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Chicken Carbonnade

from www.ottawacitizen.com - looks delicious....

Chicken Carbonnade

Serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons (25 mL) canola oil, divided

3 onions, sliced very thin

3 teaspoons (15 mL) packed dark brown sugar, divided

2 tablespoons (25 mL) unsalted butter

4 to 6 large chicken thighs, with skin and bones

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) smoked paprika

4 small bay leaves

2 teaspoons (10 mL) Mrs. McGarrigle’s Creamy Champagne mustard

1 cup (250 mL) Wellington County Dark Ale

1/2 cup (125 mL) chicken broth

2 teaspoons (10 mL) red wine vinegar, divided

1. Heat 1 tablespoon (15 mL) oil in a large cast-iron skillet; add onions, toss until coated with oil and reduce heat. Cook slowly, without stirring, until upper onions start to sweat and wilt.

2. Stir onions, add 2 teaspoons (10 mL) brown sugar, and repeat the sweating process on low heat until onions turn dark brown and caramelize, about 15 minutes.

3. Melt butter with remaining oil in a large frypan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. Add chicken to frypan and sauté until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Add bay leaves, mustard, remaining sugar, beer, broth and 1 teaspoon (5 mL) vinegar.

4. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium. Simmer, covered, 10 minutes, then uncover and simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt, pepper and remaining vinegar.

5. Serve over egg noodles or homemade spaetzle.

Source: Chef/owner Steve Mitton, Murray Street restaurant

Beef Rouladen

another theft from www.ottawacitizen.com - they had a special on cheap eats and they look so delicious....

Beef Rouladen

Serves 4

1-1/2 pounds (680 g) pounded “minute” steaks

4 teaspoons (20 mL) heavy Mrs. McGarrigle’s mustard (“Hot Whisky” is best)

6 slices bacon, diced

3/4 cup (175 mL) onion, chopped

Pinch caraway seeds

1/3 cup (75 mL) julienne dill pickles

1/4 cup (50 mL) all-purpose flour

One 14-ounce (398-mL) can beef broth

1. Smear steak on both sides with mustard.

2. In a large skillet on medium-high, cook bacon, onion and caraway seeds until bacon is crisp. Pour off excessive fat, reserving 1ž4 cup (50 mL) in the skillet.

3. Spread bacon/onion mixture over meat. Lay pickles on top and roll meat from the short end to make a log shape (roulade). Secure in 2 or 3 places with kitchen twine.

4. Place roulade in skillet over medium-high and brown on all sides in reserved bacon drippings. Transfer roulade to a 9- by 13-inch (23- by 33-cm) baking pan. Preheat oven to 325 F (160 C).

5. Stir flour into remaining fat in skillet and blend until smooth, gradually whisking in beef broth. Cook, stirring, on medium heat until thickened, then pour sauce over beef roll.

6. Cover baking pan and bake roulade 1-1ž2 hours, or until tender.

Source: Chef/owner Steve Mitton, Murray Street restaurant

Pecan Lentil Tourtiere

stolen from www.ottawacitizen.com

RECIPES

Pecan-Lentil Tourtière

Serves 4

2 tablespoons (25 mL) canola oil

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) chopped organic mushrooms

4 shallots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 apple, chopped

1/4 cup (50 mL) apple cider

2 tablespoons (25 mL) sherry vinegar

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon (5 mL) ground cloves

2 teaspoons (10 mL) ground cinnamon

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) ground toasted pecans

1-1/2 cups (375 mL) cooked lentils

1 cup (250 mL) cooked quinoa

For the crust:

Your favourite pie crust or phyllo pastry (if vegan)

1. In a large frypan, heat oil on medium-high and sweat mushrooms, shallots, garlic and apple until caramelized, about 7 minutes, then deglaze with cider and vinegar.

2. Season with salt, pepper, cloves and cinnamon. Still on medium-high, toss in pecans and incorporate, then add lentils and quinoa. Stir until it comes together as a cohesive mass.

3. Wrap in phyllo pastry (if vegan) or favourite pie pastry. Bake at 350 F (180 C) if using regular pie pastry, or 425 F (220 C) if using phyllo, until pastry browns, about 12 minutes. Serve with ketchup, preferably homemade.

