Grilled Chorizo and White Cheddar

Last weekend was glorious. Sparkling fresh fallen snow, bright blue skies, and campfire cooked sausages; I would never tire of winter if every weekend was spent at the cabin. Dave and I cross country skied out to Pine Point Rapids, close to our cabin in the Whiteshell. At the far point of the 6 km loop there's a warm up shack that's usually stocked with fire wood. When we showed up to the rapids one group was just leaving and had already started a nice fire in the grate outside - a perfect spot to cook up our picnic for two.

Admittedly this is another random grouping of ingredients more then it is a recipe. Without question, the most important take away from my Articling year was the patented move of combining grilled chorizo with white cheddar in one mouthful. There's a good chance that if you've been to our house or cabin in the past six years - we've fed you this. It's become quite a staple among our friends. 

Korean Salmon and Brown Rice Bowl (Bibimbap)

Cue the cabin fever - by this point in February the patience is unfortunately disappearing faster then the snow and ice. Waking up to an extreme cold warning a few mornings in a row induces cravings for something warm and comforting, preferably served in a bowl allowing it to be easily spooned into one's mouth while watching trashy reality TV. Mac and cheese or gnocchi would've been an obvious choice for me, but Bibimbap is certainly up to the challenge. The spicy sauce and soft rice warm from the inside but you also get the nutrient bonus from the veggies, whole grains and good protein. 

Having recently discovered Korean cuisine at a mall food court, I'm obviously an authority on it. After trying the Bibimbap from KIM CHI a few times then ordering it twice in one week from the korean sushi place at the top of our street, I'm convinced that it just might be one of the most flavourful, but still fresh tasting, Westernized Asian food I've ever tasted. I've only ever ordered it with beef bulgogi - and have no idea whether it would ever traditionally be made with baked salmon, but it certainly works. I marinated the salmon in a bulgogi style marinade to imitate the  usual flavour.

The fiery sauce is definitely the key to this dish, which is achieved by using a korean red chili paste called Gochujang. Much to my surprise I couldn't find it at Superstore (not even the one on Pembina with the expansive asian food isle) - but found it easily at the ING Supermarket near the U of M. Using good salmon is also important. I've only recently started enjoying salmon and I find the individually packaged, frozen, farm raised bag of Kirkland salmon from Costco to be the most palatable. Marinating it over night might be excessive to some, but I like the fishy flavour to be completely masked. 

Skinny Green Monster Smoothie

 

Sure it's easy to consume fruit for breakfast, but vegetables rarely make an appearance before noon, unless you count potatoes and onions. That's why I love the concept of deceptively hiding a ton of spinach in a rich and sweet tasting smoothie.

Enter the Skinny Green Monster. I've been making these for the past four years now on and off and originally got the recipe from Skinnytaste.com when she posted it here. She adapted the original recipe from Oh She Glows - just to lighten it up a bit. I haven't really changed much along the way, and wanted to share this with you, not because it's an original recipe that I created, but as more of a public service announcement for consuming large amounts of spinach for breakfast.

I was so skeptical when I first made this but now I crave one at least once a week. I don't know if it's just placebo effect - but when I start my day with a few cups of spinach, I feel more energetic. The key to making the spinach undetectable is blending it long enough so that there are no visible specks.  A really ripe banana will help with sweetness. There's no ice to crush so I like that I don't need an expensive blender to get it right.

Seared Scallop and Asparagus Benedict

Hmmm... would we call this benedict? There is no poached egg, english muffin or pork involved, but the architecture and egg yolk butter sauce is enough for me to confidently deem this recipe a benedict. This is certainly not a go-to weekend recipe, it is probably the fanciest brunch I've ever made at home. But hey - we had leftover scallops in the freezer from when I made the Beet Risotto, our oven isn't working so Coquilles St Jacques was out, and it was Valentine's Day!

I chose to use potato pancakes for the base - I didn't have english muffins and in the end I liked the way the softer potato pancake didn't compete with the tender scallops the way a chewy english muffin may have. I'm not proud, but I used a mix instead of making the potato pancakes from scratch. Sacrilege, I know, but shredding potatoes is a bit labour intensive for Saturday morning when you also are going to be poaching asparagus, making Bernaise from scratch and searing scallops. Plus, I had the mix in the cupboard and quite frankly it just tastes so amazing. 

Bernaise is even better then Hollandaise in my opinion - and I knew it would work here with the Scallops. I followed this recipe pretty closely for the sauce but realized at the last minute that I didn't have dried tarragon, so I happily substituted the tarragon vinegar that I use once every five years in the back of the cupboard. One warning on this one: I don't normally prep my ingredients ahead of time - I like to live on the edge like that ... but as you know if you've made Eggs Benedict before, the last 5 minutes of cooking are hectic. Be prepared! I cooked the pancakes first because they are the easiest to keep warm, while also cooking asparagus, then the scallops and Bernaise last.

