Easy pork souvlaki

After a very trying week at work, I wanted something fast and tasty for supper, with lots of yummy garlic flavour.

I had thawed out a pork tenderloin for dinner and decided that we would try the pork souvlaki recipe that was in this months Food and Wine Magazine. I cheated and bought the tzatziki sauce to make it faster and in true form it was on the table in around 30 minutes. Perfect for a weeknight.

After marinating the pork and onions with olive oil and fresh lemon juice, you toss it into a hot grill pan to cook.

Warm up your pitas in the oven for a few minutes (they always taste better this way) and slather on the tzatziki and the pork.

And delicious greek food for dinner is just as easy as that.

Easy Pork Souvlaki - adapted from Food and Wine magazine

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds trimmed pork shoulder, cut into 3-by- 1/2-inch strips
1 large onion, cut through the root end into 1/2-inch wedges
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup Greek-style whole-milk yogurt
1/2 European cucumber, seeded and finely diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Warm pita, for serving

Directions

In a medium bowl, toss the pork strips and onion wedges with the olive oil, lemon juice, chopped oregano and half of the garlic paste. Season with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and let stand for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the yogurt, cucumber, mint and the remaining garlic paste. Season the tzatziki with salt and pepper.

Heat a large cast-iron griddle or grill pan until very hot. Add the pork and onion wedges along with any marinade and cook over high heat, turning once or twice, until the pork and onion are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer the pork and onion to plates and serve with the tzatziki, lemon wedges and pita.

Close your eyes and pretend you are in....

Morocco!!! With the economy the way it is, less and less people will be spending money on travelling.

I find that the best way to truly experience other cultures is through food and drink. And while my Moroccan Lamb Meatball Pilaf may not totally be authentic, the flavours of the spice blend were a lot of fun.


















The chickpeas and raisins added an interesting dynamic to this dish. Although be warned, the leftovers the next day had some very re-hydrated raisins that according to Shawn were "gushy" when biting into them. And we all know his feelings on gushy things (ie/peas and cooked tomatoes).

My meatballs didn't exactly work out as I was rushing around, so I just fried the meat and it tasted great.


















Please note..I impulse buy shoes. Shawn impulse buys pies. The Hutterites stopped by his work as then tend to do once every few weeks and were brandishing Saskatoon berry pies. I came home to work to it baking in the oven and Shawn sitting on the kitchen stool attentively waiting for the buzzer to go off.


Moroccan Lamb Meatball Pilaf - adapted from Wish 20 minute supper club

Ingredients (Serves 6)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 sweet onion, sliced
2 tbsp ras el hanout (Moroccan spice mix)
1 ½ lb ground lamb, rolled into 18 balls
4 cups beef or chicken stock
¼ cup tomato paste
1 ½ cups basmati rice
3 cups diced zucchini
½ cup chopped dried fruit (apricots, raisins)
1 14-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Toasted almond slices and/or orange zest

Instructions

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat, add onion and sauté 3 minutes. Stir in spices and meatballs, and cook until meat browns, about 5 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk stock and tomato paste together and add to pot. Stir in rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, partially cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Stir in zucchini and continue cooking until rice and zucchini are tender and most of stock is absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Stir in dried fruit and chickpeas. Garnish with toasted almonds and/or orange zest and serve.
Nutritional information


Make Your Own Ras el Hanout:In a glass jar, combine 1 teaspoon each salt, black pepper, ground cumin and ground ginger; ½ teaspoon each cinnamon, ground coriander, ground allspice, cayenne and ground cloves; ¼ teaspoon each ground nutmeg, turmeric and saffron threads. Store at room temperature for up to 3 months. Bonus: It’s great on pork and poultry, too!

No honey, they aren't the peanut butter cookies

Once again, there was a very sad husband at my house when I didn't break out the peanut butter chocolate chip cookies this weekend.

But these fabulous oatmeal raisin cookies from smitten kitchens blog looked so delicious that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to use up the bag of raisins I had bought for this weeks Moroccan dish (tomorrow's post).

I have zero patience though when it comes to making dough and putting them in the fridge to chill. Plus I had to get to the car show, so I baked them as soon as the dough came together. While they may not have been as thick, they have the perfect chewy consistency that every oatmeal cookie should have. Hard cookies suck, period.

And they seem to be disappearing from my house so I don't think Shawn minded too much. I did a double batch of cookies instead of single to allow for my cookie monster to take a fair amount to work each day. I think I'd like to try the same recipe but with dried cranberries instead of raisins.

Thick, Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies - adapted from Smitten Kitchen's blog

1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) butter, softened

/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup raisins

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins and walnuts, if using them.

At this point you can either chill the dough for a bit in the fridge and then scoop it, or scoop the cookies onto a sheet and then chill the whole tray before baking them.

The cookies should be two inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake them for 10 to 12 minutes (your baking time will vary, depending on your oven and how cold the cookies were going in), taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.

