Still delicious even though I didn't let it harden long enough in the fridge before cutting!

With Valentine’s Day one day away, it’s the time go run out and buy your loved one a bar of delicious chocolate. This year, why not make them this really simple recipe?

Truly Canadian and super sweet, this recipe is recommended because it requires no baking. Not only that, but it’s great for sharing to everyone you care for.

A) Chinese food is my favourite. I traveled through China for 5 weeks as a high school graduation gift and dining with your friend’s mother’s old friends who would take you and her out every day meant eating with 20 people every lunch/dinner which meant that there was SO MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM. More on Chinese food on another post, perhaps.

- and -

B) Most importantly, I want to inform all my budget concerned Centretown/Chinatown folk that this is one of the simplest and easiest and yummiest meals you can make

Dipping sauce n greens n dumplings n fresh ginger tea!

Dumplings

For the dumplings.. go to The Yen Fung Ding Dumpling Shoppe @ 628 Somerset Street West.

ahh.. just a little taste of summer..

No, It’s not a restaurant as some of you may think. They carry a variety of frozen food that they make on the premises dumplings (mushroom & nappa, pork & chive – a classic and a favourite, chicken & shrimp, etc.), sui mai dumplings, chinese buns and scallion pancakes. MMM a little taste of my home from a different lifetime. They are very easy to prepare (they can be steamed, pan fried or boiled). If you pick up some Chinese greens from Kowloon (kale or spinach works just the same), it’s easy to make a staple side dish.

Double Steaming at the Same Time!!!!

Yes, if you want to minimize dishes in the sink, I would recommend getting a two or three tiered steaming basket. They come in a variety of sizes at most of the grocery stores in Chinatown and you buy them by the piece totaling a max of $10. Buy one that fits one of your medium sauce pans and you’re set!

Chinese Dumplings with Steamed Greens and Tamari Sesame Dipping Sauce
*Note: Vinegar, tamari and sesame oil can be interchangeable with other oils, it just wont be as ‘authentic’

Fill a medium sauce pan half full of water and bring it to a boil.

Meanwhile rinse a hand full of greens per person with water, set aside.

Make your dipping sauce by stirring together,
2 tbsp seasame seed oil
3 tbsp tamari (fermented soya sauce that has a deeper flavour and is more nutritious than conventional soya sauce)
1 tbsp rice vinegar
(optional additions include 1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger, chili flakes, sriracha, sesame seeds, minced green onions)
Set aside.

Once water has been brought to a boil, place as many dumplings as you want (I recommend 8 per person) onto one layer of the bamboo steamer without them overlapping. Place on top of the saucepan carefully.
Place the greens onto the second steamer and fit steamer layer on top of the dumpling layer. Cover with the lid and let steam until greens are tender and have a deep bright green colour (about 5 min).
Remove layer, set aside and place lid back on to continue steaming the dumplings (about 3-5 more min). To test for doneness, look for a very slight transparency in the dough, firm when pressed and they shrivel when taken off the heat.

To season greens, toss with,
1/2 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp sesame oil
salt to taste

Serve by candlelight and listen to The Rocky Horror Picture Show soundtrack just for kicks.

Dessert

As a nice little bonus to your Chinatown home meal experience I recommend the cheap cheap prices of St. Honore Bakery at 363 Booth St. Apparently for ‘happy hour’ (5pm) you can get 10 for $5! Sweet buns, meaty sweet buns – Hong Kong style. Bon Appetit!

Bun Buns. (clockwise from top, ham and chees, pizza bun (quartered hot dog stuck in pastry topped with pepperoni and cheese), beef curry bun (my fave), pineapple bun)

Winter is in full force but not to worry! There are many events sure to get you and your your grandma’s old fur over to Metcalf St. for the Pay-what-you-can Resilient Kitchen cooking series!

http://resilientkitchen.wordpress.com/workshop

With a little shpeel by moi!!

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Condiments 101 – Make Your Own Ketchup, Mustard & Mayo

February 8, 2012 –  7pm – 9pm

with Eva Bee

Learn how to create staple condiments to your taste after learning the basic recipes for Ketchup, Mustard and Mayo. These one pot/jar wonders require no chopping. Just a handy immersion blender or food processor with some basic pantry items is all you’ll need. And maybe a stove..

