Asparagus season is here!

Asparagus season is now in full swing here in Ontario at least, so give the Peruvian stuff the elbow and make the most of the next 6 weeks or so by eating as much as you can. To be honest I don’t buy it at other times of the year because the taste of home grown stuff beats anything that has been air freighted, so I start to keep an eye out at the end of April, start of May. My first serving depends on how eager I am.  I’m pretty happy just steaming the spears and serving them still warm with a pool of vinaigrette and a dollop of mayonnaise. I made a fantastic supper dish at the weekend by drizzling the spears in olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper and then roasting for 10-12 minutes in a hot oven (200c/400f). I fried some chorizo until crispy (pancetta or streaky bacon would work just as well), finely chopped it and soft poached a couple of eggs, and served the whole lot on top of the asparagus. For a more classic approach I like a hollandaise sauce. I’ve used a couple of recipes in the past but my favourite is Rick Stein’s fuss free approach.  I prefer to whisk by hand as I think it gives more control and I also have a bowl of ice cold water on the side just in case the mixture gets too hot.

Hollandaise Sauce

Start by preparing the clarified butter, by melting 250g unsalted butter and let it cool for 15 minutes or so. It will settle into two parts; spoon off and keep the golden yellowy stuff on the top and discard the milky white part. Now you are ready to begin. This is the point where you should have your ice cold plunge bath on standby. Get a pan of water to simmering point (don’t allow it to boil furiously), and then pop a Pyrex bowl on top, being careful to check that the water doesn't come into contact with the bottom of the bowl. Add two large egg yolks, followed by 2 tbsps of water to the bowl and start to whisk like mad. Don't whatever you do stop because you don't want scrambled eggs to form. Plunge into iced water at any point if you think it is getting away from you. The eggs will gently cook as you whisk, and what you should end up with after a good 5-10 minutes of hard whisking is a pale, slightly thick, but aerated consistency.

Once you have this, now you can start to add the clarified butter, a spoonful or two at a time. Keep whisking all the time and eventually you will see the sauce start to thicken. You can now turn off the heat and remove the bowl from the pan. The final stage is to add some flavour by squeezing in half a lemon (or more if you prefer), and then a pinch of cayenne - keep whisking! I thought the addition of cayenne sounded a bit strange at first, but I really like it. It has to be subtle, you aren't going for something to blow your head off, but it does really work. Add salt and pepper and you are ready to go. Just drizzle it over and get stuck in.

Pie eyed

all puffed up straight from the oven

I make a pie and it turns out it's British Pie Week (7-13 March).  Although I aim for the things I cook to beautifully synchronise with the seasons or current events, it's rare I achieve such perfect planning.  Truthfully I had no clue that it was Pie Week, I wasn't aware that we as a nation even celebrated such a dish.  The hankerings started last week thanks to a few Facebook friends both of whom cooked pies and displayed their efforts online (maybe they knew it was Pie Week coming up....hmm?), so instead of risotto or pasta, which are my usual vehicles for left over roast chicken, I attempted a pie.

Now that I am a lady of leisure, I still don't have time to make pastry from scratch, least of all puff pastry, so mine came out of the freezer.  Lazy pastry at hand, it doesn't get very complicated from here on in.  Prepare the filling in the morning or day before and keep it chilling in the fridge and when you are ready to eat just top it with pastry and bake it.  The only forward planning required is remembering to thaw out the pastry a couple of hours prior. 

Ingredients
50g plain flour
50g butter
650mls chicken stock from a cube or powder
3 tbsps milk or cream
left over roast chicken (you can bulk this out with cooked ham or bacon if you like)
2-3 leeks washed and sliced
2-3 carrots peeled and chopped into bitesize chunks
salt & pepper
fresh tarragon or thyme

Start by prepping the veg, heat some olive oil in a pan and add the carrots for 5 minutes or so, then add the leeks and cook for another 5 minutes.  Season with salt & pepper and set aside.

Make the sauce by melting the butter on a low-medium heat and then add the flour and cook it out for about 2-3 minutes stirring to avoid it burning.  Add the stock  little by little and keep stirring until you have a smooth sauce with a custard thickness.  Finish with the milk or cream and add some chopped fresh herbs if you have them to hand; tarragon or thyme work well.

