Beef Shank Casserole

This is a super scrumptious hot comforting AND inexpensive dinner that can be made in 15 minutes! 

• 2 cups left-over beef stew (I did this the night before: 1 shank, braised in enough tomato sauce to cover the meat. Seasoned with thyme, garlic and chilli flakes (or any hot sauce you want). Simmered with a lid on for 3 hours before I removed the meat, reduced the sauce, pulled the meat then reunited the sauce. Tip: All stew is better the next day.) 
• 1 cup orecchiette or spirali 32 (shown)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup aged cheddar, grated
• a little butter

1. While you are waiting for your (salted) pasta water to boil, gather your other ingredients - not that there are many. 
   
2. Sip some whiskey. If you’re making such a from-the-pantry dish, you may be tired, broke or just in need for some comfort, fast. You can also grate your cheese now. (Man I hope you don’t buy that pre-grated crap.) 
3. Butter your personal-sized casserole dish. I got mine at Winners. It may be a 2 person serving, but YOLO and I like to eat....a lot. The butter will help the pasta get a little crunchy on the edges, if you’re into that kind of thing. 
4. Test out your pasta. You want it under done but not crunchy. Drain and save a little water (always, with every pasta dish) in the pot and return it to the stove. 
   
   
   
5. Add the saucy braised shank and once it’s hot, throw in the peas, hot sauce and pasta. Give it a quick stir, taste and season then pour it into the casserole dish and top with cheese. 
   
6. Broil while watching through the oven window, face almost pressed agains it until your bubbly cheese starts getting crusty. Pull it out when you like how it looks. 
   
7. Good job, you deserve more whisky. Once you’re done eating, you should probably have some well-earned gelato too. 
   

Speedy Healthy Mac and Cheesy

So I knew I wanted mac and cheese, but I also hadn't had a vegetable in a while.  I compromised and boosted the nutritional value of my boxed dinner and it was fabulous, so here you are:

1. Boil: 1 box macaroni with 4 garlic cloves
2. Meanwhile, finely chop:

• 1 orange pepper
• 1 stalk fennel with fronds
• 2 big tbsp of fresh dill

3. When the macaroni is cooked al dente, drain all but about 1/4 of the liquid and return to the pot to stir in the super-artificial-you-shouldnt-really-eat-it cheese powder, along with

• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 2 tbsp chili oil 
• veg medley (above)

That's it! The veggies stretch out the starch and sauce so you end up eating less crap, and more of the good stuff.

Be Inspired and Eat Local in January

My personal favourite guide to seasonal Ontario produce is Foodland Ontario. It isn’t impossible to eat locally all winter and it certainly isn’t boring!

Even if you can’t make it to a farmers’ market, all major grocery stores now have signs stating the origins of the fruit or vegetable so it won’t be difficult to choose local. 

Here is the list of vegetables that are grown in January with inspiring menu ideas and some recipes that are definitely not the norm. (Recipes and menu ideas that do not have a chef’s name afterwards are my own. If you would like the recipe for any of the dishes below, please email me. Click on the book title or Chef after the recipe for a link to buy the book)

Apples

Apple Soup (The New English Table by Rose Prince)

Melt 85g/3 oz of unsalted butter in a large pan. Add 1 large onion, roughly chopped, 2 garlic cloves, chopped, 12 apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped, 2 celery stalks, chopped, 2 sprigs of thyme and 1/2 tsp allspice. Cook over low heat until the apples soften and then add 1.2 liters of chicken stock. Cook for 15 more minutes, then season with salt and pepper. Serve with bread and cheese. Serves 4. 

Beets

Beetroot Purée (A Year in My Kitchen by Skye Gyngell)

Purée 1.5kg cooked and peeled beets with 2 peeled garlic cloves and 1 large red chili. Wash 1 large bunch of coriander very well, then chop roughly and add to the beet mixture with 1/2 bunch fresh mint leaves, 1 tbsp freshly grated horseradish, 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar and 2 tbsp olive oil. Blend until a smooth puree and then fold in 125mL full fat Greek-style yoghurt. Serve as a garnish to a white bean soup, or as a dip with pita, or as a garnish to grilled fish. 

