Turkish treats on CBC's Weekend Morning Show!

This morning I presented Turkish treats for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.  These recipes are all easy to prepare and can be prepared in advance.  

Pomegranate White Bean Dip

2 cups cooked white navy beans (aka, canelini)
1/2 cup pomegranate juice (unsweetened) or a bit less pomegranate molasses (paste)
Pinch salt, to taste
minced garlic, optional

Pur�e ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Serve with breads.  Top with pomegranate seeds or paprika and/or olive oil.  Enjoy!

Patli�an Yog�rtl�

1 lg eggplant sliced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 1/2 c plain yogurt
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt

Slice and salt eggplant and let sit in a bowl of cold water. If eggplant is very young, skip the step of salt and water. Rinse and squeeze out water from slices.

Mince garlic and stir into yoghurt with salt.

Saut� eggplant slices on medium high heat until golden brown on both sides. Remove from pan and let sit for a moment on a paper towel. Place on platter and top with yoghurt mixture. Sprinkle rubbed oregano and paprika over yoghurt. Top with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with baguette slices or water crackers.

Enjoy!

Mushrooms with Turkish Baharat

2 cups roughly chopped mushrooms
1 tbs butter
drizzle olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, grated or minced
1 tbs good tomato paste
1 tbs Turkish Baharat
pinch salt
vermouth or white wine to deglaze

Heat saut� pan to medium high heat and add butter and oil.  Add mushrooms and garlic and a pinch of salt and let cook until soft.  Add tomato paste (a bit of water, if needed), Turkish Baharat and cook until all softened.  Deglaze the pan with vermouth or white wine.

Serve immediately with bread or can be heated later or served at room temperature.

Enjoy!  Afiyet olsun arkadas!

Fiddlehead and morel mushroom omelettes for Mother's Day

This morning I presented a lovely seasonal omelette for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with host Terry MacLeod.  In season now are fiddleheads and morel mushrooms, perfect in a fluffy omelette made with Nature's Farm eggs.  If you don't want to hunt in the woods for them, you can buy them at DeLuca's on Portage Ave. in Winnipeg.

This was served with Brandied Farmer's Sausage.

Fiddleheads and Morels Omelette
1/2 cup fresh fiddleheads (available at DeLuca�s)
1 cup whole or sliced fresh morels (available at DeLuca�s)
1 tbsp. butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 eggs
quick drizzle cold water or cream
3 tbsp. grated Parmesan (padano or reggiano - optional)
pinch grated nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS

1.Blanch trimmed fiddleheads for 1 minute in boiling water and cool immediately in ice water.  (http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/eating-nutrition/safety-salubrite/fruits-vegetables-legumes-fruits/fiddlehead-fougere-eng.php)
2. Saut� fiddleheads in browned butter and set aside.  Saut� morel mushrooms in brown butter.  Season and add nutmeg.  Can deglaze with wine or vermouth.  Set aside.
3. Whisk eggs, salt, cream and pepper in a bowl. Heat butter in a 12" nonstick skillet over medium heat; cook until milky foam settles at the bottom of the skillet and turns nut brown. Add eggs; cook, without stirring, until large curds form, 3-4 minutes, then gently stir until eggs are almost set. Using a rubber spatula, pat eggs into an even layer. Place fiddleheads and mushrooms and cheese over eggs. Remove from heat and using spatula, roll omelette up and over filling; slide omelette onto a plate and garnish with remaining extra fiddleheads and cheese or chives.

Serve immediately. 
Enjoy!

Porcini Mushroom Risotto on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

This morning on CBC's Weekend Morning Show, with host Terry MacLeod, I presented this grown up comfort food, Porcini Mushroom Risotto.

Mushroom Risotto (can make variations such as squash, asparagus, saffron, etc.

Ingredients

2 Tbsp butter

2 cups flavorful mushrooms such as shiitake, chanterelle, or oyster mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed, and cut into half inch to inch pieces

2/3 cups dry white wine

5-6 cups stock (chicken, vegetable)

1/3 cup of peeled and minced shallots (OR 1/3 cup of yellow or white onion, finely chopped)

1 3/4 cups Arborio

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley or chives

Method

1.Bring stock to a simmer in a saucepan.