Source: Chef/owner Steve Mitton, Murray Street restaurant

Whalesbone’s Roasted Root Vegetable Stacks with Garlic Cream & Cheddar Crisps

stolen from www.ottawacitizen.com - I want to try to make this for a dinner party. Yummy!

Makes 6 to 8 stacks (serves 3 to 4)

- 2 large ruby red beets with skins on

- 2 long sweet potatoes, peeled

- 2 large red potatoes

- 2 large parsnips, peeled

- 1/4 cup (50 mL) extra-virgin olive oil

- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

- 1 cup (250 mL) 35-per-cent whipping cream

- 4 whole garlic cloves, peeled

- 1/2 cup (125 mL) shredded old Cheddar cheese, divided

- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) fresh thyme or 1ž2 teaspoon (2 mL) dried thyme


1. Heat oven to 375 F (190 C). Bake whole beets until tender when pierced with tip of sharp knife, about 1 hour or longer. Cool and peel.


2. Slice sweet potatoes, potatoes, parsnips and beets into circular discs about 1/2-inch (1-cm) thick and 2 inches (5 cm) across. Toss vegetables in oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper; spread on baking sheet to roast until golden, about 25 minutes. Cool.


3. Meanwhile, in small saucepan, add cream and garlic cloves; boil to reduce by half, stirring to avoid burning. Remove garlic. Season with salt and pepper.


4. Toss half the cheese with thyme; spread on baking sheet; bake about 6 minutes. Leave to cool to become crisp. Cut into 6 to 8 pieces.


5. To build stacks, lay a variety of 8 vegetable discs on baking sheet. Spread 8 more discs with garlic cream; lay them, cream-side down, on the bottom discs, and sprinkle with a small amount of remaining grated cheese. Continue to build stacks, spreading each disc with garlic cream, and topping with cheese, but leave off cheese on the last disc. Reserve leftover vegetables for soups.


6. To serve, pop stacks into oven to melt cheese, about 5 minutes. Top each stack with 1 cheddar crisp.

Crab Casserole - stolen from self.com

CRAB CASSEROLE
This crab dish is as much of a treat as digging in to a good book: It's adapted from a scene in the novel The Hours and featured in The Book Club Cookbook (Tarcher/Putnam), which pairs recipes with great reads. The casserole offers lean protein and doses of vitamin A and folate. Plus, Self substituted soymilk for cream and replaced butter with olive oil, giving this storybook recipe a healthy ending.
Makes 6 servings.

2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red potato, diced
1/3 cup chopped white onion
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup chopped fennel bulb
1 3/4 tsp minced garlic
2 cups sliced Swiss chard, stems removed
1 cup baby spinach
4 egg whites
1 whole egg
3/4 cup crumbled feta
1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese
3 tbsp plain soymilk
1/2 cup whole-grain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives
1 lb precooked lump crabmeat
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
8 sheets phyllo dough, thawed

Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pan on medium high heat. Add potato, onion, pepper and fennel; sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; sauté until golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in chard and spinach; cook 2 minutes or until wilted. Transfer to a bowl and cool.

Beat eggs in another bowl. Stir eggs, feta, cottage cheese, soymilk, breadcrumbs, cilantro, dil,l and chives into veggie mix. Fold in crabmeat. Season with salt and pepper. Coat a 9" x 12" pan with cooking spray; dust with 2 tbsp Parmesan. Place 1 phyllo sheet in pan; brush with oil.

Layer 3 more phyllo sheets in a row; brush each with oil. Dust with remaining Parmesan. Spoon mix over pastry; top with rest of phyllo; brush each sheet with oil. Score the top to mark off 3" x 6" pieces. Bake 35 minutes or until golden. Cool slightly; serve.

Nutritional analysis per serving: 357 calories, 14.5 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 21 g carbohydrates, 28 g protein, 6 g fiber

Raw Lasagna

This was published in the Ottawa Citizen today. consider me intrigued....

