Thanksgiving: A Time for Everyone's Favourites

Get this boy away from the city and see what happens!

Pluto, Cassie, Major and Abby in Heaven

This year all across Ontario families were blessed with unprecedented perfect sunshine and warm temperatures....almost too hot for golfing!  With a backdrop of autumn leaves, it was a treat to take our dogs out for hikes by the lake.

In anticipation of a house full of family and friends, we love to prepare each child’s favourites:  for Leslie that means dumplings, Luke loves biscotti, Andy is all about the ribs, Teddy must have stuffing, Reid adores pulled pork, and Samantha loves Granny’s apple crisp.  

When our kids gather together of course there are always a few friends, which adds another thing to give thanks for. 

Here are a few of our tips for the week:

1) One of the goals when closing up your cottage for the season is to make good use of everything that is left languishing in your cupboards.  Our cranberry sauce was created from just this situation:  a small amount of honey, maple syrup and the last splash of orange juice in the carton came together with a bag of fresh cranberries to create something really tasty!

2) You are never too old to learn - do not leave a note on the table for your young adult children after a night of Oktoberfesting, to put the turkey on the barbecue at 12:30.  They most likely will not be awake to read the note! So, our turkey went on at 2. Luckily, there was a very skilled griller in the house to make sure that it was cooked to perfection at the desired time.  Thanksgiving dinner disaster averted!!

Thanksgiving Ribs on the Smoker

Smoking ribs is an all day venture, so we got  organized in the morning, put them on the smoker and walked  away. Theoretically, we used the rest of the day to play a game of golf (or 9 holes, as I did, after all, someone had to get the rest of the dinner organized). 

8 lbs baby back ribs

¼ cup yellow mustard

1 cup spice rub (we mixed 2/3 cup of our Dry Southwest rub with 1/3 cup of brown sugar - or try this recipe)

1 cup barbecue sauce

Dry Rub for Ribs:

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 

1 tablespoon cumin

2 teaspoons dry mustard

2 teaspoons paprika

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon onion salt

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon oregano

Kris’ Barbecue Sauce:

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic

1 bottle beer

¼ cup cider vinegar
21/2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp yellow  mustard

4 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp Mexican rub

½ tsp cayenne

1 cup crushed tomatoes, pureed

2 tbsp ketchup

½ tsp salt

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil and add the onion.  Sauté until the onion is soft and translucent.  Add the minced garlic, and stir for one minute before adding the rest of the ingredients.  Bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour until beginning to thicken.

  

Prepare ribs by peeling the thin membrane off the back of the ribs. This is most easily accomplished by lifting an edge of the membrane with the tip of a knife, then grasping it with a piece of paper towel and pulling firmly. Coat front and back of each rib with yellow mustard and rub in. Then coat and rub the spice rub mixture over the front and back of each rib. Let sit half an hour before placing on the smoker.

Setting up the Broil King Keg

1.       Pour 3-4” deep layer of True’Cue lump charcoal on the bottom of the smoker.

2.       Use 2 True’Cue match-light charcoal starters to ignite the charcoal.

3.       Open the top and bottom vents to the widest position (#5).

4.       Let the coals burn for 10 minutes until the smoker reaches 200°F

5.       Dial down the top and bottom vents to the #2 position

6.       This should maintain a smoker temperature of 225°F for about 6 hours.

Note:  4” of charcoal will burn for 6-8 hours. 

Place a drip pan filled with water in the smoker. Once the smoker has reached a temperature of 225⁰F, place the ribs on the rack, leaving room all around for air to flow, close the lid and allow to cook at this temperature for 7-8 hours. Start to check for doneness after 6 hours. By gently pulling between 2 rib bones, the meat will come away from the bone easily when they are ready. When you see  that they are getting close to this tenderness, start basting with barbecue sauce.  Finish by cooking for another ½ hour.

Cranberry/Pistachio Biscotti 

 

Follow the link for this Martha Stewart recipe that I have used for years.  It is delicious and EASY!