Cabbage

Sautéed Savoy cabbage with chili and garlic (A Year in My Kitchen by Skye Gyngell)

Cabbage soup with confit rabbit shreds (A Chef for All Seasons by Gordon Ramsey)

Carrots

Sweet Carrot Pickle (A Taste of Palace Life: Royal Indian Cookery by Manju Shivraj Singh)

Peel 1lb carrots and cut into small cubes. Put in a pot and cover with 2 cups water then bring to a boil and cook until tender. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid. Add 1lb sugar, 4 cloves, 2 sticks of cinnamon and 4 cardamom pods to the liquid and simmer covered with a lid for 20 minutes. Add the carrots and simmer until the mixture thickens. Cool completely, then spoon into jars. 

Cucumbers (greenhouse) 

Fried Cucumbers ( I learned this recipe while working in Ireland, at the Rathsallagh House Hotel)

Slice one cucumber lengthwise and running a spoon down the length of it, remove the seeds. turn over so that the cucumber is steady on the cutting board. Chop the cucumber into half moons, about 1/4 inch wide. Heat a pan until very hot. Add 2 tbsp butter and once bubbling, toss in the cucumbers, keeping the heat high. Toss them a few times until hot, then season with a generous amount of fresh ground pepper. Serve immediately. These are a superb surprise.

Garlic

Garlic white wine mussels

Leeks

Leek Chips ( A Chef for All Seasons by Gordon Ramsey)

Split open the white of a leek and cut the layers into large bite-size squares. Blanch for a few seconds and then pat dry and brush each side with truffle oil. Dry them out in a single layer on a baking sheet in the oven at the lowest temperature until crisp.

Saffron-scented leek soup with pickled girolles ( A Chef for All Seasons by Gordon Ramsey)

Lettuce ( greenhouse)

Heart of romaine with wood-grilled onions, radishes, fresh cheese and roasted garlic dressing (Rick Bayless)

Mushrooms (greenhouse)

Mushroom risotto garnished with chopped almonds and shaved pecorino

Mushroom caps fileld with bone marrow ( Jeremiah Tower)

Onions

Panade of slow-cooked onions with Gruyère (A Year in My Kitchen by Skye Gyngell)

Melt 50g unsalted butter in a large pan over low heat. Add 4 yellow onions, sliced very thinly and sprinkle over 1 1/2 tsp caster sugar and a pinch of salt.Cook gently for 20 minutes until very soft. Pour in 50mL brandy* (*Be sure to keep children well away as the brandy may ignite. If it does, don’t try to blow it out! Simply let the alcohol burn off and soon the flame will extinguish). Increase the heat and add 1 bay leaf, 4 sprigs of thyme and 750mL of chicken stock. Cook for 10 minutes and then remove the herbs. Toast some bread and rub with a clove of garlic. Ladle over the broth and onions and finish by sprinkling some grated Gruyère.

Parsnips

Smoked haddock chowder (A Year in My Kitchen by Skye Gyngell)

Woodcock with caramelized parsnips and chocolate sauce  ( A Chef for All Seasons by Gordon Ramsey)

Potatoes

Potato soup with a drizzle of truffle oil ( A Chef for all Seasons by Gordon Ramsey)


Rhubarb

Baby red mullets with choucroute and rhubarb  ( A Chef for All Seasons by Gordon Ramsey)

Rhubarb compote with seared foie gras

Rutabaga

Rutabega dip with sour cream and fried sage

Squash

Squash soup  Mantua style (Giuliano Bugialli’s Foods of Italy by Guiliano Bugialli)

Cut 1 butternut squash, about 2 pounds, into thirds then remove skin and seeds. Cut the squash into smaller chunks and soak in cold water for thirty minutes. Heat 8 tbsp butter in a large pot and once melted add 1 4oz piece of prosciutto and sauté over low heat for 5 minutes. Drain the squash and add it to the pot. Cook for 15minutes, then add 3 cups beef broth and then cook another 15 minutes. Remove the prosciutto and discard. Purée the soup, add salt and pepper to taste and then cook for 10 minutes longer over low heat. Serve hot, garnished with a basil leaf. Serves 6. 

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potato stew with crab, coriander, lime and butter (A Year in My Kitchen by Skye Gyngell)

Coleslaw

coleslaw.

Although I'm unemployed, it seems I am rarely home and it is depressing when I watch an entire case of baby spinach go to mush before it is opened. What I need is an appetizing, affordable and nutritional food in my fridge that will stay good  for a week. I need coleslaw. 

