Salmon and Blueberries

Michelle (visiting from China), Reid, Cousin Jason, Giacomo (visiting from Italy) and Cousin Rachel

One of the greatest pleasures in the summer is relaxing with family and guests from all over.  This week we were lucky to have both Michelle Wu and Giacomo Guizzardi staying with us at the cottage, and we were able to celebrate cousin Nadia's 18th birthday as well.  We kept it simple with a variation of cedar plank salmon with Indian Flavours,  grilled corn because you have to have that every night while it is in season, Aloo Gobi, and Caesar Salad for something familiar.  Mom  came up with a delicious dessert featuring the bounty of wild blueberries.  

Cedar Plank Salmon with Indian Flavours

1 side of salmon

For the Rub:

1 large clove garlic, mashed
Kosher salt 
1 tsp. garam masala*
1 tsp. cumin seed, toasted and ground 
1 tsp. coriander seed, toasted and ground 
1/4 tsp. cayenne 

Soak a cedar plank for at least half an hour. 

In a small bowl, combine the rub ingredients.  Sprinkle the mixture over the salmon, lightly rub it into the flesh, and let it stand uncovered in the fridge for one hour. 

Preheat the barbecue on MEDIUM HIGH.  Pat the cedar plank dry, and lightly oil one side with vegetable oil.  Place the salmon on the oiled side, and set it on the preheated barbecue.  Reduce the heat to MEDIUM LOW, and close the lid.  Cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the salmon is done to your liking.

*to make Garam Masala combine:

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Store in a tightly sealed jar

Aloo Gobi

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large onion, peeled and cut into small pieces

1 bunch fresh coriander, separated into stalks and leaves and roughly chopped

1 small green chilies, chopped into small pieces

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon cumin seed

 2 teaspoons turmeric

 1 large cauliflower, leaves removed and cut into florets

3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into ¾ “ cubes

1 tin diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt

 2 teaspoons garam masala

1 package baby spinach

Heat vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.  Add the onions and sauté until translucent.  Add the coriander stalks and green chilies, and stir for one minute.  Add the garlic and ginger, cumin and turmeric and sauté for another minute.  Add the cauliflower, potatoes and tomatoes, and season with salt and garam masala.  Stir to combine well, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.  Stir in the baby spinach until just wilted and serve.

Blueberries and Lemon Curd

For the lemon curd:

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon rind

2/3 cup sugar

4 eggs

2 cups fresh wild blueberries

Pour lemon juice, lemon rind and sugar into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.

Beat eggs in a medium bowl. Pour lemon juice mixture into the bowl and whisk them.

Return everything to the saucepan and cook for 3-5 minutes on medium, or until thick and bubbling.

Strain mixture into a clean bowl and chill.

Place a dollop of lemon curd in the bottom of a martini or dessert glass.  Top with fresh blueberries.

Happy Birthday Nadia

Chinese Chicken and Stir-Fried Summer Vegetables

Chinese Tea Smoked Chicken

This recipe was inspired by Cecilia Chiang’s book The Seventh Daughter.  Cecilia uses a wok to steam and smoke the chicken, but it is easy to do both in the Broil King Keg, and there is a lot less smoke in your kitchen!

One day before serving, season the chicken as follows:

1  4-pound chicken

½ teaspoon five-spice powder

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground white or Sichuan pepper

Rinse and pat dry the chicken.  Using a sharp knife cut along the backbone and flatten the chicken.  Mix the spices together in a small bowl, and season the bird all over with the spice blend.  Wrap well and refrigerate overnight.  At the same time, using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from an orange and lay the slices on a rack to dry overnight.  Place extra dried zest in an airtight container and freeze for later use.

The next day, light the Broil King Keg, and fill the diffuser pan with water.  Place the grids on the lowest level above the water pan, and lay on the grids:

1 bunch halved scallions

Thinly sliced, unpeeled ginger-root, about ½ cup

Place the chicken on top of the scallions and ginger-root, and maintain a temperature of 300°F for 1 ½ hours.

In an aluminum pan, combine:

1/3 cup black tea (we used organic black blueberry tea)

1/3 cup white rice

½ cup brown sugar

4 slices dried orange peel

Lift the chicken from the grids, and remove the drip pan.  Replace it with the foil pan filled with the tea mixture.  Replace the chicken, and set the temperature to about 325°F.  Continue to cook for about ½ hour or until the meat is cooked through.  Test for doneness with a meat thermometer. 

Stir-Fried Garden Vegetables

We used all the vegetables that were ready in the garden today:

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 shallot

2 small cloves garlic

1 jalapeno pepper

Yellow pepper

Small bunch scallions

1 head broccoli, cut into florets, and stems sliced

Handful green and purple beans

Handful sugar snap peas

Handful fresh baby kale

Handful cilantro leaves and stems

For the Sauce:

½ cup chicken stock

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

½ teaspoon asian chili sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water

In a large wok or skillet, heat the canola oil over MEDIUM HIGH.  Add the garlic, shallot, peppers, and scallions and stir for 30 seconds.  Add the broccoli and beans, toss with the oil, add a few tablespoons of water and cover to steam for 1 minute.  Add the snap peas, stir for another minute, then add the kale.

