Local Beef Shank Osso Bucco for CBC's Weekend Morning Show

This morning I presented the following recipe for CBC's Weekend Morning Show with interim host, Nadia Kidwai.  The beef shank is a beautiful product, full of flavour, and this recipe is easy to prepare.  The trick to this and most recipes, is to prepare your Mise en Place, or, have everything ready to go.

Osso Bucco:
1 cup all-purpose flour
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 pieces Beef Shank (I used Wildfire Farms and Manitoba Beef shanks available at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market)
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 lemon, zest peeled off in wide strips with a vegetable peeler
1 head garlic, cut horizontally through the middle
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bottle dry red wine
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can low-sodium beef broth (I had homemade chicken broth on hand instead)
1 (28-ounce) can whole San Marzano tomatoes, hand-crushed (I used 6 frozen garden grown Roma Tomatoes)

Put the flour in a large shallow platter and season it with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Dredge the meat in the seasoned flour and then tap off the excess (extra flour will burn and make the dish off-tasting).

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat and hit it with a 3-count drizzle of oil. Add the butter and swirl it around the pan to melt. Sear the meat, turning carefully with tongs, until all sides are a rich brown caramel color. Drizzle with a little more oil, if needed. (Do this in batches if the shanks are large and look crowded in the pot.) Remove the browned meat to a side plate. There will be a lot of flavor left over in the bottom of the pot. You're going to use that to create your sauce.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Using the same pot, saut� the onion, celery, carrots, lemon zest, garlic, bay leaves, and parsley over medium heat. Cook the vegetables down until they start to get some color and develop a deep, rich aroma. Season with salt and pepper; add a little oil if needed. Nestle the meat back in the pot. Pour in the wine and let it simmer down for 20 minutes, until the wine has reduced by half. Reducing is key for intense flavor. Add the beef broth and tomatoes and stir everything together. Cover the pot and put it in the oven. Braise for 1 and a 1/2 hours. Then remove the cover and continue to cook for another 30 minutes. The sauce should be thick and the meat tender and nearly falling off the bone.
Remove bay leaves.

Enjoy!

Pull Apart Pizza Bread

Over the weekend I made this ridiculous, absurd, out-of-this-world, cheesy, gooey, flavorful pull-apart pizza bread.  Should I even keep talking?  Writing?  Blogging?  Whatever it is I'm doing.  Basically, you should probably make this as soon as possible.  It requires a little effort, but it's not hard.  Added bonus?  Your children will totally want to help, and by "help" I mean they'll want to sprinkle flour all over their bodies and the floor like the fairies do.  The pizza bread dough only has to sit for an hour, so the whole thing comes together relatively quickly.  Once it's ready, you stuff little circles with a cheesy, saucy mixture (one you could add any of your favorite pizza toppings to!), and then you shove them all into a bread dish and bake.  Oh, and you top it with a buttery chive sauce because it's not sinful and delicious enough as is.  (Sarcasm)    

You can find the recipe HERE.  Enjoy!  

{Mozzarella, Parmesan, pizza sauce, sliced pepperoni, Italian seasoning}

{My little helpers, flour EVERYWHERE}

{Pockets stuffed, ready to bake...}

{Voila!  Topped with a chive butter sauce}

Also, Pull Apart Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread!

Sat, April 8 - Garden Build & Volunteer Lunch

Join us to build a garden at Burnaby Village Museum & stay for a free lunch! Registration information below:

April 1st Workshop - Learn to Grow Food in a Container Garden

How to make a great Chicken Paillard

The other day I put up an Instagram story about our dinner and got so many requests for the recipe.  So here you go!  Your wish is my command!  Well, it's sort of my command, because I'm not actually going to write out a recipe... because I'm too lazy.  Sorry not sorry.  However, I will be as descriptive as possible on just how I make this salad that has become a weekly staple in our house!

It's all about the chicken.  I like to buy boneless, skinless, thinly sliced breast cutlets, but breasts or tenders would work as well.  Whatever chicken you have, the key is to pound it so that it's as thin as can be.  I place my breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap and I pound it with a meat tenderizer, however you can use just about anything: wine bottle, soup can, your fist (this is particularly fun if you have anger issues).      

