Italian Lessons

For the next two months we have the pleasure of hosting our Italian friend, Marco, whose father, aunt and uncle promote and distribute Broil King products throughout their country.  We are enjoying an exchange of knowledge and traditions, particularly in the kitchen and on the grill.  Earlier this week, Marco delighted us with his Bolognese Ragu over tagliatelle, and although not prepared on a barbecue or smoker we have included the recipe here because it was simply delicious!  Last night we grilled calamari and served it with a decidedly un-Italian tomato jam, inspired by a recipe from Fishy Fishy, a terrific restaurant in Brighton, UK.  However, in a nod to Italy we also served grilled Halibut with a tomato, caper and olive salsa and risotto Milanese.  As I write, Marco is working on pizza for the barbecue.  He has been phoning his help-line in Bologna for instructions and advice!

Marco’s Bolognese Ragu

 

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 stalks celery, minced

4 medium carrots, peeled and minced

1 onion, finely chopped

1 pound ground beef

1 pound ground pork

2 cups milk

Salt and pepper to taste

4 ½ cups strained tomatoes with basil (NB:  Marco used Mutti brand from Parma.  It is sold in tall glass jars in Italian grocery stores, and seems to be a very key ingredient in this recipe)

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons tomato paste

¼ cup butter

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-low heat.  Add the celery, carrots and onions, and cook until very tender, about 30 minutes.  Add the meat and break it up with a spatula as it browns until it is very tiny morsels.  This too is key, and takes about 20 minutes.  Add 2 cups of milk, or enough to just cover the meat and vegetable mix.  Keeping the sauce at a gentle simmer, continue cooking until almost all the milk is absorbed, about 45 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the strained tomatoes, 1 cup milk, tomato paste and butter.  Simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly.  Pour into the prepared meat and vegetable sauce and stir to combine. 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and drop in 100 grams of dry tagliatelle pasta per person.  Cook until al dente, drain well, then return to the pot and add several ladles full of Bolognese Ragu.  Toss well.  Serve in heated bowls with another spoonful of sauce and top with grated parmesan cheese.

Calamari with Spicy Tomato Jam

For the Spicy Tomato Jam:

2 red habanera peppers, seeded and minced

3 or 4 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

2 cups brown sugar

½ cup red wine vinegar

Combine all the jam ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a lively simmer.  Continue to cook until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour.  Cool, and store for up to two weeks in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed glass jar.

For the Calamari

3 frozen tubes squid

2 tablespoons canola oil

Seasoned salt (we used I Signori Barbecue Fish condiment)

Preheat the barbecue on MEDIUM HIGH and clean the grids thoroughly with a wire brush.  Brush or spray with vegetable oil to prevent sticking.

Cut the squid into ½” rings and toss with oil and salt.  Reduce the heat to MEDIUM, and place the calamari on the grill.  Cook very lightly, about 2 minutes per side. 

Serve on a bed of greens with the tomato jam.

Grilled Halibut with Olive and Tomato Salsa

Fresh Halibut fillets

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

For the Olive and Tomato Salsa

1 ripe tomato, seeded and chopped

1 small shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ cup chopped pitted kalamata olives

¼ cup chopped sun dried tomatoes pack in oil

1 tablespoon drained capers

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Zest of one lemon

1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the salsa ingredients in a medium bowl.  Let sit covered at room temperature for 1-2 hours to develop flavours. 

For the Halibut

Coat the fish well with the oil, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Grill on a preheated barbecue on MEDIUM for 5 minutes per side (or 10 minutes total per inch of thickness of the fish).  Serve with the prepared salsa.  

Apple Pork Tenderloin Crostini

A beautiful fall weekend on Wolfe Island must include a visit to Peggy and Bruce's apple orchard. And what an abundant crop they had this year. We picked bushels of apples, since we wanted to bring home some apple cider.

After spending about 15 minutes working with Maddy and Abby at the cider press, Kris had to call in the big guns, if she wanted to get more than 1/2 litre of cider. Thanks to all of the help we ended up pressing over 10 litres of cider, while developing some very strong biceps!

We were inspired by this bumper crop of apples to create a full apple menu, so we hope that you enjoy them as much as we did.

Apple Pork Tenderloin Crostini

For the Pork Tenderloin:

2 pork tenderloins

1 cup apple cider

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

2 tablespoons grainy mustard

2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Apples:

3 apples, cored, peeled and quartered

½ cup apple cider

½ cup maple syrup

½ teaspoon kosher salt

For the Caramelized Onions:

1 large Spanish onion, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/3 cup apple cider

For the Crostini:

1 baguette, thinly sliced

Olive oil

Fresh thyme, for garnish

For the pork tenderloin, pour the apple cider into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce the temperature to a simmer, and reduce the cider until syrupy and until about ¼ cup cider remains.  Whisk in the remaining ingredients and pour over the tenderloins.  Refrigerate 2 hours or up to overnight. 