About Eva: Eva Bee is a local foodie personality having worked at The Red Apron and Mercury Lounge and has been featured on City TV and Rogers 22. As a self-taught slow-foods chef and Environmental Science graduate, she collects recipes that are not only quick and tasty but made from raw ingredients keeping the balance of nature in mind.

There are a limited number of spaces. Please RSVP: resilientkitchen@gmail.com (Entry details will be sent upon registration)

Cost: Free. Donations are appreciated, not mandatory and go to the Workshop Leader to cover supplies and to Resilient Kitchen to cover printing costs. CCOC members are exempt from any admission fees.

For more information on the Resilient Kitchen workshops: http://resilientkitchen.wordpress.com

Please RSVP to: resilientkitchen@gmail.com.

After a long night of watching your favourite pop star in Montreal, there’s only one place to go to get a $6.50 2 egg, 2 sausage, creton, beans, toast, fruit and hasbrowns plate. Michelle BBQ.
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What is spelt?

Spelt is what some call an ‘ancient grain’. No, it isn’t gluten-free but it does contain a bit less. A lot of people who may have gluten intolerances are simply wheat sensitive and can stomach other grains such as spelt, kamut, etc.

I find it has a rich flavour that isn’t too far off from whole wheat, but is somewhat easier to chew and a bit sweeter. I love using it for crusts because they rarely get soggy and the nutty flavour adds so much to quiches and pies and you can use the flour interchangeably with whole wheat. You can pick up some at True Loaf bakery that has been milled in Quebec.

I had never tried it in pasta form so I decided to pick some up at Nicastro’s Glebe (imported from Italy, of course). 3 times the cost of regular pasta may throw you off but you are getting many more nutrients (iron, for instance) in it than your regular white wheat pasta and it is way easier to digest.

La Sauvagine

Available at The Red Apron and many fine fromageries...

Working with what I had on hand I used one of my favourite soft cheeses, La Sauvagine, instead of egg (which usually goes in a carbonara). It melts so well when tossed with the pasta and gives it a rich tangy creamy flavour.

Serbian Double Smoked Bacon

Yes.

I grew up on this stuff.

It’s so amazing to throw in stews, top on pizza, etc etc, drool drool.

You can find this locally smoked bacon, sausages and Eastern European imports and Euro Foods in Nepean and Hull.

La Sauvagine and Serbian Double Smoked Bacon Spelt Pasta Carbonara

Serves 2

Set a large pot of water to boil on high with
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil.

Add, once the water reaches a boil,
enough pasta that you feel you and your mom can eat.
Cook pasta until al dente and strain.
Set aside.

Heat a medium pot on med with,
½ tbsp olive oil
and add,
¼ cup double smoked bacon, cubed
Sautee until fat becomes clear.

Turn off heat and toss until cheese melts,
cooked pasta
4 tbsp La Sauvagine, cubed
1/4 cup  parsley, chopped
1 sprig green onion, chopped
fresh cracked pepper and salt to taste

Enjoy!

So.. there’s a bakery on Preston St. on the North side of the highway. They sell frozen in store made pizza dough for $2. It thaws in about 3-4 hours outside the fridge. It’s fool proof and great for when you want the taste of fresh home made pizza.

On my way home I walked by, well, the Nicastro’s deli right beside it – picked up a fresh tomato, tomato paste and some cappicolo. As I kept walking I got some green peppers from that cheap grocery store at the corner of Booth and Somerset.
Voila! Here’s what I made

Cheese-less Centretown Pizza

2 hefty servings

Preheat oven to 425.

Thaw pizza dough.

Grease 12″ circular pizza pan / 13 x 9 baking sheet with,
2 tbsp oil
and dust with,
1 tbsp corn meal or quinoa.

Roll out pizza dough and press it so it fits onto the baking sheet, pushing a bit extra along the sides to make a crust.

Spread on the surface of the pizza,
3/4 small can of tomato paste or your favourite thick tomato sauce
and sprinkle with
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano

Top with,
1 green pepper, sliced
1 small tomato, sliced
100 g capicollo ham

Bake for 15 min, or until the crust is golden brown.

I thought, screw the apple orchard, I’ll pick apples here and try to make my own cider!
I based my recipe loosely off of City Mom’s.