What to serve with a roasted chicken

One of the hardest things I have to deal with when it comes to cooking is what to serve with meat. I would be happy with just a chunk of roasted chicken and some gravy and I'm done.

But being a child of the 70's and living with a dad who was very much a meat and potatoes kind of guy, I have been brainwashed into thinking you always have to have some sort of carbohydrate side. Please note that my father now does not necessarily abide by this philosophy now that none of us potato hating children live at their house.

One of the sides we have stumbled across that we both enjoy is couscous. It's one of those side dishes that takes about 10 minutes and it's done. We usually cook it and add in caramelized onions and goat cheese but opted to try a new recipe this week by the Barefoot Contessa. I am ambivalent to which was better but Shawn preferred the pine nuts in this one.



Couscous with Pine Nuts - adapted from Food TV's Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup chopped shallots (3 to 4 shallots)
3 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups couscous
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (pignolis)
1/4 cup dried currants
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the shallots and cook them over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until translucent. Add the chicken stock, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat. Stir in the couscous, cover the pan, and set aside for 10 minutes. Add the pine nuts, currants, and parsley and fluff with a fork to combine. Serve hot.

Don't you just love citrus flavours?

What to do with a bowl full of oranges and lemons? Well you know the oranges went into that delicious orange and chocolate rice pudding on the weekend. And the lemons......well I had a craving for roasted chicken. And the Barefoot Contessa's method of roasting a chicken (or turkey for that matter) is fast, easy and has a fabulous lemon flavour.

This could be the best roasted chicken recipe you will ever make!



First things first though - always check that the butcher removes everything from the chicken. I've always come across gizzards, but this week..........chicken penises??

I don't think I ever realized how long a chicken neck really was!

So ours was named Marie Antoinette.....and Shawn did the honors while I yelled off with her head. Please note - yelling beside your husband while he holds a butcher knife is not recommended.

On with the flavouring of the chicken. Cut in half a lemon and a head of garlic. Ram them into the chicken and brush with some melted butter.

Then scatter in the pan the rest of the chopped lemons and garlic and drape your chicken with bacon so it doesn't feel naked. The bacon keeps the chicken moist and ensure the top of the chicken doesn't cook too fast.

After an hour you remove the bacon and continue roasting the chicken until it's done (apo 20 to 30 minutes). I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the roasted bacon though - we ate it as fast as it came off Marie. This is the best bacon ever.

And voila - a perfectly roasted chicken.

With just a hint of lemon/garlic flavouring, this is going to be one of your favourite meals to eat on the weekend. Great for company if you like to share - we don't ;

Lemon and Garlic Roast Chicken - adapted from Barefoot Contessa on FoodTV

Ingredients

1 (5 to 6-pound) roasting chicken
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 large bunch fresh thyme
4 lemons
3 heads garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 pound sliced bacon
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the thyme, reserving enough thyme to garnish the chicken dish, 1 lemon, halved, and 2 halves of the garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with the butter and sprinkle again with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Cut 2 of the lemons in quarters and scatter the quarters and remaining garlic around the chicken. Lay the bacon slices over the chicken to cover.

Roast the chicken for 1 hour. Remove the bacon slices from the top of the chicken and set aside. Continue roasting the chicken for an additional 1/2 hour, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove to a platter and cover with aluminum foil while you prepare the gravy.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and chicken stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until reduced by half.
Slice the chicken on a platter. Garnish the chicken platter with the bacon slices, roasted garlic, reserved thyme and 1 lemon, sliced. Serve with the gravy.

I swear I don't remember

I have sworn up and down for years that I do not like rice pudding. But last year I started thinking that I honestly can't even remember TRYING rice pudding. And if I did try, was it some gross gloopy stuff out of a package?

We were out at one of our monthly supper/wine club dinners when they served rice pudding for dessert. I looked at Shawn with fear in my eyes and took a small bite. Then another bite and then.....before you knew it I was finishing my bowl and poking at Shawn's. This was not so bad.

So yesterday I decided an attempt at rice pudding at home was necessary. I had watched a Giada episode a few weeks ago where she made a chocolate rice pudding that looked really good.

And honestly, once you add this.....
What's not to like?

This recipe is really easy to assemble, but must be babysat for the full 40 minutes of cooking or it will burn. It's just like making risotto - you need to stir it every few minutes. So since I have the attention span of a gnat, once it was in the pot and I was waiting for it to boil, I made my weekly phone call to my parents. Who also exclaimed "yuck" that I was making rice pudding. Yet my dad will eat this gloopy rice pie thing (it's Dutch) that tastes JUST LIKE VANILLA RICE PUDDING!!! I'll have to make some at Easter when I go visit just to prove them wrong.

Once it boils and you let it simmer (keep stirring) for 40 minutes, you take it off the direct heat and add the cocoa powder, triple sec (cointreau, whatever orange goodness you have in you licquor cabinet) and chocolate chips. And stir vigorously so it melts.

