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Spring 2011
Spring has sprung and it is the time for salads. As we move into a spring Real Estate market I find that my time in the kitchen is becoming limited so once in a while Lynn and I'll throw together a salad with some extras. Recently I introduced Lynn to the "Warm Spinach Salad" that was famous at the Cellar Restaurant in St. John's (http://www.thecellarrestaurant.ca/). Yes, I've already bragged about my cousin Harold Brown's restaurant, one of Canada's Top 100 Restaurants and it's back home on the rock.
Here's a rough idea of how to make a Warm Spinach Salad:
Warm Spinach Salad for 2 people
2 strips bacon, cut up 1/2 chicken breast/person - chopped up
1/2 red onion chopped up 2 mushrooms sliced per person
1/2 cup malt vinegar 1/2 potato sliced per person partially cooked
1/2 cup spinach/person Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
In a good sized frying pan, saute bacon with the olive oil and after about half cooked, put in the sliced potatoes. Saute over medium heat until the potatoes are partially brown. Take out and place in a bowl to be used later. In the dregs, cook the chicken until done. Add onions and mushrooms and salt and pepper. Return the potatoes and bacon to the pan and heat up. Add some more olive oil (remember to not cook on high heat as that affects the integrety of the olive oil) and then add the malt vinegar. Get to a boil.
Have a bowl of spinach laid out per person and then when the oil/vinegar mixture is boiling with all the chicken, onions, mushrooms, and potatoes pour it over the spinach. Serve while hot. Add salt and pepper to taste.
This is a meal in itself and a cool glass of Californian Chablis should complement this nicely!
What sets this dish above most other salads is that it's quick, it filling, it smells powerful and is delicious!
Enjoy.
January 2011
Well, this past Christmas I had the delightful experience of Christmas caroling with my fiance (yes, Lynn said yes) and her kids with some of our friends in Schwartzwald. Afterwards we all piled back to Cindy and Kevin's house for a bowl of one of the best chili's I'd ever had.
Naturally the only way to truly flatter someone is to copy it! So, for a get together with some friends over Christmas, I prepared a pot of "Cindy's Chili". Wow, was it good.....almost as good as hers but delicious. Here's the nuts and bolts of her recipe as given to me over the phone with a joke that basically it's whatever's in the kitchen goes in the pot! Love the way people from Caledonia cook! Start with your glass of red wine then:
Cindy's Chili
2 lbs ground beef 1 can chopped tomatoes
1 green pepper chopped 1/2 bottle of red wine (open a good bottle and drink the rest while cooking)
1 celery stalk chopped 1/4 Cup smokey barbeque sauce
1 onion chopped 1/2 cup sweet Thai chili sauce
Smokey Chipotle Chili Powder-add slowly 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 can red kidney beans (drained) 1 can 5 bean mixture
Some garlic, salt and pepper
Brown the beef in a good sized pot. Pour yourself another glass of red wine after chopping veg, you deserve it. Add the veg to the beef, then the tomatoes, the wine and the rest of the spices and the Chipotle powder (this part slowly). Sip on the red wine and don't gulp because all along you're tasting and it's starting to get warm and the wine is tasting good!. Let simmer for an hour covered, add a bit of water just to make sure. Let simmer another hour to let all the flavors blend together. Let stand after turning oven off and serve with some hearty dinner rolls and a heavy cabernet. The brown sugar certainly sweetens the taste and the chipotle will give you a little sweat on your brow. Open the 3rd bottle of wine. Hey, one was used for cooking!
September 2010
Now the middle of September and how about something a little zesty for the fall? Who doesn't like shrimp? Who doesn't like a little heat this time of year? How about combining the both of these into a deliciously tasty and spicy appetizer. This recipe comes from one of Canada's top rated restaurants that's located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador "The Cellar Restaurant" and it's called "Crispy Fried Shrimp"
Crispy Fried Shrimp
6-8 oz shrimp per person, peeled and devained
Lemon juice to cover
1/5 cup per person julianned ginger
fresh pepper to taste
crushed garlic - you be the judge
Green onion chopped 1/4 cup per person
flour
chili paste - hot as you can handle
oil - usually some good vegetable oil
Soak shrimp in the lemon juice for about an hour. Then flour shrimp and saute on a skillet in the hot oil. Get a good color per side then remove before completely cooked.
