2011 in Jars

2011 was not, in retrospect, a particularly stellar year for me in the cooking department. Maybe the abundance of fast/affordable/awesome food options available in Montreal at all hours were to blame... or maybe it was the seemingly constant change of culinary surroundings (we moved 3 times in 10 months). At any rate, most of my cooking was of the old-standby nature (and very little of it was blog worthy).

The one exception to this was the canning. This year, knowing that the dark dismal winter would eventually descend upon us (and indeed it has), I decided to do everything I could to save a bit of summer/fall for those dismal months that follow the holidays.

So, without further ado, I give you the year in jars:

February:

Kiwi-Lemon Marmalade: You've already heard about this one in gory detail. Suffice to say that it has brightened many a dull morning and will hopefully continue to do so until next February when I will try to get the wheels on the wagon a bit sooner and make a batch of proper Seville orange marmalade.

July:

Pesto v1: In Montreal at least, this is the time of the year when you can buy giant bouquets of basil at the market for less than the cost of a single ziplocked packet of 6 leaves at the grocery store. They are impossible to pass up, along with the baskets and baskets of gorgeous ripe tomatoes. While it is tempting to eat them as they are, raw and fresh with nothing but a dash of salt and olive oil, I managed to resist long enough to make a couple batches of pesto, frozen in icecube trays to brighten the pastas of days to come.

Pesto v2.0: The CSA gave us garlic scapes. More garlic scapes than you could shake a stick at, so, I threw them in the blender with some oil, salt, and pepper, and froze the result in jars, to be used at a time when anything naturally green would be a welcome addition to the meal.

September:

Plum Jam: The market is overwhelming at this time of year. There are giant bins of plums, grown locally, being sold by the pound and I cannot say no. This is a minimal effort jam. No straining, no pectin, nothing fancy. The result is a simple spread that is perhaps a touch runny but makes up for it with its purple hue and summery flavour. Next year, it's peaches and nectarines.

Tomato Sauce: Like the basil, the tomato sauce project was inspired by seeing the bushels of tomatoes at the market, and knowing that in 3 months time, they would be gone and the pink tennis balls would return. Tomato sauce making is quite an endeavour. It probably warrants a post of its own. If you're considering it though, I recommend procuring a copy of "Les Tomates en Conserve" a how-to dvd put together by some Montrealers who've been at this for a while.

October:

Tomato Chutney: All the flavours of fall: apples, peppers, raisins, onions, and tomatoes, captured in a jar to adorn many a cheddar slice and tortiere in the months to come. (Be warned, this recipe makes well over a dozen 1/2 pint jars).

November:

Quince Jam: Quinces (or coings en francais) were featured in the fall issue of Edible Toronto. Although they are mostly grown in Europe, the climate in southern Ontario is well suited for them. Alas, I was unable to find local quinces (mine came from California), and my jam didn't turn ruby red as described in the article. It did however, have a lovely floral note to it, good for topping both toast and pork tenderloins.

(Chutney, plum jam, quince jam, lemon marmalade)

December:

Meyer Lemon Marmalade: The arrival of new citrus options is cold comfort for the disappearance of the tomatoes and other fall harvests, but it is hard to ignore the golden yellow glow of Meyer lemons in the grocery store. On a whim, I buy two bags, and begin researching what to do with them. The preferred method for dealing with them in this quantity is of course, marmalade. Meyer lemon marmalade is a one day operation: their skins are so thin and tender that they do not need to be soaked, peeled, or preprocessed in anyway, and the pips and pith, thin as it is, usually contain enough pectin to set the whole batch. This batch was no exception.

Montreal Needs a Chipotle (and other observations)

Congratulations Seattle. You have one thing Montreal doesn't: a Chipotle (in fact you have several). Here in Montreal, our Mexican options are limited at best, and besides, Chipotle is more SF than Mexico. To be honest, I was recently asked what made a mission-style burrito so different from a normal one, and I'm embarrassed to say I couldn't come up with a good answer. The more I think about it, I think the secret lies in better cuts of meat, more interesting flavors (tomatillas over tomatoes, limes over chili powder), and fresh toppings).

Anyways, it appears that the limiting factor for proper mission-style burritos in Montreal is not the pork (in fact Chipotle gets theirs from Quebec (!)) but the rare and exotic giant burrito tortilla. So when I happened upon them at Taco Del Rey in the Jean Talon market, I knew exactly what my next culinary project would be.

Pork Carnitas Burrito

The basic premise behind pork carnitas is to cook a pork shoulder long and slow in spices and liquid, until the meat is tender, shred the meat, and use a bit of the cooking liquid (boiled down) as a sauce. I used this recipe for salsa verde carnitas , however, I must admit that I cheated on the salsa verde and bought a large container from Taco Del Rey, instead of making it from scratch.

Pork Carnitas, originally uploaded by CaitKP.

(Serves 8+…I've eaten 3 burritos this week)

Ingredients:
1-2kg pounds pork shoulder (I used 2kg on the bone)
1 onion (chopped)
2 cups salsa verde (here's Kevin's recipe, if you feel like going all out)
2 cups chicken stock (a little more if needed to cover the pork)
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano

Directions:
1. Trim the excess fat from the pork.
2. Place the pork, onion, salsa verde, chicken stock, cumin and oregano in a pot.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the pork is nice and tender, about 3-6 hours (I did 3 hours, but a little more wouldn't have hurt)
4. Take the pork out of the liquid and shred the meat with a pair of forks.
5. Bake the shredded pork in a preheated 400F oven until just browned and slightly crispy.
6. Skim the fat from the liquid.
7. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer to reduce for about 10 minutes.
8. Mix some of the liquid back into the pork (I added a couple cups worth).
9. Use the pork mixture in your favorite tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc.