Next, you need to set up a breading station (of course, you can skip this step if you'd like to just grill your chicken as is, but I like a little crunch to mine).  I use flour, whole wheat breadcrumbs combined with Parmesan, and two egg whites.  IMPORTANT: salt and pepper each bowl.  This will help with developing flavor.  The order for dredging is: flour, egg whites, breadcrumbs.  Get your skillet ready by covering it with olive oil, about 1/4 inch deep, over medium-high heat.  Cook chicken for no more than 3 minutes a side, less if you're using cutlets or tenders.  You'll know when to flip because the bottom of your chicken will become nice and golden.    

As for your salad, anything goes!  Last night I used arugula, cherry tomatoes, sweet yellow peppers, toasted pine nuts, leftover corn, avocado and grated Parmesan.  I make the same dressing almost every time: 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar, about 1/4 cup of good olive oil and salt and pepper, all whisked together.  Chicken on the bottom, salad on top, voila!

Spring Fling on CBC's Weekend Morning Show

Tomorrow morning on CBC's Weekend Morning Show with interim host Nadia Kidwai, I will be presenting the following recipes.  I love pea shoot pesto!  It tastes like Spring!  These recipes are very easy to prepare and are made with local ingredients.  Microgreens from Fresh Forage, Quinoa from Tamarack Farms are both available on Saturday at St. Norbert's Farmer's Market.

Happy Spring!

Turkish Pizza Dough
1 tbs dried yeast (instant yeast)
1 tsp sugar
2 tbs (+) warm water
2/3 + cup Greek style yoghurt (I usually use Astro's Balkan Yoghurt)
1/4 cup olive oil
10 ounces bread flour (I use Prairie Flour and it works out to be a heaping 2 cup measurement, with potentially adding more, depending on the climate of the day)
1/2 tsp sea salt
olive oil

Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and set aside in a warm place for about 10 minutes until frothy. In another small bowl, whisk the yoghurt and olive oil.

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast and yoghurt mixtures. Use your fingers to work in the flour and form a smooth ball. Transfer to mixer and knead with a dough hook on low speed for 10 - 15 minutes until very smooth and shiny. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and cover with a damp tea towel and let rise for 2 hours or doubled in size.

I use this pizza dough all of the time because it is both easy to prepare and has a great result.  I can always have it in a container in the fridge for making personal sized pizzas when needed.  This is actually something that I need almost daily for my 6 year old�s meals.

Pea Shoot Pesto (using snap pea microgreens from Fresh Forage Microgreens, available at St. Norbert�s Farmer�s Market on Saturday)
Ingredients:
1/4 lb fresh, young pea microgreens
1 bunch chives, chopped (or spring onion)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or almonds (for nut allergies, try toasted pumpkin seeds)
salt
pepper

Directions:
Place the pea shoots, chives, garlic, cheese, olive oil, nuts salt and pepper in a food processor or blender, pulse until a thick paste forms.

Use on pizza, pasta, grilled fish or shrimp, toast, etc.

Enjoy!

Quinoa Salad with Microgreens and Lemon vinaigrette

2 cups cooked quinoa (I used Tamarack Farms quinoa, available on Saturday at the St. Norbert�s Farmer�s Market) Cooking ratio is 2:1 water to quinoa and you can cook in broth or with spices

1-2 tbs pesto of your choice

Olive oil, to tastes

Spring Mix Microgreens (available from Fresh Forage Microgreens on Saturday at St. Norbert�s Farmer�s Market)

Lemon vinaigrette (1 part lemon, 2 parts olive oil, herbs such as oregano, salt and pepper, 1 crushed garlic clove optional)

Toss the cooked quinoa with pesto and a drizzle of olive oil.  When serving top with a generous amount of Spring Mix Microgreens and drizzle with lemon vinaigrette just before serving. 

Enjoy and Happy Spring!

Benefits of Microgreens:  http://markitonutrition.com/sprouts-microgreens/

Benefits of Quinoa: https://authoritynutrition.com/11-proven-benefits-of-quinoa/

March 27 - Free Workshop: Soup, Frittata, Salad & Muffins

Come join Red Seal Chef Ilan Wright to learn, cook & eat a healthy meal. 

Location: Gilmore Community School, Burnaby. 

Registration required: information below.