I almost always have coleslaw in my fridge. It is the perfect food for a number of reasons. Cabbage, carrots and onions are cheap and available all year round. They last forever in your fridge and so do the other ingredients necessary for slaw: mayonnaise and vinegar. Once you make your slaw, it will last up to a week. Red cabbage, carrots and onions are packed with nutrients. Of course, as soon as any vegetable is picked, plucked, cut, or cooked it begins to lose its nutritional value, but coleslaw is still better than KD. 

My recipe: 

1/2 red cabbage, shredded

2 carrots, grated

1 kholrabi, peeled ( optional. It is another healthy veg that stays fresh for a long time)

1-2tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp mayonainse

salt and pepper

Stir it all together and eat. The next day, stir again before eating and it will be even better than day one!

All About Persimmons

I knew they existed. That is to say, I knew that they were orange and called persimmons but I didn’t know much else. I saw signs in Chinatown flaunting a sale of 15 for $5, but I couldn’t buy that many without first knowing more. Even though this temperate fruit can cause pain if eaten before it is ripe enough, it is still part of every fruit display along Spadina, and therefore it must be delicious. I began my research hoping I was correct in assuming dangerous = delicious

Persimmons Species

The Mexican species (D.digyna) known as black sapote gets unenthusiastic reviews. However, if you ever need to dye a sheepskin black, then black sapote is the way to go – or so I’m told.

American persimmons (D.virginiana) are plum-sized and used to be highly valued in eastern United States, but have since been out-shadowed by the superior kaki (D. kaki).

Kaki is the most popular persimmon worldwide. Native to China, this non-astringent species was adopted by Japan. They are about the size of apples and are prized for their sweetness, which is balanced by their low acidity. The bright orange flesh contains beta-carotene and lycopene and because of this, they share a similar aroma with winter squash.

The most popular cultivars of Kaki persimmons are the flat-bottomed persimmons, Fuyu and the Jiro. Neither is tannic and both can be eaten when still fairly firm. You can peel them before eating, and when you take a bite, make sure not to eat any seeds.

Astringent Persimmons

Like the stringy bits inside a banana peel, not everyone enjoys astringency. Astringent persimmons, identified by their acorn shape, need to be very ripe before eating and even then the skin is fairly inedible and is better used as a cup for the pulp inside. The most popular astringent cultivar is the Hachiya, distinguishable by it’s dark yellow flesh.

The astringency comes from the high level of tannins in the fruit. In Japan, unripe, astringent persimmons are crushed, fermented and used as a dye called kakishibu (meaning, persimmon-bitter). Kakishibu was one of the most widely used preservative and weatherproofing agents in Japan during the Heian Period (794 – 1185 AD) and continues to be used in the same way today. Artist Masamichi Terada was “intrigued by the subtle beauty of the material” and decided to devote his life to study and preserve kakishibu-dyeing as an art form.

If you are going to eat the astringent persimmons, you must wait until they are so ripe they are almost liquid beneath the flesh; otherwise, they are inedible. The astringency of an unripe persimmon is due to the tannins, which break down the salivary proteins and cause the mouth to feel dry and sandpapery.

It was centuries ago that the Chinese discovered that if unripe persimmons were buried in mud for several days they would lose their astringency. For the scientific foodies: The lack of oxygen in the mud altered the persimmons’ metabolism, resulting in the accumulation of an alcohol derivative: acetaldehyde, which binds with tannins in the cells, thus preventing them from binding with our salivary proteins. Cool! If you want to try it out yourself, you can tightly wrap your unripe persimmon in cling film; there is no need bury it in mud unless you are hardcore. Freezing the fruit and then thawing it softens the fruit and also removes some of the astringency.

Medicinal Properties

What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? I am curious about the health qualities of persimmons because in traditional Chinese medicine, bitter foods are connected to the heart. As it turns out, astringent persimmons (shi zi) have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for more than 2,000 years. Some practitioners use fresh persimmon juice to lower blood pressure (note: persimmons DO interact with blood-pressure medicine. So talk to your doctor). More commonly used is the dried calyx. (A calyx includes all of the sepals of a flower, which form the outer floral envelope that protects the developing flower bud.) The persimmon calyx (shi di) is dried in the sun and used to treat ailments of the lungs and stomach. It directs stomach qi downwards, which pushes food downwards in order to remove impurities. 

Harvesting and Preparing to eat Persimmons

Harvest season varies depending on elevation, sunlight, et cetera, but wherever they are, the fruit is picked - always leaving the calyx intact - when it is dark orange and still firm – between October and December. For better flavour, non-astringent persimmons can be left on the tree until they are a bit softer.