And voila, let cool for 10 minutes and serve if you like it warm (I do). If you prefer cold, stick some plastic wrap on top to prevent it getting that gross pudding skin and plunk it in the fridge and go shopping. Um yeah...shopping ;) Gotta love a Liz Claiborne outlet sale where you can come home with three work outfits for under $100!

This has a great orange flavour, but I upped the triple sec to 1/4 cup. Shawn would prefer it a little less orangey. And if you aren't a chocolate fan, this is pretty much the base to Giada's orange vanilla rice pudding (which I'll try next month). I also have a recipe somewhere for a coconut rice pudding that I can't wait to try!

Now if you don't have a vanilla bean (since these babies set you back $11 a bean), you can use vanilla extract or pure vanilla from Mexico (which I use). 1 tsp for every 1 inch of a vanilla bean. So use between 3 and 4 tsps.

Chocolate rice pudding - adapted from Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
5 cups whole milk
2/3 cup Arborio rice
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest (from 1 medium orange)
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tablespoons orange liqueur
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

In a heavy, medium saucepan, combine the milk, rice, sugar, and orange zest. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the bean to the saucepan.

Bring the milk to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the rice is tender and the mixture thickens, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and discard the vanilla bean.

Stir the cocoa powder and orange liqueur into the mixture. Add the chocolate chips and stir until melted. Allow the mixture to cool for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Spoon the rice pudding into serving bowls. Cover and refrigerate for 2 1/2 to 3 hours and up to 1 day ahead.

Shawn's favourite Friday night supper...

Wings. When Shawn and I started dating he used to go for wings with his friends/family one night a week after work. They never really appealed to me (the wings that is - his family/friends were fine) and if I tagged along it was mainly to enjoy a martini.

Since we moved out of the city last year his opportunity for wings greatly diminshed. Until I got a new cookbook 6 months ago. The Best of the Best Cookbook is a compilation that comes out every year of the best recipes from the 25 best new cookbooks that year.

This year's cookbook has a section on bar food from the cookbook Great Bar Food at Home by Kate Heyhoe. The Spanish Smoked Paprika Wings looked interesting (really, anything with smoked paprika is worth trying) so I opted to make these for Shawn and our friend before a night of Guitar Hero'ing on the Wii. We all hoovered these back in the blink of an eye and I make them about once or twice a month now.

They are baked instead of deep fryed - this lets you pretend that the 15 wings you may eat with a few glasses of sangria are healthy. Flavorful and moist, these chicken wings will ensure a long and happy marriage for me!

Spanish Smoked Paprika Wings - adapted from The Best of the Best Cookbook, 2008

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp granulated garlic (I use roasted garlic powder)

1 tsp dried marjoram

1 tsp paprika (preferably Spanish smoked paprika)

1 tsp salt

2 pounds chicken wing pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Mix together the cumin, garlic, marjoram, paprika and salt. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken. Pour the olive oil onto a large baking sheet and spread it around. Roll the chicken pieces in the oil until lightly coated on all sides, then arrange them neatly in a single layer without touching.

3. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip the pieces over and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes. They should be slightly crip and golden on the outside. Serve hot or at room temperature.

I love cookbooks

I seem to collect cookbooks (and shoes, but that's not the point of this blog). But...I tend to never cook from them. I read them (yes, just like a book) and then put them away. My recipes tend to come from the internet, other blogs and any of the 10 cooking magazines I read a month. I've got all manner of cookbooks to choose from:

-Dutch cooking
-Indian cuisine
-the infamous Silver Spoon cookbook
-many, many more (note picture).

This does not count the 3 shelves stacked with cooking magazines either ;)

So the other night while I flipped through my Giada cookbook trying to remember how much pomegranate juice went in the bellinis I was making, I came across a recipe for tomato soup. I love soup....it's a true comfort food for me when it's cold out. But I do not like tomato soup. Granted all my experiences with tomato soup were Campbell's condensed when I was a kid.

Shawn on the other hand loves tomato soup. It was snowing and I had everything in the pantry to make this recipe. And it would give me the chance to finally use the Kitchen Aid Immersion Blender Santa brought me for Christmas. I love kitchen gadgets and let me tell you....this vibrating wonder kicks ass on the cheap $10 immersion blender I had. Holy crap - I'm tempted to puree everything now! I didn't bother with the scoop of rosemary cream on the soup - and added fresh rosemary straight in before pureeing instead. We had it with a side of garlic toast...quick weeknight meal that was very satisfying.

And the best praise ever....Shawn says it's the best tomato soup he's ever had!! And I really, really liked it - enough so that I had leftovers for lunch.

Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon and RosemaryIngredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 15-ounce can cannellini (white) beans, drained and rinsed
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of fresh rosemary, plus 1 teaspoon, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup creme fraiche
Zest of one lemon

Directions

1. In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon rosemary, and red pepper flakes. Bring the soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.