To assemble the pie add the chicken and vegetables to the sauce, mix well and transfer to a pie dish.  Roll out the puff pastry on a floured board and lay it on top of the filling.  Brush with beaten egg and bake in the oven at 200c/400F for approx 25-30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown. 

A cup of tea and a warm buttered Welsh Cake

I am technically a quarter Welsh, although I have never had much of an affinity to the Land of My Fathers, or Nana in my case, but I like leeks, Gavin & Stacey and I am fond of daffodils, so the Welsh gene must be somewhere amidst all that Englishness.  In the mood for something to drink with my afternoon cuppa, I thought I would give Welsh Cakes a go.  I've had them once before; they look unremarkable, quite understated in fact, but served warm with butter, a sprinkling of sugar or drizzle of honey they beat having a biscuit with a cup of tea any day.  They are easy to make, a bit like cookies or biscuits, except instead of baking them in the oven, you griddle them on the stove top.

225g self raising flour
75g caster sugar + extra for dusting
1/2 teaspoon mixed spice (or pumpkin spice)
110g cold butter
75g sultanas
1 large egg lightly beaten

Sift the flour, sugar and spice together.  Add the butter in cubes and rub the mixture in with your fingertips until you have a crumbly, sandy texture.  Tip in the sultanas and mix in the egg.  Form a dough once the egg is incorporated, and add a little milk if it is too dry. 

On a floured surface roll out the dough, and use a cutter (approx 6cm in diameter) to cut out the cakes.  They should be about 0.5cm or 1/4 inch thick.  Keep re-rolling the dough until you run out.

If you have a cast iron griddle, then use this, but otherwise any thick, heavy bottomed pan will do.  Liberally grease it with butter and cook the cakes on a low-medium heat for 3 minutes each side until golden brown.  If they are browing too quickly, reduce the heat so they still get the 3 minutes they need on each side to cook through the middle.

Serve with a cup of tea, whilst still warm with butter and honey!

Holy guacamole



Before


Mr G is cooking up his chilli for tonight's dinner (as well as several bagfuls for the freezer), and I have to admit in very hush tones that his is considerably better than mine.  It's true, it's yummy, there, I said it.  So with my nose well and truly disjointed, I had to do something to edge into the spotlight, so I'm making guacamole, and my version is well and truly better than his.  In all honesty he's never made it, but I know that should he bother I'd beat him.

This recipe is very approximate, and you should just add more/less of each ingredient to suit your taste.  Suffice to say that I don't think any guacamole is complete without lime juice, salt and fresh coriander leaf (cilantro), and of course a ripe avocado.  The guacamole police will tell you that a good guacamole should be chunky in consistency.  I couldn't care less, do what you like, so long as it tastes good.  I normally blitz everything until smooth in my blender, but tonight I made it by adding all the ingredients to a pestle & mortar and mashing it up, mainly because I couldn't be arsed to get the blender out.   

After

You will need:

1 x ripe medium-large avocado

2-3 cherry tomatoes or a quarter of a regular tomato chopped

1tbsp lime juice

1 pinch sea salt

1/2 tsp chilli powder or chilli flakes or some chopped fresh jalapeno chilli (as much as you can stand)

1 tbsp finely chopped red onion or 1 finely sliced spring onion
1 small handful fresh coriander chopped

As previously advised combine the ingredients using whatever method you prefer.  Season with pepper, and then taste to check if it needs more lime, salt or chilli and adjust to your taste.





In the bleak mid-winter



Siberia

The view from my balcony window resembles what I imagine a nuclear fall out would be like.  Thankfully it is not radioactive dust, it’s snow and it is falling with real purpose.  It looks like I’ll be spending this Saturday in a perpetual snow globe.  January is bearable (only bearable mind) with the addition of good hearty food.  It’s bleakness warrants a culinary hot water bottle.  I actually cooked this last Sunday, but it is perfect for today’s extreme weather; roast pork with red cabbage.  If you are wondering where the apple sauce is, well, I burnt it, so it went in the bin!