Persimmons – astringent and non-astringent – are delicious when dried. They can either be peeled and dried whole or cut into slices. In Japan, the dried fruit is called hoshigaki. Traditionally in Japan, the whole, peeled astringent Hachiya persimmons are hung in rows, resembling lanterns so that airflow is even. When astringent persimmons are dried they lose all their astringency and develop a sweet, chewy consistency. Every few days they are massaged gently to distribute the pulp inside. Eventually a white bloom develops; it looks like mould, but in fact it is the sugar drying on the surface. Once dried, the darkened persimmon maintains its acorn shape. In China it is called shi bing, in Vietnam it is known as hồng khô and in Korea it is known as gotgam. In Korea, dried persimmons, cinnamon and ginger are used to make the traditional Korean spicy fruit punch, sujeonggwa. In Korea, persimmon vinegar, called gamsikcho is praised for its health benefits.

If persimmons can be made into vinegar, then they can be made into wine. Persimmon wine is made and enjoyed worldwide. There are also many recipes online that do not seem too difficult; you’ll be hiccuping in no time!

In the United States, persimmon pudding is made in a similar way to pumpkin pie – and also served with whipped cream. Heat accentuates astringency, so adding half a teaspoon of baking soda to every cup of persimmon pulp will help moderate the taste.

There are far too many delicious ways to eat persimmons – I think I’ll make persimmon chutney and go from there. Recipe to come soon or available upon request.

Can't Wait for Those Peaches to Ripen?

Every Ontarian knows that it is peach season and we all have the sticky, smiley faces to prove it.

But living alone, one has got to be creative when finding a way to eat through a basket of peaches. They were just $2.77 at No Frills, but not one peach was ripe.

What to do!?

Seasonal Food Guide Tea Towel

Only one year old, Stuart Gardiner Design products can be found all over the UK.  To stay as green as possible, all textiles and prints are produced in East London. And, as most things coming out of East London these days, they are pretty hip. Their t-shirts are cheeky and a bit bizarre - something you'd expect to see at Magic Pony - and so are some of their tea towels. I especially enjoy the Teat Owl Tea Towel  and the Gentleman's Handshake. 

But a little more serious now. Stuart Gardiner Design also produces a variety of seasonal guides on mugs, aprons and tea towels. You can choose between a seasonal and sustainable guide to British fruits and vegetables; Seafood; Garden flowers; and Wild foods. All production is UK-based, and all cottons are organic in order to keep environmental impact to a minimum. The towels are only £10, and the seasons are fairly similar, so you can still use the tea towel in Canada as a rough guide. (Plus it's a really nice tea towel and you would be supporting the company's green intentions.)

Now we just need someone to make us a Canadian guide to seasonal things, produce it here, and stick it on a tea towel. Perhaps the folks over at Kid Icarus might be interested...

Gardening in May/June

On a beautiful sunny afternoon in late May or early June, do some gardening.

Beans - Plant seeds 1 1/2 - 2" deep in soil. Harvest in 60 days.

Beets - Plant seeds 1/2" deep in soil. Harvest in 40-70 days.

Cucumbers - Plant seesd 1" deep. Cucumbers will creep over your garden, so don't plant anything else within 3 feet. Harvest in 2-3 months.

Peppers - Set the small plants (without fruit or flowers!) in warm soil 1/2" deep. If the soil is too high in nitrogen, then you will end up with lots of plant and few peppers. Don't plant them next to other nightshades ( tomatoes, eggplant, etc), as they can all contract the same diseases. Harvest in 4 months.

Pumpkin - They grow and grow and crawl over everything, so plant them in an area where they have room to spread. Plant the seeds 3-4" deep and harvest in 4-5 months.

Tomato plants - Get those tomato plants in now, as in this week! Plant them deep in the soil. One nifty trick is to plant them close to marigolds, which will keep the aphids away. 

Things to Eat in May

So, April is coming to an end and that means if you've been buying local you have been eating a lot of kale, cauliflower, onions, parsnips and carrots and maybe you even treated yourself to some rhubarb pie, or rhubarb chutney (mmm!).

...boiled cauliflower, roasted cauliflower, stir-fried cauliflower, kale in miso soup, crispy oven-baked kale, parsnip chips, roast parsnip, parsnip soup, parsnip mashed potatoes...