Living Lasagna with Cashews and Pine nuts

From: Natasha Kyssa, SimplyRaw

Serves 9

For the zucchini and vegetables:

- 4 medium-size zucchini, peeled and sliced very thin lengthwise using a chef's mandoline or vegetable peeler

- 1 red pepper, finely chopped

- 1 yellow pepper, finely chopped

- 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) Himalayan salt (may use ordinary salt)

- 2 tablespoons (25 mL) lemon juice

- 2 tablespoons (25 mL) olive oil

For the mushroom layer:

- 3 cups (750 mL) mushrooms, finely sliced

- 2 tablespoons (25 mL) Nama Shoyu brand sauce or tamari (or soy sauce)

- 2 tablespoons (25 mL) olive oil

For the cashew-pine nut layer:

- 11/2 cups (375 mL) cashews, soaked 2 to 4 hours in purified water, rinsed and drained

- 1/2 cup (125 mL) pine nuts, soaked 2 to 4 hours in purified water, rinsed and drained

- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) Himalayan salt

- 4 tablespoons (65 mL) lemon juice

- 1/4 cup (50 mL) or more of purified water (for desired consistency)

For the tomato sauce:

- 2 cups (500 mL) sun-dried tomatoes that have been soaked

1 to 2 hours in purified water (reserve the soaking water)

- 4 fresh medium-size tomatoes

- 1 red pepper

- 2 cloves garlic

- 1/4 cup (50 mL) olive oil

- 1/2 cup (125 mL) reserved soaking water from sun-dried tomatoes

- 2 tablespoons (25 mL) lemon juice

- 2 tablespoons (25 mL) fresh basil leaves, chopped

- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) dried oregano

- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) dried thyme

- 1 teaspoon (5 mL) Himalayan salt

- 1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) black pepper

- Dash, cayenne pepper

- 1 tablespoon (15 mL) raw agave, or maple syrup

For the spinach filling:

- 4 cups (1 L) fresh spinach leaves

- 1/2 cup (125 mL) fresh basil leaves

1. For the zucchini and vegetable mixture, in a bowl combine vegetables and sprinkle with salt to soften. Add lemon juice, olive oil, and toss. Set aside.

2. Combine ingredients for mushroom layer; toss and set aside.

3. To prepare the cashew-pine nut layer, in blender or food processor combine all ingredients and process until smooth. Add just enough water to reach a thick ricotta cheese consistency. Set aside.

4. To make tomato sauce, drain sun-dried tomatoes after soaking, reserving the soak water. In a blender or food processor, process all sauce ingredients until smooth. Add more water for a thinner sauce, if desired. Adjust seasonings and set aside.

5. For the spinach, chop spinach and basil in food processor until finely minced; set aside.

6. To assemble the lasagna, drain excess liquid from zucchini mixture and mushrooms. In 9- by 13-inch (23- by 33-cm) glass dish, alternate layers of zucchini noodles, tomato sauce, ricotta, spinach and mushrooms. Top with tomato sauce. Serve with a fresh salad for a hearty raw dinner.

Some Korean Recipes

Shamelessly copied and pasted from Lucy Waverman's article in the Globe and Mail yesterday ( http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070127.WAVERMAN27/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Style/ ) I've never tried Korean food before....consider this the electronic equivalent of cutting out a recipe and pasting it on my "fridge", so to speak.

Spicy Squid

This is a sensational and easy-to-prepare squid dish. Korean hot pepper powder is not as hot as cayenne. If you substitute cayenne, add only half a teaspoon. Korean hot pepper paste is made with chilies and miso and is available at Korean and Asian stores. Substitute 2 tablespoons miso mixed with 1 teaspoon Asian chili sauce and a pinch of sugar. (This dish is quite hot, so use less seasoning if you prefer.) Serve with plain rice.


500 grams squid

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Hot Red Pepper Sauce:

2 tablespoons Korean red-pepper paste (kochujang)

1 tablespoon hot red-pepper powder, or 1 teaspoon chili flakes

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice wine

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 tablespoon sesame oil

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Vegetables:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

½ cup halved shallots

1 cup thickly sliced celery

½ cup sliced carrots

1 cup sliced red peppers

1 Korean green chili pepper, or 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and thickly sliced

2 green onions cut in thirds

Juice of ½ lemon

Slice squid into rings or strips, rinse and pat dry with paper towel. Place in a bowl and mix with vegetable oil and generous amounts of salt and pepper. Reserve.

Combine Korean red-pepper paste, hot red-pepper powder, soy sauce, rice wine, honey, sugar, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, salt and pepper in a bowl to make sauce.

