2012...What Will You Bring Me?

It's the New Year. We all have lists of things we loved, things we hated, and for me, it will be what I hope to see happen in 2012. Remember folks, these are just my opinions, so don't get angry.

Bacon

Here is a product that most of us love, but poor bacon has been turned into something other than that salty meat we eat in the  morning. This past year, and for a few years actually, it has been bacon overload! Enough I say. Let bacon be bacon and choose to be eaten plainly and simply beside some eggs, in a club sandwich or a ceasar salad. Please don't turn him into jam, put him in a chocolate bar or hidden in a cake. Hasn't he been ridiculed enough already?

Cauliflower

My favorite vegetable! Underused, made fun of, and left to be eaten as a pureed soup. Cauliflower is King! He is mighty and tasty and can stand up to anything. Give him a chance; he is well worth the effort. Roasted with cumin seeds and chili then doused in a tahini-lemon sauce is pretty damn good. Pureed with obscene amounts of butter and cream and he is better than any fancy puree you may find in top restaurants. He lives forever in the fridge, and is even pretty yummy late at night dipped into tzaztiki. Cauliflower, you will reign in 2012!

Millet

Little perfect grains of crunchiness. Often forgotten due to that girl named "quinoa", but for me, there is no competition. Cooked with earthy mushrooms and served over spinach, your delicate flavor caresses me. On your own with olive oil and salt and pepper, or thrown into a soup to give it strength. You and I will have a torrid love affair in 2012 and may even invite cauliflower into our mix.

Return To The Past

Who remembers the 70's? I do. The colorful cookbooks with elaborate spreads, crazy looking food, but tasty. Who doesn't like Beef Wellington or Lobster Thermidor? I might stay clear of the "chaud-froid" on chicken breasts, but a honest version of Chicken Cordon Blue or Kiev is nothing to snicker at. How about a Waldorf Salad? A Ceasar salad; pure and simple with just a handful of ingredients? I don't know about you, but a potluck that includes some kickin' meatballs, a lasagna, and a good loaf of garlic bread sounds pretty tempting to me.

Chemistry On My Plate

If I wanted to eat out of a test tube or beaker, or have scent waft my way as I eat, I'd pop in a Glade plug-in and get out my kid's chemistry set.

Asian Fusion

Seriously, this is 2012. Do I even need to mention this? Yes, apparently the memo never reached some people. FYI...it died along with Tex-Mex back in 1993.

Allspice

Ooh you sassy lady! Spicy, yet understated. I love adding allspice in place of pepper whenever I can. It brings brightness to my hummus and works wonders on top of rum punch, Bajan style!

Sea Urchin

I know it is in abundance in sushi places, but here in Nova Scotia we have tons of the stuff...everywhere! I love it. The smell is almost rose-water-esque, with a sweet and salty taste. People are afraid of the texture, but if you're willing to eat brains, then....Why is it not on more menus? It doesn't have to be a main course, but just a taste, a tease of the spiny creature. (FYI...I still have a sea urchin stinger stuck in my finger circa 2008!).

OK, so some are good, and some are bad. But after all is said and done, all that makes me happy is being able to enjoy food, any way it comes at me, in 2012. Happy New Year!

Grilled Cheese; A Gift From The Gods

What makes me happy? A bottle of red wine and a big ol' piece of cheese? Perhaps. But when the wind is whipping at the windowsill and the snow is coming down, nothing makes me happier than the perfect grilled cheese sandwich.

I am a purist; I like to keep things in my kitchen simple. The same holds true with my grilled cheese creations. Great bread, Canadian cheese, butter and maybe even a slice of locally cured ham. During the recent holidays, when my belly was about to burst from over-alcholization and roasted goose, I decided to take make a quick lunch for the troops.

The grilled cheese components included extra Old Cheddar from Mapledale Cheese in Ontario, apple-walnut bread from Boulangerie La Vendeenne, Westphalia ham from Roselane Farm and... mayo. Yep, mayonaise. I recently came across a cool trick in a CHOW recipe about how mayo won't burn the bread like butter. I was skeptical about this tip, but I had to give it a try.