Austrian Goulash

I am often inspired in the kitchen by places we've been and specific memories of travel. Our honeymoon was an absolute gold mine of culinary experiences (Italy, Austria, Germany and France). Although we loved each and every spot visited, Dave and I felt most comfortable in Salzburg, Austria. Salzburg made us want to quit our jobs, and move, a la House Hunters International.

I wasn't a stranger to the Austrian and German dishes we ate on our honeymoon. Dave's family all hail from Germany so over the years I've tried many of the classic dishes (rouladen, schnitzel, red cabbage). However, I think Austria was the first time both of us ever tasted Goulash. Dave probably ordered it mostly for the novelty factor. Where else do you get to look a server in the eye and order goulash. I'm not sure what you think of when you hear the word "goulash", but the Austrian version, likely borrowed from Hungary, was a thick stew like dish, heavy on paprika and sweet onion flavour. After trying it in Austria and loving it, we also found it on a menu in Munich and couldn't resist.

On our honeymoon, we would too often eat breakfast, first lunch, second lunch, first dinner and sometimes second dinner. The picture above of the massive platters of goulash with spaetzle was a second dinner - perhaps the reason you can see some sweat on Dave's brow. I think the key to getting this one right at home is to find good hungarian sweet paprika and to caramelize the onions. 

 

Happy Sunday

Happy Sunday from Steeler and I.

She's generally in a better mood. The unimpressed gaze is to express her contempt with me, she knows I won't be sharing the swiss cheese this morning.

Ravioli in Broth with Arugula

Monday and Tuesdays in the Winter, after a long day of work, often all I want to cook, or eat for that matter, is a steaming pot of soup. Making soup at the beginning of week usually means I get at least one lunch out of it, also a bonus. Dave and I are usually ready for a lighter dinner when the start of the week rolls around. While Dave graded tests, I whipped up a quick pot, and we were able to take 10 minutes out of our busy evenings to huddle together around our bowls of vegetables, pasta, broth and cheese. 

One of my go to recipes for soup is this Three Cheese Mushroom and Tortellini Soup from my favourite healthy cooking site Skinnytaste. That recipes method of using a parmesan rind to flavour the broth, very much inspired this one. Cooking stuffed pasta in a broth and calling it a soup is a wonderful way to enjoy pasta, without a ton of guilt. You get the satisfaction of ravioli, but you're not eating a plateful in a butter laden sauce. I like to put arugula on/in anything I possibly can - and I loved the freshness it added to this soup.

Braised Bison Short Rib Ragu on Porcini Pappardelle

I am really excited about this recipe. The method for braised beef short ribs that inspired this post, found on the Simply Recipes site here, is my winter go-to for snowy weekend meals. 9 out of 10 people  I've prepared this recipe for request an explanation of how to make it, always a good sign. We recently hosted a dinner party for ten people and I knew the rustic flavour of short ribs would be perfect, but I also knew that cooking two whole short ribs per person wouldn't be possible (budget and dutch oven capacity issues). Enter Ragu. Shredding the short ribs into a sauce and serving over buttery egg noodles allowed me to be more casual (i.e. cheap) about how many ribs were required per person. Shredding before serving also meant I could remove all the fatty and unpleasant bits - so that every single bite was moan inducing. Although this recipe is cooked over a few days, it's easy and allows you to prepare everything beforehand, thereby being the perfect recipe to entertain with. Plus I love serving guests beef, on a chicken budget. 

I haven't prepared a lot of bison in my short life, but I can say with certainty this will be the first of many adventures in cooking Manitoba's mascot. Ever since the St. Norbert's Farmers Market announced their online store I've been eyeing the various bison cuts offered by Storsley Bison Ranch (of Beausejour). Their bison is grass fed and raised with no antibiotics or growth hormones. Compared to beef, bison is low in fat, calories and cholesterol and is a good source of iron. When you're not a huge meat eater, like me, this means consuming bison pays nice dividends. Also, consider that it is truly a Manitoba food - more so than any other immigrant or settler food we often think of as defining Prairie cuisine. What food could be more prairie than an animal that has lived here well before confederation, was a staple of indigenous cuisine, that itself subsists on the very grasses that define what a prairie is? I could go on... but I'll spare you.

