Lamb Stew - The proper choice for St. Patrick's Day.

St. Patricks Day is just around the corner  and one of my favorite meals to serve at this time of year is lamb stew. Hearty, rich and delicious, it is the perfect accompaniment to a pint of beer - especially a nice stout.

I love lamb and I am super lucky to have not only the handsomest lamb farmer in Nova Scotia as a supplier, but his lamb happens to be pretty damn good too. Bill Wood of Wood N Hart Farm has been suppyling me since I moved here back in 2005, and to this day, his lamb is still number one in my books! He can be found at the Historic Brewery Market in Halifax every Saturday morning.

This particular lamb stew was made for our TIBS Family Dinner St. Patricks Day Feast back in 2011, and it was a big hit.​ Hopefully you will pay Bill a visit, buy some lamb, and make a batch of this satisfying stew.

Oh yeah - don't forget to pick up some local craft beer to wash it all down. I would suggest the Propeller Lodon Style Porter or the Garrison Nut Brown Ale. 

​Lamb Stew

SERVES 4-6 ​

​2lbs stewing lamb
1 garlic clove; minced
1 onion; diced
4 ribs of celery; diced
2 carrots; diced
6 small new potatoes; quartered
12 button or cremini mushrooms; halved
1 Tbsp flour
1 C red wine or dark beer (see suggestions above)
1L beef or lamb stock
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary; chopped
Salt & pepper
1 C peas (fresh or frozen)
Puff Pastry stars

In a large, heavy bottomed pot, add a small amount of oil and sauté the onion and garlic. Cook for a few minutes and add the lamb. Brown. Add the celery, carrots, mushrooms and potatoes and season with salt and pepper; cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the flour and saute a further 2-3 minutes and add the wine or beer. Cook until the alcohol is cooked off and add the stock and half of the rosemary. Check for seasoning and add more if needed.

Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the lamb is tender. Once cooked, check again for seasoning and add the peas and the remaining rosemary.

Serve immediately with puff pastry stars if desired. 

Chorizo & Okra Gumbo

I often find myself hungry for a spicy and satisfying meal on a Sunday night. Recently, after a busy day cooking at Acadian Maple, I came home and whipped up this quick and very hearty chorizo and okra gumbo.

The spiciness of the sausage and jalapeño pepper are enough to carry me into an amazing week, and the creaminess of the okra always puts a smile on my face. A hot bowl of this soup at the end of a busy week is just what the doctor ordered. 

​Chorizo & Okra Gumbo

Serves 4-6 ​

​1 onion; diced
1 garlic clove; minced
4 chorizo sausage; crumbled (I used Sweet Williams)
4 ribs of celery; diced
1 red pepper; diced
6 small new potatoes; diced
1 pint of grape tomatoes
1  jalapeño pepper; minced
12 okra; thickly sliced
1L chicken stock
1/2 C white rice
1 C chopped fresh cilantro
2 limes; juice
1 Tsp allspice

In a large, heavy bottomed pot, add a small amount of oil and sauté the onion and garlic. Cook for a few minutes and add the crumbled chorizo. Brown. Add the celery, jalapeno, pepper and potatoes and add the allspice; cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the okra and tomatoes. Saute a further 2-3 minutes and add the stock. Check for seasoning and add if needed.

Bring to a boil and lower to a simmer and add the rice. Add half of the cilantro. Cook until the rice and potato are cooked through.

Add the lime juice and the remainder of the cilantro.

A Boiled Dinner Fit for the Feisty One

Recently I mentioned on Twitter and Facebook that I had made a traditional boiled dinner for the first time ever and the response I received was crazy! I know that I have been living out on the East Coast for over eight years, but it had never crossed my mind to make one boiled dinner for my family at home.

The beauty about a boiled dinner is that all of the ingredients are locally grown and available throughout the winter. Anytime that I can purchase all of the ingredients for a winter meal at the farmers' market, I'm a happy lady.

Was it easy? Yes. Was it tasty? Oh yeah! Did I get to eat any? Nope. Most of it was gone by the time it was my turn to eat. Don't feel sorry for me though, I did manage to make myself the best ever corned beef sandwich the next day with some rye bread, hot mustard and the scraps of meat and vegetables that were left.

Will I re-make a boiled dinner in the future? It is guaranteed and next time, I'll eat first!

​Boiled Dinner, Dartmouth Style

Serves 2-4 ​

​1- 2-3lbs corned beef; rinsed in cold water (I got mine from Oulton's Farm)
4 bay leaves
6 black peppercons
6 whole cloves
6 medium new potatoes
4 carrots; peeled
1/2 green cabbage; cut into quarters
4 onions, peeled and whole

In a very large pot, cover the rinsed corned beef in cold water. Add the spices and the onions. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 hours or until the meat starts to become tender and flakes easily.

Add the rest of the vegetables and cook until tender. Serve immediately with some green tomato chow and hot mustard.

PLEASE NOTE

Corned beef can vary greatly in saltiness. If the water is too salty as it comes to a boil, discard and cover again with fresh cold water. ​

Lunch Time!

Funny thing happened recently; my husband's office moved from Bedford to Downtown Dartmouth. What does that mean? It means that when I'm available, I can make his lunch and hand deliver it to his office. How great is that? For him? Pretty awesome!