Which brings us to part 2 (the other secret of the mission-style burrito): Toppings! Obviously, the meat is just the beginning. Here are some of my favorite additions:

1, Rice, is a must obviously, to make it a bit more exciting, I used a mixture of brown and wild rice, seasoned with onion, garlic, cilantro and lime (here's one recipe and here's another)

2. Beans, you can go refried, or used canned whole black beans (drained and rinsed, of course).

3. Guacamole or avocados

4. Cilantro, lettuce, tomatoes.

5. Cheese (I used pepper jack, but anything mild will work)

6. Salsa. I am partial to salsa verde myself, but others I know swear by salsa rosa, pico de gallo, or corn salsa. It's your choice.

A Hearty Healthy Coffee Cake

Carrots, oats and dates -- it's actually surprising there was any room for the cake part. This was actually a combination of two recipes: a a date cake with a little bit of carrot muffin mixed in.

Really I just had a surplus of carrots, and this seemed like a good thing to do with them. If I were to make it again, I think I might half the oats, or add a touch more milk, to make the whole thing a bit lighter. My cake's consistency need up being more similar to scones than a cake (which is ok really, as it makes it easier to grab a slice as you are headed out the door and nosh it on the bus).

Date and carrot cake, originally uploaded by CaitKP.

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour (or 1 cup wholemeal flour, 1 cup plain flour)
2 cups rolled oats (or a little less)
2 level tspn baking powder
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tbsp molasses
1 cup chopped dates
1 cup brown sugar
1 cups milk (a bit more if things seem dry)
1.5 cups grated carrots
2 eggs
5 table spoon vegetable oil


Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. and grease and flour a 9" cake pan (I used a springform pan and lined the base with parchment paper.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients
3. Beat the milk, eggs and oil
4. Mix all together, and stir in the carrots
5. Pour in a 9 inch greased tin
6 Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean.

The-Vegetables-are-about-to-Stage-a-Coup Curry

This is what happens when the bin shows up and you've been ignoring the fridge all week because you've been busy making marmalade. Closely related to the use-up-all-the-left-over-meat-and-cheese quiche is the use-up-all-the -veggies curry. If you're feeling especially ambitious, you can make your own curry paste, as they do in this recipe. I took the lazy route and just threw in a can of massaman curry paste, and augmented it with some extra ginger, garlic, and thai chilis.

Vegetable curry, originally uploaded by CaitKP.

Ingredients (open to interpretation)

-1 onion
-1 tsp grated or finely chopped ginger or galangal
-3 cloves of garlic chopped
-3 thai chilis chopped (leave the seeds in for a hotter curry)
-2 cups coconut milk (either canned, or from soaking desiccated coconut in hot water and straining it)
-1 cauliflower cut into florets
-1 cup green beans cut into 2" pieces
-2-3 parsnips or carrots, peeled and chopped into 2" pieces (cut crosswise if the pieces are especially wide)
-3 baby book choy, leaves separated, rinsed and chopped into 2" pieces.
-2 tbsp oil
-1 4oz can of curry paste (or the equivalent amount of homemade paste)

Method:

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat and saute the onion until softened and beginning to brown at the edges (5-8 min)
2. Add curry paste, chilis, garlic, and ginger and stir until fragrant (1-2 min)
3. Add the parsnips and cauliflower and stir to coat with curry paste.
4. Add 1.5 c coconut milk, stir, cover and bring to a simmer. Turn heat down to medium, Cook covered, stirring occasionally for about 30-40 minutes.
5. When the veggies still have a bit of a crunch left (around 25 minutes or so) add the green beans.
6. Cook for another 10-15 min until veggies are cooked through.
7. If the mixture seems dry, add more coconut milk, if it is too watery, remove the lid and let some liquid boil off
8. Finally, add the book choy stems (not the leaves) and cook for 2-5 minutes. At the very end, stir in the leaves (they will wilt immediately). You could also add some basil or cilantro at this point if you have any on hand (I didn't).

There are 2 secrets to making a curry like this: keeping the liquid at the right level (making sure it doesn't dry up or become a soup). and knowing how long veggies take to cook.

To keep the liquid at the right level, just start small and add more as needed. If you're really stuck, add water.

As for veggies, starchy things like potatoes, and crunchy things like carrots go in first, as they can take a while to cook (almost an hour usually). Cauliflower, broccoli and green beens (and other similar things) are in the middle (1/2 hr - 15 min depending on your crunch vs mush preference). Finally, greens and their stems (herbs, bok choy, spinach) will cook in a few minutes, and can be thrown in at the very end.

Three Indian Stand-By's

I haven't been cooking much lately…mostly just marmalade-making (yes…I made a second batch, I know, I'm an addict). That said, I figured it was time for a "best-of" sort of post. So without further ado, I give you my three stand-by Indian dishes. Make one as a side, or a couple as a meal, the options are limitless. I probably make one of these three every time I cook Indian food.

Chana Palak, originally uploaded by CaitKP.

Chana Palak

This is great as a side with a meat dish, or on it's own, with naan bread to soak up the juices. Adding a bit of cream at the end will make the dish richer and smoother, or, if you're looking for a lighter dish, skip the cream.