I am ready and excited for May to bring me all sorts of vegetabley goodness. Our garden is bursting with herbs plus two scrawny asparagus that popped up over night.

Here is what's in store for May, so start your menu planning.

In Toronto:
Asparagus, Carrots, Mushrooms, Onions, Radishes, Rutabaga, Spinach

In Devon:
Asparagus, Cauliflower, Curly Lettuce, more rhubarb!, Spinach

If you'd like to keep up to date with what's in season, check out Eat the Seasons, a fabulous website that tells you what vegetables, fruits, fish and meat* are in season, week by week. They have information for the UK/Ireland AND North America. Fantastic.

*Yes, meat and fish are available according to the season.  During past few train rides across the Devon countryside, I have smiled at the little lambs hopping behind their mamas. Spring lamb, here I come (gotta wait a little longer though).


Pictured below: All organic and/or local: lettuce, grated carrot, alfalfa sprouts, cheddar cheese, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds

Quick and Sexy Valentine's Day Menu with Recipes

Valentine's Day doesn’t sneak up on you – it pounces. You’ve been blasted with red signs and teddy bears holding silk hearts for a full month now and you have learned to blur it out.  Then BAM: Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day and you don’t want to do anything special because you don’t want to be sucked into the consumerism, but you know that if you don’t plan at least a nice meal at home (you’ve spent all your money at Winterlicious) you will end up in trouble with your significant other. Alternatively, you will become depressed and muttering curses at every couple you see, you will go home and hide in your pajamas watching bad TV until 4am.

The first Valentine’s day card was sent in 1806, but the history is long and ambiguous: A priest named Valentine who married young lovers against the Emperor’s will; A man who helped Christians escape Roman prisons; An imprisoned man in love with his jailor’s daughter.

Or, the month of February could have been dedicated Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture. It is the beginning of spring, and animals are swelling with fertility. White snowdrops are bursting through the ground, demonstrating nature’s cycle of death and life. 

Basically, it is all about love, sex and reproduction. So do something that is inexpensive, fun, and truly appropriate for the day. Eat a seasonal meal and get in tune with all your senses: 

          Velvety Smooth Parsnip Soup with Crumbled Stilton

                                Smoked Trout with Crème Fraîche and Braised Leeks

Rhubarb Apple Crumble

Parsnip Soup:

1. Chop one onion and sauté in butter. Add 1 clove chopped garlic.

2. Add 3 chopped up parsnips, 1 sprig of thyme and season with salt.

3. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, then pour over some vegetable or chicken stock.

4. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat so that it is gently simmering for 15 minutes.

5. Remove the thyme stem and puree until smooth. Pour through a fine mesh sieve and use the back of your ladle to push the soup through, back into the same pot. Re-heat, ladle into 2 bowls and crumble Stilton on top just before serving. 

Smoked Trout with Crème Fraîche and Braised Leeks:

1. Buy the smoked trout locally. In Toronto, Roncesvalles is the best place to find really good smoked fish.

2. Buy crème fraîche or make it quickly:

(recipe from Chow)

- Combine  ¾ cup heavy cream, ¼ cup sour cream and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl

- Refrigerate for 15 minutes

- Whisk them together until soft peaks form

- Use right away or refrigerate and use within 24 hours, whisking gently before serving if required.

3. Braised leeks:

- Chop off the top part of the leek that is very green and compost it

- Split the rest of the leek down the centre, lengthwise and wash under running water thoroughly. (Leeks grow in sandy soil)

- Put the leeks flat side up in a baking dish and pour over 1/2 cup orange juice and then dot the top with knobs off butter (about 1 tbsp per side).

- Cover and put into a 350˚ oven for 15 minutes, until tender – but not mushy.

Rhubarb Apple Crumble:

1. Chop up 3 stems of rhubarb and combine with 2 chopped apples in a mixing bowl

2. Add ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp butter and a pinch of salt

3. Put into a greased baking dish

4. In a bowl, combine 1 cup all purpose flour, ½ cup cold butter and ½ cup brown sugar

5. Massage the mixture gently but quickly with the tips of your fingers until crumbs form in the size of peas.

6. Put the crumble on top and bake in a 350˚ oven until the crust is golden and the apples and rhubarb are bubbling beneath, about 20 minutes. Serve with some ice cream or whipped cream.

This sexy meal will have you happily enjoying Valentine's Day in no time (and with far less fuss than usual).