Combine all the sauce ingredients, and add to the wok.  Stir until thickened and until the vegetables are all tender-crisp.  Remove from heat and sprinkle with cilantro. 

Serve hot with basmati rice and sliced chicken.

Lucky Citrus-Chili Beef Ribs

 

Friday the 13^th –  is a date that has really never felt significant, a date that movies are made about and superstitions based upon, but trivial in our lives. Until this past Friday! The 13^th of July started out well, with a day of visiting with our young guests, swimming, golfing,  fishing etc. There was not the slightest hint of a breeze, so the kids were in the boat, getting ready to go out for a tour-but, no luck.

 They discovered that the battery was dead, so back to shore they came! A quick call was made to the mechanic, who suggested that we try banging the terminal to ensure that the connection was tight. Reaching into the fishing tackle box, a fishing lure jumped into my hand and firmly lodged its barbs into my middle finger. It was not coming back out. All of the young people immediately jumped into action (imagine the 3 Stooges) –one  cut the hooks off of the lure, one ran to grab some ice, one found a new exacto knife and before I knew it, my nephew and another young friend had deftly performed surgery and cut  the lure out of my finger. Ouch!!  After the sterilizing and disinfecting and anesthetizing (extra strength advil) and bandaging was complete, the surest way to distract all attention from the pain was to head to the kitchen to bake a cake and and then out to the barbecue to baste the beef ribs that we had put on earlier in the day.  Alas, the string of bad luck continued, as I knocked the cake pan over, after just having filled it with the batter. It was quickly scooped up and dumped back in the pan – the 3 second rule definitely applied here. Luckily, and the word is used lightly, things began to go a bit more smoothly and by dinner time, peace and calm reigned and we enjoyed a lovely sunset meal.

                                                     THE END (until the next Friday 13^th).

Beef Short Ribs with Citrus-Chili Glaze

These ribs are succulent and tender, with a sticky, tangy coating.

4 lbs Beef short ribs
1 lemon, sliced thinly

Glaze:
1 tbsp canola oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup apple juice
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 heaping tbsp citrus-grape jelly(marmalade would be a good substitute)
2 tsp dijon mustard








Place ribs in a heavy pan filled with cold water and sliced lemon, and gently braise at low heat, covered, for 1 hour. Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan, saute onion and garlic in canola oil for 3-4 minutes, until translucent. Add apple juice, Worcestershire sauce and spices and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in jelly or marmalade and dijon mustard and continue cooking slowly until thickened slightly.
Preheat barbecue on MEDIUM-HIGH and reduce to LOW-MEDIUM(300°F). Remove ribs from braising liquid and grill indirectly over the unlit burner for 30-40 minutes, mopping frequently with the glaze, until all of the glaze has been used up. Serve with a couple of big fresh salads, whatever you have on hand.

Broccoli, peppers, spinach and onions from the garden!

 Sour Cream Coffee Cake
This recipe is from Edna Staeblers cookbook, Food That Really Schmecks. It is perfect for the cottage - easy, stores well and the ingredients are always in the pantry!

1/2 cup margarine
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp baking soda
13/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
TOPPING:
Combine the following ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine margarine and white sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.  Combine sour cream and baking soda in a small bowl, and add alternately with the flour and baking powder to the creamed butter/sugar mixture. Spread 1/2 of the batter into a greased bundt pan. Layer with 1/2 of topping, the other 1/2 of batter and finish with the final layer of topping mixture. (Try not to dump the pan at this point!) Bake for 45 minutes.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Halibut with Vietnamese Sauce and 2 Delicious Salads!

When we've got a crowd in the summer we love to make no-fuss, flavourful dishes that can be prepped ahead of time so that we can be outside enjoying the fun with our families.  

Coconut Curry Soup with Smoked Vegetables

This versatile soup can be made with whatever grilled or smoked vegetables you have left over....a good reason to cook extra whenever you fire up the grill or smoker.

  

2 tbsp olive oil

½ onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 ½ tsp red curry paste

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

2 smoked red peppers, chopped into 1” chunks

1 smoked yellow pepper, chopped into 1” chunks

12 spears smoked asparagus, chopped into 1” chunks

1 smoked zucchini, chopped into 1” chunks

2 smoked tomatoes

½ smoked garlic

4 cups chicken stock

1 can coconut milk

Sauté chopped onion, red curry paste and garlic gently in oil for 3-5 minutes. Add fresh herbs and smoked vegetables and cook on medium-high heat for a further 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Puree with immersion blender. Add coconut milk and continue to heat gently for another 5 minutes. Serve with crusty bread, nippy cheddar cheese and a glass of wine for a lovely, light summer meal.

 Halibut with Vietnamese Sauce

We doubled Lucy Waverman's recipe for the sauce and served it with grilled boneless chicken, tuna steaks and halibut to please everyone in the crowd.

