Find Out Your Fortune At New Fortune

I have many routines during the week; laundry, dishes, baby, husband and lunch at New Fortune. This is the place that makes me feel like I'm back in Toronto, enjoying a big, steaming bowl of Pho in some small, off the beaten path Vietnamese restaurant.  I swear by the Pho here, not to mention the spring rolls.  But, I must admit that I enjoy the v-18 (as I like to call it); rice noodles with bbq pork and spring-roll, that I douse with sambal and rice wine vinegar.  During the last few weeks of my pregnancy, I could be found sitting at the table nearest the fish "pond", telling Holly (the server), "Gimme my usual, and make it extra spicy!" in hopes that a daily dose of rare beef pho with tripe would bring on contractions and get the baby outta me. 

Needless to say, Baby Zoe made her first appearance at New Fortune merely days after being born, and has been a regular fixture ever since.  If you're lucky, you might also catch a glimpse of other regulars such as Dennis of Fid Resto, or his staff.  Nick of Canesp and his wife or brothers, and of course my husband, Doug, and his co-workers, the 'Janices' and/or Alain. All I can say to sum this place up is, it is worth the drive to Clayton Park, and once you've had New Fortune, you'll always have good fortune thanks to Thu, the chef/owner of one of Halifax's best kept secrets.

Chimichurri; A Gaucho's Best Friend

I am by no means an Argentinian Gaucho, but I do enjoy my chimichurri!  This classic sauce has been bastardized by many, but I prefer to keep mine simple and close to its original roots.  I recently purchased a beef roast from Getaway Farm (at the Halifax Farmers' Market), marinated it for a few hours with garlic, lemon, bay leaves and chilies and then grilled it over a hot charcoal fire.  After I took the roast off of the bbq I let it "rest" for a few hours, thinly sliced it and served it with a big bowl of vibrant green chimichurri.  Here is my recipe that I often tweak with different herbs.

Chimichurri 

• 1 cup flat leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup basil
• 1/2 cup oregano
• 4 anchovies
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp chili flakes
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste

The preparation for this sauce could not be any easier. Simply buzz up all of the ingredients in a food processor or a blender. Spoon the sauce over barbecued meats and veggies. Yum...

Barberry For You, Zereshk For Me

I have the habit when I go food shopping, to come across ingredients that I've never seen or used before.  This happened to me a few years back when I was picking up my usual haul from Mid-East Food Centre.  I looked into the refrigerator case and saw a bag of jewel-like red berries.  I asked the owner what they were, and how did he use them?  He graciously opened a bag and let me try a few while he explained to me what they could be used for.   He told me that they were called "zereshk", and that they were typically used in Persian rice and in chicken dishes. Barberries have a sour taste, yet there is a hint of sweetness in the end.  These little red berries are one of the largest exports of Iran, a fact that I did not know.  So, I purchased a few bags, and left for work in anticipation of creating something with theses red jewels.

In the kitchen at work on a busy Saturday night, I decided to make a vinaigrette with the barberries to pair with grilled Digby scallops and charred baby leeks.  The outcome of this vinaigrette stunned us all, and soon became a favorite in the kitchen, and eventually made it's way onto one of my menus.  I have paired this vinaigrette not only with seafood and chicken, but works beautifully with lamb and is great for stuffing's.

Here is a super easy recipe for the vinaigrette that I use on everything these days.  If you cannot find barberries, feel free to substitute with dried cranberries or cherries.  Cheers!

Barberry And Mint Vinaigrette

• 1 cup roughly chopped Barberries
• 1/2 cup chiffonade of mint
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 cups extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sumac (optional)
• 2 lemons zest and juice
• salt & pepper to taste.

Mix all the ingredients and taste.  Adjust seasoning if needed.  This keeps refrigerated for up to 3 weeks.

Saturday Food Round-Up

Everyone has one day out of the week that is their favorite; for me it is Saturday. Saturday is sacred in our household. It is the day that Doug, Zoe & I do our big "round-up" of food for the coming week.  This week it started off with our trek down to the Halifax Farmers' Market, which we try to visit as early as humanly possible in order to beat the crowds. We picked up our 'usuals' including; bread from La Vendéene, vegetables from several different kiosks, meat from Roselane Farm (spicy pepperettes & coarse liverwurst), eggs and lamb from Bill Wood of  Wood'n'Heart Farm, feta from Ran Cher Acres, and yogurt and quark (for the munchkin) from Fox Hill Cheese House. After leaving the market we hit Steve-o-Reno's drive through hut on our way home for our weekly cappuccino fix.  With pastries and coffee in our bellies, we were fueled up for our next few stops.

