Phyllo Wrapped Steelhead Trout with Saskatoon Savory Sauce on CBC's Weekend Morning Show. Something that any kid could make...

This morning I presented this dish for CBC's Weekend Morning Show, with guest host, Laurie Hoogstraten.  It really is very simple to prepare with impressive results. 


Phyllo Wrapped Steelhead Trout with savory Saskatoon sauce

1 fillet Steelhead Trout (naturally raised in Warren Manitoba, available at Gimli Fish, from Watersong Farms http://www.watersongfarms.com/)
2 cups sliced mushrooms (white button, crimini, shitake, chanterelles, etc.)
Optional:  1/4 cup ch�vre in mushroom mixture
3 tbs butter (1 for saut�ing mushrooms, and 2ish melted for buttering phyllo pastry
1 tbs olive oil
� tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 shallots, minced
Dijon mustard, to lightly cover the fillet
3-4 sheets Phyllo

Cut filet into serving sized pieces and set aside in the refrigerator. Thaw phyllo and prepare mushrooms as follows:

On medium-high heat, saut� shallots until translucent and add the mushrooms. Saut� until mushrooms are soft. Deglaze with white wine or Mirin (optional). Set aside and let cool.

Preheat oven to 350�F. For the phyllo dish: Lightly coat the fish piece with Dijon Mustard and place on phyllo sheet, cut to fold and cover only. Top with saut�ed mushrooms. Fold pastry over fish and mushrooms and brush with melted butter. Bake for 12 -15 minutes, until brown and depending on the thickness of the fish.

Saskatoon Sauce

1 cup Saskatoons (frozen, wild, available from Gimli Fish)
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
� tsp dried thyme
1 tbs Dijon Mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
� cup red wine or port

Heat pat to medium high heat and add butter and olive oil. Add Saskatoons and cook until soft. Add mustard, seasonings and red wine. Cook until shiny. Serve over Phyllo Wrapped Steelhead Trout.

Enjoy! 

Later that day...

And for the D.A.Niels Tajine Cooking demo....

Moroccan Beef Stew (can use lamb)
2 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!

Marak (Tajine) of Red Cabbage with Tomatoes and Olives
� cup olive oil 
1 medium head red cabbage (can use cauliflower), cored and small slice
2 tsp sugar
2 ripe or canned tomatoes, chopped (I�m using 2 tbs good tomato paste with tomatoes)
2 tsp hot smoked paprika
2 tsp toasted ground cumin
4 garlic cloves, grated into paste
1 tsp sea salt
2 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley
Juice of � lemon, to taste
 � preserved lemon (see chef for details)
12 green-ripe olives, pitted

1. Heat oil in tajine over low heat.  Add cabbage and sugar and cover with lid or with parchment paper and the lid and cook gently for 10 minutes.  Raise heat slightly and add a splash of water.

2. Add tomatoes and paprika and continue to cook, covered for a few minutes.
3. mix cumin and garlic and add with � cup water to tajine.  Cook gently for 20 + minutes.
4. Add the parsley and lemon juice.  Garnish with the slivered lemon and olives (or cook in with tajine).  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Fried Cabbage "Strudel" Rolls with Powdered Sugar and Jam

You might think I�m crazy, but today we�re pairing powdered sugar and jam with�cabbage! Mmmm�cabbage dessert! I know it sound pretty weird, but these cabbage rolls, smothered in powdered sugar and dipped in jam, are something from my childhood. One of my favorite comfort foods! I used to ask for these for my birthday every year (for breakfast!).

My Oma makes these cabbage rolls all the time. They�re essentially egg rolls, but the filling is just saut�ed cabbage� basically an Eastern Euro style egg roll? My dad remembered my Oma making sweet cabbage strudel (like this!?) when he was a kid, so at some point along the way, we started making Oma�s cabbage rolls, and dusting them with a snowy layer of powdered sugar, to resemble the strudel. It sounds weird but trust me you guys, it works! 
We start with a  head of cabbage, and saut� in a little butter until it�s less than half it�s original size, and add nothing but salt and pepper. Be patient with the cabbage... once you cook it down, low and slow, it takes on a silky sweetness. When I first sliced my whole cabbage it was a heaping  mound covering this entire cutting board, and it reduced down to this little tiny bowl full. Just enough for eight rolls!  
Then we roll it up in store-bought egg roll wrappers, with a little bit of water to seal the edges. 
Oma deep fries these, and when I was a kid, we usually did as well (which was why they were a special birthday-only treat). We�ve tried baking them before, but it�s just not the same. Rather than do a full deep fry, I pan-fried the rolls in a thin layer of oil, turning to fry each side. Super easy, and way less oil going to waste. And maybe better for you? I don�t know. We�ll say yes, super healthy! 
Once they�re done, we go crazy with the powdered sugar! I like to pair them with jams of the orange-colored variety�this is apricot, but an orange marmalade would work really well too! 
Not into the sweet treatment? Well, I think you�re missing out. But if you try it and just don�t love it, the rolls are good on their own, or dipped in any number of things (mustard, or for a more Asian-style egg roll, soy sauce, sesame oil, etc).

Fried Cabbage "Strudel" Rolls with Powdered Sugar and Jam
Makes 8-12 rolls, depending on how big your cabbage is

1 medium-sized head of cabbage
2 tablespoon butter
salt & pepper
store-bought egg roll wrappers
1-2 tablespoons oil, for frying (something with a higher smoke point like grapeseed or canola)
Powdered sugar
Jam

Cut out the core/stem of the cabbage, and thinly slice the rest.

Heat butter over medium heat in a large skillet, and add cabbage. It maybe barely fit, but trust me, it cooks down a ton. once the cabbage starts to brown, after a few minutes, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally (making sure it doesn�t stick), for about 30 minutes (or longer, if needed). If it seems too dry at any point, add a splash of water, more butter, or cover with a lid to steam a bit. In the last few minutes of cooking, add salt and pepper to taste (My medium sized cabbage required about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, but start with less, and taste as you go� the salt really brings out the flavor), and turn heat back up to medium for a minute to get a few crispy bits on the bottom. Stir, remove from heat, and cool slightly before filling wrappers.

To roll, lay wrapper on surface with one corner facing you. Add a mound of cabbage, and fold the corner up to the other corner, then slide back to tighten around the cabbage. Fold the sides in. Brush a little bit of water on the top corner, and roll, sealing with the slightly wet end. 

Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet/ frying pan, over medium heat. Once it�s good and hot, cook a few rolls at at time, flipping once each side is done (using tongs is easiest). Keep an eye on them, it doesn�t take long for each side to get brown and crispy! Drain on paper towels.

Serve warm or room temp with powdered sugar and jam. Can be refrigerated and then reheated in the oven to retain the crispy shell. I even like to eat them cold... and find the flavor gets even better the next day!