1 400ml can Chickpeas; drained and washed
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion; chopped finely
1 400 ml can chopped tomatoes, and their juices
4 cups chopped spinach (if using frozen spinach, thaw it first)
2 cloves garlic; minced
1 inch ginger; grated
2 green serrano chillies; ribs and seed removed, minced
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp coriander/cumin powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp heavy cream (optional)

Method
1 In a medium sauce pan, over med-high heat, fry the onions in the heated oil, until golden brown.
2. add the tomatoes, garlic, ginger and chillies, cook for about 5-8 minutes until it is blended together.
3. Add the turmeric, coriander and cumin powders, stir and cook for about 3 minutes.
4. Add the spinach, stir and cook for a further 8 minutes, until it is limp
5. Add the chickpeas, mix and cook for a further 10 minutes
6. Add the garam masala and the coriander leaves; mix.
7. If you are using cream, stir it in at this point.

Serve with chapatis or naan.

Spicy Cabbage

An excellent way to use up a cabbage.

1 cabbage; finely shredded - a shortcut here is to buy a bag of shredded cabbage (meant for coleslaw) and use that instead.
1 400ml can chopped tomatoes;
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 inch ginger - grated
2 green serrano chillis - minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp mustard seeds - black mustard seeds are good if you can find them, otherwise, normal mustard seeds work too
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp cumin
salt to taste

Method
1. Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, as soon as they start to splutter, add the tomatoes, garlic, ginger and the minced chillis, stir and fry for a few minutes.
2. Add the cumin, coriander and turmeric, fry for a few minutes.
3. Add the shredded cabbage, stir well, so that it is coated with the mixture.
4. Add salt and cook for 15 minutes or until the cabbage is cooked.

Kerala Fish Curry

This dish is quite possibly the best thing you can do with canned fish. It also tastes great reheated in a wrap the next day.

2 cans (213 g each) of Sockeye salmon or mackerel, drained
1/2 an onion or 2 shallots, chopped
1 teaspoon minced ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon of oil
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
6 to 8 curry leaves (fresh are best, if you can find them, but dried work too)
4 green serano chiles, chopped
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Method:
1. In a small to medium pot, heat 1 tbsp oil on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions/shallots and cook until softened and beginning to brown at the edges (5 min). Then add the garlic (2 tsp), and the ginger (2 tsp). Turn the heat to low, and cook, stirring constantly for 1 -2 minutes.
2. Next, add the spices for the fish (turmeric, cumin, coriander, curry leaves) and the serrano chiles. Stir until mixture is fragrant (2 min or so).
3. Add the fish, turn the heat up to medium, and cook, stirring for at most 2-3 minutes, until fish is heated through and coated with the spice mixture.

I know I said I wasn't going to do it this year, but…

I didn't mean for it to become a regular thing…I don't think anyone ever does. I only did it last year because all my friends were doing it and it seemed like once couldn't possibly hurt. Now I know better. Take it from me kids: marmalade-making is a messy addictive habit, which you should approach with extreme caution and full knowledge that it may become a yearly routine.

Lacking most of my kitchen, I wasn't going to do it this year. Then I started to see the Sevilles and Meyers in the stores, and felt a little pang of regret, but finding a 24 hour stretch in which to undertake a marmalade project didn't seem very likely, so it was pushed to the back of my mind…until the kiwis showed up in the bin.

I know. Kiwis are not commonly associated with marmalade. But we had a whole pound of them, and I was having a hard time figuring out what to do with that many. Until I came upon a recipe for Kiwi Lemon Marmalade, using my favorite Meyer lemons. How could I say no? Especially since it used a different (less labour intensive) method than the recipe I made last year.

Kiwi and Meyer Lemon Marmalade, originally uploaded by CaitKP.

Kiwi and Meyer Lemon Marmalade

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs Meyer Lemons
4 C Water
1 1/2 lbs Kiwi (firm/ripe)
5 C Sugar

8 1/2 pint canning jars with rims and lids
cheesecloth (I had no cheesecloth, so I used a Curad Hold-Tite sleeve (it actually worked quite well).

The night before:

Wash the lemons, and cut them in half lengthwise. Using scissors, cut out the pith in the center, and use the tip of the scissors to remove any seeds (pips) from the lemons. Save the seeds, pith, and any juice accumulated in a bowl. (This site provides a good illustrated description of this step.

Next, slice the lemon halves thinly (thinner => less chunky marmalade, thicker => more chunky). Put the lemon halves in a large glass bowl filled with 4 cups cold water.

Strain out the juice from the pith-seeds-and juice bowl and add it to the lemons. Take the remaining pith and seeds, tie it up in cheesecloth (or whatever you're using) and submerge that in the bowl with the lemons.

Cover with a tea towel and leave the whole lot to sit somewhere cold and dark over night.

Meyer Lemons, originally uploaded by CaitKP.

The next day:

First, peel and chop the kiwis. I cut mine into quarters lengthwise, then cut those pieces into 1/4" slices. Again, you could go bigger or smaller depending on the chunkiness factor.

Kiwis in various stages of preparation, originally uploaded by CaitKP.

Once the kiwis are cut, set them aside, measure the sugar and set it aside too.

Dump the entire lemon mix (and the cheesecloth bundle) into a large stainless steel pot, and boil for 15 min, or until the pith on the slices has mostly disappeared, and the peel itself is soft and translucent.

Now remove the cheesecloth bundle (squeeze out as much liquid as you can), and add the kiwis and sugar to the pot. Bring to a boil and stir, skimming off any foam that accumulates.

