Christmas Traditions

Next year, this crew will expand again, with the addition of twins- Congratulations Jordan and Charu!

 When it comes to the Christmas season, there are not a lot of new recipes being developed in our households. Each of our homes swell to accommodate our 4 children, their spouses, friends and various other special guests. We look so forward to this time, that we try to make things as easy on ourselves as possible, by making those tried and true dishes that we know are favorites, and that feed the masses.

 A great example is the smoked salmon, that we prepare every Christmas Eve. This is a great dish to add to a menu, as it can be eaten as a main course, a side dish with breakfast on Christmas morning, or as an appetizer. We saved a bit for ourselves for our boxing Day dinner - we ate it in a healthy green salad, then escaped a household full of 20-somethings as they launched into their annual Boxing Day bash at our place.

Boxing Day starts with our traditional road hockey game. This year, Jackie was the only girl on the rink - what is that all about? Next year, we have to get a better turnout!
The Boxing Day party for the younger crowd usually involves a menu that includes everything in the refrigerator and more. We had marinated 5 pork tenderloins in a teriyaki style marinade, just to get them started.  Then we headed out to a movie and they kicked into high gear with their preparations.

Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

5 pork tenderloins

Marinade:

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

1 tbsp sirachi sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp ground ginger

 

Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a small mixing bowl.  Place  tenderloins in a glass dish or a resealable plastic bag.  Pour marinade ingredients over the pork, and cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or as long as overnight.

Preheat barbecue on MEDIUM-HIGH.  Clean with a wire brush, and brush or spray them with vegetable oil to prevent sticking. 

Meanwhile, remove tenderloins from the marinade, and pat dry with a paper towel.  Brush or spray very lightly with vegetable oil.  Reserve the marinade for brushing over the meat during the initial cooking stages.

Reduce barbecue temperature to MEDIUM, and place the pork on the grill on the diagonal.  Close the lid and cook for 8 minutes. 

Brush reserved marinade over the meat, then turn by 1/3, brush it again, and close the lid for another 7 minutes.  Brush the meat once more, turn by the final 1/3, close the lid and turn off the barbecue.  Let stand inside the grill for 6 minutes.  Remove to a carving board, cover with foil and a kitchen towel, and let stand another 5-10 minutes to reabsorb juices.  Carve into thick slices on the diagonal.

 Tara made a wonderful beet dish that everyone raved about. She roasted the beets, sauteed the stems and steamed the greens. This was served tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Sounds divine! We are going to try to duplicate the recipe this week.

A great time was had by all, but it looks like some practice needs to be done with the new camera!!!

Summer Fish

 

When the summer weather finally arrives we find we are craving some lighter dishes.  Fish fits the bill nicely, whether purchased or caught off your dock.   Here are some recipes for different techniques and flavours to compliment them. 

Sablefish with Tequila Lime Marinade

2 large sablefish filets

for the marinade:

1/2 cup lime juice

2 tablespoons tequila

2 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon hot sauce

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

½ cup olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a large glass flat-bottomed dish.  Add the fish and turn to coat well.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat barbecue on MEDIUM.  Brush the grids with a wire brush, then coat well with vegetable oil.  Lay the fish on the grill, skin side down, and brush the fish with more vegetable oil.  Close lid and cook for 3-5 minutes.  The skin will stick to the grids, but wiggle a large metal spatula between the loosened skin and the flesh, lift the fish off and flip it on to well-oiled grids.  Brush more of the marinade over the fish, and cook for 3 more minutes.  Carefully turn the fish again, brushing with the marinade and cook for about 4 minutes, depending on the thickness.  The flesh should just flake.  Do not over cook. 

Serve with Mango Salsa, recipe follows.

Mango Salsa

1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 peppadew peppers, minced

handful of cilantro, chopped,

juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 ripe avocado, chopped

Combine all ingredients except avocado in a small bowl and let stand, covered, for an hour or so.  Add the chopped avocado just before serving to prevent it from browning.

Mark caught 3 lovely small mouthed bass just off the island while paddling around in a kayak.  He fileted one of them, dusted it with this special rub, and grilled it over the coals of the smoker for 5 minutes before serving with Mango Salsa.

Rub for Freshly Caught Fish

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 tablespoon brown sugar

zest of one lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Double-Hot-Smoked Cedar Plank Salmon

1 side salmon

for the marinade:

¼ cup maple whisky

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 clove garlic, minced

2 green onions, minced

1 teaspoon paprika

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tim came up with this excellent technique for salmon on the Broil King Keg.  After lighting the coals, and soaking the cedar plank, he wiped the board dry and then painted some of the marinade over one side of the cedar plank.  He placed the plank on the smoker set to 350°F, and let it heat up until it started to smoke.  He lay the salmon on the board, closed the lid, and let it smoke for about 25 minutes.  It was divine!

For a fresh green side dish we chose Bonnie Sterne’s recipe for 

Edamame and Green Bean Stir-fry.

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 pound green beans, frenched

8 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed

1 pound thawed shelled edamame

¼ cup water

½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Heat oil in a wok on medium-high heat.  Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 10 seconds, or until fragrant.

Add the green beans and sugar snaps and stir-fry for 30 seconds.  Add the edamame and stir-fry for 30 seconds. 