 

These are great to help your kids when studying.  A cup of tea and a few biscotti will give them a boost and make them feel comfy and relaxed while hitting the books.

A New York Weekend

Rooftop view from The James in Soho

Scuptural installation at The Sculpture Center

Check out Bens webpage to see some more art

THe gallery was an old trolley factory- just beautiful!

       

 This week we continued with the theme of visiting our children in their exciting homes away from home.  Kris and Bev ventured to New York to see Ben's show at The Sculpture Center in Brooklyn. 

Ben and Elaine enjoying a night out with Mom!

Meanwhile, Andrea was busy in Montreal, helping out a friend (and sneaking in a visit with Reid, of course!) Needless to say, there were a few meals eaten out this weekend.
Now our thoughts are turning toward next weekend's Thanksgiving dinner.  Inspired by Andreas trip through Kensington market in Toronto with Teddy, we are thinking about sweet potatoes and turkey.

       Sweet Potato Soup with Crispy Sage and Stilton

  5        large  sweet potatoes

  2        russet potatoes

  3        tablespoons  butter                 

  ¾       cup  onion, finely chopped

  2        leeks, cleaned and chopped

  2        large  garlic clove, minced

  3        large  carrots, sliced thin

  1        bay leaf

  5        cups  chicken broth

  ¾       cup  dry white wine

  5 ½    cups  water

             salt and pepper, to taste

  1         bunch sage

  8         ounces  Stilton cheese, crumbled

No need to waste precious minutes peeling potatoes!  Scrub and pierce the sweet potatoes and russet potatoes and place them on the barbecue early in the day. Roast potatoes on HIGH for 45-50 minutes.   Let cool for 15 minutes, then simply scoop out the flesh, for use in the soup later.

When you have 15 minutes of free time, complete the soup!

In a large dutch oven, melt butter and add the onion, leek, garlic, carrots and bay leaf.  Cook over low heat, stirring, until the vegetables have softened. 

Add the chicken broth, wine and water and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Add the flesh of the sweet potatoes and russet potatoes and simmer 10 minutes, discard the bay leaf.  In a blender, puree the soup in batches, until it is very smooth. season the soup with salt and pepper.  This soup may be made a day or 2 in advance. Thin with additional stock, or water, as required.

TO MAKE CRISPY SAGE GARNISH: Heat 3 Tbsp of oil in a frying pan. When oil begins to sizzle, gently drop in clean and dry sage leaves and allow to fry for 1 -2 minutes. Remove carefully and let cool on a paper towel. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Serve soup in a wide mouthed bowl, topped with a crispy sage leaf and a tablespoon of Stilton cheese.

Turkey on the Smoker

1 12-lb turkey

2 yellow onions, quartered

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 sprigs fresh parsley

2 sprigs fresh sage

Prepare the turkey by rinsing under cool water and patting it dry.  Rub the outside with canola oil and stuff with onion quarters and fresh herbs.

Meanwhile, set up theBroil King Keg

1.       Pour 3-4” deep layer of True’Cue lump charcoal on the bottom of the smoker.

2.       Use 2 True’Cue match-light charcoal starters to ignite the charcoal.

3.       Open the top and bottom vents to the widest position (#5).

4.       Let the coals burn for 10 minutes until the smoker reaches 200°F

5.       Dial down the top and bottom vents to the #2 position

6.       This should maintain a smoker temperature of 225°F for about 6 hours.

4” of charcoal will burn for 6-8 hours. 

Once the coals are ready, place soaked wood chips on top of coals and place a drip pan filled with water on the rack holder. Place prepared turkey on lower grids and close lid.