At this point, if you haven't already started, you should get your jars started. I use one big pot to sterilize jars (it holds about 4 at a time), and a smaller one to keep the lids warm. I fill the big pot with water, put in 4 jars and rims, and bring the lot to a boil.

After about 40 min or so, start testing for doneness (I Nigel's method which involves chilling the marmalade briefly, then running your finger through it to see if it wrinkles). Test every 10-15 min or so until it has gelled.

Then, remove the jars from the boiling water, and place on a tea towel. If (like me) you need to sterilize jars in 2 batches, put the next batch in now. It will be about 15 minutes by the time you finish filling the first ones. You're supposed to use a funnel to fill them. I just used a ladle, and cleaned the rims of the jars with a damp cloth afterwards. Run a spatula/spoon/chopstick around the edge of the jar to remove any air bubbles, and tighten the lids to "finger tight", set aside and fill the remaining jars.

Finally, pop the filled, closed jars back in the boiling water for another 15 min (make sure they are covered by at least 1" of water) to get rid of any air bubbles. When done, remove the jars from the water and let sit at room teem to cool. You should hear the lids make a popping noise as they seal.

After 24 (ish) hours, unscrew the rims and check to make sure the lids are sealed (i.e., concave in the middle, and stay stuck to the jar, even when you loosen the rim). Any jars that didn't seal can be reprocessed (re sterilize the jar, reheat the marmalade to a boil, and repeat the whole canning routine) or used in the next 2 weeks. Store the sealed jars in a cold dark dry place.

Overall, this was a much less stressful marmalade adventure than last time. It's easier when a) you know what to look for with the gelling thing and b) you don't make fatal mistakes like boiling the marmalade with the lid on.

Salmon: All of the Glam, None of the Fuss

I'm afraid I can't really take much credit for this one. It was mostly Dan's doing. I just handled the veggies. However, I will say, having witnessed the whole process, that this recipe makes for a very elegant meal, with very minimal fuss.

The sauce and salmon are made separately, and assembled at the end. So there's the option of multi-threading the whole process, to make the assembly time even shorter.

Also, I second Food and Drink's opinion: rosemary potatoes go very well with this dish. If for no other reason than that they provide another vehicle for the sauce.

Roasted Side of Salmon With Mustard and Tarragon Cream Sauce, originally uploaded by CaitKP.

Roasted Side of Salmon With Mustard and Tarragon Cream Sauce

With 2 sides (potatoes and steamed green beans), serves 4.

Ingredients:

3 lb salmon (skin on. deboned)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper (freshly ground)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup shallots finely chopped
1/2 cup vermouth/dry white wine
3/4 cup 35% cream
3 tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1 tbsp grainy style mustard

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F and line a baking sheet with tinfoil

2. Place salmon on baking sheet, rub with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast in oven until just cooked (20 min)

3. While salmon is cooking, heat butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots and saute until translucent, but not browned (8 minutes). Add white wine and reduce for 3 minutes.

4. Add cream and cook over medium high heat until reduced to a sauce-like consistency (12 minutes) Stir in tarragon and mustard and season with salt and pepper.

5. Serve sauce alongside salmon, or over the whole piece.

Rosemary Potatoes

1 lb red new potatoes, or other potatoes with thin skin.
4 springs rosemary
1 tbsp butter
salt

1. In a large pot of water, add the rinsed potatoes (cut into 2" chunks if large), 2 sprigs rosemary, and some salt. Bring the whole thing to a boil, and cook covered over med-high heat until potatoes are just done (15-20 min).

2. Drain potatoes and put into serving bowl. Add the leaves from another sprig of rosemary, and the butter, stir with a spatula to melt butter. Serve alongside salmon.

Dark Sticky Stew for a Valentine's Day Dinner

I think Valentine's day dinners should be special, but not in a lets-try-to-get-into-the-restaurant-everyone-in-town-wants-to-go-to sort of way. More in a lets-cook-something-we-don't-usually cook sort of way. Which is why I made a long slow beef stew this year.

In addition to feeling slightly indulgent, beef stews make the whole house feel warm and cosy. A good thing for cold dark February days. This one is a combo: Food and Wine's stew, with Jamie Oliver's finish (a "kinda hot-pot" potato topping, instead of the usual puff pastry shindig).

Beef and Guinness Stew, originally uploaded by CaitKP.

Guinness Beef Stew

Serves 4-6.

1 lb (500 g) good quality stewing beef
1½ tbsp (22 mL) flour
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
1 cup (250 mL) onions, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp (5 mL) fresh thyme, finely chopped
⅛ tsp (0.5 mL) chili flakes
1 tbsp (15 mL) tomato paste
1 can (440 mL) stout beer (i.e. Wellington, St. Ambroise or Guinness)
2 cups (500 mL) beef stock
2 carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium sized celery root, peeled and diced
3 parsnips peeled and diced

2-3 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled,
another sprig of thyme
olive oil/ a knob of butter
salt and pepper

Part 1 (I did this the day before):

1. In a medium bowl, toss together the beef and flour until well coated, season generously with salt and pepper.

2. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add beef to pot and brown well on all sides, about 15 minutes. Make sure not to burn the bottom of the pot.

3. Remove beef from pot and set aside, add more oil to pot if necessary and add onions and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Add garlic, thyme, chili flakes and tomato paste, cook for 2 minutes longer.

5. Stir in stout while scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot. Add beef and beef stock.

6. Bring to a boil and then lower to simmer. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes over low heat.

7. Add carrots, parsnip, and celery root and cook for another 60 minutes (or until beef is tender) with the pot’s lid slightly open (1 inch/2 cm) to allow steam to escape.

