would love this Mother�s Day tiki party! 


Rumaki�marinated chicken liver and water chestnuts wrapped in bacon�is a classic tiki pupu platter addition. It was created either by the godfather of Tiki, Donn the Beachcomber, or the second godfather of Tiki, Trader Vic, and was a popular menu item at tiki restaurants and parties in the mid-20th century. It�s totally faux-Polynesian. Which makes my version, which uses chicken breast instead of liver, faux-faux-Polynesian. That�s why we�re calling it ru-mock-i! 

I used basic ol� chicken breast (feel free to use thighs!) instead of liver, to appease the picky taste buds of my household. Sorry, mom. Evan won�t touch chicken liver with a ten-foot toothpick. I loved chicken liver when I was a kid (especially marinated and grilled!), and I loved the rumaki my parents made. As I�ve gotten older though, I�ve sort of lost my taste for the stuff. Isn�t that backwards? Isn�t your palate supposed to become more adventurous the older you get? Either way, these little bites are fun and addictive, with hints of all five basic tastes: sweet, salty, umami, bacon, and bacon. 

Check back for the rest of my tiki party menu! Yesterday I shared the star of the show, the Three Dots and a Dash tiki drink, and tomorrow I�ll be combining two classic tiki treats into one tasty little bite: coconut shrimp and crab Rangoon! 

Alright, are you ready to roll (some chicken and water chestnuts inside some bacon)!?

Ru-mock-i (Mock Rumaki)

Adapted from here and here

Makes about 45 pieces. I use thinner bacon, for better roll-ability. If you use thicker bacon you might need toothpicks to hold them together. If that's the case, be sure to soak toothpicks in water for at least an hour.

1/2 cup soy sauce

3 Tablespoons dark brown sugar

1  inch-long chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and grated

Fresh ground black pepper

2 chicken breasts (about 1 pound), cut into small bite size pieces

1 can of whole water chestnuts, halved

1 lb package of bacon, cut in 3rds

In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, and pepper. Add chicken and water chestnuts, and marinate in the fridge for at least an hour (several hours is even better!).  

Heat oven to 425. 

Strain marinade off of chicken and chestnuts, and set aside. To assemble, wrap one chestnut piece and one chicken piece in one of your pre-cut 1/3rd size bacon slices, and roll up tightly. Repeat with remaining pieces, and place rolled rumakis on a baking sheet. Brush with reserved marinade. 

Bake until everything is cooked through and bacon is just crispy, about 25 minutes. 

Shrimp BLTs with Basil Mayo

BLTs are pretty much the best sandwiches ever. Raise your hand if you agree. 

Obviously bacon is amazing, but when you combine it with crispy fresh lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and creamy cool mayonnaise� I seriously think it's bacon's best use. Well, aside from just chowing down slice after slice. When in doubt, I order BLTs. Unlike other sandwiches, they're just kind hard to screw up. I mean, there's for sure the perfect BLT, and you can probably make a sub-par BLT, but really...if you give me bread or toast, bacon, toms, and lettuce, I'm sure I'll manage.

This here BLT, loaded with grilled shrimp and garlicky basil mayo (SBLTBM?), is SO GOOD. I'm not going to say it's better than the original, because how can you improve upon something so classic and perfect? But, I will say that it's delicious and awesome in it's own right. It's perfect for dinner, since it's a little heartier than the classic, but really, I could eat it for every meal. Breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, mid-day snack, dinner�dessert? 

I also love the simplicity of a BLT, even this fancy one. Fry up the bacon, slicey slice the toms, give the shrimp a quick toss in some EVOO, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, then throw those suckers on the grill, and blend together your mayo, basil, and garlic. 

Sidenote: avocado would not be a terrible idea here. SBLTBMA? 

Shrimp BLTs with Basil Mayo

Makes 2 large sandwiches

8 thick slices bacon

1/2 cup mayonaise

8 large basil leaves

1 small clove garlic

12 large shrimp/prawns, peeled and deveined 

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Pinch red pepper flakes

Salt & pepper

1 tomato, sliced

Lettuce (I like a crunchy but leafy lettuce like Romaine for BLTs)

4 thick slices bread (I used a sour white from a local bakery)-toast if desired

Cook the bacon: Per your usual method, draining on paper towels when done. 

Make the mayo: In a blender or food processor, add mayo, basil leaves, and garlic. Blend until smooth, stopping and scraping down sides as necessary. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, to taste.

Grill the shrimp: Toss shrimp with olive oil, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt and fresh ground black pepper. To grill outside, I like to put them on a double skewer so they don't fall through (for wooden skewers, be sure to soak in water prior to grilling so they don't burn). For indoor grilling on a grill pan, you can leave them loose. Cook shrimp for about 2 minutes per side, or until opaque.

Assemble the sandwiches: Slather 1 piece of bread with the mayo, top with tomato, bacon, shrimp, and lettuce, and top with bread slice. Repeat for second sandwich. 

Easy Peasy Split Pea Soup

I have a few things to discuss with you today: jury duty, TV shows, and the easiest soup ever. We�ll start with jury duty.


I had my first jury duty summons this week, and you guys� I loved it! Obviously it can be an inconvenience and burden to take the time off work, and blah blah blah� but man was it fun. I was on a panel, and got to spend a few hours in a court room for jury selection, with the judge, attorneys, and defendant. In the end I didn�t make it in the jury box, but it was so cool to see the process. I was a little bummed I wasn�t selected. Everyone else cheered when they were released. I was sad. I�m gonna go watch Runaway Jury now.