Perhaps the very best part about cooking bison this past weekend was that it gave us the excuse to invite our friends Delaney and Bhavesh over for dinner. Bhav doesn't eat beef, so I knew he would appreciate coming over for a classic red meat meal, without a hint of beef in the ingredients. Delaney will eat anything. When usually I would've used beef stock to braise, to keep it beef-less, I used a combination of chicken and vegetable broth, and the recipe didn't suffer in the least. If you don't want to go to the trouble of finding bison, you could absolutely use this recipe to cook beef short ribs (I prefer the ones that Sobeys sells). 

One last local plug: the Nature's Farm pasta I crowned with the bison was a key player in this recipe. I've been coveting their Porcini Pappardelle for a few months now, and was so thankful to find it available on the online farmers market. Using good pasta makes all the difference in this dish, and nothing beats Nature's Farm pasta made with their amazing fresh, free run eggs. 

Soft Boiled Egg with Soldiers

I realize this post is in no way a "recipe". And you probably don't need a how-to guide for boiling water and buttering toast. I post it only in hope of inspiring you to try this old method again, as it is one of my most favourite morning pleasures. I post the step by step pictures and directions not to patronize you or question your basic living skills, but because the ritual is so dear to my heart. Because it takes only 10 mins start to finish, it's great for upping the ante on week day breakfasts.

The top three reasons I love Winnipeg: Family, Friends, and Rye Bread. How can anyone pick sides if asked to choose between the chewy, cracked rye bread that City Bread and KUB Bakery produce here in the city. Mornings can never be bad when started with a healthy pat of butter melting on a well toasted slice of rye. Butter used to be my guilty pleasure, until I started rationally thinking about it, now it's just a pleasure. 

Again, my Point counting voice will chime in at times with the "just have the toast dry - butter is so unhealthy." I've learned to stop listening. Counting calories is something I try not to do anymore, but for all those worried about the occasional buttered piece of toast or egg yolk, this breakfast of: one egg, two slices of rye, 2 teaspoons of butter, and half a grapefruit is approximately 360 calories. A Tim Horton "Egg" White and Turkey Sausage Sandwich is 330 calories. For a negligible 30 extra calories I would much prefer sitting around the breakfast table enjoying some real food, the ingredients of which I can pronounce. Admittedly, I fall prey to those horrible convenience foods too often, but by putting these thoughts in writing I hope to forget them less. Sorry - rant over.

I already spoke to my new found love of eggs here, but one of my favourite parts of being a new egg lover is the excuse to collect all kinds of egg eating paraphernalia (much to Dave's enjoyment as you can well imagine). Finding the perfect egg cups is a fun outing in itself. The antique mall at The Old House Revival Company has many great finds. If you don't have cute egg cups - I made do with shot glasses for the first years of making soft boiled eggs. The only soft boiled egg tool I'm still on the hunt for is an ornate silver spoon. Once I find the perfect one, my Sunday morning breakfast table ritual of making believe I'm Mary from Downton Abby will be that much more realistic. 

Beet Risotto with Seared Scallops

Is there anything better then tender scallops atop creamy risotto? To cap off the most fantastic thirtieth birthday, I made dinner for Dave and I after a day spent at the new Thermea spa here in Winnipeg. I figured after being in a robe, bare faced with naturally dried hair (fro) - getting dolled up for a dinner would seem more like a chore then a celebration. Scallops and risotto seemed like an appropriate choice for such an occasion.

If you've been over to our place for dinner, you've likely had my mushroom risotto, which is largely based on this recipe from allrecipes.com. I first decided to make this beet version this summer for my potluck girls when my horticulturally inclined friend Naomi gave me some beets from her garden. I like the contrast of combining a sophisticated dish like risotto with a subterranean vegetable like the beet - very prairie. I figured a few weeks before Valentine's Day this would be a great recipe to share with you - given the neon pink colour. Red meat is generally my go to for a Valentine's Dinner, but scallops are the way to go - they are a decadent splurge that won't leave you feeling too full for whatever the rest of the night entails for you.

With the goal being to make the brightest risotto possible, I used the broth needed for the risotto to boil the beets in so that not a drop of the pigment went to waste. I usually roast my beets for the intensity of flavour, but for this one, boiling is quick, easy and leads to ruby red rice. I recommend cooking the scallops after you've finished preparing the risotto. They only take a few minutes to cook and they will need your undivided attention. I used the frozen scallops from Costco. Be sure to take them out to thaw in the fridge 24 hours before you need them. I let them thaw covered in paper towel with a weighted plate on top to ensure that all the liquid is squished out and absorbed - otherwise when you go to cook them the may "weep" and then not brown. Take them out of the fridge to come to room temperature before cooking.