8. Beef mixture is finished when meat is tender and liquid has reduced to a sauce consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed and let mixture cool to room temperature.

Part 2:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and boil the potatoes for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, if reheating the stew from cold, put it on the stove and heat over med. heat until warmed.

4. When the potatoes are almost done, remove from water and when cool enough to handle, slice thinly.

5. Transfer stew to an oven safe casserole dish or pot (if not already in one) and top with potato slices, thyme, pat of butter, and salt and pepper.

6. Bake for 40 minutes, until stew is heated through and potatoes are golden (if needed, you can broil it for a minute or 2 to give the potatoes a bit more color.)

Serve with a light green salad, to cut the richness of the stew.

Pork, Port, and Prunes

There are very few cuts of meat that I will buy without a specific dish in mind. One such cut is the pork tenderloin. Quick to cook and easy prepare, I occasionally pick one up on a whim, especially when visiting my new favorite butcher shop Porc Meilleur. This time, I decided to try something different from my usual asian-inspired marinade, and instead make Food and Wine's Pork with Port and Prunes recipe.

Pear and Blue Cheese Risotto, originally uploaded by CaitKP.

Pork with Port and Prunes

Serves 2.

Ingredients

• 1 pork tenderloin
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1/2 cup port
• 1/2 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
• 20 pitted prunes
• 2 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 400°. Season the tenderloins with 2 teaspoons of the coriander, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper.
2. In a large ovenproof frying pan, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Add the tenderloin and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Put the pan in the oven and cook until the tenderloin is just done to medium, about 15 minutes. Transfer the tenderloin to a carving board and leave to rest in a warm spot for about 5 minutes.
3. Pour off all the fat from the pan. Put the pan over moderate heat and add the port. Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to dislodge any brown bits. Add the broth, prunes, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Boil until reduced to approximately 1/2 cup, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon coriander and the butter. Slice the tenderloins and serve topped with the prunes and sauce.

Blogging in the Dark

Today's post is only tangentially food-related. If, like me, you live in a northern climate, you probably find, especially in winter, that a lot of your cooking is done after dark (since dark happens at 4pm). Photographing food is a challenge at the best of times, let alone in unnatural light.

Since I started blogging, I've tried several workarounds. The first was a flash…Don't. Even. Bother. Flashes make food look like it's made of plastic. So then I tried a wide aperture combined with some post processing…great, if your food is two-dimensional, otherwise, only half your pasta bowl will be in focus (a side-effect of wide apertures). Most recently, I had started photographing my food in the bathroom. This did not seem like a very viable option, and in truth, I was tired of having my artistic options limited by the lighting (or lack thereof).

I was just about to shell out for a couple of these when I came upon this most useful post, which explains how to go about building a lightbox using nothing more than a few desklamps, some fabric, and a large cardboard box.

Having just moved, the box was easy to find. For everything else, I visited my two most trustworthy "project" stores: Dollarama (tape and cheap white pillowcases) and Canadian Tire (light bulbs, an extension cord, and 2 clip-on desk lamps at $7.99 each). Overall, the project only took half a day to build (from start to finish), and although I've yet to really test it out, it did seem to work pretty well in the few shots I snapped.

Much, much better than paying $90.00 a pop for studio lighting.




This shot makes me think of Pixar....




Playing around with the lightbox using grapefruits as subjects

More Beans

A couple weeks ago, I made baked beans for the first time. It was quite a revelation. Baked beans (and other related dishes) had previously scared me because of the amount of prep involved, but it seems that (unlike the illusive Thanksgiving turkey), once you get the beans in the oven, they really do cook themselves.

It was a combination of the weather, the need for something leafy and green, and the skilled photographers of the NY Times that persuaded me to revisit baked beans, so soon after my first foray. The ingredients to this recipe bore a striking similarity to one of my favorite soups (which usually turns out to be more of a stew than soup). The beans on the other hand, claimed to have a smooth creamy consistency. A cross between this stick-to-your-ribs-goodness, and this one.

If you're looking for a recipe that's packed with knock-your-socks off flavor, this is not it. On the other hand, if you're looking for some good old fashioned winter-warming food, you're in the right place.

Pear and Blue Cheese Risotto, originally uploaded by CaitKP.

Slow Baked Beans With Kale

(Serves 6)



•1 bunch kale, stemmed and washed in two changes of water
•3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
•1 medium onion, chopped
•1 carrot, chopped
•1 rib celery, chopped
•4 garlic cloves, minced
•1 2/3 cups white beans (3/4 pound) or dried lima beans, picked over and soaked for at least four hours and drained
•1 6-ounce can tomato paste, dissolved in 1 cup water
•3 cups additional water
•A bouquet garni consisting of 4 parsley sprigs, 2 thyme sprigs and a bay leaf
•1 teaspoon herbes de Provence (savory, fennel, basil, thyme)
•Salt and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper
•1/2 cup bread crumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees.

OPTIONAL (my kale was pretty fresh, so I skipped this part): Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add the kale. Blanch for two minutes, then transfer to a bowl of ice water. Drain, squeeze out water and cut into ribbons. Set aside.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large ovenproof casserole. Add the onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute. Add the dissolved tomato paste, and bring to a simmer.

3. Add the drained beans, the remaining water, the bouquet garni, herbes de Provence and salt and pepper.. Stir in the kale, bring to a simmer, cover and place in the oven. Bake three hours until the beans are tender and creamy. Taste and adjust salt (I also squeezed in a lemon at this point to brighten the flavors a little).