Set a smoker at about 250°F.  Place the pork tenderloin on the smoker and baste occasionally with the marinade until cooked through, about 2 hours.  Let rest before slicing thinly.

Meanwhile, prepare the apples by placing the cider, syrup and salt in a small saucepan.  Reduce until syrupy, and pour over apples in an ovenproof dish.  Set on the smoker for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally to coat with the sauce.  Remove from grill, and slice apples into thinner slices

For the onions, heat the olive oil in a skillet on MEDIUM LOW.  Add the onions, stir to coat with the oil, and cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are tender and golden.  Pour in the apple cider and continue to cook until all the liquid is absorbed and the onions are golden brown.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Brush the bread slices lightly with olive oil.  Toast them on both sides on a preheated barbecue or smoker.

Jack picked Kris' share!

SWEET POTATO AND GOLDEN BEET GRATIN

The quantities given in this recipe will serve a big group.  We made two casseroles out of it: One large 9 X 13 “ casserole, that we brought with us to the party to serve 8, and a smaller casserole that we froze after baking, for a future weekday meal!

2 tbsp butter

4 medium sweet potatoes

2 yellow potatoes

6 medium golden beets

1 large yellow onion

1 leek

1 large tart apple

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch fresh thyme

Salt & pepper

300 g goat cheese, crumbled

2 cups cream

1 cup chicken stock

200 g parmesan cheese, grated

Prepare a large and smaller casserole by greasing them well with butter. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes, beets, onions, leek and apple, setting them aside in separate piles.  Begin layering sweet potato, yellow potatoes, beets, onion, leeks, apple and minced garlic, salt and pepper, fresh thyme and goat cheese; repeat layers.  Pour cream over top, and add chicken stock if more liquid is needed. Top with grated parmesan cheese.

 Cover and bake in 350° F (180° C) oven for 40 hour. Uncover and bake until lightly browned and potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

See our recipe for Smoked Prime Rib

Anne’s Apple Cake

The Batter:

3 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

2 ½ cups sugar

½ tsp salt

1 cup oil

4 eggs unbeaten

½ cup orange juice

2 ½ tsp vanilla

Combine all of the above in a large bowl. Beat until smooth (about 3 minutes)

The Apples:

4 large apples, peeled and sliced

2 tsp cinnamon

5 tablespoons sugar

Combine above ingredients.

Layer in an angel food pan - three layers (batter, apple, batter, apple, batter, apple).

Bake 350° for 1 ¾ hours

Marco is visiting from Italy and is loving all of the fresh Ontario foods!

Thanks for all of your hard work Allie and Maddy!

Barbecued Beef Brisket and the trimmings-UK style!!

Please enjoy this weeks entry, contributed by Charlie Witzel and his friend, John White, who wrote this blog. Charlie and his friends put together a terrific Thanksgiving feast, and it sounds like the party was a blast! Thanks to our guest bloggers!

Canadian Thanksgiving is quickly becoming one of our favourite holidays. Our group of friends have been celebrating it for five years now, ever since the English branch of the Witzel clan landed on these shores. Turkey is rather hard to come by on this side of the Atlantic this far from Christmas, so giving Thanksgiving a distinctly English vibe we decided on roast beef. On this sunny autumnal day armed with four kilos of beef brisket, Bloody Marys and the 250 top songs of the 90s we flung ourselves headlong into Thanksgiving! On a sad note our friend and fellow ‘supper club’ member Zoe couldn’t be with us due to an unfortunate illness. She has made a full recovery and we all send our love.

Saturday was shopping and dessert day. We started by going to the Ginger Pig, our favourite butcher to collect the centrepiece of brisket and a few other bits and pieces. In between glasses of wine we managed to get the pumpkin pie, butter tarts (Canada’s greatest contribution to the world since maple syrup!) and custard made. With the desserts and veggie prep out of the way Sunday was set to be a breeze! Sunday morning started early. The beef was put in the BBQ for its eight hour steam, and we all had our breakfast of bacon, eggs and amaretto coffees! We had quite a lot of work ahead of us but a motivational soundtrack and many hands made light work. The meal was beef brisket, gravy, roasties, mash, maple-glazed carrots and parsnips, cauliflower cheese, Yorkshire puddings and brussels sprouts, quite a spread! We managed to squeeze 12 people around the table and raised the roof with a rendition of ‘O Canada’ led by the two Witzel boys. All in all a fantastic day!