Allow the turkey to cook slowly for 6 hours, at a temperature of 225⁰F.  Use a meat thermometer to monitor the cooking progress. Once the internal temperature of the breast meat has reached  170°F/72°C, remove the turkey from the smoker and wrap in foil. Let rest for half an hour, while the other parts of the meal are being organized.  This is a step that you should never skip when making a roast or whole poultry.  Resting allows all of the juices to regroup within the muscles of the meat. The result will be a very moist and flavourful turkey that the whole family will enjoy.

Whole Pig Roast

 The Kingston Farmer's Market

Roasting a whole pig over a barbecue is not for the faint of heart.  Before we share our recipe for this week’s event, we need to give you some background. 

Charlie visited from London England and Reid from Montreal

People who know us understand that our kids are scattered around in some great cities:  Toronto, Montreal, New York and London (Ontario and England).  There is NOTHING we like better than packing our bags and going off to visit them wherever they are.  This weekend, we headed off to the student ghetto in Kingston to visit our friend Bev’s son, Geoffrey, and the extra double bonus was that some of our children joined us at the festivities.  

The summer before last, Geoffrey spent his free time designing and building a charcoal barbecue big enough to grill a whole pig.  He even designed a special rotisserie “cage” to hold the heavy pig in place while it turns.....not a bad engineering feat for a fourth year Queens Commerce student.  Last year he hosted the first annual Aberdeen Pig Roast, and it was an epic success.  This year’s event was even bigger and better.  We will try to recreate how Geoffrey managed to feed 200 people with a 125 pound pig, and several kegs of beer.  

Whole Roasted Aberdeen Pig

1  125 lb dressed pig

3  3lb  smoked chickens, recipe below

1 double recipe stuffing, recipe from our July blog

Brine, recipe below

3 Litres apple juice for basting

Advance preparation:

Order pig from butcher and pick up the day before the roast.

Prepare apple juice brine (recipe below)

Prepare the chickens and place on smoker at 300⁰F for 2 hours (recipe below).

Prepare stuffing recipe taken from the July blog

Inject pig with brine. Rub with Lemon Pepper. Set aside on ice until ready to smoke.

Go out for a BN (big night)

Getting ready to roast the pig:

It will take 12-15 hours to roast the pig. As we said previously, this is not for the weak of heart, so be prepared to get up in the wee hours of the morning, or as Geoff recommends, do not go to bed in the first place.

Load up the roaster with 2 big bags of lump charcoal and allow coals to burn down to the desired temperature (250⁰F). Meanwhile stuff the chickens. Stuff the chickens into the cavity of the pig and pack around chickens with the remaining stuffing. Truss the pig with butchers twine and secure it onto the spit.

Roasting the pig:

For the next 12 hours, the temperature of the roaster must be constantly monitored and maintained at 250⁰F. Adjust heat by opening and closing the vents to allow for more or less air flow and by adding more charcoal as required. Spray pig with apple juice every half hour. When the internal temperature of the pig has reached 140⁰F, increase the temperature of the roaster to 350⁰F.  This will allow the skin to become brown and crackling. The pig is ready once an internal temperature of 160⁰F is reached. Remove from roaster and allow to rest half an hour before starting to carve.

Notes:

If the roaster gets too hot, spray water on the charcoal to cool it down quickly.   Concentrate the charcoal under the shoulder and butt areas of the pig.

Recipes:

Apple Juice Brine for Injecting into the pig

12 cups water

12 cups apple juice

1 cup sugar

1 cup salt

loads of red pepper flakes

ton of garlic, mashed

Let boil for 30 minutes

Cool and strain

Inject all over the pig

Geoff injected the pig with the brine using a large brine injection needle that he purchased for $7 from Loblaws. In his words “….it breaks easily but can still be used if broken, just use some extra force.  The big injection needle is good for really muscular places – the muscle will bulge out and look like you bruised your pig but the brine will eventually spread throughout and the pig will thank you for making him so delicious.”

 Smoked Chickens for stuffing into the pig.