4. Mix together the remaining olive oil and the bread crumbs. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the beans, and continue to bake another 30 minutes to an hour until the bread crumbs are lightly browned. Remove from the heat and serve; or allow to cool slightly and serve with fresh parmesan cheese and a crusty baguette.

Note: Make sure that the beans come to a simmer on top of the stove before placing them in the oven. Do not use old beans, which will not soften no matter how long you simmer them. If the beans do not soften in the oven after a couple of hours, raise the heat to 300 degrees. If you live at a high altitude, raise the oven temperature and let the the beans bake for longer.

Advance preparation: You can make this recipe through Step 3 and store it in the refrigerator up to four days ahead of serving. Top with the bread crumbs, and reheat in a 350-degree oven for 15 minutes until the beans are bubbling and the bread crumbs lightly browned.

Marmalade Cake

Pear and Blue Cheese Risotto, originally uploaded by CaitKP.

If you follow this blog, you know that I pretty much can't resist a citrus-themed baked good. But -- pardon the pun--this one takes the cake, not to mention, it used up the last of my slightly runny seville marmalade.

Marmalade Cake

Cake:
·1cup granulated sugar
·1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
·2 large eggs
·2 cups all-purpose flour
·1 1/2 tsp salt
·1 tsp baking soda
·1 cup plain full-fat yogurt
·1/2 cup seville orange marmalade

Syrup:
·2 tbsp marmalade
·3 tbsp orango liqueur (e.g. Cointreau)

Icing:
·2 cups icing sugar (more or less depending on what consistency you want)
·1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
·2 tbsp orange liqueur (Cointreau)
·milk as needed (approx. 2 tbsp) to get the consistency right.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Cut parchment to fit the base of a greased and sugared 9-inch cake pan (or spring form pan).

3. Cream sugar and butter together with beaters until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well in between.

4. sift together flour, salt, baking soda in a separate bowl. Beat one third of flour mixture into batter, then 1/2 cup of yogurt. Continue, alternating between yogurt and flour, ending with flour. Stir in marmalade.

5. Spoon batter into cake pan. Bake for 55 -60 min. or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 min while making syrup.

6. Combine marmalade and orange liqueur stirring until marmalade dissolves. Bring to a boil, and boil for 30 seconds to burn off alcohol. Strain out any peel.

7. Run the edge of a flexible knife between cake and pan to loosen, if using a cake pan, invert onto a rack and remove parchment. If using a springform pan, just release spring. Place cake right side up on a plate an poke small holes all over the top with a skewer. Brush top and sides generously with syrup. Leave to cool completely (I left mine covered with parchment and a teatowel overnight).

8. Whisk together icing sugar, butter, cointreau, and enough milk to make a slightly runny icing. If it is too runny, add more icing sugar. Spread icing over cake, and allow it to drizzle down sides. I made mine very runny, to the point that it was almost more of a glaze, but you could go for a richer, thicker icing too if you want more of a cakey look.

Caramelized Pear and Blue Cheese Risotto

Pear and Blue Cheese Risotto, originally uploaded by CaitKP.

We got pears in the bin last week. Usually, when I have pears, I either end up eating them for breakfast, chopped up on my cereal, or I make a simple puff-pastry creation with them. However, I've heard good things about pears and blue cheese, and I'd been dying to try it. There was just one issue.

Most pear and blue cheese concoctions take the form of a tart or a salad. I wanted something a bit heartier than a salad, but didn't have the patience (or a tart-pan for that matter) to make a tart. Then I found this. Not only was it a pear and blue cheese risotto, it was a *Jamie Oliver recipe* for a pear and blue cheese risotto. The only tweak I made was to use blue cheese rather than gorgonzola, and not quite as much as the recipe called for (since blue cheese is a bit stronger). This goes well with a good peppery arugula salad with a dijon-ish dressing to cut the richness.

Blue Cheese and Caramelized Pear Risotto

(Serves 4 -6)

• 3 ripe commis pears, trimmed, peeled and cored
• 4 tbsp honey, for drizzling
• 4 cups+ chicken stock, preferably free-range or organic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 40g unsalted butter, plus extra knob for frying
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
• 400g arborio or other risotto rice
• 325ml dry vermouth or a good dry white wine
• 150g gorgonzola cheese, crumbled, or 100g Danish Blue Cheese
• 50g freshly grated parmesan cheese
• Small bunch of fresh thyme tips and extra-virgin olive oil, to serve

1 Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6. Cut the pears in half lengthways and cut each half lengthways into 3 or 4 slices. Place onto a baking tray, drizzle with honey and place into the oven for 15 minutes until softened and coloured around the edges. Remove and set aside to cool.

2 In a saucepan, heat the chicken stock. In a separate pan, heat the olive oil and knob of butter, add the onions, garlic and celery, and fry very slowly for about 15 minutes or until soft – don’t let the veg colour. When veg are soft, add your rice and turn up the heat. Lightly fry the rice, stirring constantly so it doesn’t stick to the pan. After a minute, when it looks slightly translucent, add the alcohol, and keep stirring. Any harsh alcohol flavours will evaporate and leave the rice with a lovely subtle, slightly floral flavour.