2. Melt the butter in a deep, heavy, medium sized saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and shallots and saut� about 5 minutes (if using chanterelles, dry saut� first for a minute or two and let the mushrooms cook in their own juices before adding the butter). Add the rice and stir to combine.

3. Add wine, bring to a boil, and reduce liquid by half, about 3-4 minutes. Add simmering stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring enough to keep the rice from sticking to the edges of the pan. Stir the rice almost constantly � stirring sloughs off the starch from the rice, making the creamy sauce you're looking for in a risotto. Wait until the stock is almost completely absorbed before adding the next 1/2 cup. This process will take about 25 minutes. The rice should be just cooked and slightly chewy.

4. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley or chives.

Enjoy!

Tantalizingly Tasty Tapas for the Assiniboine Park Conservancy

Last night I had the pleasure of presenting the following Tapas recipes for the Assiniboine Park Conservancy with the MLCC.  Bonnie Tulloch, Education Coordinator for the APC, discussed the plants featured from the region and Scott Strizic, Product Consultant for the MLCC, prepared a wonderful welcome beverage and pairings for each dish.

Welcome Beverage:  Agua de Valencia, made with Cava

200ml Orange Juice

50ml gin

50ml Vodca

700 ml Cava

pinch sugar

In a pitcher, add bottle of semi-dry Cava (or Champagne if you do not have Cava).  Add a shot and a half of both vodka and gin.  Add sugar to taste.  Chill and enjoy!

1. Saut�ed garlic mushrooms

Paired with Flor de Vetus (Spain), $16.26

1 lb white mushrooms
5 tbs olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
squeeze of lemon juice
salt and pepper
4 tbs flat leaf parsley, chopped
crusty bread

Trim off stems of mushrooms. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds- 1 minute, or until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and saut� over high heat, stirring until the mushrooms have absorbed the oil in the skillet

Reduce the heat to low. When the juices have come out of the mushrooms, increase the heat again and saut� for 4-5 minutes until the juices have almost evaporated. Add lemon juice and season. Stir in parsley and cook for an additional minute.

Serve hot or warm with crusty bread.

2. Spanish Smoked Paprika Shrimp
Paired with Mas Amor - Rose, $16.26

1 lb peeled, wild caught shrimp
1 tbs butter
Drizzle olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp hot smoked paprika
Pinch sea salt

Heat butter and oil in saut� pan. Add shrimp and toss well. Add garlic and then paprika. Serve with bread when shrimp is firm and pink. 

3. Calamares with no-fail A�oli
Paired with Martin Codax - Albarino, $21.60

1 lb prepared squid (calamari rings, etc)
all-purpose flour for coating
corn, peanut or canola oil for deep-frying
salt
lemon wedges, to garnish
a�oli, to serve

Dry squid and dust with flour. Do not season as the salt will toughen the calamares. Heat oil to 350 � 375�. Carefully add the rings in batches and deep fry for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on paper towels. Enjoy with a�oli.

A�oli
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 tbs white wine vinegar or lemon juice
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
salt and pepper
5 tbs extra virgin olive oil
5 tbs canola oil

Put the egg yolk, vinegar, garlic and salt and pepper in a food processor and blend well together. Slowly add the olive oil with the blade turning. When it starts to thicken, add more oil and blend until it is thick and smooth.

4. Potato wedges with roasted garlic dip

Paired with Fortius Grand Reserva 2001, $27.12 (YUM!)

3 lb potatoes
2 tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tsp salt

Roasted Garlic Dip
2 garlic bulbs, roasted
1 tbs olive oil
5 tbs sour cream
4 tbs mayonnaise
hot smoked paprika, to taste
salt

Roast the garlic for 25 minutes at 350�F until caramelized. Let cool enough to handle. Squeeze out and mash. Mix in a bowl with the sour cream and mayonnaise. Season with salt and paprika. Chill.