Mix well and reserve.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large pan over high heat. Add shallots and sauté for 1 minute or until seared.

Add celery, carrots, red pepper and green chili pepper and sauté for 1 minute. Add green onions, toss together for one more minute and season well with salt and pepper.

Empty pan into a bowl and reserve.

Return pan to stove and heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil until very hot. Add reserved squid and quickly sauté for 1 minute or until just tender. Season with salt and pepper and finish with lemon juice.

Add in vegetable mixture and sauce. Toss to coat. Serves 4.

Fire Beef (Bulgogi)

If you do not have a grill pan, use a non-stick skillet. Serve on a bed of red leaf lettuce.

1 pound New York sirloin steak, trimmed of fat

Marinade:

¼ cup light soy sauce

½ cup rice wine

½ Korean or Asian pear, peeled and grated

¼ cup grated onion

2 green onions, minced

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 cup thickly sliced Portobello mushrooms

1 red onion, halved and thickly sliced

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Slice beef thinly on a bias across the grain. Reserve.

Combine soy sauce, rice wine, Korean pear, grated onion, green onion, garlic, honey, sugar, sesame oil, sesame seeds, salt and pepper. Mix well and reserve.

Place beef in a bowl with marinade and make sure beef is coated well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.

Combine Portobello mushrooms and red onion with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and salt and pepper. Reserve.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a grill pan over high heat until pan begins to smoke. Add beef and vegetables to pan and cook 1 to 2 minutes per side or until tender. Remove to serving dish. Pour pan juices over beef. Serves 4.

Kimchi Fried Rice (Pokkum-Bap)

For many Koreans, pokkum-bap ("pokkum" means fried and "bap" means rice) isn't pokkum-bap without kimchee (pickled cabbage). Biting into the spicy, tangy bits of kimchee adds special notes of flavour to this satisfying, one-dish creation. Kimchee is very spicy and available at Korean or Asian stores. There is no substitute. Omit if not available and add 1 tablespoon Asian chili sauce.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

½ cup chopped onion

4 ounces bacon, diced

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 cup chopped kimchee

½ cup chopped red pepper

5 ounces oyster mushrooms, chopped

4 cups cooked cold short grain rice (sushi rice is best)

¼ cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine

3 tablespoons sesame oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

¼ cup chopped green onions

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 3 minutes or until soft. Add bacon and cook for 2 minutes or until crisp. Do not drain fat. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Stir in kimchee and cook for 2 minutes to incorporate flavours. Remove mixture to bowl and wipe pan clean.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in pan over medium heat. Add red pepper and mushrooms and sauté for 1 minute until barely soft.

Reduce heat to low. Add kimchee mixture and rice, stirring constantly. Pour in soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil and quickly stir. Season with salt and generous amounts of pepper. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion before serving. Serves 4.

Pumpkin Chickpea Dish

Shamelessly stolen from chowhound.

One of my favorite cookbooks for Middle Eastern (Lebanese) cuisine is Mary Laird Hamady's "Lebanese Mountain Cooking." Here is an amazing recipe that I've made with much success, and to much delight, on many occasions:

PUMPKIN WITH TAHINI, CHICKPEAS, AND ONION

1 can chickpeas
2 - 3 lbs pumpkin or butternut squash
veg or olive oil for frying

2 Tbs olive oil
1 1/2 c onion, chopped or slivered (I used 1 onion)

1 - 1 1/2 c water

2/3 c tahini
1 cup water
1 Tbs salt
1 c fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

1. Cut pumpkin or squash into 1 by 2-inch chunks. In a deep skillet, heat 1 inch veg or olive oil. Brown pumpkin chunks a few at a time until medium-dark brown on all sides. Drain on a rack or paper. When pumpkin is finished, pour off oil and add 2 Tbs olive oil to skillet.

2. Fry onions until brown around the edges and golden all over. Add chick peas to onion and fry slowly 5-10 min longer.

3. Put tahini in mixing bowl and slowly stir in 1 c water. Then beat in salt and lemon juice.

4. Place browned pumpkin over chickpeas, heat for a minute or so and then add tahini sauce. Simmer until it thickens and pumpkin is completely tender, about 10 min.

5. Serve at room temperature with Arabic bread. Sauce will be quite thick when it has cooled.