Apple Cider

Wash, core and quarter,
as many apples as you think can fit in your largest pot or,
as many apples you can pick that worms haven’t gotten at
(I’d recommend a sweet-ish variety – Macintosh, Gala, etc)

Add apples to pot and just cover with,
cold water
3 inch cinnimon stick
1 lemon quartered

Bring to a boil covered. Once it boils, remove lid and boil for one hour.

Turn heat to low and simmer with lid on for 2 hours.

Remove from heat, cool at room temperature and strain.

I recommend serving each cup gently heated with,
a touch of honey
(and 1 oz rum or whiskey)

This was the best apple cider I’d ever tasted.

I’ve always loved reading into Hindu celebrations because they’re so rich in symbolism so I’m sure I’m missing out on 99% of what it’s all about but it didn’t stop me from being inspired to make the most EPIC MEAL EVER. Diwali food fare is usually highlighted with many sweets but.. I’m surprisingly not into desserts so….

Saffron Rice and Stuffed Naan

Butternut Squash Stuffed Naan

I used the Whole Wheat Naan bread recipe from Monsoon Spice because I didn’t want to risk substituting Spelt flour for White flour since Spelt has more similar baking properties to Whole Wheat.

I changed their recipe to make 6 stuffed Naan instead of 12 long thin Naan’s.
I also added 2 tbsp toasted cumin to the dough, Add it in with the flour.

I stuffed it with
1 Bunch Kale, steamed, chopped and tossed with
3 cloves garlic, minced and
a pinch of salt

and, of course,
1 small roasted butternut squash, mashed with
1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
1 tsp garam masala
a pinch of salt

Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle course sea salt on top.
Bake at 400 on a buttered baking sheet for 10 min.

Cranberry Chutney

In a medium saucepan, sautee in sunflower oil on med heat,
1 onion, halved and sliced
until transparent.

Add to pot,
1 apple, cubed
1 inch ginger, minced
1 tsp cinnimon

Sautee for a few minutes then add,
1 bag of Upper Canada cranberries
1/2 cup water

Stir occasionally. Cook this on medium until you start hearing the cranberries pop and turn into the consistency you want.
Sweeten to taste with
Maple Syrup, about 1/4 cup.

Now, the rest of the meal was taken from this book:

This author traveled all over Asia and collected authentic recipes and published them = my dream one day.

The Saffron Rice
was a lot of work for not that great of a result, but that’s only because I scaled it down by eye.

The jist is, to 1 cup dry brown rice in a small pot add:
1 cinnimon stick
1/2 tsp saffron (or tumeric – it’s more to get that yellow colour)
3 cardamom pods
1 tsp cumin seeds
add 2 cups of water
Bring to a boil on med then simmer with the lid on until cooked through, about 20min

Eggplant Coconut Curry with Green Beans

Sprinkle,
1 tsp salt on
1 medium eggplant, sliced on a diagonal
and leave to sit for 10min to draw out bitter juices.

Meanwhile steam,
1 cup green beans, tipped and halved.

Wipe off liquid on eggplant and sprinkle slices with
1 tsp saffron (or curry powder)

Heat
3 tbsp oil in a deep cast iron pan or medium sauce pan,
Fry eggplant until soft, 10 min and remove from pan.

Fry, for 1 min
1 large onion, thinly sliced and
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced.

Add to pan and stir on med heat for 1 min,
1 inch fresh ginger, thinly sliced,
8 dry chillies,
2 tsp mustard seeds,
2 tsp fish sauce
1 stalk fresh lemongrass.

Pour in, bring to a boil and simmer for 5 min
1 1/2 cups coconut milk.

Add eggplant and beans and cook until tender.
Season to taste with,
lime juice and 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped.

!HELL YES!

Make this for yourself if you have 3 hours lying around because then you’ll have dinner for the next 5 nights and breakfast (Naan, chutney and 1 egg..) for 5 mornings. Or invite lots of people and have plenty of fresh yoghurt and have a Bollywood night.

Firstly, Zebrassieres have a new music video. I play synth in the band and food styled an epic meal we gorge on for our latest music video Lone Fish.

Secondly, Airing on Sundays at 7pm on Rogers Cable 22 is Live the Smart Way – The first North American gluten free cooking show. I helped prep and food style them delicious food for the camera! (photos to come..)

Thirdly, I will be assisting Kathy Smart during her next cooking class “Gluten-free & Wheat-free Cooking” happening this Monday October 24th at Rideau High School.

Oh Kathy, you're so damn nice!