On this particular day, a snowy Thursday, I made Doug a lunch that even made me cry with hunger pangs; homemade pork and lamb Kefta on a chickpea, tomato and avocado salad with Zataar, sumac, tahini and buttered pine nuts.

I have a little video about the Kefta that I will post in the next day or two, but here is the recipe for the quick, easy and delicious salad. Check out some of my other videos.

Chickpea, Avocado & Tomato Salad

Serves 4

• 2C cooked chickpeas
• 12 grape tomatoes; quartered
• 1/2 avocado; diced
• 2 scallions; thinly sliced
• 1/2C chopped fresh cilantro

Mix and add dressing.

Tahini-Zataar Dressing

• 1/2C tahini paste
• 1Tbsp Zataar
• 1 lemon; juice
• 2tsp sumac
• Salt & pepper
• Water to thin out

Mix ingredients and season to taste. Thin with warm water if needed. Pour over vegetables and mix.

Post Workout Chickpea Delight

It is a new year and that always comes with new resolutions. As always, my biggest resolution is to get fit; whatever that might mean!

Last year was pretty good. I stuck it out at the gym all year long, but this year is the year of muscle-bound Renee. My plan is to hit the gym four to five times a week, in addition some gruelling ass-kicking sessions with Andrew Russell (paddler extraordinaire and the only man I have ever met who has a true six-pack).

With all this being said, I still need to eat after my workouts, so I share with you my favorite post-workout dish, the Chick Pea Delight with a fried egg. This dish is good anytime, anyday and anywhere. Enjoy.

Chickpea Delight With Fried Egg

Serves 2 hungry Renées

• 1 can of chickpeas; drained
• ¼ C chopped parsley
• ¼ C olive oil
• 1 Tbsp pear vinegar or lemon juice
• 10 grape tomatoes; quartered
• 2 Tbsp chevre cheese
• 6 strips of bacon; roasted & crumbled
• Salt & pepper
• 2 eggs; fried

Mix all the salad ingredients together and taste for seasoning. Top with fried egg.

Local Ingredients Used in this recipe:

Eggs - Wood 'n Hart Farm
Chèvre - Ran-Cher Acres
Bacon - Sweet Williams
Pear Vinegar - Boates Farm

Memories of Turin - Tuna Pasta

This past year has been pretty great food wise and one of the best dishes I ate this year was when I was in Turin, Italy for Terra Madre and Salone Del Gusto.

Picture this - my husband and I are at Eataly Lingotto ouside of Turin, Italy, enjoying a stroll through the amazing food market. Hunger pangs begin to hit and we wonder which of the seven restaurants do we eat in?

We choose to eat at the pizza and pasta restaurant. We sit down, water and bread arrive and we peruse a small yet fantastic menu. We order a bottle of Pradalupo, a white from Piemonte. I order a simple pizza of smoked buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto while Doug decides on the pasta of the day: pasta con tonno.

His pasta, so simple yet probably one of the best pastas I have ever eaten. Fresh rotini, the highest quality olive oil packed tuna, tomato concasse, lemon juice and parsley. Elegant and delicious. This pasta with its simplicity was right up my alley.

Fast forward to today and we are still craving this pasta. Luckily, we brought back a few cans of this amazing olive oil packed tuna and we decided to re-create this pasta dish a couple of nights ago.

For our version, we chose tagliatelle instead of rotini and we added chili flakes as we both like a little heat in our pastas. As we sat down to enjoy our dinner, we took a bite and we were both transported back to that October day where we enjoyed a memorable lunch in the city of Turin.

Pasta Con Tonno

Serves 2

• 200g pasta (1/5 lb); cooked in salted water until al dente (we used tagliatelle)
• 1 can tuna packed in olive oil; tuna and oil (use a quality Italian tuna)
• 5-10 ripe grape tomatoes, halved
• ½ C parsley, chopped
• ½ lemon; juice
• 1 tsp dried chilies (optional)
• salt & pepper
• Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated

Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente; drain and save about 1 tbsp of the cooking liquid. While the pasta is still hot, mix in the tuna (including oil), parsley, tomatoes and lemon juice.

Season to taste. Finish the pasta with the freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Creamed Brussels Sprouts

I'm a big believer that brussels sprouts may be the perfect vegetable. They are cute and cuddly, tasty and go well with just about anything. In addition, brussels sprouts are available at the farmers' markets throughout most of the winter. That is why, this year I decided to whip up a batch of brussel sprouts to go alongside the turkey for our Christmas dinner.

What was so special about these sprouts? Well, it took me all of ten minutes to make the dish and they were outstanding! How could you go wrong when you cook anything with smoked bacon, onions, garlic, cream and smoked cheddar.

Long live the brussels sprout!

Lavallée's Spectacular Sprouts

• 1lbs brussels sprouts; washed and sliced

• 4 slices of double smoked bacon; cubed

• 1 onion; thinly sliced

• 1 clove garlic; minced

• 1 tbsp butter

• ¼ C 35% cream

• 1 C grated smoked cheddar

• salt & pepper to taste

In a hot pan, add the butter and bacon; cook until bacon starts to become translucent. Add the onions and garlic and cook until soft. Add the brussels sprouts and cook a further 4-5 minutes. Add cream and season to taste. Add cheese and serve.

If using later in the day or week, I added panko crumbs to the top of mine and gratineed it too. This will add a bit of crunch which can be nice.