With the dregs left in the skillet, add the garlic, pepper, ginger and chili paste......get hot then add the onion for 30+ seconds. Add the shrimp back in and toss for about a minute and serve.
Serve with a chilled beverage because this dish is HOT! Enjoy.
End of August and it's coming to the end of hot nights with a little chill in the air. Why not add some oomph to your menu and consider these soul warming recipes that all include Guinness Beer. A hearty beer that sticks to your ribs as Mom would say. I've included a recipe for stew and then a bunch of Guinness marnades.......yes.....mmmmm........Guinness.....
BEEF AND GUINNESS STEW
25ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
2 onions, diced
1-2 sprigs of fresh thyme (or 1/4 tsp
dried)
2 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly
125ml (1/2 cup) flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 kg (2.2 lb) braising (or other steak
with some fat for flavour) steak
375ml (1 1/2 cup) Guinness (or other
dark ale)
375ml (1 1/2 cup) beef stock
Fresh parsley
Heat olive oil in large, oven-proof pan to medium-high and sauté onion for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes more until onion is softened. Transfer to a plate.
Put the flour, salt and pepper in large zip lock bag. Cut steak into bite-size pieces and shake them in the bag of flour to coat well. Add a little more oil to pan and cook floured and seasoned meat until browned on all sides, adding leftover flour to pan as well. Return onion mixture to pan along with Guinness and beef stock.
Partially cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve with chopped parsley sprinkled over top.
A few Guinness marinades
Guiness Marinade
1xRib eye steak (12 ounce)
2xGarlic cloves
1tspShallots
1tblVidalia onion
1/4tspTarragon, fresh
1/4tspParsley
1tspWorcestershire sauce
1tspDijon mustard
4ozGuinness Stout Beer, room temperature
1ozTamari soy sauce
1/8tspBlack pepper, coarse grind
1/8tspSalt
- Finely chop gralic, shallot and onion and place in a small bowl. Finely chop parsley and tarragon and add to the bowl. Add the Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, Guinness beer, Tamari and seasonings then mix well to combine. Let stand for 30 minutes to blend flavors.
- Place the ribeye in the marinade and make sure it is well coated. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight if being used for a picnic entree the following day.
- Pre-heat the grill and then cook the ribeye.
- Place the remaining marinade in a small saucepan on the grill and reduce it for one or two minutes until slightly thickened. Add more beer to the marinade at this stage if desired. Pour over the ribeye and serve.
- ** This marinade recipe is enough for one steak. Multiply as necessary.
Or
Guinness Marinade
1 12 oz Can Guiness Stout Ale
1/4 Cup Worchestershire Sauce
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tsp. Chopped Garlic
Salt & Pepper to Taste
4 Sirlion Steaks
Oven Temperature:
NA
Directions
Marinate 4 hours or overnight. Cook over hot grill to desired temperature.
Guinness Marinade
4 ounces Guinness Stout Beer at room temperature
2 garlic cloves
1 ounce soy sauce
1 tablespoon Vidalia onion
1 teaspoon shallots
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon fresh tarragon
1/4 teaspoon parsley
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
Finely chop garlic, shallot and onion and place in a small bowl. Finely chop parsley and tarragon and add to the bowl. Add the Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, Guinness beer, soy sauce and seasonings then mix well to combine. Let stand for 30 minutes to blend flavors. Once you have finished marinating, place the remaining marinade in a small saucepan and reduce it for one or two minutes until slightly thickened. Add more beer to the marinade at this stage if desired.
Or
Guinness Marinade
4 ounces Guinness Stout Beer at room temperature
2 garlic cloves
1 ounce soy sauce
1 tablespoon Vidalia onion
1 teaspoon shallots
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon fresh tarragon
1/4 teaspoon parsley
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
Finely chop garlic, shallot and onion and place in a small bowl. Finely chop parsley and tarragon and add to the bowl. Add the Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, Guinness beer, soy sauce and seasonings then mix well to combine. Let stand for 30 minutes to blend flavors. Once you have finished marinating, place the remaining marinade in a small saucepan and reduce it for one or two minutes until slightly thickened. Add more beer to the marinade at this stage if desired.
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Recipe's