The red cabbage is not my recipe, it’s Nigella Lawson’s and well it’s bloody brilliant.  The only person who doesn’t like it is my Mum, but she has something against red cabbage in general which I will never understand, so we can discount her opinion.  Not only does it taste good, it smells good and a little bit Christmassy, so it helps erode the January gloom.  Since it is a UK recipe it calls for mixed spice, which I have discovered is not a common spice mix here in Canada, although you can find it if you go to a decent supermarket or try an Asian or Indian grocer.  If you can’t get it, replace it with pumpkin spice, which is essentially the same mix, maybe the quantities of each spice vary, but it will do the same job.  The other great thing about this recipe is that it requires zero skill, you can’t over cook it; in fact the longer it cooks, the better the flavour, and it freezes well.

A lovely plate of food!

The last time I tried roast pork, I failed on the crackling.  It was chewy and soft.  The whole point of roast pork is the crackling, so I have been reluctant to try it again.  Aided by Leith’s Cookery Bible, one of my new Christmas gifts, I tried again.  Thinking back to my last disaster, I think I know where I went wrong; I ignored instructions that were seemingly optional.  The first being let the pork dry out.  Sounds wrong, right, because you want a juicy piece of pork?  I bought my pork shoulder on the Saturday afternoon, and as soon as I got it home, I removed it from the plastic wrap and polystyrene tray, placed it on a plate on top of some kitchen paper and placed it in the fridge uncovered.  So my advice would be if you want to roast pork, buy it the day before, so it has 24 hours to dry out.  If you buy it the same day or even the same afternoon you are going to cook it, the results won’t be as good.
 
The second rule was to get the meat to room temperature before placing it in the oven.  If your joint has been in the fridge overnight like mine had, then it will take a good 2-3 hours to get the fridge chill off it.  Change the kitchen paper if it is soaked through, and wipe/pat the meat so it is dry.

The best crackling I ever made!

Before you put the joint in, get a really sharp knife or even better a Stanley knife or one of those retractable parcel cutter blades.  Draw the blade lengthways over the skin – don’t apply too much pressure, you don’t want to go through to the meat.  Leave a gap of about 0.5cm and make the next incision.  Drizzle the skin with oil and rub in some sea or rock salt.  Be quite liberal with the salt, and you’ll get crispy, crunchy, salty crackling.  I cooked mine based on the 25 minutes per 450g/1lb rule, at a temperature of 220c/425f/gas mark 7 for the first 25 minutes, then I reduced it to 375f/190c/gas mark 5 for the remainder of the cooking time.  I think the salt and the scoring definitely plays it’s part, but it is the earlier preparation that’s the real key.

Nigella Lawson’s red cabbage

Olive oil
1 onion, halved and cut into thin half moons
1 tablespoon rock/sea salt or 1/2 tsp table salt
1 red cabbage, finely shredded
3 tbsps soft light brown sugar
375ml red wine
juice of one orange
1/4 mixed spice (or pumpkin spice)
2 eating apples, peeled and chopped into small chunks

Get the largest casserole pan you have and over a low-medium heat add a tablespoon of olive oil, then the onion and salt.  Soften the onion,  but don’t colour.  The salt helps the onion to stop catching and colouring.  After about 4-5 minutes add the shredded red cabbage, sprinkle over the sugar and pour in the wine and orange juice and scatter over the mixed spice.  Let everything wilt down for a bit and lastly add the apple chunks and stir them in.  Place a lid on top and cook at the lowest temperature possible for 2 hours.  It doesn’t really matter if you could it for longer.

Mi Mi Restaurant - Vietnamese penicillin

It’s time to erect the scaffolding, I’m in need of urgent post-yuletide restoration.  Weeks of the ‘ah sod it, it’s Christmas’ mantra, has resulted in carb induced lethargy and a Santa silhouette.  The overeating sneaks up on me.  First I’m swapping my skinny lattes for gingerbread ones with whip cream because they smell more festive.  Then there is the  chocolate advent calendar, which arguably at 30-something I should have dispensed with years ago, but refuse to, and then the mince pies.  I couldn’t find any here in Toronto (apart from a $7.50 box at the Brit shop!!) so I baked my own and you can’t (well I can’t) eat one without a slurp of cream and a wodge of rum butter.  Anyway, you get the picture, it all adds up and here I am days into January still foraging through the last of festive confections and woefully deficient of greenery and vitamins. 