Add water and salt.  Bring to a boil and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until vegetables are bright green and tender.  Most of the water should have evaporated.  Add lemon peel and mint, and toss.  Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Joseph Boyden

Joseph Boyden was in town last week, in his role as writer-in-residence at  Laurier University.  Along with a group of supporters of the university, we joined him, his mother Blanche and a couple of his siblings for dinner at the Cambridge Mill restaurant. The event was to launch a new scholarship, the Blanche Boyden Aboriginal Student Award. Joseph read from Three Day Road and Through Black Spruce, as well as an excerpt from a work in progress (shhh! don't tell his publisher!)
Of course, the meal was a highlight, with the menu including Bison. This inspired us to head out to the St. Jacobs Market to find some local Canadian ingredients that would suit the aboriginal theme.  The market was teaming with people, and we found some lovely local lamb, pork and potatoes. But the true jackpot was finding some bison steaks, wild rice, and MAPLE SYRUP!! Yeah!!

Smoked Salmon Appetizers

½ pound cold smoked salmon (we recommend T&J’s Seafood where they make it in house in the KW area).

½ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

German style rye bread slices

Capers, drained

Fresh dill, torn into small fronds

If the smoked salmon is not pre-sliced, place it in the freezer for 20 minutes.  Starting at the tail end, using a very sharp knife, slice thinly.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, syrup and mustard.  Spread this mixture on the rye bread.  Cover the mayo mixture with slices of salmon.  Cut each slice of salmon-covered bread into 6 pieces.  Garnish each piece with a few capers and a piece of dill.  

  

Prosciutto Wrapped Figs

These are great on their own as an appetizer, and are also delicious served on a bed of greens tossed in vinaigrette, with some shavings of parmesan cheese.

4 fresh figs, stems removed and cut into quarters

Maple syrup (about 2 tablespoons

Le Douanier cheese, cut into 1” slices (16 pieces)

(or your favourite semi-soft melting cheese)

8 slices Pingue prosciutto, cut in half

Olive oil, for brushing

Set a slice of cheese on top of the halved slice of prosciutto.  Lightly brush a fig quarter with maple syrup, and set it on top of the cheese slice.  Wrap the fig and cheese in a package, and set on a lightly oiled plate.  Repeat with remaining figs, cheese and ham.  Let the bundles stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes to help them hold their shape.

Preheat barbecue on MEDIUM HIGH for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to MEDIUM LOW, and brush the grids with a wire bristle barbecue brush to clean.

Brush the surface of the prosciutto wrapped figs with a little more olive oil to prevent sticking.  Place on the grill, and cook, turning, until the cheese is just melted and the ham is slightly browned, about 3 minutes.

Bison Steaks

Bison is extremely lean and should not be cooked beyond medium rare or it will become tough and dry.  When cooked properly it is a sweet and delicious meat.

4 Bison strip steaks, about 1” thick

For the Marinade:

½ cup red wine

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1 ½ teaspoons crushed juniper berries

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine.  Place the bison steaks in a Ziploc bag and pour the marinade over them.  Seal the bag and place it in the refrigerator for about 4 hours, turning occasionally to coat the meat.

For the Sauce:

2 red bell peppers, roasted, peeled and chopped

Ron and Jane joined us on Friday night.

1 small shallot, finely minced

1 tablespoon olive oil or butter

1 cup red wine

½ cup veal demi-glace

Roast the peppers and peel when cool enough to handle.  Puree them in a blender, foodmill, or by pressing through a fine-meshed sieve.  Set aside in a small bowl.

Heat the olive oil or butter in a small sauce-pan and sauté the shallot until translucent.  Add the wine, and simmer until reduced to ¼ cup.  Add the pureed peppers, and veal demi-glace.  Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Preheat barbecue on MEDIUM HIGH.  Cook steaks according to our guide for medium rare:  (2 minutes, 2 minutes, 2 minutes, 2 minutes).

Wild Rice Casserole

1 cup Canadian wild rice, rinsed and drained

6 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon olive oil

6 ounces baby bella mushrooms, chopped

½ small onion, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 roasted red pepper, chopped

½ cup toasted slivered almonds

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bring the chicken stock to a boil and add wild rice.  Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 40 minutes.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of the stock.

Meanwhile, in a medium non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil on high.  Add the chopped mushrooms and sauté until browned and all liquid has evaporated.  Set aside in a small bowl.  Set the skillet over the heat and add a little more olive oil, if desired.  Add the onion and celery and sauté on medium-low until tender.  Add the red pepper, mushrooms and rice, and toss to combine.  Turn everything into a heat proof casserole dish, and add the reserved stock.  Cover and reheat for about 15 minutes.   Sprinkle with almonds, parsley, salt and pepper and toss to combine. 

                                         Apple Crisp on the Grill

6-10 cooking apples (we used Cortland), sliced, about 1 ½ apples per person

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons maple syrup

For the crisp topping:

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup white sugar

½ cup flour

½ cup rolled oats

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/3 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces

½ cup pecans, finely chopped

Oil a cast iron pan with a small amount of canola oil.  Add the sliced apples.

In a medium-large bowl, combine the sugars, flour, oats and cinnamon.  Using a pastry blender, cut in the butter until large crumbs form (this takes some elbow grease but is worth the effort!).  Add the pecans and toss to combine. 

Sprinkle the topping mix over the prepared apples.  (If there is extra topping throw it into the freezer for another crisp.)   Place the cast iron pan in the centre of the top rack of the barbecue, with the two outside burners on LOW and the centre burner OFF.  Adjust the temperature to stay at around 350°F.  Cook for about 45 minutes, checking every 15 minutes or so until the topping is slightly browned and the apples are bubbly.  Serve with ice cream.