1 large halibut filet

Hot and spicy sauce

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

 1 teaspoon Sambal oelek*

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup baby spinach, packed

 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

 2 tablespoons rice vinegar

 3 tablespoons fish sauce

 2 tablespoons chopped mint

Combine garlic, chili sauce and sugar in a food processor. Add spinach, lime juice, rice vinegar and fish sauce. Process until blended. Stir in mint. Reserve. Preheat grill to high. Brush halibut with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place halibut skin-side down on grill. Close lid and grill for 10 minutes or until halibut is cooked but still moist in centre.

*Sambal Oelek is a pure chili sauce that packs a lot of heat.  You can find it in the thai section of the grocery or specialty food shop.

  

Lemony Potato Salad with Garlic Scapes and Peas

This delicious salad takes advantage of the best of the garden’s offerings right now:  fresh peas, garlic scapes and herbs. 

3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes

Large handful garlic scapes, trimmed of pods

1 cup shelled fresh peas

For the Dressing:

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup olive oil

1 large lemon, zest and juice

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

To Season:

½ cup green onions, thinly sliced

1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/3 cup chopped fresh mint

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water by an inch or so.  Add a generous spoonful of salt to the water and bring to a boil.  Place the scapes on top of the potatoes, cover, and reduce heat to medium.  After 5 minutes, transfer the scapes with tongs to a cutting board and chop into 1” pieces.  When the potatoes are tender drain them, and peel them when cool enough to handle.  Chop into ¾” cubes.  In a small pot, cover the peas with salted water, bring to a boil for a minute or two, then drain and rinse under cold water.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, oil, and lemon zest and juice.  In a large bowl, combine the rice vinegar, and some salt and pepper.  Toss the cubed potatoes with the vinegar, then add the dressing, and toss in the scapes, peas, herbs and green onions.  Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed. 

French Beans with Cherry Tomatoes and Sun-Dried Olives

1 pound French beans, trimmed

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

1/3 cup chopped Kalamata olives

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 ½ tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon minced shallots

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Blanch the beans, then drain and dry them thoroughly.  Place them in a shallow serving bowl with the cherry tomatoes and olives.  In a small jar with a tight seal, combine the oil, vinegar, shallots, thyme, salt and pepper.  Shake well to combine, then drizzle over the vegetables.  Toss gently to coat with the vinaigrette.

Canada Day in Muskoka

As usual Canada Day weekend was celebrated with a big group of friends and family and friends’ friends and friends’ dogs.  With some organization and advanced planning, we managed to prepare 3 meals per day for 19-20 people while still enjoying our water sports and book reading on the dock. (The kids did the dishes!)  Our grocery list included 2 dozen avocados (for endless batches of guacamole), a dozen packages of cherry tomatoes, 2 flats of strawberries, several quarts of hand-picked blackberries, several dozen hamburgers and hotdogs, 2 beef tenderloins, a huge side of halibut, tuna,  chicken legs, 4 heads of broccoli, 5 pounds of green beans, 10 pounds of potatoes, a dozen peppers, and just a few bottles of wine. 

Bev organized Sunday's meal starring grilled beef tenderloin, with sauces and sides that can compliment a range of mains from beef to fish.  

The smoked cherry tomatoes were a real highlight.  Simply light the Broil King Keg and set it to 250.  Spread cherry tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil. Set them on the smoker for 1 1/2 hours until tender and juicy.  Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Teddy surveyed the pantry and using what was on hand developed the recipe for this mustard sauce. We all loved it!

Maple Dijon sauce with Caramelized Shallots and Lavender

Chloe and Lindsay killing time before dinner.

3 shallots, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ teaspoon dried lavender

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 cup Dijon mustard

¼ cup white balsamic vinegar

½ teaspoon dried lavender

Small handful of chives, chopped

2 tablespoons maple syrup

In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the shallots and ¼ teaspoon lavender.  Saute until softened and beginning to turn golden.  Add the salt, pepper and brown sugar, and continue to cook until caramelized.  Let cool slightly, then place into a food processor or blender with the mustard, vinegar, another ½ teaspoon of lavender, chives and maple syrup.  Blend until smooth and serve at room temperature.

Smoked Chicken Tacos with Pickled Onions and Pineapple Salsa

For the chicken:

6 whole chicken legs (thighs attached)

Spice rub of your choice (we used a mixutre of brown sugar, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper)
Smoke the chicken legs at 250 for 4-5 hours, or until crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside.  Shred the meat and toss it with your favourite barbecue sauce.

For the Pineapple Salsa

3 cups diced pineapple

1 long red chili pepper, seeded and diced

Juice of one lime

1 tablespoon honey

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Let sit at room temperature for one hour to let the flavours develop.

For the Pickled Onions

2 cups sliced red onions

½ cup white wine vinegar

¼ cup red wine

2 tablespoons sugar

Bring the vinegar, wine and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan.  Add the sliced onions and cook for 30 seconds.  Let cool, place in a clean glass jar and store in the refrigerator up to one week.