With meat and cheese neatly tucked between the bread, I spread some mayo on both sides of the bread and placed the sandwich onto a medium heat  non-stick pan to slowly brown, crisp and melt.

The result was pure bliss - salty, creamy and crunchy with not a burnt bit in sight! My holiday snack was as I would say, outta sight!

Make Chowder Your Choice for the Holidays

What is the most beloved soup in Nova Scotia? The answer is easy. Chowder. Be it lobster or clam or fish or seafood, chowder is warm, comforting and soothing. What could be better during this holiday season.

Chowder; it comes in many forms. Perhaps it is all clams or a mix of white fish. There may be a few shrimp lurking in the bowl or even an oyster. It can be cream based, tomato based or even a broth, but anyway you like to eat or cook it, this soup is a staple on most menus in restaurants and home kitchens in the province.

I am a very anal person when it comes to making my chowder. I have several rules that I apply, and I know that many people will disagree with me, but hey, that's just how I like it.

Rule #1 of the Lavallée Chowder

No "pink" fish. So Mr. Salmon, you and your friends Char and Trout will have to find another bowl to play in.

Rule #2 of the Lavallée Chowder

No cream. Listen, just cause I weigh 105lbs doesn't mean I can wave around a carton of 35% cream an use it liberally in my cooking; it's gotta be 2% milk for this lil' lady.

Rule #3 of the Lavallée Chowder

Carrots belong in a stew, not in my velvety white chowder. I do not want these orange floaties discoloring my soup.

So, how many disagree? Probably quite a few, but how many of you will try my recipe and perhaps change your minds? Hopefully more. Mine is a mix of clams, smoked fish, smoked oysters and haddock. Sometimes when I am feeling crazy, I'll even put in a few cold water shrimp!

This holiday season, try impressing your guests with a chowder. Duper MacDonald, this one is for you! Enjoy.

The Chowder of Chowders

Serves 6 adults

• 8 slices of bacon; roughly chopped

• 1 onion; chopped

• 1 leek; chopped

• 3 ribs of celery; chopped

• 3 potatoes; washed and chopped (I keep the skin on)

• 1C (250ml) corn(fresh or frozen)

• 3C (750ml) chicken stock

• 1C (250ml) white wine

• 2 C (500ml) 2% milk

• 1 can clams (add the juice too!)

• 3 tins smoked oysters

• 1lb (450g) haddock (or any fish you like)

• 200g smoked halibut or haddock

• 1C (250ml) cold water shrimp

• 1tbsp (15ml) chopped tarragon

• salt and pepper

In a large pot, cook off the bacon with a little oil and add the onion, leek, celery and potato. Sweat for 5 minutes. Deglaze with the white wine and cook another 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and the liquid from the clams and cook for 1/2 hour until the vegetables are soft. Add in the smoked fish (cut up) and the white fish. Cook for another 10 minutes and then add the remaining ingredients and heat through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with fresh dill.

Spicy Beans Delight

Have you ever ordered a Caesar or Bloody Mary and had the pleasure of having it served with a spicy bean? These gorgeous pickled beans are what my dreams are made of; spicy, crunchy and salty. What more could I ask for?

It wasn't until a friend of mine, Alexis Kelsall, and her blog "Domestic Bliss" inspired me, that I decided to get crackin' and create a few jars of these 'blissful' beans myself. Alexis has been a canning machine this past summer and fall, and this is one of her prize pickle recipes.

If you aren't into pickling, and you are slightly anxious about spending hours in the kitchen toiling over jars and hot pots, then this recipe is for you. It's simple, fast and most effective.

Alexis only uses chili flakes for the heat in her recipe, but I adapted it a wee bit by also adding in some pickled scotch bonnet peppers that I had picked up on a late spring trip to Barbados. This extra touch makes for beans with the perfect amount of spiciness for this hot mama.