3 3lb chickens

3 lemons

tons of lemon pepper

Put the juice of half the lemons on the chickens. Rub with lemon pepper and stuff with lemon halves. Smoke for 2 hours

Epilogue:

Yesterday Geoff gave us some more tips on how he continued to enjoy the rest of the weekend and share the bounty with his friends!!

10:00am Wake up Sunday morning after the best BN(Big Night) and chill with the boys, talking about how great a night you had.

10:30am Prepare the first of many pulled pork sandwiches of the day.

11:00am Open up the 'soup kitchen' for all of Aberdeen for neighbours to come in and have sandwiches.

We were a little concerned about the protein/vegetable balance that would be on offer so we brought a platter of Green Bean Salad from our cookbook.

             Green Bean Salad

 

  2        pounds  green beans, stem ends removed

                        For the Vinaigrette:

  3        tablespoons  dijon mustard

  3        tablespoons  honey

  1        lemon, freshly squeezed

  3        tablespoons apple cider vinegar

  ½       cup  olive oil

  ½       cup  fresh dill, finely chopped

            salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add beans and cook until

just tender crisp, about 5 minutes.  Drain and place beans in a bowl of

ice water for 5 minutes.  Drain again.  Lay towels or paper towels over

cooling racks.  Dry beans well, then wrap them up in damp towelling, and

refrigerate until ready to use. (Can be prepared one day in advance to

this stage).

Combine all the dressing ingredients if using the same day.   If preparing

more than one day in advance, omit the dill until the last minute.

Arrange the beans decoratively on a platter.  Just before serving,

drizzle with the dressing. 

 

Another (unrelated) highlight of the week was playing in a golf tournament to benefit the MDRC, an amazing research facility at Wilfrid Laurier University helping hundreds of patients dealing with the effects of Parkinson’s Disease.   We had a beautiful afternoon at the Elmira Golf Club to charge around the course and demonstrate our awesome swings. 

Bev, Mary Ann and Kris

Corn For All Seasons

Corn season is starting to wind down, and we are determined to make the most of what is left of it.  Local markets all over Ontario are still supplying beautiful bushels of cobs, and one of our very favourite  destinations in Waterloo County is HerrlesCountry Farm Market, which opens its doors in the spring and supplies a variety of local products until Hallowe’en. 

With our big families we are both used to buying quantities of food that don’t line up with our current empty nests.  Generally our weekly trips to Herrles means baskets and baskets of fresh produce, and during corn season, a dozen or more cobs of corn.  Last week we decided to smoke an abundance, use part of it for soup, and put the rest of the niblets in bags in the freezer to enjoy throughout the winter.

Smoked Corn on the Cob

Remove dark green husks and the plume of silk on the end of the cob.  Soak the corn for half and hour in a large pot of water.  Meanwhile, prepare the smoker by lighting the lump charcoal and soaking a handful of aromatic wood chips (we like to use hickory) in a bowl of water. 

Drain the chips, and sprinkle them over the burning coals, then open a section of the remaining husk and place the corn cobs on the rack and close the lid.   Smoke the corn for 1 ½ to 2 hours, maintaining a temperature of 250°F.

Smoked Corn and Lobster Chowder

Stock:

3 tbsp canola oil

2 stalks celery

1 yellow onion

2 carrots

3 cloves garlic

3 sprigs fresh thyme

3 bay leaves

2 cups clam juice/fish stock

4 cups water

1 1lb. can frozen lobster, thawed, reserve liquid for use in stock

4 cobs of corn, smoked

10 slices bacon, diced

2 tbsp butter

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 sprigs thyme

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

3 tbsp all purpose flour

6 small potatoes, chopped into ½ inch cubes

1 tin coconut milk

Salt and pepper, to taste

Garnish with ¼ cup chopped parsley

To smoke corn:

Prepare stock: Combine roughly chopped vegetables  and canola oil in a large, heavy stock pot.  Cook on medium-high for 3 minutes. Add thyme, bay leaves, clam juice, water and reserved liquid from lobster. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 – 1½  hours.  Remove from heat, strain and reserve the stock.