So yesterday we dragged our chocolate filled bodies down to Gerrard St East, Toronto’s smaller Chinatown in search of sustenance that was as far removed from turkey and all the trimmings as possible.  We settle on Vietnamese Pho which has restorative properties much like a bowl of Jewish chicken soup or Mama’s Minestone.  Mi Mi’s doesn’t look much from the outside but a glance inside boasts an encouraging number of diners so we head in.  Shabby decor equals great food and Mi Mi’s follows that principle, although I must be fair, there’s not a plastic chair in sight.  A bright, sincere ‘happy new year’ accompanied by a corrective pot of green tea is a welcome that overrides the indifferent interior.  Regulars are acknowledged by name, kids are encouraged to watch while their juices are concocted and there is a lot of satisfied slurping going on.  Even before the food arrives, I’m estimating how many visits it might take until I’m considered a regular.  My Vietnamese must have, summer rolls, are verdant with herbs and the blush prawns stretch through the rice paper.  I’m beginning to feel more wholesome by the minute and the Pho’s not even here yet.  Jerry’s bowl is actually a basin, and I’d wager is bigger than his head.  He’s gone for an X-Large with slices of rare beef, and I go for a more dog bowl size with the addition of some brisket.  I douse mine in chilli sauce from the condiment apothecary and garnish with beansprouts, a squeeze of lime and Thai basil.  The meaty clear broth is addictive and I can almost feel the goodness permeating through me, as if melting away the Christmas excesses, one mince pie at a time.  Realistically I know that the weighing scales will probably still read the same tomorrow morning, but at least I am on the right track.  Better finish off the last of the choccies tonight so I really can make a clean start tomorrow.

Mi Mi Restaurant

688 Gerrard Street East, M4M 1Y3

1-416 778-5948

Dangerous Dan’s, Toronto - Fat drippingly good!

The Big Kahuna

If Gillian McKeith’s knew Dangerous Dan’s existed she’d be campaigning for it to be shut down. Their catchy but taunting footnote: ‘22% of Ontarians are obese, we can do better’, would be enough to make her self combust from aduki bean gas build up.  This politically incorrect restaurant in Toronto’s East End, wears its artery clogged heart proudly on its tight fitting sleeve. They make no apologies for the food they serve, in fact they positively encourage it.  Junk food tastes good, and once in a while we all like to take a break from miso soup and salads to indulge in our guilty pleasure, so why not go all out?


DD’s is the place to overload. Burgers are the menu mainstay, and you can go for a baby 8oz, but there’s really no point, you didn’t come here for a regular cheeseburger, so man up and go for a big’un. There’s the heart stopping Elvis, which comes topped with bacon, peanut butter and fried banana or how about the Big Kevorkian which comes with an excessive number of fried garnishes; fried onion, fried onion ring (because you need both, right?) fried mushrooms, fried bacon, fried sliced pickles and slathered in mayo and garlic sauce. I’m surprised they don’t fry the bun too. It’s questionable whether you need any ‘add-ons’ or side orders, but if you’ve planned ahead and worn your elasticated waistband, then by all means go for it. Gassy beer will only take up precious room in your stomach, so avoid that and instead try the equally filling traditional milkshakes made in the ultra noisy blender. For most people the above will satisfy, but we all know someone with a ridiculous appetite. They were often accused of having hollow leg syndrome or called ‘dustbin’ at school. They always had seconds, if not thirds. They should refer to the back page of the menu, reserved for ‘your incredibly excessive beef needs’ – their words not mine. The Coronary Burger Special consists of two 8oz patties, layered with 4 slices of bacon, cheddar cheese and crowned with a fried egg, plus fries, gravy and a can of pop just in case you haven’t already popped. If that’s still not enough, then you have a serious appetite that can only be sated by the Colossal Colon Clogger Combo; 24oz burger with double fried egg, ¼ lb of bacon, ¼ pound of cheese and a side order of ‘poutine’ which is a French Canadian delicacy that my friends from the north of England will know simply as chips, cheese & gravy. Gillian McKeith would have a field day examining your poop sample after that.


CCP - Cookie Cow Pie.  Pan Fried cookie dough of course!