2. Puree the soup in a blender in batches, being careful to remove and discard the bay leaf. Return the soup to a soup pot and keep warm over low heat. Season with salt and pepper.

3. In a medium bowl fold in the lemon zest and the remaining teaspoon of rosemary to 2/3 cup creme fraiche. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and dollop each bowl with the lemon rosemary creme fraiche. Serve immediately.

Hump Day pasta

After an amazingly trying yet wonderful day at work today, I thought what else could be better than making Shawn's favourite weeknight pasta dish and sharing a bottle of delicious chardonnay. I mean, the chardonnay is needed for the pasta sauce so we may as well finish the remaining glass or 4 that's there.


First bottle of Italian wine was corked. Realizing a bottle of wine you are saving is corked is very disheartening. That first sip bubbled on the tongue enough to make me look at the bottle again to ensure it was not a Prosecco. So up came one of our favourite Okanagan wines - time to go to mom and dad's for a visit (6 more weeks!!!) as it was my last bottle. On to cooking!!


Pan fry hot Italian sausage. If you don't like spicy use sweet Italian - the taste will be a bit different, but still delicious. Feel free to insert sausage jokes here ;) As he does whenever I make this recipe, Shawn walks into the kitchen and exclaims.... "I LOVE SAUSAGE". Sure you do babe....and really, he does seem very upset at me giggling by the stove. I think I may buy him an "I LOVE SAUSAGE" t-shirt to wear to work.



Make sure your pasta water is boiling and ready to go as the rest only takes 7 minutes. Deglaze with wine, drink a little more, add cream, grainy mustard (yes it really does work in this dish) and a pinch of red pepper.

Let simmer and add fresh basil. I've tried both fresh and dried and fresh is always so much better. I think I may have to attempt a real herb garden this year. Last year all I grew was mint to make Mojitos all summer (yum).

Stir in pasta and voila....15 minutes later a delicious pasta dish that makes enough for leftovers the next day.

Enjoy - time to go snuggle with the hubby...cuz you know...I like sausage too ;)

Happy Hump Day!

Pasta with Sausage, Basil and Mustard - adapted from Food and Wine

Ingredients

1 pound penne or medium shells
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 hot Italian sausages, meat removed from casings and crumbled (about 1 1/2 pounds)
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons grainy mustard
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 cup thinly sliced basil

Directions
Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente; drain. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the sausage meat and brown over moderately high heat, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the cream, mustard and crushed red pepper and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the pasta and basil and toss to coat. Serve at once.

Beans beans the magical fruit......

The more you eat the more you toot. Yep, I fed Shawn beans. Refried beans to be exact. I must have a death wish of some sort!

But first, let me take you back to the beginning. That magical point in time where you look at a recipe and say...that...is...what...I..am....craving. Southwestern Beef & Bean Burger Wraps. Please note the above picture of the just starting to grill burger. Nice hey? Can't see the refried beans in there at all. And I got past the part where you open the can and they smell like dog food so I was rather happy. (note -you may want to put an egg in this, it didn't bind well)

To boot, it was a healthy recipe that would be good for us people who make dieting a career.




Then you make the guacamole. Easy peasy. Still humming along.

Until the love of your life walks in and looks at the recipe and says....."You realize this is a wrap recipe right?".

Why yes...I was able to take my 10 years of post-secondary education and use that to deduce that from the title. I should've been a friggin detective I'm so brilliant ;)

And why would he say that? I am somewhat burrito/wrap challenged. Give me chopsticks and I can eat circles around people. But wraps.....they do not stay together. I don't have the gift of being able to eat a food where you are required to keep everything on the inside of a flimsy corn tortilla.


Here is what the finished product should look like! Note the wrapped sides! Note the filling is ON THE INSIDE.

Now note that this is Shawn's wrap. And one of us successfully hid the camera to prevent the picture taking of one blogger who cannot eat a wrap to save her life. My darling husband laughed his way through dinner at me munching through my hand held taco bowl...which is what MY wrap turned into about 2 minutes after we sat down. And maybe there was guacamole on the new chairs. Just maybe.... Next time I'll just eat my open faced wrap with chopsticks....

Southwestern Beef & Bean Burger Wraps - adapted from Eating Well

Makes 4 servings

ACTIVE TIME: 25 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 25 minutes
EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

12 ounces 93%-lean ground beef
1 cup refried beans
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapenos
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
4 whole-wheat tortillas, warmed (see Tip)
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1/2 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

1. Position oven rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler. Coat a broiler pan with cooking spray.

2. Gently combine ground beef, beans, cilantro and jalapenos in a medium bowl (do not overmix). Shape into four 5-by-2-inch oblong patties and place on the prepared pan.

3. Broil the patties until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads 165°F, 12 to 14 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, mash together avocado, salsa and garlic powder in a small bowl.

5. Place tortillas on a clean work surface. Spread each with the guacamole, then sprinkle with lettuce and cheese. Top each with a burger and roll into a wrap. Serve immediately, with lime wedges.