Chowder:

In a large pot, cook bacon over medium-high heat until golden brown.  Remove bacon and drain off most of the fat, leaving 1 tbsp in the pot. Add butter, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, thyme and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until soft.  Add flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring so that flour does not burn. Add the stock, potatoes and corn and bring to a boil. Add water if vegetables are not fully covered with stock.  Reduce heat, cover and cook on low for 20 minutes, until potatoes are tender.  Add lobster meat, coconut milk and bacon and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, remove thyme sprigs and garnish with parsley. Add salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.  Serve with crusty bread and a leafy green salad.

On another note, congratulations to Samantha and her team from U.W.O. Faculty of Medicine for participating in the Annual Terry Fox run on Sunday!!!!!!

What's this all about?

Vegetables on the Smoker

Ted’s birthday was a good excuse to get the creative juices flowing, and with the season’s incredible bounty it was not hard to find gorgeous fresh produce for the menu.  While we’ve been doing lots of meat and fish on the smoker over the summer, this seemed like a good time to experiment with the abundant vegetables.  In fact, it’s easy and efficient to do both:  while your meat is smoking, you can surround it with tomatoes and peppers, or fill the whole keg with veggies after the meat is finished.  Vegetables cooked with this method are not only smokey, but also very sweet and have a creamy texture.

Ginny and Geoff enjoying the celebration

 

We made Smoked Tomato Soup, and Peppers Stuffed with Smoked Vegetable Caponata.  

To smoke all the vegetables, set the smoker on low, around 200°F, and add a handful of wood chips.  Thickly slice zucchini and eggplant, cut peppers into chunks, and halve tomatoes (roma tomatoes work particularly well).  Brush them all lightly with olive oil, and set on the smoker using both the upper and lower racks.  Turn after about 20 minutes and adjust the heat if necessary.  Continue to cook the vegetables until nicely browned and dense, about one hour total for the more tender vegetables, and up to 2 hours for the tomatoes.

Smoked Tomato Soup

serves a crowd

1 basket roma tomatoes, smoked

1 basket field tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 carrots, chopped

4 stalks celery

2 cobs corn, kernels removed with a knife

4 cups chicken stock

½ cup white wine

Handful fresh basil

Smoke the tomatoes as outlined above.  Meanwhile, prepare the field tomatoes and set aside. 

In a stock pot or large dutch oven, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions and shallots until translucent.  Add the garlic and sauté one minute until fragrant.  Add the carrots, celery, and corn.  Sauté briefly, then add the stock and wine.  Add both kinds of tomatoes, and bring to a gentle boil.  Reduce heat and simmer gently until all the vegetables are very tender.  Cool slightly.

Puree in batches in a blender, adding a few basil leaves to each batch before pureeing.

May be served hot or cold, garnished with a dollop of crème fraiche and a basil leaf.

Peppers Stuffed with Smoked Vegetable Caponata

For the Caponata:

2 zucchinis

2 peppers

1 large eggplant

Olive oil

Fresh basil and rosemary, chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crumbled feta cheese

For the Peppers:

3 large bell peppers, your choice of yellow, orange or red

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

2 or 3 tablespoons melted butter

Parmesan cheese

Prepare the vegetables for the caponata on the smoker as outlined above.  Let cool completely.  Cut all the vegetables into a large dice, and toss in a medium bowl with enough good quality olive oil to make the vegetables glisten.  Add the herbs and spices and feta cheese and toss gently to combine.

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and ribs.  Spoon in the smoked vegetable mixture.  In a small bowl, toss the breadcrumbs with butter, and sprinkle this on top of the stuffed peppers.  Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top.

To help keep the peppers steady and level, and to preserve their shape, you may want to place each one into an empty small flan ring.  Reheat them on the top rack of the barbecue for 20-30 minutes or until heated through.  