3 Once the vermouth or wine has cooked into the rice, add a ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of salt. Turn down the heat to a simmer so that the rice doesn’t cook too quickly. Keep adding ladlefuls of stock, stirring all the while to release the creamy starch out of the rice. Allow each ladleful of stock to be absorbed before adding the next one. Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but still has a slight bite. This will take around 15 minutes. (If you run out of stock before the rice is cooked, use some boiling water.) Check the seasoning carefully and adjust to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

4 Stir in 100g gorgonzola or 75g or the blue cheese and the cooled roasted pear slices until the cheese melts and the pears are warmed through. Remove the pan from the heat, add the butter and parmesan and stir well. Place a lid on the pan and let it rest for 2 minutes. (This is the most important part of making good risotto, as it helps it become really creamy and lets the flavours infuse.) Check seasoning and adjust to taste as required. Pick off a few fresh thyme tips and stir them into the risotto, then spoon onto plates or bowls, making sure that every plate gets a good amount of both sweet roasted pears and the beautiful, salty, melted gorgonzola. Garnish with an extra grating of parmesan, remaining gorgonzola, a drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil and a few more thyme tips.

Stick-To-Your-Ribs Goodness

Stick-To-Your-Ribs Goodness, originally uploaded by CaitKP.

There's been a lot of flap lately about magazines and newspapers being rendered obsolete by the internet. I hope this never comes to pass. It's true that for most of my culinary inspiration, I use the web, but to use the web, you have to have at least some inclination as to what you are going to make. It's on days when I have *absolutely no clue* what I want to cook that I hit the books (or magazines). And every once in a while, I discover that I want to make something I had no idea I wanted to make, until I saw that glossy full page picture of it.

This was how the beans and smoked pork chops came to be. Maybe it was the cold weather and the stick-to-your-ribs-ness of the dish that drew me to it, but whatever the reason, I decided I wanted to make good, old fashioned pork and beans. A recipe for which I had absolutely none of the ingredients. The smoked chops were surprisingly easy to find, at none other than PorcMeilleur (a small, local butcher shop at the Jean Talon market), and besides that, it was all pretty basic.

Smoked Pork Chops and Baked Beans

Serves 4-8 (depending on the number of pork chops)

Don't be scared off by the amount of time this recipe takes. Most of that time is not spent doing active prep work, and, if you need to "pause" the whole operation for a few hours, everything is pretty robust.

·1 lb dried white beans such as Great Northern or navy.
· 1 small onion halved
·1 tbsp Olive oil or butter
·1 medium onion finely chopped
·1 can (126 mL) tomato paste
·1/2 cup fancy molasses, or 1/4 cup fancy molasses, and 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
·1 tbsp dijon mustard (or 1 tsp dried mustard)
·1 tsp paprika (I used smoked paprika)
·1/2 tsp salt
·4-8 smoked pork chops (at least 1/2 inch thick), preferably bone-in
·1 tbsp olive oil
·1 tbsp cider vinegar
·Black pepper
·fresh thyme

1. Soaking the beans:

In a large pot, boil the beans, one onion (halved) and a few bay leaves in water (enough to cover the beans by 2 in.) for 8 minutes. At this point, you can either let the whole operation sit at room temp for an hour, or in the fridge overnight (I left mine in the fridge overnight).

2. Cook the beans:
Preheat the oven to 300°F and position a rack just below center.

In a large oven-safe pot or dutch oven, over medium heat, heat a 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cook the onion until soft. Then, add tomato paste, molasses, maple syrup (if using), mustard, salt and paprika, and stir until combined. Stir in 4 cups of cold water. Drain the beans, and add them too. Bring the whole lot to a boil, tuck in a couple thyme sprigs, cover, and put in the oven.

Bake, covered, for 3 hrs, stirring occasionally.

After 3 hours time, stir in the vinegar. At this point, you can move directly to cooking the pork, or leave the beans to sit at room temp for a couple hours (this was what I did), or let the beans cool and refrigerate for a few days, or let them cool and freeze them.

3. Cooking the pork.

Preheat the oven to 300°F (if not already on). Rub poke chops with olive oil, and in a heavy pan, over medium-high heat, saute chops until lightly browned on both sides (5-8 min. per side). Place smoked pork chops in beans, partially submerged, overlapping as necessary. Cover, and cook in oven for 1 hr, until beans are infused with smoke from pork chops, and pork chops are heated through.

Remove chops, adjust seasoning on beans (adding splashes of boiling water if sauce is too thick) and serve, garnished with more fresh thyme.

I had never had smoked pork chops before, but wow. These were awesome. If I had to sum it up, I'd say a texture like smoked ham, but a taste like pulled pork, and *gorgeously* smoky. It's possible (and likely) that we just got killer pork, but I like to believe that the way I prepared them had something to do with it.

The recipe, and the pic that started all this, is not up online yet (LCBO is annoying like that) but, I will link to it as soon as it surfaces.


Note: If, as was the case with us, you're cooking this dish for 2 people with leftovers, this is what I recommend: make the full amount of beans. They'll freeze well. When it comes to cooking the chops, I bought 6 but only cooked 4. The remaining 2 I froze, with about 1/3 of the cooked beans, so that all I have to do is thaw the lot and pop it in the oven. To reheat from refrigerated, its a similar process: bring beans and chops to room temp, put it an oven safe pot/dish (submerge chops so they don't dry out) and put the whole lot in the oven until heated through.

Swiss Chard Gratin

I am always looking for new things to do with leafy greens. At this point, I've done the quiche/fritatta, the pasta, the saute, the soup, etc. The only one I hadn't done (until recently) was the casserole. I'd seen several recipes for vegetable casseroles featuring chard or kale, but none had spoken to me. That was, until I heard tell of a swiss chard gratin recipe on AEB which had become "an AEB standard". Now, a good recipe is one thing, a stanard, go-to recipe, now that's a whole different animal. I had to try it.