If beans aren't your thing, this recipe also works well with carrots. I even have big plans on trying it with beets later on this fall. Give the recipe a shot and let me know what you think.

Spicy Beans

• 4 cups white vinegar
• 3 tablespoons coarse salt
• 5 sprigs of fresh dill
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 5 teaspoons (or more) crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 pounds crisp beans, ends trimmed

Directions

Sterilize jars and lids and keep warm.

In a large preserving pot combine the vinegar, 4 cups water, and the salt. Bring to just a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt.

Quickly put a sprig of dill, clove of garlic and red pepper flakes in each hot jar. Pack the beans in the jars upright. Ladle hot brine into the jars leaving 1/2" headspace.

Wipe rims clean with damp paper towel, place lid on top and screw on ring just finger tight.

Return jars to canning pot and make sure water covers jars by 1". Bring water to simmer and simmer for 10 minutes to process. Remove jars, place on kitchen towel and don't disturb for 12 hours.

If after one hour any lids have not sealed (if it can be pushed down, it's not sealed) refrigerate immediately. Store the sealed jars in a cool dark place.

Makes about 8 x 500ml jars

Getting Into a Pickle

There is something very meditative about pickling. In my world of poopy diapers and tantrums, the thought of spending an uninterrupted afternoon where my biggest challenge is getting the wee cucumbers into the cumbersome jars, is a dream.

I recently had someone say to me "the best pickle will always be the homemade pickle", so I vowed to make my own this year.

Making your own pickles is by no means rocket science, but if done properly, can become a hot commodity amongst people you know. I recently made a batch where I ended up with 20, 500ml jars, and I have already eaten 2 and given away 4 (I made them last week!). If I continue on this path, I shall have no more by the end of this month! So, I am going to make another batch, keep them hidden, and pray that they turn out just as good as the first!

If you have a 3 hour break in your day and want some exciting fun? Make some dill pickles.

Dilly Pickles

• 7lbs baby cucumbers; washed
• 3 heads garlic; cloves peeled & kept whole
• 1 bunch dill about to seed

Brine:

• 19 C water
• 5 1/2 C white vinegar
• 1 C coarse salt

Sterilize the jars and tops and set aside. Make the brine by combining the ingredients and bringing to a boil; set aside. Place the washed cucumbers in the jars, making sure to get as many shoved in their as humanly possible. Don't be scared to use a little muscle. Add 3 cloves of garlic and a few sprigs of the dill to each jar. Cover with the brine, seal and process in simmering water for 13-15 minutes.

Makes approximately 20 x 500ml jars.

We ate our first jar after a week and they were great. If have more will power than us, you could probably leave them for little longer to maximize the flavour. Enjoy. And remember, you will always be loved if you show up with a jar of homemade pickles.

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Rice Noodle Salad

It seems that as my days get busier and the weather gets hotter, it is a huge challenge for me to whip up a meal. We all have things we have as "go-to's", and my go-to is always a simple cold noodle salad.

I know that many of us may not keep such ingredients in the pantry, but for me, rice noodles, fish sauce and sambal olek are always floating around. And in the fridge, you will always find cilantro, carrots, cucumbers and a piece of meat.

On this particular day, as the temperature rose and the humidity became almost unbearable, I made my go-to salad and enjoyed it immensely. The crunch of the carrots and cucumber with the salty peanuts, the spicy vinaigrette, and the tender slices of striploin, filled the void on this day.

I started by soaking the rice noodles in warm water while I julienned my vegetables and chopped my cilantro. A vinaigrette of lime juice, ginger, fish sauce, sambal olek and sesame oil awaited the noodles and vegetables. To finish the dish off, I topped the noodles with some thinly sliced striploin steak from the night before and a sprinkling of chopped peanuts.

In less than ten minutes I had a delicious and fresh dinner that would also be great as leftovers for lunch the next day. Quick, simple and fresh; it's that easy.