Jay and Franny

Janet

GRILLED PIZZA - PERFECT FOR A PICNIC!

Captain for the day!

It was one of those magical days when the stars all started to fall into alignment.

Swimming in the middle of Lake Ontario

 It all started over cocktails at Michelle Joy's. She was having the girls from our pilates class over for a few drinks and a bite to eat, so of course after picking up a bottle of rose, I decided that I would grill up  some caramelized onion and gorgonzola pizzas, with pancetta and fresh basil from the garden. It is a real crowd pleaser and perfect for a party, since it is as good cold as it is hot. And, as always, I made a few extra pizzas, since you just never know!?!

Pizza and margheritas?!

The group included my sister Peggy, Stella, Michelle and her sister Paula, Claire and Kylie.  Stella is a kite boarder, she and her husband actually moved to Wolfe Island for its big winds.  She lives for windy days and is always totally on top of the weather forecast – she was bemoaning the fact that  she was on holidays and that the forecast for the next 2 days was that it was going to be dead calm.  Shortly thereafter,  I received an email from my brother Mark, the Lake Ontario Waterkeeper, asking if I wanted to join him and some friends for a boat excursion out to the Main Duck Islands. You have to understand that these beautiful, deserted islands out in the middle of Lake Ontario are surrounded by the most clear, pristine water going. The fishing is epic and the nature is just sublime. (Or so I have heard, never having been there!).   The trouble is, they are in the middle of Ontario’s version of the Bermuda Triangle, where the ship wrecks over the centuries have become legendary –all because of those big winds and waves.  

Blake couldn't resist the draw of the deep clear water!

This is why I was so excited and ready to go:  no wind, no waves and the pizza ready and waiting for a picnic!  Leslie and her friends were eager to join us, so they got the fishing poles ready, the boat filled with gas, and we were off the next morning by 7:15 for our great adventure!!

Our picnic was simple, but delicious – that is the way picnics are supposed to be! A few pizzas, a basket of Ontario peaches, some hummus and carrot sticks, a salami, loaf of freshly baked bread and some mustard. Yummy!

 

Caramelized Onion Pizza with Gorgonzola Cheese and Pancetta

  1             recipe  pizza dough or frozen

                        pizza dough, thawed

  3              large  onions -- roughly chopped

  2              tablespoons  olive oil

  1              cup  crumbled gorgonzola cheese

  5             slices  pancetta -- chopped

 1/4           cup  fresh basil -- chiffonade

                  coarse salt

To caramelize onions: Heat olive oil in a large saute pan and add onions.  Cook on medium/low for 30--40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and golden brown.

Meanwhile, preheat pizza stone by placing in cold barbecue and set to MEDIUM-HIGH, allowing it to heat up for at least 10 minutes. 

Prepare pizza dough by gently kneading and stretching thawed dough into desired shape and placing on a wooden pizza board or rimless baking tray, which has been liberally dusted with corn meal .

Top shaped pizza dough with caramelized onions, gorgonzola cheese and pancetta.  Bake in a preheated 400 F barbecue, with the lid closed, until the cheese is melted and pizzas are crispy and brown, approximately 10-12 minutes.

 Garnish with basil chiffonade and a sprinkle of coarse salt.  

Get Leslie away from her 3 brothers and then we"ll see who catches the fish

Leslie proudly pretends to hold her fish- Thanks Colin!

Grill Fish Chunks Wrapped in Bacon 

A feast or the hungry fishermen!

Leslie caught a beautiful small mouth bass, but she is not a fish lover. Her friend Chris, from Mikes Fish Market, suggested that we prepare it by cutting it into 1 ½ ” chunks and  marinating them in olive oil, lemon juice and Old Bay seasoning for half an hour.  After wrapping the chunks in 1/2 slice of bacon and fastening them with a toothpick, we grilled them on MEDIUM for 4 minutes/side and really enjoyed them.  Try this yourself –you will love it. We served them as an appetizer at dinner when we got home.