Cheat vs. real??

When we were kids, mom made a cheater stroganoff recipe that I still make to this day at least once every couple of months. You know, it's late, you have nothing taken out for supper but can swing by the store, grab the basics (hamburger, cream of mushroom soup, mushrooms and sour cream) and head home and have it on the table in 30 minutes. And both Shawn and I love this recipe.

So this is the "real" stroganoff recipe. Not a can of Campbell's in sight. This recipe was also on the table in 30 minutes. Maybe it was the sirloin steak I used, but it turned out kind of chewy. And the flavour was good, but severely lacking in the creamy consistency that I prefer.

So while I know that my foodie tendencies should be gunning for the real stroganoff version, I think I must be a 70's kid at heart....give me the "soup"ed up version with hamburger and I'm in love.

Beef Stroganoff - adapted from Anna Olson's In the Kitchen with Anna

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp butter

1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 1/4 inch strips

2 Tbsp flour

1 cup diced onion

3 cups sliced mushrooms

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups beef stock

2/3 cup sour cream (not low fat)

12 oz. wide egg noodles

Heat the oil and butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Toss the beef with flour and add to the pan, cook until browned. Remove from the pan, reduce heat to medium and add onion - saute until brown. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved beef, thyme, bay leaf and stock and bring up to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and season to taste.

While the stroganoff is simmering, boil the egg noodles in salted water until al dente. Drain and stir into the stroganoff after the sour cream has been added.

Serves 4

Grilled ham and cheese...with flare

Rather than your regular old grilled ham and cheese sandwich ,which gets trotted out for lunch once in awhile, we were looking for something a bit more exotic this weekend. On our trip to the Italian deli, we found exactly what we were looking for with Spanish ingredients.

Manchego cheese - a sheeps milk cheese with lots of flavour. I could devour this all in one sitting, but have to make the chunk last for at least a week. And what better bed partner than serrano ham. Similar to Proscuitto, this salty ham is sliced very thin and is delicious on it's own or as part of the sandwich.

And really, this is just an excuse to bust out the panini maker on a Sunday afternoon. Best investment ever - if you like grilled sandwiches. Other ways of obtaining the perfectly pressed sandwich - a George Foreman grill (or similar lesser known boxer supported grilling machines), or in a pinch put the sandwich in a pan and press down with another pan on top.

Cathy's spanish grilled ham and cheese sandwich

2 slices of whole wheat bread (or sourdough if you have it)

thinly sliced manchego cheese and serrano ham

Layer cheese, ham, cheese. Butter both of the outside sides of the bread and grill. Watch your panini maker though - they only take about 3 minutes and then they burn.

Valentine's dinner

Osso Bucco is one of those dishes that I order all the time when we go out (if I want to splurge). I love the taste of slowly braised veal and the marrow that's in the centre of the bone. I had never considered making my own until now.

This recipe is actually extremely easy to make (not sure why I thought it wouldn't be). 4 hours from start to finish, your hands on time is less than an hour. The smells that fill your house after are amazing and you tend to watch the clock waiting for supper.

First you sear the veal shanks - 4 minutes per side. I never used to do this with meat - I was always trying to save an extra 10 minutes. I can tell you I was completely wrong with this - by searing you lock the juices into the cut of meat. The flavour and juiciness of all my braised/roasted meat dishes have increased substantially.

Then in the juices from the veal you cook the vegetables. Add the chicken stock, wine and tomatoes. And the other key is to not cook with a wine you wouldn't drink. Now, I wouldn't necessarily go with a $20 bottle to cook with. If you can find something in the $11 - $13 range that tastes decent then you are doing great. I used a Chilean Chardonnay Reserve... $11.89.

Once you are done and have the veal in the oven, prepare the gremolata. It's a nice touch that you don't always see with osso bucco. Once you are done that, pour yourself a glass of the leftover wine and go read a book - you don't do anything for another 2 1/2 hours!

Traditional side dishes for Osso Bucco are either risotto milanese (saffron) or soft polenta. I didn't feel like either yesterday so opted for mashed potatoes (to show my love for Valentine's Day). The meat is fall off the bone tender. Be sure to use a spatula to lift the meat out of the roasting pan or it will fall away from the bone. No knife is required for this meal!

We rounded off our Valentine's Day menu with a 1998 Brunello we had bought a few months ago. What a fabulous wine...and a steal at the Costco liquor store!

Osso Bucco - adapted from Food and Wine

Ingredients

8 meaty veal shanks, cut 1 1/2 inches thick (7 pounds)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch dice
6 celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 onions, cut into 1/4-inch dice
6 garlic cloves—4 whole, 2 minced
3 bay leaves
4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
2 cups dry white wine
One 15-ounce can diced Italian tomatoes
6 thyme sprigs
Two 2 1/2-inch strips orange zest, minced
Two 2 1/2-inch strips lemon zest, minced
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375°. Season the veal shanks with salt and pepper. In a very large, deep skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Working in batches, cook the veal over moderately high heat until browned on both sides, about 8 minutes total per batch. Transfer the osso buco to a large roasting pan.

Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet. Add the diced carrots, celery, onions, 4 whole garlic cloves and the bay leaves and cook over moderate heat until they are softened, about 12 minutes. Add the chicken stock, white wine, diced tomatoes and thyme sprigs and bring to a boil. Pour the vegetables and liquid over the veal, cover the roasting pan with foil and transfer to the oven. Braise the shanks for about 2 1/2 hours, until very tender.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the orange zest, lemon zest, parsley and the 2 minced garlic cloves. Lightly season the gremolata with salt and pepper.

Transfer the veal shanks to a baking sheet and cover with foil. Carefully strain the cooking liquid into a large bowl. Reserve the vegetables; discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Pour the cooking liquid back into the roasting pan and boil over high heat until it is reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Stir in the reserved vegetables and simmer over moderately low heat for 2 minutes. Transfer the osso buco to shallow bowls. Spoon the sauce and vegetables on top and sprinkle lightly with the gremolata. Serve with the remaining gremolata at the table.

Make Ahead
The osso buco can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is one of those holidays that I profess to not care a lick about. I mean, a holiday where you are expected to show your love to your significant other....if I can show you how much you mean to me the other 364 days of the year, I sure as hell shouldn't bother with just the 14th of February.

So every year I will cook a nice meal for Shawn and say who cares about the forced romance of the day...I mean.....it's NOT A BIG DEAL.

That is until your husband for the first time ever sends you flowers to work for Valentine's. And makes sure that it's orange tulips (my favourite).

Um yeah.....is it too late to rethink that part about me not caring if there's a lot of romance??? I quite liked it this year ;) He did a great job choosing the flowers (thanks K for the help) and they look gorgeous on the dining room table.

So our Valentine's Day dinner tradition is to always make a special meal...one that we normally wouldn't splurge on the ingredients for. Last year we made duck a l'orange (yum).

Today we hauled our butts out of bed at 7 a.m. and headed into the city for breakfast (smoked salmon eggs benedict for me, bacon and eggs for him) at a cute diner that we like. Then it was off to the Italian Market...I love that place. I could spend an entire paycheque at the deli counter! Today I settled for some manchego cheese and serrano ham for a panini that we'll blog about later in the week. And some fabulous looking veal shanks. I've been craving Osso Bucco for a few months and figured what better time to splurge than today. That meal I will have to blog about tomorrow - it's one of those 4 hours in the kitchen meals that I'm only half way through right now.

But dessert....dessert is done. And...uh...I may have already snuck some while Shawn naps downstairs. I mean, purely in the interest of research. I couldn't very well blog about something if I hadn't tasted it yet could I?????????????

Chocolate mousse - one of those things that I never make from scratch and I only order when we are out. I made the cheating kind once years ago (think melted chocolate chips and marshmallows). Not bad, but tonight I want the real thing. Raw eggs and all.

I can tell you that this is rich......and if you live with a man who likes chocolate (me), this will blow his pants off (literally off....he is napping for a reason ya know).

Ignore the white flakes...it's snow. I tried to take the picture outside to see if the natural lighting would allow for a better picture.

Dark Chocolate Mousse - adapted from Anna Olson, Food Network

Yield: 4

This mousse is meant for eating right out of the bowl, not for piping or filling cakes. Its richness is sinful, but you have to let yourself have just one more bite!

Ingredients:

· 8 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
· 5 tbsp water
· 2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
· 1 tbsp sour cream, room temperature
· 5 egg, separated
· dash of salt
· 1 tbsp sugar

Directions:

1. Melt chocolate with water, directly on low heat, stirring until smooth and shiny. Remove from heat and stir in butter and sour cream until melted.
2. Stir in egg yolks, one at a time, mixing gently and slowly.
3. Whip whites with salt to soft peaks, adding sugar once whites become foamy. Fold into chocolate mixture in thirds.
4. Pour into a serving dish or individual cups.

To Assemble
1. Chill for at least 3 hours before serving.

Awwwwwwwwwww..Happy Feb 13th to me

My husband rocks :)

Spice it up......

When I grew up some of the most fun dinners we had were soup and sandwich nights. Not sure if it was because it was out of the ordinary or if we got to eat in the living room to watch the Vancouver Canucks lose, but something about it was just fun to us.

Looking for that comfort feel tonight I decided soup and some sort of bread was in order for supper. I grabbed a garlic sourdough bread round from the store (rather than sandwiches) and then put together a soup recipe I've been eyeballing for some time....Spicy Chickpea.

Shawn gave me the raised eyebrow look when I was started cooking and laughed when I used a food processor instead of a blender and everything oozed out the bottom. Seriously - I used to have a blender somewhere but think the last one has been trashed as most of them have - attempting to crush ice for margaritas.