 We’re sharing a few of our favourite recipes, some of which will work just as well at Christmas. Below is our take on cauliflower cheese, the best gravy ever, beef-dripping roasties, slow-cooked brisket and a great way to jazz up the humble brussels sprout. We hope you have as much fun making them as we did!
 Belated Happy Thanksgiving!

Beef Gravy

2K beef bones (as your butcher to chop them up for you)
2 rashers smoked bacon
4 tbsp olive oil
½ bottle red wine, a robust, full-bodied wine works best
3 onions, quartered
½ head of celery, roughly chopped
4 carrots, halved
1 bulb garlic
10 peppercorns
2 star anise
6 cloves
1 tbsp tomato puree
3 sprigs rosemary
1 bunch of thyme
4 bay leaves
1 tbsp sherry vinegar (balsamic works well also)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
50g room temperature butter
50g flour
A few knobs of cold butter

Brown the beef bones and bacon well, in batches so as to not crowd the pan. Add to the stock pot.

Deglaze the pan with some red wine and add to the pot. Add all the ingredients to the pot apart from the butter, flour and seasoning. Cover with water and simmer for between 4 and 12 hours, skimming of the fat and froth regularly. Save the fat as you will make the best roast potatoes with it! Don’t season the stock at this stage as when you come to reduce it there is a risk it will be overwhelmingly salty.

Meanwhile, combine the warm butter and flour into a paste, this makes a beurre manie. This kinda cheffy trick allows you to thicken sauces and soups with a great degree of control. Set this aside

Strain the stock and discard the bones, etc. Put the stock back on the heat, reduce it by half. This beef stock can be used to make the best soups, stews and risottos. If you have a roasting tin with lots of crispy bit at the bottom deglaze that with some wine and add to the stock.

At this stage you can either reduce it by another 2/3 to make a very elegant French-style jus, or for a more comforting English-style gravy (our preference) whisk in half the prepared beurre manie and boil for a few minutes to cook out the flour. Check the consistency; if you wish to thicken it more add more buerre manie in the same way. When it reaches your desired consistency, season to taste with salt and pepper. To give the gravy a beautiful sheen take it off the heat and whisk in the reserved cold butter. Serve with roast beef or grilled steaks.

Barbecue Braised Beef Brisket

4 Kilo Beef Brisket

2 Bottles Cheap Red Wine

2 carrots

1 white onion

1 head garlic

A few sprigs of rosemary

Salt and pepper

Prepare the barbecue for indirect cooking, using diluted wine and water in the drip pans. Set brisket in roasting pan with one inch red wine mix. Include rosemary, carrots, onion and halved garlic in this. Roast over high heat for 20 minutes before reducing to 200°F. Baste every hour or so, and flip the brisket halfway through cooking time.  Braise until tender and moist, which for us was approximately 6.5-7 hours.   Rest for 40 minutes.

 

 Cauliflower Cheese                                   

2 cauliflowers, cut into florets
500 ml chicken stock (reduced to 200 ml)
300 ml white wine (reduced to 50 ml)
1 clove garlic, crushed
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch ground nutmeg
1 tsp mustard powder
500 g cheddar, grated
4 tbsps flour 

Boil or steam the cauliflower until tender. Bring the stock, wine and spices to the boil. Mix the cheese and flour so that the cheese is coated. Start adding handfuls to the stock and wine mixing until incorporated. When all of the cheese is incorporated,  bring the sauce to the boil and season.Mix the sauce and cooked cauliflower and place in an ovenproof dish. Grate some cheese on top and grill until browned on top and bubbling.

Brussels Sprouts with Pinenuts, Pancetta and Parmesan

1 K Brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed and halved
100 g pancetta, sliced
100 g pine nuts
1 clove garlic, crushed
Half a glass white wine
100 g parmesan, grated

Fry the pancetta and pine nuts in olive oil until golden.  Add the garlic then the brussels sprouts and wine, season.  Cover the pan and steam the brussels sprouts until tender, adding more water if the pan dries out.  Finish with the parmesan.

Beef-dripping Roasties

2 K potatoes, a floury variety works best, peeled and quartered
6 tablespoons, beef dripping, or goose fat
A few sprigs of rosemary
One bulb of garlic broken into cloves, unpeeled

      Heat the oven to 220° C.  Boil the potatoes in well salted water until tender. You want them to be as cooked as possible whilst still holding their shape.  Drain the potatoes and shake slightly to rough up the edges, for extra crispiness.  Heat the beef-dripping in the oven remove and add the potatoes, garlic and rosemary, season. Baste the potatoes and put in the oven.  Cook until golden all over, basting and turning regularly.

Special mention also goes out to Charlies faithful "Lady Portia", his Porta Chef barbecue, without which this whole experience would not have been possible!!!