Ok, so� TV shows. Are you watching True Detective yet!? Holy moly. I seriously can�t handle Monday through Saturday, because I�m just dying for the next episode. I love everything about it. The acting is phenomenal (Matt McConahey and Woody Harrelson are amazing), the story line has me hooked, and the I love the look and feel of it. Also, House of Cards, Walking Dead, GIRLS: loving the latest of all three. Although, I must say, and I hate to admit this, but in the latest GIRLS, the beach house episode� Gah. I think I�m sort of a Marne when it comes to party planning and expectations and getting mad when extra people crash the party and I only have enough duck for four people. I get it. But it was pretty gross watching it� I�ll try to change, I will!


Ok, so now, on to this soup. All you have to do is add everything to a pot, boil it, simmer it, eat it. Seriously the easiest ever. Easy peasy� peas. Now, I enjoy the process of browning and caramelizing my base ingredients as much as the next gal, and if you have time and are so inclined, you can do that here. But, if you�re my fianc� (hehe, fianc�gets me every time) and your night for cooking usually consists of the taco truck or a frozen pizza, this soup is a really good start. Evan is a mighty fine onion chopper, and that�s basically all the skill needed for this recipe.

Oh yeah, and it tastes really good, too.

Easy Peasy Split Pea Soup

Slightly adapted from my sister, who slightly adapted from my mom, who slightly adapted from the recipe on the bag of split peas

1 bag (about 2 cups) dried split peas, rinsed
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 carrots, diced
6 pieces of thick cut bacon, diced
1 bay leaf
2-3 sprigs thyme
8 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper

Add all ingredients to a large pot, and bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for an hour, or until peas are tender and mushy. Add more water if needed. Serve with parmesan cheese and bread or crackers.

Corn Chowder with Bacon and Green Chiles

I know it's September, and football is happening (go UW!), and there are pumpkin recipes everywhere, and storefronts are filled with boots and scarves. I get it. But can't we still enjoy summer�just for a few more weeks!? Days??

I had all these summer recipes I wanted to make before the season swapped over to fall, and I took a pulse check on Facebook to figure out which of those summer bucket-list recipes I should make first. The big winner? Corn chowder! Unfortunately, I might only get to one or two more summer recipes before chicken wings and chili just get too tempting. But lucky for you, corn chowder is one of 'em! 

This has totally been the summer of corn for me. You could even say I'm a child of the corn. Or maybe not� that's creepy. Let's just say I love corn.

Most of the corn chowder recipes I've seen out there are filled with heavy milk, cream, and potatoes. That just sounds wintery to me. And guys� I just wanted something summery here. And obviously green chiles=summer. And obviously bacon=awesome. 

Speaking of summer and awesome, this soup is awesome. And summery-like. It's a little tangy from the lime and chiles, salty and smoky from the bacon, and nice and sweet from the fresh corn. Rather than adding milk or cream, I just blended half the soup, that way it's thick, but not heavy. Top it off with a swirl of sour cream, some cheese, and cilantro? You'll be thinking it's early August. 

Also, if your produce section is running low on last of the season corn, or you decide to whip this up in December, no worries! You can totally use frozen corn. Then you can have summer anytime. Yep, you're welcome. 

Corn Chowder with Bacon and Green Chiles 

Serves 4-6

8 ears of corn, raw (or 8 cups of frozen corn, thawed)

4 slices of bacon, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 clove garlic, minced

2 sprigs of fresh thyme (or a pinch dried)

2 sprigs of fresh oregano (or a pinch dried)

4 cups chicken broth 

1 four oz can roasted green chiles (mild or hot, depending on your taste)

Juice from half a lime

Salt & pepper

sour cream

lime wedges

cilantro

cheese (crumbled cotija or shredded cheddar or jack)

Cut kernels off corn cobs, and then run the back off the knife or a scrape a spoon along cobs to get the last of the liquidy goodness out of the cobs. Set aside.

Heat a stockpot or dutch oven over medium, and add bacon and onions. Cook until onions are translucent and starting to brown, and bacon is cooked through (it won't necessarily be crispy). Add the garlic, thyme, oregano (and olive oil, if necessary), and cook a few more minutes. Add corn and green chilies, and stir to combine. Add broth, and turn heat to medium-high, bring to a boil. 

Add lime juice, and reduce heat to low. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. 

Remove from heat, and (carefully) run emersion blender through soup one or two times. You don't want to fully blend, but want about 1/2 blended, half still chunky. You could also scoop 2-3 cups of the soup into a blender, blend until smooth, and stir back in. Be careful blending hot soups, it could splatter. 

Server with sour cream, lime wedges, cilantro, and cheese. 

Silver Screen Food Movies with the Assiniboine Park Conservatory and the MLCC

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 Silver Screen � January 29, 2013

 Last night I had fun at this event showing one of my favourite subjects, food movies and inspired food. Bonnie Tulloch, of Assiniboine Park Conservatory, led the evening with movie clips and information on food.  Scott Strizic of the MLCC prepared excellent beverage pairings and I got to make some yummy dishes to share.

1. Spanglish � Fried Egg and bacon sandwich

To be presented in demo.  Ingredients include local Berkshire bacon,Dijon mustard, Rustic bread, Nature�s Farm eggs and tomato chutney.