The ingredient list was remarkably minimal, besides the chard, it was all standard pantry items. I took a cue from Kevin, over at Closet Cooking and roasted up the remaining half of a butternut squash I had in my fridge to add to the mix. Besides that though, I played by AEB's rules

Swiss Chard Gratin

a.k.a. Seafood Mornay's vegetarian cousin

Serves 3 as a main, 6 as a side.

1 (large) bunch Swiss chard
1 bay leaf
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
1/4 cup flour
1 stick butter, melted
2 cups milk
nutmeg
3/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano/ cheddar (I did half and half)
1/2 butternut squash, cut into 1/2" rounds and roasted (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Wash the chard and separate the stalks from the leaves. Slice the stalks into 1/4" by 3" pieces. Parboil in salted water with a bay leaf for 5 minutes, drain and set aside.

Slice the greens into thin ribbons. Wilt the greens in olive oil and garlic, working in batches if necessary. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Set aside.

In a saucepan, stir the flour into the melted butter and place over medium heat. Stir constantly for 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and whisk in the milk, a few tablespoons at a time. When it has turned into a smooth paste, add the salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Cook, whisking constantly, until it has the consistency of a thick milk shake.

Butter a baking dish and spread the greens over the bottom. Add the stalks (and squash if using), then the sauce. Add a bit more nutmeg, then the cheese. Add a few pats of butter on top of the cheese and bake for 25 minutes, until a nice golden crust has formed.

AEB suggests serving with a salad, I agree. I highly recommend a simple green salad with a dijonaise dressing (olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard), as it cuts the richness of the gratin quite nicely.

Now, a few side notes:

1. You could sub in just about any leafy green here, and next time I make it, I might try using a few different types. I'll probably add *more* greens next time too, but that might just be my leafy-green addiction speaking.

2. This recipe makes a rather oozy (albiet delicious) gratin, not unlike seafood mornay. Again, one fix to this is more greens to soak up the sauce, or alternatively, one could add an egg, as is done in the Closet Cooking recipe, to make things stick together a bit better.

3. If you're feeling especially ambitious, this would make a killer crepe filling. Or better yet, make a double batch and use the leftovers in crepes.

A Tale of Two Loaves

It is January in the Northeast, a sad time on the fruit front. The clementines are getting mushy and saccharine, the strawberries are pallid and flavourless, and we are still 3 months away from seeing anything locally grown on our shelves. This is the time of year I fall into the banana-grapefruit rut. Bananas because I can throw them in my bag, grapefruits because they actually taste like something. However, it's also the time of year that the stores are selling grapefruits in huge mesh bags, and lovely green bananas that seem to go from underripe to overripe with little warning, and so, I have enough grapefruits to feed a small army, and a freezer full of brown bananas. So, it must be time to start baking.

The secret behind quick-breads is that the basic components are almost always the same. It's just the details which vary. As such, you can get away with baking multiple loaves (even from different recipes) at the same time. So, I decided to make a banana loaf and a grapefruit loaf, and freeze one (quick breads freeze nicely).

A Tale of Two Loaves, Banana Loaf (front) Grapefruit Loaf (rear) originally uploaded by CaitKP.

A quick note on concurrency here: It really is hard to assemble two different recipes simultaneously. You will likely get mixed up and end up with double the salt in one, and no salt in the other or worse yet, make the same mistake with the baking powder. So, that said, here's what I did: I took out all my ingredients and set them on the counter to come to room temp (eggs, butter etc.). Then, I made the batter for the grapefruit loaf, and let it sit while I made the banana loaf batter (another perk of quick-breads is that they're quite patient: you can let them sit for a while and they will come to no harm). Then I popped them both in the oven to cook for about an hour.

Grapefruit Bread

(makes 1 loaf)

The original recipe calls for much sifting and glazing. I did not sift or glaze. In fact, I think were I to do it over again, I would just bust out the beaters and beat. Also, if, like me, you're partial to pink grapefruits, they are a headache to zest without a zester. I gave up, peeled the whole thing (try to peel zest but not pith), and then finely chopped the resulting peelings. As long as you get small enough pieces, they will disappear when the loaf is baked, leaving only their tangy flavor behind.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 extra-large eggs
3 teaspoons grated grapefruit zest (approximately one large grapefruit)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch, or somewhere thereabouts) with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt into 1 bowl. In another (larger) bowl, whisk or beat together the yogurt, 1 cup sugar, the eggs, grapefruit zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk or beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. With a rubber spatula, fold the vegetable oil into the batter, making sure it’s all incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until a cake tester placed in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Meanwhile, cook the 1/3 cup grapefruit juice and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Set aside.

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Carefully place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. While the cake is still warm, pour the grapefruit-sugar mixture over the cake and allow it to soak in. Cool.

Banana Bread

(makes one loaf)

Again, the orginal calls for much sifting. I had no sifter, only beaters.

1 3/4 c. flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. mashed ripe bananas (I used 3)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a loaf pan (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 3 or so) with parchement paper.

Combine flour with baking powder and salt (sift if you feel so inclined). Cream butter and sugar gradually, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Add flour mixture alternately with bananas, small amount at a time, beating after each addition until smooth. Turn into your parchement-lined loaf pan, and bake for about an hour until done.

For me, the grapfruit loaf finished 10 min before the banana loaf (as predicted), but the best bet is to just trust the cake tester.