For the potatoes, cut each potato half into 3 wedges and place in a large bowl. Add the olive oil, garlic and salt and toss well. Transfer to a roasting pan and arrange in a single layer. Roast for 1- 1/14 hours, or until crisp and golden.

Serve immediately with roasted garlic dip.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Stuffing Roundup

Thanksgiving is only two days away!? How did that happen? I had all these great plans for you. A few more T-day side dishes, some desserts, maybe even a cocktail. But then this crazy thing happened that fully derailed everything� I GOT ENGAGED. Our whole relationship has been a crazy whirlwind of excitement� we met, fell in love, moved in together, and got engaged. So fast.

 

Just kidding about the fast part� we�ve been together since spring of 2004, when we were wee little freshman babies in college. Most people probably think we�re already married. The general response to our engagement has been �IT�S ABOUT TIME!�

But more on that later, because it�s almost Thanksgiving! So, let�s discuss stuffing. Or dressing, which is technically what it�s called when baked separate from the bird. This is how I prefer it, because it�s not a soggy lump of a mess, but instead it�s crispy in places, soft in places, all around amazing. But I still call it stuffing.
 

First, the bread: start with super crispy dry bread, whether it�s 2-days old or popped under the broiler to crisp up. Try classic French bread, or mix it up with cornbread, ciabatta, or a combo! Second, the additions: I think there are 6 main categories here. Mushrooms, fruit (cranberries and apples), winter veg (squash, sweet potatoes), pork (bacon, sausage, chorizo), nuts (chestnuts, pecans, walnuts), and herbs (thyme and sage are classics).
 

Since I didn�t have time to make a million stuffing recipes for you, I scoured the internetz for some really tasty looking recipes that you can make as-is, or use for T-day inspiration! A little something for everybody. Happy cooking!

• Kale and Mushroom Bread Pudding via A Thought for Food: Savory bread pudding is a lot like stuffing/dressing, just a bit eggier. This one looks amazing.
• Apple and Herb Stuffing via Smitten Kitchen: Two of the main stuffing additions, together in one glorious dish.
• Andouille Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing via Food 52: This sounds like an amazing year round stuffing with a southern twist.
• Butternut, Sausage, and Fennel Stuffing via Gimme Some Oven: I want to eat this for every single meal this winter.
• Ciabatta Stuffing with Chorizo, Sweet Potato, and Mushrooms via Food 52: Another recipe that takes several of the addition categories and mashes them all together for perfection.
• Pancetta Sage Stuffing Muffins via A Cozy Kitchen: WHAT! Stuffing in adorable hand-held muffin form. Genius.

 

Wild Mushroom & Pumpkin Pasta

October! You�re here! I love you! I love hot cider at the pumpkin patch. I love pumpkin cakes and cookies and soups and chilis (and beers). I love sunny but crisp days, and orange leaves, and red leaves, and scarves. Guys, I have a serious scarf problem (I have like� 35 scarves. Yikes!). I love cinnamon and nutmeg so, so much.

But what I really love�are scary movies and haunted houses! I know it�s only the first of the month, but� Halloween. Do you guys have your costumes or party food picked out yet? Please tell me your house is covered in fake blood and fake cobwebs.  

I�m so excited! I have a major urge to watch Are You Afraid of the Dark right now. Did you watch that as a kid? We didn�t have cable tv, so I only watched 5 episodes that a friend recorded (on VHS) for us. Amanda and I watched those 5 episodes a hundred times. Here are my top 5 (and only 5) favorite episodes:

1. The Tale of the Lonely Ghost: By far the best episode! An old haunted house, a creepy-ass child ghost, a bitchy but super popular teenage cousin. All keys to a good story.
2. The Tale of the Twisted Claw: �It�s the clor of a vulchah!� Amanda and I know this one pretty much word for word.  
3. The Tale of the Prom Queen: Um, who doesn�t love a ghost prom queen from the 50s. I know I do!
4. The Tale of the Pinball Wizard: The entire mall turns into a deadly pinball game. And there�s obviously a teenage love story in here. Enough said!
5. The Tale of the Phantom Cab: Brothers get lost hiking and a creepy old dude in the woods who holds them captive� um. It�s more PG than it sounds.