We started with Gourmet Cash and Carry on Kempt Road for quinoa, millet, paneer, and a plethora of spices (sumac, black cumin, etc).  We then dropped into the "220 volts", as my husband likes to call it, which is the Indian grocery store at Robie and North.  This is where I grab my staple chutneys (tamarind, coriander, mint & green chili), as as well as poppadoms, asafoetida and candied fennel seeds.  We walked around the corner and stopped into Local Source Market, owned and operated by Doug's old roommate, Sean Gallagher.  After a quick browse we decided on a jar of pickled Daikon made by "Holly Molly Ferments", some incredibly fresh salad greens and stewing beef from VanOostrum Farm.  The buzz of coffee and pastries started to wear off, so our last stop on our sacred Saturday was the Mid-East Food Centre, where we picked-up some take-out of stewed eggplant, hummus, tabouli and chicken biryani. With a car full of goodies, food for our bellies and plans for our dinner, we headed back to the "Darkside" to do some cooking. 

She Ain't No Gerber Baby

Eight months ago I  gave birth to a bouncing baby girl, and decided at that moment that she was going to be a "Bébé Gourmand".  I've taken it upon myself to make all of my little monkey's food in hopes of developing her palate at a young age.  Here are a few tips and ideas that I have when making food pour les bébés.

One of the most important things you can do is to "switch it up", as I like to say.  No one, not even a six month old, wants to eat the same thing everyday.  I puree batches of fruit (pears, apples, peaches, melon), store them in freezer jars and pull them out when I need them.  Same goes for veggies (peas, sweet potato, squash, asparagus).  I mix my fruits and veggies together when I feed Zoe, and often add silken tofu for protein.  Another winner at our house is quark and plain yogurt, that I pick up at the market from Rick and Jeanita (proprietors of  Foxhill Cheese House). This gets mixed with fruit for a big ol' smile.  For protein, I steam off sweet potato with either chicken or white fish and then puree it.  Sometimes I`ll even add fresh herbs such as basil or dill for added flavour.  As I always say, "if I'm not prepared to eat it, then she won't be either!".  Next for our little lady; a puree of coconut curry with red lentil dal...I'll keep you posted!

I Feel The Lovage

[/caption] When I was growing up in Quebec, my parents had this big, crazy bush of lovage that I had to walk by everyday.  Everyday that I walked by that bush I complained that it stank and that the smell made me sick to my stomach; typical child behaviour.  To me, lovage was the bane of my existence!  It was only many years later, when I moved to Prince Edward Island to become Executive Chef of The Inn At Bay Fortune, did I have to face my fear.  Working in a kitchen where I changed the menu daily, and depended on the garden for ninety percent of my produce, I realized that lovage and I were going to have to fall in love with each other.  I  took it upon myself to learn about this magical herb, that I could only describe as "celery on crack".  Lovage grows year round in some parts of the world, and unlike most herbs, when you cook it, it does not lose it's flavor.  So, out came lovage soups, oils, purees and salads.  It works wonders in a chicken salad sandwich, and pairs perfectly with pears!  I am now proud to admit that the first thing  I planted when we bought our house, was a tiny lovage plant that has now turned into a beautiful, aromatic bush.

Et Tu BBQ?

There is something primal about the smell of a charcoal fire.  Over at my house, we have a great old school Weber that we absolutely adore!  I was so happy when a foggy, rainy Tuesday actually ended up being the most glorious and sunny day so far this spring .  We decided to spark up that bad boy bbq, and grill us some food!  Doug & I have recently made a pact to be "vegetarian" for awhile, but this was the day that we had to temporarily cease and desist; and out came the Sweet Williams chorizo sausages that had been staring at me from the freezer for the past few weeks. These would be our protein, along with some grilled radicchio and eggplant that was later tossed with Cosman & Whidden honey and extra virgin olive oil.  Sweet potato grilled whole in its skin, some yellow peppers and of course grilled baguette rubbed with garlic, Maldon Salt and more olive oil would take up all the room on the grill.  This was all served alongside an impromptu cheese plate (assembled by Douglah) which included some Dragon's Breath, Old Growler and Oka. The entire "grill-up" was paired with Propeller Pale Ale.  As the sun set on us in our backyard, we looked at each other and said, we really must do this more often.