Anyways, start of the soup until it was on the table was under 20 minutes. Not too spicy at all - next time I may add some chili paste to it, but the flavour was excellent. A nice coconut flavour with little bits of chickpeas floating around.

Very comforting - now off to watch TV and snuggle.

SPICY CHICKPEA SOUP - adapted from Food and Wine magazine

Ingredients

Two 19-ounce cans chickpeas, drained
One 13.5-ounce can light coconut milk
One 14.4-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup naturally sweetened apple juice
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 scallions, green parts only, thinly sliced

Directions
In a blender, combine the drained chickpeas with the coconut milk, chopped tomatoes, apple juice, cilantro leaves, garam masala and ground ginger and puree the mixture until smooth.

Transfer the puree to a medium saucepan. Stir in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer over moderately high heat. Season with salt and black pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with the yogurt and scallion greens and serve.

Check out these breasts!!!!

Got your attention now do I? And while I'm quite happy/pleased/proud of mine, these chicken breasts were also just as delectable.

The key to making a good baked chicken breast is just sucking up and leaving the skin on them and keeping the breast on the bone (hee hee).

I digress...Shawn saw this picture in the new edition of Food Network magazine and chose that for tonights meal. We've been trying to perfect the baked crispy chicken breast for 3 years and this....this is pretty damn close.

Cornflakes are used for the "crispy" part and after popping a few in my mouth I almost opted out to have cornflakes for supper (and my favourite weird way is with chopped green onions on top). As they say - everybody is somebody elses weirdo. I think I'm that somebody for a lot of people!!

Instead of egg to bind the breadcrumbs, buttermilk and dijon mustard with spices is used. And now I have to say to my father.....I HAVE NO CLUE HOW YOU DRANK BUTTERMILK STRAIGHT FROM THE CARTON. That is soooooooo gross...the smell just about makes me want to hurl. But I persevered and this could be the end of my chicken odyssey. Although, I'm thinking now a little bit of shredded parmesan mixed into the crushed cornflakes could be amazing.

On a side note - was introduced to a rather sketchy little Turkish place at lunch today. Finally in Calgary - a place that sells pomegranate molasses and amazingly cheap saffron. And the donair was pretty delicious too!



Crispy Baked "Fried" Chicken - adapted from Cat Cora for Food Network magazine

Ingredients

8 chicken pieces (preferably 2 breasts, 2 thighs, 2 legs and 2 wings)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cups cornflakes
2/3 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
3/4 teaspoon ground sage

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a rack in a roasting pan or on a baking sheet.
Rinse the chicken in cold water; pat dry. In a wide bowl or on a plate, season the flour with salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Dredge each chicken piece through the flour so it's fully coated, tap against the bowl to shake off excess flour and set aside. Discard the flour.

Here comes the part kids like best: Crush the cornflakes by placing them in a big resealable plastic bag, carefully pressing the bag to push out the air. Seal up the bag (with as little air inside as possible) and run over the flakes with a rolling pin. Open the bag and pour the crushed flakes into a wide bowl or onto a plate.

In a large bowl (big enough to dredge the chicken pieces), mix the buttermilk, mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika and sage. Give each floured chicken piece a good buttermilk bath and then roll in the cornflake crumbs.

Arrange the chicken pieces on the rack and place in the hot oven. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, lower the heat to 375 degrees and cook for another 25 to 30 minutes, until cooked through and crispy. The juices should run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife.

If you've ever wondered what Leprechaun poo looks/tastes like....

One of our goals this year was to eat less pre-packaged foods. And I have to say, we've been doing a rather good job of this (in about a week I'm going to make homemade beef jerky...yum).

The other goal - to try more fruits and vegetables. We're both adventurous and have no problem trying fruit - but I'm not a fan of a lot of vegetables. I mean, I am very pro-vegetable...why kill those little suckers just for us to eat them??? ;)

So this weeks new vegetable was broccoli rabe or rapini. I figured broccoli is one of the vegetables I already liked so this, well - how bad could it be??

Shawn and I ended up being very divided on the recipe - he quite liked it and I will probably never make it again.

Maybe it had to do with the colour of the sauce:

The sight of the green sauce was enough to turn my already queasy stomach today. It looks like leprechaun poo. And maybe the taste was "ok", but I couldn't get past the colour of it. I ate it and while it was hot it was palatable...once it was luke warm, well, I have the same gag reflex with oatmeal or porridge. Shawn found this whole incident very amusing and is now curious as to how I know what leprechaun poo would look like. Duh - it's either this or those god awful Shamrock shakes they serve at McDonald's on St. Patrick's Day.

Also, it looked nothing like the picture in the magazine - the nice picture that showed little green flecks on the pasta. I think the bunch of broccoli rabe I bought must be very different than that bought by the Food TV chefs.

Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe Pesto - adapted from Food Network Magazine

Ingredients

1 bunch broccoli rabe, tough lower stems removed
1/2 cup pistachios, toasted
3/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish
Kosher salt
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/2 pound orecchiette pasta
High-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing (optional)

Directions

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Set up a bowl of well-salted ice water. Cook the broccoli rabe in the boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes and then immediately plunge in the salted ice water. This will prevent the broccoli rabe from being overcooked and will set the lovely green color.

Drain the broccoli rabe and squeeze out any excess water; coarsely chop. Place the broccoli rabe in the bowl of a food processor and puree until it is a coarse paste. Add the pistachios and parmigiano and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning; you probably will need more salt. Add the ricotta and pulse until combined. Taste for seasoning once again-it should be full-flavored, slightly bitter and creamy at the same time. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. (If you are making the pasta right after the pesto, just use the broccoli rabe blanching water.) Cook the pasta 1 minute less than the cooking time on the package.

While the pasta is cooking, place the pesto in a large skillet and add about 1 to 11/2 cups of the pasta cooking water; place over medium-high heat. When the pasta is ready, drain and add to the skillet with the pesto. Stir vigorously to combine and cook until the sauce is creamy and heated through, 1 to 2 minutes; add salt to taste. Remove from the heat, add 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil, if desired, and stir vigorously. Garnish with more parmigiano. Voila!

Per serving: Calories 420; Fat 13.5 g (Sat. 4.4 g; Mono. 5.5 g; Poly. 2.7 g); Cholesterol 18 mg; Sodium 286 mg; Carbohydrate 54 g; Fiber 3.5 g; Protein 22 g

The piece de resistance (and the 2 little glitches)

Paella has long been a favourite dish of mine. The first time Shawn had paella (and sangria for that matter) was at a restaurant called Cafe Ba Ba Reeba in Las Vegas about 2 years ago. He loves it so much that when we were watching Simply Delicioso last weekend and Ingrid Hoffman was twirling around making Paella, Shawn kept poking me in the leg and looking at me with puppy dog eyes.

Like Sangria, there are many many different variations of paella that can be made. This easy seafood one has only prawns and scallops. Many traditional ones include chicken thighs, mussels and clams and take a few hours to cook, but this one is done in about an hour or so.

Some tips:

We used a large saute pan with a tight fitting lid, rather than a paella pan with aluminum foil. A paella pan is one of those wish items that I always hope for, but at $150 a pan unless I win the lottery I'll keep dreaming for a bit. (Mom, use the saute pan I bought you a few years ago for xmas).

We did use chorizo sausage (Costco carries a really nice red wine chorizo), but if you can't find it, use spicy italian sausage (or mild if you prefer less heat).

As lately I've been making a lot of asian food and risotto, all I had in the house was arborio rice and basmati rice. Paella should be made with long grain rice (it soaks up the oils) and I of course, forgot to buy it. Shawn ran to the store and returned just at the point when I had to put it in the pot.

Many of the reviews said that 6 cups of broth was too much and the paella turned out mushy. The key is to add the liquid 1 ladle at a time until it's all mostly absorbed (takes about 10 minutes), then turn the heat down a bit and let it simmer for the rest of the 25 minutes until the rice is cooked through (test it as it'll be different for everyone).

And finally, to avoid the teasing from the husband and the look of dread from the neighbor's daughter - peel the shrimp! I was drinking sangria and cooking and thought I had bought prawns with just the tails on, but they still had the whole shell. Not a big deal - your fingers get a bit messy when you are eating.

Saffron - this spice is a must - you CANNOT substitute it with anything else. It's from the dried up inside pieces of a specific type of crocus. Ounce per ounce, this spice is more expensive than gold. 1 teaspoon will run you about $15 - $24, so a recipe that isn't made every week. But the flavour and colour is amazing.

As far as easy/quick paella's go, this one was great! I am dreaming of going to Spain and doing nothing but eating paella, drinking sangria and taking siestas ;)


Shrimp and Scallop Easy Paella - adapted from Ingrid Hoffman's Simply Delicioso

Ingredients
6 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 red pepper, seeded, ribbed and thinly sliced
1 green pepper, seeded, ribbed and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Spanish saffron, pistils only
4 links Spanish dry-cured chorizo (about 6 ounces), sliced
1 1/2 cups white rice
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chiles
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 pounds raw, peeled large shrimp
1 pound sea scallops
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley leaves
Lemon wedges, for decoration

Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat the chicken stock until boiling.

In a separate large saucepan or paella pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil and add the onion, the garlic, the peppers, the saffron and the chorizo. Cook for 6 minutes or until vegetables are soft and chorizo is browned.

Stir in the rice, tomatoes and tomato paste until well mixed and cook for 5 minutes. Add the boiling chicken stock little by little, stirring each addition constantly until the stock is almost absorbed.

Cover the paella pan with aluminum foil, and cook for 25 minutes, until rice is tender. Add the shrimp and the scallops and let cook covered for 5 to 7 minutes more.

Decorate with the chopped parsley and lemon wedges