I may have also spent an entire Saturday a year or two ago watching YouTube recordings of AYAOTD. Just sayin�.

Anyway, that was worthwhile! Also, to celebrate the amazingness of October I made pasta with pumpkin (fall, check), wild mushrooms (fall, check), and sage (yep, check, check, check!). It�s sort of loosely based on a Rachel Ray recipe, but don�t let that stop you from making it.

Wild Mushroom & Pumpkin Pasta
Adapted from this recipe

I used lobster mushrooms and chanterelles, but also threw in some crimini for bulk. The wild guys add in all that wild, earthy flavor I love, and the crimini are the work horse, ensuring that you have a little bit of mushroom in every bite (without costing a million dollars, because let me tell you, wild mushrooms aren't cheap!). But, feel free to use whatever you can find, afford, forage. I also added in a splash of truffle oil, because it just brings out the flavor of the 'shrooms even more. It's totally optional though. This makes a bunch, so it's great for a crowd, or for leftovers. I tossed some diced dry-cured Spanish chorizo into my leftovers, which was pretty tasty! 

1 lb pasta (shells, mac, etc)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb wild mushrooms, roughly chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1.5 cups pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)
3/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon flour
pinch nutmeg
pinch cinnamon
pinch cayenne
8-10 sage leaves, sliced thin
salt & pepper to taste
truffle oil (optional)
Grated parmesan

Heat water for pasta, salt it and cook penne to al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water, drain and set aside. 

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and saute until soft and golden, about 6 minutes (add more oil or butter if they stick), sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Whisk together broth, pumpkin, milk, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper. Add to mushrooms in pan, and when everything starts to bubble, reduce heat to medium low and simmer 5 to 6 minutes to thicken. Stir in sage and truffle oil if using. Add in pasta, and reserved pasta water if it's too dry. Serve with cheese. 

CBC's Weekend Morning Show - Arctic Char 2 ways and mushrooms!

 This morning I had the pleasure of presenting the following recipes on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with guest host, Joff Schmidt.  The gorgeous Arctic Char is available at Gimli Fish.  Perfect for grilling, baking or broiling.  It is sourced so close to Winnipeg, it is very, very local.  If you had the Pea Shoot Pesto Arctic Char at Arkadash Bistro and Lounge, this is the fish.

Honey Miso Grilled Arctic Char

1 inch fresh ginger, minced

3 tbs miso

1 green onion, finely chopped

3 tbs honey

3 tbs Mirin

a drizzle of chili oil

1 fillet Arctic Char

Combine first 6 ingredients until well blended. Smooth over fish and let marinade for at least one hour. Grill, broil or saut�  until begins to flake, about 4-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Serve immediately.

Enjoy! 

Arctic Char Crudo

1. Cure the fish overnight in the following:

1 fillet Arctic Char

� cup sugar

2-3 tbs sea salt

pepper, and assorted herbs (today I used saffron, thyme and Fennel pollen)

2. Rinse fish in cold water and slice thinly with the following vinaigrette. 

Orange Vinaigrette

Juice of half an orange

2 tbs vinegar

pinch sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

Optional herbs (saffron, thyme, oregano, etc.)

Optional garlic

Whisk vinaigrette and serve over thin slices of cured Arctic Char.  Serve with crumbled hard boiled egg, thinly sliced chives or green onions and or arugula.

Korean Mushrooms in Foil

This is actually a very traditional recipe.  So simple to do on the BBQ as a side dish.  

Mushrooms

Foil

Sesame oil (optional)

sea salt

white pepper (optional)

Wrap the mushrooms and seasoning in the foil.  Place over coals or the grill for several minutes, turning every so often until done.  Serve with Korean dipping sauces such as Kochujiang.

Enjoy!

I'm really mad about mushrooms.  Ours are grown very locally.